Claimed by the Beast Bundle (39 page)

Chapter 14

Crystal stretched out and ran through the woods, heedless of the obstacles and uneven ground. She leapt over rocks and ducked under branches and logs. Those that brushed against her slipped off her snowy white fur. It was her woods, or at least the woods surrounding her pack. She knew where she had to go and she knew she had to hurry. She dug her claws into the ground and drove herself harder.

Crystal saw the fence and leapt over it, clearing it with inches to spare. She landed and turned, digging into the dirt to stop herself. She turned her head and watched through the weeds at the edge of the trees. There, just above the muddy banks of the pond, was what she’d come to see.

Stephanie was lying in the grass on her back. Her hands were between her legs, which were spread wide with her knees drawn up towards the stars overhead. Stephanie’s head was whipping back and forth, her blond hair covering her face while she mewed and cried out.

Crystal’s attention was pulled towards the cheerleader’s legs. Or more appropriately, towards the man crouched between them. He looked big but she couldn’t be sure since Steph’s knees and arms hid his face.

Stephanie cried out and threw her head back. Her hair went flying and exposed her sweaty skin as she stiffened. Her chest heaved and her back arched before she collapsed to the grass and let her head roll to the side. She blinked her eyes open and Crystal took a step back and sat on her haunches. Stephanie’s eyes were a brilliant shade of light blue. Just like—

“Crystal?”

She turned and saw Hank rise up from between Stephanie’s legs. He stared at her, his lips parted. Then he smiled and walked forward on his knees. She saw how swollen he was before his hips disappeared between her spread legs. He lifted her groin to his level and sank forward, impaling her in a single smooth motion. Ecstasy washed over his face as he started to rut against her. Stephanie made grunting and cooing noises while Hank continued to stare at her. “So much better with a normal girl,” he told her.

“Crystal!”

Crystal shook her head violently. She twisted, turning away and wanting to be sick. How could they do that to her? How could Stephanie—she claimed to love Crystal!

“Crys, it’s okay,” Hank said again. She spun; the voice came from behind her, not in front of her. What was going on? She looked back across the pond and saw the two people she’d come to trust betraying her and enjoying themselves. She snarled and lunged forward. She’d show them! She’d rip that bitch’s throat out and then ruin Hank for any woman!

“Crystal, wake up!”

Crystal pounced and landed on top of them. She struggled and snapped her teeth amid a flurry of limbs and fabric. She scratched and kicked, her legs getting tangled up in the blankets.

Blankets?

Crystal slowed and blinked the tears out of her eyes. Someone was holding her. Someone hot and strong and hard. Hank? She lifted her head and stared up at him. She gasped when she saw the blood on his chin and torn skin hanging loose.

“Oh my God!” Crystal yelped. She struggled and pushed herself away from him. The added distance let her see the blankets were soaked in blood. His blood. Scratches covered his chest in addition to the tear on his chin.

“Crys, are you okay?” he asked.

“What? No! What happened? I was—you were—you’re bleeding!”

“You were struggling,” he said.

“Struggling?” Crystal asked. A vision of what she’d seen in her dream filled her mind. “Oh! Um, I had a dream.”

“A dream?”

“No, a nightmare,” she admitted. She shook her head. “You were with Stephanie.”

“With—you mean, I was having sex with her?”

Crystal nodded and dropped her head. “I’m so sorry.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“I know!” Crystal bit her lips and blinked away more tears. She looked up at him and saw the concern and tenderness in his eyes. Eyes that were the same shade of bright blue that she’d seen in Stephanie’s face in her dream. Except Stephanie’s eyes were a dark blue. So dark they were almost gray.

“What’s wrong?”

“Eyes?” Crystal mumbled. “I mean, nothing. Everything!”

He reached for her and rubbed a hand up and down her shoulder. “It’s okay. It was just a nightmare. I’ll never do anything like that, I promise.”

Crystal sniffed and nodded. “I was a wolf in the dream.”

Hank smiled. “See, it wasn’t all bad.”

She allowed a flicker of a smile across her lips. “Yeah, I guess. I ran through the woods and found you and her. God, that was so terrible! You were between her legs and eating her out and then—”

“Hey, let it go,” he said before she could finish. “I’m with you. You’re my mate, remember? We’re not like norms—for us, relationships mean something more than just convenience and raising kids. We’ve claimed each other. That’s in our blood, not just our hormones.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

She risked another quick smile. “I didn’t know that. I mean I’d heard some things, but that’s good to know.”

A fresh drop of blood ran down Hank’s chest from the scratches and spread onto the sheets beneath him. He ignored it. “Relax, okay? You’re not a freak, you’re a—”

“What did you say? I’m not a freak?”

“No, you’re not. Why?”

“In my dream you said I was.”

Hank frowned. “You’re not. You’re not a norm—you’re better. You’re one of us.”

Crystal stared at his chest and winced. It looked painful. The flap of skin hanging from his chin was even worse. She leaned forward before she knew what she was doing and started kissing his chest. She ran her lips over his scratches and added licks to her kisses. She heard a startled gasp escape his lips but then he lay still and let her tend to him.

Crystal finished nursing the cuts in his chest and lifted her head up to his. She reached up and gently patted the skin that had pulled away back in place before kissing the injury and then backing away. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled.

“You shifted in your sleep,” he explained. “Not all the way, but enough.”

“Wish I knew how,” she whined.

He shrugged. “You’ll figure it out.”

Crystal nodded and kissed one of his scratches again. “How sick is it that I think you taste good?”

Hank let out a startled laugh. “Sorry, some of the things I write made me take that completely wrong!”

“Pervert,” she teased him.

He shrugged. “Doggy style is only the beginning.”

“Oh my God!”

Hank grinned and then became serious. “When I bit you, earlier, you tasted different.”

“Different?” she asked with a frown. “Is that bad?”

“No,” he was quick to answer. “Or at least I don’t think it is. Just different. Probably because either you haven’t been changed very long or maybe because of how you changed.”

Crystal nodded. She leaned forward and kissed him again before throwing the bloody blankets back. “Get up.”

“What?”

“I’m going to help you change your sheets and see if we can wash these before the stain sets in.”

“Oh, um, okay.”

“And then I’m going home.”

Hank scowled. “This is home.”

She smiled back at him. “Someday soon, I hope. But right now I want you to get some decent rest. I don’t want to risk hurting you again. Or anyone else.”

“Crystal—”

“No, I mean it. And I need to be alone too. I have to figure some things out. I still love you. Even if we only just met, I know how I feel.”

Hank nodded. “I didn’t doubt.”

“Good. Now get up,” she repeated.

Hank nodded and rolled out of bed. He stood and took Crystal’s hand to help her out. She rose and kissed his chest again before leaning back and looking at his injuries. “You’re already healing?”

“You’re a great nurse,” he said.

Crystal raised an eyebrow. “Must run in the family.”

She turned and started stripping off the bloody sheets. As soon as she was done, she left them in a pile on the floor and straightened. She turned back around and saw Hank’s gaze focused on her bottom. She glanced down and saw that his interest had translated into more than just a visual thing. She cleared her throat. “Eyes up here?”

He focused on her face and smiled. “Sorry. You’ve got an awesome ass.”

“Wow,” she teased, “I bet you win the ladies over with that every time.”

He shook his head. “Only one lady I’m interested in.”

She felt her heart beat harder and she stepped into his arms to kiss him. His hands wrapped around her and she realized she was in danger of getting swept up in something again. She pushed herself away and held up her hand to keep Hank from following after her. “Stay back,” she warned him.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t trust myself yet. I don’t want to lose control and end up doing something I don’t want to.”

“You won’t,” he promised.

She nodded. “I won’t, you’re right, but that’s because I’m going home.”

Hank sighed. “All right, let me get some clothes on and I’ll take you.”

“No, I’m going to go on my own.”

“What? It’s miles away! You can’t—”

“I can,” she said. “And I will. I need to do this. I need the time alone to think. And who knows, maybe I’ll figure something out along the way.”

“Crys—”

Crystal blew him a kiss. “I’ll be okay,” she said. “There’s nothing scary left in the area. Or at least nothing scarier than me.”

Hank’s nostrils flared. She grabbed her crumpled dress and pulled it on. She had no idea where her sandals were and was secretly glad. She didn’t want to have to carry them. She grabbed her purse and made sure it was zipped shut before turning and kissing Hank at the door to his trailer a final time.

“Baby, I—”

“I love you too,” she said while putting a finger to his lips. He kissed her fingertip and made her legs wobble. “I will figure this out,” she said a moment later. “Because there’s nothing on this earth that’s going to keep me away from you for long.”

“Good,” he said. “Hurry up and get it done then!”

Crystal laughed before turning and starting towards the road. She stopped and tilted her head. The road wasn’t the fastest way home for her. She turned again and started towards the woods. She waved at him before she broke into a jog that quickened into a run. She hoped that this, finally, would be the thing that set her free.

Chapter 15

Crystal clutched her purse to her side to keep it from bouncing and slapping against her while she ran. It felt amazing to slip through the trees so soon again. It was dark but she could see everything in shades of black and gray. She’d seen movies and TV shows with men wearing night vision goggles but this was nothing like that. What she saw wasn’t filled with static or shaded unnatural colors. She saw the world at night in all its glory.

She made it her own, darting along paths and even startling deer and coyotes as she padded past them. The only things that deterred her were her purse at her side and the obnoxious dress she wore against the unlikely chance she ran into someone.

Crystal debated stopping long enough to rip her dress off. She could wad it up and shove it in her purse in case she needed it later, but she’d rather just throw it away. She wanted nothing between her and the world. Only the fact that it didn’t slow her down kept her from discarding it.

She ran on instead and splashed through a puddle. She let out a delighted yelp from the sensation of water and mud on her foot. It tickled her senses. She left it behind, angling down a narrow hill and not slowing until she burst out of the tree line and jogged up onto the shoulder of a dirt road. She slowed to a stop and took in several deep breaths.

The damp night air was filled with flavors. Earth, wet and freshly turned by worms and other insects seeking moisture and air. The sharp tang of fear from an animal being stalked by a nocturnal predator, as well as the musky scent of that predator. She pulled it in and let it coil in her nose and throat. A fox, she decided. Something other than the coyotes she’d left behind.

Other than a soft rustle of trees and fresh growing leaves, the forest was quiet. The wind faded, leaving the air still and moist. She luxuriated in it and closed her eyes to pull it in. Crystal stood still on the side of the road and centered herself in the nature around her. This was what she was meant to do. Where she was meant to be. Free. Wild. Untamed.

She reached for her dress and started to pull it up when reality caught up to her. She couldn’t do that. She was a human being. A person
who
was part of society. She had school and class and, one day, a job and responsibilities. Sure, she hoped she’d be able to turn into a wolf whenever she wanted and run with her pack, but that would be a blessing and a gift, not a way of life.

She sighed and let her dress fall back down. No, she was a young woman who had a life to return to. She had friends and a mother who needed her. And she had her other family, her pack. But how long would they humor her if she couldn’t shift and join them fully? Hank might wait forever, but the others? She doubted it.

She let out another sigh, this one borne of frustration, and turned to look around. It was still quiet, almost deathly still. The wind had died and she heard nothing save her own feet brushing the grasses and weeds. Something about it seemed odd. Shouldn’t there have been noises? Insects, at least? Maybe frogs or birds? Or had she spooked them into silence?

Crystal frowned. She’d run right past deer, coyotes, a raccoon, and a few other nighttime animals. Why would they wait until now to be bothered by her? She turned again and peered into the shadows of the forest. Had it been quiet near Hank’s trailer, too? Was this how it was at night so close to her and her new friends?

Or was something else out there? Another Beast? Or had Clover lied about the one she’d defeated? She sniffed the air again. There was another scent on it. A stink of metal and machinery. Crystal lowered herself, squatting at first and then putting the fingers of one hand against the ground. She craned her neck and used all her senses. Her nose twitched as she imagined she caught a whiff of that deadly herb Hank had told her about. Nightshade.

Her breath hissed between her teeth and she spun back to look into the woods she’d come out of. Could she run back to Hank’s trailer and bury herself in his arms? Pretend she’d never left? It would be better. Safer, at least, to be there than out here, surrounded by hunters.

They were here, she knew that now. She tasted a touch of stale tobacco in the air, either exhaled or maybe just the stink of a man’s clothing. She glanced down at her arm and saw the white fur. She was so close. She just needed to change. Needed to make herself shift so she could run like a wolf and escape into the forest. No man or beast on two legs could catch her then.

The sound of someone—or something—snuffling came from the woods between her and her pack. She twisted again but didn’t see anything. She heard grunting. Grunting a strangled growl. Something was out there with her. More than just the hunters; it was something primal, like her. Yet not like her, for she was terrified.

She winced as her feet cramped and snapped. Her hand on the ground contorted and felt like she’d plunged it from a pit of glowing coals to a pit of icy water. Rather than be frozen by fear and pain or examine what had happened, she dug the sharp claws of her toes into the ground and lurched ahead even as she pulled herself along with her left arm.

She took three explosive strides before she straightened up to run with just her legs. Her feet pounded across the hard packed dirt road, kicking dirt behind her and driving her to run faster. She had to get away; that was all she knew. Later, once she was free, she could circle back to Hank and the others.

That meant she had to fly. She had to run faster than she’d ever run before. If she could do it on four legs instead of two, there’d be no doubt. She’d already gone from bookworm to track star. Now she needed more. She needed to be a wolf.

“Please,” she hissed as she leaned forward and forced her thighs to pump against the ground harder to keep her from falling. “Help me!”

Her eyes and feet changed when she needed them. Now she needed the rest of her body to do what she needed it to. For once, just once in her life, she begged her body to listen to her. Dress and purse be damned; she knew she could find a way out of them as long as she could shift.

She lifted her arms forward and threw herself into the air…only to be stunned by the impact.

She rolled and felt her dress rip while dirt and stones scraped at her. Her purse was torn away, the strap breaking after rubbing her shoulder and neck raw. When she came to a stop and tried to push herself over and up, she realized the weight that was resting on top of her. She looked up, blinking and trying to see through the hair on her face.

There was a shape on top of her. She could barely make it out other than the white grinning teeth. Teeth with points at the end.

“Crystal!” hissed the man on top of her. Except it wasn’t a man, she knew. Not anymore.

“Chad,” she groaned, as though using his name would make a difference. How had he found her? For that matter, how had he escaped in the first place? “You’re supposed to be locked up!”

“They told me,” he raved. “Told me to find you. Told me I could have you. I just had to lead them to you! Lead them to your dirty friends!”

Crystal blinked as his words sunk in. She bucked, driving the surprised man off her and sending him sprawling. She rolled and put her foot down, digging in with her claws and lunging forward to get away. She hadn’t shifted, but she also hadn’t returned to looking like a norm. Her strong legs propelled her away but she was stopped almost before she started. Her dress ripped further, the skirt tearing before it caught, and the rest of her remaining shoulder strap tore free.

She stumbled and kicked, trying to roll out of the dress and escape. Chad was there, grabbing her legs and yanking her back. She kicked at him, her feet striking his legs and belly. He ignored the punishing blows and fell forward, trapping her legs beneath him. Crystal beat at his head and shoulders with her hands and then reached down to try and push herself out from beneath him.

Her head bumped against something that stopped her. She jerked her gaze up and saw a man staring down at her. A man with a shotgun. It was Chad’s father, Barnaby Dixon. Her eyes went wide and she looked around while Chad scrambled to get a better grip on her. She saw Stephanie’s dad and the other man, as well as two other men she didn’t recognize at first.

She focused on them for a moment and the early morning darkness grew brighter. She sucked in a surprised breath through her nose—not that she could see better all of a sudden, but because she recognized one of the men from posters she’d seen around town. County Sheriff Bill Eaton was one of them.

“Good job, boy,” Barnaby said, forcing her attention back to him. His strong lawyer’s voice was gone. In its place was a softer version that had a hitch in it.

“Let me have her,” Chad panted.

She could feel his erection behind his pants as it pressed against her thigh. Even worse, she could feel the wetness that had soaked through his pants. It made her want to vomit. No, it made her want to kick him in the balls and rip his pecker off. Then she would vomit.

“We need to see what you found here first,” Mr. Edgerton said.

Crystal’s eyes widened. If they looked close, they’d see her feet and hands. They’d see the fur. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Relaxing and trying to just be normal had always worked before. A white light flashed, making her squint in spite of having her eyes shut. She gasped as the pain flared in her feet and hand, telling her that her bones had returned to their natural state.

She blinked her eyes open, fighting back the triumphant smile that tiny amount of control meant. She lifted her head and stared down as a powerful flashlight played across her body. Her breath caught in her throat as she followed it down and saw her upper torso on display. Was that fur or just light reflecting? She blinked, uncertain.

“Move off her, son,” Barnaby ordered.

Chad huffed and whimpered before he shifted his weight and crawled to sit beside her. He reached out and started petting her arm and moved up to her hair. Crystal cringed and tried to scoot away from him.

“Looks normal to me,” the man with the pistol said.

Mr. Edgerton shook his head. “I saw hair.”

“Yeah, she needs to trim her pussy,” the other man said.

“No,” Barnaby said in a voice that sounded closer to his usual powerful tone. “I saw it too. White fur. It disappeared before the light hit it.”

“You sure?”

Barnaby and Robert both nodded.

“Sounds like he done good then. Best give him what’s coming to him.”

Crystal’s breath caught in her throat. Were they really going to just give her to him? She shook her head and started to struggle. Barnaby’s foot stomped down on her shoulder, driving her into the ground and making her cry out in pain. Mr. Edgerton stepped up and jammed something in her belly. It burned like fire and made her scream and thrash.

She stopped a moment later as the fire faded to a warmth that began to spread across her abdomen. She lifted her head and looked down. There was nothing to see except a tiny prick of blood. How could that be responsible for so much pain? She looked up and saw Mr. Edgerton put a cap on a syringe and shove it into his pocket. They’d drugged her with something.

She sniffed, remembering the earlier scent. The smell was stronger. Strong enough it nearly made her gag. How had she missed it before?

“You can’t,” she whimpered as Chad stroked the side of her cheek. A tear ran down her cheek. “Please.”

“You done good, Chad,” Mr. Dixon said. “Damn shame about this. I’m sorry this had to happen.”

Chad looked at Crystal and grinned. He opened his mouth, showing his changing teeth, and leaned forward. A concussion slammed into Crystal and made her entire body jerk in spite of the poison racing through her body. Her senses were assaulted while she tried to make sense of why everything was spinning around her. She smelled sulphur and copper. A stink of blood that was joined a moment later by the stench of an emptied bladder. She felt a cool mist chill her body before the growing numbness warmed it away.

Crystal blinked her eyes open and looked. Chad’s body thrashed on the ground twice more and lay still. His head was misshapen and his face seemed elongated. One eye stared at her but it had lost its focus and glazed over. They killed him.

“Burn the body,” the man with the pistol said. “And take the bitch back. They’ll smell her and follow. We’ll kill all of the godless sons of bitches.”

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