Beauty Dates the Beast (28 page)

I gave a long cry of pain, unable to swallow it.

“That’s better,” he said, and rubbed his crotch as if my pain excited him. Then Jason grabbed me by the wrist, dragging me up against his body. His
claws cut through my bonds and my wrists fell free.

I immediately started to thrash, trying to break free of his grasp.

“I like it when you fight,” he said, his eyes gleaming with madness, a feral grin on his face. “Let’s go see your boyfriend, shall we?”

One of the large bay windows led out to a balcony. Jason pulled me in front of him as a shield, setting off waves of pain, and glanced at Arabella. “Stay out of sight.”

She snarled, a more Wendigo-like sound than I would have liked to hear. “Why?”

“Because they think I’m here with her alone. The element of surprise will work in our favor.” He gave her a cold glance. “And because I said so.”

With that tone, he wasn’t messing around. Arabella shut up and kept away from the door.

Jason pulled it open and went out, my back pressed against his stomach. I struggled weakly, then sagged. Still reeling from Arabella’s beating, I found it hard to concentrate. The side of my face was sticky with blood, but even worse, I couldn’t seem to focus. The pain was too distracting.

“Beauregard,” Jason bellowed. “Show yourself.”

The lead cougar strode forward and began to shift. I winced, anticipating a disgusting change like Jason’s. To my surprise, Beau’s transformation was fluid, almost seamless. His skin rippled
slightly and changed, his bones elongating gracefully. Within moments he was in his human form, completely naked. The look on his face was lethal and his eyes scanned me with possessiveness.

“I am here,” he said, proud, strong.

Jason’s hand clasped around my throat and he lifted me off the ground, demonstrating how he could manhandle me.

My hands went to Jason’s, trying to pry his fingers off my throat before he cut off all my oxygen. I heard Arabella chuckle inside the dark room, and a plan formed in my mind.

I let my hands fall back down to my sides and clenched my fists, leaving two fingers out as a signal that there were two of them … if someone would only look at my hands.

“I’ve been having fun playing with your human,” Jason said, then grabbed me between the legs in a startling, painful grip. I twisted and gave a gasping sob of pain, writhing. “It’s a shame that they break so easily.”

Beau’s jaw clamped into a hard line, and I could practically see the muscle ticking in his jaw.

“She’s not fond of my games, though,” Jason continued in a mocking voice. “I don’t think she’ll last much longer if this siege continues.”

“What do you want?” Beau’s voice was deadly with anger.

“You meet me inside this house. Alone.”

I wiggled my two fingers and looked desperately at the sea of animal faces. Had they seen my gesture?

“We meet, just you and me, and we settle our rivalry once and for all.” Jason’s lie rang across the twilight courtyard.

Beau would never take such a stupid deal.

“And you won’t hurt her?” There was no hesitation in his voice.

I heard a pleased chuckle from inside the room.

The two of them would kill him!

Jason’s hand slid across my chest and squeezed my breast, and Beau’s face darkened as if he wanted to kill him.

“There’s two of them,” I yelled. “Two of th—”

Jason’s fist clipped me across the face, and I nearly bit off my own tongue. Darkness swam over my vision and I barely heard Beau’s roar of anger and Jason’s curses as he dragged me back inside. The door to the balcony slammed shut, and Jason flung me to the floor.

I skidded across the tile with the force of his hit and slammed into the wall.

“The stupid bitch is trying to ruin this for us,” Jason seethed, and Arabella stroked his arm in a soothing gesture. Both of them glared hatefully at me from across the room.

“Let’s kill her,” Arabella agreed, her eyes shimmering green-gold. “She doesn’t matter now. Let me drink from her throat.” Her hands began to bubble and molt.

“You can’t kill her until the others are gone,” he snarled. “You need your powers to beat them.”

“But what if I don’t have another chance?” Arabella whined.

A window broke downstairs, and they looked at each other with triumph. “He’s coming,” Arabella said.

Then something detonated downstairs. The floor shook beneath my feet, and the loud boom was deafening. The pictures on the walls crashed to the floor as the fire alarms went off madly, filling the house with an earsplitting chorus of warning beeps.

“What the fuck are they doing?” Jason bolted out into the hall. “Stay with the bitch,” he called after him.

Arabella waited only a moment, then followed him.

I picked myself up off the floor, my first instinct to hide. I fought against the thought—if the house was on fire, it would be supremely stupid to stay here.

So I needed a weapon. I frantically looked around and saw the rack of pool cues. I could use one of those.

I yanked one from the rack. It wasn’t very heavy, but it was better than nothing.

A feral voice snarled, and Jason pounded up the hallway. “I’m going to kill that bitch for setting my house on fire!”

I smiled grimly. Like they weren’t going to kill me anyhow? I clutched the cue stick tightly in my hands and hefted it, standing in plain sight on the far side of the pool table. Jason skidded down the hallway and caught sight of me, and his mouth curled in a ruthless smile.

“Bathsheba!”

The two Wendigo froze in the hall at the sound of Beau’s faint call. Smoke drifted upstairs and I could hear the crackle of the fire now; it must have covered the entire bottom floor.

Jason turned his black eyes back to me and I saw that the front of his pants had popped a tent. I took an involuntary step backward. Fire and violence seemed to turn him on. Bad news for me.

“We have to get out of here,” Arabella said, coughing on the smoke. She tugged on his arm, turning him away from me.

Jason flung her away and she crashed into the wall, knocking down and breaking the rack of pool cues. “You stupid bitch. They’ll slaughter us if we try to make it out.” His eyes turned back to me, gleaming. “You trapped us, didn’t you.” He
moved toward me, stalking his prey, and slid his hand down the front of his pants. “You trapped us with the fire.”

My fingers tightened on the cue stick and I took another step backward. “I’d do it again, too.” I sounded way braver than I felt. If Jason got any closer, he was going to hear my knees knocking together.

He snarled. In a completely inhuman move, he leapt onto the pool table and flew at me.

I barely had time to swing the pool cue at his head before he was on me. The stick splintered as if it had been a toothpick and he shoved me against the wall, pinning me against him and forcing his erection against my stomach. A horrible grin stretched his mouth and he grabbed a handful of my hair and sniffed it.

I squirmed, trying to get away, my hand shoving at his face. He only laughed.

“Forget her!” Arabella launched herself at Jason, tugging on his arm as she gave me a hateful look. “We need to leave
now
. We’ll find another immune later.” When he didn’t budge, her voice turned coaxing. “Those pathetic creatures are no match for us. We’ll crush them like bugs beneath our feet and gain more power from their deaths.”

“Power,” Jason echoed, his black eyes intent on
my face. He leaned in so close that his nose pressed against my skin, he thrust his hips at me. I gagged. “I need more power,” he murmured.

“Yes,” Arabella cried, tugging on his arm again.

To my surprise, he turned to face her. The ghoulish smile was still on his face. “Power,” he said, and ran his fingers along her jawline. She preened at the momentary pleasure, arching her throat and gazing at him with devoted, fanatical eyes.

He leaned in to her—and tore her throat out. Blood gushed everywhere.

I screamed as her hands went around him, clutching him as if she would embrace his body for all eternity. Her head went limp, and the horrible sounds continued as Jason hunched over her. There was the snarl and crackle of bones, and the sound of flesh tearing. He was
eating
her. Stealing her power.

I gagged and pushed myself off the wall.
Run away!
I staggered toward the door.

“Bathsheba!” Beau’s voice cried my name again, though it was getting harder to hear over the roar of the fire and the shrill beeping of the fire alarms.

Jason’s leg contorted and he lashed out, kicking me in the ribs. I went down, collapsing to the floor. My lungs felt like they were on fire from the
smoke, and I couldn’t breathe. Gasping for breath through the searing pain, I clutched my side and pulled myself toward the door on one hand and my knees.

I just wanted to be out of here. I just wanted to be with Beau. In his arms. Just us in the cabin again. Happy. I slid toward the door, feeling overwhelmed by the distance to it and by the pain in my body. Even if I made it to the stairs before Jason got me, how would I get out? My shoulders collapsed, and I huddled on the floor.

I just needed a quick breath, then I’d keep going.

I heard a ferocious yell, then someone new burst into the room, looming over me. Sluggish from the pain and the smoke, I stared up at my savior.

Beau.

“Oh, God,” he said, kneeling down and pulling me to him. His hand skimmed my body. “Oh, God, don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead.”

Did I look dead? I tried to put my fingers on his lips to shut him up, but everything was slow to respond. I struggled to point to the corner of the room where Jason still feasted on Arabella, his body contorting as if he couldn’t control the power rushing through him.

Beau pressed a kiss to my forehead; his eyes were streaming from the heat and the smoke. “You
clever, sweet thing,” he said, lifting me up against him.

I suspected that he’d guessed my fire plan.

We needed to get out of the house, and I was relieved when he stood with me in his arms. “Beau,” I managed. “Jason—”

A tearing force ripped me out of his arms, and I went crashing into the back wall. Stars circled in front of my eyes.

Jason had finished with Arabella.

Beau snarled, a feline cry of rage, and my eyes fluttered open to see the two of them circling, forms morphing. Beau was all sleek golden curves as he changed into his cougar form.

“Run, Bathsheba! Run!” he yelled.

Jason was a monster—bulging, rippling unnaturally under the fur. He was hideous to look upon, all claws and fangs. And he was twice the size of Beau.

The ceiling began to blacken, with orange fire at the edges, yet they launched themselves at each other, claws flying in a fight to the death.

We didn’t have
time
for this! The burning roof was going to collapse and kill us.

The cats tangled in a mess of flying fur, rolling and scratching, teeth flashing. Jason’s gray form dwarfed Beau’s sleek golden one; Beau didn’t stand a chance.

I frantically looked around the destroyed pool room for anything to use to distract them.

A bundle of broken pool cues lay on the floor and I grabbed one to use it as a club. It was only a foot and a half long, and the wickedly pointed, jagged edge gave me a new idea. I wobbled to my feet, clutching it against me.

I knew that one bad swipe from one of them could kill me and distract Beau at a critical moment. But I couldn’t do nothing. I’d forced us into this awful scenario because I hadn’t trusted him, but I trusted him now. And I was going to save him.

All snarls and flashing claws, the cats flew across the room with catlike screams of pain and rage. Beau’s mouth clamped on Jason’s shoulder and tore a huge gouge. When they rolled toward me again, all I saw was Jason’s back and I heard Beau’s cry of outrage as he was pinned.

I charged toward them, holding the broken end of the pool cue with both hands, then lunged toward Jason’s back.

It sank in like he was made of butter.

Jason arched backward, his clawed paw trying to reach his back, but he couldn’t as a cat. He began to shift, desperate to reach the I’d stake in his lower back, under the rib cage. He turned toward me with murder in his eyes, then Beau tackled him and ripped his throat out.

My stomach heaved, and I collapsed onto the floor. The pain and smoke finally took me down, and everything went black.

“Bathsheba.” Beau tapped me gently on the cheek, and I woke up in his arms. Blood covered his face—his human face—but he was still whole. “Bathsheba, tell me where Giselle is.”

We were still in the burning house. I had only been out for a few moments.

“She’s dead. Beau, we have to get out of here.” My raspy voice didn’t even sound like me.

He moved to the balcony door. “Two steps ahead of you,” he said, and kicked it open.

He went to the railing and looked over.

Animals waited down below. Too far down below. I clung to his neck, suddenly afraid.

He kissed my forehead. “Ramsey will catch you. Do you trust me?”

I hadn’t trusted him earlier today and nearly gotten both of us killed. With a small sob, I pressed my mouth to his in one last kiss. “I trust you.”

“Good.” He dropped me off the balcony.

I vaguely remembered being caught in the heavy paws of a grizzly bear before blacking out again, this time staying down.

M
y eyelids fluttered open sometime later. A cool sheet covered me, and something hot clung to my hand.

I was in a hospital room—clean, pristine, and white. A tray of uneaten lunch stood at the foot of the bed, and Beau sat beside me, his hands clasping mine tightly as if he’d lose me if he let go. His flannel shirt was a few sizes too big for him (Ramsey’s, I guessed).

He looked exhausted. I felt steamrolled.

I groaned and Beau instantly jerked alert. His eyes flicked over my face and body, then his intense look gave way to relief. “You’re awake.”

“I am,” I said and tried to sit up. “Where are we?”