Claimed by the Beast Bundle (4 page)

Chapter 7

“Anywhere special?” the man asked as they turned onto the road in front of Middlebrook High.

“
You just showed up in front of all the people who matter,” Crystal gushed.

She felt him chuckle.
“Mind if we go meet my friends then?”

Crystal felt her heart in her throat. Did he mean the people he
’d been with the night she’d been attacked? “The other bikers?”

“
Yes.”

“
Um, sure,” she said and then grabbed on tighter when the bike surged forward. The wind whipped at her and pulled her hair into what she was sure probably looked like a bird’s nest it was snarled so bad. She ignored it; even shaving her head made it worth riding behind her mysterious savior.

“
Hey,” she called out to get his attention.

“
Hey what?”

She hesitated. How did he do that? He didn
’t raise his voice at all but she could hear him so clearly. Even the rasp that reminded her a little bit of the growl from that night. She shivered at the thought. “So you’re Hank?”

“
That’s what I said.”

She chuckled nervously.
“I’m Crystal. Crystal Davis.”

“
Thanks,” he said.

“
Thanks?”

He slowed and turned onto a dirt road.
“For telling me your name. That takes a lot of trust.”

She felt the bumps of the rocks beneath the tires and realized riding on gravel was a lot different than pavement. She felt unsteady on the bike and squeezed him tighter.
“Um, you saved my life the other night. I kind of have to trust you.”

She felt him chuckle again but he didn
’t say anymore. He drove the bike down the road several minutes, a couple of miles at least, and then pulled off onto an unmarked driveway. She gulped as she realized the driveway was more like a two-lane track into the woods. The trees were covered in moss and the entire area felt wet.

“
You’re not going to take me to some rotting old cabin, tie me up, rape me, and kill me, are you?”

He laughed loud enough for her to hear him over the steady beat of the engine.
“Hadn’t planned on it.”

“
Good!”

“
I had a different order in mind.”

Crystal gasped and then realized he was laughing even harder. She snarled and then turned and bit the back of his shoulder near where it met his neck. He stiffened and twisted around to look at her.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his blue eyes wide and intense.

Crystal gulped.
“Sorry, I was just, um, I don’t know. You were teasing me so I figured I’d, um—I’ve never done that before. I don’t know what came over me!”

He turned his head back around and cursed. The bike lurched under her as he wrestled it at an angle to keep them from going off the path and into some bushes.

“Crap! I’m sorry!” Crystal cried again. She held on tighter than ever but tried to distance herself from him. She had the taste of leather in her mouth and the smell of his jacket and his skin in her nose. She wrinkled her nose and tried to breathe in the moist air of the woods to clear her senses.

Hank remained silent the rest of the short ride. He pulled into a clearing where some trailers were set up. Trailers complete wi
th motorcycles in front of them except one. He parked his there and waited for her to climb off.

Crystal noticed he joined her only because she saw his feet a few moments later. He was facing her, but she was staring at the ground and too embarrassed to look up at him.

“Hey,” he said. “It’s okay. It just caught me off guard.”

She risked a look up and saw him smiling. She risked a smile back and then noticed one of the trailer doors opening. The redhead from the night before stuck her head out. She was wearing her leather vest and a skirt again. Crystal dropped her eyes and found herself caught up on the woman
’s bare feet. Especially when she stepped out of her trailer and walked across the hard-packed ground of the small compound without any sign of discomfort.

Other trailer doors were opening and people were coming out. In moments there were five of them, including Hank, surrounding her. The redhead sniffed the air before saying,
“You made it.”

“
I think she’s fine,” Hank said.

“
What? Of course I’m fine,” Crystal mumbled.

The oldest man in the group, complete with a salt
-and-pepper beard worthy of a family member of the
Duck Dynasty
reality show, stepped up to her and reached out. He cupped Crystal’s chin in his rough hands and lifted her face up to meet his eyes. Crystal’s heart fluttered in her chest fast enough to give a hummingbird a run for its money.

The redheaded woman leaned in again until her face was only a few inches from Crystal
’s. Crystal heard her inhale loudly. She wanted to push her back or at least move away, but she felt paralyzed by the old man’s gaze. His eyes were light gray, reminding her of storm clouds that hadn’t gotten angry enough yet to rain.

“
She’s tainted,” the redheaded woman claimed.

The bearded man let go of her chin and grunted,
“Were you hurt?” She could pick out a touch of a strange accent that she’d never heard before.

“
She was fine when I left her,” Hank said.

The older man
’s eyes flicked to Hank and then back to her. “Either you were hurt, or you went back and got hurt. Which is it?”

“
I didn’t go back!” Crystal said. “I haven’t been by that bridge since then. What was that thing, a rabid dog or something?”

“
Answer the question!” the redhead scolded in a voice just shy of being a scream.

Crystal jerked and turned to glance at her and then Hank. He offered an apologetic shrug.
“Crystal, meet Ember,” he said.

“
I’m Guntar,” the old man offered. He gestured at the platinum blond beside him. “This is Gwen, my mate.”

Gwen offered her a smile. Her outfit was similar to Ember
’s, right down to the lack of shoes. The difference was the silver necklace with a half-moon pendant on it she wore.

“
I’m Adrian,” the final man said. He wore faded jeans and a Harley-Davidson t-shirt.

Crystal checked Adrian
’s feet and saw he had riding boots on, but they were barely tied. Was he in a rush to meet her and didn’t bother tightening them?

“
You’d better answer my question before Ember gets too riled up,” Guntar reminded her.

Crystal tilted her head. Was it some kind of Russian accent? Maybe German? She couldn
’t figure it out. “I fell and bruised my knee and shoulder,” she said.

“
And your face,” Hank reminded her.

Crystal turned and saw Ember close enough to
kiss. The redhead sniffed as Crystal jerked her head back. “What’s wrong with you?” she snapped.

Ember snarled, baring her teeth. Teeth that looked uncomfortably sharp.
“You should be more worried about what’s wrong with you!”

“
Hank, um, I think I’d like to go home now.”

Ember laughed.

Guntar shook his head. “Tell me, child, were you hurt by the Beast? Not from the fall, but the Beast itself. Don’t lie to us—you’ll only be doing yourself a disservice.”

“
You mean that thing? Um, I don’t know. I fell down because it grabbed my shoe. Ripped it off my foot. Why, what was it?”

“
I need to see it,” Guntar said.

“
My shoe? Or my foot?”

Guntar took in a deep breath and let it out. His chest swelled until it was nearly as large as Hank
’s. “Young lady, this may seem strange and foolish to you, but I am not a twisted old man with a foot fetish. Let. Me. See. Your. Foot!”

Crystal gulped and nodded. She knelt down and untied her sneaker before standing up and kicking it off.
She pulled her sock off and stood on one leg. “Um, this is awkward.”

Ember dropped to her hands and knees, startling Crystal. She crawled a step forward and sniffed Crystal
’s raised foot.

“
Okay, this went from awkward to weird,” Crystal muttered.

Ember looked up at Guntar and nodded. She climbed to her feet and flashed her teeth at Crystal. Was it a twisted smile or did the redhead just snarl at her?

Guntar knelt down on one knee and took Crystal’s foot in his hand. She yelped, surprised, and turned from the bizarre woman to look down at the old man. He twisted her foot gently but firmly, studying it. His fingers traced the faded scars on her foot, tickling her. She fought the urge to jerk her foot back and lost her balance.

Hank
’s steady hands caught her and kept her in place until Guntar set her foot down. He sighed and rose up. “You were bitten.”

“
Okay,” Crystal said. “What does that mean? Do I need a rabies shot or something? My mom’s a nurse. I can just go to the hospital.”

“
Do not go to the hospital!” Guntar growled. He offered her a thin smile and spoke in a calmer voice. “They can’t help you.”

“
Help me? Help me with what? What’s going on?”

“
You will die,” Ember hissed. “It’s only a matter of time.”

Crystal gasped and spun to face Hank. Her lips parted but no words came out.

“There are medicines,” Guntar said.

“
Let her,” Ember snarled. “We should have let the Beast have her. Then Caden would still be with us.”

Crystal looked at all of them. She hadn
’t met a Caden yet. There had been five bikes. She glanced at the trailers and counted five of them. But Gwen had been riding behind Guntar.

“
Oh my God! You mean somebody died fighting that—that thing?”

Ember bared her teeth and took a step forward but Guntar barked her name and stopped her. She glared for a moment and then backed up and bowed her head.

“What is going on?” Crystal whimpered. She turned to Hank. “What the hell is going on? Am I in some kind of trouble? Because dying sounds like a lot of trouble.”

Hank lifted his eyes from hers and looked at Guntar.
“She’s young and strong. I think she can fight it off.”

“
What is it?” Crystal’s voice rose as she started to panic. “You guys are all freaking me out! Hank, take me home. I don’t want to—”

Guntar twisted her around and held her in arms that felt like steel.
“There are things in this world you don’t understand,” he said in a menacing voice. “You’ve been marked. The Beast tasted your flesh. He’ll want more and he won’t wait.”

“
Wait for what?” she whimpered.

“
For you to die.”

“
Oh God!”

Ember cackled from the side.
“God has nothing to do with this.”

“
You hungry?” Hank asked after Ember’s snide remark led to an uncomfortable silence.

“
What?” Crystal spun to face him. “Hungry? How can I be hungry after all of that?”

Hank shrugged.
“You gotta eat.”

Gwen
’s laugh was an earthy whisper that made Crystal think of the wind blowing through a field. “He’s right, you need to eat. To fight the…infection.”

“
Infection?” Crystal asked. “Is that what this is? Why can’t I get some antibiotics? My mom—”

“
Your mother can’t help you,” Guntar said again. “You’ve been bitten by a beast with a bloodline that is so old, it comes from a time before time was recorded.”

“
A time before time? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“
School girl,” Ember snapped, drawing her attention.

Crystal
’s head whipped around to look at the smirking redhead. She opened her mouth and then closed it when Ember unbuttoned her vest and let it slide down her shoulders. Crystal’s widening eyes were drawn to her bare chest even as Ember released the hidden clasp on her skirt and let it flutter to the ground. Before she fell forward, Crystal noted she wore the same undergarments below the belt as above them—none.

Her shock reached a new level when Ember landed on her hands and…feet? Furry feet. With claws. Where she
’d fallen stood a sleek and dangerous-looking charcoal and dark red wolf with her lip curled up to bare her teeth. It bore a striking resemblance to Ember’s smirk.

“
Oh hell,” Guntar growled. “Damn it, Ember!”

Crystal stumbled back and fell into Hank. She looked up at him, her lips parted, and saw the unnatural bright blue color of his eyes.
“Calm down,” he said.