Suffering & Salvation (3 page)

“This way, is it, cunt?” The man smirked. And now Simi, who was supposed to be the rational one, wanted more than anything to rip his face off with her bare hands. Control shifting back to Cougar, their buried anger came boiling to the surface. And now, beast and human wanted not just to hurt him, but kill him for what he’d done to them.

Malcolm jerked the tails of his shirt out of his jeans and tugged the pale blue button-down up and over his head, tossing it aside. He kicked his shoes off next, the snooty leather loafers she’d always hated. Animals weren’t meant to wear
animals.
Would he want to make a cougar rug out of her next?

His pants and the rest soon followed, leaving him naked and exposed. Cougar braced for combat. Prepared herself to pounce, to rip him to shreds with her claws, to break his neck with her strong jaws. Cougar was free, and Malcolm didn’t have the control over her as he did over Simi. Cougar and she could be long gone before anyone would be the wiser. But what about Brand? She’d be on the road again, hungry and alone. Though, no longer afraid…and the man who defiled her no longer alive.

Malcolm couldn’t search for her—stalk her—if he were dead. Cougar had the urge to strike the man down. Hostility gnawing at her, driving her mad. Still, Simi wanted only to defeat, possibly maim, but not to end his life. Not for Malcolm, but for her and Simi, to stay and claim Brand for their own and make him theirs.

After having listened to Simi’s reasoning, though it pained her to do so, deep down, in the recesses of Cougar’s mind, from where Simi voiced her concern, she reluctantly acquiesced, knowing they had to be better than him. That they wouldn’t stoop down to his level. Felt that fighting and winning was the only logical choice for the two of them.

Then the glitter surrounded him, the mists of magic encircling his human body and forcing it to change its shape, to release and bring forth Malcolm’s beast.

And become Bear.

The shift was over in seconds, and the towering animal now stood where Malcolm’s human form had been. It roared at her, baring its teeth, dripping with saliva, eyes displaying the rage he harbored. It circled, growling deep, and she circled with him. Cougar accepted the challenge, taking slow, measured steps. She stayed low to the ground, claws digging into the cheap carpet, inching forward with caution in every step, making sure she had solid footing if the beast were to strike.
When
the animal struck.

Bear lumbered through the room, pacing left to right on its large, clawed feet. Cougar stayed alert and ready as she mimicked his movements, waiting for Bear to make one mistake, for the animal’s skill to be overtaken by its anger, enabling her to catch him off-guard.

Unexpectedly, the solid door swung open, crashing against the wall before slowly easing back, stopped only by the presence of Brand’s large body there. Bear rolled up on his hind legs, posturing against the new threat. Cougar took this opening and pounced, razor-sharp claws slicing through fur, skin and bone. And she couldn’t help but relish the deafening roar of outrage and pain that radiated from her injured prey.

She then quickly darted back on instinct, just out of the beast’s reach and steadied herself, waiting for the counterattack that was sure to come. Thick, dark, beautiful blood flowed freely from the wound she’d inflicted. Cougar growled at her accomplishment.

Cougar could
feel
the protective rage and power pouring from Brand and his wolf, their still new, but unmistakable bond growing strong with each passing moment. From the corner of her eye, she caught Brand’s movements, limbs freeing themselves from cloth, his garments discarded and tossed to the wayside.

No.
This was her fight.
Hers alone.

Cougar wasn’t going to let Wolfie do what was destined to be hers. She needed to defeat Bear, show him she wasn’t the weak, frightened woman he used to know. No longer the subservient girl he could manipulate into thinking that she could never do any better than him.

Bear’s gaze was fixed on the shimmering ball of magic that was Brand, the wounded animal’s blood dripping and soaking the floor beneath him, flesh shredded from Cougar’s strike.
Why isn’t he fighting back?

Brand’s change complete, Wolfie stood there as if he were not only proud, but also
angry.
Thick, beautiful fur, black as night, covered him from snout to tail. The eyes she’d previously admired now glowed bright with hatred. Rage.

Bear was squarely focused on the new threat, leaving himself open to an attack from Cougar, yet again. And so she didn’t hesitate, didn’t think, ran on pure instinct and adrenaline as she pounced on her overgrown prey, her sharp teeth cutting through Bear like butter, claws gaining purchase in his hide for another attack, piercing and driving as deep as she could, aiming to inflict the most damage to his internal organs as humanly—no—
cougarly
possible.

Bear reared and roared, pain and anger combining into a sound she’d never heard uttered from another beast. He bucked and jerked, as if trying to send Cougar flying, but she wouldn’t relent. He’d hurt her so much in the past there was no way she was giving up that easily. Beaten her. Bloodied her to unconsciousness. Fucking
raped
her. Too many times for her to correctly remember. On the memory of being violated on countless occasions, flashing back to the disgusting, evil grins on his face after he was through assaulting her, Cougar suddenly became hysterical. And Simi knew there was nothing she could say to her to stop her animal from her frenzy.

Fuck Bear. He was going to die. Today. Now. Simi felt Cougar’s rage mix with her own anger, and the hesitancy she’d felt before, on whether or not she’d end Malcolm’s life, was all but forgotten now. Pure emotion reigned supreme. Cougar was an animal, after all.

Wolfie snarled and darted at Bear’s legs, biting, injuring the poor excuse for a man, even further. First Wolfie, then Cougar, withdrew from the wounded beast. Blood coated the carpet, the flood of slippery fluid soaking into the fibers. Bear swayed on his feet for a few seconds, then dropped down to his four paws, rocking back and forth, sounding of utter anguish.

Cougar felt no remorse as she attacked again, seeking death for Bear with her final strike. Leaping through the air, she opened her jaws, sinking her teeth hard and deep into the animal’s neck with all the pent-up rage boiling over for one, single purpose: to kill the bastard, the primary source of her Hell on Earth. She clamped down with crushing force, snapping his neck, ending his life in that instant.

She waited, crouched over Bear, breathing heavy, the distinct tang of blood filling the air. She listened. No heartbeat. No life. The beast was dead, finally out of her life forever. No more running, no need to live afraid. It seemed that in the end he was more bark than bite, or Simi was tougher than she’d ever given herself credit for. Whatever it’d been, combined with unleashing Cougar from her cage, had all but sealed Bear’s fate. Though she never would’ve thought it, he had been no match for her.

Hands. Gentle hands. They sifted through her fur, soft words murmuring near her ear, coaxing Cougar away from the killing edge, from all that rage, and back to humanity.

“That’s it, little one. Let him go, come back to me. Shh…I’ve got you.”

Between one breath and the next, magic slammed through her beastly form. The change was painful, piercing bone and flesh, making every part of her body ache. This shift wasn’t the gentle breeze of earlier, but harsh and animalistic, spurred on by an utterly exhausted Cougar, shoving control over to Simi, demanding she take it back.

Simi came to with herself being cradled in Brand’s arms, her naked body coated in Bear’s blood. Her gaze first landed on the dead man laying innocuously in front of the television, then to the apartment resting in shambles, to the door splintered from Brand’s forceful entrance and the furniture destroyed in the battle. She sighed deep as realization finally hit her.

Malcolm, the bane of her existence, was gone, forever and ever, amen.

“Come on, Simi. Let’s get you washed up and dressed. People are bound to be here soon. Just be quiet and let me do the talking, okay?”

She nodded with a heavy sigh, unable to utter a meaningful word in her nervous and tired state. She’d done it. She’d killed him. And no, she didn’t regret it. Not even for a fleeting moment for the abuser and rapist who’d caused her unimaginable pain and suffering. Malcolm was gone, and she was alive and still here. With Brand comforting her, protecting her.

Brand.

A peace she’d never known settled over her and Cougar, their connection starting to solidify itself, the healing process having begun the very moment Malcolm was dead. Smiling, she stared down at Brand as he leaned over the tub, realizing with a start that they’d somehow moved to the bathroom. And that she was completely nude. Truth was, right now, she was too spent too care, too emotionally drained to give her compromising position a second thought.

She noticed the shower was running…and she listened to the tiny beads of water beating against the tiled walls. “Step on in, Simi. Under the water, sweet. Let’s get that blood off of you.”

In no particular order, exclamations, shouts and footsteps sounded from the living room, causing Brand to tense immediately. “Go on, hop in.”

He nudged her and she eased her weak legs into the tub, letting the water wash away the stink of Bear and Malcolm. Then Brand was gone, the sound of the door clicking shut following in his wake. She was truly clean now, the taint of her forgettable past spiraling into the drain, along with the blood and water.

Hand propped against the wall in front of her, she heard voices drifting toward her, growing louder with each passing second. She turned off the faucet and snagged a towel from the rack, drying then wrapping herself up in the soft terrycloth.

Simi stepped out from the tub, noticing the bloody footprints that now marred the floor.
Her
bloody footprints, mixed with the water Cougar had splashed before Malcolm’s untimely arrival.

Even through the closed door the voices were closing in on her, with Brand’s being the loudest of them all. She somehow knew it would be okay, because he was there, handling everything for her. A hard knock, then the door opened and a stranger appeared. A police officer, but a stranger nonetheless. She skittered back a few steps before Cougar stopped her in her tracks, urging her to be strong. She’d killed Bear for chrissakes! She didn’t need to cower before anyone, let alone a simple man. Standing tall, Simi tilted her chin up, hugged the towel to her chest and tucked the flap in.

He took a tiny, measured step back, eyes lowered. Simi and Cougar scented the air. Earth and wind and a fresh breeze floated over to them, and Simi knew she’d been wrong to assume that he was just a man. Because she sensed that a little hawk lived within this giant law enforcement officer.

He towered over her, filling the doorway even more than Brand had. “Ma’am, I’m Officer Parks…Gavin. Brand wanted me to check on you, see how you’re doin’.”

She started her gaze from his feet up to his head, inspecting this hawk with a measured stare. But all Cougar wanted to do was come out and play, to chase, swat and nip at the little bird. Bad kitty. Now that her animal wasn’t caged any longer, Simi wondered how much trouble Cougar would get them into.

“I’m fine.” Her voice was hoarse, the fierce growls from the fight having taken their toll on her. She cleared her throat, adding, “I’m much better now, thank you.”

He nodded, his lips curling into a half-smile, not moving from his spot. “Sure. We’ll have everyone out shortly. Pack and Flock are going to work together on cleaning things up here.”

Her father had always taught her to hate the two other groups of animals inhabiting the land, and though he never explained to her the reasons why, Simi also never asked, not wanting to spend any more time engaged in conversation with him than she had to.

“What about…” She turned away, keeping an eye on him through the bathroom mirror, unsure of how to phrase the question.

Thank goodness she didn’t have to. “Everything will be disposed of…taken care of…without a trace of what really happened here. The story will be that there was a break-in. Animals looking for food and Brand fighting them off…killing one of them. Something along those lines.”

She turned back, shocked at the mere mention of a cover-up. She hadn’t expected to be
punished
exactly, but she also hadn’t quite expected this, either. “But—” She had no idea why she was protesting.

“Please. This is what Brand wants. So as far as I’m concerned, you’re not involved in this at all, ma’am.”

“Oh,” she nibbled her lower lip, “I guess I just figured…”

Though she’d been at Malcolm’s mercy for so many years, and her killing justified, there was no scenario where she could’ve pictured not having to face some kind of repercussions for her actions. Even though it was self-defense, she had to answer for what she did, didn’t she? On that thought, a familiar scent entered the small area, causing Cougar to perk up, then purring and rubbing from within. Brand was there, standing just behind the officer.

Gavin, his name’s Gavin.

The officer stepped aside, allowing Brand to pass and stand before her. He brushed her cheek, thumb stroking her damp skin. His attention was on her, but not
on her.
His gaze wandered, practically undressing her with his lustful stare. At least, whatever he was able to see of her toweled body.

Finally, he pulled her into a tight hug, and asked, “You hurting anywhere?”

“No. Not worth mentioning.”

He harrumphed against the top of her head, and though he sounded aggravated, she ignored it. Because what mattered most was that he was with her, and that she was here, alive…still able to touch him. Simi wrapped her arms around his waist…and just felt. Felt the rise and fall of his chest, the rapid beat of his heart, the whoosh of his heavy breathing. And he was
hers.
Forever and ever. He just didn’t know it yet. After having faced death together, there wasn’t a single part of her that considered this man a stranger. In fact, she knew Brand was someone special, someone who’d undoubtedly be an integral part of her life. Call her crazy, but she was more certain of this than anything else in her life.