Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Beck

I caught myself cocking my head and admiring the ample ass of the five foot nothing Latina, she was petite yet curvy in all the right places. At the end of the day, I was just a lonely man. I pulled myself out of my carnal thoughts. Maybe I needed to go to a bar and get a piece of ass to keep my mind on the job. Misty’s predicament was far harsher than simply possibly becoming a target for Creedon. This was not what I expected from the information Adelaide had revealed about her friend. This woman needed more, and that protection was something I’d gladly give. It just proved the point even further; Adelaide didn’t know what she was, what she could be. I took in a breath, clearing my head, before I overheard them talking in the other room. The little girl was fiery for sure; her mom knew what she was, and by the fearlessness she wore when she faced me, I was aware that this little girl knew exactly what she was as well. So they had kept it from their friend, not surprised. It wasn’t something you could reveal without repercussions. I now understood the gravity of their situation. The pair of them was worth a fortune on the shifter black market, where rarer female shifters and humans that could produce them were treated no better than cattle. Creedon may not have found them, but there were worse things out there for them than his wrath.

I met her gaze as hers found mine when she exited the hallway. They were a warm, rich, stunning hazel, the brown blending into an undertone of green. When she pulled her gaze from mine to take me in properly, I did the same. Her dark hair was wavy and cut short to her chin, layers framed her face, and her bangs hung low across her brow. Her lips were full, her nose pointed, her honeyed skin flawless, without an ounce of makeup. She was tired, worn out, I could tell by the weariness in her features.  She was about Adelaide’s age, and I sent my cock the memo; she was too young for me, not to mention I suppose she had haphazardly become my next charge. I didn’t mix shenanigans with what I had established as my “work.” This had quickly become an interesting endeavor though. Her gaze returned to mine, her eyes narrowing slightly before she walked past me and motioned me to follow as she walked past a radio and flipped it on.

Smart woman, the music would drown our voices out. She grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and plopped down at the worn table, motioning me to take a seat in one of the mismatched chairs. I did, and she slid me one of the beers and took a long swallow after popping the top on the edge of the table. I did the same.

“How bad was she really? Adelaide means the world to me, to us. She wouldn’t want me to worry, but I know that for her to leave and what he's plastering on the TV and internet, it has got to be bad.” She took a swig, waiting for my answer, and I took one, collecting my thoughts on how to break it all to her.

“I know you obviously know about us, but I suspect she doesn’t?”

She just gave me a ‘No Shit’ look and waited for my answer.

“I don’t know how to explain this to you, but she's showing signs of rejection, and by that piece of shit’s actions, he wasn’t the one to initiate it. He was her mate, and that makes all the damage he did to her that much worse,” I said.

“Dumb it down for me, Adelaide isn’t a shifter, I’d know, Cricket would know, so how could she have a bond to reject? You're not making sense.” Misty pointed out.

“That's the thing, she doesn’t come off as one, I suspect she's lived with humans her whole life?” I asked. Misty nodded.

“Not all shifters can be solitary like bears, being not fully shifter, she would need to be amongst her kind for her animal to wake up. The thing is, she must have rejected him, but he didn’t accept it, so she's weakened and not healing. He’s done a number on her body; I almost didn’t recognize her in the pictures I looked up of them on the internet. She's not healing as we do because of him. She's not even healing like a human. It’s going to be a slow process if she comes out of this.” I admitted

“What do you mean by if?” Misty snapped.

“It’s not her body I’m worried about, it's her mind. She’s a fighter, I’ll give her that, but he did more than just beat the shit out of her, though, and I’m not sure if anyone can come back from that the same on the other side, let alone having the one who was supposed to protect and cherish you, defile you. She might not be aware of it, but the soul knows.” I said honestly.

“Shit,” her voice croaked. Her eyes were glossy with tears. Her fist hit the table. She really cared about her friend, but this was something else, something deeper that I had no business asking about. She’d tell me later, maybe. I reached across the table and placed my hand over her still fisted one and squeezed.

“That's why I’m here, I want to make the fucker pay, but it seems I need a little help, that's the other reason why I’m here. I’m hoping you can help me get close enough to make his life a living hell.” Her teary eyes hardened as they met mine. She swore something in Spanish, and I found that her conviction, no matter what the words were, I knew what her energy conveyed. Creedon Macalister had another thing coming. This woman was on a warpath, and it would lead us both straight to him.