IF I’M LUCKY, she will remember every word tomorrow. I watch her sleep, and within a few minutes she begins softly snoring. While she’s out, I do something I’ve wanted to try since discovering Beast’s aversion to her. I allow him to come to the forefront without transforming. It’s not easy to do and I must keep a tight leash in order to keep him from taking over completely.
Beast leans over and sniffs her bare leg. He doesn’t touch. Kill the woman, pops into my head.
Why? I ask.
Dangerous, he replies.
Slowly I extend my hand and touch her leg again. Beast growls deep in my chest. Dangerous how? I press.
Deadly.
I don’t see it. Her stumbling bumbling routine can’t be a hoax. Beast leans over and licks her leg where I’m touching. He tastes her, but so do I. It’s strange. I’ve been with women and none have tasted like her. It’s an untamed wild flavor that makes me wonder if she’s not quite human. Who the hell knows what other creatures roam this planet. Shadow Warriors, hellhounds, and humans may not be the only ones.
My nose travels upward over her skin, and I suddenly stop because her female scent replaces everything else. Even Beast catches on and he’s quick to shoot oxytocin and dopamine into my veins. Beast wants to play with her which is the most dangerous thing that could happen. He also has the morals of an animal and could care less that she’s out cold.
I quickly stand and head for the door. Beast needs freedom to be Beast and it won’t happen in here. The guards move back when I walk past. I’m moments from shifting. “Watch her closely,” I growl as I head down the hallway leading to the closest outside exit. Beck falls in beside me before I reach the door.
“I need to run,” I tell him.
“So do I.”
The sound of footsteps makes me look behind us. Labyrinth and Nokita want to have a little fun tonight too. I don’t need to ask how they knew because I’m sure my Beast called theirs.
I tear my shirt over my head and drop it behind me. The other men are shirtless, but we all need to shuck our boots. The boots fly around us and I’m thankful we aren’t wearing our leather gear. We shift within seconds of walking through the outside doorway.
“Hunt,” Beast manages to growl. Cuba isn’t known for its large game animals, but there is one thing we can hunt and I allow Beast to take over completely.
In order for the men to think clearly in beast form, we run for an hour. Once Labyrinth mutters “Ready” through his elongated jaws, the hunt is on. We’re looking for a new kind of death, one that fights back. It’s another hour before we come to a burned-out area I remember from earlier explorations. I walk closer to examine the center. The large crater-like area shows the trail we’ve been looking for.
“More than two,” I say.
“Maybe one for each of us,” Nokita responds.
“Nothing stupid,” I remind them. We aren’t armed with more than our claws.
It takes us twenty minutes to run the group down. There are five. From what we’ve managed to learn recently, they come out of the ground and search for others like them. They aren’t actively attacking us yet, which is perplexing and another reason we suspect higher intelligence out of these hounds. The ones we battled before we came to Cuba moved as herds without any form of leadership, using their overwhelming numbers to devastate. That’s changed. The older dead seem to have a different connection to one another. We need to figure out a way to test our theories, but so far, we haven’t found one.
My rib pops, which is Beast’s way of telling me to back off and stop overanalyzing. I let go of my human side again and give Beast the lead. It’s time to kill hellhounds.
Beast goes for the largest of the five. Bending low, he strikes at the hip socket in a quick flash before moving out of range. He knows to avoid teeth and claws, and quickly spits out chunks of gristle. The monster spins around facing us and attacks. Beast jumps over him, landing a few feet away and leaving enough space to dive forward and grab another bite of rotted flesh. When Beast moves out of the charging path of the monster, we’re hit from the side by another and large jaws snap half an inch from my face. Somehow, we avoid poisonous claws on this one and now have two to play with.
It’s okay… Beast wants a bloodbath and the more the merrier. This hellhound may be smaller than the other but it’s quick. The human side of my brain, which still functions, watches how the two hounds fight together almost choreographed. They move in close together and attack as one unit. Beast has little time to defend and manages to jump away at the last moment. The hounds turn and spread apart this time.
Yes, they’re communicating. The question is how.
They take two steps forward and wait for Beast’s next move. Beast raises our arms and charges, catching both hounds in the chest and carrying them back a few feet. At the same time, he brings our arms forward, which enables him to knock their heads together. It gives him a few seconds before the hounds decide attacking is their best move.
They might have gained some newfound intelligence, but Beast is smart and has had years of practice. Our eyes carry bloodlust, our bodies made for killing. Beast’s claws rake a wide path across one throat and chest. It’s not a killing blow, but the hound lists to the side and the other jumps around him. It’s almost like he’s protecting the hurt creature. Beast lets out a growl that rumbles clear to our feet and charges head-on. We clash and the hound goes to the ground with Beast on top. We grab his neck within our crushing jaws and crunch bone. The other hound lands on top of us, his snapping jaws taking a bite from our shoulder. Crap, does it hurt. The poison sinks in quickly and we know we only have one chance. Twisting with the neck in our jaws, we tear away the head of the first hound and drive our claws into the belly of the second.
Beck comes out of nowhere and grabs the still-living hound. With my claws in deep in his gut, I’m lifted too. Beck savagely drives the claws of his right hand through the monster’s neck ripping the head off. I roll away and jump to my feet.
Looking around, the other Warriors are watching me.
“You said nothing stupid,” Labyrinth bellows.
I take two steps before dropping to my knees. Beast is angry he didn’t kill the last hound. I’m angry he got us bit. “Get me to Axel,” I say before collapsing.
I’m aware of being carried after that. I stay in Beast form because he’s stronger and can resist the poison better than I can in human form. The pain spreads and my limbs become useless. The men make little sound as they carry me through the jungle. I barely notice the different sounds their feet make once they reach the cobbled road. They quickly carry me inside the citadel. Axel’s medical rooms are downstairs and they take me straight there while one of the men heads to Axel’s apartment on the main floor.
Vomit rises in my throat when Beast tries to expel the poison that continues running through our body. My hair is grabbed at the back of my head and my jaws turned to the floor as the first wave of liquid expels from my stomach.
I’m laid out on a medical bed. Beck doesn’t need Axel to administer the antidote and he gives me the first injection before the good doctor arrives. The hellhound’s bite was deep causing the poison to travel through my system faster. I would have been luckier with his claws which carry less venom. My nausea rises again and the room spins.
“I see you had all the fun without me,” Axel says when he walks into the room.
“Took out five,” Nokita replies with a laugh through his large jaws, which makes it sound more like a snarl. “King can take credit for two.”
“One,” Beck rebukes. “Had to save his sorry ass from the second one.
“Did you give him anything for pain?” Axel asks.
“No, we enjoy watching our leader suffer,” Beck grumbles.
“No,” I bark. Beck knows I hate the stuff.
Through the red haze surrounding me, Axel grins. “Sucks for you. You’re in my domain now and my rules apply, not yours.”
I could fight it, but I wouldn’t win. I don’t feel the needle go in. Too much else is happening in my body as I fight off the poison. I do, however, begin to feel the pull of the heavy narcotics and decide not to fight. Beast doesn’t like it and it takes everything I have to reign him in. Blackness rolls over us before our war of wills is settled.