Beauty and the Shapeshifter (Evil Rising Book 5) Read online

  She thought back to how adamant Gus was that the car was not a big deal. How fervent he’d been when telling her to get out of the woods. “That’s why you had me call him. You think that even if he knows I’m here, he can’t get to me.”

  Lucian nodded, mouth curving at her slow acceptance. “I’m saying that if I wanted to, I could keep you as long as I wished.” Ella took another step back at the words. Lucian lifted a cold hand and brushed the backs of his fingers down her tear-stained cheeks. “Don’t worry. It’s not you I want. Even if you could bear our children, it takes more than one to replenish a species, and a forced pregnancy isn’t exactly healthy for the child. You are safe from me. I need to know how you were created, though. What makes you special.”

  He turned away from her and stalked toward Dad, who still lay limply against a tree. Without an ounce of gentleness, he lifted the old man over his shoulder.

  “Stop!” she shouted as her world crumbled around her.

  Lucian faced her as though the weight of Dad was nothing to him. “I said you’re free to go.”

  “Take me. Find out what makes me different. I’ll help you, I promise. Just let him go.” She wanted to sound brave and heroic, but she couldn’t stop the tears. What exactly was she volunteering?

  Lucian smiled at the offer, and she suddenly realized this was exactly what he’d wanted all along. All the pieces clicked into place. The open door to the basement. The clean getaway. The noises. Dad had barely been moving. He couldn’t have been the one making all the racket.

  Lucian let it all happen. Just waiting for her to offer to take Dad’s place.

  But she had no choice. If he would truly let Dad go, she’d go back with Lucian.

  “I won’t rape you,” he said. “It will be a harsh adjustment and I expect you to be complacent with the tests that will be required.”

  Unable to summon her voice, Ella nodded.

  And then Lucian and Dad vanished in front of her eyes. One second they were there and the next they were gone. “Dad!”

  “He’s right here.” Lucian stood at the side of the road, propping Dad against a tree.

  Ella ran over to them, but Lucian caught her before she made it to Dad, pulling her back up against his chest. “It’s time to go,” he warned.

  “Let me say good-bye,” she screamed as she struggled to escape his grip. He seemed to consider it for a moment before he released his hold.

  She reached Dad, but he didn’t move except for his ragged breathing; his eyes were closed. “What did you do to him?”

  Lucian shrugged a big shoulder, as though none of this was his fault at all. “Nothing worse than had already been done. The stress of everything probably just got to him.”

  She narrowed her eyes at the callous words. “You were going to leave him passed out on the side of the road?”

  “His heartbeat is strong and he doesn’t have a head injury. He’s a smart man. He would’ve made it back home.”

  “How the hell would you know if his heartbeat was strong?”

  “I can hear it,” he said simply.

  Instead of dignifying his ridiculous statement with a response, she switched tactics. “We need to call someone. I won’t let you leave him here.”

  She half expected him to fight with her. Instead, he slipped his phone from his pocket, quickly running his fingers over the touchscreen, and put it to his ear. “Hello. I was driving and just found a man passed out on the side of the road.”

  Ella remained silent as he gave detailed instructions on how to locate Dad, including nearby landmarks. She didn’t know how he could see anything in the darkness, but he probably knew this area like the back of his hand.

  When he hung up, he was smart enough to let Ella have a moment with Dad. She didn’t know what she would’ve done if he’d tried to drag her off.

  She probably wouldn’t have done a damn thing. He’d already proved how much stronger he was. He moved silently and faster than anyone she’d ever met. Maybe he wasn’t completely crazy when he said he wasn’t human.

  Quicker than she would’ve expected, considering how out in the middle of nowhere they were, the flashing lights of a police cruiser shone in the distance.

  “We need to leave.” Lucian spoke from right behind her, but, at this point, his sudden appearance wasn’t surprising.

  She pushed herself up, but she must not have been fast enough for Lucian. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her deep into the shadows just as the cruiser pulled over.

  She held herself ramrod stiff as the two officers got out. Ever since she first stumbled across him in these woods, Lucian found every excuse to touch her and she couldn’t stand it. He’d effectively ruined her life and hadn’t even batted an eyelash. He could kill her or her dad without breaking a sweat and here he was with one steel band of an arm wrapped around her.

  His breath tickled her neck and sent shivers down her spine when he leaned forward. “Do I need to cover your mouth?”

  Ella took a deep swallow and shook her head. If she had any plans to test her new captivity, it would be when Dad was nowhere around and safe from danger.

  One of the officers checked Dad’s vitals while the other swept the ground with his flashlight. Probably trying to figure out what the heck happened.

  The light shone into the woods and stopped inches from where she and Lucian stood. The officer took two steps forward until he abruptly stopped. He stood stock-still for a moment before he turned back to his partner. “There’s nothing in there. We better not go in.”

  The other officer looked into the darkness. “You’re right. We better not go in.”

  Ella looked over her shoulder and silently met Lucian’s eyes. His expression didn’t change, but she knew he was thinking, “I told you so.”

  He leaned forward and whispered, “We’re going to leave now.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway. There wasn’t any more she could do for Dad. She expected Lucian to release her and start back to the house, but he just held her tighter. The dark woods spun in front of her as the blackness and deep browns swirled together.

  Ella tightly closed her eyes, half expecting to pass out. After all she’d been through, it’d hardly be surprising.

  Except when she opened them, she was still in Lucian’s arms. Staring right at his house of horrors.

  Ella jerked away and turned in a tight circle. Sure enough, they were somehow back at his place. “Did I pass out?”

  Lucian’s eyes followed her every move. “No. I teleported you here.”

  The words sounded so casual coming from him. “Teleported? Are you crazy?”

  “You tell me. You were there.”

  She stared him down. Teleportation would make a lot of sense. It would explain how he was so quiet and she never really saw him move. She thought back to his sparkling shoes when he first surprised her in the woods.

  She definitely wasn’t in Kansas anymore. “So, just to clarify, there is a spell all the way around your land and you can teleport? What else is inhuman about you?”

  “A lot. Do you want to talk about it now or later?”

  Any other time, she’d say now. She’d want to know everything right away. Get all the facts and try to formulate a way out.

  Instead, she squeaked out, “Are you going to kill me?”

  Lucian’s lips tightened, the first sign any of this bothered him at all. “I wasn’t lying. I need you. I need your help. That means you need to be alive and protected. As of right now, you’re the safest person on the planet.”

  Ella absorbed the information, trying to decide how much of it was bull. “Somehow, I don’t believe you.”

  Lucian shrugged. “That’s not my problem. Now, are you going to walk inside or do I have to carry you?”

  She wanted to scream and fight and make him work for it, but the thought of him touching her again was too much. “I’ll walk,” she announced, making her way toward the door. She stopped as her hand touched
the handle. “Are you going to throw me in the dungeon?”

  “You’re not going in the damn dungeon. Just get inside,” he barked.

  Ella’s eyes widened at his outburst, but she obediently walked back into the house of horrors. “I don’t know what you’re so upset about. Aren’t you getting everything you wanted?”

  Lucian stomped past her to the stairs, and Ella assumed he meant for her to follow. “I have shit I need to get done and getting you took longer than I expected,” he grumbled.

  He moved up to the third story. Each of his footsteps echoed through the old Victorian.

  He stopped in front of a nondescript door, the same drab color as the rest of the house. “This is your room. The door isn’t going to be locked, though I recommend you stay inside at night. Tomorrow I’ll have one of my men fly out, and he and Cade will take turns watching you. You’re not a prisoner, so you can go wherever you want during the day as long as one of them is with you.”

  Ella raised an eyebrow at that. “I’m not a prisoner? What would you call me then?”

  Lucian thought on it for a moment before his lips formed a sardonic grin. “An honored guest.”

  She shook her head at his messed-up logic. “And no one will be coming into my room, right?” Not that she was in any place to make demands, but it was the one guarantee she had.

  His brief grin disappeared as his face twitched a bit. For a moment, she could’ve sworn his eyes started to change color. “You have the safest room in the house. I’m right next door if you need anything.”

  She took a step back. “How is that supposed to make me feel better?”

  He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I have to go. Just get in your room and stay in there until dawn,” he spat out, opening the door and ushering her inside.

  As soon as she was over the threshold, the door slammed shut behind her and she was left alone.

  Ella leaned against the closed door and observed her new prison. The room wasn’t horrible. It was definitely a step up from the dungeon. Another plus: it wasn’t decorated in the same drab colors as the rest of the house.

  The bedspread was a soft green, and a few of the many pillows at the headboard were pink. The furniture was white and nothing seemed too dusty.

  Ella examined inside the armoire and dressers, but they were all empty, save for some antique-looking perfume bottles next to the vanity mirror. The room was obviously for a woman and kept up, but there didn’t appear to be any current occupants. There was one window along the wall. She studied the latch. It didn’t seem locked from the outside. She could probably open it and jump out, but she thought better of it. A third-story fall couldn’t be good for her spine, and she had a feeling Lucian would just drag her back. Any escape attempt now would surely be expected. Better to bide her time until she knew Lucian wouldn’t chase after her.

  Defeated, Ella fell back against the bed. The headboard thumped loudly against the wall. What the heck was she supposed to do now? Sleep?

  Lucian barely made it to the stairs before his skin started to ripple and change. He took the steps two at a time, and when he hit the first level, the transformation was completed. His eyes were completely black while his skin changed to a leathery gray, slightly withered even where it stretched over the bulging muscles of his myotis form.

  His top fangs lengthened so much he couldn’t fully close his mouth, and his ears now stretched into long points that merged with the back of his skull. He paused at the bottom of the stairs to carefully unbutton his slacks, skillfully maneuvering his extended claws as to not to rip the material. He didn’t gain much size when he shifted, but the extra three inches of girth was enough to strain the seams.

  His shirt was loose enough to begin with, so it didn’t cause him any trouble. The damn pants got him every night.

  Cade was in one of the offices on the first floor, typing quickly, his own claws not slowing him down at all.

  “Who are you talking to?” Lucian took a seat at his own computer.

  Cade looked over his shoulder and studied Lucian for a moment. “You took longer than I was expecting.”

  “You and me both.” He’d hoped to get Ella safely in her room just after dark, but the wait for the police had taken longer than he’d thought. It wasn’t impossible to hold his human form once the sun set, but it was a pain in the ass and every other part of his body. He’d be stuck with this headache for half the damn night. “Who are you talking to?” he repeated.

  “Dmitri. He says there was another attack. This time on a military base. The Army is definitely involved now.”

  “Fuck.” Lucian leaned his head back against his seat and closed his eyes. “How much do you think the government knew about vampires before this all started?”

  Cade laughed. “Well, they’re about to get a crash course. Aleksander is trying to get Ironheart to work as a liaison between him and the humans.”

  Lucian raised a brow. “The mercenary?”

  Cade nodded. “According to Dmitri, she’s the most powerful human turned vampire they have. She has a long record of loyalty to humans and has historically supported Aleksander.”

  “She supports him for the moment. She’s been known to change her mind. Whatever. She’s not my fucking problem. Does Dmitri want anything from us?”

  Dmitri was their main liaison with the vampire high council. Kalger’s method of ruling involved isolating the myotis from all other supernatural races, with a focus on increasing his wealth and surviving as long as possible, namely forever.

  While he got his riches, the myotis died one by one. Even worse, all the other races considered them vile monsters that lived for killing, kidnapping, and raping. Over the past year, Lucian had been slowly improving their reputation, but it was hard to change beliefs people had held for centuries.

  The vampires were currently in the middle of a crisis, so they’d come to accept help from Lucian. There weren’t many myotis left, but their superior strength, even compared to the vampires, and ability to teleport were useful during a war.

  “Don’t tell Dmitri about Ella,” warned Lucian.

  Cade rubbed a hand over his head. He had the same gray and leathery skin, but his hair remained short and buzzed; his fangs were a bit shorter than Lucian’s and his lips were a jet-black instead of dark gray. “You don’t trust him?”

  “I don’t trust anyone when it comes to her. She’s our chance. Our hope.”

  “You kidnapped our hope and are keeping her prisoner?” said Cade dryly.

  “What was I supposed to do?” snapped Lucian. He took a breath to calm down, but his head was still pounding. “Murray wouldn’t volunteer his services, so I had to apply pressure. Once we found out about her, I couldn’t just ask her nicely!”

  Cade turned back to his computer. “You could’ve tried it,” he muttered under his breath.

  Lucian mentally reminded himself of all the reasons he shouldn’t attack his right-hand man. He really let Cade get away with too much, but it was hard to think of him as a subject. They’d been friends for centuries, struggling to survive together under Kalger’s brutal and idiotic rule.

  If possible, they probably would be co-coven masters along with Dean, but that wasn’t how it worked. Lucian killed Kalger, so Lucian took over. Simple as that.

  “When will Dean get here?” asked Lucian.

  “He’s getting some stuff settled before he makes his way over. He’ll be here before she wakes up. How do you think she’ll be in the morning?”

  That was the million-dollar question. “It doesn’t matter to me. It’s your job to make her happy.”

  The look Cade shot Lucian was murderous.

  Ella didn’t know how long she stared at the door. It could’ve been hours but was probably less. It was daylight, so, theoretically, she could leave. Those were the rules for her “not a prison” confinement.

  Did she want to venture out? She knew someone was up, because she would periodically hear the stairs creak or
doors shut.

  She hadn’t heard Lucian move around in the room next door, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t there. When she listened for him, she would stare down the other door in her bedroom.

  The one that connected her room to his.

  He said he wouldn’t touch you. She’d repeated those words to herself all morning, but it didn’t help her feel better.

  Suddenly, she heard movement from behind the wall. Lucian was in there! Was he just getting up or did he just go in? She hadn’t heard the stairs creak, but he didn’t have to take the stairs. He could just wiggle his nose and go wherever he darn well pleased.

  Another creak sounded from his room. Ella was off her bed and sprinted for the door. Of course, it made a loud squeaking noise when she opened it, so she bolted to the stairs as quickly as possible without actually running.

  The stairs weren’t any more subtle. Her smaller frame didn’t make as much noise as she’d heard during the night, but anyone in the house would know she was moving around.

  When she reached the first floor, she stared wistfully at the door. Chains would’ve been better than knowing no amount of speed would get her away from her captors.

  “Hey, Sleeping Beauty!” came a friendly, deep voice from the kitchen.

  Reluctantly, she looked away from the exit and to the unfamiliar voice. “Oh look,” she muttered when she saw him. “It’s another male model.” He really did look as if he should be on the cover of GQ. His skin was such a beautiful ebony, he almost seemed photoshopped. His cheekbones were high and defined, and his body filled out his gray polo shirt amazingly well.

  The man grinned widely at her praise, showing off amazingly white and straight teeth. “Nice to see you, too, babe.”

  Ella grunted. “It wasn’t a compliment.”

  “Well then, I need to teach you some better insults. Ohh! Try out my newest one—rock fucker.”