Lily's Loner Read online

  I know fear like I’ve never known. I can feel how much he wants me. Wants to possess and own me. Control me. Dominate me and when he is done, when he has used me up, he would literally throw me to the wolves and give me to Sirius and Drake. I would have long wished and prayed for my own life to end before then. I fear this tall, thin, balding man with his long, pointed nose and dark, dead eyes that do a poor job of hiding his madness, like I have never feared anyone before.

  Max stands still, facing him, seemingly fearless. He makes me so proud. He hollers back. “As if I would take your word for anything, Flint, you have no wife here. My mate does not claim you. You are nothing to her. Lily will remain my mate and at my side. You and your disgusting dog-self will never touch her.”

  Flint’s eyes glow with anger and lunacy. “You dare to stand between a man and his chosen one? Lily is my wife. Ordained mine by a higher power than you. How dare you corrupt her innocence with your ugly, scarred filth? She is coming with me. Her betrayal shall not be forgiven and she will be punished. You will pay for this with your life!” The man is frothing at the mouth, spittle flying as he screams. Clearly, he is consumed with insanity. I can feel myself shaking, and I pray Flint can’t see it. I have to stay strong.

  I know what Max is doing, but it doesn’t make it any easier to witness. He’s playing on Flint’s madness. A man so angry that he could lose control isn’t thinking clearly and could make mistakes. Max, however, still looks calm and patient. Like he has all day and can wait them out. I have never admired anyone more. He faces a brutal death, but looks like he is waiting on a pizza delivery. In face of his courage I feel an inner calmness take over my body. If Max can fearlessly fight for us, I can, too. I will not be afraid, not with my mate by my side. Time is on our side, I realize. Flint and his men are being hunted by the police. They could even be hot on their trail and literally minutes away. They have more to lose here than we do. They are just too stupid to know it.

  ****

  Max

  Behind me I can feel Lily’s presence. Her fear is a palpable thing. She obviously has no intention of staying in the cabin as I had ordered. Somehow I really didn’t think she would. Flint, I notice, has yet to take his eyes from her, which pisses me off and I will make him pay for that later, but it also means his eyes are off me. I will continue to taunt him. Force his hand, push him to lose control.

  “A so-called wife gained at the end of a gun? A wedding not consummated? Are you not man enough to take her yourself? Is this sweet, little kitty too much for a foul dog like you to handle? If you think you can take her, come at me. I will make your wife a widow, before the end of the day.”

  Behind me I hear Lily’s sharp gasp, but I keep my focus on the three in front of me. She has to trust me. She has to trust that I know how to get us out of this situation alive.

  Lightning flashes around us, and the thunder that claps vibrates throughout my body. I draw my power from it. The noise reminds me of the explosion that took the sight from one of my eyes and the lives of two of my fellow soldiers. The sound reminds me of what I was fighting for then and what I’m going to fight for now, those that I love.

  “You’ve made your choice. You will die, cat. Get him, but leave the girl for me,” screams Flint.

  Everything seems to happen at once, in slow motion. The heavens open up and rain pours down on all of us, drenching us in seconds. In the blinding flash of lightning, the wolves, Drake and Sirius charge. I shift quickly. My strong cougar body surprises the wolves by lunging at both of them. We come together in a clash that competes with the thunder above. I feel a bite along my shoulder and whirl around to bite back.

  Out of the corner of my eye I see the flash of Lily shifting and a piece of me dies a little. I know she will come to the fight if she feels I’m in trouble, and I don’t want her to. I need her to stay safely on the sidelines. My adrenaline has long kicked in, but with the thought that she may join the battle, I fight harder. I’m a frenzy of teeth and claws, ripping and biting and barely feeling the bites I receive in return.

  I manage to get one of the wolves by the throat and the other one gnaws at me from the back along my shoulder, trying to get me to release him, but I taste blood. I bite down harder and turn my head from side to side. A low growl comes from deep in the wolf’s chest. The bites along my shoulder are painful, but I push through and hold on. I won’t let go until he is dead.

  Out of the corner of my eye I see Lily charge forward and swipe her claws at the wolf biting me. He howls loudly and turns to her, baring his teeth. The wolf begins to slowly move toward Lily, and Flint is advancing as well. Sometime during our fight he has shifted and his yellow eyes glow as he moves toward Lily. He is stalking her from the side at the same time the other wolf is approaching her from her front.

  Fuck!

  Fear for her has my cougar clamping down harder. I give a vicious shake from side to side of my head and I’m satisfied to hear the sound of breaking bones. The wolf drops to the ground, his neck bent at an odd angle and blood oozing from the wound. The blood mixes with the rain and runs in a steady stream down toward the driveway. The lifeless body jerks a couple of times, before it finally lies motionless. His yellow eyes are open and staring blankly.

  I whirl, and my gaze instantly meets Lily’s. I communicate for her to get back in the cabin, and she begins to slowly back up toward the cabin door. With every step she takes, the two remaining wolves advance closer, snapping and growling. I’m pleased to see that she shows no fear and faces them down. Her sharp teeth bared, she hisses her anger toward them.

  While their focus is on the female cougar, I pounce and land between Lily and the wolves. I swipe one of my paws and knock the last remaining henchman to the ground. The wolf lands hard on his back with a sharp yelp of pain. Before he can scrabble back up to his feet, I catch him under the neck with my claws and push downward. I rip his stomach open with one quick digging move. His guts pour out into the wet grass.

  Flint’s wolf, realizing that he no longer has his back up, and like the coward that he is, turns to run toward the tree line. There is no way in hell I am letting him get away. We will not spend our lives looking over our shoulders, wondering when he may show up again in our lives. I will not have Lily living in fear. I leap onto the wolf’s retreating back, and opening wide, bite into the wolf’s head. I hear and feel the cracking of bones, and I bite down harder, quickly crushing his skull with my powerful jaws. The wolf jerks and drops to the ground. I watch as his breathing slows and then stops. It is done. Vincent Flint is dead. Lily, my love, my mate, is safe.

  ****

  Lily

  I pace the confines of the cabin. Outside Max is working to dispose of the wolf carcasses. Stubborn man that he is he refuses my help, insisting on doing the grim, messy job alone. Instead he has me drive down off the mountain and send a text to Ben. I keep it short and to the point.

  Flint and his men are dead. Max killed them. We are safe.

  I’m having a hard time believing that it’s finally over and that Flint is dead. I close my eyes and say a prayer for Nora and Jacob. They didn’t deserve what happened to them. They had just been kids who had been looking for a better way of life. Flint had promised that to them, but in the end, they had paid with their lives. My heart aches for them and their families. However, I am free. For whatever reason, I have lived. It seems unfair and I don’t understand it, but I am so grateful. I have Max.

  The door opens, and the object of my thoughts walks in. He is wet and looks exhausted. I start toward him, and he holds up his hand to halt me. “The rain has washed a lot of the blood off, but I still carry the stench of the wolf. Let me shower. Did you call Ben?”

  “No, I just sent him a text. I’ll talk to him later. Are you injured?” My eyes scan him looking for wounds.

  He shrugs and winces. “I have some bite marks on my back and shoulders, nothing major. Cougars are quick healers, remember?”

  My eyes fill with tears. “Max…
”

  “It’s okay, Lily. I’m okay.”

  I ignore the smell, and his dampness, and wrap my arms around his middle, hugging him to me gently. He sighs and runs his hands up and down my back.

  “It’s over. It’s all over.” Max keeps repeating that, and he lets my tears mix with the rain that has soaked his shirt.

  After a couple of minutes I raise my head and wrinkle my nose. I frown at him. “You’re right, you do stink.”

  Max surprises me by throwing his head back and laughing, “Well guess what, Kitten? Now you do, too. Come on we’re hitting the shower … together.”

  “But, but I should dress your wounds.” I try in vain to protest.

  “Later.” He scoops me up in his arms and carries me to the bathroom.

  ****

  I cry out when Max enters me. He’s holding me, and I’m up against the tiled shower wall. The steamy water is beating down on both of us. It’s a sensuous feeling, and I know I will never look at a shower the same way again. The mixture of the water and the soap makes our bodies slip and slide as we move against each other. Max has found my special spot and is working it to perfection. His body is moving in and out of mine, his tongue in my mouth setting up the rhythm of our lovemaking. I tighten my legs around his waist and moan when the movement causes him to go even deeper. He quickens his pace and growls against my neck. My release sneaks up on me, and I come quickly and hard. Max follows me, and together we loudly cry out our pleasure.

  My legs feel like noodles, so I let Max take control of cleaning us both. He helps me from the shower and kisses me tenderly between pats of a towel on my wet body. He doesn’t know it, but he’s replacing the ugly images of Flint with the beauty of his love. I feel it, and I wonder how I ever lived without it.

  “I should dress those bite marks now,” I say fighting down a yawn.

  Max leans forward and kisses me on the forehead. “Later, we need to get some sleep. Then we will ride to Ben’s, and let him know everything that has happened. I’m sure he’ll have questions.”

  ****

  Max

  In my opinion that had been too quick and a little rough. I am already thinking about how slow and easy I will take her next time, maybe even coax her on top. I could watch her riding my cock and take my pleasure by letting my hands roam her perfect little body.

  Fuck yeah, next time.

  Hell, my cock is already getting hard again just thinking about watching her perky tits bounce above my mouth. We will have years together, and I can hardly wait to show Lily all the different ways I can please her. She pleases me by just breathing and being Lily. It has been a long time since I’ve had something to look forward to. Having Lily as my mate and in my life is giving me a new purpose and for the first time in a long time I feel lighter … happy. My survivor’s guilt will always be there, and part of me will always think that I don’t deserve Lily. If she only knew half the shit that I’ve done, the people I’ve had to kill…

  But she is here. She is in my life, she is my mate, and nothing or no one is ever going to change that.

  We are laughing when we come out of the bathroom. Lily has wrapped a towel around herself, and I’m doing my best to pull it free from the little tuck between her breasts. I’ve slipped on a pair of pajama pants that I had hanging in the bathroom. We are so focused on each other that for a moment we fail to notice the man sitting on the couch. When Lily spots him she squeals and launches herself at her brother. Ben catches her easily and hugs her to him. Over the top of Lily’s head our eyes meet. Ben’s face is like stone, and I know the time of my reckoning has come.

  Lily holds the towel to her breasts with one hand and jumps up and down on her toes. “Wow! You made really good time. We were just going to take a quick nap and then we were going to head your way. If you’re here does that mean Amber had the baby?”

  Ben has yet to take his eyes from me. “Yes, she went into labor late last night. It’s a girl. Catalina Marie. She’s healthy, and she and Amber are doing well. They will come home from the hospital tomorrow.”

  “I’m an aunt!” yells Lily, whirling with a smile on her face to announce it to me, as if I hadn’t heard her standing just six feet away.

  “Congratulations,” I say, but I’m looking at Ben still. He’s my friend, and he saved my life. I owe him, but I don’t owe him Lily. She’s mine, and I won’t give her up, not even for him, not even for our friendship.

  “Can I speak to you outside?” asks Ben. His voice is low, but the request comes out more like an order instead of a question.

  “Lead the way.”

  Lily finally realizes something is up. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about, Kitten,” I say, leaning down to kiss the top of her head as we walk past. I don’t miss the growl that emits from Ben.

  “Stay in the cabin, Lily,” Ben orders.

  I snort. Fat chance of that.

  “Like hell I will!” She follows us to the door. “What is happening?”

  “Lily, please, Ben and I need to talk. Just stay inside and I will explain everything to you later.” I pull the door to with a snap. It’s time to pay the piper.

  Ben hits me just as I step off the porch. I manage to stay on my feet, but barely. “Do I even get a chance to explain?”

  “I trusted you, and because of that trust I brought you my sister to keep safe, not to fuck when she is vulnerable. What the hell, Max?” He sends me hurt-filled glares as he paces back in forth in front of me. “I thought of you like a brother and now all I feel is betrayed. I know you’ve changed since the incident, but I never would have thought this of you.”

  I decide to let the “changed since the incident” comment go. “If you’re done screaming at me, let me point out to you that I did keep Lily safe. I just killed three wolves for her, and I would do it all over again if I had to.”

  Ben whirls toward me, waving his arms wildly. “And you fucked my baby sister! Lily is just a kid.”

  “Lily’s young, yes, but she’s no child. Lily’s my mate.”

  Ben freezes in place, and I can see he is processing what I have just told him. “Your mate?” A smile slowly spreads across his face, right before he clasps me in a rib crushing hug. “Well, hell, man, why didn’t you just say so?”

  ****

  Lily

  I race to the kitchenette and stand in front of the window. Max barely steps off the porch when Ben balls up his fist and hits him. I gasp in shock. I have never seen Ben hit anyone before. Why would he hit a friend? I beat on the window, but they ignore me. I watch Max stagger back, but he stays on his feet. Despite them telling me to stay inside, I want to go out there, but I’m frozen in place, surprised beyond words at what I’m witnessing.

  I cover my mouth with my hands. Ben is waving his arms and screaming at Max, who just stands still and remains quiet. My brother runs his hands through the short spikes of his hair and leaves them standing up as he starts to pace. Max is speaking to him now, and Ben stops his pacing to stare. I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath until I see the two of them face each other and I’m relieved to see they are speaking, not yelling. Ben runs his hands through his hair again and shakes his head back and forth as if he’s being told something he can’t bring himself to believe. Max’s back is to me, and he stands with his legs apart, tall, and straight, just like he had right before the wolves had attacked. I bite my bottom lip. The two men I love most in the world are fighting, and I don’t like it.

  Suddenly they step forward, and I hold my breath again. Instead of hitting each other as I fear, they hug and thump each other on the back. I watch Ben turn toward his truck to leave.

  What the hell just happened?

  I run to the cabin door and snatch it open. “Are you leaving without even saying good-bye?”

  Ben turns back around and looks at me, then at Max, before coming toward me. He grips me to him and whispers in my ear, “I’m happy for you, Lily. Max is a good mate.”<
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  “Yes, he is. Thank you, Ben. I’ll be by to see Amber and my new niece tomorrow when they come home.”

  He releases me and kisses my cheek. “That’s fine. I’m sure Amber will be glad to see you and know you’re okay. Now for the love of all that is holy, go put some damn clothes on, because you have some explaining to do. Max tells me Flint was a shifter and you actually married the bastard?”

  I frown at Max for ratting me out. “Okay, come inside while I change and we’ll talk.”

  “I’ll stay right here, but hurry up. I need to get back to my girls.”

  I quickly run inside and slip on a pair of jeans and a shirt and step back out on the porch where Max and Ben are still standing talking quietly. I pick up on the words “cult” and “police” and wince. Somehow or another the police are going to have to be informed that Flint and his men are dead. I shudder at the thought of having to make a police statement.

  Max quickly pulls me to his side and keeps his arm wrapped around me when he speaks. “Ben and I have come up with a plan. While you visit with Amber and the baby tomorrow we’re going to make a trip to the police station. We have a mutual friend there, a fellow shifter who is pretty high ranking. We’ll explain the situation to him, and he can come up with a credible story to tell the press and the victims’ families. They deserve to know that Flint is no longer a threat to them or anyone else.”

  “Thank you for that. Yes, Nora’s and Jacob’s families need to know that justice was served, and even though it won’t bring them back, at least they have the satisfaction of knowing he can’t hurt anyone else ever again.” I pull Max to me closer and look up at Ben.

  Ben grunts. “Speaking of deserving to know. Do you want to explain to me why you kept the fact that Flint and his goons were shifters and that you actually married him? Lil, for fuck’s sake, you put us all in danger with your omission of the facts.”

  I feel Max stiffen beside me, and I gently pat his back to let him know it’s okay. “I made a judgment call, okay? I did what I did out of love for you and Amber. It was more important to me that you stay safe.”