Taken by the Beast Read online

  Taken by the Beast

  By

  Natasha Knight

  Copyright © 2013 by Stormy Night Publications and Natasha Knight

  Copyright © 2013 by Stormy Night Publications and Natasha Knight

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.

  www.StormyNightPublications.com

  Knight, Natasha

  Taken by the Beast

  Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson

  Image by Jimmy Thomas © RomanceNovelCovers.com

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.

  Prologue

  The sound of the bus coming to a halt drew Elijah’s attention. He sat on the minuscule balcony looking out into the dark, unremarkable night; too much light pollution in the dirty city to see the magnificence of the sky above.

  Her shoes clicked along the pavement. She was walking faster than usual; something wasn’t right. He couldn’t see her, the bus stop was two blocks away, but he always listened for her around this time.

  He closed his eyes and concentrated. Cats fought in the alley below, a man relieved himself along the side of the building. Conversations buzzed from inside the apartment complex. He muted all of those sounds. Standing, he gripped the rail.

  Her gasp filled the night and his eyes snapped open. With an angry growl, he launched himself over the balcony, shifting midair, and landed on all fours in a run.

  He knew she wouldn’t see him, too dark with only a single street lamp still working. But she must have sensed something because she ran.

  Clever girl.

  She was inside the building when his roar drowned out the scream of the man who would surely have hurt her if he hadn’t intervened.

  Chapter One

  Three Months Later

  Kayla looked at her watch. Half past ten. She hit Save on the file she was working on and rubbed her eyes. Her paper was due Friday and she needed an A to keep her average up. Working full time at the diner and taking two accelerated courses at the community college in the evenings left her little time to study. But she was close to the end. One more semester and she’d be a college graduate. Or well on her way to being one with an Associate’s degree for starters. It was something though. At twenty-four, she knew she had a late start. She’d have to work harder than the kids coming out of high school but, well, that was life right now.

  She pulled the bedroom door open just as Todd walked through the front door. She stopped dead in her tracks and wished she’d been just a minute later. She’d have stayed in the bedroom all night if she’d heard them come in.

  Todd smiled at her, but it was the sort of smile that chilled her, draining the color from her face. He was high on coke. Again. And he wasn’t alone. Four “friends” walked in behind him, bringing with them the stench of dirty man, cigarette smoke, and cheap liquor.

  “Hey, babe,” Todd said, walking toward her as the rest of them settled on the couch.

  “Hey,” she said, her grip on the doorknob tightening. She wanted to push it closed and lock it, but knew it would only anger him.

  Todd’s gaze ran the length of her. She wore a pair of yoga pants and a tank top and wished she had kept her hoodie on.

  “Where you goin’, hon? Come say hello to our guests.”

  “You’re high again, Todd. Besides, they’re your guests. I have to finish my paper. Just…hang out, have fun. I’ll be quiet.”

  One of the guys laughed and another made some remark about being pussy whipped. Todd’s expression changed and this time, Kayla did take that step back and pushed the door closed. But he was stronger than she, even if she was faster. He turned the knob before she could lock it and pushed his way in, coming at her.

  “Todd,” she said, knowing she needed to remain calm and keep talking to him. She needed to convince him to leave her alone and if she cowered, he’d only do more damage.

  “Are you embarrassing me in front of my friends, Kay?” The way he said her name was more a hiss than an endearment.

  “No, I would never. I just have to get a paper done for school and…”

  “I have to get a paper done for school,” he mimicked. “What, you think you’re something special? Better than me? Bitch,” he spat, grabbing her laptop.

  “No, Todd, stop! Please!”

  He took hold of her when she tried to take it from him and held her at arm’s length.

  “You’re nothing, Kayla. Never going to be anything. This,” he held up the laptop, “this is nothing but a waste of time.” With that, he threw the laptop across the room and into the wall.

  “No!”

  When he let her go, she ran to retrieve it, knowing it was too late. It would be broken and she didn’t have the money to fix it.

  “Now get your ass out here and get my friends a drink, bitch.”

  She was pushing buttons on the keyboard, but the screen remained dark. All her schoolwork was on that computer and she hadn’t backed up any of it.

  Todd mumbled something, stumbling on his way to her. There was nowhere to go when he fisted a handful of her hair and lifted her to her feet.

  “Ow!” She grabbed his arm, but was positioned with her back to him and could only follow when he dragged her into the living room. “Let me go! You’re hurting me!” She kicked at him and managed to get him in the shins. He let her go and she backed up. The guys on the couch were laughing now. No one would help her, not that she expected them to.

  “Fuckin’ bitch. You’re gonna get what you’ve got comin’ to you.” Todd advanced on her and slapped her face so hard she fell to the floor. “No-good cunt,” he mumbled, straddling her hips and undoing his jeans before yanking at the hem of her pants.

  “Stop. Please, Todd. You’re high,” she cried and fought, but was powerless beneath him. He yanked her pants and underwear down. “Please,” she begged.

  What happened next didn’t make sense.

  Todd was gone. Just like that, his body was off hers and sprawled against the farthest wall. His friends were screaming. She looked at them, then at the beast that had its jaws over Todd’s throat. Todd’s body shook and his head hung at a strange angle. When the beast released him, it turned to her. Blood dripped from its jaws, and all she could do was stare in terror at this animal whose golden eyes she somehow knew.

  She backed up, dragging herself along the scratchy carpet, and would have screamed, but no sound would leave her.

  One of the guys ran to the front door and the beast turned, lunging at him. The other men scrambled, running to the sliding glass doors of the balcony. But they were on the nineteenth floor, the very top of the building, and the fire escape ladder was broken. Had been since they’d moved in.

  Kayla watched the body of the man fall in front of the door, bloody and lifeless. The animal turned to the others and someone pounded on the door. Outside she heard sirens. Police. Thank God, the police would save them. But one glance at the beast told her the police would be able to do nothing against this creature. He was huge, coming to her waist at least. And the sirens didn’t stop, but faded as the cars drove on likely to another call. In this neighborhood, it was the norm.

  Whoever was pounding at the door managed to push it open just a little. It was Mr. Tabor from down the hall. He took one glance at the bodies inside and pulled it closed again. She heard him scream at the others to call the police.

  It went quiet inside, so al
l she could hear was the panting of the wolf.

  Wolf.

  She turned to it. It stood with one thick paw on the back of one of the men. It had left a long, bloody trail beneath the shredded t-shirt. Their eyes met once more and finally, she could make some noise again. She began mumbling something, begging it not to hurt her.

  “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.”

  Its gaze remained steady on hers, the expression there one of curiosity but also something else. A sort of knowing, a cool anger. She hugged her knees into her chest and pressed her back to the wall. Her heart was racing, her head spinning. This was unreal, unnatural. But when, before her eyes, the wolf’s body shifted and changed into something else entirely, something…human and familiar, her body went into shut-down mode. Naked, he took a step toward her and she looked at his hands, which were bloodied along with his face, his mouth. She met his eyes, his tiger’s eyes, and shivered anew as she stared up at him, a mumbling, quivering mess.

  “I’m not going to hurt you, Kayla,” he said, reaching out a hand to touch her face. She watched in horror as he gently pulled her panties and pants up. “I just want to make sure you’re all right.”

  She didn’t feel his fingers on her skin after that, even as he reached to touch her face, because those were the last words she heard before the world went dark.

  Chapter Two

  She opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling. It was dark and quiet and she was alone. She sat up and looked around. Where was she?

  The sound of police sirens drew her attention and at the same time, a man came out from the bedroom carrying a bag. He stopped when he saw she was conscious, and even in the dim room, she could make out his eyes. Golden, glowing, like a tiger’s eyes. They were wild, yet at the same time, tender.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  Memory flooded her senses, sending her heart into overtime and she jumped to her feet.

  “You killed them. Oh, my God, you…you…” Adrenaline had her looking around for an escape route, but the vision of the men in her apartment trying to run from the beast stilled her.

  He walked toward her slowly, his hands up. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. She looked at them, her eyes darting from one to the other. They were big, like the rest of him, and he’d cleaned the blood from them.

  “You’re…you’re…”

  “You don’t have to be afraid of me.”

  When he took another step, she opened her mouth to scream. He was on her in an impossible instant and one of those hands clamped over her mouth, turning her so her back was pressed against his rock-hard chest. Her hands immediately curled around his forearm, trying to pull him off.

  “Don’t scream,” he said, his voice quiet, as if it didn’t cost him any effort even while she struggled with all she had.

  More sirens blared outside.

  “It would have been easier if you’d stayed unconscious,” he said, more to himself than to her.

  She fought against his viselike grip, but only succeeded in his pressing harder, making it difficult to get air into her lungs with his forearm draped as it was over her chest.

  “Listen to me, Kayla, we don’t have much time. I’m not going to hurt you, but I need you not to scream. Do you understand?”

  She shook her head frantically and his fingers gripped her face, stilling her movements, causing some pain where they dug into her skin.

  The sound of elevator doors opening and closing and police knocking on doors gave her hope and she screamed into his hand, the sound coming out more a muffled whisper in his large palm.

  He mumbled something she didn’t understand, followed by, “I didn’t want to do this, but we’re out of time.”

  Next thing she knew, there was a sharp pain to her neck and her legs went out from under her.

  * * *

  Elijah gathered her in his arms and easily slung her over one shoulder, his bag over the other. Walking quickly, he went out to the balcony and, holding her tight, jumped to the one above his and then the one above that. From there, the ladder was accessible and he climbed it to the roof. Under the cover of night, he eyed the flashing lights and listened to the sounds of sirens below. He couldn’t say he’d enjoyed his time here, but it had been a quiet existence. He’d been able to keep off the radar, but after tonight’s massacre, they’d be crawling all over the city before morning. They’d hunt him and he couldn’t take a chance they’d find out about the girl.

  He crossed to the opposite side of the building and, setting her down, tossed his bag to the rooftop of the next one. He looked at her. Pretty blond hair splayed out all around her face, her expression soft, relaxed. Something wild inside him swelled, wanting to claim her as his. He forced himself to look away.

  Not time. Not now. If she’s lucky, not ever.

  She wouldn’t be out for much longer; he had ten, fifteen minutes tops to get out of here before she came to and started screaming bloody murder.

  Well, that was what he’d done, wasn’t it? Bloody fucking murders.

  Hoisting her back up, he leapt the distance and landed on his feet. Slinging the bag back onto his shoulder, he made his way around and down. He’d mapped out his escape route when he’d moved here. He always had a plan, was always ready to run if they ever found him. And truly, he’d always planned on taking the girl with him anyway. Just didn’t expect it to happen like this.

  Taking the last of the stairs three at a time, he disappeared into the night, making his way into the woods at the edge of the forgotten neighborhood.

  * * *

  Kayla was cold, her head hurt, and she was pretty sure she was going to throw up. They were outside and he was running. Fast. She reached her hands to grip the waistband of his jeans to steady herself. He must have realized she was conscious, because he slowed to a stop and eased her off his shoulder. He set her down, but held on to her, because it seemed her legs were made of Jell-O and she couldn’t stand on her own.

  Her stomach heaved. “I’m going to be sick,” she said, unable to take her eyes from her captor.

  In the next moment, she was on all fours on the ground. He was on his knees, holding her hair, keeping it out of her face as she vomited. She hadn’t eaten much all day, thank goodness, and the episode was over fast.

  She sat back when he let her go. He stood and she looked up at him. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself, unable to take her eyes off of him. He was tall, a good 6′ 6″. She stood 5′ 4″, so although she wasn’t too short, he still towered over her. Messy, dark blond hair framed his face, the features of which were sharp: a broad forehead and a narrow nose led to full lips and white teeth. Under other circumstances, she’d have looked twice, especially at his eyes. They were strange, fierce, and wild. Thick eyebrows framed them, but what surprised her was the tenderness there that blended with the carnal.

  “You’re cold,” he said. “And I’m guessing you have a headache. I’m sorry I had to do that.”

  She hugged herself tighter, still staring at him. It was spring, but the nights were still cold and she was only wearing her yoga pants and tank top with a pair of flip-flops. But even given that, it wasn’t the cold that made her shiver.

  He knelt and dug through the duffel bag, handing her a hoodie. She took it. It was his, obviously, because it was huge. She slid her arms into the sleeves and zipped it, then folded the cuffs up to free her hands.

  “What did you do exactly? To make me faint?”

  “I manipulated your vagus nerve. No permanent damage, but the vomiting and weakness are a side effect. I’ve got some water, but I won’t have anything for your headache until we get to the hut, I’m afraid.”

  Until we get to the hut?

  Her head throbbed, but that was the least of her concerns right now.

  “What happened in my apartment?” she asked, narrowing her eyes, wanting to keep the tears at bay but knowing she couldn’t. “Are they dead?”

 
“You’re not going to cry over that loser of a boyfriend, are you?” he asked, no remorse. “He was going to rape you, then pass you on to his friends, Kayla.”

  She knew he was right and no, the tears were not over Todd or any of the others. They were just the only reaction her body had left in response to the violence she’d witnessed. Todd had been verbally abusive in the past, but he’d never hit her. He was usually coked up when he was at his worst and she just made sure to stay out of his way when he was. She didn’t love Todd, never really had. It was a stupid situation, he was a jerk, but he hadn’t deserved to die like that.

  “I’ve seen you before. You live in my building,” she said, suddenly realizing why he was so familiar.

  The man nodded.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Elijah.”

  He handed over a bottle of water and she took it. “I need to brush my teeth,” she said. The taste of vomit lingered in her mouth.

  “I didn’t have time to collect your things before we left,” he said, handing her what she assumed was his toothbrush along with a tube of toothpaste.

  She took it, but her eyes remained on his.

  “What I saw in my apartment…” A shiver rocked her body. “Was that…” She was shaking her head even as she asked the question. “There was an animal.” She needed him to deny what she’d seen.

  “I’m what you might know as a shifter. Last of my kind, at least as far as I know.”

  “A shifter?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

  He just looked at her and all she could do was laugh. She just opened her mouth into a hysterical laugh that ended as quickly as it began and left her trembling. “Like Jacob. Twilight.” She laughed again while tears streamed down her face.

  He smiled, exhaling. “Not quite, but I suppose that’s easier for your mind to understand right now. You’re in shock, Kayla.”