Jezebel's Lion (11 page)

Jess sighed. It was better than nothing.
“Fine.
Give me half an hour to get ready. If I’m going to
look
twenty-one I
need to be in heels and dressed
right. You two are lucky I brought going out clothes in case we got invited to
a party.”

They both nodded, clearly just happy she’d agreed.

Over an hour later she didn’t know if agreeing had
been the best decision. They stood in a line for a club called Skin. Jess
thought it looked tacky, but Zeck and Travis had both been eager to go. Jess
was shivering with the cool night breeze. The outfit she’d chosen was knee high
boots that Britney had picked and bought with her and a blue and black dress
that hugged her curves. She’d left her hair out and scrunched it so it had more
of a wave to it.

 
Jess had
liked the reaction the boys had given her. Travis had been speechless for a
moment until Zeck put his foot in. “Holy crap, Jess. I never knew you could
look like that. Wow, you are
fuckworthy
.”

Travis had groaned.
“Really, Zeck.
You need a filter sewn to your big mouth.”

Zeck had stuck his middle finger up and winked at
her.

Jess now glared at the two men beside her. Neither
offered her a jacket or even held her for warmth. “Idiots,” she muttered, but
they didn’t seem to hear her or else they were deliberately ignoring her. She
was an idiot to agree to this. Now she was waiting in line freezing her tits
off.

 
After waiting
in line for over an hour they got into the club, and the bouncer didn’t even
bat an eyelid at their IDs. The club was smaller than she first thought, but no
one seemed to mind as they moved on the packed dance floor to music that
blasted around them.

Zeck dragged her to the bar and ordered drinks for
them. They hadn’t been in the club long when an enchantingly beautiful woman strolled
over to them and went straight to Zeck. Zeck’s eyes almost bugged out of his
head at the attention from the stunning woman.

Jess wasn’t sure about her. The fine hairs rose on
her body, and Jess’s stomach felt uneasy as the woman draped herself over her
friend. The thing that made Jess even more uncomfortable was that the woman
wasn’t really looking at Zeck. Her eyes were on Jess.

The uneasy feeling multiplied when another woman
came over. She was perfect, so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. This
one captured Travis’s attention.

“You did well, little human. I’m going to reward
you.” The woman’s voice was sultry as she trailed her fingertips down Travis’s
chest.

Jess had no idea what the woman was talking about,
but as Jess glanced at her friends she noticed both their eyes were glazed over.
Getting a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, Jess knew she had to get her
friends away from these women.

Pulling on Zeck’s arm she forced a smile on her
face. “Come on, Zeck. I want to dance. Dance with me.”
 
He didn’t move. He didn’t acknowledge her.
Not daring to turn her back she tugged on Travis. “Travis, come on and dance
with me. You said you wouldn’t leave me.”
 
He seemed to hear her, but the woman grabbed his face and kissed him.

Slowly, Jess backed away only to hit into a soft
surface. “Look what I have caught. A shifter mate,” a strong male voice said
behind her. The man spun her, and Jess looked up into a face that was
perfection. He was a male version of the women. He put the gorgeous people at
her school to shame. His skin was tan brown, his eyes blue, and his hair cut in
a short “Ken” cut. His face was all perfect lines. He tilted her head up to
look into his ice blue eyes. “I can’t control you because you’re a shifter
mate. The shifter bond won’t let me take your life force either, but I can have
fun with you before I dispose of you. It will be nice to know your death will kill
one of those vermin shifters.”

Jess had no idea what the man was talking about, but
she didn’t like it, and her self-preservation radar was going off. “Look, I
have no idea what you are talking about. I need to go. I have, um, an early
start at work tomorrow.” She tried to shake herself out of his hold, but he
wouldn’t let her go. He was strong, and his hold was tight and hurting her.
Knowing she had to fight she prayed she could bring enough attention to get
some help.

Using her whole weight she flung herself about
screaming, kicking, and punching the man.
“Help!
Help!”
When nothing happened and no one took notice she
remembered something she’d learned in a self-defense class her mother had made
her take.
“Fire, fire!
Help, fire!”
 

She saw people closer to her turn, but the others
didn’t hear her over the loud music. The man covered her mouth and squeezed her
so tight she was surprised a rib didn’t crack. “Shut up before I snap your
neck.” One of his hands came up, and his fingers circled her neck and closed
tight around it squeezing.

Elbowing him and biting his hand, she threw herself
on him. If she was going to die, Jess was going to die fighting.

****

Mac glared at his brother, Carter. He was an
asshole. Mac was sick of being punished for being younger and Britney Pride’s
best friend.
 
Lately his brother had been
pushing him harder and harder. Tonight they’d already taken out a group of
vampires, but his brother wasn’t finished. He wanted to check out a club that
Mac had mentioned some people at school were visiting and didn’t seem right
after being there.

“Stop being such a pussy. It’s only early. I’m ready
to kill me some monsters,” Carter grunted.

Mac’s brother snarled anytime he came near him or
ripped into to him for something. The problem was Britney. They’d gone to the
movies this afternoon, and she’d snuggled up to him, leaving her scent all over
him. Mac had come home and hoped his brother wouldn’t have been at his own
house, but he wasn’t that lucky. Carter had gone berserk, and even though Mac
had showered and scrubbed himself, Britney’s scent lingered.

So Mac’s punishment for being able to be with
Carter’s mate was hours and hours of hunting.

They arrived at the club and didn’t wait in line,
but walked right in. No one dared stop them. Mac was six feet and broad, but
Carter was six foot five and built like a linebacker. And that wasn’t even
counting the two other wolves they had on patrol with them.

The smell hit the four of them as soon as they
walked in.

“Fuck. This is going to be a long night.” Mac swore
as his wolf howled and confirmed they’d just walked into a boogieman lair.

Taking in a deep breath he let his senses out and
counted the humans. His ears picked up something. Following the sound of
someone yelling about a fire he froze at the sight before him.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me. Carter,
Carter.” Jezebel, Brandon’s mate, was kicking and punching as she threw herself
on a boogieman, who was fighting back strangling her unsuccessfully.

“What the hell is that woman doing?”

Mac groaned. This wasn’t going to end well. “Take a
deep breath in. That faint smell is Brandon Pride. That is Jezebel, his mate.”

“Why the fuck is she here without protection?” Mac
watched as his brother got his phone out. “Pride, are you missing something? I
have one Jezebel Pride here fighting a boogieman. Get your ass over to Skin
before she gets herself killed. Your mate has found a nest.”

 
Carter didn’t
even wait for a reply. He just hung up. “What the fuck are you waiting for?
Save her. I don’t want trouble with the Prides. I have a mate to claim from
that family myself soon.”

 
Glaring at
his brother Mac reached down and grabbed a startled Jezebel.

“Mac, I’ve never been so happy to see you. Something
is wrong. They are not human.”

The boogieman came at him with his claws out, and
his teeth lengthened. Cursing the Prides, Mac moved Jezebel behind him, ripped
his clothes off and attacked the boogieman by changing to his wolf form.

****

Brandon was going to kill his mate’s friends. How
the hell had they found a boogieman nest? His brothers sat quiet beside him as
Savron drove to Skin.

 
Brandon was
pissed as it was. Jess was supposed to have come over to him today, but she’d
messaged him, no phone call but a message, to say she was spending the weekend
with her friends. When he’d gone around to her mother’s he found out that she
stayed the night at Travis’s and was doing the same tonight. Brandon was angry
she was staying with another man, that she’d already spent a night with him.

He’d spent most of this night killing every creature
he could find. The leprechauns had done a number on him. He knew he had several
ribs broken, and he was covered in cuts. Brandon and his brothers had just been
leaving as the cleanup crew arrived when Carter had rung him and told him where
and what his mate was doing.

“I’m sure she’s fine, Brandon. Mac and Carter are
with her,” Savron said breaking the silence.

Brandon growled. He knew he was so close to losing
his shit. “Keep those little fuckers away from me. If I see Zeck or Travis I
will kill them.”

Savron nodded and swerved through the traffic.

When he got a hold of his mate he was wringing her
neck and never letting her out of his sight ever again.

Savron made the half hour trip across town in
fifteen minutes. He didn’t even bother parking the car. He just left it out
front. Brandon was out of the car before the engine was even turned off.

Chaos reigned around them. Humans ran from the club.
He caught some boogiemen trying to sneak off, and without breaking his stride
he broke the first’s neck and ripped the other’s head off. He was stronger
thanks to his mating, and Brandon was even stronger right now because she was
in danger.

Brandon let his lion out to play, but held the
change off enough until he saw his mate. He
barged
his way through people until he roared at the sight before him. The four
werewolves were being attacked by over ten boogiemen. Two boogiemen were sucking
the life out of Travis and Zeck, but the sight that had him cracking was his
mate smashing glasses over the boogiemen, well
boogiewomen
,
killing her friends.

Charging to her he grabbed her and pulled her away.
“What the hell are you doing, woman?”

Jezebel gazed up at him as if he was stupid. “I’m
helping my friends. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Getting
yourself
and me
killed. You die, honey, and so do I.”
 
Brandon was only wearing shorts. He hadn’t bothered to change into more.
He intended to fight and change to his lion. He pulled off his shorts. “Stay
back. I’m changing.” Her eyes widened, but she nodded. He let the change take
him. His skin stretched, and his body covered itself in fur. The colorful magic
swirled around him.

Brandon looked at the boogies killing Travis and
Zeck. He didn’t want to save them. He turned his head to see his brothers
helping the wolves. Fuck, it looked like he had no choice. He was the only one
available to help them. Checking on his mate, who stared at him, he jumped on
one
boogiewoman
and ripped into her. In his lion form
he was heavy. He was probably crushing Zeck, too, but right now he didn’t care.
When the
boogiewoman
turned her focus to him he
leaped off her, and she stood coming at him. Using his front paws he pounced on
her and ripped her throat out.

 
Turning his
focus to the
boogiewoman
who now circled him, he
crouched down ready to attack. She threw herself at him and tried to get on his
back, but in his lion form he was too fast. He turned the tables and had her
under him and was clawing at her and tearing her apart. He let his anger loose.

His sister’s voice had him coming out of his killing
rage. “Bran, I think it’s dead. You might want to change back before your mate
loses her shit. I’m surprised she’s held on as long as she has.”

Taking deep breaths in Brandon calmed
himself
and focused on the change.

A howl so loud it had even Brandon cringing sounded
next to him. Brandon watched in time to see a swearing Carter change back.
“What the hell are you doing here?” He glared at Britney and then turned his
deadly glare on him. “Who the hell let her
come
her
with all these creatures? I’ll fucking kill them.”

“Don’t you speak to my brother like
that.
You have no goddamn right to speak to me or my family
like that.” Britney straightened her stance and stared daggers at Carter.

Brandon shivered at the smile that formed on Carter’s
mouth. It was more than deadly. He looked like the big bad wolf.
  
He stalked towards his sister, and Brandon
debated if he should intervene. He glanced at Carter and shook himself. Hell
no, he wanted to live.

“I have every right because you, Britney Pride, are
mine.”

His sister gasped, and Brandon knew Carter would
never hurt her. Besides, Britney could hold
her own
for a while. Brandon needed to find his mate.