Chapter Forty- Nine
Cujo
“Bro. Slow the fuck down. You’re no good to her dead.” Fenrir’s voice echoes inside my helmet as I roar down the road.
I know he’s right, but Willow’s fear and pain echo through the bond, pushing me to go faster. Twisting my throttle, I blast forward, leaving my brothers in the dust. They’ll back me up when they get there.
“She needs me now. I can feel it. Lassie said there are three of them, and they have their sights set on my omega. Dead or alive. That’s what those fuckers said.
” And if we’re being honest, I’m not sure what’s worse.
I’ve seen the darkest things a person can do to another, and Willow’s already overcome so much.
I’m going to make sure she doesn’t endure one more moment of pain.
The parking lot appears just ahead. Willow and Lassie are surrounded. Is that blood on my woman? And Bruce is a blur of teeth and fury. Fucking hell no.
Then the big fucker at the back pulls out a gun. Time slows, and my heart leaps.
Thump.
My hands twist the throttle, pushing my bike faster.
Thump.
Turning, I aim my Harley straight at him.
Thump.
There’s no contest—my bike is my solace, but my omega is my life.
He’s in my sights. By the time they figure out what I’m going to do, it’s way too late.
Surprise, motherfuckers.
The wind whips, catching me as I leap from my motorcycle kamikaze style.
Five hundred pounds of steel crashes into them at over a hundred miles per hour. And they go down like bowling pins.
Strike.
The ground rises to meet me as I land on my feet, tucking my knees for impact, and turning it into a practiced roll to avoid injury. Dust and gravel fill my mouth, but there’s no pain—just the beautiful sound of metal and chrome slamming into Black Plague bodies.
Screams of outrage and pain fill the air.
Music to my ears.
Jumping to my feet, I allow my inner beast to take over. Two of the three bastards are down, one pinned under my bike, crying out in pain.
Only one needs to live.
I ignore the two on the ground. Bruce lopes over, blood on his muzzle, to watch them with bared fangs. The one left standing commands my full attention. Fear and malice stare me down as he lunges at my omega.
“Touch her and die,” I roar, even though Lassie jumps in front of Willow.
“Cujo.” Her breathy sigh caresses me, but it doesn’t stop my feral fury.
My long strides eat up the space between us, and I grab the beta biker, hauling him away from my honeybee.
He attempts to dodge my assault, but he’s no match for my superior size and strength.
My fists fly, bones cracking below their vengeance, and each snap brings me a hint of relief.
I pummel him into the ground until his cries of pain become nothing more than whimpers.
Finally, broken and bloody, he passes out beneath me.
“Stop, brother. It’s enough. You’ve got to leave something left for questioning,” Fenrir barks, but I shrug it off, intent on my prey. I don’t need to listen to him; I’m more dominant.
“We only need one of them alive.” Standing at my full height, I lift my leg and stomp my steel-toed boot down into the squishy layers of his gut. Blood spews from his mouth. Broken teeth litter the ground, but I’m not done yet. They touched what’s mine, and now they’ll pay.
“You’re going to get us caught,” Fenrir tries again. He’s right, but I still can’t stop the anger coursing through me. It’s not until the scent of honeysuckle breaks through that my head snaps up.
My eyes narrow on my omega. Unsure whether the Black Plague is dead or merely indisposed, I step over his prone body.
“Willow. Come here,” I command, my voice low and raspy. Her eyes are wide, but not with distress. Instead, desire stares back at me.
“Is he dead?” She licks her lips, making them shine.
My honeybee has bloodlust pounding through her veins, and it sings to my own.
The bond tells me she’s turned on by my rage, longing for the protection she didn’t get all those years ago.
I’m happy to be her big, bad monster; these bodies can be the beginning of our love story.
“Not yet. Soon.”
He moans from the ground, and I stomp on his face. Love and pride swarm down our bond, making me feel even larger than my nearly seven feet tall.
“Good, but I don’t want to see you in jail, so let’s clean up and go.
It’s daylight,” she reminds me, and I peer around, surprised we haven’t drawn a crowd yet.
Fortunately, the shelter is set back off the main strip, and the barking dogs drown out a lot of the noise.
The primal pressure recedes slightly, but barely.
Searching the area, my eyes find my crumpled bike, but the man below it is no longer there, just a long smear of rusty blood.
“Garmr, report,” I bark, and my brother steps forward.
“One dead, one critical, and one…” He gestures to the mincemeat at my feet. “Unknown.”
Though it takes great effort for me to do so, I step back, allowing my brothers to come in to retrieve the trash and toss him into the back of our van.
They do so, and my attention falls to Willow. Apart from a splash of blood across her cheek—that she assures me isn’t hers—my omega appears unharmed. Though I haven’t checked every inch of her yet, I intend to.
“We only need one,” I remind them. Lassie approaches, sporting large purple bruises under his eye and along his jaw. His lip is split and leaking.
“Prospect. Keys,” I demand, and he shakes his head.
“Not a prospect no more. And I came with Willow.” Fuck.
We need to get out of here. Quickly. My bike is destroyed, and although Willow’s car is here, the idea of being encased in steel right now grates against my nerve endings.
No cages. I’ve spent long enough confined that my instincts won’t allow it.
My eyes scan the group, falling on Pup, who’s kicking rocks at the back of the pack. Useless.
“Prospect. Keys.” Before he has a chance to stop me, I grab them from his belt, snapping the wire keeping them there.
“But man, I just got it!” he wails, but I don’t care one little bit.
“We both know it’s shit. Lassie, take Bruce home in Willow’s car. Pup can ride in the van with the bodies.” The wind is calling me, the open road, the freedom; I need it now more than ever.
I stride forward, nabbing Willow at the waist and lifting her into my chest. Her legs wrap around me, and she sticks her head in the crook of my neck, scenting me. Her honeysuckle intensifies, deepening with desire. We both need each other more than air.
There’s a legion of Black Plague to eradicate.
But first…