Wild Mate: BBW Bear Shifter Romance Page 9

  Finally, he felt Glenn's hand on his arm. “We're here,” Glenn said quietly. “Put your hand on my shoulder, Levi. Once the others are here, we'll get Rebecca. And you'd be able to take off that silly flowery mask.”

  Levi heard Amelia's voice. “I...I took her to that room. Just down this corridor,” she said in a broken whisper. “The steel door. She was real brave...”

  “Is,” Levi snapped.

  “What?”

  “She is brave. And she is alive,” he scowled.

  “Yes. She is,” Amelia answered grimly. “But I don't know how long more...”

  “Now,” Glenn said, his mouth close to Levi's ear. Levi gave a curt nod. He could hear movement behind him, and he could scent his fellow Enforcers and the PAC members all crowded in an enclosed space. They were keeping absolutely silent, and he couldn't even hear anyone breathe. “Everyone is here,” Glenn said. “I'm going to follow Amelia closely. Blake will lead you. You'll just have to keep the mask on a little longer. Use your other senses, and trust your instincts.”

  Levi nodded and let Glenn guide his hand to his cousin's muscular shoulder.

  “We'll get her, Levi.” He heard the determination in Blake's low voice. “And we'll kill him.”

  Levi shook his head, and smiled. But his smile was mirthless, joyless and full of menace.

  “No, Blake. I will kill him.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Rebecca glanced at the Master in the corner. His face was still hidden in the shadows, but she could see his large combat boots and she saw that he stood at around six foot. He was a full head taller than Phin, who was stocky and just an inch or so taller than her.

  Phin had shed his jeans, and was now naked like her. His erection looked grotesque to her. She had the urge to grab the silver knife from the Master and just cut the bastard's balls off. Phin had tried to pin her to the ground and force himself on her, but the Master had said with mild annoyance, “I said fight her, not fuck her, Phin.”

  Phin had growled and grunted in frustration, but he didn't dare go against the Master. Rebecca had almost laughed out loud. Yup, that was Phin all right. Couldn't concentrate and stay on any job. Whenever he got fired, he would come home and take out his anger on her. He lived off her earnings as a stripper, and yet he derided and despised her for what she did for a living.

  Rebecca worked herself up to a righteous rage. The odds were against her, but she had to win. She had been in catfights before, but this—this was different. Here she was fighting a monster, and her own demons.

  She threw a glance at the Master. She still couldn't see his face, but she knew what he wanted. The Master wanted to watch them fight, using just their bare hands and their wits.

  Strip those two humans naked, and see what they can do.

  They had no weapon, no clothes, nothing but their bodies and their brains. The Master wanted to see who would be a smarter and better servant.

  To Rebecca, it was a lose-lose situation. If she lost the fight, the Master would allow Phin to have his way with her, and Phin would torture her before killing her. If she won, the Master would likely turn her into a vampire to serve him.

  She didn't want to be turned. She liked being human, thank you very much.

  But as she'd told Amelia, one could choose to be a fine, good vampire.

  Rebecca cracked her knuckles. She would beat the shit out of Phin, and let the Master finish him off. Phin was strong, but she was mad.

  Mad, and bad.

  Being weak and meek had almost gotten her killed.

  She couldn't show any weakness, any fear. The Master was watching her, assessing her, and Phin was relishing the chance to finish what he had started. His big, rough hands were itching to beat her up and finish her off.

  But she could see that he was more than a little taken aback and disconcerted by her new found confidence. She had been too afraid to defy him and fight back in the past, but now, she was openly hostile and aggressive, telling him exactly what she thought of him and unafraid to challenge and fight him—to the death.

  She had made things too easy for him by being submissive, silent, and scared. Rebecca smiled a slow, ugly smile. She would make things very hard for him now.

  She would make him pay.

  Phin was the first to charge. He came at her with a lot of sound and fury, screeching obscenities at her as he raised his big, ugly hands. She crouched low and twisted out of the way at the very last instant before he reached her. She stuck one foot out as he thundered past, and managed to trip him up very nicely. His own momentum propelled him to the floor, face first.

  Rebecca scrambled up to face him with a smirk.

  Score one for Rebecca.

  Phin pushed himself up and barreled towards her again, his face red with anger and humiliation. She had tripped him up in front of the Master. The slut!

  Rebecca ducked out of his way, but his fingers caught her hair. He wrapped her hair around his fist and yanked viciously, jerking her head back.

  Rebecca gasped and struggled hard to free herself. He was standing behind her, so she couldn't knee him where it mattered. She used her hands instead, reaching back to try to scratch out his eyes.

  She felt skin under her nails and she raked down hard, hoping to cause him as much pain as possible.

  Phin wrenched her head back violently, and Rebecca screamed when she felt his teeth on her. Before she could elbow him in the ribs, she felt his filthy hand squeeze her breast and move up her chest to her throat. Her scream was cut off when his fist closed around her neck.

  Phin slammed her hard against the wall, and used both hands to squeeze her neck. She choked and sputtered, trying her best to kick him and claw his hands off her neck, but she wasn't seeing and breathing so good. Blood was flowing down her face into her eyes and mouth, and she had the horrible sensation of drowning in her own blood. Everything was red, and the scent and taste of blood filled her senses, making it almost impossible to breathe.

  Rebecca stared directly into those unfeeling, inhuman eyes, and gagged. She didn't want his face to be the last thing she saw before everything faded to black for her. She squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to think of something good, something beautiful, even as her body weakened and her panic rose.

  Think of something that will give you strength and courage, Rebecca, she told herself. Don't give up.

  An image flickered at the back of her eyelids and sharpened. And she saw beautiful, bright blue eyes smiling at her. She gasped when she saw Levi's handsome face and easy smile. Scenes began to play through her mind, scenes from an old, forgotten movie.

  She saw herself in that movie. She saw Levi and her together. And they looked...so happy.

  She saw them walking and laughing together. She saw him holding her hand, touching her hair. She saw them having coffee together in her kitchen, chatting and joking. The scene was cozy and romantic, but it was over too soon.

  The heartwarming, gentle scene was replaced by a scene from a horror movie with the appearance of Phin Lester. She saw Phin attacking Levi and her in the kitchen. Levi tried to shield her but Phin kept coming at them. Finally, Levi pulled her out of the house, and they tried to get away but Phin pursued them like a madman.

  When she stumbled, Levi carried her over his shoulder and kept running. They had reached the beach, and when Levi put her down, Phin charged straight at her with a rock in his hand. He had smashed the rock into her face, and even after she went down, he kept attacking her. Just before her eyes closed, she saw a golden bear rear up behind Phin. She couldn't see anymore, but she could still hear the furious, anguished roar of the great bear. The roar reverberated round the room, loud, clear and so familiar.

  “Levi!” she gasped, her eyes flying wide open.

  Rebecca tried to blink the blood out of her eyes. She could see a massive shadow rearing up behind Phin. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut then snapped them open again. Nope, her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. A hulking, golden bear was behin
d Phin, its lethal claws slashing down through the air as if in slow motion.

  Phin spun round and raised his arm to block the blow, but it was too late.

  Rebecca felt hot, fresh blood splash across her face, as Phin screamed and staggered back. Half his face was gone, but he managed to remain on his feet.

  Levi lunged at him, and it was all over for Phin in a matter of seconds. The bear showed great mercy by granting Phin a speedy death. In a spray of blood and a blur of teeth and claws, Phin's throat was ripped out and his skull crushed by the jaws of an enraged bear.

  Rebecca slid down the wall, her eyes fixed on the blood stained fur of the ferocious bear.

  She suddenly understood why Levi had carried her on his back and ran from Phin, instead of turning around to fight the brute. Levi wasn't a violent man at all. He was gentle, trustworthy and loyal, and he was not a killer. But he knew that his bear wouldn't hesitate to kill Phin. The bear would kill his mate's tormentor in a heartbeat. He had chosen not to fight Phin that night so as to spare Phin's life.

  Only someone with great strength and character could exercise such restraint and mercy. Phin had never shown any restraint or mercy. His lack of control and character was ultimately what killed him.

  Hands helped her up and supported her. Tears and blood clouded her vision, and she could make out urgent voices and a whole flurry of action in the room. Chaos had erupted all around her, but everything seemed so distant and muffled. She felt as though she was separated from the mess and the commotion by an invisible wall. She felt numb and just so, so tired.

  She shook her head to try to clear it. Two female Enforcers were standing by her side, guarding her.

  With a start, she turned to stare at the corner of the room where she had last seen the Master. There was no one there. He was gone. The Master had disappeared.

  She saw vampire Enforcers fading into mist right before her eyes and racing out of the room on the command of a tall, stern human Enforcer.

  “He's a Master vampire, so he can mist without leaving any trace of himself. But I'll try to track him as best I can. I'll be in touch, Jett,” a dark-haired vampire was telling the human Enforcer, who was still shouting orders at everyone.

  “Don't let the rogue get away, Glenn,” Jett answered, evidently very unhappy that their target got away. “He's a Master vamp. If he's not caught, I can bet you he'll be churning out his own army of rogue vamps real soon, and we'll have a big problem on our hands.”

  Glenn nodded, then came to one of the female Enforcers standing rigidly at Rebecca's side. To her utter shock, Glenn bent down and kissed the Enforcer full on the lips. “Love you, Charlene,” he murmured.

  “I love you, too. Be safe,” she said as he began to shimmer into mist.

  Rebecca blinked up at the pretty, blond Enforcer, her mouth and eyes rounding in recognition. “It's you!” she whispered. “You...you saved me. You're that demoness!”

  The Enforcer turned her emerald eyes to Rebecca and smiled shyly, showing just a hint of fangs. Her fangs were smooth and dainty, not jagged like a blood demon's.

  “Ah...I...maybe I got the wrong...” Rebecca shook her head, but she was quite sure she got the right person.

  “Yes. I was a blood demoness when I teleported into your kitchen. But now I'm a vampire. Glenn turned me. I'm Charlene Constantine,” the Enforcer smiled.

  “She's Glenn Constantine's mate, in case you haven't figured that out,” the other Enforcer leaned in to whisper.

  “And that's my younger sister, Charlotte.” Charlene made a face at the other Enforcer.

  “Charlene is my big sister, but she's a rookie Enforcer. So I'm here to guide her,” Charlotte said smugly, tucking a strand of her strawberry blond hair behind her ear.

  Rebecca stared at the two sisters, and tried to smile. “Thank you for saving my life,” she said to Charlene. “I would have died that night if you hadn't...” Rebecca began to shake violently.

  Charlene put her arms around her. “Shhh, it's over now. The past wasn't easy, but the past is the past. You're safe now, and your present and your future is here...and I think he's wanting to hold you now.”

  As Rebecca heaved deep, wrenching sobs into Charlene's shoulder, she felt a pair of strong arms ease her away from Charlene and pull her into a tight, protective embrace.

  She looked up to see Levi holding her, and murmuring into her hair. She glimpsed soft, golden fur receding rapidly from his back, and she put her hands against his smooth, sweaty skin. Like her, he was completely naked, but he didn't seem to care.

  She traced her quivering fingers over the angles on his handsome face, his jaw, his stubble, his lips. “I remember,” she whispered, gazing deep into his blue eyes. “I remember you, Levi. I remember...us. I remember everything, everything we talked about, everything we shared and dreamed about. Everything I thought was a dream...was real. I've been dreaming of you, Levi. Only those weren't dreams. Those were my memories.”

  “Rebecca...” Her name came out on a ragged breath. “I'm not letting you forget me ever again. I am never letting go of you, ever. You hear me? You are mine. You are my mate. I love you. I love you so much, Rebecca Rose.”

  With a sob, Rebecca buried her face in his chest and hugged him close to her. She held him tight, listening to his powerful heartbeats, and feeling her heart beat in time to his. This was where she belonged, in his arms. She felt so safe, so loved and cherished by this strong, beautiful man. And Levi was truly beautiful, inside and out. She was so proud and happy to be his mate.

  “I love you, Levi. And I am never letting go of you, ever. You are mine. Forever,” she murmured against his chest. “Forever and ever. You have always been in my heart, all this time. I want you in my life. Forever. Do you understand?”

  His eyes shone with happiness as he grinned down at her. “I thought you'd never ask.”

  He raised his head and hollered, “Hey, everyone, Rebecca Rose just proposed to me!”

  Rebecca gasped and tried to pull away. “No I did not! Levi Madden, how could you...!”

  Levi laughed and tightened his arms around her, refusing to let her get away.

  “I'm kidding, I'm kidding!” He kissed the top of her head and rocked her gently in his arms. “Rebecca Rose is my mate! Mine!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “Forever!”

  Whoops and cheers broke out, and everyone began to crowd around them. Enforcers and PAC members clapped Levi loudly on the back and ruffled his hair.

  “You rascal!”

  “Congratulations, you big, bad bear!”

  “Hey Rebecca, welcome to the Madden clan!”

  Enforcers threw jackets over them before escorting them out. But Rebecca didn't feel exposed at all in Levi's arms. He kept her safe, and shielded and protected her with his tall, broad body. As she held him tighter against her, she felt something she had never felt before. A sense of home.

  Rebecca didn't look back as they headed towards the entrance of the bunker. She walked steadily towards the light, leaving the darkness behind her forever.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Levi parked his Range Rover in the garage and walked through the front door. “Honey, I'm home!” he bellowed.

  Rebecca stomped out of the kitchen with her hand on her hip. “Sorry, I just get such a kick out of doing this. How's your day?” he chuckled and gave her a peck on the cheek.

  “Yeah, the big bear coming home to his cave.” She rolled her eyes, but gave him a resounding kiss back on the lips. “My day went great!” Her black eyes shone with pride and excitement. “I got a new job!”

  “A new job? Really?” Levi's eyes rounded and he beamed, secretly letting out a sigh of relief. He hadn't wanted her to go back to her old job at Club Mate. He didn't want her working as a stripper, and he most certainly didn't want her working in a blood bar, not when that rogue Master vampire was still at large.

  Glenn and the other vampire Enforcers had not been able to track down the rogue. The hunt was still on, and
Levi and the other senior Enforcers had been stepping up patrols and combing every corner of the city. But there was just no trace of the rogue Master vampire.

  Amelia Jones had cooperated fully with the PAC, giving them a precise description of the Master vampire who turned her. As far as she knew, the Master had turned only four vampires. Amelia told them everything she knew, but the one thing Amelia couldn't tell the PAC was the name of her Master.

  “He never told us his name,” she said. “He was just 'the Master'. Perhaps he knew that eventually, one of us would be caught—and we'd talk.”

  Levi shrugged off his leather jacket and followed Rebecca into the kitchen. Just a couple of hours ago, Levi and his team of senior Enforcers had successfully hunted down and destroyed the other three rogue vamps. His team was out celebrating right now, but he had rushed straight home to Rebecca.

  “I know you've been worried for me, Levi,” Rebecca said, turning her attention back to the large pot of stew simmering on the stove. “And frankly, I can't go back to Club Mate. I don't think I can step into a blood bar right now without shivering a little. I'm still scared. I admit it, and it's all right to be scared. In fact, it's smart to be scared in these circumstances.” She continued stirring the stew and smiled at Levi over her shoulder.

  He smiled back encouragingly as he laid out the bowls on the table. “We're still looking for that rogue vamp,” he told her honestly. “He's a crafty one. Cunning and dangerous. Even Glenn can't get a bead on him.”

  “I never saw his face. He just stood in the shadows all the time.” Rebecca frowned, then brightened up suddenly. “Oh, I met Oliver and Oscar Woods today for lunch. Oliver loved the new jacket you picked out for him!”

  “I'll be forever grateful to Oliver Woods,” Levi said solemnly. “He's a good, brave man.”

  Rebecca started ladling the stew into two huge bowls. “And Amelia is a good, fine vamp. I'm really glad that she found the courage to do the right thing,” she smiled. “How's she doing?”