Night Angels (Beast & Beauty) Read online

  “No, we're not.” Max stepped forward. “Angel, Kat... come on. Ryder can keep Tank company.”

  “I ain't leaving Tank,” Kat snarled nastily, as he groaned in agony, in a pool of bloody grass.

  “You got me...” A fully clothed Mutt appeared at Kyle’s side.

  “Of course we have. Who'd stop you, eh?” Kyle said gratefully.

  “Honey, you're not to go,” Ryder ordered.

  “Nothing you can say will stop me going after her. She's my sister. And yours too...” Angel stood up and regarded him unpleasantly. The four of them stood together, a small joined force, and looked down at the three they were leaving behind in the churchyard.

  “Be sure Tank gets to hospital fast, this goes way beyond a few stitches,” Kyle said to Kat as he left. “And you might wanna get a plaster for that scratch,” he said sarcastically to Ryder, who was shamefully tending to his excuse of a bloody gash. He did have to admit it looked pretty bad, and probably was quite painful, but even so...

  They were reversing out their bikes and preparing to take off when Snipe and his guys arrived.

  “Hey what's up man?... Leavin' already?” he asked Kyle.

  “One of ours has been taken. Roxy, my girl. Tank's lost an arm and another's down, but not serious...” He gestured towards the churchyard.

  “Sin, Liz... see to them, we'll see you later,” Snipe barked out the orders to a couple of the women. “You in charge boy?” he asked Kyle, eyeing his bloody bite and handing him a fistful of tissues from his vest pocket.

  “Yeah, I sure am,” he replied without looking around for confirmation. He was, and that was that. They could argue about it later. He wiped the blood off his chest quickly.

  “Lead on then,” Snipe said, falling into line beside him.

  “Got any ideas where they hang?”

  “I've got a fair idea.”

  “Show me...”

  “Let's go.” He waved his guys to follow on.

  Snipe came to a stop in front of him, his tail-lights flashing bright red. They were sitting alongside the canal, and ahead of them was a bridge. Actually, it was an old house spanning the canal, but it looked like a bridge. The underside was pitch black, unlit, and seemed to go on for a long way.

  “Under there?” he asked.

  “Yeah. That runs underneath the old market place. It's a perfect hideout.”

  They turned off their bike lights and got off their bikes, gathering nervously in a group.

  “So...” Snipe said pointedly.

  This was obviously Kyle's rescue. If he was to be a leader, now was the time to stand up to the plate.

  “The other side. Where is it?”

  “By the new shopping mall.”

  “You take two guys and I'll give you five minutes and then leave. We'll meet in the middle.”

  “Human or wolf?” Snipe asked.

  “Wolf, most definitely...”

  “Okay... Well it's time to get our claws out again then...” Snipe quipped with a smile. They all stripped and changed as fast as they could in a huddle on the ground.

  Snipe and his support ran off, the way they'd come, and turned up an alley a short distance back.

  Mutt whined at his side. He knew he was aching to go, and so was he. Kyle began counting in his head to three hundred and then they set off.

  They entered the darkness, their eyes adjusting, slinking along quietly by the shadowy arched wall. He was hoping and praying she was here, because he didn't know what he'd do if they'd left the city or their hideout was elsewhere.

  A few minutes later he was met by a sight he really didn't want to see. They met Snipe coming from the opposite direction. His heart sank. They weren't here. Anger boiled inside him like an erupting volcano... but before he could vent his spleen in frustration, Snipe turned heel and took off, looking over his shoulder at him. Kyle set off after him at a pace, the others struggling to keep up.

  They left the underground tunnel, crossed a deserted road, and entered an underground car park. He leapt over a gate, and through a yard, coming to a stop outside an old cinema building. It had obviously closed down long ago, based on the wooden window board panels which had 1990's posters on them. Eight shiny bikes stood in the yard, and Kyle's spirits soared.

  They just needed to get inside somehow. Not so easy with paws.

  Angel came to the fore, transforming in a quick two minutes to get her human hands on the job. She raced around, pulling at the door handles and trying the upper and lower fire exits. Then she noticed the basement stairs, almost hidden and overgrown with ivy and weeds. She disappeared into the dark stairwell and quickly reappeared with a smile and a ‘thumbs up’. She stood at the top of the stairs and waited for them to descend.

  “I can hear voices inside, quick...” she encouraged them with a wave of her arm while transforming once again.

  They edged their way inside the building , so carefully, and silently. Surprise was their best form of attack.

  The smell of cigarettes filled the semi darkness. A light was on in a room ahead, and Kyle made his way towards it. He stopped just before the open door, listening, getting a feel for who was in there.

  “Fancy a smoke?” a male voice asked.

  “No thanks...” Roxy replied in a resigned and quiet voice. His heart sighed in relief. She was alive and not in any pain by the sound of it.

  “You're looking a bit sorry for yourself Roxy.”

  “I was just fine, until you lot picked me up.”

  “Awww, didn't you miss me?”

  “Funnily enough, NO. Having foreign objects stuck up my backside until I bled, being whipped and spanked so hard I screamed, isn't something I missed that much.”

  “Well 'lil old Diablo missed you... and Sate and Beelz too. We missed our little whipping stick real bad, didn't we boys?”

  “I think you should give 'er a demonstration, just 'ow much that was,” another male voice growled out. “A long and painful one.”

  “Don't you have something better to do, like picking up your dead friends' body parts or toasting yourselves in hell?” Roxy snapped nastily.

  “I think we need something more pleasant to take our minds off all that crap.” A whip cracked noisily in the air. “Sate, lay her over the table, get all her clothes off first though...”

  “No, don't, please... Haven't you hurt me enough already...?” She started to sob, and fear was very evident in her voice.

  That was all he needed to hear. As far as he knew there were only three men in there. Kyle sprang into the room in a shot, and took one by the neck.

  “What the f....” he cried in shocked surprise, bringing his hands up to Kyle's face and tearing at him. He was strong but nowhere near as strong as a crazed mate desperate to protect his woman. A chunk of his neck came off in Kyle’s mouth, and blood spurted forth like a fountain, his jugular torn wide open.

  A mad rush of air, fur, and a crescendo of noise flew around him as the others entered and the other two were ripped to pieces in a bloodbath. Kyle revelled in it, a little too much in fact. He howled his first cry of victory as he surveyed the three dead werewolves. Carnage 666 was no more. They'd been dispatched to hell where they belonged.

  He brushed himself against Roxy's legs and she nuzzled him, hugging his neck with her tied up hands. He lay down and forced his change as fast as he could. He whined and whimpered to get her in his arms and kiss her tearstained face.

  “Oh Kyle... I thought you'd never come. Didn't you hear me calling to you?”

  “No...” he said through his half snout, untying her hands with his still stubby fingers.

  “He might not, but I did,” Snipe said, coming out of his wolf state enough to speak coherently.

  “I heard her when we were at the canal. She said 'old cinema... help me’.”

  “I wonder why I didn't?” Kyle was hurt and confused.

  “Maybe you need to be closer to me? Or you're still too new and not stable with your reception. I don't kno
w. But thank God you're here anyway.” She hugged all the breath out of his naked body and kissed him till it hurt.

  “I would have followed you anywhere and found you baby. Whether you helped me or not.”

  “I know... and I'd do the same for you.”

  “Why didn't you turn and attack them?”

  “I did turn, several times, to call for you. But there were three of them and only one of me. I could hardly have taken them on all alone. I've had experience of these guys, believe me.”

  “Roxy I heard what they did to you, I was listening...the torture, I'm so sorry you had to go through that, and so young.”

  “It toughened me up a lot. But it scarred me mentally for a while, I admit.”

  Everyone had a hug, which was a little embarrassing for Kyle as they were all completely naked, but what the hell, werewolves were naturists at heart, clothes were a damn nuisance.

  They transformed back for the return journey. With one last look at the bloody meal they'd left for the rats and wild cats, they left the old cinema in a great mood. The people of Lincoln had been relieved of their nightmare hellhounds and the rest of them were, well, just relieved...

  Not a bad result for a young alpha wolf of five days standing...

  Chapter 8

  The first rays of daylight were upon them as they arrived back at their Lincoln hole up. He laughed again at the stupid house name on the wall.

  No more Cosy Cot....

  He walked up to the wooden plate, and gripping it firmly with his nails, he pulled it off the wall. He wasn't hanging at any house with a name like that.

  Roxy eyed him a little warily.

  “I'm renaming this place. It's the Rising Sun from now on, and I'm paying someone to paint it red,” he laughed.

  “Talking of red, you're covered in blood Kyle. There's a deep scratch above your eye, and your shoulder and lower back are a mess. We need to get you cleaned up, okay?”

  “My first battle scars, huh?” he replied, pushing her up against the wall and kissing her with a deep passion.

  Max slapped his back.

  “Let's go have a drink, mate.”

  Max disappeared inside and he followed with his arm around Roxy's waist. He was going to have trouble letting her out of his sight for a while. He'd been shocked at the depth of his feelings back there, and still was.

  They all piled inside, minus Tank and Kat who were at the hospital while Tank's arm was being attended to properly.

  Angel handed out bottles of beer from the cupboard and they all started to knock them back fast, thirstily.

  Saffy appeared through the hallway, and she looked like shit. Obviously from lack of sleep and concern. She sank into Max's waiting arms with a very loud sigh of relief and started to cry.

  “I was so worried. You were gone so long.”

  “We had a holdup, but we're okay now. Tank lost his arm though,” Max replied, kissing her forehead and hugging her as close as her swollen belly would allow.

  Kyle cast a glance at Ryder, who was very obviously avoiding him. He'd not looked his way since they'd met up again. He needed to mend this rift somehow.

  He crossed the room to stand by his side.

  “How's the leg doing? It looked pretty nasty,” he asked, taking a casual gulp of his drink.

  “It's not so bad now, thanks. It's fucking killing me, but it's stopped bleeding, at least,” he replied.

  “That's good. Maybe you should rest up for a while. Take it easy while you mend,” he added thoughtfully. He turned to go back to Roxy but Ryder grabbed his arm.

  “I'm so sorry pal... really. I felt weak, in pain, and so useless and I lost my nerve. I'll make it up to you. I'd do anything for Roxy, you know that? Angel's gonna murder me over this. You don't know what she's like.”

  “Hey look, we all have our weak moments. We had plenty of people on the job anyways. It's not a problem. I admit I was really pissed at you at the time, but there's no point carrying a grudge for one minor misdemeanour. It's forgotten man, okay?”

  Ryder's face broke into a smile of grateful relief.

  “You know your parents would be proud of you. You're a natural leader... but there's something else, far better than that. You're kind of neat and smart. Cool, I guess. One of those guys we all wanna be like. For someone of your age it's difficult to believe. I'm sure that's why Tank has such a problem with you.”

  “Tank... mmmm, well I hope he pulls through, despite our differences.”

  “He's tough in the bodily sense, he'll make it... but Kyle, the thing is I don't think he wanted to pull through.”

  “I know, and I've been thinking about that... I acted out of instinct... To stop the blood loss and save him. But a biker with only one arm..? And what'll happen when he transforms? How will he be able to manage?”

  “Well that's just it... I think he'd rather have died back there. Gone out in a blaze of glory, you know?”

  “I couldn't stand there and watch him bleed out without doing fuck all! Roxy wouldn't have it either.”

  “I get that. I'd probably have done the same. It was a tough call and there was no time to think it through.”

  “He shook his head at me, before he passed out. And now I know why.”

  “We'll all have to deal with the fallout now. Tank and Kat are in a bad place. They can't run the pack anymore. It's a rule. You've gotta be able bodied to be the alpha. The strongest and fittest and best equipped to protect your guys.”

  “I guessed that would be so... And I'm up for the job. Let it be known, will you?” He wasn't entirely sure he was up to it, but he'd grow into it in any case.

  “Well you've got my vote, sir...” He laughed briefly. “And I promise you I'll never let you down again.”

  “What's all this heavy-heavy?” Angel said, appearing at their side.

  “We're discussing our future.” Ryder said.

  “Yeah, that's a big one.” She agreed.

  “We'll talk about it later, hmmm? Have a meet, when Tank's back?” Kyle suggested.

  “Can I have my blood-soaked hero now?” Roxy said with a grin, pulling at his arm.

  “You can. We're done, I think... Go make him happy,” Ryder said as he gave her a hug. “Sorry I wasn't there for 'ya girl.”

  She kissed his cheek.

  “No probs. I had an army rescue me, didn't I? Come on Captain Kyle, come with lil' nurse Roxy... I'm gonna tend to your bodily needs, head to toe.”

  She led him off through a few back slaps and head pats from the others. He was grinning ear to ear with pride and love and exhilaration. Could life get any better than it was at this moment? He'd been accepted and elevated to the head of this gang through his own actions. And he knew he'd protect any one of them with his life. Even Ryder.

  Mutt grabbed him as he went by and they had one of their high arm shakes and a tight man hug. This guy was his brother. Strange behaviour aside. And as Mutt had said a while back, no one was perfect.

  “You can have my back any time and I'll have yours,” he whispered to the crazy guy, who beamed at him in return as they broke apart.

  “You're one mean fucker when 'ya get in a brawl, ain't 'ya kid?” Mutt said loudly. Everyone laughed at that.

  He took it as a sincere compliment.

  And then he let Roxy tug him away, obviously more than keen to get her hands on him.

  He stood in the shower as she washed him down with her soapy sponge. The warm soapy water stung like hell and he grimaced as he watched the red tinged water swirl around the shower and down the plughole.

  “Want to rub some salt in my wounds as well, to finish me off?” he gasped.

  “Sorry it hurts babe, but I wanna make sure you're clean. We may be werewolves, but we can still get infections and all that. The bite and back scratches are real deep, you know? I'll need to put something on them.”

  She turned the water off and wrapped him in a towel. He dropped a kiss on her head and she smiled up at him.

  She led
him to their room and disappeared for something medicinal.

  He lay on his stomach on the bed, getting comfortable and ready for her attentions, and she soon reappeared with a green tube of cream.

  His mind wandered as her fingers gently dabbed at him while she rubbed it in. It was a very pleasant, relaxing sensation and he started to feel drowsy. He closed his eyes for a few minutes, letting his mind shut down, blissfully unaware.

  He roused a little as she covered them up and tucked herself to his side a short time later, clean from her shower and still damp.

  “How do you feel?” she asked, running her hand across his bare backside.

  “Fine. What about you?”

  “More than fine.” She kissed his good shoulder and he turned over on his back carefully.

  “What happened back there, between us, tonight? It's something really special, right?”

  “You've no idea how special it is to me... How I've ached for this. For someone to love who loves me back. It's what life's about isn't it? Finding that one person.”

  “It's how I feel too. I don't care how it happened or why. In fact I'm enjoying my new life a lot. You've given me a new start. One away from my family. I needed it badly, like I need you. You're everything to me.”

  “Oh Kyle, I love you so much it hurts... everywhere.”

  “Baby, tell me about it. And I've got the scar to prove it.” He pointed at the deep gash above his eye. The one Roxy's kidnapper gave him when he was finishing him off.

  She leaned over and kissed each of his eyes, rubbing at his stubbly jaw with her hand.

  “Wanna be nice to me sweetheart?”

  “I sure do...”

  “Then give me a kiss just there...” He touched his heart with his finger. She placed a big kiss on it and looked up at him with a smile.

  “And now there...” He touched his lips. She crawled up and sat astride him, bending and kissing his mouth gently.

  “Anywhere else?” she asked seductively, rubbing her nose against his.

  “I'll leave that up to you.”

  She dipped her head and kissed the base of his throat and up the side of his neck to his ear, sucking his earlobe softly. Then she turned and made her way down his body, kissing and licking his stomach, his thighs, and finally his toes, before turning back and lying by his side.