Changing Beauty (Book 2) (The Deadly Beauties Live On) Read online

  Soft lips press against my neck, sliding down to my shoulder, as a leg comes up between mine. Thad’s grip changes, and he squeezes my breast in his hand. I feel his smile against my neck, but I’m still drowning in the surrealism of my dream. What happened?

  “I could get used this,” he mumbles in a sleep-rasp voice that stirs my blood.

  Clearing my throat and ignoring the ill-timed feelings that are trying to crawl up, I ask, “What happened? I mean… when did we go to bed?”

  My panties are still on and so is my bra. Obviously we went to bed without doing anything.

  He shifts uncomfortably behind me, and a sigh falls between his lips as though he’s disappointed for some reason.

  “You fell asleep.”

  “Care to elaborate as to when?”

  It all blends together too well. We left the party, he was carrying me, and we heard a scream. A guy was dead! How did reality and dreamland blur together so fiercely?

  “Doesn’t matter. I didn’t want to leave you at your house, so I brought you to mine. Hungry?”

  He gets up before I can even answer, and I stare down at my dress, still confused. I can almost taste the blood that was in my mouth—my blood. I was choking on it after Wendy stabbed me. What’s wrong with me?

  Why is it all so vivid?

  Thad’s eyes were bright yellow, and he had a hint of sharp teeth—I’d say fangs—coming down. Now I know I’m crazy if I ever thought that was real.

  “You like eggs and bacon?” he calls from the kitchen.

  Shaking my head to dispel the madness my mind is trying to call memories, I move through the house to join him. “I don’t get hungry until I’ve been up for a while. Sorry I fell asleep on you.”

  He cocks an eyebrow, acting as though he’s about to say something, when someone knocks at the door.

  “Care to grab that, love?” he asks with a sweet smile, and I—like an idiot—get those stupid butterflies in my stomach from the endearment.

  I really hope I don’t turn into one of those crazy girls better known as stage-five clingers.

  As he continues to rattle around some pans, I go to the door, feeling like I’m taking a walk of shame in my night-before dress. Glancing at the mirror on the wall, I also realize that I look absolutely… fine. What the hell?

  My hair isn’t a rumpled mess like it usually is. My eyes aren’t tired like normal. Everything on me seems rejuvenated. Hell, even my skin looks better for some reason.

  Too weird.

  The second round of obnoxious knocking reminds me of the forgotten task at hand, and I swing open the door to reveal… Jenny. The hell?

  “There you are,” she says, grinning as she props a hand on her hip to stare me down very knowingly.

  She doesn’t know what she thinks she knows. Unfortunately.

  “Here I am,” I reply dryly.

  I block her view of the shirtless wonder in the kitchen who is only wearing his boxers. Both he and I are acting like it’s a normal thing to play house, which only piles up on the weird stack. But I shake it off, just as I’ve been doing all morning.

  “I was wondering if Thad had Zee’s number. That guy is smoking hot, but I got too drunk too fast to talk to him. I barely remember much of last night.”

  She shrugs, and I tilt my head. “What about Alex?”

  Her eyebrows cock up in confusion. “Who?”

  Something loud clatters in the kitchen as though Thad just dropped something, but my focus is on Jenny.

  “You left with Alex. What about him?”

  She gives me a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about look that has me suddenly questioning when exactly I fell asleep.

  “I never even met an Alex. You okay, Ros?”

  Before I can answer, a car rolls up to the curb, and out hops Zee and Ella. They both pause their steps when they see me and Jenny, and it’s as though I’m assaulted with more dream weirdness masquerading as memories.

  “Fine. But if she’s bonded to me and gets all doe-eyed on me, you can’t come after me. And someone is going to have to help me break the bonds, because the second I sire her, I’ll feel possessive of her. It’s instinct—not choice. Got it?” Zee is asking.

  “Just do it,” Thad barks.

  “Damn it, Thad,” Ella chimes in. “Don’t. She’s fine now. There’s no need to change her. It should be her choice. This is wrong. You need to be better than this. She deserves better from you. She thinks you’re a prince and you’re acting like a beast right now. You’ll regret this.”

  Fucking crazy. I’m beyond crazy.

  “Hey, I was just asking about you.” Jenny’s squeak of delight is enough to slap me back to the here and now.

  Zee narrows his eyes on me, ignoring Jenny. After that weird dream flashback, he seems a little darker… scarier for some reason. I shrink back, trying to avoid the scrutiny in his gaze.

  “How are you feeling?” Ella asks me, her brow furrowing as she studies me as intensely as Zee is.

  Apparently my crazy is showing, so I force a smile. “Fine,” is the one word I manage to get out.

  Neither of them seem to want to quit studying me, and I assume they’re here to talk to Thad instead of gawk at me. So, without a word, I slip by them and start walking toward my house.

  My entire body is humming with energy, and I almost want to run. It’s been a few days since I woke up so energized. But this time is so messed up, considering the fucked-up dream I had. I should be exhausted, not feel so rested.

  No sooner do I walk into my door, I feel an arm clamp around my waist. Panic consumes me as I scream, but another hand clamps over my mouth, drowning down the sound.

  “Shh,” the foreign male voice coaxes.

  My eyes dart around the brightly lit room, searching for one of Wendy’s numerous weapons. Maybe she’s here, since she’s not really dead. Since Thad didn’t really snap her neck.

  “This is going to hurt,” the voice warns, and a chill spreads up my spine just as my adrenaline burns through me, forcing me to struggle harder.

  “Please don’t,” I choke out, but it’s muffled too severely by his hand to be understood.

  “Believe me, I’m being kind. They’ll do much worse when they find out what you are.”

  What I am? The hell?

  Tears start streaming down my cheeks as his breath whispers across my skin, the words sounding sure and intent. I have no idea what he’s planning to do. Kill me? Rape me? Who the hell knows?

  But I’ll be damned if I just stand here and do nothing.

  I slam my elbow into the man’s side, but I cry out in pain when I feel like I only connect with a brick wall instead of forgiving flesh. Working through the pain, I claw at his hands, but all that happens is my nails seem to break, never even leaving so much as a scratch on him.

  I struggle in vain as he seems to hesitate to do whatever it is he wants to do. I smell the woods on him—pinesap, fresh air, and something else. Normally those scents are calming, but now they’re the worst smells imaginable.

  A wicked snarl tears through the house seconds before the hands on me are gone, filling me with dread and relief in the same breath.

  As soon as I feel the freedom, two arms wrap around me again, and I scream as loud as I can before whoever he is can silence me again.

  “It’s me, Roslyn.”

  Thad’s voice washes over me, and the fight I’m putting up halts as I turn and throw my arms around him, clinging to him as I violently shake in his arms.

  “Shh,” he soothes. His voice is gentle, but his entire body is tense, contradicting the gentleness in his tone.

  “The hell just happened?” I’m not sure who that is talking, and I don’t care enough to look.

  “Someone was just in here. He had Roslyn. We need to call Kane and Alyssa. Where the hell have they been?”

  I cling to him harder, worrying he’s about to leave me alone. Gah, I feel pathetic and weak, but I don’t give a damn. That woodsy scented guy was invincib
le and not normal. He was a solid wall of muscle with an iron grip. If he hadn’t hesitated, I’d be dead right now.

  “Easy, sweet girl. I’ve got you,” Thad says softly, running his hand through my hair.

  “Where’d he go?” the other guy asks, his voice barely audible.

  “Disappeared. He was wearing a mask that completely covered his face. Sound familiar?” Thad says in the same, almost muted tone.

  “Pretty fucking ballsy to come after her in broad daylight. What could he possibly want with her?” I hear the other guy whisper.

  “Anointed weapons are all over the place. Someone forgot to clean up that shit. He probably thought she was an annoin—”

  “Kane and Alyssa are on their way,” a new voice interrupts, although I have no idea what the hell Thad and the other guy were talking about anyway.

  I’m too busy burying my face in his chest and trying to pretend this shit is still part of my screwed up dream. Reality and fantasy are blending together, and I might be losing it a little. Okay… I might be losing it a lot.

  “Good. This shit is getting ridiculous,” Thad mumbles. In a whisper, he adds, “Keep an eye on Ella. That dick seemed interested in her the other day.”

  “If he’s interested in Ella, why the fuck does he care about your girl?”

  I’m sick of straining to hear them, but it’s like I can’t stop. Thad scoops me up, not responding to the guy, and I peer up to see him looking down at me, his eyes intense and studious.

  He doesn’t answer the question that was asked, even though I’m as curious as everyone else seems to be. As we reach the inside of his house, I see Jenny curled up beside Zee, who is obviously faking interest, since he meets my gaze and shows me genuine interest.

  Why do I feel like a spectacle?

  Still clinging to Thad like a lifeline, my eyes move to Jenny who seems oblivious to everything that just happened.

  “The roommate needs to go,” Thad says under his breath.

  Why do they all keep talking so low?

  I don’t hear anything else until Jenny starts whining about staying to someone. Thad carries me into his room, and I cling to him as he lowers me to the bed, slowly covering me with his body. But it’s not in a sexual way. It’s protective and gentle—exactly what I need.

  “I’ve got you, sweet girl,” he says before brushing his lips over mine. “No one’s coming in here.”

  “Who was he?” I manage to ask.

  He frowns as a lock of his blonde hair falls over his forehead. “I honestly don’t know. I didn’t realize he was a threat until today. But I’ll figure out what he wants with you.”

  Taking a deep breath, I try to remember what he said. “I fought him so hard, but he seemed invincible. He never even acted as though I affected him at all. He thought I was someone else. He said, ‘if they know who you are, they’ll do much worse,’ or something like that. I can’t remember his words verbatim, considering I was a little freaked out.”

  Thad’s brow pinches as though he’s confused or lost in thought. He sits back on his haunches, and I shiver at losing his warmth. I always get really cold after my adrenaline surges.

  “I need you to stay here and rest. Don’t worry. Can’t no one get in here. Gage made sure of that for me a long time ago. I should have done the same for you.”

  I have no idea what that means, and I don’t get to question it before he walks out of the room. Glancing down at the pillow, I decide I’m still stuck in this hell of a dream, and I hope I can go back to sleep.

  Maybe the next time I wake up, life will be normal.

  Chapter 13

  THAD

  “They definitely think she’s the anointed, but obviously she’s pretty fucking human. Her nails are bleeding from trying to claw her way to freedom,” Gage says quietly as I shut the door behind me. “The fact that she fought him and didn’t make a dent proves she’s not our werewolf/witch either. She could have shredded him if she was.”

  Obviously he overheard what Roslyn just shared with me. I don’t want to believe she’s fully human, yet unable to be changed. But I’m relieved as fuck that she’s not the werewolf/witch. Then again, I never believed for a moment that she was.

  “I thought Reese already confirmed it wasn’t her. Didn’t you send him a pic?” Dice drawls, kicking back on my couch with Karma on his lap.

  “He said it wasn’t her. Didn’t know if we could trust Reese or not with that,” Gage points out. “Now about her being anointed? I don’t know. I’ve read some books about how one has to keep living in order for the weapons to keep their power. The weapons still have power—we tested them this morning—so that means another is alive. Roslyn is immune to being changed. I don’t know how their bloodlines work, but it’d make sense if they were immune to bitten fey.”

  No. Hell fucking no. No way is she an anointed.

  “Wendy was strong,” I remind him. “She took me on, and I took an ass-kicking. Albeit she caught me by surprise, but she was still hella strong. Roslyn isn’t.”

  He frowns as though that’s bad news. I’m relieved to think of it.

  “Maybe they have to be activated. There was one book that said something about needing to see a fey in changed form before they get their powers. Wendy had that amulet that enabled her to see through our human façade. I’ve been reading her books all night long.”

  Not wanting to let them continue thinking Roslyn is a fucking fey slayer, I decide to shift the subject.

  “Feel like going hunting?” I ask him.

  “For who?” Ella asks, even though I can tell she already knows.

  I just stare at her, waiting for her to get to the point.

  “I think he’s the one who saved me,” she says on a sigh. “I don’t want him killed. Maybe he has a reason for attacking—”

  “I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you,” I interrupt, glaring at her now.

  She immediately slinks back, forgetting that she’s the bigger threat here. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just feel like I owe him the chance to explain himself.”

  Karma sits up, apparently confused by something.

  “You said you saw them first when you were in the woods? He with a girl?” Her question seems directed at Gage, so I let him answer.

  “Yeah. Both of them were in masks. His tats on his hands were the same. I remember them—slave marks.”

  So we freed this son of a bitch. Great. It seems we did more harm than good when we tried to fucking save everyone stuck in the slave rings.

  “And this is the same guy you think saved you?” Karma asks Ella. “The same guy you thought was living with Kya?”

  “Your sister?” Dice asks as Ella’s eyes widen in realization.

  So the girl in the woods was Karma’s sister. Fucking perfect. The girl is so twisted up from what they did to her in the rings that she won’t even have anything to do with her twin sister.

  “Get that look out of your eyes,” Karma growls at me. “She’s my sister. If they’re after her, there’s a reason. Then again, my sister might not even know what’s going on with this freak.”

  I don’t give a fuck whose sister she is if she’s after Roslyn.

  “Remember that you’re the one who wanted the anointed killed,” Dice reminds me.

  “Your girlfriend said she was human.”

  “I don’t know how to look for an anointed. They are technically human,” Karma says, still glaring at me.

  “Fuck this,” I grumble, walking over to Ella. “Stay here. Gage has put a spell on my house. I’m dark and he’s dark, so it’ll keep this place safe. Keep her safe until I get back.”

  Ella starts to speak, but then she sighs in defeat. She knows Kane is on his way, and he’d agree with me if I called him right now. She doesn’t need to be anywhere around this guy if she’s feeling some sort of loyalty to the prick.

  ***

  ROSLYN

  I haven’t slept, but I have heard a lot of weird conversation
s through the door, despite the fact they’ve been trying to keep their voices down. Most of it didn’t make sense, but I did hear Thad tell someone to keep me safe.

  I also heard something about killing the anointed one? The hell are they into? And why are they talking about this anointed one like it’s me?

  They’re bounty hunters, but Thad never told me how dark that job gets. He also neglected to tell me that his friends don’t seem to particularly like me very well, based on their cryptic conversations.

  I’ve waited in his room for hours after quietly locking the door. The sun is close to setting, and I know someone is in the next room. That person hasn’t made a sound other than flipping channels on the TV.

  I know Thad told them to keep me safe, but I don’t feel safe. At all.

  Quietly, I slip out of his window, using the same stealth I used when I was a child who was running away from a neglectful home. I might have only faced one physically abusive foster father, but there are plenty other ways to abuse someone to the point they run.

  My silence pays off. The TV is loud enough to mask the slight crunch my feet made when they impact the ground. I halt immediately when I hear the TV mute, as though that person somehow did hear that.

  I don’t move; in fact, I barely breathe. Apparently they feel satisfied that it was nothing, because they turn the volume back up.

  My eyes move to my house, and an internal war wages. I have nowhere to go but home, but Thad’s friends know where I live.

  I trust Thad, even though he sounds batshit crazy. However, I don’t trust his even crazier friends. Not to mention some freak already broke into my house once.

  Instead of going to the door, I move to the window of my room, raising it ever so slightly so that I can reach in and grab my purse off the small table I have wedged against the windowsill.

  Note to self: Don’t just leave your purse so accessible to thieves.

  After securing it to me, I walk quickly around the side to where Jenny’s car is in the driveway. I know she’s going to get pissed, but I don’t care. She owes me three-months’ worth of utilities, and that’s all she has to pay for rent.