Untamed Beast Read online

  He was tired, but he didn’t want to walk away from her yet. Thankfully, Dannie took over and pushed him and Logan out of the small room. She wanted to finish cleaning her sister and the two of them didn’t need to be there when she washed her front side. Thorn pointed out that he didn’t want her turned over yet and Dannie told him she had it all under control.

  “Think we should get another room?” Logan asked.

  Thorn didn’t take his eyes off the closed door. “No.”

  “You okay man?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  It might have only taken twenty minutes for Dannie to finish washing her sister, but it felt more like hours. The instant the door opened Thorn was back inside, looking Katrina’s back over just to make sure there wasn’t any bleeding.

  “Thorn, go wash up,” Logan said, trying to snap Thorn out of this strange daze he felt himself being pulled into. “You have gotten blood all over you.”

  Glancing down, he groaned. Sure enough, he did have blood all over him and he could use a shower. With a nod, and a touch to Katrina’s head, Thorn headed towards the only bedroom in the place, in the back, with a bathroom. He stripped down, turned the water on, and walked into the hot water.

  * * * *

  “He’s acting strange,” Dannie stated. “Even for him.”

  Logan stared at the door where Thorn had just walked out, with a frown. “Yeah, he is.”

  “What do you think is going on?”

  “Not a hundred percent sure yet, but I’ve got an idea.”

  “Care to share it?”

  “Not yet.”

  Dannie sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Bit late to be keeping things secret, isn’t it?”

  “I’ve known Thorn for a long time, Dannie, and I’ve never seen him act like this before. I’m not sure but if I had to take a guess right now, I’d say something is stirring inside him when it comes to your sister.”

  She snorted, “Please. They want to kill each other.”

  “Yeah, that’s what has me confused.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe the old saying of opposites attracting is right. Maybe there is something forming between them.”

  “No, no way,” Dannie shook her head quickly. “I’m not buying it.”

  “Why not? Wouldn’t be the first time a couple who wanted to kill each other ended up being mates.”

  “Be—be—because it can’t that’s why. They hate each other.”

  Logan smiled at her, reached out and touched her face. “Oh baby, you still have a lot to learn about us.” Leaning in, Logan kissed her on the cheek. “I’m going to go out and check on things. Tell Thorn I’ll be back in a bit.” He had a big smile on his face as he walked away.

  * * * *

  Thorn hung his head under the spray, watching the water swirl around the drain. He was clean of all her blood, and yet, he hadn’t turned the water off. It began to get cooler, and still he stayed under until it all the hot water was used and the temperature was cold.

  His mind wouldn’t shut down enough to let him think about what they were going to do next. He needed to have his wits about him, and all he could think of was the rage he felt towards that bitch for what she did to Katrina. Finally, turning the cold water off, he reached for a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and stepped out of the shower. He dried off, dropped the towel, and dressed in fresh jeans and another black T-shirt. Barefooted but with his boots in hand, Thorn left the bathroom and walked through the bedroom back into the main living space. Dannie was standing next to the window by the door, looking out. She turned when he came out.

  “Why don’t you get some rest,” Thorn told her. “I’ll stay up with her.”

  “You don’t have to.” Dannie flashed him a quick smile. “You’ve already done so much and I think you’re more tired than I am.”

  Logan came back in from outside. “Everything looks okay. Don’t think you were followed.”

  “Have you called Vashti yet, to let her know about your father?” Thorn didn’t take his eyes off Katrina when he spoke.

  “I got a hold of her while you were gone. She knows, and she’s sort of hiding from Justice.” Thorn snorted at that and Logan smiled. “Yeah, I tried to tell her that the longer she ran from him, the worse it might be for her. She made a deal with him, and she’s breaking her deal. Sucks to be her.”

  “I thought she was smarter than this.”

  “So did I.” Logan glanced over at Katrina. “Want me to take first watch? You look beat.”

  Thorn shook his head. “I’ve got it. Don’t think I can sleep anyway. Also, no screwing around tonight. Really not in the mood to hear you two tonight.”

  Logan’s face turned beet red. “I think I can hold off for one night. Do you think we will be able to move her by tomorrow evening?”

  “It depends.”

  “Well, we might not have much of a choice here. I’m sure you have pissed off the bitch big time when you took Katrina out, which means that we can take it as a given she’s hunting for you. Do you have a plan as to where we go next? I hope.”

  “Not yet, but I’ll work on something.” He looked over his shoulder at Katrina. “We won’t be able to stay here for long and I don’t know when she will be able to safely travel.”

  “Maybe we should go in the morning and look for a new spot to hold up in. I don’t have a good feeling about this place.”

  Thorn reached out and touched Katrina on the top of her head, forgetting for a moment that Logan was still in the same room. “How can a mother do this to her child?” he questioned in a low voice.

  “We both know the answer to your question. It has everything to do with her being one of us.” Thorn looked up at him, and Logan went on. “She hates us, Thorn. Katrina is one of us, no matter how much that bitch has tried to ignore it or pretend it isn’t there. She might not have much of us in her, but she has enough to turn her mother’s hate right on her.”

  Thorn removed his hand and took a deep breath, getting himself back under control, back to himself. “Dannie went to bed. Why don’t you go and get a few hours of rest? I do think it is a good idea for you to go and find a better place for us to use as a safe house.”

  “You think you can handle the girls?” Logan smiled. “You do realize Dannie is not going to leave her sister’s side.”

  “I think I can handle them.”

  “Okay, then.” Logan nodded and started for the bedroom. He stopped at the door. “Don’t try to carry this weight alone. We are all in this together.”

  Thorn kept his mouth shut and Logan went into the bedroom, closing the door softly. Thorn checked over Katrina’s stitches once more, making sure they were sealed, and not bleeding. It had been decided to keep her on the bar, at least until the morning. He did not want to move her and cause her any more pain unless necessary. If Katrina required more doctoring for her back, it would be easier on him, as well, not to have to bend over to care for her.

  Everything was good. She was out for the night. He walked over, grabbed hold of the love seat and pulled it over beside the front door, right in front of the bar. When he had it where he wanted it, he sat down with a sigh. Thorn was prepared to take care of her throughout the night. If she woke up in pain, he wanted to make sure he was close enough to give her another shot, without any delay. Being in front of the door also meant if he fell asleep, no one would be able to come in.

  He must’ve fallen asleep. With a jolt, Thorn had his eyes open, and he was looking around to get his bearings, not understanding what had him waking up. Sniffing he smelled blood and knew it was the aroma of her blood which had awakened him.

  Up on his feet quickly he went over to Katrina and saw that one of her wounds had started bleeding again. He swore under his breath, rubbed the sleep from his eyes and peeled back the bandage. Two of the stitches had popped open.

  He had to look around for the kit, which had been left on the small counter. Opening it back up, ge
tting what he needed, he cleaned the blood away and stitched the open wound once more. It didn’t take him long. As he was finishing his bandages, he felt as if she was awake. Moving around the bar, to stand in front of her, he found his instinct was true. She was awake.

  Katrina’s eyes were open, her face twisted in pain. Her hands were fisting and opening back up from the pain. “You’re awake.” A tear fell from her eye. Quickly he went back to the kit and brought out the needle and morphine again. “It’s okay. Give me one second and I’ll take the pain away,” he soothed, taking hold of her hand and sticking her arm at the same time. She squeezed his hand tight while he eased the drug in.

  She groaned and whimpered. The grip on his hand was impressive, given the state she was in right now. Once he had the entire drug in, he pulled the needle out, put it down and held a small cotton ball to her arm. Kneeling down, Thorn watched her face and waited for her pain to start to go away. What he had not expected was for her eyes to stay open while she looked right at him.

  “I—I fucked up this time, huh?” she said.

  “Oh, I would say this was a nice cluster fuck, so yeah, you fucked up.”

  She smiled a tiny bit, and so did he, before she lost it and got serious. “Guess I owe you one now,” she said in a faint, raspy voice. “Thank you,” she added as tears slid down her cheeks.

  Thorn didn’t normally smile at anyone. Hell, he wasn’t really sure if he knew how to. But the corner of his lips did turn up in a half smile. Letting the cotton ball go he reached up and touched her cheek with his knuckles.

  “Yeah, guess you do owe me and I do collect, so keep that in mind.”

  “You—you were right.”

  “About what? I tend to be right about most things.”

  Another tear slipped from her eye and he instantly brushed it aside. “My mother. She’s sick. She—she watched as I—I was whipped.” She began to shake, more tears falling down her face. “Told me I—I am nothing—nothing more than an animal.”

  “Shhhh,” he tried to soothe her. “When you get back on your feet, here in a few days, you just let me know who it was, and I’ll kill him for you.” She smiled at that. “Then we can be even.”

  Her eyes began to flutter meaning the drug was kicking in. “I—I’ll owe—you more—than—that,” she sighed before going limp, her hand releasing his.

  Thorn wiped the rest of her tears away. What made him lean closer and kiss the top of her head, he couldn’t say. “No more pain.” He whispered in her ear before standing up and going back to the couch with a tired sigh.

  Chapter Two

  He must have fallen asleep again. Thorn jolted awake once more, stood up on his feet with a snarl, and a low growl.

  “Augh, someone isn’t a morning person.” Dannie stood in the small kitchen space, a skillet in her hand with her eyes wide open. “Planning on attacking someone?”

  Thorn looked around the room, and panic began to rise up within him for a moment. “Where is she?”

  “Bedroom,” Dannie turned and went back to cooking what smelled like eggs. “She needed to use the bathroom, so I helped her up and put her in the bed when she was finished. Want something to eat?”

  Thorn shook his head. “No.” leaving Dannie in the kitchen he walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

  Katrina was sleeping on her stomach, cover only up to her rear. It smelled as if she’d had another bath before she went to bed, and knowing Dannie she most likely had. She still didn’t have a top on, so he was able to come over to look at her back without anything in his way. From the look of the bandage, and the scent in the air, she hadn’t done any more bleeding during the night. Right before he turned to leave her to rest, he reached out and touched the top of her head again. The need to have some kind of physical contact was strong with him, and it disturbed him slightly.

  Dannie was sitting down at the bar with her food and another plate waited at the end. She smiled at him when he looked at it, then at her. With a sigh, he sat down and started to eat the large breakfast she had fixed.

  “Logan said you guys like to eat a lot, so I fixed a lot,” she said.

  “Thanks,” he grumbled.

  “He called while you were sleeping,” she went on. “Said he might have found a place we can go and hold up for a few days, and it might be safer than this one.”

  “Good.” Thorn tried to focus on the food but it was hard. He wanted to go back in the bedroom and sit with Katrina, and it bothered the hell out of him.

  “She’s okay.” That statement had him stilling with the fork halfway up to this mouth.

  “What?” he grumbled, looking up at her.

  “She’s okay. You can relax a little.”

  “I do that and we’re all dead.”

  Dannie sighed, “So what’s going on then? Logan seems to think that you’re, I don’t know, feeling something for her, but I know better. You want to kill her, not care for her.” Thorn could only stare at her, and say nothing. That seemed to be enough of an answer for Dannie. “Oh my God! Seriously?”

  “Dannie—” he started to say.

  “No!” she cut him off. “It isn’t possible.”

  “Dannie—” he tried again, only this time she got up from her seat.

  “Why? I mean, you two hate each other. You want to kill each other. Hell, you two were trying to kill each other before she ran away!” Dannie was talking so fast, Thorn didn’t think he would be able to get a word in. “I don’t understand this. How can you hate her one minute and then the next want—what is it you want from her? Do you want the same thing that Logan wants from me?”

  “Stop!” Thorn yelled standing up so fast he knocked over his chair. “Just stop.” Dannie had a shocked expression on her face. Even her eyes were wide open. Thorn took a deep breath, working to get control and understanding back. “Look, I don’t know what this is right now. All I do know is that I’m worried about her, okay?”

  “But you’re acting strange,” Dannie mumbled.

  “I know. And believe me when I say I don’t know why either. I think I’m just on guard with her, you, and your mother is all. Once we are safe everything will go back to the way it was.”

  “No, it won’t.” Thorn frowned at her. “Nothing is ever going back to the way it used to be. You’ve changed that, just as Logan has.” Dannie walked away from him, towards the bedroom. Thorn watched her go, and once the door closed behind her he swore under his breath.

  He didn’t finish his food. Instead, he cleaned everything up. When he was done, there was no need to hang around so Thorn headed outside. The sun was up, shinning bright, making the world feel normal when it was anything but.

  Dannie was right; everything had changed for them all. This wasn’t a simple take the daughter and get even anymore. Things were different and he didn’t know how to stop it.

  He stayed outside for a good hour before going back inside. Dannie hadn’t come out of the bedroom yet, which left him time to keep thinking. He hated just thinking. When another hour had gone by he finally brought out his phone and called Logan to check on things.

  “Hey man, I’m heading back,” Logan said.

  “Where’s the new place?”

  “Ah, well that is going to be a problem now.”

  “Why? Dannie said you had a spot where we could hold up for a few days.”

  “We did, and then that bitch’s men showed up. She’s got the girl’s photos out there.”

  “Fuck,” Thorn growled.

  “Yeah, so we can’t really go anywhere. Right now, where we’re at is the safest place to be, until Katrina can move that is.”

  Thorn rubbed his face and tried to think. “Yeah, you might be right. We might have to split up.”

  “And go where?”

  “She wants Katrina I think most of all. Wants her to finish her little torture crap. I’m not going to let that happen.”

  “What are you talking about then?”

  “I’m talking a
bout, if they find us, they get both girls back. We split up and lay low then the chances of her finding them are small. You need to call Nick and get his help.”

  “I don’t want to bring Nick into this.”

  “Nick is already involved in this shit. His damn grandfather is a part of this new cabinet that I bet started it all. Logan, I hate to say this, but we need help here. We can’t fight them and protect the girls.”

  “Dannie isn’t going to like it. They’re all they have.”

  “I know, but to keep them safe, we have to do this.”

  Logan went quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. “Okay, I’ll call Nick and see what he can do. If he takes us, what about you?”

  Thorn turned around and froze for a moment. In the doorway stood Dannie, and from the expression on her face she had heard part of their conversation. “I’ve got a plan.” He hung up and waited for her to blow.

  She didn’t. Instead, she was calm, closing the door. “It’s that bad then?”

  “Yeah, it’s bad.”

  “I can’t leave her.”

  “I know.” He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Dannie, she isn’t going to stop. Not until she gets what she wants, and I think part of what she wants is to kill your sister.”

  That statement had tears quickly filling up her eyes. “I know,” she breathed out.

  Logan showed up about an hour after they had talked on the phone. Dannie went outside to meet him and to help with the unloading of the supplies he had picked up. Thorn used that as his chance to go back in, to check on Katrina himself. In the past few hours, she was starting to really surprise him by how quickly she was starting to heal.

  Opening the door, he got a bit of a shock. Katrina was sitting up on the side of the bed. She had a very large shirt on, the covers draped over her lap, with her back to the door, staring out the window. She didn’t move or look over her shoulder to see who might have come in. Slowly and as quietly as he could, Thorn closed the door and stood close to it.

  “She killed my father,” Katrina finally said. “Just because of what he was.”