HURRICANE (Beasts of Prey Book 2)
Copyright © 2021 LC Lehesaho
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456
Cover design by: Linda Lehesaho
Editing: Amy Briggs
Interior formatting: Linda Lehesaho
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
PLAYLIST
Theme Song:
"War" – Poets of the Fall
"Hurricane" – Tommee Profitt, Fleurie
"Down with the Sickness" - Disturbed
"The Fighter" – In This Moment
"Hero (I Will Survive)" – Supergirl, RAIGN
"Without Me" – Fame on Fire
"I Am the Fire" - Halestorm
"Without You" - Breaking Benjamin
"The In-Between" – In This Moment
"Alone In A Room" - Asking Alexandria
"I Will Not Bow" – Breaking Benjamin
"Secret Scream" – The Black Queen
"Only One King" – Tommee Profitt, Jung Youth
"Killing Time" – Doom Unit
"Skin" – Sixx:A.M.
"The Dark of You" – Breaking Benjamin
"Every Breath You Take" – Chase Holfelder
And much more.
Listen to the playlist on SPOTIFY
AUTHORS NOTE
Hey beastie.
Thank you for coming back,
and continuing this journey with the beasts.
I can’t even describe how much it means to me.
Now, as you know: this is a love story.
But just like I said in the beginning of ANTIDOTE,
this is not sweet like sugar.
HURRICANE is darker than the first book and contains scenes that might upset some readers.
If you haven’t read ANTIDOTE yet, then do it because otherwise you have no clue what is happening here.
But all that being said,
welcome back!
**HURRICANE is a dark romance containing adult content, including violence, sexual scenes, and language. Only suitable for those 18+.**
PROLOGUE
Once upon a time, there was a charming little boy, and an adorable little girl, who was like a copy of her brother. Of course, she was—they had shared even the womb. Their mother loved them more than anything else in the universe, but when their world changed—secrets spilled out into the daylight—even a mother's love couldn't stop what was going to come.
The little boy held his sister's hand, trying to find a way to escape from the darkness which had coated them, but he couldn't find his way to bring them back to light. The cage around them opened only when the darkness came, and no matter how hard the charming boy tried to leave a trail of sticks and stones behind them so he could find their way out, there was no overcoming the nightmare.
They were lost, the last slivers of hope slipping away with every rise of the moon. The sands of their time were soon running out.
When the last bits of sand in the hourglass came to an end, the adorable girl took her last breaths. The boy was left alone with the darkness which soaked deep into his pure heart. It left a mark on the boy, changed something inside him, and from that day, the charming boy was never the same. He was dragged through Hell, fed to the monsters, but nothing lasts forever.
One day the blood of the monsters filled the ground, and the king from the righteous side of Hell showed the boy a new world.
And if he would accept them—a new family.
The boy had sin flowing in his bloodstream, the flames of Hell growing inside of him, and he had embraced the wickedness within. But still, the king trusted the boy, because he saw the pureness of his heart and the loyalty of his mind. Though, the king wasn't the only one who saw those things. Sweet little angel, the king's daughter, lost her heart to the charming but ruined boy and vice versa.
It is said that everyone has their place in the world, and so did the sinful boy. His darkness had a purpose because all things are not meant to grow. His flames had a meaning because some things need igniting.
And his wickedness?
With that wickedness, the boy would destroy the world to find his sweet angel, which was taken from him, and the scars in his heart and mind guaranteed that he wasn’t going to give up until they were together again.
A phoenix won't rise without its fire.
CHAPTER ONE
"I love you so fucking much, and I'll never let you go."
Cobra's words echo in my head, over and over again.
I love you too, baby.
I won't let you go, I promise.
I can't fucking lose you.
Taking a long inhale, and gathering my thoughts, I count to ten before exhaling myself back to the moment and open my eyes. One brown eye with a reddish shade stares back at me as wide as a plate. Another one is swollen shut and looks like he has a baseball under his lid rather than an eyeball. His whole face is coated with blood, partly dried already.
How long have I been standing here?
Well, it doesn't matter. No one will come here anyway, it's just one of Crusador's minions and me. It's my luck this piece-of-shit grows weed in a shed in the middle of a fucking forest, but I bet he regrets it now.
"So, you sure you don’t have any useful information for me?" I cock an eyebrow, tilting my head. "Address of another puppet? Where do you meet with the other guys?"
His lower lip trembles, pure terror leaking out of him in waves. "I-In a b-bar downtown."
I feel my nerves stretching like a rubber band. "The name of the fucking bar, you idiot."
"H-Hamlet's," he stutters out.
"A what? Hamlet's? What the fuck is that?"
"A p-poet’s club."
I blink slowly while gritting my teeth before opening my mouth to speak, "You gotta be shitting me."
He shakes his head, jaw still flapping like he's freezing. He certainly is not. It's like the fucking tropics in here with all the lights for his little bushes.
A poet club?
It shouldn't surprise me, though. Crusador has been laying low all these years, investing his money only into things that don't arouse suspicion like racehorses and shit. But, he's still been close enough to watch Leo's every move.
I walk to the guy's back, taking hold of the chair I tied him to, and pull him in the middle of his dear little plants. He begs, tries to trade, cries for mercy, but I don't give a fuck about his begging. All I care about is her.
"Think about the bright side of this," I tell him as I spill the gasoline around. "You may have a chance to get high before you die."
He doesn't see it this way based on the shit he yells at me. Oh well, he can call me anything he fucking wants, but the fact still remains the same.
He is the one who is going to die today, not me.
And one thing is for sure.
I'm not going to die until I see Cobra again.
After tossing the canister to the guy's feet, I place a cig between my lips while walking to the shed's door. Only when I step across the threshold, I light it up. The guy keeps yelling, but I can't make myself focus on what he barks, just tossing the cig to the nearest gasoline bond, and walking off while lighting myself a new one.
I don't look back as I jump into the stolen BMW a
nd start the engine. "Wrecking Ball" by Five Finger Death Punch blows from the stereos, and I turn the volume higher to keep my mind focused a moment longer to find the address of the fucking Hamlet's.
As soon as I have an idea of where I need to drive, I let my guard down and work in autopilot. It only takes point two seconds for my mind to find her from my memories.
"Come here, baby." I tap my lap, a wide smirk on my face, feeling like the king of the world. It's precisely what I am because I have her.
Cobra rolls her eyes, but there's a smile playing on her full lips, which she can't hide. "Wait for a fucking second, will you?" She keeps strapping the blades to her thigh, on top of her jeans, which she just pulled on. My dick started to warm up for the second round from the sight because the Explorer's back seat is not the easiest place to dress up. I'm quite sure she wiggled her ass in front of me on purpose.
She's such a fucking tease.
"You don't need those yet," I try to coax, and slide my hand to her back, under the hoodie. Cobra's skin is hot and smooth under my touch, and I want to undress her all over again.
I'll never get enough of her.
"I don't do shit half-assed, and you know it." She scolds and takes a gun from the console between the front and backseat. I know she doesn't. My girl is the tidiest human on the planet.
So, I wait until she's placed the gun into the holster on her waist before grabbing hold of her and hauling her to my lap. She lets out the cutest mix of giggles and curses from her mouth, but her hand still moves around my neck.
Cobra's big hazel eyes meet mine, and she sucks in her lower lip, biting it nervously.
"Wow, you're suddenly shy around me, baby girl?" I laugh, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her against my chest.
"I'm no—"
I cut her off. "Nope. What did we agree about lying?"
She sighs and buries her face in my neck. It feels fucking amazing.
"Yeah, well, fine. I'm a bit nervous. I get these ridiculous thoughts in my head like are there some questions I need to ask you now that we’re together. What's your favorite fruit or something? You know, like date questions."
I laugh out loud. "Oh my God, baby, you're such a fucking dummy." I kiss the top of her head and squeeze her tighter. "Tell me, what's my favorite fruit?"
"Mango."
"See? We've known each other for five years, so I think we can skip the date questions. For example, two years ago, on Christmas Day, you ate too much dessert and drank shit tons of eggnog, and ended up puking all over your bed. I changed your sheets and washed the vomit out of your hair when you passed out," I say, and she leans back, glaring at me for bringing it up. She fucking hates it when I joke about it.
How can I not? It was the funniest shit ever.
"You willingly risk your life by dragging that out again while I sit on top of you, armed?"
I smirk at her. "Can't say you're shy anymore, huh?"
Her face is expressionless as she looks at me without saying a word.
"But you know what, baby? There is one thing we haven't done yet."
Now, she arches an eyebrow, interested. "What is it?"
I'm walking on thin ice, but I can't keep my mouth shut.
"Take your pants off and let me fuck you in the ass."
Her tiny fist carves its way to my ribcage, but I regret nothing.
"Tiger! Can you be serious even for a moment?" She squints her beautiful eyes at me, but I see a slight blush on her cheeks, even in the dark car.
"I am." I place a kiss on her forehead. "Tell me, baby, have you tried it?"
"We're not going to talk about this."
"Hey, you started this, so don't try to slither your way out." I pin her against me, just in case she tries to actually flee. Fuck, I love holding her. Being with her like this. I nuzzle her temple, making my way lower, whispering in her ear. "Please, spill your secrets to me. I want to know."
Cobra drops her head back and sighs. "For fucks sake." She turns to look at me, slightly annoyed. "No, I haven't."
Satisfaction floats over me, and my chest swells. "So, I can be your first, huh, baby?"
The flat expression on her face implies that she certainly doesn't think so. And her words confirm it. "Who said I'm gonna let you fuck me in the ass?"
"Me, obviously."
Cobra snorts with laughter, slapping her palm to my shoulder like I made the best joke ever. "You wish, kitty."
Her laughter sounds so good it makes my heart flutter. Though it wasn't a joke, but she can live in that illusion until the day I actually do it. I have faith in my skills of persuasion.
She gathers her breath, and I watch her, mesmerized by her beauty. I've been watching her for five years, and still, I can't take my eyes off her. Those big sparkling eyes speak without words, her long black lashes almost batting her cheekbones as she answers to my gaze with an adorable smirk on her face.
"I love you, Cobra," I tell her, lifting my hand and cupping her cheek, sliding my thumb on her smooth skin.
The smile on her face widens. "I love you too, Tiger. And you know what?"
I press our brows together, inhaling her sweet scent, and already tasting her on my tongue. "Yeah?"
"I can't wait to be like this with you at home." She runs her hand through my hair, stopping at the back of my head and starts to massage my scalp. It feels fucking heavenly—pure bliss. "Actually, everywhere. I'm going to be glued to you after we solve everything. You're not gonna get rid of me even for a second."
I squeeze the steering wheel in one hand, the burned-out cig in my other. I can feel the kiss. What she tasted like. How she felt in my arms. I lean my head back to the headrest, focusing on breathing. I can't lose my grip. My baby needs me, and I'm not going to fucking lose my shit.
For the past fourteen days, I've kept everything together, and I haven't freaked out.
It's not going to happen now either.
Breathe.
I will get her back. We're going to do all those things we talked about that night. We're going to be happy.
"Don't lose your shit now," I huff out to myself, trying to channel my emotions and make a U-turn before in my thoughts before going back down the rabbit hole.
A fucking loud honk booms in the air, and I snap my eyes open. Another honk. I see a green light ahead, and I'm just about to press the pedal down, but—a third honk.
The rubber band in my mind snaps into million fucking pieces. I jerk the hand brake up, free the gear, and jump out of the car, blood raging in my veins, and anger coiling in my gut.
This motherfucker will learn a thing or two about fucking patience.
CHAPTER TWO
Pain is just a state of mind.
That's true till the point it becomes unbearable. No matter how strong the mind is, the pain will carve its way through. One way or another.
Usually I can handle pain—it's been my playground since I was a little kid.
Making my mind travel to a different time and place, to a different world, has always been useful when the pain has been the kind I haven't chosen myself. I can shut everything else out.
But now?
The walls of my mind are getting bombed, not by adding physical pain, but by getting into the most sensitive parts of me—my feelings.
My insides are crushing from the fear—for Tiger's safety.
I stare at the photo Joe, one of Crusador's men, holds in the air in front of me, and the fear cocoons my heart like a blanket of death.
"No, no, no, don't do it, please." I shake my head, jerking my hands—trying to break them free from the wall where Joe tied me hours ago. Of course, it’s fucking useless. My arms are spread out to my sides as I stand bare back against the cold concrete wall, making me look like The Statue of Christ. The shackles on my wrist and ankles clatter from every move I make.
"I already did," Crusador says with a devilish expression on his face. He sits on the other side of the cold basement in a leather armchair, brought
here so he can sit comfortably while Joe tortures me with his ways that cross the borders of imagination. "The photos of you sucking your brother's cock are on their way to your father right now."
Tiger is not my fucking brother.
He’s more.
He’s my everything.
"You sick motherfucker!" I yell at him at the top of my lungs. Before I can see it coming, my head spins to the side, cheek on fire and head pounding from the hit. There was so much power in the backhand colliding with my face I taste the blood in my mouth.
"It's a miracle that still, after two weeks, you won't learn how you're supposed to talk to me." Crusador sighs, lighting up his cigar.
Slowly, I turn my head and drill my eyes to Joe, who watches me with a completely emotionless expression. One day the fucking caveman will regret all the shit he's been doing to me.
Bottling my profound hate towards him, and letting it go for now, I focus on him. "What do you think you're accomplishing with this shit? Sending pics of Tiger and me to Dad?"
He lets out a grim laugh. "Chaos. Your family will tear each other apart. Let me paint the picture for you." He makes a motion with his hand in the air like starting a show on a fucking Broadway. "Leo will look at the picture with pure disgust, and then his volatile temperament takes over. Your lover has no idea what's coming when Leo calls him to his office. And then, kaboom!" He throws both hands in the air, letting out a laugh. "You can say goodbye to your brother. Leo will skin him alive; I know it. I've been watching him long enough to know he will lose his mind. Your slutty sister and fucked up brothers will divide, take sides, and finally destroy each other. Does this sound like something you had in mind too?"
The poisonous vine spreads into every cell in me, catching my breath. I know he is right. It’s what I've been afraid of for a long time. Dad will lose it, especially when he finds out about it like this.
We were supposed to do this together.
Tell him together, as a couple.