Benny Page 12

  The calm voice startled Benny, and he whirled in the direction of the sound. From a dark corner of the club, near the offices, a figure emerged from the darkness.

  Immediately, Benny recognized Van, wearing that same coat as before. But his hood was back, the lights from the bar casting harsh shadows over his unkempt hair and gaunt face.

  What the hell? Had he even come through a door? Maybe Benny had left the back door unlocked by accident earlier…

  “I see you made it,” Benny said, trying to not sound nervous, folding his arms as Van approached.

  “And why wouldn’t I?” Van’s hands were in his coat pockets as he strode toward Benny, long legs casually covering the distance between them with surprising speed. It seemed he was headed straight at him. But instead, Van strode right past Benny, making his way behind the bar.

  “I didn’t think you would be so swift to act, given your history of indecision.” Van glanced at the bottles lined up along the wall and picked one seemingly at random. He grabbed only one glass and poured the caramel-colored whisky into it until it was overflowing and spilling onto the bar. “So what changed your mind?” he asked, picking up the dripping glass and offering it to Benny.

  “I just figured it was about time,” Benny replied, cautiously taking the drink and looking at it before throwing it back in one go. The cool liquid burned a path down his throat and into his belly.

  Van laughed, the sound entirely devoid of joviality.

  “Well, I’m just glad we can see eye to eye on the matter.” He poured another glass, presumably for himself, but didn’t pick it up, choosing to place his hands on the bar and just stare at it for a moment instead.

  “So how will this work? What do we need to do?” Benny asked, eager to get down to business, both so he could go talk to Harley and so he could avoid being in the same room as the mysterious, unsettling dragon.

  “If everything goes right, you’ll never have to worry about your dire again. That’s all there really is to it.” His purple gaze looked up from the shot glass to Benny, the barest hint of a smile showing in the heavy dark circles around his eyes.

  “And if it doesn’t?” He had too much on the line for this to not work. Everything rested on this going right.

  Harley.

  Van pushed himself off the bar, coming around it again to stand face to face with Benny. Even with his intimidating height, Benny wasn’t afraid of the dragon. Or anything really.

  Anything that wasn’t losing his mate, at least.

  “Would you have asked me to come here if you weren’t desperate enough to take a little risk?” Van’s lips pursed as he finished speaking, one eyebrow slightly raised as he waited for Benny’s response.

  He couldn’t disagree with the dragon’s logic.

  He’d do anything, anything, for this. He’d even make a deal with the devil if it meant he could finally be with Harley.

  “Oh, I’m not sure even the devil deals with dires like yourself.” The corners of his mouth curled up imperceptibly while he spoke. “Which is why I’m here.”

  The hairs on Benny’s forearms stood on end at the remark.

  A second passed, and Van turned away, finally breaking eye contact. His shoes tapping on the floor was the only sound as he walked away to stand in the very center of the barely lit club.

  “Will it hurt?” Benny asked, not following him

  “Would it stop you if it did?” Van exclaimed, irritated, as he turned back to face him, arms folded now.

  “No.”

  Nothing could stop him from doing whatever it took. And if it meant getting the help of someone a mercurial as Van, then Benny wasn’t going to hesitate a moment longer.

  “Then let’s begin. Just stand here, please.” He pointed to a spot in the middle of the dance floor, only a couple feet from himself, and waited for Benny to come forward.

  I know you’ve spent your whole life waiting for me, Harley. But please, just wait a little while longer.

  Chapter 15

  Harley stared up at Benny’s door, wondering what she was doing going over to his house so late.

  He’d said he wanted to end things. Or needed to end things? The conversation had been too heated, too emotional, for her to be sure.

  It was like that first night when she had run from him, unable to wait and be hurt. But now she was thinking she should have asked for an explanation or been a bit more patient instead.

  Because as soon as she’d driven away, she’d wondered what he meant when he said “end things,” because she’d never taken him for the type that could break up with her without even looking in her eyes.

  But if not, then what could “ending things” mean?

  She’d assumed he would be here at his place because it was so late that even the after-hours Club Crimson meeting was over, but no lights were on in his house.

  She’d planned to come over to talk to him, but clearly, he was somewhere else. So where?

  She felt bad that them dating had been so hard on him when they had been the best days of her life. That was why, if he really wanted it, she would try to be okay with going back to friends.

  No matter what they were, she always wanted to be with him. She needed him to know that now.

  She decided that maybe he’d just turned the lights off and got out to at least go up to the door and knock to see if he was there. When there was no answer, she sighed, taking out her phone to send him a text as she got back in her car.

  A few minutes later, there was no answer, and it was starting to creep her out.

  Benny was a lot of things, but he was always responsive. She didn’t like the thought of him being out there alone, perhaps too upset to even sleep.

  She started up the truck, thinking there was only one place he could be if not at his home, and headed in the direction of Club Crimson.

  When she arrived, she was relieved to see his car in the lot. Of course he would be here, hopefully getting caught up on work or just enjoying a place he felt safe. Her heart stopped pounding quite as hard as it had been as she parked and got out to go inside.

  But she stopped when she noticed the inside of the club didn’t look at all right.

  An ethereal purple glow was emanating from it, and it gave Harley a feeling of unsettledness all the way down to her toes. She took another step forward, feeling the hairs rise on the back of her neck. Whatever was going on in there, it didn’t feel right. Didn’t feel like it should be happening.

  If Benny was in there…

  She ran for the front entrance, not caring if he would be mad, as long as she got to see him and make sure he was okay.

  Was this what it felt like to have his dire forcibly removed?

  If so, it felt like absolute shit.

  Benny’s entire body was in pain, like someone was dragging a scalpel along his insides at random.

  But if that’s what it took, it was a small price to pay.

  Van stood in front of Benny, his hand outstretched, hovering only a few inches from Benny’s chest. His fingers were tensed, shaking as though he were pulling at something invisible, as a purple glow emanated from his palm, filling the entire club in its eerie light.

  “Hm,” Van said to himself, barely audible over the low hum that whatever he was doing made, ringing in Benny’s ears. “Not working as expected. Maybe we just try a little harder…”

  At that, Van’s face tensed, his teeth clenching as suddenly, an incredible force wrenched at Benny from the inside out. It was like having someone try to pull his organs out using a magnet. Or something. It was hard to think through the pain.

  But it was worth it for Harley.

  Benny could feel the dire bear in his soul, resisting with every ounce of its strength. There was a deafening roar in the back of his head as it growled and paced, feeling the same pain that Benny did because he and the dire were one. But instead of giving in, giving up, it continued to growl, withstanding the agony as Van continued to strain with his hand.


  Van had said that purple dragons could pull out the shifter part of a person.

  So why wasn’t it working?

  It was becoming so overwhelming, so blinding, Benny feared he might pass out for a moment, his vision going blurry. But before that happened, he heard a loud metal clang that sounded like the front door of the club being shoved open.

  Van’s eyes shifted from Benny toward the source of the sound, and a devious grin pulled his lips up, made even more uncanny by the supernatural purple glow.

  “Benny, is that you? What’s going on?” The worry in Harley’s voice was palpable, and Benny couldn’t even imagine what she was thinking right now, looking at this display.

  “Oh, splendid. The dragon heart is here too. That will make my job twice as easy,” Van exclaimed.

  What the hell did he mean by that?

  And why were his eyes watching Harley with such interest?

  Something was definitely wrong.

  Suddenly, Benny didn’t want to keep going. Summoning all his strength, he tried to pull away from Van and the power holding him in place. But it was like trying to break free from invisible shackles.

  “Leave Benny alone, you creep!” Harley screamed from somewhere Benny couldn’t see. And a second later, a barstool crashed down on Van from the side, splintering into a dozen pieces. Van barely flinched, but his hand dropped to the side momentarily.

  All at once, the purple light dissipated into nothing, leaving them lit only by the dim yellow of the bar, and Benny fell to one knee, unable to remain standing any longer.

  In an instant, Harley was at his side, arm wrapped around him, and he didn’t know if he should be grateful or upset that she’d interrupted the process.

  And why wasn’t it working?

  “God, why won’t you just die?” Van’s pleasant calm was gone, the frustration in his voice as confusing as it was alarming.

  Die?

  “What are you talking about? Who the hell are you? What are you doing to Benny?” Harley said angrily, firing off questions while Benny tried to stand. But it was no use. His legs refused to work.

  Van stood back a pace from them, running a hand through his black hair and pulling a couple wooden splinters free. Then he appraised the club, as if searching for something, then headed for the small stage at the front of the club where guests sometimes came to DJ on busy nights.

  The pit in Benny’s stomach said they needed to get out of there, fast.

  “Are you all right? Tell me what’s happening, Benny. Please,” Harley said. Her voice was grounding, pulling him back to reality as if he’d been in a dream.

  “I’ll tell you.” The edge to Van’s voice made Benny’s skin crawl as Van unceremoniously toppled one of the multicolored floodlights standing at the front of the stage, making it crash to the ground. “Your mate’s going to die one way or the other anyway.” There was one metallic snap, then another as Van pulled the shattered lights off one end then the legs off the other, leaving him with just a long, metal pole in his hand.

  “You see, regular shifters can’t survive the process of having their animal pulled out of them because, unlike dragons, they are the animal inside.” As Van spoke, he tested the end of the pole with his finger, then started to walk slowly toward them, footsteps heavy on the wooden floor. “It’s like taking an engine out of a car and expecting it to run. Of course, I couldn’t have told you that or you wouldn’t have invited me here. You’re not that idiotic. Of course, you did believe me when I lied about my vision.”

  “What do you want from me?” Benny said through gritted teeth, chest heaving as he pulled Harley into his side, ready to do anything to protect her from this man who was clearly a monster.

  Van stopped ten feet away, the long light pole swaying gently in his hand from side to side. “You see, your little mate there somehow had the courage to stick by a horrible, disgusting beast like yourself through thick and thin, rather than running like any sensible person would. So she just might be the key to my freedom.”

  “Your freedom?” Harley asked, fury in her voice.

  For the first time, Van addressed Harley, a dour sweetness to his tone that Benny had never heard before. “You’ll know soon enough, dragon heart.” He even had the audacity to attempt a smile at the end of his sentence.

  Benny’s strength was slowly returning, fueled by rage and betrayal and a protective instinct. But before he could stand, Van came up to them and grabbed Harley firmly by the arm, making the bear inside Benny roar.

  “Step aside, please. I’m working,” Van said, moving her away from Benny with uncharacteristic gentleness.

  Benny pushed himself to standing, ready to tear this asshole limb from limb. “You’ll pay for that, motherfu—”

  Searing pain lashed through Benny as Van shoved the metal pole through Benny’s side with horrific ease, just barely missing his heart. His entire chest seized from the shock, his eyes going wide as he struggled for life.

  “Stupid, stupid dire. So hard to kill. So annoying.” Van’s hands were on Benny’s shirt collar, yanking him closer so their eyes were barely inches apart. The exotic purple of his irises was darker now, a deep, almost black indigo. “You’re going to regret ever meddling in things you’ll never understand.”

  Then Benny was yanked off his feet, dragged behind Van with one hand as he strode for what he could only guess was the back exit. Somewhere, the sound of the metal pole scraping along the ground as they moved grated in his ears like nails on chalkboard. But everything was upside down, the earth-shattering agony emanating from his chest radiating to every part of his body.

  “Let him go. I said let him go!” Harley shouted, fists pounding into Van’s back. But he ignored it as though she were no more than a fly, muttering something to himself about maybe outside he’d have better luck without all the electrical equipment interfering.

  “Harley, run.” Benny tried to talk, but there was no air, no strength for speaking.

  A second later, the back door flew open as Van kicked it, and suddenly, they were outside, light rain misting around them in the empty lot behind the club.

  But as Benny felt his life swiftly fading before his eyes, there was something else rumbling inside him. An earthquake? No, it was a growl so deep the earth seemed to move around him.

  He didn’t even comprehend what was going on as Van pulled him to a standing position, supporting him with one hand on his neck while the other came to his chest, fingers splayed and palm open as the strange purple glow started up once more.

  “Good-bye, dear Benny.”

  But Van’s words were fading into blackness like steam as a voice in Benny’s subconscious came forward.

  A deep, impossibly low voice. One that was as familiar as it was sinister.

  Mate.

  Protect.

  Chapter 16

  Harley had no words to describe what was happening right in front of her eyes.

  Partially because even she could only half comprehend what was going on.

  The mysterious stranger, whom Benny had called Van, was emitting the mysterious purple glow from his hand again, and Benny’s entire body shuddered in what seemed to be excruciating pain.

  She had to do something.

  Harley searched desperately around her and, to her surprise, found a small, rain-soaked metal pipe that had been cast aside in a dirt corner next to one of the buildings that neighbored Club Crimson. Immediately, she ran for it, grasping it in both hands and charging at Van with all her strength.

  But as she swung it down, Van’s glowing purple hand moved from Benny’s chest to intercept it in a flash, too quick for her to even see the movement. He held the pipe for a moment, then wrenched it from her grip, casting it aside, banging noisily on the pavement.

  “Patience, dragon heart.” The smoothness of his tone belied his cruel intentions. “I have something much, much better planned for you than a silly dire bear who can’t even control his beast.”

  “Let Benny
go,” she demanded. She would never stop fighting for him. Whether it was when they were children or when they were starting the club together or even now, against insurmountable odds.

  Benny groaned, body limp in Van’s grasp.

  “I’m doing the world a favor, ridding it of a monster like him,” he said, sneering.

  “You’re the monster.” Harley had to think of something fast.

  Her whole world was fading.

  Van ignored her threat. “Besides, you can’t even begin to imagine the kind of destiny that awaits you with me on the other side. Power, wealth, pleasure, everything you could possibly—”

  Suddenly, the sky boomed with an otherworldly roar so loud it was like thunder, shaking the earth beneath Harley’s feet. She and Van both searched for the source of the sound, but it was so deafening it was all around them.

  Then Benny was moving.

  No… he was changing.

  Van released his grip on him just as Benny’s shape surged outward and upward in a flurry of fur and stomach-churning crunching noises that sounded like bones snapping. Immediately, Harley stepped back, wonder and horror coursing through her veins like ice water.

  And where Benny had been just a second before, a gigantic gray and black bear stood on all fours, so large it could have filled the inside of Club Crimson just by itself.

  But it was no normal bear. No, Harley had seen bears and wolves and even a lion shift before. This was different. Like evil and fear personified in a walking, breathing creature. Its thick, matted fur seemed to emanate a black aura that made Harley want to run for her life—if her feet weren’t frozen like they were embedded in cement bricks.

  “Look what you’ve done,” Van spat out, glancing over to Harley, then back up to the gigantic creature. “This wasn’t supposed to happen!” His tone was unhinged, the lines on his face outlined with wet rivulets as the rain overhead poured down upon them all.

  The creature reared back on its hind legs, opening its jaws and roaring once more, almost knocking Harley off her feet from the force of it. Long black claws, wet with what looked like more than just rain, glinted in the darkness. Black fangs were bared like monstrous swords.