Nita's Redemption, page 35
Nita didn’t believe a word that came out of her lying mouth.
Chapter Twenty Seven
LINK AND THE OTHERS raced through the woods, uncaring if they stumbled upon humans or animals. He and his wolf had one thought on their mind, and that was to find their female and kill whoever dared harm her. The scent of blood and death had him pulling up, leaves and dirt kicking up in a flurry as his paws worked to stop their momentum. Hell, he was pretty sure he’d beaten every speed he’d done in the past. Didn’t care either.
Heavy paws beating the dirt behind him was his first warning that the others were following closely. He didn’t move from his spot, figuring they’d pull up when they realized he’d quit running full tilt. His twin was the first to break through the woods, stopping a few inches behind him. The male wasn’t breathing hard, but Link could feel his breath on his back, and then there was Tank and his huge fucking Lycan skidding to a stop in front of him. The beast twitched his ears, his nose went upward as if he were catching every molecule of air and sifting through it.
‘I smell our female. Her blood appears to be painting the dirt not far from here. Why did you stop?’ Tank asked with a growl.
‘There’s evil up ahead. Our female is not alone since I also smell the demoness females with her. The evil is familiar, like I can almost picture who it is just out of reach in my mind. My wolf is snarling that we need to tread carefully like he is all knowing. While I am the first to want to race in and kill everyone and everything to get Nita, I think we should heed his advice.’ Link was still pissed at the beast, but he wasn’t going to dismiss what the being was saying. Not when the animal was persistent.
‘Titan agrees. We need more stealth and less beast mode. Although he’s straight up in monster mode and ready to rip shit apart.’ Tank showed them images of the huge Lycan snarling with bloody teeth.
Link moved to the right of the river instead of continuing straight like before when they’d been running hell for leather, letting his wolf take charge, which seemed to soothe them both. Voices floated on the wind, his female, and several females he didn’t recognize. He didn’t hear Bakra or the others, nor could he connect to them.
‘They are in stealth mode as well.’ His wolf Ludwig gave him the information, calming the human part of him. How the fuck they’d gone their entire lives without speaking to their other halves was truly mind boggling.
He and the others inched forward until they saw who was speaking. Two females seemed to be holding court over a black structure that gave him the creeps. He and the pack fanned out, circling around until they surrounded the females. There was no way the crazy bitches could take off with their female or her friends without encountering a shifter who’d lay down their life to stop them. How the demoness females had left Olympus without Zeus being the wiser was a mystery, since the God was very diligent in keeping them safe after Bakra was injured the last time. He looked upward toward the full moon, wondering if they were going to be struck by a Zeus bolt when the male caught wind the females were in danger again because of their pack. He sent up a prayer, sighing with contentment when he noticed there were no King children in the vicinity. As long as the little nuggets didn’t appear, he was seventy five percent sure they were fine. He hoped. Fuck they were probably screwed.
“You know, I’m gonna have to ask you to no. Just no.” Nita shook her head. Link loved her gorgeous tresses. He loved the way they felt in his hands when he fucked her or just held her. They were so silky smooth coiling around his fingers.
“Why is it that the females of your mother’s line are so fucking obstinate? It must be from their paternal sides. Our maman always did say we should take out the trash and be done with her. It’s clear that when your mama screwed that beast it made you not so bright, and she was already a few sandwiches short of a picnic.” Chloe let out a loud sigh. “We can salvage this mess though. Although we thought we were coming to rescue Mohini’s daughter, who should’ve been no older than a teenager. I was sure if we took you under our wing we could mold you into a female we could use. Unlike your mother who was a coo-yon. Goddess, she was so easy to fool. I blame Antoinette for this debacle with you though. She had a dream that led us to you, which we were aware of her precognitive abilities, however, we were unaware of the extent she could wield hypnotics. That put a snag in our plans.”
“That’s how you found me was through her dreams?” Nita asked in a slightly bored tone.
Link was definitely going to spank her sexy ass once they had her home, naked, and safe. Yep, she was in big trouble for getting the females angry with her words and for pretending she was unaffected by their revelations. Their Nita wasn’t bored. She was worried. He was too. Hearing someone dreamt about their female was disturbing to say the least.
“Wait. Is this, a stalling technique? You think someone is going to charge in here to save you? That cut on your hand has already done what we needed. Aren’t you feeling tired?” Cheryl asked, smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
Link hated fucking cats. He inhaled, trying to filter through the smells that were foreign to him and see if his female was sick, or worse, infected with something they’d done to her. He only scented her sweetness and her wolf.
His female hopped back on top the black thing that was large enough for her to sit on with room for maybe another person or two to sit next to her. She swung her legs back and forth like a child would if they were on a swing set.
“I think you got it wrong. My mama’s line, as you put it, wasn’t filled with fools, more like she followed her heart which led her to her doom. The truth is I don’t have many good memories of her or the sperm donor who impregnated her. What I do remember is she did her best to protect me from him until the day she couldn’t. He, her mate, who just so happened to have been my sperm donor was an evil bastard, the likes of which the three of you could never fathom. I’ve looked into the eyes of the devil, and I’ve lived to tell the tale. Whatever the fuck it is that you or your fucked up line of fuckery want with me, I want nothing to do with. These females, they’re my family. They chose me, and I choose them right back. I would’ve let you leave, and you know, live your pathetic lives. For all I could’ve cared, the two of you could’ve gone home and talked smack about me. Hell, you could’ve even claimed you took out that crusty beotch that I killed over there. Ps. You’re welcome by the way.”
“We didn’t need you to do anything, child. As a matter of fact, you are still underestimating us, which is going to be your downfall. You should’ve taken our offer when we gave it.” Cheryl began walking around the other side of the fire.
Nita let out a tired sigh. “Listen, I’m getting tired of this, blah blah you two have going on. I took out that female piece of garbage for you, which would’ve been a little difficult for either of you to actually do. But then again, the two of you had this backup plan, or was this the real plan?” Nita spread her hands out on either side of her rubbing the black surface.
“What the hell do you mean? You have no clue what we can do. We have powers far greater than hers. Once we drain you and offer you up as a sacrifice to Papa Legba, he’ll grant us the same power he has.”
“Ah, Chloe dear, you’re the delusional one. And you expect me to what, start shaking like I’m having a seizure. You think because your puny little blade cut my hand that I’m going to become your victim?” Nita lifted her hand to show the females her hand was healed. “See, I’m fine. Oh and if your plan is to use that thing to gut me or slice my throat, or if you’re waiting for me to faint first, you’re screwed.”
Link saw the pure hatred light both females’ faces. If they’d been shifters, they’d have attacked their female regardless of the fact she had backup.
“Nita, do you think those supermodels are going to be able to protect you? We don’t know who they are, but all they did was come to their own deaths.” The one Link thought was Chloe snarled and snapped her fingers.
There was a strange rustling behind the females. A loud grating rattle that was unmistakable to anyone who had been in gator-filled areas became louder. Link looked over to where Tank was hidden and saw he too had picked up on the danger coming at their female.
“Oh fuck off, bitches. That knife can’t cut my tough as steel skin if I won’t allow it, and you have no clue what you’re dealing with when it comes to my friends. Here, is this what you want?” Nita did a very bad impersonation of a person having a seizure.
Link shook his head, wondering why Nita and the others weren’t worried about the danger approaching them.
“Stop it right now, child. I’ve had enough of your antics. You want to know why we know how it is to be with males who are horrendous?” The other female yelled.
“Sure, give me your sob story.” At that, their female began to float up from where she sat, her legs going straight while she levitated several feet from the ground.
‘I think one of the females might’ve pissed her pants.’ Tank’s laughter accompanied his words.
“Our mates were, or rather are shifters. Only they are not men who shift into their other form. They are beasts who only became male when they’re in heat. Do you know how often they’re in heat?” Cheryl screamed the last word like an accusation.
“I have never heard of any such shifter.” Nita shrugged negligently.
“Well, I guess it’s time you meet the rest of your family. Nita, meet your uncles and cousins.” Cheryl pointed behind Nita. The rattling growls were loud as the crocodiles slithered into the clearing.
Link stared in horror at the sizes of the beasts that came into view. Almost a dozen of the huge reptilian things came to a halt several feet from where Nita, Bakra, Menka, and Ezra stood.
“See, I told you those crocodicks were actually shifters,” Bakra declared.
Ezra shoved her in the shoulder. “Now is not the time to declare who is or isn’t correct.”
“I didn’t think there were crocodiles in America, save for some in southern Florida,” Tank muttered. They were all eyeing the things that were rattle growling, sizing them up since they were more than likely the true threat.
With Nita and the other females pinned between the crocs and the crazy bitches, Link’s own beast was howling to destroy. The same emotions were flooding him from the males of his pack who were doing their best to keep hidden.
‘Link, I just asked Hurricane if he’d seen these types of shifters before. He said he’s run into gators he’d been sure were shifters before. They weren’t very social and stuck to themselves, going so far as to hide in the deepest parts of the swamp water where Hurricane and his pack couldn’t sense anything but swamp. He also said there’s been talk of a congregation of them along the southern tip of Florida and a sighting of another group of them in southern Louisiana as well.’ Tank breathed out a frustrated sigh.
‘From what I can see, those things are definitely crocodile shifters. Which if my memory is correct means those bastards are true predators. They’re ancient fuckers that have been around since the dinosaurs. You combine that shit with the ability to shift into humans, and brother, we’re no longer top of the food chain. In fact, those predators just might make us prey unless someone has info on their weaknesses.’ Link pictured what he knew of crocodiles. Their soft underbelly’s could be considered a striking point.
‘Hurricane said that like their counterpart, if we can get their jaws sealed shut then the crocodiles would be rendered somewhat defenseless. Mind you, they still have extremely sharp claws on all four legs, and they can move fast as fuck.’ Tank sent the images Hurricane showed him of crocs running out of the water and grabbing large prey like deer. The image was brutal with the crocodile raking the big buck with its claws, rendering the killing bite and blow as the deer stopped moving almost instantly.
He didn’t want to be caught by those sharp teeth or ripped open by the claws of the greyish creatures, but he’d do anything to protect his female.
‘Looks like we gonna have to jump on the backs of those fuckers and tape their traps shut.’ The grating rattle was loud and honestly a little eerie. He wouldn’t admit that out loud to anyone, knowing the males would give him shit.
‘Don’t forget they also have armored scales on the backs of their bodies that make them hard to kill, not to mention every damn inch of them happens to be a weapon.’ Abe said. His twin was smart when it came to many things. He’d be more alarmed if Abe hadn’t chimed in while Tank and him were mind-speaking.
‘Crocodiles also have a dermal armor that’s highly developed in dorsal longitudinal rows with cervical rows being distinctly separated from those of the back region. Oh, and don’t forget their bite is much worse than anything we’ve ever come across. If they clamp down on us, it’ll be with the power of thirty seven hundred PSI, compared to a normal human whose bite is a hundred and fifty PSI. As a male shifter, our bite is probably in the thousand range, which means they are three times stronger. We need to be smarter.’ Abe sent them images to show what he meant.
Link shook his head, hating the idea that they were outpowered by anything, let alone things stalking their female. His wolf growled low in his throat as they realized the crocs had moved closer. ‘We don’t have time to dick around, brothers. I won’t sit back and watch our females get chewed apart.’
The fire between the bitches, Nita, and the other females began to dance back and forth, making Link’s hackles raise. He sent the image to the males with him. The females clearly weren’t harmless like normal humans. From the scent and color of the smoke billowing upward from the flames, he recognized the sulfuric odor that told of their evil deeds. He’d seen what could happen when people dabbled in the dark magic. He and his pack had lost loved ones and had nearly lost their Fated Mate because their old alpha had gone to the dark side. None of them were prepared to close a blind eye again. Why these females had chosen to do such a stupid thing he didn’t know, and frankly, he didn’t give a fuck.
‘We’re far from alone, Link. Our pack is here,’ Tank growled through the pack link.
With a low growl, Tank and Hurricane motioned for several of their pack to move forward. The crocodiles were too close to their females to stay motionless any longer.
Nita and Bakra stood back-to-back while Menka and Ezra did the same. She and Ezra were watching the females and the flame. While she wasn’t discounting the croc things, she also knew better than to discount the power of a lunatic or two.
“Alrighty then. So it looks like you got you some splaining to do, Chloe dear. What are those croco-things?” Nita hiked her thumb over her shoulder.
“I really hope none of these males was the creeper who tried to crawl up between my thighs and give me head all those years ago. I mean, like I said, I have nothing against that except well, it’s weird. You know, when you’re chillaxing with your girls, and all the sudden, bam, you feel hot breath on your nether regions, so you look down. It’s a fucked up sight to see beady little eyes staring back atcha as this half male, half crocodick, is positioned with their reptilian tongue out as if they’ll die if they don’t get a taste. I get it. I’m very sweet and all the boys want my milkshake, but I was not, I repeat not, shaking it in the yard, or lake,” Bakra said.
“It was a damn swamp, B. That’s why those lizard things were coming out of it.” Menka interrupted Bakra’s story.
“Swamp, lake, beach, it’s all the same if there’s water, sun, and a nice place to lay down.” Bakra shrugged her shoulder.
Ezra bumped Nita’s shoulder. “We were there trying to catch our breaths and heal some wounds after we battled some demon foe. Can’t remember which one and where. I mean we do that a lot, but I remember that situation because I was regrowing my arm. It was kinda gnarly, and B said she knew a place we could chill in safety for a while.”
“But did we die?” Bakra yelled.
“What are you foolish females talking about?” Cheryl asked.
“I think they’re saying that your crocodicks tried to do sexual things that they had no consent to do, and it was creepy because they had beady little eyes staring up at them, which also grossed them out.” Nita finished with a shrug, watching their expressions as she finished.
“They would never do that unless they were in heat, and they’ve been with us for the last fifteen years,” Choe yelled.
Bakra spun so Nita was facing the crocs. “Look female, I don’t know if it was your crocs or some other creepy crocs. All I know is I was almost eaten in a sexual manner by a thing that looks like the largest behind us. However they all look the same to me in that form. He of course shifted when I kicked him in the head with my steel spiked stiletto. Gotta love Christian.”
“Who the fuck is Christian?”
Bakra turned again, facing the crocodiles, but she looked over Nita’s shoulder. “Please tell me you know what red bottom shoes are?”
“Shut up. Just shut up.” Chloe and Cheryl yelled together.
“What did I say?” Nita grinned at the obvious discomfort her announcement was causing.
“You are nothing, and you never would’ve been. Even if you’d come back to our parish, you’d have been nothing. We saw that place you call home,” Cheryl said, snide in every word.
Nita put both hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side. “Oh my, are you saying what I think you’re saying? You think because I live in a trailer park that I’m trash? Darlin’, you have no clue just how amazing our little society is. I’m not only happy I didn’t grow up where you live, but I’m fucking proud as all get out to be a member of the trailer park trash, as you call it. But do you know what I’m even more proud to be?”
