Claimed by the Beast - Part One by Dawn Michelle Read Free Book Online Page A

what’s going on.”
    “The Beast that bit you got your scent and
tasted your blood. He won’t stop until he has you and makes you
his.”
    “You mean kills me and eats me?”
    “Probably,” Gwen said matter-of-factly. “But
that’s only if you can’t survive being bred.”
    Crystal’s jaw fell open.
    Gwen nodded. “He’s not like us.”
    “What’s he like then?”
    Gwen smiled. “A beast. Cunning, strong, and
deadly, but not like us. He can’t shift, like we can.”
    “Shift? You mean, um, like what Ember
did?”
    “Yes.”
    “So wait, you mean that thing under the
bridge—the Beast—it’s always like that?”
    “Yes.”
    “What about all this talk about being
poisoned?”
    She nodded. “It will weaken you after a
while, make you easier to find. That way he can find you and—”
    “And breed me?” Crystal whispered.
    Gwen nodded. “Unless you’re too weak. Then
he’ll just kill you.”
    “So I’m screwed any way you look at it.”
    Gwen winced.
    Crystal frowned and realized her choice of
words. She groaned. “That’s not what I meant, but I guess it’s
true.”
    “Yes,” Gwen agreed.
    “But you said I could fight it?”
    “We have to kill him,” Gwen said. “Then
he’ll stop hunting you. We hurt him the other night but he’ll be
recovered soon, if not already.”
    “Won’t I still be poisoned?”
    “Yes, but we’ll try to help you beat the
poison. It’s been done before.”
    “Oh, cool. Um, okay. What do I have to
do?”
    “Spend as much time with us as you can.
You’ll need our strength and knowledge and protection.”
    “What about school? And my mom? And thanks,
but as cool as Hank is, I’m not going to just start staying here
with him.”
    Gwen sighed. “Ember will stay with you
then.”
    “What?” Crystal said while shaking her head.
Maybe the trailer wouldn’t be so bad. She could almost stretch out
on the loveseat…
    “She won’t be happy about it either,” Gwen
agreed. “Would you like to reconsider?”
    Crystal groaned. “No. but how’s she going to
go to school with me? And my mom’s not going to be happy having
some strange girl hanging out. Especially one who dresses like she
does!”
    “You’ll have to figure it out,” Gwen said.
“Or we can just leave you to—”
    “No!” Crystal blurted. “I’ll, um, I’ll
figure something out. Jesus, this is messed up!”
    Gwen smiled and stood up. “You should come
out with me. You need to be there when I tell the others.”
    “I thought Guntar was the leader?”
    “He is,” Gwen said with a twinkle in her
eyes.
    “Is he going to agree to all of this?”
    “Yes,” she said. “I’m his mate.”
    “Oh,” Crystal said, even though she didn’t
understand. “Um, what if he doesn’t want to do it that way?”
    “I’m his mate,” she repeated. “He’ll do what
I tell him. Haven’t you ever had a boy wrapped around your finger
before?”
    Crystal winced. She remembered how Hank had
deferred to her when she asked him to leave. She suspected there
was more to it, but Gwen was already opening the door. She took a
breath to steady herself and stood up to follow her.
    She hoped Ember had changed back and put her
clothes on, at least.
     
     

Chapter 9
     
    Crystal opened the front door and saw her
mom sitting at her desk, working on some paperwork. “Hey, Mom, um,
I’ve got kind of a big favor to ask.”
    Brandy Davis looked up from her stack of
bills and smiled. “What’s wrong? Is—oh, hello. I’m Crystal’s mom.
Please, call me Brandy.”
    Crystal turned and saw Ember smile. “Brandy?
Hi. I’m Ember.”
    “Amber?”
    “Ember,” the redhead said with a touch of
edge to her voice.
    “Oh, I’m sorry. That’s an unusual name. Very
pretty though,” Crystal’s mom added.
    “So, anyhow, uh, Ember is the problem,”
Crystal interrupted. She ignored the almost silent growl from the
redhead and continued. “She moved into town recently and her dad
had to fly back out West to take