The Royal Lycan Ch. 02

Thanks for waiting, reading and voting. Sorry to anyone who suffered over the wait. I do what I can when I can, though it's true I am prompted by you guys when I just forget.

***

Feeling constricted, Jett slowly opened his eyes and tried to roll onto his back. He couldn't; he was on his side up against a wall. In a fucking closet.

Bill had stashed him for safe keeping. It was basic etiquette, he supposed, not to leave someone in the open whilst vulnerably unconscious.

Jett's fist ploughed through the wooden shutter in his face and he crawled out. He was still in the empty building, third floor up. Blinking away the last remnants of wooziness, Jett gave himself a little shake, stretched his thick arms over his head and cracked his neck and shoulders.

Then he began to pace, considering the insanity of his predicament. It wouldn't do to blindly chase after Bill. He had to approach the situation logically, especially when his agenda was arguably illogical. He had to consider everything he knew before proceeding.

First piece of disturbing news - Tessa was Lycan, likely half-blood. And she had no idea, nor could she immediately recognise that they needed to be together.

Jett raked a hand though his black hair with an exasperated chuckle.

Secondly, Tessa was en route to a dangerous man with a highly ambitious motive. Hector's plans never bothered Jett until now.

Jett paused pacing and rubbed his jaw, feeling a slight stubble graze his palm.

Bill only stole Tessa to save his ass. Which meant Bill wouldn't dare disclose the circumstances to Hector; that Jett and Tessa were highly compatible Lycans. That Jett failed to keep his hands off her.

"Whoah," Jett muttered, drawing a deep breath to cool the heat that flooded his body when he remembered touching Tessa, tasting her. The perfection of her soft, curved butt and the way he'd licked her.

Jett shook his head with a growl and resumed pacing. Bill wouldn't rat him out, and Bill was right in his assessment that Hector wouldn't dream of hiring Jett for a critical job that would compromise him. It was all too important.

Jett stopped and stood tall, hands on hips. Hector didn't know, and Bill won't tell him. Which meant no one would be surprised if he turned up. He was a trusted associate and always welcome on Hector's property, unlike Bill. Hector's gang never took to Bill, and Jett could easily narrow it down to Luca's history with Catherine.

Having decided his next course of action, Jett ran to the basement, immensely relieved when he saw Bill hadn't nicked his weapons or slashed his tyres.

This was a race that didn't allow the luxury of time. He was chasing Tessa. And Tessa's underground group of protectors were chasing him.

***

Tessa waited on the hotel couch with her arms wrapped about her knees. The last 24 hours were rife with tension and uncertainties. A complete stranger had returned in place of Jett and advised that their journey was to resume as normal. Again, she didn't have a choice. Unlike Jett, Bill was impossible to read.

A brusque, giant of a man, Bill resembled an ancient Viking warrior in modern-day clothes. He had a tidy beard, eyes of a pretty blue and shoulder-length blonde hair that looked well-conditioned but needed a comb. That's where his gentle features ended; everything else about him screamed danger. He possessed a cold demeanour, abundant tattoos extending across his chest and biceps, a hulking physique.

Despite a frightening appearance, Bill was a gentleman, if a bit abrupt. There were no snide remarks about her supposed history, no physical manhandling. None of the baffling sexual chemistry that she felt with Jett. Regardless of the stark differences between Bill and Jett's mannerisms, it was very clear she was in Bill's custody.

When Bill removed his jacket and Tessa's attention fell to his forearms, a sight so startling, she was completely unaware of rudely gaping at him. Bill's arms were thick and strong. But from his elbows down were a series of angry red scars, as if he'd tried to cut his wrists several times or fallen victim to some kind of industrial accident.

Bill wasn't offended when he caught her staring. On the contrary, he'd actually smiled, his first since they met, and made an offhand comment about relationship problems. He spoke with wry humour, as if she should get the joke. She didn't.

Bill had left the room to take a phone call, and when he returned, he looked disturbed. Tessa sensed it had a lot to do with her. Bill often stared, but not to engage. He was lost in his own thoughts and appraising her at the same time.

Tessa self-consciously looked away from Bill's fixed gaze, hoping he wasn't a rapist. Eventually Bill rubbed his palms together as though reaching a tough decision. Soon he stood over her, his giant shadow engulfing her small frame, waiting until she dared meet his eyes.

"Open your mouth," he ordered.

"Why?" Tessa asked nervously.

"I want to see your teeth," Bill answered, still staring.

"I don't want to," Tessa faltered, not understanding his motivation. Was this his strange way of asking for a blow job? He didn't look interested in her.

"Ok." He unexpectedly moved on. "You're a virgin?"

"Y-es."

"If I told you to take your clothes off right now, what would you do?"

Tessa gulped. His manner was confusingly more clinical than amorous.

"Well?" he curtly prompted.

"I...I don't want to."

Bill watched her face carefully; his own expression gave nothing away. "Take your clothes off, Theresa."

Distressed, Tessa shook her head, fearfully shrinking from him.

When he continued to scrutinise her, Tessa realised he didn't want answers. He was asking intimate, invasive questions and gauging her reaction.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked tremulously. "What are you looking for?"

"Nothing." Resigned, Bill retreated to stand against the wall facing Tessa. He scrolled through his phone and made a call. "She's submissive. I don't know how ...Yeah, probably. That's Jett for you."

He turned to lean against the wall, watching the heel of his boot scuff the ground. "I don't know about this, love. Jett wasn't himself. Hector couldn't have known. No. I'm not doing that," he said firmly, his eyes sliding back to Tessa.

The voice on the other line, clearly a woman, increased volume.

Bill grunted. "I'm more scared it'll work."

The feminine tone squirrelled away in Bill's ear until he sighed harshly. "The job is going ahead. It has to, for Jett's sake. Don't forget this was your idea, Cat."

Biting his lip, Bill ended the call and approached Tessa, who continued to watch him fearfully.

Bill pulled a gun from the back of his pants and crouched in front of her, gently balancing the weapon on his thigh in a loose grip. He took a deep breath.

SMACK!

Tessa was suddenly on her side, shocked and winded by the unexpected slap. Clasping her hand to her burning cheek, she scrambled away from Bill, who slightly tilted his head, studying her. When Tessa's eyes filled with tears and her lip trembled, Bill tucked the gun away.

"Sorry, Theresa," he gruffly apologised, his eyes worried. "I won't hurt you again." He paused. "Did Jett tell you anything?"

"My name isn't Theresa," Tessa said shakily, still rattled from the blow. "What Jett said so far...I think he's wrong."

"Yeah." Bill looked away. "There's a lot wrong with this world."

Tessa could tell he wasn't happy about the situation; that a part of him sympathised with her. "Will you take me home?" she tried hopefully.

Bill stared at his boots for a long time before dragging his gaze to meet Tessa's.

"To your new home, yes."

***

Three men occupied a large, lavishly furnished room. The first, Pavel, stood by the window, average height, stocky build, black hair that curled over the tops of his ears and tawny brown eyes. Aimlessly staring at the outside greenery, extending to the border of a golf course, he wore a navy suit that gave off an air of stoic respectability. Where his suit jacket gaped open, two guns were visibly holstered to his chest.

The second man in a black suit, Luca, sat in an armchair by the fireplace, before which Hector calmly paced.

There was a gun by his hip, but unlike Pavel and Luca's weaponry it was more decorative, and he was clearly unlikely to require it. His clothes were casual but expensive; beige slacks, sky-blue t-shirt stretched tightly across well-conditioned pecs. A solid gold chain lay over the shirt. His light blonde hair was cut very short, a military look. Despite a handsome face, his blue eyes were cold and unsettlingly piercing.

"I wanted Doc here to meet her," Hector irritably muttered. "Have you heard from him?"

Luca lazily stretched his long limbs out with a sigh. "He's probably still on a plane, Hector."

Hector shook his head. "No. He's taking too long."

"You want me to send more people to look for him?" Luca tiredly offered. "We have guys at the airport. There's nothing else we can do but wait."

Pavel checked his phone when it buzzed. "She's on the way up," he confirmed.

"Do you want us to leave?" Luca asked.

Hector paused his slow pacing and stared contemplatively at the flames flickering up the fireplace. "I thought you'd be anxious to meet her, Luca."

Luca smirked. "It would be wise not to startle her."

"Stay. She's going to be seeing a lot of you," Hector shrugged and settled into the armchair opposite Luca. Pavel left the window to stand behind Hector's chair.

All eyes moved to the door when it opened. Bill and Tessa were ushered in, the latter looking utterly miserable.

Though Bill wasn't a chirpy character, there was a grimness to his face that conveyed he wasn't happy about the situation. He gripped Tessa's upper arm as though she were a flight risk, but quickly released her when Hector's attention fell to his hand with raised eyebrows.

"Theresa, this is Hector," Bill curtly introduced them. "He will settle you into a new life."

Tessa was certain everyone in the room could hear her heart thumping. She gulped and glanced around, noting the men intently watching her, not giving anything away. She looked up at Bill by her side, also watching her, looking tempted to say something. His uncertainty frightened her.

Panicking, Tessa broke gaze and her eyes locked with the man in the black suit, who immediately grinned and vacated his seat. At first glance Tessa mistook Luca for Hector. Luca was built, chiselled, with serious features. But his eyes silently laughed at her. Whoever he was, he wasn't nervous or guarded, the way an employee of a dangerous man should be.

"Please," Hector gestured the empty space opposite. Luca's fingers curled invitingly across the top of the chair. Tessa felt like the invitation was rife with innuendo.

Tessa swallowed again and slowly left Bill's side to sit opposite Hector. She felt her skin crawling from so much male attention; especially the one standing directly behind her. She didn't like Luca; she didn't like the way he'd smiled at her. His face was wicked, as though he knew something she didn't. Her eyes flew up from her palms to meet Hector's, silently scrutinising her with the smallest smile of satisfaction.

This was the man who had organised an abrupt kidnapping, who'd hired a gunman to steal her in the night. The man whom Jett crudely said was going to force her into a marriage and pregnancy.

"The man behind you is Luca," Hector clarified, leaning forward slightly. "The one behind me is Pavel," he playfully tilted his head. "They're part of my security unit, so you're going to be spending a lot of time with them. Don't be afraid; they're like family."

You don't have any family.

Tessa wasn't receptive to Hector's reassurances. She didn't like his confident honey-tone. His deep voice was like velvet; deceptively smooth, dangerous. She already missed Jett's rough, brusquely masculine way. There was no pretence about Jett.

"You're very elegant, Tessa," Hector went on, smiling when she started at the use of her everyday name. "I look forward to getting to know you better."

He's going to rape you.

She looked back to Bill, standing tall and silent, her eyes pleading with him to intervene.

Tessa's stomach clenched when Bill didn't move. She returned Hector's perusal, discovering she was wrong about her virginity; it had absolutely no effect on her sex drive. She didn't feel any attraction to Hector, nothing like the unsmotherable urge she felt toward Jett.

Hector was classically good-looking, very clean-cut, tidily dressed. But there was something lethal in his eyes that made her think of a cage fighter, who shouldn't be let out of the cage. His hands, casually linked as his forearms rested on his knees, looked brutally strong. The man emitted an essence of violence that no one else seemed to notice. It certainly bothered her.

"There's no need to be shy with me, Tessa." Amused by her silence, Hector lazily clicked his fingers at Pavel. "Money."

Bill numbly accepted the thick metal suitcase, his eyes on Tessa, who was again staring down at her palms.

"Bill, you never explained why Jett couldn't make the delivery," Hector interrupted Bill's daze. "Why didn't he contact me, himself?"

Bill gruffly cleared his throat to conceal his nervousness. "A precaution to protect your interests. He suspected a tail."

Hector looked pleased. "Ah. Appreciated." His gaze was again fixed on Tessa's face, observing her discomfort. "I won't be offended if you want to count it, Bill. It's probably the most money I've paid anyone for a job."

Bill glanced at the case in his hands, suddenly remembering its existence, knowing only a suicidal fool would openly question Hector's honour. Of course, Hector would be insulted if he chose to count it. If Luca didn't fill him with bullets, someone waiting outside the room would finish the job. Hector liked to play games; always sending polite little death invitations on a whim.

"No need," Bill said tersely, slightly fidgeting with the case in his hands, his eyes darting between Hector and Tessa.

"Then give my best to Jett, won't you?" Hector smiled at the embarrassed blush that filled Tessa's cheekbones at Jett's mention.

Bill didn't answer.

"Is there a problem, Bill?" Luca queried Bill's hesitancy, the warmth completely gone from his face, now filled with menacing hostility. He only ever looked at Bill with a dense hatred. Bill knew exactly why, everyone did, and it gave him a lot of satisfaction.

"Nope." Bill's grip on the case tightened, he stole a last look at Tessa's pale, stricken face and stalked from the room.

"Well, he's not winning any personality awards," Hector smirked as the door slammed behind Bill. He reached for Tessa's hand, catching it before she could retreat. "She's so adorably timid," he murmured, his eyes flickered up to meet Luca's before returning to Tessa's. "You're alright, aren't you, Tessa?"

"N-Not really," she uttered, squirming in the seat and feeling Luca's gaze burning the top of her head. She missed a female presence. Sara, her sassy friend at the diner, would have sprung a few good comebacks by now.

But all Tessa understood was that she had no choices, and she certainly wasn't comfortable expressing her resistance surrounded by strange gunmen who stared at her as though she'd stepped out of a crashed meteorite.

Pavel's soft laugh broke the quiet.

"Shush," Hector chastised over his shoulder, squeezing Tessa's hand, his thumb drawing circles on her skin. "You have nothing to fear. Trust me."

Jett's words crashed through her mind, and she felt increasingly faint.

'You have nothing to fear from him.'

'He's going to marry and impregnate you.'

'You'll do everything he says, like the little bitch you are.'

Tessa felt suspended. Male voices circled her for a time. Hector's came through clearly.

"This is promising," he remarked in a pleased tone that struck Tessa as particularly callous in the moment.

Feeling smothered in the firm embrace of a man, a spicy cologne filled her nostrils. Tessa blinked at up Luca, who'd caught her before she could hit the floor. His dark fringe came close to crossing his vision; he smiled that knowing smile, flashing a row of white teeth. He reminded her of an image she once saw on the cover of a romance novel, a brooding Italian billionaire. Amused by her scrutiny, Luca cocked an eyebrow and addressed Hector.

"I suggest rest; give her time to process things," he advised. "She's probably been through the ringer, Hector. Then there are the tests."

"How right you are." Hector was on his feet, his hands in his pockets, peering down at them. "I'll leave you in Luca's capable hands, Tessa. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. One of many to come, I'm sure." His eyes moved to Luca. "I'll have dinner with Tessa in my room, say seven o'clock." Then he strode off without a backward glance.

Tessa quietly whimpered when Luca's arm curled about her waist to gently lift her to her feet.

"You're not at all what I expected," he said, pinching her chin to smile into her face, his tone mildly disappointed. "Come on, green eyes."

"Wait!" Tessa gasped; her feet abruptly swept from the floor. "Don't! I can walk!"

"You fainted," Luca pointed out. "You're my responsibility."

Feeling uncomfortably faint again, Tessa turned her face to the warmth of his neck. The intimate contact combined with a complete lack of familiarity made her skin crawl. "I want to go home."

It was as if Luca never heard her.

***

Tessa felt she was lucky to have been allowed to pick her clothes for the evening, given Luca shadowed her like a cop supervising a dangerous felon.

After the blood tests, gunmen escorted her to an apartment where Luca was waiting. The suit was gone, and he seemed deceivingly casual in black jeans and a green sweater. Only the gun at his hip indicated he wasn't as harmless as he appeared. His eyes were still wicked, his expression often switched between sombre and teasing.

Tessa quickly noticed her quarters were grander than anywhere she'd stayed before, overtly fancy. She didn't like it.

Luca patiently waited in the loungeroom while she showered and dressed in a basic blue jumper and black jeans, forcing her mind to move beyond the fact the large array of clothes and shoes were all her size. When she was ready, Luca silently walked her into the elevator, down the hall to Hector's suite.

Tessa was shaking as he reached over her shoulder to knock on the redwood door. It swung open and Hector beamed at them, in black tracksuit pants and an open white robe.

Tessa's eyes widened at his solid bare chest. There were tattoos, very different to Bill's. Too many skulls. Yuck.

"Good luck," Luca murmured by her ear, and lightly pushed her into the room.

Tessa lightly stumbled and turned with alarm as the door closed her in with Hector.

"Here," he placed a glass of water into her hand. "You look like you need this."

"No, I..."

"Relax." His hand was lightly on the small of her back and he inclined his head to the dining table stocked with dishes, gently steering her toward it.

Once she was safety seated, Hector settled into the chair opposite. "Firstly, Tessa, I want to thank you for being so cooperative."

'You're going to do everything he tells you to do, like the little bitch you are.'

Tessa's face tightened; her stomach quaked with nausea. Hector's gentlemanly behaviour was terrifying. The fear was pure anticipation; waiting for the veil to lift and show her the monster inside. She knew it was there.

As much as she wanted to run away screaming, she hadn't been alone since Bill handed her over, and she had no idea how to get through the seemingly endless corridors and rooms to the outside.