Somewhere in the back of my mind, it occurs to me that a bear wouldn’t be the size of a small wolf, but technicalities are the least of my worries right now.
The animal barks and snaps his teeth, his black body barreling through the trees and bushes like he was born to run here. Letting a stream of curses fly from my mouth, I kick up my heels and start running.
Faster than I ever have before.
The monster is hot on my heels when I reach the chain link fence marking the Malik Palace expansion. Over a hundred miles long, the barren land lies empty save for some construction vehicles and the odd telephone pole erupting out of the ground.
Launching off a nearby rock, I hit the fence hard and start climbing, shredding skin and fabric as I scramble to get my legs over the top.
Razor sharp teeth sink into my ankle and I scream, kicking and trying to get the beast off before he tears me to pieces. My heel makes contact with the animal’s face and he yelps, releasing my leg and giving me all the motivation I need to make it onto the other side.
Falling to the ground, I roll onto my shoulder and pop back up on an ankle that has seen better days. Blood oozes from the wound, and I hope to hell this animal didn’t just give me rabies.
“You really need to work on your manners, mate.” Wincing at the throb radiating up my leg, I scold the dog pacing behind the fence, “A simple hello would have sufficed.”
My comment must strike a nerve because he throws himself at the fence, snarling and chomping around the wires like a fiend. I shake my head, watching the muscle ball try and eat his way through the barrier between us.
“Maybe we started off on the wrong foot, but that’s not to say we can’t be friends.”
He growls, the sound noticeablynotfriendly.
“Fine. Be a bitch if that’s what you... holy shit.” Squinting at the dog’s neck, I spy the mass number of diamonds decorating the beast’s neck, “You belong to someone?”
Ronan.
The blinged out letters has a laugh escaping my throat. That collar’s got to be worth a couple thousand pounds, easy, andthat’s before you take into account the gold pendant swinging from his neck.
Ronan’s got himself a sugar mama, the lucky bastard.
“Hey, if I return you to your owner maybe we could make a trade...”
My words die off when I realize the beast is nowhere in sight. Whipping my head to the side, I scan the fence for a hole or something equally disastrous for my physical health.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
My legs start pumping even before the barking starts up behind me.
“You don’t have to be such a dick!”
The corresponding growl tells me Ronan didn’t appreciate that comment. His hot breath hits the back of my leg and that’s my cue to go airborne.
Picking up the pace, I aim for the pile of discarded pallets. The dingy boards are mostly broken down, their uneven edges leaning precariously against a pile of dirt. Pushing off with my good ankle, I jump towards the top pallet, using the extra boost to reach up and grab the metal rung sticking out of the telephone pole.
Ronan jumps with me, his teeth almost catching my pant leg as I kick my toes up and swing myself over the top.
Hovering over the bar in a handstand, I offer Ronan my middle finger.
It’s been over a decade since I wore a leotard, but it may as well have been yesterday. Splitting my legs like a pro, I lower themslowly back down to the bar, bending myself in half until my toes grip the rusty edge.
My core clenches and my arms tremble as I reposition myself, carefully transitioning my bodyweight onto my lower half. Ronan watches, unimpressed, as I finish off my party trick with a salute in his direction.
“Not bad for a retired gymnast, yeah?”
“I’d give it a seven out of ten.”
A purr slinks out of the shadows, the seductive sound followed by an equally tempting blonde. Calista grins up at me, the evil glint in her eyes offset by the sweet curve of her mouth.
I would be lying if I said Calista Drache wasn’t my type. Beautiful and vicious with a twisted sense of humour, she’s the type of woman who would slit my throat just as easily as she would stick her tongue down it. Any self-preserving man would take one look at this vixen and run for the fucking hills.
