A Billionaire's Roar (Charmed in Vegas Book 4) Page 8

  “Draco took you? That son of a bitch.”

  Draco? He must be the devil man. The name fit. “You should know. You ordered him to drug me then kidnap me”. Oh, God. She had lost her mind talking to Max inside her head; and he was answering her!

  She rubbed her eyes and then massaged her scalp, trying to keep the drugs from messing with her further.

  “I did not ask Draco to do anything of the sort,” came his reply. “Are you in a house or a hotel room?”

  “I’m in a house in the desert,” Elise answered without thinking. Fuck. Talking to herself had to be the first step toward insanity. When her body shook too hard to control it, she crawled into a fetal position to make the voices stop. Her mind spun and she nearly vomited from the confusion.

  “Hang on. Nikolai and I are on our way.”

  Elise planted her hands over her ears. “Stop it. Stop it.”

  A noise sounded outside her room and she lowered her arms. Heart pumping way too fast, she tried to figure out what that devil man Draco was doing out there. While she didn’t want to leave her safe little haven between the bed and the wall, she had to find some way to escape. As much as she wished that someone were on the way to save her, she wouldn’t entertain such nonsense. Believing the voices in her head would mean she was truly insane.

  She would be better off to admit she was all alone with no one to save her but herself.

  Move. If she could open a window, she could crawl out. From there, she’d figure a way to return to downtown Las Vegas. She stood, but because her head spun so much, she had to plant her palms on the wall for balance. Damn. When her world stopped spinning, she checked the window. Crap. It had bars covering it. How had she not noticed that before?

  Think. Think.

  Light from the full moon shone in the window. While making love with Max had been the most amazing experience in her life, being taken for a fool had been the worst. How had he expected her to believe that he was a man who could change into an animal? Max, Max, Max. She’d been stupid and so naïve.

  “Sweetheart, we’re almost there.”

  “Stop it.” Wanting the voices to cease, Elise slapped the side of her head in an attempt to knock some sense into her thick skull. Needing some fresh air, she lifted the sash. On the off chance the bars were rusty, she grabbed hold and yanked hard but they didn’t budge. “God damn it.”

  The more she thought about her last few days, the angrier she became, and now being kidnapped was the icing on the proverbial cake. What was Max trying to prove? That he was bigger and stronger than her? Did he expect to win her back by snatching her?

  The bedroom door opened and she spun around. Draco stood there with a tray in his hands. “Are you hungry?”

  The humiliation, coupled with her unacceptable situation caused her to lose it. Not thinking about anything except escaping, she lowered her head and charged. His eyes widened as she leaped into the air and when she knocked him down the tray went sprawling. He reached up to grab her, but she managed to knock his arm out of the way.

  What the fuck? Orange fur striped her arms and large animal claws extended from her fingers, but her mind wasn’t able to comprehend what she was seeing.

  Her flight mechanism shot into overdrive and she swiped at his face to get away, but before she made contact, the red-faced man disappeared from underneath her. What the hell?

  “Elise!” The shout sounded like it came from Max and her heart sputtered.

  Feet pounded and Nikolai and Max raced toward her. “Get Draco,” Max commanded to the magician. He then turned to her. “You’re going to be okay.”

  Elise wasn’t so sure. She’d just exchanged one captor for another. Elise backed up into the bedroom. Wait a minute. Why was he so tall? She was standing, or so she thought. Elise looked down and freaked out again at all the fur and big paws. Lifting her head, she let out a roar and nearly passed out from the fear and confusion.

  Max held up his hands. “Take it easy.”

  Take it easy? Like hell. Grunts and curses came from the living room. She glanced in that direction and spotted Draco holding out a palm at Nikolai who was laughing. She tried to ask Max what was going on, but no words would form.

  Only then did the facts fall into place. Oh, shit, she really had shifted into a tiger.

  9

  Despite her gritted teeth and extended claws, Elise was the most gorgeous tiger he’d ever seen—orange with black and tan stripes. She swiped a paw at him, but Max managed to move out of the way. Poor Elise. His heart cracked at the anger radiating off her. The next few minutes would be critical, and he wanted to make them as easy as possible.

  Elise bared her teeth at him, causing Max to grimace. The last thing he wanted was an out-and-out fight. He could shift, but that might upset her more.

  He glanced to the open doorway, needing to make sure Draco wouldn’t pull another demon stunt. “Nikolai, do you have Draco under control?”

  “As much control as I can have him under for the moment, but his powers will come back shortly, so you need to hurry.”

  Nikolai had been able to block the demon’s powers for a few minutes, but no doubt Draco would draw on some hidden power to overcome the three of them. To keep Elise safe for a few minutes, Max closed the bedroom door and returned his attention to her.

  “I know you’re scared, but I need you to shift back into your human form. It’s the only way to leave here undetected.”

  She growled and walked around the room, her tail flicking right then left. “You ass. What did you do to me?” she telepathed.

  “Listen to me, Elise. Think of something pleasant—like your girlfriends or your favorite place back home. Then take some deep breaths and try to rid your mind of the anger coursing through your body.” Anger had made her shift into a tiger in the first place—that and his bite. “I know you’re struggling with the whole concept of having your life turned upside down, but you have to trust me.”

  “Trust you? That’s rich.”

  With Elise’s gaze on him, she backed up and her butt hit the bed. Max moved closer, and when she didn’t try to bite him, he knelt in front of her and held out his hand for her to sniff. When she did, he petted her head. “That’s a good girl.”

  Encouraged by her calm, he unbuttoned his navy blue shirt. When he slipped it off his shoulders, her eyes turned a golden hue, and he smiled at the small step toward success. A few seconds later, fur flew and claws scraped across the carpet. Elise turned back into a woman—albeit a very naked one. Her transformation was a bit clumsy and unorthodox, but he was thrilled to have her return.

  He held out his shirt. “How about putting this on?”

  She looked down. “Holy shit. How did I end up naked? I mean, I remember I was dressed but I don’t remember you taking my clothes off.”

  Max blew out a breath. As much as she needed to hear his explanation, once the demon’s powers returned, things could get out of hand. “I didn’t, but can we table this discussion for the moment? There’s a man out there, or rather a demon, who kidnapped you for some reason. I imagine he’d like to keep you here, so we need to leave now before he overpowers Nikolai.”

  Elise ran her palms down her sides, probably to see if his shirt covered her sufficiently. She glanced around for something and rushed over to pick up her shredded shoes. “Oh, no.”

  “I’ll buy you new ones, I promise. Come on.” He spotted her purse and slung it over his shoulder. She appeared a bit dazed—as would anyone who had just been drugged, kidnapped, and turned into a tiger.

  Max pulled the door open and found the demon strapped to a chair. “Your powers amaze me,” Max said to Nikolai.

  His friend grinned. “Why, thank you.” With Draco contained, Max approached the evil man.

  “Why did you take Elise?” he demanded.

  “If I’d known you had already mated with her, I wouldn’t have. I wanted Sari to convince you that she was the woman for you.” From the bitterness in his tone, he was ang
rier at himself for miscalculating.

  “That’s not how it works. After this stunt, I don’t want you to ever step foot in my casino again. That goes for Sari too.”

  The demon held up his middle finger. “Fuck you.”

  “That’s all you got.”

  The chair splintered and Draco was on his feet tossing flames toward him and Elise. “Nikolai, get her out of here.”

  His Beta dashed to her side, blocked her body with his, and rushed out of the house. As Draco tried to move past Max toward Elise, he shifted and charged. Claws extended, he leapt onto Draco and dragged him to the ground. Just as he swiped a claw across Draco’s neck, the demon disappeared.

  What the fuck?

  Fire licked his backside, forcing Max to whip around. Draco laughed. “You can’t take me down. I should have challenged you long ago. You’ve been a pain in my ass.”

  Then why had he stayed? Right—he was more afraid of the vampires.

  His tiger circled the enemy, waiting for the moment when Draco was distracted. Max would kill the fucker—or rather he’d turn him to ashes and send his soul back to Hades.

  Draco waved a finger at him. “My daughter would have made a great Alpha’s mate. For all I’ve done for you, she deserved to be the queen on the casino.”

  Draco was delusional. Sari’s enjoyment in life came from luring men, not capturing them. Draco just wanted control over Max’s money—not to make his daughter happy.

  “Now, after I kill you, I’ll deliver your head on a silver platter,” Draco said.

  The demon threw back his head and laughed. Max crouched low and sprung, his teeth sinking into Draco’s neck and his claws jamming into his shoulders. The demon screamed and his knees buckled, forcing both of them to crash to the ground. Before he could extract his claws, Draco rolled them over and Max banged his head on the edge of the coffee table. Stunned, he released his hold on the demon.

  Blood pooled out of the demon’s neck, but he managed to kneel. It wouldn’t do him any good. He was dying. So long, Draco.

  The demon’s eyes fluttered, but even with blood seeping from his neck, shoulder, and mouth, Draco raised his arm and shot a stream of fire from his palm. Max watched in disbelief as the flame missed him by inches then fizzled.

  Draco needed to go back to Hades where he belonged. The demon grabbed ahold of the sofa and leveraged himself to a stand. Max realized he had to finish him off, once and for all—or die himself.

  Now close to full strength again, Max roared, and then ran full speed at Draco, half expecting the demon to disappear the moment of contact. Only Draco never moved. His tiger plowed into him, once more dragging the demon to the ground. If a ripped neck wouldn’t kill the fucker, he’d have to rip out his heart—assuming he had one.

  Max opened his mouth as wide as he could and then dug his incisors into the demon’s chest. Draco’s eyes went wide as he gasped for breath. His body twitched then turned to ashes.

  Max’s heart pounded so hard, he leaned back on his haunches for a moment, needing to regroup. Draco was where he belonged—in Hades with the rest of his kind.

  Worried about Elise, Max shifted back into his human form, his hands and mouth covered in Draco’s blood. He took a few minutes to clean up in the kitchen then looked around to see if he could salvage any of his clothes. His shirt, jacket, and pants were in shreds. Damn.

  “Elise, can you ask Nikolai to bring in my spare clothes from the trunk,” he telepathed to her.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  Max waited by the front door, not wanting Elise to see the devastation should she decide to bring in his clothes herself. A minute later, both Nikolai and Elise came to the door, but he turned her around as soon as she tried to step in. “You don’t need to see this.”

  Nikolai glanced to the carnage. “I’ll call someone to clean up the mess.”

  “Thank you.” Other than wiping up the blood and ashes, and righting a few pieces of furniture, there wasn’t much to do.

  Max quickly dressed, and as he escorted Elise to the car, she clung to his arm. “What happened in there? I was so scared when he charged after me.”

  Max pulled her close to his chest. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

  She stilled. “Is he dead?”

  Not wanting to keep anything from her again. “Let’s just say he’s in Hell where he belongs.” He turned to Nikolai. “Mind driving?”

  “Not at all.”

  Once they were seated in the back, Elise snuggled against his chest. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” Max asked.

  She ran a hand down his chest. “I’m not completely sure.” Her whole body shook and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her. “One minute I’m in a limo on the way to the hospital to visit you and the next, that freaky red-faced devil man sticks me with a needle and clamps his hand over my face.” Her voice shook.

  Her story wasn’t making sense. “Back up and start from the beginning. Why would you go to the hospital? Were you having issues with the bite?” Guilt assaulted him once more. He’d caused all of this mess to happen. If only he hadn’t lost control and scratched Elise, she wouldn’t have had to go through this traumatic experience.

  “No. Draco said you’d been in an accident. Otherwise, I never would have gotten into the car with him. He creeped me out, but since he worked for you, I thought I could trust him.”

  His sweet, innocent Elise. He loved her. For the first time in his life, he didn’t even question his admission. “Then what?”

  “I woke up in that room, but I don’t know how long I was there.” She let out a long breath, seemingly more in control.

  “You left me last night, if that helps.”

  “That means I was only there a few hours. At least that creep didn’t touch me.”

  If Draco had assaulted her, every demon in Las Vegas would pay. His teeth extended and his bones cracked as the anger swept over him. Max closed his eyes for a second, forcing himself to calm down. For Elise’s sake, he had to.

  She twisted toward him. “How did you find me?”

  He leaned back against the seat. “You called out my name.”

  She shook her head. “But you answered. How was that possible? When you asked me to get your clothes from the car, I heard you as clearly as if you were standing next to me.”

  Max stroked her cheek. “There’s so much I need to tell you. For starters, when two people are mated, they are linked telepathically.”

  “Can you tell what I’m saying now?” she telepathed, her eyes narrowing as if challenging him.

  “Yes, I can.”

  Her eyes widened. “That’s amazing, incredible, and unbelievable.”

  He grinned as real happiness filled him for the first time in a long while. “I know, and there are so many things we need to explore. Are you ready to take the adventure with me?”

  “Do I have a choice? I mean, whether I want to be or not, I am a weretiger.”

  “That’s true. And don’t forget I can always get in your head.” He winked.

  “There is that.” She pressed her lips together. “What do you mean by adventure?”

  Damn. Perhaps he was moving too fast. “I just meant that I want to make sure you are comfortable with your tiger self and that I want to help.”

  Elise nodded and leaned her head back against the seat. “I need help, and I don’t want anyone else but you to guide me.”

  Relief washed through him at her acceptance—or maybe he should say wary acquiescence.

  He scanned her delicious body and could see she’d need more than his shirt to enter the casino. He pulled out his phone and called Charmaine, the woman who would be manning the concierge station for the evening. He was well aware that Elise might rip through a few more sets of clothing before the night was over, especially if he flew her to one of his favorite places. Once Charmaine answered, he explained the situation.

  Max pressed the phone against his chest. “What size are
you?” he asked Elise. “You’ll need some pants and shoes, along with a better top.”

  “As a woman or a tiger?” she replied.

  He was thrilled Elise could actually joke at a time like this. It was going to be such a delight to learn about all her quirks, desires, dreams, and fears. “As a woman.”

  She nodded toward Nikolai then held out her hand for the phone. “There are some things a woman doesn’t divulge in public.”

  He chuckled and handed her his cell. Elise turned her back and whispered her sizes. With his excellent hearing, he heard every one, including her shoe size. “She wants to speak with you again,” Elise said as she gave him back his phone.

  “Just so you know, you have nothing to be ashamed of about your body. I adore your lush curves and full breasts,” Max said before he answered Charmaine. “Hey. Yes, we’ll be arriving at the back entrance in about twenty minutes. Can you meet us there? Thanks.” He faced Elise. “All set.”

  “You didn’t have to do that. You could have gone to my room and picked up my stuff.”

  She must not be used to having anyone do nice things for her. Max's heart tightened when he saw the confusion on Elise's face. Had no one ever cared for her before? The thought made him angry, and he vowed he would spend the rest of his life showing her she was worthy of protection. She was his mate and that meant he would do anything to make her happy. “I know, but I wanted to.” Max reached out and squeezed her hand.

  When they arrived, the concierge was there with a bag in her hands. Max pushed open the door and Charmaine leaned in. “I didn’t know what type of shoes you’d like, so I purchased sandals. I didn’t have a lot of time to shop.”

  Max was amazed she was able to buy as much as she did in such a short period of time. “We’ll make do,” he said. “And remind me to give you a raise.”

  “That’s not necessary, sir.” She closed the door and rushed back inside.

  Having Elise dress in the car might not be the best or most private, but no one was behind the casino and Nikolai promised to keep his eyes shut. Max opened the bag and lifted the undies. Just touching the silky material and picturing them on Elise’s body had his cock hard. “I hope these fit.”