Free Torq's Acceptance (Chaetdorian Mates Book 2) by E.M Reders

Chapter 1
     
    She'd done it again.
    She'd made him angry.
    Hadn't she learnt her mistake the last time?
    Never use his mug.
    Never give him any other but his mug.
    And finally, the most important rule of all... Never break his mug!
    His fist flying fast towards her, she braced herself for impact. She knew better than to put her hands up to defend herself; that would only lead to another beating.
    Pain exploded through her jaw and she knew it was broken. Then he hit her ribs and she knew they had suffered the same fate. These were all injuries she had sustained at his hand before.
    His fists kept coming, the pain never ending. Why wasn't he stopping? Blood was pouring from her lip, her nose, even her ear.
    This was it. This was the time he would kill her. He would never stop until she took her last breath, maybe not even then.
    Then the pain stopped. The screams of agony no longer needed as pleasure replaced the pain.
    What the Hell?
    Warm lips ran down from her neck, kissing and licking her flesh. Hands caressed her sensitive breasts, teasing her nipples with sharp tweaks and twists. When she felt a warm body settle between her thighs, she pushed up onto her elbows to get a better look at her mysterious lover.
    Eyes like a million supernovas, blazing red tattoos spiralling over his shoulders and down his arms. Who was he?
    "You are mine," the stranger growled, flashing his fangs.
     
    Alice woke gasping for breath.
    What was that? Did she eat too much cheese the night before? She always dreamed of him , of Frank. The nightmares had been a nightly occurrence since she’d awoken in the hospital after the beating that had almost taken her life. But an inhuman lover with fangs? No, that had never occurred before.
    Sitting up, she looked at the clock beside her bed. 4.30am. Too early to phone her friends. Not that she would tell them about her x-rated dream.
    But what a dream it was. If not for the fact she had sworn off all men for the rest of her life, she would happily dream of him every night. But she had sworn off men, and having dreams about strange, freaky ones - even if they were hot - was not what she needed right now.
    Climbing out of bed, she made her way to the small bathroom across the hall after checking that no one was around. She had been staying in a hostel since Frank's final beating, and while no men were allowed in the building, she was still paranoid when alone, especially at night.
    Jumping into the shower, she did her best to scrub away the memory of both her fear and excitement from the dreams.
    Afterwards, her flesh a little pink from her forceful scrubbing, she made her way back to her room to watch a DVD. Hopefully watching one of her favourite shows would help keep the exhaustion at bay. Well, keep her awake at least, as was always tired lately.
    She was just getting comfy, the Mrs Brown's Boys theme tune singing away when her phone began to ring.
    It was 5am, who would be calling her at this hour?
    One word... Katie.
    Answering the call to one of her best and closest friends, she asked, "What's he done now?" Or should that be whose he done now?
    Katie seemed to have bad luck with men too.
    Actually, all of her friends did. Katie's most recent boyfriend was just like all the rest she had been with. A liar. A bully. Controlling. And, of course, a cheat. He didn't like how close Katie was to her friends and would regularly take her phone away from her to stop them from contacting her. Alice was surprised that Katie was able to do so now.
    "It's over. I'm done with the bastard."
    "Really?" She’d said that before.
    "Oh yes. He's been taking my savings and spending it on some tart he's been knocking off," Katie stormed, "so I threw him out and changed the locks. He's not getting back in here."
    Alice was relieved. She had never liked Paul, none of them had.
    "So, I was thinking..." Never a good thing . "We should all go out and celebrate my newly gained freedom."
    "I'm not sure, Katie. I don't