Torment: Feral, Book 3 Read online

  Feral: Torment

  FERAL BOOK THREE

  Nora Ash

  Copyright © 2018 by Nora Ash

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Any and all likeness to trademarks, corporations or persons, dead or alive, is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  Summary

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Arlington County, Virginia

  More Omegaverse

  Also by Nora Ash

  Summary

  He sacrificed everything for me.

  The beast who took me against my will and tied my soul to his so tightly I can no longer breathe without him.

  He sacrificed his freedom. His life.

  For me.

  They say love will make you do anything, give anything.

  But what’s between him and I - it isn’t love. It’s a bond.

  And my destruction.

  * * *

  Torment is the third book in Nora Ash’s suspense-filled Omegaverse serial, Feral.

  Please note: This series gets dark, and it gets dirty. If you don’t enjoy your romance scorching and your alphas rough & dominant, give this book a pass.

  Sign up for Nora Ash’s newsletter to receive updates about new books You can also get in touch via Facebook, Twitter & Google+, or drop by her website.

  Chapter 1

  Jerome Willis

  Not many people knocked on Jerome’s door on the best of days. And when a storm struck, no one was dumb enough to venture out into the wilderness where his cabin was located. Yet through the howling winds and branches beating against the windows of his cabin, a faint but unmistakable rap of knuckles drew his attention.

  Jerome grabbed his shotgun, never more than an arm’s length away, and pumped it once before crossing the floor. With a warning growl, he yanked the door open and aimed the weapon at the dumb fuck who’d decided to disturb him.

  A small woman stood directly in front of the open door. Her long hair plastered to her face, and the dirty white coat covering her frail body was so soaked through he could make out her breasts and the smear of blood underneath.

  Jerome kept the shotgun trained on her chest, quickly scanning the area behind her. There was no sign of people lurking in the perimeter, and his ears picked up nothing but howling wind and her too-fast breathing.

  “J-Jerome Willis? You’re Jerome Willis?” she asked.

  He lifted his chin a fraction of an inch. “Who wants to know?”

  She drew in a shuddering breath and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, pressing her hands against the bloody place on her white coat. Whoever she was, she wasn’t a threat. He knew that the second she took her eyes off him. He kept his finger on the trigger.

  “Zach sent me. Zach… Zach Barnes. He said you… that you could help me.” Her voice died on a whisper as she opened her terrified eyes. They were dull, as if someone had snuffed the life out of her, leaving only a doll behind.

  “Barnes?” He frowned, finally lowering his weapon. He hadn’t heard that name spoken out loud in… fuck, how long was I since everything went tits up? A year and a half? “Who’s he to you?”

  “My…” She gasped again and a flash of pain crossed through those lifeless eyes, so intense it gave a faint spasm of empathy somewhere deep in his gut. “He’s my… my…” Her hand slipped in behind the coat to tear at her own flesh. Fresh blood seeped through the pale fabric.

  He stared at her, dumbfounded, listening to her gasps choking off in the howling wind. Thunder rolled far in the distance, warning of a coming storm. Blood dripped from where she was trying to dig out her pair-bond.

  “His mate?” he rasped. “You’re his goddamn mate, aren’t you?”

  She only whimpered in response.

  “Fuck me sideways,” Jerome muttered. Last he’d heard, Barnes was still on death row. How the fuck he’d managed to claim a mate while locked up, he didn’t know, but it was pretty clear from the woman’s desperation that things hadn’t ended well for his brother-in-arms. Not that any of them had expected it to.

  “A’ight, girl, that’s enough of that,” he sighed when the blood from her wound started splattering onto his front deck. Eyes sweeping over the area once more, he put the gun by the side of the door. “Come inside—that thunder’s rolling our way.”

  She obeyed, moving unsteadily as if she were on the brink of collapse. She looked it too. He studied her as she entered his cabin, searching for any clue that could unravel the mystery of why the fuck Barnes had decided to claim a mate before his execution. He’d been a lot of things, but cruel hadn’t been among them.

  “Shit,” he muttered, shutting the door behind them. If Barnes had claimed her out of selfish indifference, he wouldn’t have sent her here. No, she was here because his brother had known she needed looking after once he was gone.

  Seemed it fell to Jerome to pay back the squad’s debt.

  Rubbing the stubble covering his skull, he looked at the shivering female. She was dripping rainwater on his floor, and the blood coloring the front of her coat oozed sluggishly.

  He’d given up all thoughts of ever claiming a mate after their last assignment, knew he was too fucked up to force another soul to carry the burden of his bond, but it was pretty clear he was all the hope the broken little bird had.

  “I need to look at that wound,” he said. “Come.”

  She stared at him, but made no sound of agreement or protest.

  Sighing, he grabbed her lightly by the arm and walked her to the small bathroom at the back of the cabin. She sat on the side of the tub when he motioned for her to do so, but when he asked her to open the white coat, she snatched both hands into it and clung for dear life, wide eyes full of fear.

  “C’mon, girl, I’ve seen tits before.”

  Tears welled in her red-rimmed eyes and she looked away, never releasing her hold on the coat.

  Jerome sighed and grabbed what he needed from the small cupboard by the sink. When he returned to her, he didn’t ask. Crouching, he pried her cold fingers off the fabric and unbuttoned it easily. She didn’t fight him—just sat stiffly and stared at him with unmistakable unease writ across her pale face.

  He didn’t bother reassuring her—there’d be no point. Right now, his goal was to assess the damage she’d done to herself and patch her up, but later, he would have to do exactly what she feared. And she wouldn’t like it. Not at first.

  The only thing that could save a bonded female who’d lost her other half was another alpha’s claim to fill the void. That was why Barnes had sent her his way.

  Jerome grimaced as he took in the deep gouges marring her rib cage underneath her plump breasts. He was pretty sure Barnes had picked him specifically because—unlike most alphas—he hated having an unwilling female beneath him. He could have sent her to any of their other brothers, and they would have happily repaid the team’s debt by taking her in. Probably would have mounted and claimed her before even bandaging her wounds.

  “Fuck you, Barnes,” he muttered, ignoring the girl stiffening at his words. He grabbed the disinfectant and poured a liberal amount onto a tuft of cotton. When he reached for her chest to smear it on her wound, she flinched, but he grabbed her wrists with his free hand and held h
er in place.

  She whimpered at the first sting of peroxide and hissed when he kept dabbing at the bloody mess.

  It was a long while before he managed to clean her wound up enough to assess the damages fully. It looked like she’d clawed it raw for many days, maybe even a week, deepening the lacerations over and over.

  It wasn’t that he’d expected an invitation in the mail or anything, but knowing Barnes’ execution had passed without even being told about it… He shook his head and grabbed for the bandages. Barnes had given his life. The least Jerome could do was honor his last will.

  As he wrapped up her ribcage, more to ensure she didn’t claw herself bloody again than to keep the gauze in place, she offered no protest, seemingly accepting his nearness despite her indecent state.

  When he was done, Jerome hesitated for a moment before he shrugged out of his own shirt and offered it to her. Best she get used to his scent as quickly as possible, because judging by that wound and her deadened eyes, she’d need him to establish his bond sooner rather than later.

  She pulled it on, wrinkling her nose as the scent of an alpha who wasn’t her mate enveloped her, but she didn’t seem too bothered by it. He’d seen mated females bite, scratch, and snarl to rid themselves of another alpha’s attempt to scent-mark them. At least he wouldn’t have to contend with that aspect of claiming her.

  “What’s your name?” he asked, brushing a lock of her wet hair from her face. She was a pretty little thing, he’d give Barnes that, though looks had never played much of a role for alphas when it came to finding a mate.

  “Lillian,” she said, meeting his gaze.

  “Okay. I want you to know that you’re going to be safe with me, Lillian. I know things are pretty shitty for you right now, but I’ll always have Barnes’ back. Even now.”

  She nodded, gaze dropping back to her hands. She didn’t believe him. But she wouldn’t. Not before she had a new bond to occupy her.

  He swore silently as he took in the shell of a woman in front of him. Like he did most nights, he’d planned to make himself an early dinner and fall asleep in front of the TV, if the power didn’t get knocked out during the storm, but from the looks of Barnes’ mate, he’d have to change his plans quite dramatically. She didn’t look like she’d last much longer.

  “You hungry?” Least he could do was feed the girl first.

  Lillian shook her head, eyes still on the floor. “No. Thank you. I just… Is there somewhere I can sleep? Please? I’m so tired.”

  Jerome sighed and straightened up. “You need to eat. C’mon—you can sleep soon, but I don’t want you keeling over on me, yeah?”

  When she made no move to get up, he hoisted her into his arms and carried her to his living room that also hosted his small kitchen. He plopped her down on one of the two homemade bar stools by the breakfast bar and went to pull out some of the powdered soup he stocked up on when he went into town on his monthly shopping trip. He’d poured it into a pot and followed with two pints of water before something occurred to him.

  “You pregnant?”

  “I don’t know.” She looked so defeated when she answered, but despite the pain in her dead gaze, he didn’t miss how her hand automatically fluttered to her belly.

  Fuck.

  “I’ve got meat in the freezer, but it’ll take a few hours to prep.”

  “No. Thank you. I don’t need… I’m not hungry.”

  He briefly considered ignoring her and getting out one of the deer haunches in his freezer, but decided speed was more important than substance for the moment.

  She didn’t eat the soup when he put it down in front of her, not until he grabbed the spoon and held it to her lips. She barely parted them then, but she swallowed when the liquid filled her mouth. It was enough that he didn’t have to force-feed her, and for that he was grateful.

  Once her bowl was empty, he sat down on the bar stool next to her with a sigh, leaning one elbow on the counter for support. “So… how long were you with him?”

  Her voice was a hoarse whisper. “A week.”

  Jerome grimaced. A week. What the fuck had made Barnes claim a girl for such a short amount of time? What’d been worth the pain he’d inflicted on her? Even with another claim to dull her loss, she’d never be quite right.

  “Did he… mention what would happen, once you sought me out?”

  “No. Just that you’d look after me. That they wouldn’t get to me.”

  His grimace turned to a frown. “‘They?’”

  “SilverCorp. Or I guess it might be the government now.” She gestured vaguely. “I don’t know if I’m of any importance to them anymore, but… they’re not gonna want me to talk. Not that anyone would believe me.”

  “What, exactly, don’t they want you talking about?” A shiver made its way up from the base of his spine, a reminder of his time in the field. It was the same shiver he’d felt when danger was imminent. Something was off. Something was way off. Why would anyone, especially the government, be after his friend’s mate?

  “Everything.” Her body shook violently, her fingers reaching for her now bandaged ribs. She raked them over the padded T-shirt, a mindless motion born from the same despair he saw when her face contracted. “Everything they did to him. To us.”

  “Shh, okay, calm down.” He slid off his chair to grab the distraught woman, pinning her arms to her sides as he pulled her against his body. She was stiff as a board, and her shaking only increased. “We’ll talk about it later.” Once his mark was on her neck, so she hopefully could do so without coming apart at the seams. He wanted to know—needed to know—what his brother’s final days on this Earth had been like. He peered down at her nape, saw the scars from Barnes’ claim marring one side, and drew in a deep breath. It was time.

  The purr was hard to force out at first—the girl’s trembling set his own instincts on edge, but the need to soothe her for what came next won out, and so after a few false starts he managed.

  Lillian softened slowly against his chest, her eyelashes fluttering against his bare skin. Gradually, her shaking eased until she was completely still.

  “He did this too,” she whispered after several long moments. “He would purr for me.”

  “I’ll purr for you now,” he murmured, pressing a light kiss to her scalp. “I’ll ease the pain. I promise.”

  The change in her happened quickly this time, as if someone had flicked a switch. She went rigid in his grasp and her small hands flew up to his chest, pushing for a distance he wouldn’t allow.

  “Let go of me!”

  “It’s the only way to save your life.” He held onto her frail body, tempering her resistance with the bulk of his muscle. “You’re dying—think he’d want that?” There was no point in arguing with a claimed woman facing sexual submission by another alpha’s hand, but he couldn’t help it. Even if she didn’t hear him, he needed to say the words.

  She only screamed and bucked harder when he let his hands slide down to her hips, anchoring his resolve in the feminine swell of them. Fuck, he hadn’t knotted a woman in ages. The feel of her writhing against him had him hard as a rock, even if her desperate screeching made him sick to his gut.

  “Dammit, woman! If I don’t do this, you’ll die like he did! You can’t survive a broken mate bond! He sent you here because he wants—ow!” He jerked his shoulder back from where she’d bitten into his flesh.

  She glared up at him, the deadened look in her eyes replaced by burning fury. “He’s not dead!”

  Chapter 2

  Lillian

  “What do you mean he’s not dead?” The grizzled alpha let me drop to the floor. I took the opportunity to back away, putting as much distance between us as I dared. I knew on an instinctive level that he’d chase me down if I moved too far.

  “He’s not—he’s not dead,” I repeated, pressing a hand to my bandaged chest when the barbed wire that was my bond twisted inside. “I feel him.”

  God, how I felt him. All the time.
I’d thought I knew pain before, thought my experiences at the compound had been excruciating.

  I’d been wrong.

  Jerome stared at me, confusion and disbelief mixing with relief. Despite his big cock still tenting his pants, he hadn’t wanted to mount me. And for some reason, knowing Zach was still alive stopped him from trying. “You’re sure?”

  I laughed, a hollow sound. Was I sure? How did I explain the string covered in broken glass tying me to reality? I knew, without a doubt in my soul, that should it ever snap, I’d float away into an abyss of nothingness. It was the only reason I could still breathe, even if it made every expansion of my lungs hurt so much I wished I couldn’t. “If he were dead, I would be too.”

  “You look halfway there, girl,” he said, frowning down at me.

  “He’s halfway there,” I whispered. “They’ve… they’ve done something to him. He’s…” I didn’t know how to finish that sentence, so I didn’t try.

  “What do you mean they’ve done something to him? He’s on death row, right?”

  “No, he…” I paused when I realized this man had no idea. No one did. “He’s part of an experiment. The government… they contracted SilverCorp to run tests on alphas waiting for the death penalty. They’re trying to turn them into super soldiers.”

  Jerome’s frown deepened. “Barnes would just as likely sign up to be a fucking super soldier as he would fuck a roll of barbed wire. He’s got zero trust in our military leaders after everything that went down.”

  I shook my head. “He wasn’t given a choice. None of them were. SilverCorp developed a drug that makes them incapable of rational thought. It amplifies the alpha instincts until—”