The Queen of Carnage

by Wright, Candice

  “Why’s that, Halo? She isn’t anything to me. I can say whatever the fuck I want.”

  Gage swings around to face him, his hands fisted at his sides.

  “You have no idea what’s going on, so shut your fucking mouth before we lose her for good this time.”

  “Well, you sure changed your tune. Must be the golden snatch. Didn’t I tell you she was a good fuck?”

  Gage’s fist comes out of nowhere, catching Orion on the side of his jaw. Orion’s head swings to the side before he turns back with a thunderous expression on his face. Halo quickly pulls me behind him and stands guard but does nothing to stop the fight that breaks out in front of us as Orion throws a punch of his own.

  “You just wanted her for yourself, you fucking selfish bastard,” Orion spits out as he punches Gage again and again.

  Oh, fuck this bullshit. It’s entirely possible I might be losing my sanity but as I slide my hand up the back of Halos T-shirt and snag his gun, all I can think about is helping the demon who dragged me back here in the first place. Go figure. Halo spins around but I have the gun up and pointed at him before he can speak.

  “Move, now.” Halo steps back until he’s next to Orion, who has frozen with his fist pulled back. He’s in such a rage-fueled blackout, it’s almost like the lights are on but no one’s home. I spare Gage a quick glance and wince. He’s going to be sore as a motherfucker tomorrow. I could tell straight away he was holding back. Whether that was some kind of loyalty at play for his new VP or because he’s paying his penance after his role in what happened to me, I don’t know. But I refuse to watch it anymore. I doubt Orion will stop before killing him.

  “If you so much as breathe on Gage again, I will shoot you.” Orion doesn’t move but he seems to focus on my words more before looking at my face.

  “Gage, come here.” Gage looks at me like I’m nuts. Yeah, tell me something I don’t know. He humors me and climbs to his feet before dragging himself over to me. I push him down onto the edge of the bed gently, not taking my eyes off them. Orion snorts, making me glare at him, my anger urging me to shoot first and yell later but I tamper it down.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I really need to know what his goddamn malfunction is.

  He looks at Halo incredulously. “Is this bitch serious?” he asks him

  “This bitch is going to shoot you between the fucking eyes if you don’t start explaining.”

  “Well, let’s see,” he sneers. “Our girl disappears without a trace for two months and the next time we see her she is banging one of our club brothers like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Does that explain it enough for you?” His chest is heaving up and down as he tries to rein his own temper in.

  “Gage?” I call his name softly. He has one shot to prove his loyalty to me. If he lies now, there will be no going back. I hear the bed creak as he stands a second before I feel his hands on my hips. I let out a relieved breath.

  “Where did I spend most of the night?” I ask him quietly, but I never take my eyes off the guys in front of me. Which is lucky, really, or I would have missed Halo’s arm move slightly. I point the gun at his chest.

  “Don’t even think about it.” He raises his hands in surrender. Yeah, shit face, I saw you reaching for the gun tucked behind Orion’s back.

  “Gage?” I prompt.

  “Luna spent the night in one of the holding cells.” Both Halo’s and Orion’s eyes shoot to Gage over my shoulder.

  “Explain,” Halo barks.

  “King ordered me to collect her by any means necessary. Kibble coldcocked her and we brought her in. The trouble was, you two were still on a run and Rebel and I had a meeting set up we couldn’t miss, so Joker decided the cells would be the best place to stop her running before you got back.” Orion’s eyes flick back to mine. The look in them isn’t one I’m familiar with but I can’t say I’m a fan.

  “So, what, you decided to fuck him as a thank you? I didn’t know you were so messed up.” I swing the gun from Halo back to Orion and move to press the trigger when I feel Gage’s hand around my wrist. He doesn’t squeeze like I know he could, he just leans down and whispers in my ear.

  “I can’t let you shoot my VP, Luna.” I curse under my breath, knowing I can’t shoot him but really, really, wanting to.

  “Fine,” I mutter. A warm fuzzy feeling washes over me when he takes me at my word and slides his hands back down to my hips, leaving me pointing a fully loaded gun at his club brothers. I guess that answers the loyalty question.

  “I haven’t fucked anyone since you two. I bet you can’t say the same, though, can you?” Neither of them speaks but they don’t need to. I’m not stupid. I’m not even angry about it really. I left with no intention of coming back, so I have no rights to them but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. The only reason I was naked in Gage’s bed was because he was trying to warm me up.” Shit. As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize exactly how they sounded. Gage just chuckles in my ear, not helping at all.

  “Not like that, for fuck’s sake. Get your minds out of the gutter. You try spending the night naked in the freezing cold with a concussion. Gage probably saved my life, although he was the one who put me there, so that kind of negates it a little,” I admit. Halo looks like he’s fighting back a smile while Orion just looks as confused as fuck.

  “I do have a question for you though, jerkface. Why the fuck are you so bent out of shape at the thought of me sleeping with Gage when you wanted to share me among all three of you before? In fact, I distinctly remember you telling him to just fuck me already.” He opens his mouth to speak but snaps it closed again.

  Yeah, probably a wise move there, buddy. I lower the gun when my arm starts to shake, realizing I have pushed myself a little too far. The tension in the room has dropped to a low simmer so I don’t think I need to kill anyone just yet.

  “Here.” I flick the safety back on and hold the gun out in the flat of my palm for Halo to take. He steps forward slowly like I might change my mind before taking it and sliding it back into his jeans. I turn toward Gage and feel a wave of nausea creep up again. I sidestep him and make it to the bathroom just in time. I have virtually nothing to throw up, making my stomach cramp violently.

  “Fuck.” I lean over the counter to catch my breath as my stomach starts to settle once again.

  “You doing okay?” I jump when I feel Gage’s hands gliding up my back.

  “Urgh, sure. I’m just peachy.” I lift up and brush my teeth again, looking behind me at Gage’s swollen face. What am I going to do about these guys? I finish off and rummage through the cupboards until I find some cotton balls and some antiseptic.

  “Sit.” I nod to the closed toilet seat, grateful he doesn’t argue with me. He spreads his legs so I can step between them and gently dab at his cuts. He doesn’t flinch once, even though I know it must hurt like a son of a bitch. I leave his eyebrow till last, thinking that it might need some stitches, but when I clean it up I realize it’s not so bad. I dab it gently, cleaning away the blood before blowing on it softly like I remember my mother doing to me when I was small. When Gage’s hands slide their way under my T-shirt up to my bare hips and squeeze, I realize it’s definitely not having a soothing effect on him. No, soothing is not the word I would use at all. He pulls me down onto one of his thighs, holding me still when I try to protest.

  “I need to check your head. If you keep throwing up, we’re going to have to call the doc.”

  “I’ll be fine. I just need some painkillers and some sleep,” I grumble.

  “And something to eat and drink. I suspect you’re a little dehydrated.”

  “Probably,” I concede. I wince when he touches my bump but I let him look.

  “It looks like it's stopped bleeding but it’s hard to tell with all the blood in your hair. Think you can manage a shower?”

  I think I would sell my soul for a shower right about now. I just nod
, feeling drained. I stand up, letting him out from under me and watch as he turns on the shower for me.

  “Are you sure you can manage?” he asks, worry threaded through his voice.

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’m just going to wash my hair and then I’ll be out.” He nods, trusting me to know my limits.

  “I’m going to go and grab you some food. Are you gonna be all right with those two assholes out there?”

  I shrug. “Who knows? Maybe you should leave me your gun, just in case.” He laughs but shakes his head no.

  “Not a chance. I have a feeling I would end up having to dig two graves and I just don’t feel up to it today.”

  “That’s probably for the best.”

  He smiles at me, something I had yet to see on him. It’s odd. His smile itself is sexy as fuck but teamed with his eyes, it kind of makes me think of one of the villains in a slasher movie.

  A pulse of awareness washes over me, making my clit throb. What is it about a bad boy that makes a sensible woman stop and throw their panties at them? Is it the primal instinct he will bend and break any rule to protect what he sees as his or is it simply the duality of knowing the killer everyone else encounters is soft as shit in the hands of his girl?

  I know some might want to domesticate the untamable, to be the one to change them, but, well, I never was a normal girl. There is nothing wrong with soft and sweet but sometimes a woman just wants her hair pulled and her ass smacked.

  I smile at him and slip his T-shirt off over my head and climb into the shower, ignoring his growl. The water feels good on my skin. I turn it up a touch and watch the steam swirl around me, soothing away the last of the cold. I stand there and just let the water beat down upon me, figuring out pretty quickly that I’m just too tired to wash my hair or do anything other than crawl back into bed.

  I’m about to call it quits and turn the shower off when the shower door opens. Expecting Gage, I jump when I realize it’s Halo. A very, very naked Halo.

  “If you think you can come in here and fuck me into some kind of sex coma so I’m easier to deal with, I would rethink your plan. I’ll make sure you can never father children,” I grumble, taking in his sculpted body and the intricate web of tattoos that run up and down both sides of his ribs and over his chest.

  “I come in peace. I can see you’re dead on your feet. Let me help you.” He takes a step closer to me but I’m focused on his little friend who has decided to say “hey” too.

  “Sugar, you really need to stop looking at me like that.”

  Huh? I look up and realize I zoned out staring at his baby maker.

  “Shit, sorry. It's been a long day, no pun intended, and well, if you wave it around, I’m going to stare.” I turn my back to him and pass him the shampoo.

  “Think you could wash my hair for me?” I ask him, hating how small my voice sounds but, fuck, I’m going to fall asleep where I am in a minute.

  “Sure, thing, sugar,” he says softly. He makes quick work of it before grabbing the shower gel. He soaps up his hands and washes my arms, legs, and stomach. His hands slip down and wash over my ass before climbing up to my chest. He washes each breast, spending a little longer than necessary before sliding his hands down between my legs. He doesn’t push his luck, he just washes me and nothing more before rinsing me off. I’m fighting now just to keep my eyes open. He reaches around me to turn the shower off before helping me climb out. He grabs a couple of towels from the rail, twisting one around my hair before wrapping the other around me. He reaches over to grab another one for himself. I feel hands on my hips and turn to find Orion looking down at me.

  “I’ve got her, Halo.” Before I can protest, he has me up in his arms and back out into the bedroom just as Gage walks through the door carrying what smells like soup. My stomach rumbles in response, reminding me it needs feeding. Shit, I can’t even remember when I last ate. Orion sits on the bed with me on his lap and pushes himself back so he is leaning against the headboard. I flush, remembering the last time I was in this position with him, a lot less clothes, and Halo between my thighs. Fuck. Gage sits down on the bed in front of me with the tray of food in his lap.

  “Think you can handle a little bit?” Say what now? Right, soup. Focus, Luna.

  “Yeah, I’m starving. Soup sounds really good.”

  “When was the last time you ate?” Halo asks as he strolls in with a towel around his waist, rubbing his hair with another as tiny little water droplets slide down his abs. I whimper a little. I just can’t do this shit right now.

  “Okay, that’s enough. You—” I point at Halo. “Put some clothes on. I don’t have the brain capacity to deal with all this shit right now and all this man meat on display is making me even foggier. I forget that I’m pissed off with you all and I deserve to be pissed for a little longer yet.”

  “You—” I turn to face Gage who is full out smiling at me again. “Knock that shit off. Stop the smiling thing right this damn second. It makes my hoo-ha start doing the Macarena and I swear to god I’m in no fit state for anything other than food and sex—shit, I mean sleep—right now.”

  “Orion, don’t think for one second I can’t feel your monster cock trying to break free and invade me. If you don’t get him under control, I’m going to snap it off before he tries to storm the keep. My body is on lockdown until further notice.” He shifts behind me a little, leaning down so he can whisper in my ear.

  “What did I say to you about your attitude? If you wanted my dick to go down, you really should have kept your sassy mouth shut.” I close my eyes and ignore him as best I can before opening them and focusing on Gage.

  “Soup, please,” I tell him. They must hear the strain in my voice because they all wisely stop teasing me. Big, bad Gage feeds me spoon after spoon of tomato soup until the bowl is empty and my stomach is full. He hands me a bottle of water, which I down in one.

  “Okay, cherub, time for some sleep. I need to call church and fill everyone in on what’s going on. Are you going to be okay up here by yourself?”

  I ignore the sting I feel from the familiar use of my nickname. I missed it more than I realized.

  “Of course. I’ll be asleep before my head even hits the pillow.” Gage moves the tray off the bed and fetches me a clean T-shirt to wear. He slips it over my head before pulling the towel away.

  “You need anything else?” he asks, tucking a curl behind my ear. I stare into his eyes and as the light catches them, I notice for the first time his eyes aren’t actually black.

  “You have brown eyes.” Well done, Luna. Good job of pointing out something I’m sure he is well aware of.

  “I do,” he confirms with a smile.

  I hear Halo laugh and look up to find him clothed, thankfully, and looking between Gage and me.

  “What?” I ask when he doesn’t say anything else.

  “I was just wondering what nickname you gave Gage before you found out his road name.” I look away chewing my lip.

  “What nickname?” Gage asks, looking at him.

  “Apparently, Luna here has a thing for naming us bikers in her head so she doesn’t have to call us biker one and biker two or whatnot. I’m Pretty Boy.” He winks at me before nodding his head toward Orion.

  “Dickhead over there is Adonis.” I feel Orion squeeze my hips at that. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who missed their nickname.

  “So, it stands to reason she has one for you, too,” Halo continues telling Gage. Gage looks back to me and I feel the heat creep up my face. He leans forward until his face is right in front of mine.

  “Is that true?”

  “Ermm… oh, look, a squirrel.” I point behind Halo but, of course, none of them listen to me.

  “Do you have one for me, Luna?” Crap. I can’t tell him I call him Demon, especially when I’m still not entirely convinced he isn’t one. He’ll think it’s a bad thing and, okay, maybe in the beginning, I was worried he might steal my soul or something, but now I kind of want to see just
how bad my demon can be. Gage’s breathing picks up as Halo lets out a strangled laugh.

  “What?” I question. Why is everyone acting so weird? Orion just snorts into my shoulder.

  “Your demon?” Gage asks, his voice sounding deep and seductive, leaving a trail of goosebumps across my skin—wait, shit. I look over my shoulder at Orion, who is fighting a smile.

  “I said that out loud again, didn’t I?” I whisper.

  “Your demon?” Gage repeats. I turn to face him, ready to apologize, when his mouth is suddenly on mine. Gone are the soft kisses from before. This kiss is the kind of kiss they write stories about. The kind of stories that get really, really dirty. Just as I melt into him, he pulls away.

  “When you’re feeling better, I’ll show you how bad I can be. Now rest, before I forget about trying to do the right thing.”

  I nod, climb off Orion’s lap, lie back down on the bed, and shut my eyes. I feel Orion stand and pull the blanket over me but true to my word, I’m asleep before they even leave the room.

  Chapter Ten

  I wake up feeling a really eerie sense of déjà vu. A hard body is pressed against my back and a large hand is splayed across my stomach. I open my eyes slowly and blink as Orion comes into focus. His eyes rove over my face, waiting to see how I’m going to react.

  “Halo or Gage?” He knows I’m referring to the body pressed up against me. We’ve played this game before.

  “Gage. Halo is working on something but will be back in a bit.” I nod, happy to find my headache has finally gone. “How are you feeling?”

  I think about it for a second before answering. “Okay. I’m a little stiff but my headache is gone and I don’t feel sick anymore.”

  “Good. I need you to get better.” Aw, that’s kind of sweet.

  “Why’s that?”

  “So I can put you over my knee and spank the shit out of you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You left, Luna. You fucking ran away like a coward. You promised me a month and bailed when things got tough.”