“Don’t let him get to you,” she called out to me before I was able to get out the door.
“She’s a keeper, hmm?” Knox asked as I joined him in the hallway.
“If she wasn’t my mate already, I’d have a hard time letting her go to someone else,” I admitted.
“Lucky bastard!”
“Not going to argue that one,” I agreed. “What’s going on?”
“Raven and his band of dipshits are back. Thought you might be interested in sitting in on the briefing with him as well as what our guys found when they followed them there today.”
I grinned at Knox. “Let’s hope their story adds up to what our men saw, yeah?”
Knox nodded and guided me to the room we usually reserved for church. Raven had seated himself at the head of the table. Luckily for him, it was the opposite head of the table to where Knox usually sat. We took our normal seats and waited for him to start.
“Most of the claw was gone when we got there. It appears they packed up in a hurry too. They left behind some wounded stragglers to throw us off the trail. I have more men on it, hunting them as we speak. They will pay for what they’re doing to our females. Those women were to be someone’s mate.” The disgust he spat out with each word was something we all felt. It made me wonder if the woman who had been meant for me had been one to meet her fate at the hands of men like them. Not that it mattered now, because I had Chantal, but I hoped for her sake that she was still out there, safe and sound somewhere, waiting on the second chance she was about to gift to another male. After learning what was happening to the females captured by this pelt-thieving ring, I wondered how many men had lost their mates.
“The council is taking Jake back to face repercussions for not following my directives in encouraging Chantal Piper to come home to us where she belonged. She was meant to sit upon the council of females with her sisters.”
I started to tell him that if he hadn’t been such a pussy bitch and farmed out the claiming of the woman he thought of as his, that wouldn’t have been a problem for him, but he seemed to understand just by the look on my face. Raven held a hand up in the air.
“Yes, I know. This was in part, my own failing. I thought the work I was doing was too important to have to sacrifice the time, and I never thought a female would deny coming for an audience with the council. Of course, I also didn’t realize that my assistant wasn’t going to give her the option first. I take responsibility for that. I would still like the opportunity to speak with Chantal about this situation.”
“No!” I declared as Knox spoke.
“That is her decision to make.”
I glared at Knox for even entertaining the idea, but after everything Chantal had been through because of men attempting to take her decisions from her, I had to hand it to my president. He was offering her something no one else had in all of this. Knox took a moment to send a message out via his cell phone. I assumed he had texted either Bomber or Brace with the request.
“We will also be taking the leopard you have in your custody. He might give us necessary information that will lead to this vulture you spoke of, where the panther claw has moved to hiding, or possibly a bigger picture. I have no doubt that the claw was a small part of whatever was happening with their breeding and pelt-stealing operation. Someone had to be buying the pelts, and a panther’s claw has no use for them. They’re a mystical black market item that non-shifters acquire. We can’t allow it to continue. Imagine, rogue shifters with no animals behind the form to bring to heel?” He shuddered at the musing. It was incredibly dangerous to think that there were an unknown number of faux shifters out there who couldn’t be controlled by an alpha.
“As much as I want to wash our hands of this and allow you to take the leopard and your failed lackey, I don’t think it’s such a good idea.” Knox glanced at me while Raven silently fumed.
“Why’s that, Gray?”
“I understand that he seems sincere in what he actually wanted to happen with Chantal, but the fact is, the person he hired to get that done fell in with the same group who was stealing pelts and breeding women in some heinous attempt to force the birth of shadow cats. How do we really know this plan doesn’t just circle back to you?” I asked Raven, pointedly.
“You don’t,” he answered honestly. “You also don’t have to trust my word, and I understand why since you’re worried your woman will choose the man who has more going for him in this scenario.” He flipped his hand back and forth between himself and me, with the hand ultimately pointing at himself in the end. It was clear, he thought Chantal would choose him because of his station.
“You’re right,” she told him, having come through the door with Brace during the exchange. “I absolutely would choose the man who had more going for him.” Raven’s smug smile made me want to do horrible things to the man. That was right up until Chantal came over and sat her ass down right in my lap as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “I did choose such a man,” she reiterated. “My choice was a man of integrity and worth who wouldn’t pass off his responsibilities to others. Gray is a man who came for me, saved me from a fate worse than death, and didn’t think twice before accepting my claim on him when he didn’t have to. That is the only thing that matters about the man I chose.”
“Your sisters,” he started.
“You can tell them where I am, and they can come see me whenever they want.”
“You would give up your sisters?” he asked while looking around the room we held church in and the men who now occupied it. “For this?”
“Pretty sure she just told you her sisters were welcome here, and I second that,” Knox informed him.
“Unless you’re telling her that you’re the type of cunt who would keep her sisters from visiting out of spite because you couldn’t handle your own shit?” I queried, knowing it was the truth, because I read it on him, but also wanting to push his buttons further.
“You’re going to learn to watch your mouth here real soon,” he threatened.
I stood, gently settled Chantal behind me, and threw my hands out to my sides in invitation. “Are you going to be the one to teach me?”
“Enough!” Knox bellowed into the room. “If we find you’re purposefully keeping the lady’s sisters from her, we will have a problem. We will call it out to the leaders of all the shifter groups and we will call for reformation of the council.”
The color slipped from Raven’s face as Knox spoke with the authority of a true alpha instead of one who was just playing at being the top dog. That was the problem with getting comfortable in the top chair, you either held it with strength or you grew weak with ego. Raven, it seemed, had allowed his ego to grow while his true strength ebbed.
Knox glanced down at his phone once more and then grinned before focusing his attention back on Raven. “We will allow you to take both your panther and your leopard with you to the council, as a gesture of good will,” he tacked on the last in such a way that I could taste the devious nature of his words on the air. It wasn’t something Raven had an ability to pick up on though. “They will be awaiting you at the door as you leave.”
Raven glared once more at my woman who was once again seated in my lap. He shook his head, and signaled to his men to follow him from the room. They complied, Knox saw them out, and I stayed put with Chantal, Brace, Bomber, and Snow.
“That won’t be the last we see of the asshole,” Snow warned.
“We’ll be ready,” I told him.
“I don’t think he’ll come back for her now, but I wouldn’t put it past him to try to get to one of the sisters before the other men of the council now. He lost what he deemed his prize. Men like that don’t make the same mistake twice.”
“Hopefully, my sisters are smart enough to see through his shit,” Chantal spat.
“Let’s hope. You all good?” Snow asked me as he stood to leave.
“Yeah, brother. I’m assuming Knox already got the info he needed from the leopard?�
�
Snow grinned. “Thian worked his magic while we had the esteemed council member locked up tight in here.”
“Good.” I picked Chantal up off my lap and tucked her hand into my own as we both stood. “We’re going to get some actual rest now that the fucker’s gone. If you need me,” I started to say.
“It can wait. Go enjoy time with your mate, I think you’ve both earned it.”
That was just what we did. Went to enjoy some time, alone, together. It wouldn’t be long before my next security gig would be taking me away from my mate for days on end. I had to get my fill of her while I could to last me those days when we would be separated.
“Gray?” Chantal asked as I closed the door, sealing out the rest of my brotherhood and the outside world.
“Yeah, Moonbeam?”
“I couldn’t have chosen a better forever if I’d tried,” she said just before she launched herself at me. Her slender arms closed around my neck while her legs wrapped around my hips. I held on tight to her, pulling her as close into my body as I could. I leaned in and devoured those beautiful lips that just spilled the best words I’d ever heard.
“The best kind of forever,” I whispered against her lips before killing the lights and walking her over to our bed. “We’ll need to buy a house babe, because I’m not waiting to add to our forever either. Next time you start a heat cycle, we’re putting my little ones in your belly.”
“Yes, Gray,” was her only response before we came together as one in every way we could manage. We hadn’t tracked down all the bad guys yet, or tied up all the loose ends, but I had little doubt it would happen. What I knew for sure, was that my brothers had my back. I had a woman who meant everything to me, and the promise of the best kind of future with her on the horizon. Nothing was going to intrude on our moment. Our hope. Our forever together.
19
~Six months later~
Sleep eluded me as my nervousness overpowered all my senses. It had been six months since I found my mate in Gray and came to live with the men of the Dark Leopards MC. We still hadn’t been able to find a house, mostly due to security concerns that cropped up. The Raven Claw that had been abandoned remained so, but the men who once belonged to it had been seen moving in and around the city. As it turned out, the lackey that had posed as Raven’s assistant had been a member of the claw on loan to the Council of Feline Shifters. He knew exactly whose hands he put me in that night. He had also been aware that Raven was a weak leader and didn’t want to give him an edge by handing me over to him.
The traitor was dead for his part in everything. That didn’t mean he hadn’t been able to pass critical information along about my sisters though. Both of them were found and brought to the Council for their own safety. Neither had chosen a mate yet. They were on their way to come visit me for the first time since we were separated in our teens.
“They’re here,” Bomber whispered as he walked up behind where I was fidgeting at the bar in the common area of the clubhouse.
“What if they hate me?”
“Who could ever hate you?” He asked me in a hushed tone. I found it odd that they would be brought here during the one time my mate was away on a run for the club. I had almost said no, that it was bad timing, but Brace and Bomber had both promised to be here with me so Gray told me to go ahead with it. Still, I longed for his arms to be wrapped around me, for his voice to be the one comforting me. I needed him.
“I wish Gray was here,” I finally managed to get out.
“I know that I’m a poor substitute, but I won’t leave your side, okay?”
I gave his hand a small squeeze before letting go. “You are a lovely surrogate hand holder. I’m just more nervous than I’ve ever been in my life.”
“No need to be nervous, you’ll do…” before he could say another word, the door to the clubhouse opened and in walked Knox followed by two women and a whole entourage of men. The moment our eyes met, the two came running for me. I didn’t stay idle on my side of the room either. Instead, we met in the center in a crush of bodies and tangle of limbs and sloppy embraces.
“I’ve missed you both so much,” I admitted.
“We missed you too,” one of my sisters mentioned and it hurt my heart a little to know that I wasn’t entirely sure which one of them had spoken. It was only then that I noticed there was a young woman hiding behind my sisters. “Who is this?”
“Oh, this is Betina. She was in hiding with me,” one of my sisters told me.”
“In hiding with you?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s a long story. We’ll get into all that later. Right now, we want to meet your new mate,” my sister demanded.
I couldn’t help the slight droop that my shoulders took on. “He’s not here today. Work,” I started to say when the front door opened once more. Once the light was shut out again I was able to see who was there. In all the excitement, I had missed his scent coming so close. “What are you doing here?” I asked as he approached quickly.
“Today was an important day for you. There was no way I was staying away, Moonbeam.”
“Moonbeam?” One of my sisters teased as she repeated the endearment my mate had given me.
“It’s this whole thing because of my pelt and how it looked,” I started explaining needlessly.
“We get it. I’m snow, she’s midnight, and you were always silvery, but shadows too. Like the play of moonlight on the night sky.” She nodded her head toward my mate and smiled. “I approve already,” she added.
“Good to know,” Gray told her with an earnest smile plastered on his face. Despite what he was showing on the outside, I could feel the pride that swelled within him at gaining my sister’s approval with a simple nickname. “How long will you all be staying?”
I nudged my mate in the ribs for even daring to ask the dreaded question. If I was being honest, I wanted them to both say, “Forever,” even as I knew that was unlikely.
“We are here for only one week,” my heart ached at my sister’s admission. One week was not going to be long enough for us to catch up and form a bond again. Although, judging from the looks of things, my sisters were already well on the way to bridging the gap that time and distance had put in their relationship. Suddenly, I felt a bit like the outsider where I once only felt included.
“We love you,” one of them stated as she saw the emotions play out on my face before I could school them. “Charisma and I have been waiting a long time to be reunited with you. It was the only reason we allowed the Council of Feline Shifters to bring us in for protection. They promised we would be brought together once more.” I didn’t miss Charlotte’s nose wrinkling at the end.
“Have you had trouble since you’ve been there?” I asked.
Charisma giggled. “No, but those men certainly are exasperated with us. Once they realized we’re females who are able to choose our mates and that we can’t be forced, they changed tactics pretty quickly. Well, all but Carter. He seems oblivious to either of us.”
“Much to our sister’s chagrin,” Charlotte informed me with a wink. “The only one who sits on the council that our sister is attracted to and he doesn’t even realize she exists.”
“I doubt that very seriously,” Brace chimed in, seemingly mesmerized, although not by sisters. Betina seemed to capture all of his attention. Glancing around, I found Bomber seated at the bar with his back to everyone, a slight hunch formed in his shoulders, and the dragon was doing something I’d never seen him do. He had a drink before him, and from the looks of it, he had already taken several more shots. My heart hammered in my chest as it began to ache for the man who was about to get his heart broken. I could sense the tingles of energy that normally swept through a room a soon-to-be bonded pair meets for the first time.
I turned my head slightly and glanced up at Gray who was also frowning over toward Bomber. He gave me a little squeeze to let me know that we would talk about it later. “Why don’t we go get you ladies set up in your rooms. Th
ere’s a place down the hall with bunks in it for your security detail.” I knew Gray and the men were not too happy about having to invite any of the council’s men into the compound, but it was the only way they would agree to let my sisters come here since Gray didn’t want me staying at the council’s property for obvious reasons. Raven still maintained his seat on the council, though I couldn’t fathom why that was since he wasn’t the strongest alpha feline shifter around, not by a long shot.
“Let’s go catch up in private,” I told the girls as my sisters had to manhandle Betina away from the eye lock she had on Brace. I honestly didn’t know how to feel about their connection, especially since Bomber and Brace as a couple was something that I had secretly been championing.
Once we got to mine and Gray’s room, I quickly closed the door and locked it behind us. Then I ran over to place my cell phone on the docking station that doubled as a speaker. The most obnoxious pop music I could find started playing through the speakers, causing every single one of the women in the room to wrinkle their noses at me.
“What on Earth are you doing?”
A finger to my lips signaled that they needed to wait just a moment as I snatched up a notepad and jotted down a quick note.
‘Whisper as low as you can so that our words are lost in the music.’
All three girls nodded their heads in agreement. “I need to know that you’re all safe and not truly being held captive in that place.”
Betina sighed and offered a sad smile. “It is a refuge for me since my father died and the alpha of our Claw decided I would be his mate. That was before I turned twelve.”
“What?” I nearly shrieked causing all the women to remind me that we were supposed to be keeping things quiet.
Betina nodded and then continued to whisper. “Gentry, one of the recently retired council members, happened upon our claw and got me out of there, but not before the alpha marked me as his.” She pulled her shirt down and showed us a ruined scar across the backside of her shoulder, up near her neck. “He ruined me from being able to find my true mate.”
Ridden by Darkness Page 10