Ridden by Darkness

by Michelle, Christine

  Knox paused for a moment, and we all sat in silence, letting his words sink in. “Like it or not, a war with Raven is inevitable. We need to make sure we stay ahead of the problem. Brace and Bomber, I need my dynamic duo to look into the council a bit more. Find out everything you can about Raven, about the other members of the council, and even about Charlotte and Charisma’s relationship with each member of the council. Don’t leave Betina out of the check either, get a complete background on her. We need to know everything if we’re going to be prepared enough to deal with him. Gray, you’re closest with Chantal, and therefore her sisters. Make it a point to get to know them. Find out where their head is when it comes to Raven and the rest of the council. Hell, find out why they think the council can protect them in ways that we can’t. Get as much information as you can about their lives before they came to our club yesterday. Keep a particularly watchful eye on Charisma. Something about her just rubs me the wrong way.” I must not have been trying hard enough to hide my rage at this plan because before I could say anything, Knox held his hand up to shut me down.

  “I know that sounds shitty, but if we’re going to keep the girls safe, especially Chantal, we need to know everything, and you’re the best person to obtain that information. It sucks, but you’ll do it to protect her, and the rest of our club. If you want to talk to me about this further, we can do it in private afterwards.”

  I shook my head, indicating that wouldn’t be necessary, and stayed silent, but I could feel my ears and cheeks burning with resentment. Knox and I were close, I was his VP. There wasn’t a whole lot we disagreed on, and he almost never had to pull rank on me. It did not sit well that he was basically asking me to betray my mate’s confidence. Revealing anything about her or her sisters to my club, that might cause interference in their lives, would definitely be seen as a betrayal in her eyes.

  “Everyone else, keep an ear out around them. They’re still under our protection, and they are by no means prisoners. We just need to make sure we listen out for anything that might indicate to us what Raven’s plans are. Odds are, they know more than they think they do, just from having been around them. Information that may seem insignificant to them could prove to be imperative to this operation. Any questions?” Head shakes and silence greeted Knox before he finally closed our meeting out. “Alright, dismissed.”

  Everyone got up to leave immediately, avoiding eye contact with both me and Knox, everyone except Bomber. He stayed seated, his eyes trained on me. When the room was emptied, save the three of us, Knox looked between Bomber and I, and shook his head.

  “I know you both love her,” he started. “I know that because you love her, it will be that much harder for you to pry for information they don’t know you’re trying to get. When everything is said and done, you’ll be able to tell her everything. You have my word on that. For now, it has to stay under wraps.”

  “I know you can tell I’m pissed the fuck off, but I want to stop this guy. I don’t ever want to see that poor excuse for a shifter come near anyone I care about ever again. I don’t like it, but I do get it.” I nodded my head at Bomber. “You in?”

  “Fuck it, let’s do this,” he responded. Without another word, he pushed himself out of his chair and sulked out of the room.

  “Is that attitude really just about Chantal?” Knox asked curiously.

  “Not even close,” I answered and then left the room myself. I may have started the day worried about Bomber, but I couldn’t think about his emo bullshit he had going on with Brace at the moment. I had to focus on ending this son of a bitch Raven once and for all.

  21

  After breakfast, Bomber, Brace, and Gray approached my sisters, Betina, and I in the kitchen with an interesting proposal. They wanted to go for a run.

  “You want us to go run? Outside? I don’t even think I own running shoes, and…” Charlotte started before she was cut off by the sound of laughter coming from the boys.

  “Not that kind of run, sweetheart,” Bomber corrected. “We’re talking about getting in touch with our animal sides and going for a real run.”

  “Absolutely not! Have you all lost your minds? We’ve spent years separated, living in fear of anyone finding out what we are, and you just want us to transition into our shadow form and run around town?” Charisma responded incredulously. Still, the boys just responded with more laughter.

  “We’re not going for a run around town. The club owns the woods for miles behind the clubhouse. We’re safe to run there, and you’ll be under our protection. We will stay with you the entire time.”

  “Yes!” Chantal shouted. “Come on, girls. I promise you there’s nothing like going for a run in your true form. It only feels right that we get to do it at least once the first time that we all get together again. Pleaaaaasseeee!” I poked my lip out in a fake pout and gave my sisters the biggest puppy dog eyes I could muster.

  “I’ll go!” Charlotte said, which must have shocked the hell out of Charisma because her jaw hit the floor. “I think it will be fun. You don’t have to go if you’re uncomfortable, but I think this is something I need to do.” For a split second, I saw raw anger flash across Charisma’s face, so much so it surprised me there wasn’t steam billowing from her ears. Before I could think too hard about her facial expressions, she shook it off and settled on an expression that could only be described as unbothered.

  “Well, I won’t be going. I won’t be talked into it either. Have fun, and try not to get yourselves killed,” she said with a curt smile before sashaying out of the kitchen. I instinctually started to follow her without even realizing it, and Charlotte placed a hand down on my shoulder to stop me.

  “Don’t,” she started. “She walked away, so I think we should leave her alone. I’ve had more time to get to know our sister, and I’ve learned that when you see that kind of look on her face, it’s best to just leave it be.” I nodded, but I still felt drawn to go to her. I hated that we’d already fought twice since the girls had arrived. This was not how I pictured our reunion going.

  “She’ll come around, my sweet Moonbeam. For now, let’s go on that run. You can talk to her when we get back, after she’s had some time to cool off.” Gray whispered into my ear as he rubbed comforting circles into my lower back.

  “I’d actually rather not go,” Betina stated softly. “I don’t have any issues going for a run, but I’m feeling particularly worn down this week.” Her eyes darted to my sister’s. “So many alphas here, it’s making me anxious. I think I’m going to try and take a short after-breakfast nap if that’s okay with you guys.”

  “Of course!” I encouraged her choice. I knew she had been talking to my sister, but I felt she needed to know I understood too. “Enjoy your nap, and we will tell you all about our run when we get back! Everyone else ready?”

  “Wait, babe, I think someone should stay behind just in case your sister or Betina needs anything. I want them to have someone around that they feel comfortable asking.” I smiled at my man for thinking about that, even when the thought didn’t occur to me.

  “I’ll stay. I’ll be hanging out at the bar, but I’ll be listening out, and that way I’ll be around if the lovely ladies need anything.” It was Brace who spoke up, and when he did, Bomber scowled.

  “Of course you’ll volunteer to say,” Bomber said under his breath to no one in particular. Still, we were shifters, so we all heard him and had to pretend we didn’t.

  “That’s settled then, let’s go before the whole run gets spoiled.” Gray stated as he led us out through the back door of the kitchen.

  Running through the serene Michigan forest belonging to my new MC family, with my beautiful sister, my man, and my best friend by my side was indescribably spectacular. I wished more than anything that I could’ve gotten Charisma to join us, but I refused to focus on that while we were out. She needed to calm down, and I needed to feel the wind in my fur.

  A little over six months had passed since I was nearly skinned to d
eath in an alley, and up until recently, I had been especially sensitive about the scars and patches that resulted from having parts of my pelt removed. I hated having a deformity, and without Gray by my side, I probably would’ve continued thinking that my scars made me less beautiful. Every day since my attack, he has been there to remind me that those markings don’t define me or my leopard. After months of his reassurances, I was racing around the trees and feeling exhilarated by the sheer freedom of being in my animal form. It left me feeling powerful. My scars were still there, but they marked me as a survivor. Without having survived that attack, or never having been attacked in the first place, I never would’ve met Gray. I likely wouldn’t have been reunited with my sisters either. Those pieces of my missing pelt made me grateful for everything that fate led me to, and allowed me to finally feel the elation of running for the sheer joy of it.

  I started nipping playfully at Charlotte’s ankles, baiting her into racing me. When I had her attention, I tipped my snout toward the river that ran along the hill we were descending. She took the hint and immediately picked up speed while letting out a cheeky growl, as if to let me know she was going to kick my ass in this race.

  Charlotte was the first of us to reach the river, but only because she kept looking over at me as we were running, and one of those times, she tripped. She lost her balance and tumbled down the hill the rest of the way until she came to a crashing halt right at the foot of the river, so the ass kicking she did happened quite by accident. When I finally neared the end of the hill myself, I leapt into the air and used my paws to knock Charlotte the rest of the way down into the river, unfortunately, my momentum made sure I landed in the water right alongside her. We transitioned back into our human form, laughing so hard together that we weren’t able to get ourselves under control.

  Gray wasn’t far behind us, but watching his approach was a beautiful thing, even if he did have to compete with the graceful flight of the gigantic dragon flying just above him. My mate dove through the air, into the water with a splash, and managed to surface again as in his human form. Bomber managed a quick flyby where he tipped one wing down far enough to spray all of us with water prior to him landing on the opposite bank of the river. Gray chuckled aloud at his shenanigans, and once we managed to swipe the water from our faces and catch our breaths, so did Charlotte and I.

  As the laughter finally began to die down, Charlotte and I moved closer toward each other and fell into a silence that was anything but awkward. Gray and Bomber floated a bit further away, both from us and from each other, but I could tell that they were still talking quietly with one another. I sat for a moment, allowing the sounds of the blissfully slow and wide portion of the river and forest to swallow me whole. I closed my eyes and felt all of my stress and worries begin to float away before Charlotte broke the silence.

  “I don’t know what happened to our sister,” she stated, her facial expression lifeless.

  “What do you mean, Char?” I asked. My sister shot me one of her famous, shy half-smiles at the mention of my childhood nickname for her, but it slipped away even more quickly than it had appeared.

  “I mean just that. She hasn’t told me what her life was like before we were reunited. She won’t talk about it with anyone. I think she has told Raven bits and pieces, but she won’t tell me or Betina.” I could feel Gray and Bomber listening intently, even though they were pretending not to notice our conversation. I suddenly wished I had come here alone Charlotte. “I know that whatever happened wasn’t good, and I know that it’s part of the reason she’s so scared of shifting, or being away from the council.”

  “I thought maybe the reason she was so afraid of leaving the council was because they convinced her that she would be safer there. I didn’t think it was because of anything that happened prior to her arrival,” I stated truthfully. That part didn’t make sense to me. She’d left with our favorite uncle, while my mother and father had taken Charlotte, and I’d been left to my grandmother. The three of us had been separated from one another, but we were still each with family. I may not have had the upbringing I wanted, but it certainly wasn’t terrible by any stretch of the imagination. Charlotte shook her head.

  “I wish I knew, but she won’t talk about it at all. Anytime I bring it up, she gets that same hateful look on her face that she did in there before our run, and then she shuts down. Charisma won’t talk to anyone but Raven when she gets in that mood. You may have told us that he’s bad news, but I’m not sure that she believes you. Those two have grown quite close. Although, I’m sure it did come as a shock to her that Raven was actually trying to choose you, not her, but she hasn’t talked about that either.”

  We sat in silence for a minute or two while I attempted to absorb the information that she’d just provided. “I’m so glad that I’m here with you, sis. I don’t know if I want to leave and go back to the council or not, if I’m being honest, but I don’t want her going back there alone. I don’t trust Raven, and I’m not sure I trust the rest of the council either. I’ll miss you more than I can express, but I know that you’re safe here. I know that these men, Gray and Bomber especially, will protect you. I love them so much already for that.”

  Tears were swimming in my eyes. Typically, I wasn’t much of a crier, but having my sisters back had turned me into a big baby. “I understand,” was my solemn, honest response to my sister. Understanding where she was coming from didn’t mean I agreed, but that her decision was respected. “I don’t want you to go, or to lose you both again, but you’re right. Someone needs to be there to protect her or to call for help if you can’t. I am safe, and I need you to be as well.”

  “You won’t ever lose us again. We won’t lose contact now like we did before, and as soon as we’re mated, we’re all going to be together again, I promise.” If only I could believe her. I knew she meant it, but that didn’t mean Raven and the council felt the same way. I had this unshakeable feeling in my gut that told me not to trust a goddamn one of them.

  For about another hour, Charlotte and I swam around in the pond, exchanging stories about our lives since we had been separated. I told her all about our grandmother, and the cute little hippie house I was raised in, and then about the circus we were a part of. I found out that my mother had gotten into wildlife photography. My parents and Charlotte travelled off the grid to get some of mom’s most amazing pictures. After our mom and dad died in a car crash, Charlotte continued travelling and photographing wildlife to make a living. She had been a sponge while working with our mom, soaking up all of the information and expertise on the subject before our mom’s untimely passing.

  “Then, one day, I was taken. While I assumed the why, there was no clue as to who had abducted me. They knew what I was, and they were there to claim me as their own. Except they weren’t, and the ‘they’ in question was actually just some guys hired by the council to find me. I was brought in, and when I arrived, they already had Charisma. It was made clear that they had no intentions of harming me, and I had no qualms with being stuck there because I had one sister, and they’d already promised to reunite us both with you when it was safe,” she offered with a weak smile. “That was a little under a year ago.”

  “Our lives have been so different.” I said thoughtfully. Charlotte nodded her agreement, and before I could continue, I heard Gray clear his throat in the background.

  “Sorry to break up the party, ladies, but it’s probably time to head back. Bomber and I will get out first and get a small headstart up the hill so that you can get out and shift with a little privacy. We will still be within earshot, so holler if you need us, and we’ll be waiting for you by that big tree at the top of the hill.” He pointed at the tree that the club used as a landmarker for arriving at the river.

  The boys lifted themselves out of the water, and when Charlotte’s eyes met mine, I could tell she was thinking the same thing I did. We grinned at each other and turned to start whistling and catcalling the boys.

  �
��Ah fuck, first you two talk each other’s heads off and ignore us, and then you objectify our naked bodies like this?” Bomber yelled back to us with a teasing grin smeared across his face, and a hand clutching his chest in feigned disbelief. If it were anyone else, I fully believe that Gray would’ve gone into attack mode instantly. Better yet, he never would have allowed us to come here and swim in the river unclothed. Knowing what he knew about Bomber now, and his preference for a mate, seemed to change things. There wasn’t the slightest hint of jealousy or alpha male dominance in the air. There was only laughter and light-hearted fun.

  Our run back to the clubhouse was almost as exhilarating and freeing as the run out to the river, except this time I was starving, and ready to see my other sister, who I hoped was in better spirits than when I left. When we neared the club, we all ran our separate ways to our designated trees to pick up the clothes that we left behind so that we could transition back into our human forms and walk back into the club without turning heads. None of the club members were human, they were all shifters who enjoyed the occasional run, but that didn’t change the fact that there wasn’t an alpha male under the sun who wanted their mate to be walking around naked in front of a bunch of other alpha males.

  After we were dressed and ready to head inside, Gray called out to me. “Chantal, I need to speak with you before we head inside. Let Bomber take Charlotte in and get her settled, and we will follow them in shortly.” I nodded my head and turned to walk in the opposite direction of the clubhouse with Gray.