“Baby, did you want any other cocks besides mine and Nate’s?”
Beyond speech, she shook her head, causing his tight grip to pull her hair.
“Say it, baby.”
“No. Nobody but you and Nate. Just your cocks.” The words pushed past dick-swollen lips followed by another needy whine. Liam pushed her face back toward the very erection she desperately wanted despite the insidious shame seeping through her conscious. What would her father think? Oh, how the righteous have fallen. Somehow these two men had dazzled and distracted her from her driving force of thirteen years.
“The lady has spoken. She’s not interested in anyone else.” Liam shifted underneath her head.
“She’s not a Rose, and she’s not a Beast. The bitch isn’t even a prospect. She’s a spoil of war.” Butch’s angry words poked at her pride, but the reassuring presence of both men propped her up.
“You’re treading on fucking dangerous ground, Butch.” Nate’s warning slid over her and warmed her deep inside.
“This is fucking bullshit,” he cursed and stomped away.
“Sorry about that, baby.” Liam stroked a hand over her hair. “Want to head inside?”
Unsure if she would be able to continue if they departed their spot on the couch, she shook her head. The walk to their room would give her too much time to think. To worry. To doubt.
“Then hold still, baby. I’m almost there.” And Liam pumped into her mouth as Nate dragged his fingers from her pussy and pushed past her tight pucker with three of them to fuck her ass. Stuffed to bursting by Nate’s thick fingers, she groaned when his cock pushed into her slippery channel. He slid in and out, matching Liam’s rhythm.
“That’s it, Bel, take us both.” Nate panted and plunged into her again and again with his dick and fingers until she knew she would come.
Liam cried out. His load burst over her tongue, salty with the faintest hint of sweet. She took all she could, swallowed and swallowed some more. Close on their heels, the walls of her womb contracted, and her clit pulsed. Liam slipped from her lips when she cried out and clung to him. Pleasure burst over her in an incredible wave like nothing she’d ever experienced. Intense shimmers of blissful sensation ran through her.
Nate shuttled into her a few more strokes easing her down from that euphoric high before he gripped her hip with one hand and groaned while he exploded inside her.
Shaking from exhaustion, Bel collapsed on her stomach on the couch when Nate let go of her and pulled out. Sleepy and uncaring if anyone around them watched, she curled up against his leg, a cat claiming a warm lap. One of the guys scooped her up and soon she found herself snuggled into a big bed with each of them on either side. Once again, her desire for revenge was overwhelmed by pleasure and something else. She refused to acknowledge the sense of well-being, since it conflicted with her purpose, but she admitted to herself it grew harder to deny what she felt.
Sleep called her while the heat from her Beasts wrapped around her and protected her. A sense of safety was a new experience in her world. How long could it last?
***
The next morning, Nate strode into the courtyard on his way to the warehouse to do inventory with Sam, Alex, and Harlon. A few of the guys hung out, working on their bikes outside of the garage, enjoying the sunshine. Butch and his two buddies approached, a dark cloud creeping toward the sun to blot out the light. Well aware of their surroundings, he stopped in the middle, which placed him out in the open, but far enough from everyone to ensure their conversation remained private unless they got loud.
“Butch.” He nodded to their Prospect Manager. “Karl and Fletch.” The men mumbled something unintelligible in return.
Butch puffed his chest up and spoke loud enough to draw everyone’s attention. “I only thought it fair I tell you ahead of time, I intend to challenge you on Pit Night next week.”
Okay, that’s how he wanted to play things out? Nate could deal. “Honor challenge?”
Butch paled, but shook his head no. “Not that serious. I’m just thinking you need to be reminded we pledge our allegiance to you of our own free will, not because we owe you anything. You changed the rules last night, and it’s not fair. I want the right to have a go at that sweet piece of ass.”
Nate dug deep to find the resolve not to plant his fist in the man’s face. “So, you want to fight me for the right to fuck the woman under our protection?”
“That uppity bitch is the daughter of the biggest bastard in Epsilon. She’s here because he was too much of a pussy to die like he deserved. She should be used as we see fit, not just you two.” Butch’s fists clenched tight by his thighs when his anger grabbed control.
“We were elected leaders by the membership. If the membership has a problem they can call a vote.” Nate pointed out reasonably.
“Everyone’s too scared of the pair of you to do that.” Butch spat the declaration as though the words left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Perhaps you three are the only disgruntled members.”
“Either way, we get the same result. I’m not leaving and I still want the right to fuck that bitch. So, I’ll be challenging you to a fight. Winner takes the girl.”
“And if I don’t accept?” Nate crossed his arms over his chest and tried to ignore the gathering crowd.
“I imagine the membership’s opinion of who to back might change if you prove too weak to fight for what you claim is yours.” Butch mirrored his stance and smirked.
Shit, he had him backed into a corner. Fight and win, but cause a rift with their prospect manager, or don’t fight and possibly face an overthrow. “We’ll see.” Nate shrugged and pushed between Butch and Fletch. A move calculated to intimidate and remind them all who ran things. Even outnumbered three to one he had no fear.
Slow and deliberate, he strolled across the remaining courtyard, past the gawkers, and into the warehouse. Once the door closed behind him he turned and hit the nearest cardboard box. His fist flew through the empty container, much to his frustration.
Alex rounded the corner and found him flailing his arm around trying to sling the box off the appendage. She snorted and stormed by.
“You, Sam, and the Asshole can do inventory. I’m out.”
Nate sighed and dropped his arm. The box slid right off once he held still. Untangled, he stomped into the warehouse in search of Sam and the Asshole. Harlon bent over a crate with his back turned while Sam poured over a ledger laid out on her desk. “Glad you got over your hormonal surge.”
Nate cleared his throat, which had his friend spinning in surprise. “I’m thinking Alex wouldn’t appreciate that sentiment so much.”
Harlon actually blushed when he faced Nate. “Sorry. Thought you were….”
“Yeah, I figured out who you thought I was. What I can’t figure out is why you would say something like that to her.” Nate crossed his arms, the altercation in the courtyard forgotten.
Sam snorted, clearly of a similar mindset.
“Your vag is showing.” Harlon flipped him off and turned back around.
With a bark of laughter, Nate grabbed the clipboard Sam held out and cracked open the next crate. Challenges, feuding should-be lovers, and all the other drama could wait for a few hours.
Chapter Six
Marcus Priestly stepped into the converted warehouse and grimaced at the wave of heat and body odor that smacked him in the face. A decade of Pit Night and nothing had changed. Not even the dirt floor designed to soak up the blood from the combatants. A primitive solution to keep the peace when the first High Council had come up with the idea of a gladiator-style event, they had all believed the citizens would evolve. Instead, the end of month event had become an institution and a form of entertainment. Wagers were made, alcohol and food sold, and women dressed to impress. It carried the air of a festival at times.
Kalif, his right-hand man, flanked him as they waded into the crowd. They’d come in hopes of spotting h
is daughter. Maybe stealing a moment to talk to her. The building already teemed with bloodthirsty witnesses egging on the first fight. Down in the pit, literally a ten-foot-deep hole in the ground twenty-square feet wide, two men battled. Most people couldn’t tell the difference between a regular fight and an honor challenge, either way it would be bloody. One simply offered a more permanent solution to whatever issue had put the men in the hole.
Of course, newer generations challenged each other purely for sport—sometimes there was no telling why they fought. Ridiculous.
“That looks like Caleb’s boy.” He pointed to a young man in the pit.
Kalif grunted. “I’d heard he planned to try his luck in the pit for the first time.”
“Fools.” Marcus turned away. “Do you see her?”
They stood tall as most men in the room, and taller than a few besides. But he couldn’t see his Beauty.
“Perhaps it is better if you do not see her?” Kalif pitched his voice low so only he could hear.
Marcus wanted to remind his man who was in charge, but he knew Kalif was merely concerned about compromising her mission. Taking out the leaders of The Beasts was critical to all his future plans. Critical to evening the score.
“I need to make contact. Remind her why she is there. I expected her to have completed her task by now, yet she lingers. And, more importantly, those two Beasts still live.”
***
Nate looked calm on the outside, but Liam knew the man and what awaited him. Saw the pent-up energy pinging around inside looking for a way out. And knowing what lay ahead didn’t make it any less unsettling. This was the closest they’d come to an outright challenge for power in all the years they’d led The Beasts. Of course, Nate could take Butch. Probably with one hand tied behind his back, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t get hurt in the process.
And then there was Bel.
They’d opted not to reveal the challenge to her in the parking lot before they’d come in. In part because they held out a small bit of hope Butch might back down. Mostly they didn’t want her worrying over what would happen. She’d accepted the news pretty well; of course they hadn’t mentioned the terms.
Unfortunately, he didn’t back down.
“So, you all came.” Butch sauntered around the three of them while his minions hung back.
The rest of The Beasts were scattered about getting drinks, selling drinks, placing wagers, and greeting friends from other territories.
“Did you really doubt we would?” Liam wrapped an arm around Bel’s shoulders and tucked her into his side. Nate stayed close, but not tangled up with them allowing him to block any possible attacks. Her worried glance darted between the two of them, but she remained silent throughout the conversation. Liam cursed the fact they had waited so long to warn her. They should have known Butch would seek out a confrontation to try and bolster his ego before the fight.
“No. But I did doubt you would bring the prize.” He leered and reached out to tangle his fingers in a lock of her hair. Nate stepped forward and blocked his attempt.
Liam watched the color leach from her face while her eyes hardened into chips of blue ice. “Don’t think I need either of these two to protect me from you. If I wanted, I could take you down right here. Right now.”
Butch chuckled. “You caught me off guard once, sweetheart. Don’t expect that to happen twice. Besides, once I take your protector down you’re mine. Those are the terms we agreed to.”
Her body went rigid and she stepped out from under Liam’s arm. “I don’t know what agreement you all made,” she glared at him first and then Nate, “but I belong to no one but myself. Win or lose, you’ll walk out of here alone if you plan to walk out at all.” She turned and melted into the crowd before he or Nate could stop her.
“Fuck.” Nate muttered a curse he seconded wholeheartedly.
That part of the challenge they had planned to keep quiet forever. Butch had backed Nate into a corner with no way out when he demanded the terms. Of course, Nate had no intention of losing, which meant the terms hadn’t mattered. But, now she knew and without a doubt she was pissed.
Butch displayed a fiendish grin. “Guess she hadn’t heard about the terms?”
“No need to tell her since I’ll take your ass down without breaking a sweat.” Nate shrugged.
“We’ll see about that.” Butch turned and stalked away.
“That couldn’t have gone any worse unless her father stood there and watched.” Liam sighed and shoved a hand through his blond locks.
Across the room, he caught a glimpse of Bel before the crowd shifted and she disappeared again. While he studied the people around her, a knot of bike chain settled in his gut. Her father may not have witnessed what had happened, but he was there. Fucking great.
Bel pushed through the thicket of bodies in search of some small corner to claim for a minute. Anyplace she could use to gather the shreds of her armor around her and try to regroup. Like an open wound, she felt raw and exposed. Nate and Liam had bartered her as surely as her father had, though at least he had the dignity to secure her agreement first. Those two bastards had tossed her out, a used shirt to be snatched up by the dogs scavenging for scraps.
It hurt so badly because she had found herself believing her father could be wrong. Maybe, just maybe, someone wanted her around for a change. She couldn’t fathom why they would lull her into believing they gave a rat’s ass only to show her how far from true that was. What did they have to gain by treating her with such disregard? Was it a way to show her father how little they respected him? And why the hell did she find herself worried about Nate surviving the damn fight?
For the first time since her mother died, moisture gathered in her eyes and threatened to spill. But she refused to cry. Refused to show how vulnerable she had become at the hands of those monsters. Refused to care. Once again, she’d been a fool to believe a man wanted her for anything other than a pawn in some game.
A hand clapped on her shoulder. Working on instinct, she spun around, knocked the appendage from her person, and struck out. At the last moment, she realized her father had grabbed her, and tried to abort the swing. Kalif, her old sparring partner, blocked her attack with ease and saved her from punching her parent in the face.
“Easy, Beauty.” Her dad took a step back.
Shock held her mute for two heartbeats. “What are you doing here?”
“Everyone comes to Pit Night.” He offered her his most charming grin.
She wouldn’t be fooled again. Not by him and not by The Beasts either. “Doesn’t explain what you are doing here, talking to me.”
“Can’t a father say hello to his daughter?” His arms spread wide suggesting he welcomed a hug from her. But, she knew better.
“What do you want?” Her heart cracked for having to ask the question. Her last few weeks had taught her a lot about herself and about her relationship with her father. A trip down memory lane took a quick turn at Hell Street and turned into a waking nightmare, complete with her own demon—dear old Dad.
“Beauty? Bel? What poison have they filled your head with that has you this suspicious of me?”
“Let’s just say time and space have given me a little perspective.” Without moving forward, she crossed her arms over her chest in silent refusal to play the dutiful, doting daughter. “Why don’t you get to the point of this little visit?”
The feigned warmth faded from his eyes and he dropped his arms. With a sharp nod he led her to a dark corner where they would be less noticeable. Kalif stood sentry two feet away, but he’d been privy to everything from the start. Nothing they said would come as a shock.
“It seems you’ve been distracted from your mission.”
“I’m working at my own pace. I call the shots, not you.”
“I got you where you needed to be. I risked my life.”
“And now it’s mine on the line. I work at my pace. You got a problem with
that?”
His body remained deathly still. Not a tick or twitch. “Don’t forget where your loyalties lie. I’m your father. Those monsters took your mother from me.”
“I can see how you still mourn her. Tell me, Daddy. Did the Rose you took beg for her life? Or did she just beg for you to stop violating her?” Bile rose in her throat and choked her. The sear of acid made more words unnecessary and close to impossible. But, she needed to make her point. “My mission. My pace.” She brushed past Kalif and melted into the crowd.
Unknowing people swallowed her up, and she pushed the wellspring of emotion aside. The time for hurt or tears had come and gone. Only revenge mattered. Afterward she’d figure things out. Now, she had to go make nice with Liam and try to pretend he and Nate hadn’t sliced open her chest, ripped out her heart, and stomped all over it like a herd of beasts.
The guys were right where she’d left them, still engaged with Butch. They didn’t even bother to come after me. Anger surged upward again, shoving the milksop within back into the shadows. Somehow, they’d found and played to her weakness, but she refused to let them have control any longer. In fact, she wouldn’t be controlled by any man. Never again.
The milksop nudged her. What about everything her mother had stood for? She had always promised one day a man would steal her heart and keep it safe.
Anger roared back. What happened to the goddamn fairytale she’d grown up believing? It fled while her mother had bled out on the front porch of their house. In its place she discovered a nightmare. No father to snuggle against and chase away the demons. No kisses to soothe the hurts of youth. No steady hand to guide her into adulthood. All she’d had were two sisters more worried about their own survival than her trivial needs and wants, along with a father who distanced himself from the anchors he had spawned while he fought to keep his club together. Of the three sisters, she most resembled her mother. Which meant, until Marcus—calling him Father was such a farce, she couldn’t say it again—had found her useful, had discovered her drive for vengeance, she hadn’t even existed.
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