by Jamie Magee
It was a voice, a seductive, tender voice, which was pissed at him for resisting death for so long. Ambrosia was her name…and Talon wasn’t sure how much longer he could fight her.
Ambrosia had haunted him each time Reveca’s energy claim left Talon’s soul. The woman’s claim was carnal, just as demanding as it was the first time Talon had died.
Reveca had overpowered her pull. Talon doubted she knew she had, or that Reveca knew she was in some mystical tug of war then—that he chose her, put his strength behind her, and had fought to stay at her side, over and over…no matter what cold, twisted ploy Ambrosia played.
He’d never spoken of it because he didn’t understand it. He didn’t want his witch, his woman, to become jealous and wrathful over Ambrosia, the woman who haunted him when he was weak. A woman that he had given into within his Zen over his long life—at the time he thought it was the most humane thing he could do, seduction in a dream or nearly ripping some mortal girl in half.
In Zen, with Ambrosia, he could find the energy he pulled power from. The downside was it only made Ambrosia want him more. It made her plot and twist his heart and mind.
He was determined not to go there again, call on her, and let her know that once again Reveca had set him aside. He had a very real concern that Ambrosia would force him to stay with her. She had leverage over him—in more ways than one.
Knowing what he knew now, that his immortality was not sealed, but dated, explained a lot to Talon. It made him realize why even when he and Reveca were together Ambrosia showed up every two hundred years, and her pull was all the stronger.
Ambrosia was calling now. She’d sensed that Talon was weak. He refused to Zen unless he had to, and only for a moment. It was tempting, though…to forget what he’d lost, if only for a minute.
“Adair’s memory isn’t back,” Judge said in a low tone that had everyone looking in his direction, even Knight who was clicking away on his laptop trying to at least merge all the files so once they had the all clear they could tie this up.
“She’s seen me at a distance over the years. She must have seen me when she started to come ‘round last night. If anything, she was trying to warn us—cover for me.”
Thames grinned. “Damn, maybe I can get her to warn me next time. That bitch is hawt.”
In one breath, Judge was standing and aiming both his guns right at Thames’s head.
Thames laughed darkly. Others, except for Talon who never opened his eyes, tensed. No one wanted to clean that shit up if Judge did fire.
“Take it down a notch,” Thrash said, standing and holding is hard stare on Judge.
“Mine,” Judge growled.
“You let her go,” Thames pushed. “And knowing you, you plan to do so again—even after she owned your ass out there in the lot in front of us all.”
“I did what was right.”
Thames stood, losing the playful glint in his eyes. “Right? You pushed her out in the fucking cold. If she stayed with us she would have never been alone when Talley came at her. We would have been there. We would have him locked down and be a helluva lot closer to shutting this shit down.”
“You’re fucking blaming this shit on me?” Judge roared as he turned his wrist, angling his shot for a better aim.
“Someone’s gotta call you on your bullshit. Your claim isn’t holding weight this go ‘round, unanimous or nothing. Fuck, Rush has more say than you at this point.”
Judge flinched, glanced across the table, knowing that was true, but he’d hoped the others wouldn’t remember the rule that was rarely utilized.
Without opening his eyes Talon spoke. “Unless Adair claims him.”
There were not many written laws for the MC. Most were simplistic. The ones they were arguing about now were only for those in the life and had never been exercised because quiet frankly, Talon was the only one who had an official Ol’ Lady in the past.
Thames was pulling the rule from how the Sons’ mortal family was treated, when they were alive that is. When the Sons crossed over, if they didn’t want their family to know what they were, if they wanted to vanish, the Club made it so. The family forgot the Son ever existed; all records and memories were obliterated.
Sometimes, though, one of those that were pushed away was in need and the Club had to step in anyway. When the family was brought back, they belonged to the Club as a whole, not one person, unless of course, the soul said differently.
Thames lifted his chin. “Until you figure out how to bullshit Adair into believing you know what’s best for her, and her leaving her family behind and living alone is for the best—then she belongs to all of us.” He narrowed his eyes. “Therefore, I can say she’s fucking hot and you’re a dumbass all fucking day long.”
“I know what you’re doing,” Judge said acidly. Thames was the master at pushing buttons, a fucking devil’s advocate. He didn’t calmly tell you that you were fucking up, he made you see it. In this case he was challenging a claim, pushing Judge to stand up, something he couldn’t balance out right now. Not when he could still taste that woman’s lips on his. Not when he knew the second she figured out what he did, left her—she was going to be pissed. He might lose her anyway.
“Good, then stop me from the trouble,” Thames said, laughing again.
Judge holstered his guns with a cuss. Before he could argue his point the door slammed open.
“’Bout time,” Thrash said, walking around the table to greet Rush with a tight one armed hugged. All of them, except for Talon, stood to do the same.
“What the fuck is going on?” Rush asked when they all started to settle.
Rush had been four states away the last few months. Taurus was the mortal side of the MC that helped other chapters establish themselves—Rush was the immortal. Rush’s part always came first. He would set up the core of the MC then Taurus would be right behind him building the mortal side.
Last night, when Thames called him, told him what was up, Rush was already slowly making his way back to the Boneyard, but was still a good state away. From the looks of him it appeared as though he drove straight there after the call.
His chestnut hair, which wasn’t far from his thick shoulders, was windblown, and his eyes were nearly glowing with the otherworldly golden shade he was known for. The brighter they were the more intense his emotions were.
He was dressed like the other Sons, a T-shirt which accented his rigid build, a holster under his kut, and jeans that fit just right, not loose or tight.
Rush was known for his 3D tattoos, walking art. His right arm had a beast ripping through the flesh which was symbolic of what he was, a lyke. His left had the Club’s symbol on his inner arm. The outer arm had an angel with massive wings. It was symbolic of what he fought on the inside, the good and the bad. Balancing him was the MC, which is why, like all the Sons in the life, his back was covered in crow wings and the pentagram with a vicious snake embracing it.
“He’s back,” Judge said to Rush with pain in his eyes.
Rush’s gaze moved rapidly over Judge. One would think because Judge had a claim—had a right to demand Talley be put down—that Rush and Judge would be at odds, but that was the furthest thing from the truth.
Rush felt guilty as hell, sick every time he thought of what Talley almost did to Adair. He was so twisted about the entire deal that Talon put him on the road not even two months after Adair was well.
Talon knew each time Rush looked at Judge, who was fucking miserable, he felt worse. It wasn’t any easier being at the Boneyard, a place where they all knew the real Talley. For a hot minute no one touched Talley’s things. His bay was left alone, so was his room. It was like they were all waiting for him to come off the road. They surely never imagined that he would, that they would all be sitting here once again, not knowing what to do with their fallen brother, not able to understand what the fuck was going on.
“He can’t be,” Rush said, in a ghost of a whisper.
“I don’t think it’s all him,”
Judge admitted. “But he went after Adair, was demanding she tell him where Finley was. It’s like he just crawled out of his grave and thought that not one second had passed.”
Rush lifted his hand and slowly let it slide down his face, past the scruff that was there that couldn’t decide if wanted to be blond or auburn. “I can’t find Adair. I went there first. Her shop is locked down. Fucking Jade told me she went to her boyfriend’s to get her dog.”
Judge tensed, then looked away.
“I don’t know who the fuck he is,” Rush stated. In all truth, Adair didn’t date much. At least if she did she didn’t tell Rush about it, and he’d never caught the scent of a new man at her loft.
“It’s Judge,” Thames said, just to keep pushing his point.
“What?” Rush asked with a furrowed brow, pissed that he was the last to know. “Are you the fucking reason she’s ignoring me?”
Rush was sure the second Adair figured out what the Sons had done to keep her safe she was going to shred him. Finley was fierce, but she always said Adair put her to shame when pushed.
Rush had seen the wicked side of Adair a time or two. She’d pulled a gun on him more than once, even shot him in the arm one time. He had to pretend she only grazed him to stop her from taking him to some doc.
Judge shook his head once. “We don’t know the story. I think she’s just covering for us—I’m sure someone saw me there.”
A confused glint hit Rush’s eyes, and rightly so. He knew out of all the ways the MC had to squash a witness that was the weakest path, pointless really.
“She doesn’t remember as far as I know.”
“What the fuck do you mean as far as you know? Where is she? Where’s Reveca?” he asked, looking at Talon who had managed to open his eyes but was clearly disconnected from the drama.
“Talking with the lawmen,” Thrash answered, becoming the voice for Talon once again.
“And what are we doing?” Rush demanded.
The stare he got from Thrash said it was best not to push the topic. Rush had no clue what had happened at the MC over the last few months, nothing beyond the Devil’s Den kicking up dust and Blackwater being the same dick he always was.
“Waiting,” Talon said with a smug grin.
“Rush,” Shade said, to get his attention. “You know a Gwinn?”
A wicked smile came to Rush. He licked his lips just before he spoke. “That I do, son, one hot, dark goddess— walking sin.”
Before rage made itself known on Shade’s expression, he was across the room and Rush was against the wall with Shade’s gun at his throat. That didn’t last long. Rush was vicious to say the least. He’d pushed Shade back and fists were flying. The others tried to rip them apart, each taking their fair share of hits.
“That’s enough,” Talon said as he stood. His voice bellowed across the room. Everyone froze in place, knowing better than to not heed his words.
“What the fuck,” Rush said, adjusting his shirt as Shade holstered his gun but left his murderous expression in place.
“Shade’s Ol’ Lady,” Steele said, keeping his massive frame between Shade and Rush.
Rush started to laugh. “You’re fucking joking.” When no one laughed with him, his smile fell. “No way.”
“You got something to say?” Shade asked with a lifted chin, ready to counter Talon’s orders and charge again.
Talon was not the only sexually frustrated man in the room. Shade was still taking his time with Gwinn. The trauma she endured was nothing to toy with. She was in Newberry’s closet for weeks, had been unequivocally molested by him. He never entered her in any way, but he always ran his hands over her, and threated to do so.
Shade kept his distance from anything that would trigger a flashback with her which made his life hell. He had never had much patience and this deal right here was testing him.
Sitting around not having a place to go or anything to do beyond build bikes was keeping him from having to find a way to get over bad shit he endured out on the road, but it was also putting temptation in his face.
Girls he had been with before were always taunting him, which Gwinn noticed. Instead of standing up and claiming him the way all Ol’ Ladies did she gave him space, still thinking sex was medicine to him. That pissed him off too, because he knew if someone so much as looked her way he’d attack, much like he just did. At times he thought this deal between them was a one-way street which fucking pissed him off.
Thrash had told him a few days back that witches were just like that, there was no way to figure them out, you had to deal with it or walk away.
Shade and Gwinn were supposed to spend this day together. She asked him to take her on a long ride. He assumed if she could get through riding a bike again, then they could go forward. Now no one was going anywhere and apparently Gwinn had a host of new memories. Instead of telling him what they were, she was locked up with Adair and Reveca and some lawmen that Shade didn’t trust. He didn’t trust any of them, even if Reveca did.
“Yeah I do,” Rush said. “That girl is too innocent for you. I doubt her fucking cherry is popped.”
It took all Steele had but he kept Shade back.
“What the fuck have y’all been doing here?” Rush demanded. “What crawled up your ass?” he said to Talon who had gone back to his ‘I hate the world’ expression.
“We found Gwinn with GranDee. Reveca brought her back. She’s one of us,” Steele explained.
“Gwinn Ballard?” Rush said, holding his hand up to his mid chest to point out how small she was.
Shade narrowed his eyes, quietly pissed Rush knew something about his woman that he didn’t—a last name.
“What do you know?” Talon asked as he nodded for everyone to sit down.
Rush took his time taking his seat, letting his stare linger on Shade then moving it to Judge—two Sons that were lethal but calm the last time he saw them. The last fuckers in the room that he would have expected to charge him on any topic.
“Maybe four years ago she answered an ad Adair put up and they became fast friends.”
“Ad?” Judge asked.
Rush nodded. “She couldn’t make her rent, at least she couldn’t do that and save any money. She said she worked all the time anyway, having a roommate was not a big deal.”
“They lived together?” Judge asked, knowing he had never seen Gwinn near Adair.
“Kind of.”
“What do you mean kind of?” Shade asked.
“I mean they were never really there at the same time. Adair stopped taking her money a few months in because Gwinn was always gone.”
“To where?” Shade pushed.
“I didn’t get her fucking bio.”
“No, you just checked her out,” Shade snapped, right as Judge leaned forward and said, “Someone was living with Adair and you had no fucking clue who they were? What the fuck, man? You were supposed to protect her.”
“Me? You fucker,” Rush said. “Your Ol’ Lady is impossible—you’d know that if you didn’t take the shortcut out.”
“Don’t you fucking go there,” Judge said, daring to rear up and only halting because of the look Talon soared down the table.
“I had your back with putting my own fucking brother down. I had your back with taking Adair’s trauma memories away, taking it all out was too far. I told you that then.”
Judge held his glare on Rush.
Rush shook it off. “Gwinn was running from something but she wasn’t a danger to Adair.”
“From what?”
“They didn’t tell me. All I know is she was a foster kid, was in Alabama then friends brought her here. She wanted her independence, though, which is why she looked for her own place. But as far as Adair knew, or told me at least, she spent her time with them. Worked for them, some garden shit. Adair’s loft was full of plants and flowers, that’s how I figured that part out.”
“Friends brought her here,” Shade repeated.
“That’s what she
said.” He let his golden stare meet Shade’s. “Yes, male friends. I got their scent, but they didn’t claim her. Sounded like they got her out of a bad situation.”
“You don’t know who they are?” Talon asked.
“No, but you do.”
Talon lifted his brow to question him.
“The scent on Gwinn, it’s here.” He nodded to Thrash, the strongest wolf in the room. “You picked the scent up, right?”
Everyone tensed a bit. The only new scent at the Boneyard was King and his sidekick Dagen. No one really had an issue with either of them. Most of the time they stayed off on their own. When they did socialize they were men’s men, but everyone knew King was surely one of the reasons Talon and Reveca split. No one came out and said so, but the Sons were not blind. They knew King had an effect on Reveca.
He nodded to answer Rush. “We’ll have to ask them about it,” Thrash said in a calm tone, tossing a look in Shade’s direction. He was still not a fan of King.
“Yeah, well, Gwinn did something with gardens and white witch stuff. She sold some of her stuff at Adair’s shop, a few others too.”
“I bet that’s how Tisk figured out she was a witch,” Steele said, getting a nod from Talon.
It fit with what they knew of Gwinn—she was with GranDee before she was taken by Newberry and after.
GranDee rarely left her home or let anyone on her property, but she made her living off the herbs and potions she made. She’d sell them to the shops that were set up all over the place, or to witches in general. It would have been easy for Tisk to come across Gwinn’s path, know that she was staying with GranDee.
“How strong did it seem like the memory blocks I put up in Adair were?” Thames asked.
Rush smirked. “Not enough. She’s wanted to come here for a hot second. She was pissed at me because I told her no,” he said with a glance to Judge. “I told her she was here once at best, but she swears she was here more when Talley and Finley were alive.”
“Why was she trying to come home?” Judge asked, before he thought to choose different words.
“Witch shit. I don’t know really. She wanted to meet Reveca.”