by Hawk, Ryanne
“Why do you feel responsible for her death?” she asked in a soft voice filled with compassion.
“We were ambushed on a joy ride by a rival club looking to make a name for themselves. They tried to kill me and instead murdered her and Remmy. He was an omega wolf and his death caused a ripple effect in our pack. Amber’s death threw me into a tailspin of depression. She was human and I hadn’t protected her.”
Lucky stared at his hands clenched on his lap, but he felt the weight of Cecelia’s stare like a ton of bricks. He sensed her stand up and move toward him. He forced himself not to flinch or lift his face to see the condemnation in her eyes.
Her feet were in front of him and when he didn’t glance up, she knelt down instead, ducking to catch his attention. “You’re a shapeshifter, not the invisible man, or the Flash, Lucky. I’m sorry she died. That must have been so hard.”
She reached up and clasped their hands together, and pulled up as she stood, her knees creaking. He reluctantly raised himself up to his full height. He relaxed once she had wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest, though. His spirit calmed in her presence, and it was an intoxicating feeling.
She smiled up at him and said, “Her death is a tragedy. So is Remmy’s. It’s hard to forgive yourself when you feel like you’ve failed someone, or that their death was your fault.” Her eyes swam with tears and she clutched his shirt as the tears fell in fast drops down her face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, knowing her sadness wasn’t solely over his plight.
“When Peter attacked me and I ended up in the hospital, I was pregnant with our daughter, Olivia.”
She buried her face against his chest as a sob crushed his heart into pieces. He rubbed her back as she cried, silently vowing to dismember the bastard who’d killed his own child and abused his wife. Her sobs subsided and she peeked up at him from under wet lashes with a fierceness he’d only seen when his mom had sheltered him and his brother from an intruder when they were cubs.
“I understand how you feel,” she whispered, and for once, he knew that someone shared his pain. That he wasn’t alone.
He reached up and brushed the tears from her face with his thumbs and stroked her soft skin with the pads of his fingers, a lightness seeping into his veins, casting out the shadows of grief he’d carried for so long.
“Thank you,” he whispered, then leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her lips, cradling her face in his hands, an odd contentment flowing from her skin to his. They were united in pain.
Chapter Twelve
“I need a table in five minutes,” Lucky said to Hammer once he had opened his bedroom door a crack. Hammer rubbed his mouth with his hand and scrubbed his face.
“Fine. Rouse the others. This better be good.”
Lucky nodded and continued walking down the hall, proceeding to knock on his brothers’ doors, calling out, “Church in five minutes, boys and girls.”
He snatched Cecelia’s hand and pulled her to the meeting room, where they sat and waited.
A few minutes later Hammer, Flip, Meat, Flash, Pretty-Boy, and Brick filed in, carrying steaming cups of coffee, and in Brick’s case, hot tea.
“Commence meeting,” Hammer said, hitting the table with the gavel and watching Lucky and Cecelia over the rim of his cup.
Lucky nudged Cecelia and she glanced at him. He said, “Go on. Tell them what you told me.”
He watched his mate bite her lip, then turn her face to greet Hammer. “Good morning, Hammer.”
His president inclined his head. “Morning, darlin’.”
Then his mate did something he didn’t see coming. She started humming the Lion King song. He burst out laughing before he could stop himself. She was too full of surprises. “You’re a lion,” she said and smiled. She shifted her gaze to Flip, and studied him for a long second. “Jaguar,” she said and nodded, more to herself than anyone at the table. She continued to turn her head and stopped at Meat. She cocked her head to the side and said, “You’re a bear.” Her gaze fastened on Flash, and she perused her from head to toe. “Fox.” To Pretty-Boy, she licked her lips and said, “Tiger.” She stilled once she was staring at Brick. She inhaled, and exhaled, then examined him for what seemed like an eternity. “I’m actually not sure what you are. I guess I’m rusty. It’s been a while.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way.” Brick showed her his teeth.
Cecelia looked at Lucky and said, “Big, bad wolf.”
Hammer cleared his throat and said, “Well, aren’t you just full of surprises. Care to share how you know what we are?” He shifted his eyes to glare at Lucky.
“I didn’t tell her a thing,” he said and crossed his arms over his chest.
“He didn’t,” Cecelia confirmed. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything right away. I guess I was scared.”
Hammer merely raised a brow. “Afraid we’d eat you?”
Cecelia chuckled and reached toward her cup on the table, grabbed it, and took a big sip. “No, I wasn’t afraid you were going to eat me. I figured Lucky would do that,” she mused, causing his brothers to laugh under their breath.
“You’re not a shifter,” Flip said. “What are you?”
“Well,” she said. “Once upon a time…”
Hammer groaned. Meat made ‘hurry up’ motions with his hands. The others just openly stared at her with curiosity.
“Get on with it, woman!” Brick said from the far end of the table.
“Fine, fine. Sheesh, for a bunch of shifters you don’t have much of a sense of humor. I’m a gatekeeper,” she said and leaned back in her chair, resting her hands in her lap after she had set her mug back down.
Meat whistled, and Flash said, “What’s that? Like from Ghostbusters?”
“Ha! So you are funny. Good. And no. Not like from the movie. A long time ago, back when human civilization wasn’t as evolved, the supernatural community relied on gatekeepers to keep them safe and humans unaware.”
“I’ve heard of your kind,” Hammer said.
Cecelia inclined her head. “Now you know who I am, and that you can trust me.”
Pretty-Boy’s rolling laughter forced Lucky to growl. “Something amusing, Bryan?”
“I don’t trust outsiders.”
“She’s one of us now.”
His brother shook his head. “Just because she’s your old lady doesn’t mean she’s one of us.”
“She also has knowledge of our world,” Hammer said. “And from what I’ve heard in whispers over the years, gatekeepers are like librarians.” He moved, cracking his knuckles. “And you’re right. I’m a lion. You were right about everyone at the table.”
“Except him.” Cecelia hiked a thumb at Brick.
“Yeah, well, he’s ancient and I doubt you gatekeepers heard much about what he is. At the very least, your probably heard stories but refused to believe them.”
“Ominous.”
“It is what it is.”
“I suppose. Now what?”
“Nothing’s changed as far as I can see, except we don’t have to hide what we are around you, which is helpful. We’ll still go with the plan we laid out, but it will be a little easier, because the president of Delta is one of us. I expect he’ll fall in line, but the Ice are full of human mercenaries.”
“There’s one more thing you should know about our club,” Hammer stated, then waited until he had the attention of every member in the room. “We’re not just an MC. We’re also the Ruling Council of Shifters.”
Cecelia sucked in a breath through her teeth and tensed beside Lucky. He placed an arm over the back of her chair and caressed her bare arm, sending goose pimples dancing over her skin.
“Now that you know who and what we are, we can kill you to keep our secret, by pack law.”
She shrugged. “Not even trying to veil the threat to my safety. I can respect that.”
His mate constantly surprised him and Lucky found himself puffing with pride. Still. “
You’re not going to kill my mate.”
Cecelia’s head whipped around and her eyes widened when she settled her gaze on his face. He showed her his teeth and shrugged one shoulder. “Gotta call a spade a spade.”
“I don’t think you could have scent-marked her any more,” Flash said with disgust. “She reeks of dog.”
Lucky grinned wider and wagged his eyebrows. “I know, right? She smells like heaven.”
“Hello? I’m right here,” his little bird quipped.
“You’re not a supernatural, correct?” Meat asked from across the table, resting his fat fingers flat on the wood.
“No. I’m human.”
Just with a few enhancements, she thought.
Meat sighed. “You sure about taking a human mate, Lucky? Aren’t you afraid you’ll break her?”
Lucky clenched his fists, and when Cecelia turned to him, he tried to ease the tension vibrating inside him. But it was so hard to let go of the grief from the past. “I’m not afraid,” he said as he stared into her pretty eyes. “Not anymore.”
Hammer pounded his fist on the table. “Well, hot damn. Lucky’s back, y’all.”
Around the table, his friends’ faces broke into wide smiles. “’Bout time, bro,” Meat said.
“Glad to see you stop moping,” Flash remarked.
Brick remained silent at the end of the table, but that wasn’t unusual for him. The fire breather liked to watch rather than get involved. He rarely shifted; in fact, all they had was his word on what he transformed into.
Pretty-Boy stood and stretched his body like the lazy cat he was, carefully moving, trying to make Cecelia eyeball his body.
She laughed. “You don’t do it for me, cat. Stop trying. I’ve always been more of a dog lover.”
Pretty-Boy flexed and gave her a shit-eating grin. “I’m sure I can change your mind once you’ve sampled my tongue baths.”
“Ew. I’m sure you’re great. But please, keep your paws to yourself.”
Lucky watched the byplay, wanting to see how his mate would react, wanting to know if he could trust her with his heart, and so far, she hadn’t let him down. She was holding her own against animals who could rip her throat out in two seconds flat and feel no remorse, without even batting an eyelash.
“Man, am I lucky or what?” he proclaimed, then grabbed her face between his hands and planted a wet kiss on her lips in front of everyone.
“Got any friends you can hook me up with?” Pretty-Boy said once Lucky and Cecelia had stopped kissing like randy teenagers.
Cecelia choked for a second. If Lucky hadn’t been paying attention, he might have missed the sore spot being hit. She opened her mouth and said, “Not anymore. But maybe once this shit storm blows over, I’ll be able to make contact with a few people from before…”
Hammer raised a brow. “Where are your parents?”
Cecelia cleared her throat. “Back in San Diego. I haven’t seen or spoken to them in over four years.” Her shoulders hunched and she bowed her head. He was pretty sure he heard her discrete sniffle, but when she picked her head back up and glanced around the table, her eyes were dry and clear. She was amazing. Such a survivor. But he’d have to do something about her incessant need to be stoic. She had to know he’d be there for her. That it was okay for her to break down and rely on someone other than herself. He’d make sure she understood.
Later. When they were back in bed and wrapped in each other’s arms.
“Okay, so are you going to let me come to the meet on Saturday night now?”
“No.”
“Fuck, no.”
Cecelia stuck her lips out and crossed her arms. “I can handle myself. I’m not weak or helpless.”
“Didn’t say you were, sweetheart,” Hammer said. “But just because you know your way around shifters doesn’t mean you’ll be safe surrounded and outnumbered by them. Especially a bunch of unknowns. I can almost guarantee the Delta president won’t kill you on site, but I can’t say the same for his pack members.”
“I may not grow claws, but I know how to use a gun.”
He loved that she challenged his brothers. That she didn’t let them steamroll over her. Even if his first instinct was to protect her and keep her alive, the animal in him adored her moxie and need for retribution on her own terms.
Lucky placed his hands on the table and stood, leaning forward so he could see into the faces of the Ruling Council and his MC brothers. “If she wants to partake, I don’t have a problem with it.” He lowered his voice. “Mate bond supersedes club law. She’s not just my old lady. She’s my mate.”
He turned and caught her eye, watching a fierce pride give her back some steel. She sat straighter.
Then she said, “Let me prove myself to you, then you can decide whether you’ll let me stand by your sides.”
Hammer drummed his fingers on the scarred wood table, his eyes unfocused, locked deep within his own thoughts. Lucky wondered if it had been his mate asking, if Maura wanted to avenge herself, if Hammer would allow her to go. But Maura was a shifter, and a little more durable than his human bird.
He glanced at Cecelia out of the corner of his eye, taking in her petite body with her lean muscles and strong attitude. If any human could make it in his world, he kind of figured it was her.
“If you want to prove yourself, that’s on you. You’ll have to challenge a member to combat. Those are our rules. First blood.”
Hammer waited and watched Cecelia, and so did Lucky. Flip, Meat, Brick, Pretty-Boy, and Flash all remained silent at Hammer’s decree.
“Any member?” Cecelia hedged.
Thoughts passed through Hammer’s expression, too quick for Lucky to interpret, but as a wide grin formed, Lucky almost laughed.
“Anyone but your own mate.” Hammer cocked a brow, a slight quirk to his lip.
The sly smile she gave his president made Lucky realize just what a devious mind she had. He could work with that.
“I like the way you think, though,” Flip said. As their sergeant at arms, it was part of his job to outwit, and outmaneuver, his opponent. High praise from their wet man.
“Fine. I’ll think about it.”
Hammer nodded, then looked around the table, his eyes settling on Lucky. “All right, if that’s it, then let’s get outta here. I’m starving.” He waited a beat, then knocked the gavel against the table when no one else had spoken. “Don’t forget the party in two days,” he said as everyone stood to leave. “Gonna be a full house. We still have logistics to work out before the other heads get here.”
The crew mumbled and lumbered out of the room, fighting for the first spot at the bar. Lucky grabbed Cecelia’s arm and gently pulled her away from the ruckus, into the relative quiet of his bedroom.
“Wanna go for a ride? Get some fresh air?”
“I’d love that,” she said and quickly changed her clothes, donning one of his Inked Menace hoodies. The sight of her wearing his club’s logo filled him with an intense pleasure.
“Come on, then, little bird. Time to fly.”
Chapter Thirteen
Friday night had come fast, Cecelia thought as she got dressed for the party. She’d gone shopping with Lucky and purchased a new pair of tight, show-all-your-assets jeans, and the requisite black t-shirt. She’d even purchased a pair of black leather boots with a 3.5” heel to add to the sexy wow factor. Plus, they were good for riding too.
She glanced at her man and sighed. So much had happened over the last few days, she still hadn’t wrapped her mind around it. She’d stuck to taking it minute by minute in order to not get overwhelmed. Because if she sat down, if she let her mind wander too far, hello panic attack, goodbye compartmentalization.
Lucky handed her the leather vest he’d had made for her with the club’s patches. Their fingers touched and their gazes collided, then her heart stopped for a breath. It was crazy. Intense. Passion worth fighting for, something she’d yearned for all her life.
Now she had it
in spades and she was terrified.
“You good?”
She slipped on the butter-soft leather and smiled at Lucky. “Yeah. I think so. Nervous, though.”
“I’d say don’t be, but fear is a powerful motivator. Let’s use it to our advantage.”
“Okay. Is there a plan for tonight, and is there an exit strategy if shit goes south?”
His cheekbones protruded as he clenched his jaw. “Nothing’s going down tonight.” A fierce growl punctuated his statement, as if he’d single-handedly stop any attacks on her.
“Better to be safe than sorry. It’s good to have back-up plans. Kind of like in the Fast and Furious movies? You know? Plan b, c, d, e.”
“Hopefully they won’t have a tank.”
He chuckled and shook his head, walked over to stand beside her, and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek.
“Am I going to meet your pack, Luke?”
Lucky’s face hardened and he shifted to stare out the window. “Not tonight,” he said, and bent over to finish tying his boots.
“Hammer said a few of the club’s packs and friends would be here too, just to be safe. I wondered if yours would be here too. Sorry.”
Cecelia gazed at the floor, trying to stay calm. Every time she’d asked about his previous life, he’d clammed up and changed the subject. He pretty much knew everything about her, and she still knew next to nothing about him.
Give him time, she whispered to herself. Your relationship is in its infancy, and he’s had a lot of trauma.
She shook off the thoughts and the grief. She’d had a horrible trauma too. She’d opened up, though.
She looked up and noticed he’d stopped to peruse her attire. He licked his lips. “You look gorgeous, and so fucking sexy I want to be late to our own party.”
Cecelia laughed, hoping to lighten the soured mood a little. She twirled in a circle to give him the full view, then cocked a hip. “That can be arranged,” she said, clucking her tongue.