WRAITH (Iron Kings MC, #1)

by Franca Storm

  Finn would be pissed, but there was no way I could stand back and witness him being beaten within an inch of his life. I couldn’t bear another second of it. I had to help him.

  As the glove box flew open, a gasp escaped me.

  There wasn’t just a weapon inside.

  There was an artfully arranged selection of them.

  Pistols. Ammo. Blades. Grenades.

  Holy crap.

  It was a good thing my dad had taught me how to shoot when I was a kid. It was about to come in handy in a big way.

  Or, so I thought, until something slammed against the side of the truck, jolting me away from the glovebox.

  I jerked my head at the driver’s door to see Knox there, fighting to wrench it open.

  He smashed his fist on the window, bellowing, “Get out, little bitch! Now! If you make me rip this fucking door off, it’s gonna be way more painful for you! Open the door!”

  A shrill scream rang out through the garage, stilling the both of us.

  My eyes darted back to the scene of the fight and I watched in utter shock as a heavily-bearded biker crawled out from the hellish huddle around Finn, that awful scream sounding continuously as he clutched at his ear, blood spewing down his arm. As he pulled it away, I saw that half his ear was missing.

  I heard a nasty crack a moment later and a shriek, just as another guy pulled from the huddle, clutching his limp left arm that was hanging at an abnormal angle.

  A ferocious roar sounded and I watched in disbelief as Finn surged up from beneath the guys.

  His eyes were wild.

  He was covered in blood and sweat.

  His clothes were ripped in several places.

  And he looked pissed.

  I realized in that moment that I was seeing the monster.

  At Knox’s irate command beside the truck, his boys went for Finn again.

  Finn spun into the nearest one, thrusting his fist into his throat. It had the misguided biker choking and falling back as he fought to catch his breath.

  A sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach when he tumbled like a rag doll. He hit the ground hard and lay there unmoving. Was he dead? A hit like that to the throat? It was more than a little possible, wasn’t it?

  Finn blocked a hefty punch from the right a split second later, twisting the next guy’s arm brutally and making him cry out as something broke. Snarling, he held onto it and hammered into the guy’s gut several times over until the guy was doubling over. He kneed him in the face and then delivered a nasty chop to his neck that had him hitting the ground at his feet.

  With the final and third one, he shoved a hand into his chest with such force that it sent the guy careening back, losing his balance, and crashing to the ground on his back.

  I couldn’t believe Finn had managed to deal out so much damage with only one working arm.

  He spun so he was finally facing me head-on again.

  There was blood all over his face. His left arm was hanging askew. And he was limping as he stalked over to the truck. But he wasn’t showing an ounce of pain on his face. All I could see was rage burning in his gaze.

  It took a moment as he made his way over to me, but his expression slowly softened as he took me in.

  I realized for the first time with all the craziness that I’d been seeing that the banging on the window had stopped. I looked out to see that Knox was no longer there. As I scanned the area, I saw that he wasn’t anywhere. He’d gone.

  A familiar thunder sounded.

  Motorcycles!

  There was no way they could be Iron Kings. They couldn’t have covered the distance in the time since my dad had relayed his warning earlier.

  They had to be Knox’s reinforcements.

  There was no way Finn could take on any more of them while he was in such a state.

  I pushed open the driver’s door and called out, “Come on! Let’s get out of here!”

  He nodded and hurried to the truck. “You’re gonna have to drive, until I fix my arm.”

  “Okay,” I said, jumping out of the truck and holding the door open for him as he reached me.

  He hopped in easier than I would’ve thought possible with his dislocated shoulder.

  Despite an agitated grunt from him, I helped him to put his seatbelt on.

  Then I ran around to the driver’s side and climbed in.

  My eyes strayed to his shoulder worriedly. “I can help you fix it back into place right now. You must be in so much pain.”

  “Ashley, no. Focus. Drive like hell.”

  “Fine,” I muttered, starting the truck. “But we’re stopping as soon as we can.”

  He smiled wearily and sank back against the seat. “You’ve got it, little warrior.”

  11

  ~Wraith~

  “HERE GOES NOTHING.”

  I stabbed at the activation command on my phone app and waited with bated breath.

  Sure enough, a few seconds later, the thing went live, sizzling with electricity. The entirety of the two-story log cabin set into the mountains was now surrounded by an active electric fence. The voltage was high enough to do some real damage. It was the first line of defense in a complex chain of security procedures I’d reactivated the moment I’d settled Ashley into a room at the new safehouse.

  I’d also set charges along the front lawn, which would go off at the touch of a button.

  There was also the over-watch position on the roof, ready at a moment’s notice.

  And, if all else failed, there was an escape tunnel that ran underneath the house, leading out to a secluded area where a getaway vehicle sat in a small garage waiting and gassed-up.

  I made my way up the porch steps, back into the lodge.

  I headed to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of bourbon from the cupboard, screwing off the cap and taking a big swig as I settled myself onto a bar stool at the island.

  And then my phone rang.

  I eyed the call display and rolled my eyes.

  He certainly took his fucking time.

  I picked up quickly, barking urgently down the line, “Is it done?”

  “Wow. No heartfelt greeting? No small talk?”

  Still joking around at the most inopportune times. Some things never changed. “Jesse,” I pressed.

  “It’s done,” he confirmed. “I thought we had an agreement about you holding off? Cleaning up so many bodies in such a short amount of time isn’t easy, Finn. Take it down a notch, yeah?”

  “Believe me, none of this was my plan.”

  He sighed heavily. “I know. I’m sorry it’s going down this way for you.” There was a long pause, a shared silence where we both felt the weight of his words. He was no stranger to the fallout of dealing so much death. After leaving the Special Forces, he’d suffered from a nasty case of PTSD, only just managing to white-knuckle his way through it.

  “Is the girl doing all right?”

  I nodded to myself, smiling like a fool, as I told him, “She’s something else. A tough little thing.”

  “Like that, is it?”

  I took another swig of bourbon. “Lock it up.”

  “I’ve just never heard that tone of voice from you when you’re talking about anyone.”

  Was I that obvious with it? Damn. I’d put so much effort into denying that I felt anything for Ashley when I was around her that the strain of it was clearly taking its toll, the truth of it leaking out against my will.

  “I’m her protection detail. Her father’s trusting me to safeguard her, not to fuck around with her. He’s my oldest friend.”

  “I get that, but from what you’ve told me since all this started, it wouldn’t be just fucking. You care about her a great deal.”

  “I’m just doing my job,” I said, much more comfortable with my denial than admitting to what he was accusing me of.

  “If it was just a job, things would’ve gone down a lot differently. I saw what you did to those assholes in that tattoo parlor. You were way more bru
tal than you needed to be and I know you don’t go in for that shit anymore. It was an emotional reaction to their attack on her. The way you handled those guys up at your home followed the same M.O. You were running on rage and fear for the girl’s wellbeing. You let them dislocate your shoulder, for fuck’s sakes. You. The Yoda of field agents. Your experience is unmatched. You’re the best of the best”

  I scrubbed my hand over my face roughly. “Fuck, Jesse.”

  He chuckled. “We’ve suffered enough. It’s time for us to try to find a happy ending to a fucked-up life. And right now you’ve got the opportunity right in front of you. Take it.”

  I wanted to counter, to contest all of his well-made points. But he had irrefutable logic and truth on his side.

  It was incredibly rare to find someone who knew all that I was, the down and dirty parts of me, the brutal acts I’d committed, and have that understood.

  Ashley was that person. She understood on a level that very few could, or ever would, yet she somehow accepted that in me. She didn’t condone it. No, she was adamant about me keeping on the right path, wanting to guide me into the light with her. Her innocence was revitalizing to a broken bastard like me with a bruised and battered soul. She gave me something that I hadn’t felt in a hell of a long time. Hope. And, damn, could the woman heat my blood and get me going. Just the idea of losing her when she was free to go back to her life, once this threat was over, felt like a brutal sucker punch in the gut. But, if I didn’t do something, if I continued to keep her at a distance, that was exactly what would happen. I’d never see her again. And that reality was far too brutal, even for a hardened guy like me.

  “All right,” I found myself relenting. “I’ll take it under advisement.”

  We ran through a few more details of his cleanup and I took in his instructions for maintaining my ghost status, in spite of the compromising situation at my home in Langton that risked not only putting me back on the radar, but also putting me on some big time most-wanted lists of law enforcement everywhere. Fortunately, it wasn’t the first go-around for either of us. We knew what we were doing.

  Of course, there was a price to pay.

  Neither of us could ever walk in the world and be a part of it like other people.

  How would that work with Ashley? I was fine staying in the shadows, but she was all innocence and light. She had a zest for life. Being with me risked stripping all of that away from her.

  One step at a time.

  As I hung up with Jesse, I forced those maudlin thoughts away. I was playing devil’s advocate again. Maybe, because it was easier in many ways. Easier than that risk of opening up and letting someone in. I wasn’t a guy who could take being vulnerable in any way.

  Yet, the alternative seemed much worse.

  Not having Ashley around.

  Not getting to touch her soft skin, to feel her wrapped around me, to see that sparkle in her eyes when I took her, to hear those cock-teasing moans of hers, to relish her infectious giggling.

  Losing her was beyond comprehension.

  And that was why, before I knew it, I found myself outside her door.

  I rapped lightly, not wanting to startle her. She’d had enough bullshit lately. I couldn’t bear to add to it in any way.

  I heard the soft pitter-pat of her little feet hurrying over.

  The door swung open.

  And then the strangest thing happened.

  I hesitated, freezing up.

  The whole thing was unchartered territory for me and I wasn’t sure of how to proceed.

  She stood in the doorway in a pair of lounge shorts and a silky tank top had my cock reacting almost violently. They clung to her luscious compact and curvy body, while also leaving things to the imagination. The lace at the bust, kissing the tops of her full, amazingly perky breasts, called to me.

  I reached out, tracing my fingers back and forth along it.

  I heard her suck in an unsteady breath at my touch.

  My fingers left her top and glided along the nape of her neck in a teasing sensual touch that had her trembling all over.

  “Finn?” she queried, softly.

  I pulled back and looked deeply into her eyes, my voice hoarse and strained as I confessed, “I can’t keep away any longer.”

  She reached out and touched my cheek. “I don’t want you to.”

  I stepped into her, but her next reaction pulled me up short.

  Her cheeks heated. She stared down at the floor, unable to look me in the eye.

  “What’s wrong, little warrior?” I asked gently.

  She continued staring down at the floor as she murmured a confession, struggling to get the words out to tell me, “I’ve… uh… this is my first… I’m a virgin.”

  “I know.”

  My response, clearly unexpected, had her jerking her head back up. A faint, nervous smile ghosted her lips. “You’re way too perceptive sometimes.”

  I cupped the side of her face. “You need to be sure that you want this with me.”

  “I am sure.” She managed to hold my gaze as she said, “I’m just a little nervous.”

  “I don’t want you doing this if you’re not ready. I mean it, Ashley.”

  “I am,” she snapped, vehemently. “Finn, I’ve wanted you for a long time. I’m not about to back out now. I want this. I want you.”

  The next thing I knew, she was lunging at me and fisting her hands in my tee. She jerked me into her and smashed her lips to mine, kissing me with a burst of passion. Her hands tightened on my shirt and her escalating desperate need fueled mine.

  I grasped her hips and hauled her up. She yelped in surprise, making me chuckle, as I carried her over to the queen bed in the corner.

  “Rock my world, Wraith.”

  She was calling me out.

  It. Was. On.

  12

  ~Ashley~

  HE GROWLED.

  “I run a fucking marathon when I take a woman to my bed. It’s long, overwhelming, and intense,” he said, as he carried me across the room.

  “Yes,” I breathed, relishing his erotic promise.

  I wanted it.

  I wanted him.

  I wanted it all.

  Fisting my hand in his tee, I jerked him down to me.

  Our mouths clashed.

  Lips teased.

  Tongues tasted and danced with passion.

  Hands roamed and pulled at each other’s clothes.

  It was wild and desperate, completely out of control.

  I pushed his shirt up and he broke our kiss momentarily to rip it up over his head.

  My tank top was next, being tossed on the floor, and exposing my breasts.

  Then, I was reaching for his belt, frantically working to undo it.

  I popped the button of his jeans and jerked down his fly, then plunged my hand inside, beneath his boxers. He groaned as I grasped his hard cock. I ran my hand the length of his shaft, feeling it up, exploring his impressive length. I could feel it almost pulsing beneath my touch, all needy and frantic. Knowing I was having such an intense effect on him had a wave of confidence taking hold of me, bolstering me and shooting down my nerves.

  I cried out when our connection was abruptly broken as he dropped me on the bed.

  But it was only brief, as he hooked his fingers into my shorts and panties and tugged them down my legs, leaving me completely and utterly naked.

  “Christ, you’re so fucking beautiful,” he told me, as he took me in, while shucking off his jeans and boxers.

  He was on me in the next moment.

  His big, muscular body covered mine, making me feel safe and deliciously wanton at the same time.

  He kissed my neck, then trailed his tongue along my clavicle, down to the tops of my breasts. He kneaded the soft flesh with either hand, then alternated between each nipple, flicking, sucking, biting.

  Panting, I arched my back, pushing them further into him and he moaned in appreciation as he lavished them with attention, unt
il I was a writhing mass of need.

  I reacted on a sexual instinct I didn’t even know I had, hooking my legs around his back, and pulling him into me, as I ground against his dick. I cried out at the friction of his hard length sliding through my wet pussy, teasing, and building pleasure so incredibly quickly.

  His hand deftly slid between us, his fingers dancing over my pussy, his thumb brushing, then circling my clit.

  “Oh God, yes!” I gasped at the sparks of pleasure he was causing. “Don’t stop! Please don’t stop!” I begged.

  His light, brushing, erratic touches were the recipe for one hell of a building orgasm. I could feel it coming already, reaching the peak of exploding pleasure. I hadn’t even gotten myself to that point so quickly before. God, he was a sexual wizard.

  I grabbed his head, digging my fingers into his scalp, then pulling at his hair, needing to hold him to me as his fingers had me drowning in pleasure.

  He chuckled, then had me whimpering in protest as he abruptly pulled his hands away.

  Leaning in, he whispered sexily in my ear, “You’re gonna come all over my face and I’m gonna lap up every fucking drop.”

  God, yes.

  In the next second, he flipped me onto my stomach in one smooth move.

  He spread my legs and he had me gasping as he parted my labia with his fingers.

  And then his tongue was on me.

  I screamed as he dove in without mercy, his tongue swirling around my pussy, teasing my clit with figure-eight motions, then hard and soft flicks. The constant switch-up had pleasure shooting through me with such intensity that I had to fight to keep still. I was beside myself.

  He thrust his tongue inside me, fucking me with it.

  “Shit! Oh God!” I cried. I’d never felt anything like it.

  When he withdrew, it was excruciatingly slow, making me feel every delicious pleasure-filled moment of it, heightening and drawing out the incredible sensation. He spread my juices all over my pussy, dousing me in my own juices.

  Then he licked me clean all over again, returning to his swirling, clit-flicking.

  He brought his fingers to my lips, drenched in my own wetness. I opened instinctively and sucked them clean, watching his eyes blaze with hunger at the sight.