Gods & Monsters

by Jani Kay

  She stepped out from behind my back and stood beside me, directly in front of the Don. “Take me. Just leave these men alone. It’s all my fault. I asked them to help me run away.”

  “Alessandra, no!” I protested. The headlights of the vehicles shone directly on her, causing her hold up her arm to shield her face from the brightness of it. She dropped her arm and stepped closer to the Don, into the spotlight. “I paid Cobra and these men. They were just doing their job,” she said, raising her chin.

  “Why would you do that? Why would you not be honored to be my wife?” Pedro gripped her chin in his hand and squeezed hard. “I should fuck you then throw you to the wolves. You’re a disgrace to your family.”

  “Kill me now. I’ve run away from you because I can’t stand the thought of a filthy pig touching me. I’d rather be dead.” The disgust on her face was clear for everyone to see.

  Before I could react, Pedro struck her with the back of his hand, sending Alessandra reeling backwards. Ryder cried out and tried to stop her fall, but she was too far for him to reach her in time. She hit the dust with a thud, causing the blood in my veins to reach boiling point. I moved to help her up.

  Daemon snickered. “Don't fucking move, Cobra. Or any of you boys. Have you forgotten I have a fucking gun pointed at you?” The threat in his voice was real. My brother was itching for action tonight—nothing would please him more than seeing blood flow. His lips twitched into a snarl. “Or should I help the bitch out and kill her instead?” He moved to point the gun at where she was lying on the ground.

  Fucker had caught on fast. He’d figured out Alessandra meant something to me. His knowing was even more dangerous than any threat from Pedro. I had to pay it cool. “Up to you, brother. Kiss your money goodbye if you wanna. She’s no good to us dead.”

  I’d deal with Daemon once I’d gotten rid of Pedro and his men. In the meantime I had to make them believe the girl meant nothing to me other than money or the stakes would rise considerably.

  With a few long strides, Daemon stood in front of Alessandra, the gun pointing to her head. Her face was turned down, staring at the red dirt beneath her. He leaned forward and gripped her upper arm, yanking her off the ground.

  “Come here, bitch. See all the fucking mess you’re causing? Let me see what you look like, if you’re worth all this shit.”

  Alessandra jerked her head up. Tears stained her cheeks and her eyes were wide and wet. Her lower lip quivered as she searched for my face.

  Daemon sucked in a harsh breath. “Fuck me. Now I see what all the fuss is about.” He stared at Alessandra as if he’d never seen a girl before. “Darling, you’re every man’s wet dream. Jesus, no wonder you’ve started a war.” Daemon’s gaze raked up and down her body, the lewd grin on his face telling me exactly how much he liked what he saw. Lust burned in his eyes as he licked over his lips.

  Fuck no. Not this!

  I was willing to kill any man who lay his fucking paws on her. Alessandra was mine. Mine. I had to protect her from these cocksuckers, every one of them, including my twin, who was undressing her with his eyes.

  Alessandra seemed equally shocked. When I’d first told her there was another man roaming the planet who looked exactly like me, and she’d just laughed and said it was impossible. Now she could see that I was right. Identical in appearance. Her gaze swung from my twin, to my face, and back again, her mouth slightly open as she took us both in.

  “You forget this pussy belongs to me. I bought her with blood money. I get to have her first time.” Pedro stepped closer and grabbed Alessandra’s arm, pulling her toward him. She was like a fucking ragdoll being pulled in two directions. Her eyes pleaded with mine, yet I was helpless.

  Daemon wouldn’t hesitate to use the fucking gun in his hand. In fact, he was just waiting for a reason to pull that trigger. I didn’t want it to be any of our blood spilling. Not today. I wanted my father to know how Daemon had turned on his own brothers. I doubted Malone would believe me if I got back to the club with a dead brother. No, he had to hear it directly from the traitor’s mouth.

  Both Daemon and I had a lot of explaining to do to Malone. He was going to crucify me for fucking up the deal with the cartel. He’d worked for years on setting it up and now I’d screwed with our main source of income, he’d be spewing mad at me. But my crime wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Daemon’s—brotherhood counted more in my father’s eyes than anything else. If I was fucked, Daemon was doubly so.

  Tugging hard, Pedro managed to get Alessandra away from Daemon. The older man pulled her against his chest, his arm in a vice-like grip around her waist, banding her arms by her sides. For an old man, he was strong as fuck. Must be the steady diet of tequila.

  “If these assholes have touched your cunt, you are no good to me.”

  One hand unbuttoned her jeans, pulled down the zipper, and slid down the front. The sight of his hand beneath her white cotton panties drove me insane. My skin crawled as if a thousand poisonous scorpions had just been poured over me. At any moment I was going to lose my shit and not care about the gun that was now pointed back at me.

  “Open your legs, girl, so I can feel you,” Pedro commanded as he kicked her ankles, forcing her legs apart. Behind me, Ryder growled and Razor cursed, both of them stuck with the Don’s henchmen pointing rifles at them. Hammer didn’t make a sound.

  I swallowed hard, not wanting to watch but unable to tear my eyes away. Fucker would die for this.

  Alessandra cried out, her eyes wide with fright and shame. “Please, don’t. Not here.”

  My whole body shook as my mouth went dry. Somebody was going to die here tonight. “Daemon, stop this. For fuck’s sake, don’t let him—”

  A shot rang in my ears, nearly causing my eardrums to burst. The Don’s face contorted in shock before I saw the hole between his eyes. Daemon was a marksman; he rarely missed his target. I blinked, unable to believe my eyes as my twin turned and shot both of the henchmen between their eyes before they knew what hit them.

  “Element of surprise. Works every time.” Daemon chuckled.

  I swung back to him, only to find that he had Alessandra in his grip. From one motherfucker to another. When would this nightmare end?

  “You shot him,” Ryder yelled. Blood from the back of the Don’s head puddled around him, the liquid almost black in the darkness.

  “Yeah, he was starting to piss me off. And if you don’t shut the fuck up, you’re next.” He pointed the gun at Ryder and made a show of starting to squeeze the trigger.

  “Daemon! Stop this shit. What the fuck is wrong with you?” Razor yelled. “It’s us, your fucking brothers!”

  “He ain’t my brother. I hate his fucking guts,” Daemon screamed, still aiming at the spot between Ryder’s eyes.

  “Please. No,” Alessandra whimpered. Tears streamed down her face. The side of her lip was swollen and bruised where Pedro had struck her and her arms, neck and right cheek had splatters of red on them.

  “I thought you’d be pleased I shot the cocksucker trying to get into your cunt,” Daemon said. “Guess you’re mine now, darling.” He let out a long howl into the night as he pressed her back to his chest while his hand closed over her breast and squeezed.

  Alessandra closed her eyes, tears falling rapidly down her face and onto Daemon’s arm. He stopped howling and gripped her face in his hand, turning her head to him. I watched in horror as Daemon licked over the blood on her cheek with a wide flat tongue. Alessandra squirmed in his hold, but his grip just tightened, the veins on his forearms bulging with his strength.

  “Later when I fuck you, you’ll be grateful that I saved you from that old prick. You need a real man’s cock inside you, not the dick of an ancient drug lord who is high or drunk most of the fucking time.”

  I growled, clenching my fists together. Steam was coming off my face.

  “Let her go, Daemon,” I said, my voice cracking. My muscles burned with the restraint I was forcing myself to exercise. I couldn’
t do anything foolish to place our lives in danger, yet I couldn’t stand the way Daemon was handling her, his intentions clear.

  “She’s mine now. How about we end the night with a show, huh, boys?” He laughed. “Shall I fuck her with my gun or with my cock? Which would she like most for her first time?”

  Daemon placed the gun under her chin, grinning as he contemplated his options. My blood ran cold. While he had the gun pointed on me, I was less afraid than I was now. Crazy fucker would do anything to taunt me.

  He ran the barrel down her T-shirt between her breasts. Ryder groaned behind me, swearing to kill Daemon under his breath. If we weren’t careful, we’d all end up dead.

  “How about both, darling? Once I’ve fucked your virgin pussy with the gun, my cock can have a taste. I think Cobra wants to watch. I saw how he looks at you. He’ll be wishing it was his cock fucking you.” He paused for a moment, as if he was thinking. Then he grinned as evil sprouted from his lips. “Maybe, I’ll let him. After Ryder and Razor, of course. He can wait till last. I like watching before—”

  All the air left my lungs. Rage made me blind. I was killing this crazy fucker tonight, twin or not. He didn’t deserve to fucking breathe. Lunging forward, I threw my full weight at Daemon, throwing him off balance with Alessandra sandwiched between us. I grabbed his wrist and pointed the gun skyward as a shot rang out. A shot that would’ve gone straight through Alessandra’s heart.

  She screamed into the night as Ryder grabbed hold of her and pulled her away. Razor had jumped forward and unarmed Daemon. He held the gun in his hand, unsure exactly what to do with it for a moment.

  All Daemon and I had left were our fists.

  It wasn’t an even fight. The rage that coursed through my body and gave me superhuman strength. I laid into his face, his chest, and his stomach, punching with full force until the sneer left his face. Until his eyes went glassy and Ryder pulled me off his beaten and bloodied body. Until Alessandra’s sobbing reached my ears.

  “Please, no more killing. Please, Cobra.”

  Razor laid a hand on my shoulder and pulled me back. “Stop, Cobra. He’s pulp. You made your point, brother.”

  I roared, anger burning in my soul. “Leave me. I wanna end his miserable fucking life tonight. What he did—”

  “Not like this,” Ryder said, holding me around the chest to stop me from going back in and finishing him off.

  “He wanted to rape her with a gun. He wanted us to . . . to rape her. He deserves to fucking die,” I screamed, going crazy at the thought of what I’d just witnessed.

  “I know. I’d fucking kill him myself for that. But you are the next pres. You can’t kill your brother. You’ll be thrown out of the club, even though it’s all his fault. It’s the rules,” Ryder said.

  “Fuck the rules. Fucker dies tonight,” I yelled, breaking loose and surging forward to lay my bloodied fists into him till the last breath left his body.

  “Cobra, please stop. For me.” Her voice was soft, yet strong.

  I cracked.

  I fell to the ground at her feet, sobbing like a fucking baby. I reached out and pulled up the zipper of her jeans even through the pain in my fingers and blood smearing on the fabric.

  Sitting on my knees, I pressed my face against her thighs, holding on to her as if she were going to disappear. She stroked my head, pushing my face to her.

  “Hush. It’s over. It’s all okay,” she chanted softly.

  Alessandra was the strong one. She would be my light in this darkness. She pulled me to my feet. “Hold me, Cobra,” she said as her arms slid around my waist. I hugged her tight, breathing her in. We stood like that for a few moments until she raised her face to mine. “Kiss me, Cobra.”

  I dipped my head and kissed her as if my life depended on it, yet taking care not to hurt her swollen lip.

  “El mio,” I said the only words I knew in Spanish. “You are the one belonging to me.”

  “Yes, and you to me,” she said, brushing her lips against mine before pressing her soft body against me.

  I pulled away and stared into her eyes. “From today I shall call you Mia for el mio. Alessandra died here tonight with the Don. We’ll get married as soon as we get back to the compound so no one can take you from me. Or ever try again.”

  She chuckled softly, her eyes bright. “Are you asking or telling me?”

  I swallowed hard. Did she want it too? Fever burned my body.

  “Tell me yes. Tell me it’s what you want, too. For us to be together for the rest of our lives. Say yes, Mia,” I pleaded.

  “Mia,” she said, rolling it off her tongue.

  I lifted her off the ground and her legs clamped around my hips as I kissed her face and her neck.

  “Mia. Mine forever.”

  “Yes, Cobra. Yes to forever.”

  The sun had started rising and slithers of daylight painted the barren landscape in oranges and blues.

  It was a new day. We’d survived the night.

  Chapter 24 — Mia

  I liked my new name. Mia would always remind me that I belonged to Cobra. I was his and nobody else’s. It was crazy—we didn’t know one another that well, yet I knew within the depths of my soul I could never love anyone as much as I loved this man.

  Cobra had carried me off a distance away from the trucks and bikes where Razor and Ryder were cleaning up the mess. He set me down gently on my feet as he leaned his back against a tree. Pulling me into his arms, he held me against his body until I stopped trembling.

  Leaning in, Cobra spoke in my ear. His voice was hoarse and low and it made my pussy clench. “Can’t wait to get inside your . . . my pussy. But after what you’ve been through, we need to wait a while. I don’t know how I’ll manage; my cock is so hungry for you, baby, but I will wait till you are ready for me.”

  I kissed the shell of his ear before I whispered back. “I’m ready. I have been for years. I want your cock inside me. Sooner rather than later. Please, baby. Make me yours.” I wasn’t beyond begging for what I wanted. I needed to get rid of my virginity so that it was no longer an issue. There was only one man I wanted to give it to and he was making me wet with his words and his warm breath against my skin.

  “Later, baby, when we’re alone. I wanna take my time with you. The first time should be slow. Sweet and slow. It’s what you deserve.” His voice cracked a little as he spoke. He meant every word, and it touched me to my soul that a man like Cobra, one who most people would assume was rough and uncaring, would want to be gentle with me. I loved him even more for it.

  *****

  Daemon lay in a heap on the ground, tied up, his wrists and ankles bound by ropes Razor had found in the trunk of the Don’s car, and gagged with Cobra’s bandana. Although I doubted he would wake for a long time, I shuddered when I thought of what would happen when he did open his eyes. It wasn’t going to be pretty, and I hoped I didn’t have to be there to witness it.

  Relief washed over me that the Don was dead. He could never come after me again. But I knew it wasn’t the end. His family would come after us to avenge his death. This kind of thing never went away. It would follow us for the rest of our lives. We’d always have to watch our backs, always be in danger from retaliation.

  Yet, it was a price I was willing to pay for being with Cobra.

  Chapter 25 — Cobra

  “Hey, we’ve cleaned up. Time to get outta here. What are we doing with Daemon?” Razor called out, bringing me back to the problem at hand. Holding her by the elbow, I led Mia from where we’d stepped away back to the area where it all happened. Ryder stared at me, lifting a brow as he waited for my answer, too. This was a huge fucking problem. With the state Daemon was in, it would be unsafe to put him on the back of a bike.

  “Leave him to rot,” I said, my gaze raking over his bloodied body. It looked worse than what it really was. If I’d wanted to kill him, I could have a thousand times over. I could have turned his gun on him. But I wanted him to suffer, to lie there in the
middle of nowhere and think about what he’d done. Betrayal was the worst sin amongst brothers. My father would probably hang him by his balls.

  Ryder’s head jerked up in surprise. “You sure? I can put him on the back—”

  “No. Fucker needs thinking time. Once we get to the other side, I’ll make a few calls and someone will come get him. Until then, I want him to feel what it’s like to be fucked over by your own blood.”

  “What if the cops or Pedro’s thugs get here first?” Razor asked, scratching his beard.

  Hammer chipped in. “He’s more likely to be bitten by something poisonous out here first. This place is crawling with dangerous venomous creatures. The Mexicans call the Coral Snake the twenty-minute snake, because after you’ve been bitten, you’ll be dead within twenty minutes. There are killer wasps, army ants that destroy everything in their path, caterpillars that inject people with venom, and spiders—”

  “Fuck,” Ryder exclaimed. “He’s well and truly fucked.”

  I shrugged. He had it coming to him. My mother was a big believer in karma, and Daemon had brought this on himself through his actions over the years.

  “Good luck to our brother, either way. He’s going to have to explain three dead bodies and gunpowder on his hands. And I don’t think his Spanish is very good either.”

  “He’s fucked. He’ll wish you’d finished him off,” Ryder said. The man never failed to amaze me. As tough as he appeared on the outside, underneath Ryder had a heart of gold. Very few people got to see it, but I knew by the way he was grimacing that he was as torn about leaving Daemon as I was sure about it. In my book, it spoke volumes about the character of a man who would still be concerned for someone who’d treated him like shit from the beginning.

  “And if he makes it out of Mexico alive, he has Malone to deal with. I’m not sure who I’d choose if I were him. Our old man will have his fucking hide for what went down.”

  My old man was fair, but if anyone crossed him, they’d die regretting it. It wouldn’t matter that it was his flesh and blood that had turned against the brothers. The punishment would be the same.