Dragon's Lair

by Chantal Fernando

  He’s put up with a lot of shit from me.

  “Why are you rubbing my head?” he asks.

  “For good luck.”

  He laughs. “You’re crazy.”

  “Crazy and tired,” I say, yawning. “I’m going to go to bed.”

  “I’ll be up all night making sure everything’s okay,” he says, cracking his neck. Ew.

  “Are you sure that’s necessary?” I ask, frowning.

  “Rather be safe than sorry.”

  “What about Liam and Trev?” I ask, referring to the other two prospects.

  “I’ve been put in charge, not them. No way am I messing that up,” he says. I guess he must be under a lot of pressure to make sure nothing goes wrong while the rest of the men are away.

  I kiss him on the cheek. “Goodnight then.”

  “Night Faye,” he replies, looking down.

  Was he feeling shy that I kissed him on the cheek? Grinning to myself, I head to bed.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I wake up to the sound of a scream and then a gunshot. I rush out of bed and hide in the corner of the room just as the door is slammed open. I hold in my breath until the man leaves, thinking no one is in here. When I think it’s safe, I crawl on my hands and knees to the drawer where Dex keeps one of his guns in, and pull it out with trembling fingers. I take in a few shaky breaths. What the hell am I going to do?

  I wish I could say I am one of those badass girls who knows how to use a gun, but I’d be lying.

  I have no idea how to use it. Surely it isn’t rocket science.

  I could see now that it was a mistake on my end, and if I make it through tonight, one I am going to rectify at my first opportunity.

  What I did know was that the safety was on, and I needed to turn it off which I do with a flick of my thumb. Aim and fire right? How hard could it be? I swallow hard when I think of the baby. What could I do? If I hide I’d never be able to live with myself. I open the door and walk down the hall, not making a noise. I hear the loud bang of a door. I run into the living area where I see all the women sitting there, crying. In front of them stands four men. All wearing cuts.

  “Looks like we missed one,” the leader says, grinning at me with an evil look in his eye.

  “Who are you?” I ask, lifting the gun and aiming it at him. I fake my confidence, like I’ve done many times before.

  Don’t let them see your weakness.

  He laughs. “And she has claws. Put down the gun princess. I could kill all these bitches before you even shoot one bullet.”

  Cindy stares at me, the only one of the women not crying. Her eyes are trying to tell me something, but I can’t read them. How did this happen? This is supposed to be my safe place.

  “Wh- what do you want?” I stammer, swallowing hard. I don’t take my eyes off the men. The wrong move could cost us our lives.

  The leader sneers. “Revenge. An eye for an eye. Wind Dragons killed two of ours. Now the Wild Men will take what’s due.”

  Revenge.

  “They really should have left you better guarded… Although to be fair we made sure those fuckers thought we were out of state,” he says, laughing like a hyena.

  Okay, think Faye think. Four men, armed with weapons not drawn.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

  I need time. I need to stall. “Where are the prospects?” I ask, pulling in a shaky breath.

  “Those two dumb fucks are bleeding out outside,” he says, smirking. Fucking asshole. Wait, he said two.

  A small movement flashes in the corner of my eye.

  Vinnie.

  Maybe that’s what Cindy was trying to tell me. I look to her, and she nods slightly. She gets it. I get it. Now it’s up to me to make my move.

  “Put the gun down,” he commands.

  “Faye!” Vinnie hollers, showing himself and shooting the leader in the head. I block out the man, block out the screams as I aim and fire at one of the other bikers. I get him in the chest, and he goes down. The other two have their guns drawn and start shooting. Vinnie is able to take out one of them, then turns to the other. The final man standing shoots at the women twice more, then turns to me. His gun trained on me, he smiles, letting me know that he’s not afraid of death, and also that he’s going to try take me down with him. Vinnie shoots, and so does the man. He gets taken down but not before a stray bullet flies past me. I duck, crouching in a ball on the floor.

  Then, silence.

  Too scared to move, I stay like that until Vinnie comes and sits next to me. He puts a hand on my shoulder, making me flinch.

  “It’s over. You really handled yourself babe,” he says, his hand trembling.

  I lift my head, tears dropping down my cheeks like raindrops. “Who made it?”

  That’s not what I wanted to ask. What I wanted to ask is ‘who did we lose?’

  His face crumples. “Other prospects are dead. One of the women got shot. The rest are scared shitless but fine. I’m sorry Faye—”

  His phone rings, and he walks off to answer it. I stand up and walk to the table where the girls were all hiding during the gunfire. I see Cindy okay, hugging Jess. I see Allie there, crying, but alive. I look around for Mary.

  Where is she?

  “Where’s Mary?” I ask in a shaky voice. The women all cry harder, except Cindy who hasn’t shed a tear but has devastation written all over her face.

  “No,” I whisper, my eyes going behind them to the dark-haired woman lying on the couch. Blood drips from her chest. Her eyes are closed. I run my fingers through her hair and kiss the top of her head. Why Mary? She was the sweetest, kindest person I’d ever met. I start to sob inconsolably.

  “Faye, Dex is on his way. He wants to talk to you,” Vinnie says gently. I shake my head and continue to stare at Mary.

  “She needs you right now man,” Vinnie tells him, his eyes going red when he looks at Mary. “She’s fine physically, but I don’t know,” he says into the phone.

  He doesn’t know if I’m fine emotionally. Well I’m not.

  I sit there with Mary until the men arrive. For the rest of my life, I will never forget the look on Arrow’s face. Never. He ran inside and dropped to his knees in front of her. He buried his face in her hair and cried. He cursed, he swore, and he kept asking why over and over again.

  Why her?

  In that moment, I know that Arrow loved Mary. I wonder if he only just figured it out himself. And if he did—now it’s too late.

  Dex wraps me in his arms, his body trembling, shaking with fear and rage.

  And relief.

  He takes me to our bed and just holds me. “I was so worried,” he whispers. “I’m so fuckin’ sorry sweetheart.”

  I can see his face in the moonlight, his pained eyes tearing through me. They hurt to look at, so I squeeze my own shut.

  I’m just about asleep when he says, “I need to go help the others. I will be back as soon as I can.”

  Help must mean take care of the dead bodies.

  I killed a man today.

  I killed someone.

  And I lost someone.

  I think of Liam and Trev, and I feel sad, but when I think of Mary being gone I feel heartbroken.

  The good die young, the saying must be true.

  Dex joins me back in bed early morning. He smells like soap, freshly showered. I explore his smooth chest with my hands, then place my right hand against his heart.

  I feel it beating.

  “I love you too,” he whispers to me. “I wanted to say it to you face to face.”

  He kisses my lips once, then we fall asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

  Chapter Twenty

  “What’s this?” I ask, peering at the box curiously. Jim smiles at me, his eyes crinkling, and places the box on the table.

  “You earned this,” he says as I open the lid and pull out what’s inside.

  It’s a cut. One made in my size. On it, it says ‘Property of Sin.’

  “You’re the fi
rst woman to get one. Ever.”

  Dex watches me, his eyes full of pride and sadness. Pride over my actions but sad that I was forced to do it. Sad that I was almost killed, and that others were.

  “I didn’t do anything really,” I mutter. “It was all Vinnie.”

  Vinnie was patched in the next week, after Mary, Liam, and Trev’s funerals. It’s now been two months since the incident.

  Two long soul-searching months.

  I didn’t leave my room for the first week. I cried more than I’ve ever cried in my life and then I got mad at Dex. It was his fault I was here, that I was in danger. That our daughter was in danger. Then I felt guilt. I killed a man. I was a murderer.

  After that I felt something else.

  Acceptance.

  It happened. I survived. I was one of the lucky ones.

  I had two options in my life. Stay with Dex and live the life, or leave him.

  I think Dex knew what I was thinking, so we talked. A lot. About everything. About us as a family. About the future.

  And I fell in love with him even more.

  There is no way I could leave him.

  A lot has changed since then. Dex and I sold his old house and bought a new one. Renee was pissed, but Dex and I couldn’t care less. The clubhouse upped their security. It’s now harder to get into than a maximum security prison is to get out of. There will not be a repeat of what happened that night, not if we can help it.

  I touch my rounded belly and smile. “I love it.” I won’t be wearing it out, but I think I’m going to seduce Dex in it tonight.

  Wearing the cut and nothing else. Sexy.

  Jim lifts his hand and touches my cheek. “Proud to have you in the fam.”

  “Proud to be here Jimbo,” I reply, smiling up at him.

  He looks to Dex. “Knocking her up was the best thing you ever did Sin.”

  “Don’t I know it,” he replies, his lips curving into a cocky smile.

  I roll my eyes. “When do you guys head out?” They were going on another run, except this time Dex was staying with me. I don’t know how he talked his way out of that. I don’t even know what they do on these ‘runs’, but I have a feeling it has to do with drugs. Jim doesn’t allow any club members to use hard drugs and I thought it was just good form, until I realized maybe he didn’t want them sampling the wares either. I’ve asked Dex, but he didn’t answer, so I let it go. His expression didn’t let me know if I was wrong or right about the assumption. I know they make good money. They own several different businesses, from a strip club named Toxic to several bars, and the auto mechanic shop Dex works in sometimes.

  “Leaving tomorrow morning,” Jim replies, taking a swig of beer. “Cindy is busy organizing the charity event. Why don’t you help her out?”

  “Yeah I will,” I assure him.

  “Good girl. I’m gonna go spend time with her before I have to leave in the morning.”

  “Alright,” I say, taking that as my cue to leave his office. I learnt that his office leads to the room where the men have their secret meetings. Church, they call it. That’s why I was yelled at for trying to clean around there. They probably thought I was trying to snoop. The thought makes me smile.

  “You want to go out for dinner babe?” Dex asks as we head to our room. The house will be ready for us to move into in a few weeks. I’m not in a rush to be honest, at least until I give birth. I can’t imagine being alone in a house when Dex goes out on club business, but I can’t imagine living here with a newborn either. I think we will benefit from having our own space; a civilian life, I heard one of the men call it.

  I like to think I’m giving my daughter the best of both worlds. A nice house in a good area, but also having good men to look after her for her whole life and an extended family.

  Nothing bad will touch her—I will make sure of it.

  “Yeah, I’m hungry,” I reply, absently rubbing my stomach.

  “You’re always hungry,” he says. “You’re supposed to eat to live, not live to eat.”

  “I’m pregnant so you shush,” I tell him, pushing him against the wall in the hallway and slipping my hand into his shirt. I feel the expanse of his smooth, toned chest, then have ideas other than food.

  “Sex then food please,” I tell him, wiggling my eyebrows.

  “Fuck you’re romantic,” he says sarcastically, grinning down at me. “That line was one for the ages. Some pure Shakespearean shit.”

  I slap at this shoulder. “Do not say Shakespeare and shit in the same sentence—”

  He cuts off my rant with a kiss. He starts slow, gentle, igniting a fire within me.

  “Bedroom,” I say against his lips.

  “I want you here,” he replies. Here? As in the hallway? He lifts me up against the wall, careful not to press his weight against my stomach. Running his hand up my thigh, he lifts my dress with it, riding it up until my underwear is bared to him. Sliding down my black lace panties as far as they will go, he frees himself with one hand, kissing me senseless at the same time. His kisses turn more frantic, more desperate. He reaches down and plays with my clit, sliding a finger inside to test if I’m ready for him.

  I always am. A hum of approval resounds deep in his throat as he confines me to the wall. He examines my features for a second, leaning his forehead against mine and staring into my eyes.

  Sliding himself inside me gently, he groans at the contact. “God, I love you,” he murmurs against my lips.

  “Love you too,” I manage to get out breathlessly.

  “You’re mine babe,” he says on a thrust. “All. Mine.”

  His hands hold my hips up, gripping with each smooth movement. My heels dig into his ass, urging him on as my climax builds.

  Then I feel it. That moment you know you’re so close, but you just need... a little more. A little push over the edge. Dex feels it too, he knows exactly what I need. His mouth finds the spot between my neck and shoulder and bites down gently. He knows that spot is sensitive, one of my favourite places to be kissed. It does the trick, and I feel myself explode.

  “That’s it,” he whispers. “Come for me Faye.”

  I close my eyes and let the sensations take over.

  “Show me those pretty hazel eyes,” he demands. “Show me what’s mine.”

  I open my eyes, meeting his crystal blue ones. “You’re mine too.”

  “Always babe,” he grits out as his release hits him. He never moves his eyes away from mine, allowing me to see him in the throes of pleasure.

  It’s a good look on him.

  I hear cheering from behind us and look to see Rake standing there. I hide my face in Dex’s neck.

  “Get the fuck out of here Rake,” Dex growls at him.

  Way to ruin our afterglow Rake.

  “Hell no, this is payback time,” he says, chuckling.

  I cringe when I remember walking into his room and annoying him and his two house guests.

  I sigh, and tap Dex’s shoulder for him to let me down.

  “I hope payback is worth the black eye you’ll be sporting tomorrow,” Dex adds, carefully putting me down on the ground. I pull my dress down and slide my panties up, while Dex does up his jeans. We both turn to face Rake, my face red. Dex, on the other hand, looks like he wants to kill him, and I know it’s on my behalf. I don’t think he really gives a shit whether people see him having sex or not, but he knows I’m more shy and private.

  “Let’s go have a chat Rake,” he says, grinning evilly.

  I puff out a shallow breath. What he really means is, let’s go to the boxing ring and beat the shit out of each other. The ring is a new addition to the compound, and the men like to get in there and show off their fighting skills.

  “Not the face,” I tell Rake, pointing a finger at him.

  Dex turns to me. “As if he will even get a shot in.”

  “Hey, not all of us have trained with Reid Knox,” Rake adds. “You have an advantage.”

  That was the truth. Dex
was undefeated in the ring so far.

  And the sex afterwards—wow. It was hot—passionate and frantic.

  I had no idea who Reid Knox was, but I should thank him. Dex was an amazing fighter.

  He gives me one last lingering kiss. “I owe you some spooning,” he whispers into my ear.

  “What?” I ask, laughing.

  “I don’t want you to feel like we’re having sex then I’m just leaving you,” he tries to explain.

  I hide my smile. He doesn’t want me to feel like he’s using me, like he was just going to fuck and run like he did with the other women. “Baby, it’s okay. Go do your thing we can snuggle tonight.”

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” Rake says. Shit, I forgot the bastard was even there.

  I flash him a pointed look, then head to my room for a nap.

  Chapter Twenty One

  “What about Akira?” I ask, my nose stuck in the baby names book.

  “What else do you have?” he asks, stretching his arms above his head.

  “Lilliana, Rose, Clover, and Chloe.”

  “Clover,” he says, smiling. “I think it’s my favourite.”

  “Clover Black,” I say, testing the words on my tongue. “It’s beautiful.”

  I put the book down and lie beside him.

  “Not as beautiful as she’s going to be,” he replies, pulling me into his side. I rest my cheek against his chest.

  “Well that’s a given,” I reply, earning me a chuckle.

  “Are you ready for your exams?” he asks, absently stroking my hair.

  “Yeah I am. I’m actually excited to sit for them tomorrow,” I say, smiling widely. I need to go into the university to sit for my exams. Tomorrow is the first one I have, and it’s for my family law unit.

  He chuckles. “You’re a nerd, babe. It’s so fuckin’ hot.”

  I shake my head at him. “You think everything is hot.”

  “Everything about you, yes,” he agrees. “Do you need to study tonight? Or can we do something?”

  “I need to study, I want to ace this exam,” I tell him carefully. “Aren’t you going into work now?”

  “Yeah in about a half an hour,” he replies. Good, I need him out of the house. Tomorrow is his birthday, and I need time to get his surprise ready. Then time to kick his ass for not even telling me it was his birthday. I remembered that it was in June from when we were younger, but I couldn’t remember the date. June nineteenth.