“If you and Dad are right about this, it will be a fun activity with your girl,” she said and gave him a peck on the cheek.
Hunter closed his eyes. “Yep, a ritual to invoke a demon sounds like much more fun than going ice skating.”
Asty didn’t respond to his mocking and just gave him a long, sweet kiss to seal the deal. She wasn’t even sure whether such a one-time opportunity would really do it, but the fact that Hunter was willing to go there despite his own misgivings about hell gave her the confidence to go through with it. Something was telling her this would end up being one of the defining moments of her entire life.
Hunter
Hunter packed the last of his belongings into a duffel bag, which he hung over his shoulder. All his stuff was piled up in a few boxes stacked at the back of the tiny room, and it seemed not long ago he had carried them all in here after moving into the clubhouse. He would finally get to have his own space again and have his privacy back.
He and Asty spent the last few weeks looking at places to move into once she gave birth, and having to juggle money among other things, they eventually settled on a house owned by a landlord who agreed to charge very little rent provided they do necessary renovations within fixed periods of time. The building was quite big with a decently sized garden and even a romantic gazebo, which Asty fawned over even during the first visit. Now he had to move in and make sure at least some rooms were usable by July.
Hunter grabbed one of the boxes and walked out into the corridor. At least he owned a van, so he could easily transport whatever would be needed for renovations, and then move Asty’s stuff once the house was ready for her. The first house Hunter would be able to call truly his. For him, Asty, and their kid. And maybe more kids in the future as well. He wouldn’t have to deal with Ray’s bullshit, he could have a place of his own where he could play the cello whenever he felt like it and have sex with Asty whenever they wanted to, without sneaking around. Though since the big reveal, Asty wasn’t afraid to openly invite him over anymore. He still couldn’t stay at her place when Priest was there. The potential for disaster was too great.
He scowled when Ray’s door opened, and his cousin looked out. “Hey. That was quick.”
Hunter gave him a glare. “I don’t have much,” he said and walked on. Having to meet Ray every now and then meant that Hunter had to learn to not throw his fists at the fucker all the time, but it still made him displeased to see that face. Whenever he saw him, it reminded him that this treacherous son of a bitch had tried to kill Hunter’s future father-in-law, bullied him for years, but worst of all, molested and threatened Asty.
Ray sighed. “Maybe it would be quicker if I helped you out?” He put his hands in his pockets, watching the box in Hunter’s arms.
Hunter shook his head and walked on. “I’m good.”
But Ray just wouldn’t take the hint and followed him down the stairs, his footsteps thudding all too close for Hunter’s comfort. “Look, I know we haven’t spoken in a while, but can’t we just have a beer and hang out like in the old days?”
“Where’s the change of heart coming from? You don’t feel like threatening my fiancée today?” Hunter got to the van and put the box in the back.
Ray groaned and closed the door, leaning against it, so that Hunter couldn’t go back into the staircase without forcing him away. “I didn’t think you were serious.”
“I am. And it’s now all in the open as well.” Hunter crossed his arms on his chest.
Ray raised his hand and gave him the sincerest look since forever. “I get it. It just didn’t seem like she was a girl you’d want to actually get together with. I’m gonna forget everything that happened.”
Ray couldn’t be spreading rumors about how everything started anyway if he wanted to keep his head.
“Since when do you care what I think?” asked Hunter.
Ray poked a stone with his boot. “We’re kinda in this together. You know I have to stay here. I was thinking about it, and I might have not ... valued it enough that I had family left.”
Hunter raised his eyebrows and took a moment to process what Ray was saying. At least Hunter still had the other part of his family to connect to. Ray only had some of his old friends at what used to be the Rabid Hogs MC and was now another chapter of the Coffin Nails. From what Hunter had heard, there had been a big reshuffle in their ranks as well, with some of the guys who were most against the Nails patch over leaving and others trying to consolidate what was left. Ray was alone and not mixing in with the Nails as well as Hunter had.
“You never have,” Hunter said in the end.
Ray exhaled and massaged his jaw. “I’m not a good guy,” he eventually said with a crooked smile. “But maybe I wanna change? I look at you having it all now, while I’m stuck here like a prisoner with no one to talk to.”
That was a surprising amount of self-awareness for a guy like Ray. “You’d have more if you actually spent time with the guys here and let the past be the past. There’s no going back to how things were, Ray. And I loved Head like a father”—A lie for the sake of the argument—“but he was no saint. He fucked these guys over, tried to start a war with them. And he lost. He knew what he was doing and took the risk.”
Ray sighed. “Yeah. It just feels so wrong to serve under the man who had him killed, no matter who started it, you know. And you, my cousin, will be having a baby with that man’s daughter. It’s not easy for me.”
“You were the one who said that we should go and check out that church. Maybe it was some kind of fucked-up way in which fate wanted to tie us to this new club. You only got one life, Ray. You gotta make the best of it. You’re not too far gone. Give it a few months, a few good parties, a few runs, and you can be a part of it all.”
Ray smirked and slowly walked up to Hunter, patting his shoulder. “You’re right. I might have focused on the wrong things. Can we still get along?”
Hunter gave Ray a long hard look. “With time.”
Ray took a deep breath and his smile widened. “You know Raja told everyone he’s a fag?”
That was exactly what Hunter didn’t want. Getting drawn back into Ray’s hateful world. “Gay, Ray. It’s called being gay. And it only means there’s more pussy for everyone else if he fucks guys now.” Hunter had to admit it was a bit of a shock for one of the Hogs to turn out gay. It did make sense that he came out now that the most homophobic guys rage-quitted the club, not wanting to be associated with the Nails, who had a gay VP.
Ray put his hands up. “Okay, okay! Just sayin’. Thought you’d want to know what’s up with the Hogs.”
Hunter sighed, and Ray squeezed his shoulder before giving him a short, awkward hug.
“I’ll help you with those boxes, yeah?”
Hunter nodded, and together, they quickly got all the boxes into the van. It was strange to see Ray so broken, but at least he was trying now. Maybe in a few months things would look brighter for him. All Ray needed to do was try to blend in more. A big step down from being the club president’s son, but that was life.
They finished with the boxes, and Ray even suggested going out for drinks, but despite best intentions, Hunter needed some time away from his cousin. He said his goodbyes and went to the kitchen to pick up a sandwich before driving off to his new home. Priest popped out of the office as soon as the microwave beeped after heating up the food.
“Hunter, a minute,” he said and disappeared behind the door.
Even after a few weeks of being with Asty officially, out in the open, hearing those words from Priest made Hunter cringe on the inside. A brand new window was put into the office, but Hunter still remembered sitting in Tooth’s medical chair and awaiting having his teeth removed one by one.
Hunter grabbed the hot sandwich and groaned feeling it was a bit soggy, but he followed Priest into the office.
Priest leaned back in his chair when Hunter entered. “Take a seat. Today’s the big day, isn’t it?” he asked, a bit stiffly.<
br />
Hunter nodded and bit into his sandwich. “I’m gonna get the house in order before the baby comes.”
“Right, right,” said Priest. He was silent for a few seconds and then grabbed a bottle of Coke and took a few sips. “Asty told me it had a great shed in the garden. She seemed happy with it.”
“Yes, she’s got some plans for it. And don’t tell her, but I’m gonna prepare a craft room for her, for the candles and stuff.”
Priest smiled and tapped the bottle with his fingers. “That’s a great idea. I’m happy that you’re thinking about what she needs,” he said and drank some more.
“I’d be in trouble if I didn’t.” Hunter dared a smile. “Asty is pretty vocal when she doesn’t like something.”
Priest smirked. “She takes after her mother. Although Dolly could be much more... violent with the plates when she got angry. Unless Asty doesn’t do this to me out of respect.”
“No, she’s sweet. It will be the first real adult house for both of us, so we’re really excited. Milk offered to help with painting, and everyone else has been pretty great about it.”
Priest chewed on his lip. “I could help too from time to time. It’s only four months left now.”
Hunter nodded and stuffed his mouth with more of the sandwich. “It’s gone so fast. I’m sorry for all the trouble it’s caused.”
Priest exhaled. “I accept your apology. You couldn’t have known she was my daughter. And she can look much older when she wears makeup, so ...” He leaned forward and looked into Hunter’s eyes for the first time since they sat down together. “I thought she’d get her life in order first, but I suppose she could have done worse.”
Hunter forced himself not to groan. “Doing my best.”
“I thought our British Prince would be more up her street, but it seems one can never know. I suppose I will be happy as long as she is happy, but this is difficult. I still don’t know you well.”
“On the bright side, I’m a Nail, you’ll get to know me better. If it was some other guy, you wouldn’t know him at all.”
Priest nodded slowly. “Right. Well, I’m happy you’re so quickly growing into the fabric of this club ...”
“I was only a prospect with the Hogs, here, I got to really be a part of everything.”
“You like the sense of community. I can see that. Shame that Ray won’t make as much effort as you,” snarled Priest, and Hunter could only hope nothing would ever come out about Ray’s treatment of Asty if his cousin were to stay alive.
“He’s getting there. He lost more on the way.” A euphemism for getting his father murdered. “But I think he’s turning the corner now. Being here will be good for him in the long run.”
“I haven’t seen the two of you together recently,” said Priest, and his pale eyes became more focused.
Hunter sighed. “The way he talked about Lucifer, the things he did… We fell out, but we might be on the way to mending things. It’s all good.”
“I’m happy to hear that. Well, I suppose I won’t keep you here much longer. You have things to do ...”
“Yep, Blitz has some furniture I can pick up from him.” Hunter licked his fingers but then looked back to Priest more intently. “After all that has gone down with the Hogs, thanks for not just keeping me here, but treating me as an equal. I don’t have much contact with any of my family, so it means a lot.”
Priest frowned but gave Hunter a nod. “You’re welcome. This club is my family. Whoever becomes a part of it should feel welcome.”
“We are gonna be family.” Hunter smirked but quickly dropped the cocky attitude when Priest glared at him. Too soon.
Priest leaned back so abruptly his chair creaked. “Well, to be honest, I haven’t seen a new ring on her finger yet.”
Hunter’s heart sunk. “Oh. That. I didn’t want to just buy a cheap one, and with the new house, and the renovations, there’s not much to scrape by on.”
Priest sighed. “I get it. Believe me or not, we’ve all been there sometimes, but you two keep saying you’re engaged, and you are soon moving in together. Things need to happen at a right time.”
“Asty doesn’t want to get married pregnant anyway. So I thought I’d save up for a few months.” Hunter didn’t even notice when his hands started getting sweaty. Embarrassment mixed with guilt over not getting her an engagement ring and made him perspire.
Priest leaned forward. “Look, I’ve known my share of women, and I’ll tell you something. No matter what they say, they aren’t like us. They are more sensitive. They need the stability of that ring on their finger.”
Hunter slumped in his chair and nodded. He supposed he could sleep on a mattress for a while instead of getting a nice bed. “I’ll work it out.”
Priest opened a drawer in his desk and pulled something out as he looked at Hunter. “I told you that I get it. You need money for the renovation, and I’m sure you don’t want her to have something cheap either. Give her this for now,” he said and pushed a small black box across the desk.
Hunter sat up and opened the box, surprised by Priest’s gesture. The ring inside was gold with what had to be diamonds. Four of them at that. One big one and three smaller ones. “I—thank you, sir. I don’t know if I really should.” But he wanted to, he really did. He wouldn’t be able to afford something this nice for a while, and Priest was right—if he was to give her something that was to remind her of him every time she looked at her hand, he wanted it to be special.
“You should,” said Priest and combed his fingers through his grey hair. “It was her mother’s. She should have it anyway.”
Hunter looked down at the ring in silence and felt a pang of pain for Priest losing the woman of his life. It only made Hunter want to cherish the time he did have with Asty more. And Asty had an intense bond with her mother, so the ring would most definitely be special for her.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah, well, it was time. I can’t just keep it in a drawer forever anyway.” Priest slowly lit a cigarette and took a long drag of smoke.
Hunter smiled as he got up. “I’ll make it special for her.”
Priest nodded. “You still need to get her a ring eventually. I’ll be watching you.”
Hunter couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, sir.”
Priest waved his hand in the air and looked at the computer. “So much work ... have a safe trip,” he added, even though the new house was less than half an hour away.
Hunter left with the ring clenched in his hand. He needed to make it special, and he knew just the way to do that.
Asty
Everything was set for the ritual, and while a part of Asty wanted it to work, another part of her was bracing for the fact there might not be any spiritual forces out there to listen to her and protect them. She’d chosen her namesake demon, Astaroth, for this final foray into demon summoning.
The interior of the abandoned church only added to the melancholy she was feeling. Maybe she just wanted to believe all this so much that it began to feel real? It connected her to her mother and reminded her of the time when Mom taught her how to charm candles or how to use tarot cards. But this place also had significance in Asty’s life. It was where her baby was conceived.
As she lit the green and brown candles on four sides of a circle, to symbolize the elemental powers, her gaze slid over the naked grey walls of the three naves, now colored by soft daylight coming through the stained glass windows. The frescoes enveloping the altar, which was now stripped of stone tiles, were as bright as she remembered from the night when her baby had been conceived here. This was where she first met Hunter and lost her virginity. It was a good place to call out for the protection of her demonic namesake. Enclosed between the wall behind the altar and the wooden banister that divided sacrum from the profanum, she felt completely safe alongside Hunter.
Even the weather was on their side, as it was quite warm. It was nothing like during the late October ritual when she had been worried about
staying undressed for such a long time. Asty watched the demonic tattoos on Hunter’s back as he leaned down to light more candles. Even with the bright day glow coming from outside, they needed to be lit for the purpose of the ritual.
They had blankets layered next to the altar, as Asty intended to have sex with Hunter during the ceremony and ask the demon to bless their union and protect their child. There were even small copper plaques stuffed underneath the fabric, as it was the metal associated with Astaroth. Once they were finished with the setup, she stepped out of the circle and took off her clothes, folding them neatly on top of her backpack.
“I take everything off as well?” Hunter asked, tracing her stomach with his fingertips. They felt chilly, but she still loved his touch.
Asty smiled and stroked his hand. It was almost as if he too supported the weight she was carrying. “Why, are you embarrassed of her?”
“It’s just kind of weird to get butt-naked in a public place.” Hunter bit back a smile when he swirled his finger over Asty’s nipple.
Asty reached out to a bowl that she had filled with clean water earlier. She dipped a washcloth in it and brushed it against her neckline, letting some of the droplets roll down toward Hunter’s fingers. “No one’s gonna come here but us. The whole neighborhood is practically deserted.”
Hunter groaned and unzipped his pants. “Can I at least keep my boxers on?”
Asty cleaned her skin with the cloth in quick, efficient strides. “Are you gonna fuck me in your boxers?”
“I’ll take them off when we get to that …” He bit his lip, and it was nice to see the bruises on his face fading to finally reveal his normal skin color.
Asty dipped the cloth into the water again and went on, awkwardly leaning down to clean her legs. “All right.” It was funny how uncomfortable he was after walking around completely naked at any other time when they were intimate.
“So this should bring protection to our boy?” Hunter asked and took off his jeans.
Split - Coffin Nails MC (Contemporary New Adult Erotic Dark Romance) (Sex & Mayhem Book 7) Page 26