Renegades: Badlands Next Generation

by Natalie Bennett

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “It can wait.”

  He pressed two fingers into me, slowly. I winced at the initial discomfort, tucking my lower lip between my teeth.

  “It’s important.”

  He twisted his digits so that his palm was facing upward, applying pressure against my clit.

  “Nothing is more important than me being inside you right now.”

  Something in his tone had all my meager resistance falling away.

  He continued to rock his fingers inside me, creating friction against my clit.

  “Luce,” I moaned.

  He withdrew his fingers, leaving a trail of arousal on my inner thigh. The bed dipped as he moved around, grabbing one of his pillows and placing it beneath me.

  There was a faint rustling sound and then a flash of fabric as he tossed aside his towel. My top came off next, dragged over my head without a trace of gentleness.

  “Try not to scream to loud.”

  That sounded like a taunt. My stomach dipped, another trickle of arousal coming from between my legs.

  He lined himself up, pushing inside me without any further preamble.

  His metal piercings heightened the sensation. I sucked in a breath, feeling myself stretch around him.

  He slowly eased out and thrust back in, grabbing one of my hips, planting himself so deep his balls pressed against the groove of my ass. I didn’t want to move, feeling as if there were too much of him inside me.

  “Luce. I can’t,” I half-moaned, half-whimpered.

  “You will.” He tangled a hand in my hair and pinned me down by the back of my neck. My entire body shuddered as he began to thrust in and out of me, his cock growing slicker as my arousal grew.

  “There you go, good girl,” he goaded, thrusting harder.

  I arched my back to lessen the pressure and fullness of his cock.

  The louder I moaned, the harder he fucked me. The mattress began to groan from beneath us, skin smacking against skin. His grip grew tighter around my neck and tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.

  “Who’s fucking you right now?”

  The question didn’t immediately register in my brain.

  “Answer me.” He fisted my hair and tugged my head back.

  “You,” I whimpered.

  He readjusted, hitting the sweet spot inside me. My body burned with pain and pleasure. I clawed at the sheets, bundling them in my hands My pussy flooded with arousal, growing wetter than it already was. I felt his muscles tense and knew he was close.

  “Come for me, dove,” he rasped in a low voice, tightening his grip even more.

  My chest heaved as pressure built.

  He lurched down, smashing his chest to my back, causing his piercings to bump against the one spot that had my pussy soaking his cock.

  “Come baby,” he demanded, biting down on the lower lobe of my ear.

  Something rapidly built in my core. I came apart around him, a wave of moans spilling from my mouth as liquid lightning swam through my veins. He continued to hit my sweet spot with brutal thrusts, sending me right over another ledge.

  I called for him, feeling pleasure in every part of my body as tears leaked from my eyes. I clenched around his cock, causing him to come.

  When his dick finally swelled, he pushed deeper inside me, not pulling out until he was bone dry.

  “Fuck,” he cursed again, softer this time.

  “Don’t move, dove.” The bed shifted as he maneuvered, returning with his towel.

  Still trying to breathe again, I only lifted my head when he started gently wiping between my legs. I looked down, seeing remnants of his come mixed with a bit of blood and my juices being cleaned away.

  He laid beside me when he was done, entirely naked. I flattened all the way down, remaining on my stomach.

  “You okay?” His fingers trailed down my spine, making me relax even more.

  “Mhm. I liked it.”

  “By how hard you just came, I can tell.”

  I closed my eyes and snuggled further into the pillows. “Is it always like this?”

  “Definitely not. But for us? I feel like that’s a firm yes. It’s inevitable.”

  “I guess I should feel special.”

  “You are special,” he murmured so quietly I almost thought I had imagined it.

  I didn’t pounce on the declaration or cause an uproar, happily pulling it into my heart.

  “What did you want to tell me?” he asked, still tracing invisible patterns into my back. “And let me see those beautiful eyes.”

  My lids fluttered open and I grinned, propping my head on one of my knuckles. The smile faded as I thought about the conversation we were about to potentially have. “What did you find out earlier?”

  “A few things.”

  “Luce,” I huffed, exasperated. “What happened to the whole united front thing?”

  “A king always protects his queen.”

  “I don’t like that.”

  “You don’t have to. Doesn’t change that you’ll have to fucking deal with it. I told you I’d keep all the ugly shit from touching you as best I could. That means doing the dirty work, shouldering the secrets and burdens so you never have to.”

  “And if I want to?” I tested.

  “You’ll already be my go-to for everything else. I know I can rely on you for that. Now I need you to trust me too.”

  It wasn’t in my nature to sit by and be idle, which meant I’d have to throw myself into my new role or I’d lose my mind. Getting well acquainted with this new life of mine would only do me wonders down the road.

  “Okay, I can do that,” I affirmed.

  “Good. Now tell me what you had to say.”

  “I think Samael is part of the Lazarus.”

  He stared at me with no reaction.

  “You already knew that, didn’t you?”

  “We may have figured that out a few days ago.”

  “Anything else?” I asked dryly.

  He grinned and pulled me closer. “Don’t pout. If it makes you feel any better, your brains and brawn theory helped me figure something else out.”

  “Are you going to tell me what?”

  “News about Lilith.”

  I reached back inside my head, trying to place who she was. There were so many of them to consider it was a miracle I’d gotten any of this right at all.

  “Is that Bella’s friend?”

  “And Cam’s baby sister,” he tacked on slowly, like I should have known this.

  I shook my head, thinking over what was always carried on whispers. I couldn’t recall ever hearing that name before. Maybe I missed it when being locked away. It wasn’t as if I had the same liberties the other girls did.

  “Did she change her name too?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “Maybe they got it wrong then. I mean, it was gossip, but the only name I’ve heard linked to Samael is Rory. I thought she was the missing sister. Guess they got it wrong.”

  When he didn’t respond, I laid my head on his chest, sighing comfortably. “How can someone be part of two factions?”

  “What if those factions have always been one and the same?”

  I had no clue what he meant by that. He began running a hand down my hair, tucking me closer into his side.

  I draped one of my legs over his thigh. “What do we do now?”

  “I’ve got a few ideas.”

  “Like?” I urged him to explain.

  I let out a surprised laugh when he abruptly rolled me onto my back.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Killing time.” He kissed me, roughly stealing all the air I had in my lungs. He sucked my lower lip into his mouth, biting down until I whimpered.

  Drawing back, he began skimming his lips over the column of my throat, between my breasts and down the small curves of my body. He lifted my legs, hooking each over one of his shoulders. When he stared back up at me, his eyes looked even darke
r than usual.

  “Luce?”

  “Don’t think about anything else. Concentrate on me fucking you with my tongue.”

  I hoisted myself up on my elbows, keeping my gaze locked with his as he buried his face between my thighs.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Luce wasn’t in bed when I woke the next morning. In fact, I didn’t see him at all until he and Cam popped up and told me it was time to go. After learning what I knew now, I hadn’t been sure about this meeting, and I still wasn’t, but they’d insisted on it happening.

  I was glad my brother was alive and obviously thriving.

  That confirmation gave me closure I never thought I’d have. But now I had to come face to face with Amo the man, not the protective young boy who’d had a heart too big for the world.

  “Is this dress really necessary?” I asked, smoothing down the tulle skirt.

  “Yes,” Cam and Luce answered in unison.

  “It makes you look all vulnerable and innocent,” Cam quipped.

  “Why is that a good thing?”

  “It’s what we want them to believe,” Luce replied, keeping his hand wrapped around mine until we reached an SUV.

  “So, we’re the bait,” Bella stated sarcastically.

  Luce pulled open the rear passenger door for me, and Cam helped me in, climbing up next so that he could sit beside me.

  Bella sat on the other side of him, while Ice and Luce took their respective seats up front. Three other SUVs followed ours away from the compound, each holding four acolytes.

  I stared out the window for the first half of the trip, taking in all the landscape and occasional dwellings. Two or three times we passed small groups of people going about their day, all shouting something I assumed was Spanish or Latin when they spotted the fleet.

  “Is that bad?” I asked no one in particular.

  “It’s a phrase of worship,” Cam explained.

  “Oh.” I really needed to learn about the ins and outs of this faction.

  “What can you tell us about this Rory person?” Luce asked after another few minutes.

  “Bella doesn’t remember hearing that name, and our leads came up with a profile definitely not matching with Lilith,” Cam expanded on Luce’s vagueness.

  I pulled my attention away from what appeared to be someone’s severed head stuck on top of a stick, serving as a mile-marker. What the hell was wrong with people? Was using wood really that inconvenient?

  “All I know about Lazarus is what was whispered in the halls. Samael has a woman by his side named Rory, the sister of the Savage twins. I don’t remember ever hearing anything about a Lilith.”

  “In so many words, someone at A.R.C is full of shit. The old story about your dad could be true. Or some woman is claiming to be someone she isn’t,” Ice listed.

  “That’s my takeaway from it,” Cam answered.

  “Then Samael would still be hiding Lil,” Bella stated, “to the point that people don’t even know she exists.”

  I was lost in this whole conversation. I didn’t know anything about these people, or this Lilith. I’d heard rumors about Samael, though. I knew he had gotten a nickname that translated into evil.

  I found Luce’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Is he really as bad as people say?”

  “He’s worse.”

  “Then Lilith, your sister,” I nodded to Cam. “She’s not safe?”

  The car got so quiet I could hear the wind whipping by outside.

  “That’s not an easy question to answer,” Ice spoke first.

  “He’s always been more when it came to Lil. More protective, more obsessive, more possessive. He wouldn’t hurt her, but she isn’t safe with him either,” Cam explained.

  “Samael has always been a wolf. Lilith is a lamb. What do you think the wolf does when no one is watching?” Luce added.

  Nothing I wanted to say while Cam and Bella were in such close proximity. If he was keeping this girl hidden, he’d done a good job of it for no one to ever say her name.

  “What’s the story he’s talking about?” I asked Cam, referring to what Ice had just said about his dad.

  “In so many words, my dad had a kid with someone before getting with my mom. It supposedly died. I don’t know the exact details of how or why.”

  That sounded like a real shit-show, and sad.

  “How does the Lazarus and Stag thing work?” I changed the subject, not wanting to take him to a bad place.

  “Lazarus is Stag, and Stag is Lazarus. Their alliance is basically two branches of a faction weaved together,” Luce explained.

  “He took the best parts of both and created his own. That’s why you thought our insignia was theirs. So far, we’ve pieced together he has two,” Cam expanded. “The move’s as genius as it is insane.”

  Everything they were saying fit the basic description all the rumors painted. He was a miscreant. He followed no laws but his own and took being ruthless to a whole new level.

  But if he were the brains behind these factions, how bad did that make Amo?

  The Quaker arena was shaped like a football: massive, but fortunately only one story. Its sign had rusted nearly all the way through. Tall weeds were sprouting through every small crack there was in the parking lot’s asphalt.

  I bit my lip and rubbed my palms on the tulle of my skirt, mentally preparing myself for what was about to happen.

  “Hey.” Cam reached over and took firm hold of my hand. “We aren’t going to let anyone hurt you.”

  I gave him a small smile. We hadn’t had any time to talk or simply hang out since the day in his room, but I was glad things weren’t weird between us.

  The bond felt wholesome and natural. Cam was special, anyone with a brain could see that. I was more than happy to have his friendship.

  “I know... That isn’t what I’m worried about.”

  “Well, no matter what happens, you’ve got us.”

  He gave my hand a squeeze and then joined everyone else in getting out. Luce came around and opened the door, grabbing my hips to lower me. His solid body kept me sandwiched between him and the car, the open door partially blocking us from view.

  “I could have gotten out on my own.”

  “Yeah, all five feet of you would have jumped.”

  I laughed, and some of my new apprehension faded.

  “You ready?” he asked, looking towards the building.

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  He cupped my chin and angled my head up to so that I was seeing his face entirely.

  “You’re going to come back to me.” It was a statement, maybe even a command, but never a question.

  I placed my hands on his upper shoulders. “I will always come back. I chose this.”

  “Technically…”

  “Don’t ruin this moment.” I rose on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his.

  “You two almost done?” Bella called from the front of the truck.

  “Go ahead, just focus on what’s in front of you. I can’t walk in there beside you right now, but know I’m watching to make sure you’re safe.”

  I nodded and went to join Bella. Together, she and I set off across the parking lot, two acolytes flanking us.

  She was donning the same get-up I always saw her in, minus a shirt around her waist. The gleam of a blade was evident in the holster taking its place.

  “You going to be okay?” I asked, genuinely concerned.

  “I’m fine,” she chirped. “Luce and Cam spent hours talking with me before we left. Ice last night. I can do this. Right now, I’m more worried about you.”

  “You don’t need to be,” I reassured her as we weaved around a rusted-out shell of a car.

  “Well, I’m going to be anyways.”

  Unsure what to add, I scanned the parking lot for any sign of Amo or this Samael guy.

  “They’ll already be inside,” Bella replied to my unspoken thought.

  “There are no cars here but ours.”

&n
bsp; “Yeah, that. I have no idea how they get around so fast, but believe me, they’re stashed somewhere. Maybe behind the building.”

  We reached the entry doors and both paused, sharing a look.

  “Let’s get this over with,” I sighed, pulling one open as she grabbed another.

  If you’d walked up as we had and simply stared through the windows, you would think the place was empty. When we stepped in, a quick glance to my left and right revealed one person in each corner.

  Both had on large skull masks with antlers protruding from the sides.

  Bella and I kept our reactions neutral, proceeding forward together. The air within the building was hot and stagnant, old trash and debris littering the ground. With the whole roof being nearly glass, the orange glow of the sun shone right through.

  There was a large U-shaped counter straight ahead, double doors on either side. Left and right would lead to a concession stand or bathrooms.

  “Through there,” Bella said, going to the right.

  I peered through one square window and she looked through the other, taking a small breath before pushing the doors open.

  The floor changed from stone to hardwood as we entered a large gym.

  I was instantly aware of how many other people were in the room. Some had on the Stag mask and nothing else. Others had on both that and a robe, like the acolytes.

  In the center stood one man and one woman. Without needing to see his face, I knew this was Amo, my brother. I felt it in my gut. I wanted to glance at Bella and make sure she was okay, but now wasn’t the time for that.

  Silence reigned as we walked further into the room. From my peripheral, I spotted Claire in the bleachers amongst the others. She didn’t look hurt or unwell. A Stag mask rested on her lap. Obviously, she’d chosen a side.

  We reached the couple and stopped a few feet away, the acolytes staying a slight distance further to keep watch over us.

  Amo’s head turned, regarding Bella first. “Princess. I’ve missed having you around.”

  She ignored him entirely, focusing her attention on the woman. He stepped past both to stand in front of me. I couldn’t see his face, but I felt his eyes. He’d filled out, now blatantly toned. He was much taller than I was too, only an inch or so shorter than my three guys.