Once the others had secured him with shifter-proof cuffs, Thian clothed himself, rising to stand. He couldn't resist a swift kick at the vulture's side before the other members dragged him towards the van. That one was for Wooly. Fucking poisonous, rotten bastard. If an MC member died because of him, there would be hell to pay.
Rushing back to the Clubhouse, they were relieved to find that Wooly would recover. It wouldn't be pleasant, but he'd be fine. Likely be a cantankerous bastard the entire time, but that was someone else's problem. Likely Mammoth's, or a club whore's. Anyone not Thian, really. He wasn't exactly the nursemaid type. Now the fucker in chains waiting downstairs? He could handle that part.
Jayda and Chantal were given first dibs, as promised by Knox. Retribution for what had been done to them. No brother dared deny them their due. Thian couldn't help the smirk that formed when he stepped into the room after the two women left. Once again, the thought that Jayda was the perfect match for their President went through his mind. She wouldn't hide from the unpleasantness of the Club and what they did.
“Hell, the females didn't leave us much to work with, did they? Kinda ruins the fun when the screaming stops.”
The vulture seemed to have flagged, losing most of his energy after the women had gotten through with him. Bloodied and beaten, he hung limply from the chains that bound him, peering up out of blackened eyes. Sneering at him, Thian shoved his face the other way as he opened his mouth, a pleading sound escaping.
“Don't bother to beg for your life or forgiveness, asshole. We have none to offer. You chose to take free will away from others, to take their lives from them. You knew when you did so that if you were ever caught, you'd forfeit your own, you fucking maggot. A male who hurts and abuses women is the worst kind of scum in our books, so you'll find no pity here.”
The others in the room murmured their agreement before stepping forward. It turned out, Roberts still had plenty of screams left, and they made sure to dredge up each one before putting him out of his misery. His body was mercilessly tossed out back onto the firepit, burned with the week's garbage. A funeral fit for the worthless, with no one of consequence left to mourn them. Staring at the flames, Thian nursed a beer, ensuring all evidence was taken care of out here while members were cleaning the room and tools downstairs. They left no trace of their activities, that's just how it was.
Sighing, he finally gave up once the fire was burning embers, the bones reduced to unrecognizable charred chunks, and headed back inside. Another day, another shit job. Cleanup was the worst part, it always was... the smell of burning hair and flesh lingered on him like a second skin. It had to be done, though. They couldn't afford for their legal activities to be impacted by the not-so-legal ones.
Still, they'd ensured Roberts couldn't hurt any more women. They'd rescued the women held at the cabin, though it would take them all a long time to heal from the bullshit they'd gone through. A few good meals and the physical would be mended, their animals would see to that. Mentally, though? Shit would be fucked for a while. Just for that, Thian wished he could resurrect the bastard and kill him all over again.
Ducking into one of the rooms at the Clubhouse to take a quick shower, he peeked into the office to let Knox know he was leaving before heading out the door. If they needed him, they could grab him on his cell. Right now, he needed to get home and find solace in the arms of his female, replace the sniffling and whining of Roberts with the moans of Adele. Sounded like a damn good plan to him, at any rate. She'd mentioned that she'd have supper waiting and demanded he not eat at the Clubhouse, so of course he'd obeyed.
It made him wonder what she was up to, though. She usually didn't mind if he ate while he was out, as she knew he'd eat plenty more if she cooked for him... perk or downfall of being a shifter, depending on how you looked at it. The animals required protein and calories, a lot of them. There was no such thing as a full stomach to a cat. There was temporarily sated, and “I could eat again.” The line between them? Generally an hour. Less if they were out for a run or doing something that caused them to burn up those precious calories faster than normal.
So yeah, being told not to eat at all like it'd somehow ruin his appetite? Suspicious as hell. The ride through town was quieter than normal. Once details of the Mayor's dirty deeds had been released, major investigations had started going down. Cops were implicated, politicians, even some business owners were paid to look the other way. Ride, the ride-sharing business, was having a helluva time doing damage control... most of the women had been taken by drivers signed up under their services for nefarious purposes.
No one knew who to trust anymore. Instead of staying out late for drinks, people were choosing to stay home until the mess died down, or head back earlier in groups. Thian couldn't blame them. For the moment, it was the safest option.
They didn't know the Club had taken care of Roberts and shut the pelt-stealing ring down. No one could know the targets hadn't been human, so most of the women in the town had never been targets in the first place. Those secrets died with the vulture. Of course, the Club couldn't be sure they'd gotten everyone. That Roberts didn't have sycophants that might be desperate enough to rebuild even after he was gone, to try to continue his asinine plans. If the women felt better protecting themselves, so be it.
Knox had already put everyone on alert. The few cops they kept on the payroll were going to keep an eye out. Any suspicious disappearances that mirrored what had already gone down would be reported. If someone tried to restart the ring, the Club would be one of the first to know. They'd handle it quickly from there. At least, that was the hope. No one wanted a repeat of this, least of all them. Too many had gotten hurt already. Too many had suffered.
Speaking of suffering... as he pulled into the drive to the cabin he now shared with Adele, Thian found the tenseness automatically dropping away, his shoulders relaxing. The woman humbled him every day. Even with headlines everywhere trashing her father, wondering if she'd had anything to do with his depravity, she kept her head held high.
She'd been dropped from two of her charities, but the rest seemed to be waiting to see how the media coverage played out. It was torture for her, he knew it, but she continued to do her job as if she wasn't waiting for the ax to fall. Adele kept her positive attitude, her bright smile, and her unwavering faith that things would work out as they should. He envied her that... and was awed by it in equal measures.
Stepping through the door, he was hit with the smell of a sizzling steak, onions, potatoes, and a whiff of something earthier... likely mushrooms. Adele had her back to him as she stood at the stove, dancing to the music playing. She looked absolutely delectable with her hair thrown up in a messy bun, one of his shirts barely hitting her mid-thigh. Suddenly, he was starving, and not for the food scenting the air.
“Why don't we skip dinner? I could make a whole meal out of you, Princess.”
Her squeal as she whirled, holding the spatula like a weapon until she realized it was him, made him grin. Temptress that she was, she kept him on his toes daily. She wasn't afraid of who and what he was. Hell, he had no doubt she'd have attacked him with that spatula if necessary. God damn, he loved this woman.
Chapter Nineteen
Adele gave him her best withering stare, though in his mind, it just made her more adorable. He'd never say it out loud, of course. She'd take off his head. When she motioned to the dining room chair, he obediently sat. Apparently, they were eating. Truthfully, he was hungry. Since he'd heeded her wishes earlier and hadn't eaten, both he and his cat were nearly salivating at the smell of the steak cooking. He'd just gotten temporarily distracted at the sight of his mate.
“Thian, I've been working for hours. You can tell Little Thian to pipe down for a bit, because we are going to sit, we are going to have a nice meal, and we are going to act like a normal couple for once and not like one of us is an animal. I do hope you at least took a shower and washed the blood off of your hands. If not? Go wash your damn hand
s. It's gross.”
He chuckled at her minor tantrum, and the reference to his cock as 'Little Thian'. That was a new one. Clearly she was amped up about something, so it was best to let her get on with it. He knew better than to fight with her once she got an idea in her head... if she had a certain game plan for something and he threw a wrench in it, he'd never hear the end of it.
“Alright, Princess, alright. We'll have dinner, and I'll behave. I did take a shower, yes. I know you don't like me coming home dirty from the Club. You should know, though, Roberts is taken care of. The women are safe.”
Her shoulders slumped as she let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. That's one less worry, at least. I still can't believe my father... well. Let's not go down that path again. What's done is done. He made his own bed, we don't have to sleep in it. When the dust clears, we found each other through this and that makes it all worth it.”
Her smile was bright, and he appreciated that it reached her eyes. She wasn't hiding anything, she truly did feel that everything she'd gone through and was dealing with was worth it because it'd led her to him. For about the thousandth time, Thian found himself thinking that he didn't deserve her. She was too good, too pure for someone like him.
Reaching out, he snagged her hand, pulling her into his lap for a quick kiss before releasing her to finish getting supper on the table. She'd outdone herself, starting with a crisp salad before moving on to the main event, the steak and potatoes he'd smelled. The onions were blended with grilled mushrooms, as he'd expected. Everything tasted wonderful.
When it came to dessert, she sat a chocolate ball in front of him, dusted with powdered sugar. He eyed it curiously until she laughed, breaking hers open with her spoon. Following her example, he marveled at it. Inside the chocolate shell was an ice cream sundae. Somehow she'd managed to layer the brownie, ice cream, whipped cream and sauce inside the chocolate shell before sealing it. The powdered sugar disguised the bit of melted chocolate that held the two halves together. She must have spent a lot of time on it.
“This is amazing, Adele. No idea what the hell I did to deserve it, but it tastes delicious.”
She grinned, flicking her spoon at him after she licked a bit of hot fudge sauce off of it. “Well, I don't know about you, but I definitely deserve it. You just get to reap the benefits because I won't share mine, so I had to make two. So you know... delicious by association.”
Stretching out after pushing his plate away, he groaned, one hand going to rub against his stomach. “I think I finally know what being full feels like, at least for an hour or two. Even the cat's stopped whining. Got any more plans for tonight I should know about, Princess, or are we settling on a movie and a beer?”
That'd been their usual lately, once they'd settled into a routine. Each night, they took turns picking a movie or TV show, sharing favorites with each other. It was a way to get to know each other, their likes and differences. They found they had a lot in common, and even their differences were tolerable. Both enjoyed documentaries, horror and thriller movies. She liked home and garden shows and DIY type things. He liked the occasional motorcycle type shows. But each found things they could pay attention to in the other's shows they weren't complete fans of.
Thian had to watch her carefully with the DIY shows, though. She tended to get ideas, and ideas that involved power tools were dangerous. He'd come home one day, and she'd asked for a SawzAll. Thankfully he'd been smart enough to ask what she wanted it for, because when she'd started telling him she wanted to cut out the closet to make room for a bigger bathroom, the answer was 'no'.
You couldn't do things like that in a place you were renting. Unfortunately, that meant the cabin was likely going to be destroyed at some point. Only the rental agreement saved his ass for the apartment. He couldn't tell her no, otherwise. He hoped DIY wasn't on the menu tonight. He'd had enough power tools for the day, though of course, he definitely hadn't used them as intended with Roberts. Adele didn't need to know specifics. No one did. His job wasn't pleasant, but he protected his family no matter the cost. Always.
“I was thinking instead of watching something, it's probably time we talked, don't you agree?”
Thian paused. Well, that was terrifying. “Talked about what, Princess? Something on your mind specifically?”
Clearing the table of plates, she moved to sit down next to him again before linking her fingers with his. As she spoke, she kept glancing down at their intertwined hands before glancing back up to read his expression.
“Well, this mating thing. I told you I wouldn't do it until Roberts was taken care of. He's gone. It's a big decision, though, so I'd like to talk about it, if that's okay with you? Like what am I getting myself into? What should I expect?”
Thian's heart, which had started racing, slowly began to settle back into a more normal rhythm. At this point, his woman was going to kill him if she kept making him panic like that before these little talks turned out to be nothing. Fuck. “Well, I mean, the basic mating part is easy. We have sex... we're pretty damn good at that already. Before we finish, I'll bite your throat. It'll force your body to change to accept mine... you'll feel your teeth change and elongate, so you can bite me as well.”
“It won't hurt, rather, it'll enhance what we're doing. It's a binding, a claiming. Tying us together, so you'll feel that, like you're a part of me and I'm a part of you. I've heard people say it can be overwhelming, the sensations and pleasure become very intense, but it's simply a part of the act.”
Adele bit her lip, her free hand going up to her throat, where a shadow of his first bite still lingered. “You bit me before... it didn't hurt. But I didn't feel it then, not like that. I mean, I felt like we were meant to be together somehow, but not this overwhelming need. Is it because I didn't return the bite, that we didn't finish it?”
Thian nodded. “Yeah. I'd told myself I wouldn't, and then I lost control. I hadn't meant to make that choice for you.”
“You're letting me make my own choice now, Thian. What about the change? What happens then?”
“Well, once we're mated, you will be able to take on my form, the black leopard. You'll hear her in your head. Some people can carry on conversations with their animal, some can't. It just depends on how strong of a link you form with it. She'll guide you and let you know when you're ready. When she tells you it's time, she'll do the work, you just have to be able to give up control and not fight her.”
“Does it hurt?”
Thian couldn't lie to her. “It does. The first few times, it's like any new skill, really. The first few times are hard and ugly. But as you continue, you get better at it. It's never painless and easy, but it begins to be second nature. Your entire body is breaking and bending to reform into something new, a whole different skeleton. That's not really something that can happen easily or painlessly.”
Even though her face paled, Adele didn't seem like she was having second thoughts yet, which he appreciated. “And what happens if I can't do it, if I can't give up control and my body won't shift?”
He squeezed her hand tight in his, before lifting them, pressing a kiss to the back of her palm. “Then we'll figure out where we go from there. If you can never shift, then you'll still be my mate, my wife, and the woman I adore. Not having a cat form won't make you any less of a mate in my eyes, Adele.”
Neglecting to tell her she could become stuck between forms wasn't a lie... it was simply an omission. She didn't need that worry stuck in her mind. Truthfully, he'd heard rumors, but that was all they were... rumors. Scary bedtime stories to remind shifters to listen to their alphas, to pay attention to the lessons they were being taught.
If the worst happened, they'd figure out a way to deal with it. Somehow. Surely Knox would have a plan, or perhaps know someone who had dealt with the old legends. It was the best Thian could hope for.
Adele gave him a small smile before she stood, tugging his shirt over her head. “I guess we might as well take this party to the bedroo
m, then?”
Thian grinned, the expression far more wolf-like than cat as he stood, stalking her around the table. “I'd follow you anywhere you chose to lead me, Princess.”
Chapter Twenty
Everything and anything else in the world fell away when they were together. Roberts? The women? The Club? Gone. All Thian could focus on was Adele as she giggled, turning to run from him as he gave chase. His leopard roared in his head, realizing this was mating play, and surged forward, his need and Thian's colliding with an almost brilliant intensity. When it came to Adele, both animal and man were in agreement... she was theirs.
Adele barely made it into the bedroom before Thian was on top of her, scooping her off her feet. Ignoring her yelp of surprise and the way her feet kicked at his chest, he tossed her onto the bed. He almost growled at the sight of her once she'd righted herself. Arousal and irritation had flushed her cheeks, brightening her eyes.
The lace underwear she wore was the only thing standing between him and his prize, as she hadn't even bothered with a bra under his shirt. Had he paid more attention and realized it, they might not have made it through dinner.
“Thian! You cannot just manhandle me whenever...”
“You like being manhandled, Princess. Otherwise you wouldn't be already wet for me, would you? Now come undress your mate, darlin'. We're waiting.”
He loved it when he could make her blush, the pretty pink flush sweeping from her cheeks to her breasts. She had no goddamn idea how sinfully gorgeous she truly was, especially in these unguarded moments when her subtle innocence caught up to her and he tore down the walls she'd kept around herself for so long. One by one, he was determined to topple them all.
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