Page 14

CERBERUS

“You know what the fuck you’re doing, brother?” Azrael asks, leaning close for no one else to overhear his question.

“With what?” I cock a brow and look at him.

“You know what I mean, hooking up with Ember again.”

“I know what I’m doing, brother. I fucked up with her and I’m not about to do it again. She’s mine.”

After last night with her in my bed, finally getting inside her again, I wasn’t going to let her get away from me again—no chance in hell. I intend to talk to Reaper, Angel, and Tombstone, but it’ll have to wait until after church.

Scythe had finally gotten some more intel on that asshat who took Ember as a way of getting a message to us.

With Ember having to go back to work tonight for her shift at the dispatch center, I want to know what we’re facing.

The time that he’d given us to pay the debt is closing in on us, and it’s not something we intend to take care of.

I don’t give a shit they handled the Scarlet Needles or the genetic group that worked with them.

We didn’t ask them to do that. The debt didn’t belong to someone in the club, and we’re not taking responsibility for it.

In going this route, we’ve got to make sure everything is in order, and we don’t have to deal with repercussions.

Ember already told us what the repercussion would be.

Her.

I’m not going to let her be taken from me by this fuckwad.

Azrael jerks back slightly and watches me closely. “You sure you?”

“Positive.” I give a curt nod.

Azrael has been my best friend and knows me better than anyone.

He’ll back my plan, whatever I intend to do.

I might have already had one talk with Reaper, but I’m gonna have to have another one.

This one being the one when I ask him and Ember’s other uncles for permission to claim Ember. Officially.

There’s a difference between being able to protect her and claiming her as mine. Reaper probably knew it was going to come to this, but he still expected me to do things right because this is his niece.

“Let’s get this shit over,” Reaper states coming in the room we hold church. The last of the stragglers were right behind him.

Angel closes the door, and Reaper takes his seat as he bangs the gavel down.

“Scythe, what did you find?”

Scythe clears his throat, his face that of pure exhaustion, probably from working overtime on research, mixed with Josephine and him having the baby.

I knew they struggled with August sleeping still.

The kid can’t be more than seven months or so, but with the women on lockdown, he’s got them in his room with him as well.

Not that Scythe would ever complain. Man loves his woman and kid.

For the next hour, Scythe goes over everything he’s found, and my gut doesn’t sit well with me at everything he’s learned.

The ‘Nameless Militia’ don’t play around, and if we don’t handle things just right, we could be looking at the same fate as others who go up against them.

Too bad for them, we’re not like others. We’ll stand together and take them on.

We also have the backing of Diablo’s woman’s father, who has his own men.

Diablo again offers to deal with this himself and pay the debt, but Reaper and Angel both tell him it’s not going to happen, which we all agree.

“We got a way of contacting this Dead Eye fucker?” Reaper asks, eyes on Scythe.

“I can get word to him,” Styxx answers, earning Reaper’s attention. “Guy takes to the streets, I’ll find a way to get word through those in the homeless community.”

“Best way if you do that is to go to the alleyway by the bypass,” Beast remarks. “Those will be the ones who’ll get the message to him. You don’t even have to say a word. Just walk around a bit.”

“We did our best to avoid that alleyway as much as possible,” Diablo grumbles. “You either ended up dead or wishing you were for a while there. Don’t know if it’s changed much, but I doubt it.”

“Right,” Reaper grunts and looks back at Styxx. “Take Beast and Diablo with you.”

“On it,” Styxx grunts and taps his knuckles against the table.

“The women are staying on club property until this is done,” Reaper goes on, eyes coming to me, “I know Ember’s got a shift, but until this is over, we gotta keep her here. I don’t want to risk it.”

“Agreed.” With this new information, I’m right there with him. “I’ll talk to my cousin and see that her schedule is changed for the time being.” I know Ember’s gonna be pissed but at least she’ll be safe here at the clubhouse in order to be pissed.

“Azrael, I want you and Harvester to go along one side of the fence line, make sure there are no holes. Ghost, Thanatos, I want you to go the other way. Prospects can handle the bar and other shit. I want a member on the gate. Any volunteers?” Reaper glances around the table, looking at each member.

Serpent raises his hand. “I’ll do it.”

“Good.” Reaper nods and looks toward the others at the table. “Tombstone, Angel, Daemon, are heading to deal with a meeting for the next car shipment we need to get ready. The rest of you, be ready to switch out and do what needs to be done. I’m not taking any chances with this shit.”

I couldn’t agree more. Taking chances on something like this could get someone killed, and that’s not what I want to see happen.

Reaper ends church and everyone makes their way out. That is, except for Tombstone, Angel, and Reaper. The three of them stay seated, eyes locked on me.

“Got something to say?” Angel asks the moment it’s just the four of us in the room.

“Yeah.” I nod and meet each of their gazes. “It’s more of a question to ask because I respect the three of you and wouldn’t go against the club. I want your permission to claim Ember as my ol’ lady.”

“You want us to give permission to do something that you’ve already done?” Tombstone scoffs.

“I haven’t yet. Do I want her as mine? Yes.

Have I decided she was going to be mine again?

Hell yes. Have I told her that she was gonna be mine?

Damn right. She and I have history, and we’re working through what happened between us.

Regardless, at the end of the day, she’s mine, and I want her to be my ol’ lady.

I want to put the ring that was given to me by my grandma on her finger.

I want your permission to make it happen. She’s mine.”

The three men stay silent for a long while and look between each other.

Finally, it’s Reaper who speaks. “I told you when I put you in charge of our niece’s protection that you needed to fix what happened between you two.

You want her as yours, if she wants that then I’ll give my permission, but you fuck her over and I’ll kill you. ”

“That won’t happen,” I tell him. “No way am I losing her by fucking anything up. Not again.”

“Angel, Tombstone, got something to add?” Reaper asks.

“I want to know what the fuck happened between the two of you that we don’t know,” Tombstone demands .

“Same, but I also want to know what my niece has been hiding from us. That Reaper seems to know and hasn’t shared.” Angel glances at his brother. “Someone gonna share?”

“She’s not gonna talk about it with you,” I tell Angel, earning his attention once again. “She doesn’t talk about it. Told me only because she thought it would push me away.”

“I’m taking it didn’t, considering you’re asking what you’re asking,” Tombstone quips, one brow cocked.

“Yeah,” I confirm and look at Reaper briefly.

“Out of respect for her, I won’t go into details of what I know, but I’ll tell you this, she has nightmares still of it.

She hides them. I heard her screaming out and heard her words.

Halloween night, after she left for school, she was attacked.

Her attacker scarred her both physically and mentally. I won’t tell you the rest.”

“The person responsible for her attack has been dealt with. Dex and his club handled it,” Reaper adds quietly. “I don’t know it all, just what Ember shared.”

Tombstone and Angel take a moment to let all that we both shared sink in.

After a moment, Angel looks back at me. “Answer Tombstone’s question about what happened between the two of you. ”

Sighing, I lean back in my seat and do just that. “Fucked up with her and she overheard a conversation between Azrael and me. She didn’t get to hear the full story, but enough to think I was playing her to get in with the club.”

“And is that true?” Tombstone growls.

“For the first hour of our first date it was. Fell for her and hated losing her. She and I have talked about this. She knows the truth. Knows I wasn’t playing games with her.”

“You get her to agree, then I’ll give my permission,” Angel remarks after another long, silent pause.

Tombstone nods in agreement. “You fuck up with her and you won’t live to regret it again.”

I let out a breath that feels like a weight has been lifted. “I won’t.”

“Good, then it’s settled.” Reaper grunts and jerks his chin toward the door while standing. “You still got to deal with her. I’ve got my own issues to deal with.”

“Ivy?” Angel grins.

“Yeah, seems my ol’ lady thought it was time to tell me this morning that she was knocked up again,” Reaper grumbles.

“Ivy’s pregnant, we all knew she was, Prez. Hell, you told us that already.” Tombstone laughs.

Reaper glares at him. “Yeah, but she decided to finally tell me. After which I told her I already knew. Something funny about that?”

“I’m guessing she didn’t appreciate you knowing before her.” Tombstone smirks. “Makes you feel any better, Sutton is too.”

“Fuckin’ hell,” Reaper remarks, shaking his head. “Woman is going to be the death of me.”

“Hormones.” Angel snorts, shaking his head.

Getting to my feet, I listen to the two of them make comments about their ol’ ladies being pregnant and them being fucked.

Though I get why Reaper would be irritated.

With all the bullshit going on right now.

He’s got a lot on his mind. Him having another kid is just icing on a cluster fuck of a cake that just keeps piling up.

The moment I step into the main room of the clubhouse, I scan the room, looking for Ember and don’t find her. She’d still been asleep when I left her in my bed earlier to go to church. I thought by now she’d be in here.

Going to my room, I open the door to find the bed empty, but I can hear the shower running. Grinning, I close the door, lock it, and strip out of my clothes, dropping them in the middle of my room. The only thing that gets set on the dresser is my cut. No way was I putting that on the floor.

Naked, I make my way to the closed door of the bathroom and into the steaming room. I spot the outline of my woman on the other side of the glass door. She doesn’t know I’m in here yet and is about to get one hell of a surprise.

My cock thickens at the thought of what I’m intending to do once I get to her.

Stepping into the shower stall behind Ember, I take in her backside, enjoying the sight of her bareness.

“What are you doing in here?” she asks, looking at me over her shoulder.

“Joining you for a shower,” I tell her, and close the little bit of space between us. I press myself into her back while wrapping my arms around her.

“Who says I want you in here with me?” The question comes out of her lips filled with sass, but I see the truth in her eyes. She wants me in here.

Curling one hand around her tit, I trail my other hand down between her thighs, straight to my target. Groaning at how slick she already is for me, I know I’m not gonna be able to wait to get inside her.

Letting her go, I twist her to face me. Hands on her hips, I lift her until she wraps her legs around my waist, arms around my neck. With her holding on, I press her into the tile of the shower wall.

“Gonna fuck you in here, Ember, and I’m not taking it slow.”

Ember’s lips part on a gasp, and I take advantage by kissing her. She moans lowly into mine and I deepen the kiss further while lining myself up with her pussy. Hands on her hips, I yank her down on my cock while thrusting upward, seating myself fully inside her slick heat.

Ripping her lips from mine, Ember cries out my name.

I don’t waste time in taking her. Fucking her as I want to. When she comes for me, I don’t hold back and let my release join hers.

The last shudder of my release leaves me, and I slowly pull out of her reluctantly. Setting her on her feet, I work quickly to wash both of us and shut the water off. There’s no way I’m finished with her yet. Since she won’t be going to work today, I intend to fuck her into distraction.