Page 45 of Property of Blade (Kings of Anarchy MC: Alaska #1)
Hannah
Prophet has stayed with me for a week now. Every day, he’s been a constant presence, a silent shadow watching over me while I try to make sense of everything that’s happened. Jasper’s body is gone. The backyard where it once was has a burn mark on the ground. It’s a stark reminder of the violence that once soaked this place. The bite on my shoulder throbs, a dull ache that refuses to leave, but when Blade’s near, it fades. It’s as though my body craves him, needs him in ways I don’t understand. But I can’t bring myself to face him, not yet, not after what I’ve seen, after everything that’s changed.
But when the ache in my shoulder stops, I know he’s close.
Today, Prophet is taking me into town. He says I need to see that life still goes on, that the world hasn’t fallen apart. He’s wrong, though. It feels like everything is upside down, and I’ve stepped into some alternate universe where nothing makes sense.
We pull up in front of Betty’s Café, and Prophet turns down the country music playing softly in the truck. He gives me one of his easy smiles, the kind that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Tessa’s on today,” he says casually as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“So?”
“So, maybe you and her have something in common. Go have a hot chocolate and some pie. It’ll make you feel better.”
I raise an eyebrow, giving him a pointed look. “Did she see a bear too?”
Prophet’s lips twitch, his smile turning into a smirk. “No, she saw a werewolf and a vampire. Scared her a bit, but Tessa’s got a spine, and she’s decided to keep our secrets. Maybe you can too.”
I turn to look at him, my expression flat. “No one would believe me.”
He chuckles, the sound light and almost teasing. “You know, you’re more like Blade than you think.”
I shift uncomfortably, the words making something tight twist in my chest. “He bit me. Will I change?”
Prophet’s face softens, his eyes turning serious for a moment. “No. It doesn’t work like that. The mark...” he gestures to my shoulder, where the faint scar still lingers, “... just lets every other shape-shifter know that you’re claimed. In a way, it’s a good thing. No one will come after you.”
I stare at him, trying to digest that. “What are you? How did you fix Grace?”
Prophet takes a deep breath, leaning back in his seat. “I’m an angel,” he says with a certain weight in his voice. Then he huffs, the expression on his face shifting to something darker. “Or I was. I’m what you’d call a fallen angel.”
I blink at him, the weight of his words sinking in, but then a slight smile tugs at my lips. “Is that why I feel safe around you?”
He looks at me, his gaze softening just a little, he’s considering my question carefully. “Yes. It’s also why I could revive your cat.” He looks out the window for a moment, the corners of his mouth pulling down. “Although, the powers that be probably don’t approve of me using my gifts for a cat.” He shakes his head as if dismissing the thought. “But because she’s just a cat, they haven’t come to punish me.”
I frown, the confusion clouding my thoughts. “They?”
Prophet waves a hand, a casual gesture that dismisses my question with ease. “Go talk to Tessa,” he says, his voice shifting back to its usual light tone. “And maybe after, you’ll want to talk to Blade.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I just nod. Prophet’s presence feels so steady, a rock I can lean on, but even his calmness can’t ease the storm churning inside me. I open the truck door, but before I step out, Prophet’s voice stops me.
“And, Hannah?” He waits for me to turn, and when I do, his expression softens again. “Whatever you’re thinking, just remember you’re not alone in this. Not anymore.”
The smile I give Prophet feels forced, a quick reflex to mask the knot tightening in my stomach. I nod at him, the only thing I can manage before I close the truck door and step into the brisk morning air. The cold bites at my skin, but it doesn’t matter. It’s nothing compared to the turmoil swirling inside me. I don’t know what to expect when I walk into Betty’s Café, but one thing’s for sure—I’m not ready to face Blade. Not yet.
The bell over the door jingles as I step inside, and Tessa looks up from behind the counter. Her friendly, warm smile fades into a frown when she sees me. Her gaze shifts quickly as if she’s not sure how to read me.
“Hey, Tessa, how are you?” I ask, trying to sound casual, though I’m sure it’s obvious how much I’m struggling.
“Two of my regulars have disappeared. Do you know why?” Her tone is soft but edged with concern, though I can see the shadows of frustration in her eyes.
I walk over and take a seat on one of the stools at the counter. The cool surface feels foreign under my touch, a strange contrast to the warmth of the café. “You mean Vex and Jasper?”
Her eyes narrow slightly. “Yes.”
Staring out the window, my gaze catches on Prophet’s truck still parked outside. His hand taps the steering wheel rhythmically. He is probably listening to the radio or maybe listening to us. Maybe both.
Tessa watches me carefully, sensing the tension in my silence. “Is he listening?” she asks, her voice soft with curiosity.
I glance back at her, offering a brief nod. “Probably.”
“So you know what they are?” she asks, her voice dipping slightly lower as if unsure of how much I’ve uncovered or understood.
I can feel my throat tighten. This isn’t something I want to talk about, but it’s been building up since I first discovered the truth. I swallow hard before I answer. “I only found out recently.”
“How recently?” Tessa’s voice shifts, leaning closer as if the question is personal.
“A week ago,” I admit, though saying it aloud makes it feel so much more real. A week ago, my world shifted, and I still haven’t fully processed what it means to be surrounded by these beings, these creatures I never believed existed.
Tessa moves to the front door, locking it and flipping the open sign to ‘closed’ in one smooth motion. Her actions are almost automatic, but I notice the way her eyes flicker to me, the weight of the question hanging in the air.
“Did Ranger attack you?” she asks, her voice suddenly small, almost tentative.
The question causes me to freeze. It hits too close to the lingering memories of that moment when the tension between Blade and me nearly broke, and I thought he might be a danger to me. But I can’t show that fear. I can’t let it show.
“No,” I reply, shaking my head. “No, he didn’t.”
But the truth is more complicated. I don’t want to lie, but I don’t know how to explain the mix of confusion, fear, and a part of me that doesn’t want to expose Blade. Not yet. Not to her.
“It wasn’t Ranger,” I finally mutter, my voice quieter than I intended. I’m not sure if I’m convincing myself or her.
“Was it Vex?” Tessa’s gaze softens with concern, and for a second, I think she might push further. Instead, she picks up a mug from the shelf, fills it with steaming coffee, and takes a sip, her movements careful, almost as if she’s waiting for something more from me.
I feel her eyes on me, watching, but I can’t seem to find the words to explain it all.
“No. Is Vex a werewolf or a vampire?” I ask, trying to shift the conversation back to something I can wrap my head around.
Tessa studies me, her brow furrowed in confusion as if she’s trying to decide if I’m serious. Her lips press together, and her eyes flicker with uncertainty. “He’s a vampire. Why don’t you know?”
I shrug, a bitter laugh escaping me. “I only know about Blade and Prophet.” Sighing, I gesture toward the window where Prophet’s truck still sits outside. “He said you got up close and personal with a werewolf and a vampire. He didn’t tell me who that was.”
After a beat, I glance at her mug, the steam rising gently from the top. “Could I have a hot chocolate, please?” I ask, my voice softer now, almost a plea for something familiar, something that doesn’t feel so monstrous.
Tessa hesitates but then sets her mug down. She moves to the counter, her back turned to me for a moment as she starts making the drink. I can hear the milk steaming, the spoon clinking against the mug as she stirs it. A silence falls between us, but it’s not an uncomfortable one. It’s the kind of quiet where neither of us knows exactly what to say next.
When she’s done, she sets the hot chocolate in front of me, the mug warm to the touch. Then, without saying a word, she slides onto the stool next to mine, her presence close but not pressing. I feel the weight of her gaze, soft and hesitant.
“Do you trust them?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper as if the question is too heavy to say louder.
At first, I shrug, my mind running in circles. But then I nod a slow, measured movement. “Yeah, I do. I’ve been around them, and none of them have tried to hurt me. What about you?”
Tessa looks down at her coffee, her fingers tracing the edge of the mug. “Ranger turned into...” She trails off, shaking her head as though she still can’t fully process it. “But he didn’t hurt me. He just sort of caged me in. And then they took me captive, buuut...” she drags out the word as though she’s unsure of how to finish. “They did let me go.”
I lean in slightly, drawn into her story. “Have you seen Vex since?”
“No.” Tessa sighs, her voice quieter now, tinged with something I can’t quite place. “And Jasper hasn’t been in all week, which is weird. The police came by yesterday asking about him.”
My heart skips in my chest, and my throat tightens. I try to swallow, but it feels as if the words get stuck. “T-they won’t find him,” I stutter, the panic in my voice barely contained.
Tessa sips her coffee, her gaze drifting to the window, but I see the flicker of unease in her eyes. The silence stretches between us, heavy, almost suffocating.
“He tried to kill me,” I say, though I can hear the faint tremor in it.
“What?” She turns to face me, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “He... what?”
Her eyes meet mine, and for the first time, I see something raw in them—a vulnerability that’s been carefully guarded until now.
“Yeah,” I say, my voice softer now, but the truth hangs heavily in the air. “He came after me with a gun. And I’m pretty sure he was trying to kill me.”
Tessa’s lips press into a thin line, and she looks away again, her eyes distant. “It’s a lot, right?”
“Yeah,” I whisper, almost to myself. I take a sip of my hot chocolate, the warmth spreading through me, but it does little to chase away the cold feeling in my chest.
“What did they do with the body?” Tessa asks.
Pausing for a moment before responding, I suck in a breath. “The earth where Jasper was... it’s burned. Not a fire, exactly. The ground is scorched, left black and charred, and it feels unnatural. I know it sounds weird.”
“What are you going to do? Are you going to leave?” she asks, her voice tentative but sincere.
“Are you?” I counter, looking at her carefully. Her response matters more to me than I thought it would.
Tessa squints at me, her eyes thoughtful. Then she shakes her head, almost to herself. “Blade and Vex promised I’d be safe if I kept their secrets, but...” She trails off, a sigh escaping her lips. “It’s nice to know I’m not crazy. It feels good to talk to someone else about it.”
“Who’d believe us anyway?” I mutter, the weight of everything settling in my chest. This life, this world, is something no one outside of it could ever understand.
Tessa laughs, the sound light despite the heaviness in the air. “They’d say we were smoking the happy weed or eating mushrooms.”
The hot chocolate I’m sipping bursts out of my mouth, spraying across the counter as I laugh, the sound catching me off-guard. It feels like a momentary release from the tension that’s been building inside me.
“I am so sorry,” I sputter, reaching for a napkin to clean up the mess I made.
Tessa laughs harder, waving her hand dismissively. “It’s seen worse.” She pulls a rag from her apron and effortlessly wipes down the counter as if she’s done this a hundred times before.
“What should I do?” I ask her, the question feeling heavier than I expected.
“So, you want to leave?” Tessa’s gaze sharpens on me as though she’s trying to figure out if I’m serious.
“No,” I say, the word firm as it leaves my lips. “I’m not leaving.”
Tessa nods as if she expected that answer. “Then stay. There’s safety in numbers. We’ve got each other, and that counts for something.”
Her words settle in my chest, comforting and grounding, but something deep inside me shifts. I can’t help but feel as if there’s more to this than just finding comfort. I have a responsibility now to face everything head-on.
“I’m not promising anything,” I start, my voice quieter, more serious. “But there is one person I have to talk to.”
“Blade?” Tessa guesses, her voice more knowing than I expect.
“He’s never hurt me. And he did save me from Jasper. I owe him a debt.”
Tessa looks at me, her expression thoughtful. She doesn’t say anything for a moment, letting the silence linger, heavy with understanding.
“I get it,” she says finally, her voice soft but steady. “But don’t rush into anything, Hannah. Take it one step at a time. You don’t have to figure it all out right now.”
Taking a deep breath, I nod. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do next. But I do know this—I can’t keep running, not from this place, not from Blade, and not from the reality I’ve found myself tangled in.
Tessa leans back in her seat, her eyes watching me with that quiet understanding. “Just... don’t make any decisions you’ll regret. Whatever happens, we’ve got each other.”
The smile I give her is small but genuine. For the first time in days, something shifts inside me, a fleeting sense that maybe things are going to be okay. A wave of relief washes over me, brief but undeniable, as if the heaviness I’ve been carrying has eased, even if only for a moment.
“Do you drink Fireball?” I blurt out.
“Yes?”
“You’re my new best friend. It’s so good to talk to someone I can trust.”
Tessa rocks back to look at me. “Yeah, it does.”
“Do you still like Vex?”
Tessa’s face goes from smiling to frowning, and eventually, she shrugs. “I don’t know. I thought he didn’t like me, but he said things when they had me in one of their outbuildings. It makes me think he was keeping me at bay because of what he is rather than not liking me.” Tessa sighs. “I think it was easier when I thought he didn’t like me.”
“Instead of knowing the truth about him?”
“Yes. What am I supposed to do with the truth? I can’t tell anyone but you, and he hasn’t been into town since it happened.”
“Do you want to talk to him?”
“I have questions.”
“Don’t we all?”
Sitting together, we sip our drinks, enjoying the close company of knowing secrets that no one else in town knows.
When I finally leave the café, the chill of the outside air feels less biting than it did before. As I step onto the sidewalk, I glance up at Prophet. He’s smiling at me through the closed window of the truck, his eyes crinkling at the corners as if he knows something I don’t. Then, he leans across the seat and opens the passenger door.
“You look better,” he says, his voice warm with a hint of approval.
As I climb into the truck and glance at him, I offer him a slight shrug. “I’m thinking it’s all your heavenly talents that knew I needed to talk to someone?”
Prophet chuckles, the sound light and easy. “It doesn’t work like that. But I knew Tessa had been struggling, and a problem shared is—”
“A problem solved?” I finish for him, giving him a playful punch in the arm. It’s lighter than I expected, a small moment of normalcy, and it feels good. Grinning at him, I shake my head. “You don’t seriously think this is all over, do you?”
Prophet sucks in a breath. “I wish. But no, I don’t.” His gaze softens, his eyes lingering on me for a moment longer than usual. “You’ll get there.”
“You know something I don’t?”
“I know you’re not a quitter.”
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