Page 21

TWENTY-ONE

FIRE

“You wanna talk about it?”

With all that happened, I knew Evelin was gonna need to talk about it, but I’d given her time.

After spending the entire night inside her, first fucking her, taking her hard, getting inside her ass, then taking her slow, neither of us spoke about what we learned at the clubhouse. We ignored the phone. I made it all about Evelin and what she needed.

We were still in my bed. The only time we left it was when I cleaned her up in my shower. She’d been exhausted and barely able to keep herself awake, let alone standing up.

Considering what went down at the clubhouse, not just between her and those horas , but with her mother, finding out all that she did, it’s got to be fucking with her. Hell, it’s fucking with me. No wonder Irish never came with Scotch to the clubhouse when they’d come here. The times we’d meet up at their clubhouse, he never looked at any of us directly, and thinking on it, I realize it’s because he shares a resemblance to Evelin.

Shit. I don’t know how Heat’s gonna react when he finds out the truth of this, but it’s not gonna be good.

“Talk about what?” Evelin grumbles, snuggling deeper into me.

“You know what I’m talking about.” I should drop it, let it be, but I need to know where her head’s at.

“What’s there to talk about?” Lifting her head off my chest, she braces an arm where her head had been, her fingers curling into a fist. “I shouldn’t be surprised to find out about my birth parents. I mean, I was adopted.”

“But you found out you have a brother.”

“I know I have a brother. Heat’s my brother.”

“I’m talking about Irish being your biological brother.”

“So.” She shrugs. “Doesn’t mean anything.”

“You sure about that?” I ask and roll us until she’s on her back, and I’m hovering over her. “You’re entitled to feel what you want about what you’ve learned.”

“Just like you?” she snaps. “You going to talk to me about what you’re feeling about what you learned?”

Fuck me. She’s got me there.

“You want to know what I’m feeling?”

“You tell me, I’ll tell you,” she states snarkily.

So, we’re gonna play this bullshit game. Fine ,whatever, if it gets her to talk. “Finding out about being Freyja’s son. One of two fucks with me, but it’s not as bad as the rest of it. Finding out that I can draw fire with my hands freaks me the fuck out.”

“But your road name is Fire. How can drawing fire with your hands freak you out?”

“I got my road name because I love playing with fire. I’m drawn to it,” I admit. “As for it freaking me out, it’s not so much drawing it, but the fact that I could potentially hurt you or someone else. Look at what I did to Luca’s throat.” Not that I regret what I did to the bastard, he deserved it.

“I don’t think you’d ever hurt me. It felt good when your hands were on me,” she says softly and reaches up to curl her fingers along my jaw. “You’ll learn to control it.”

“Yeah,” I agree.

“What about you having a brother of your own?” Evelin asks. “Have you contacted him?”

“No, but I will. Probably after this shit with Holstein is taken care of. I need to be able to focus on one thing at a time.” I knew the way my mind worked. I have to be able to focus without distractions, and if I have to deal with both what’s going on with the threat against Evelin and Dexter at the same time, it’ll drive me nuts. That doesn’t even include what’s going on with the fact I have two sisters out there somewhere as well. That’s a whole other shitstorm I’m not looking forward to thinking about any time soon.

“I’m tired of being the last to know things,” Evelin confesses, releasing a heavy breath.

“I think in this case, baby, you aren’t the last to know.” I try joking.

“You know what I mean.” She gives me a look that lets me know she doesn’t think I’m funny.

“Yeah, I know.” Grumbling, I drop to my side and pull her against me. “We’re gonna have to get back to the clubhouse. Heat’s gonna wanna see you when he gets there.”

“I know,” she agrees. “Wonder what he’s going to think, knowing he’s not my only big brother.”

Heat’s going to lose his shit at having to learn, yet again, something else that was kept from him. He’ll probably get into it with his mom, and I don’t blame him. This was something that shouldn’t have been kept from us. Several scenarios pop into my mind of how bad things could have been especially if the Black Mark MC and our club didn’t have an alliance.

No one fucks with the Kings. It could’ve turned out to be a war between our clubs. The fact that their club is made of humans, where ours has a mixture of humans and supernatural beings, doesn’t mean anything.

“He’ll get over it. You’ve practically grown up with more than just him as your big brother,” I tell her, pushing other thoughts out of my head.

“True.” She nods, curling against me, tilting her head back to hold my gaze. “When do we need to go to the clubhouse?”

Reading between the lines, I grin down at her and slide my hand up in her hair. “We got time.”

Kissing Evelin, I wanted to take my time, but when it comes to my woman, it’s hard not to take her every way her body is screaming for me to have her. I intend to do just that before we leave this bed.

* * *

I pull up in front of the clubhouse and bite back my need to turn back around while getting the hell out of there. Not because I didn’t want to see my brothers but because I knew Scotch was still here.

Plus, Heat was back. Who the fuck knows what’s happening in there. The last thing I want is to deal with more bullshit drama, but it’s inevitable when it comes to the situation.

I was supposed to already be here hours ago, but I got tied up in making sure my woman was taken care of in all the ways she could be.

Parking my bike next to Flame’s, I lower the kickstand and wait for Evelin to climb off before following.

“You know, I’m thinking I should’ve just had you take me straight to the bar instead of joining you here.”

Cocking a brow, I dip my gaze downward to her while tucking her close and moving us toward the door. “You say that like you had the choice of going to the bar. Which you didn’t, just to remind you. You aren’t going anywhere without me until the threat against you is taken care of.”

“Whatever.” Evelin sighs. “Let’s get this over with. I’ll text Francie and tell her to just deal with everything for me.”

I gotta admit, I know Evelin loves working, and she does a damn good job at it, but Scotch is right, she works too damn much and needs time off.

I’m gonna have to make it a point to show her the benefits of taking time off.

Guiding Evelin into the clubhouse, I immediately want to take her right back out, considering we’re walking right into one hell of an argument between Heat and Herja.

“You gotta stop this shit once and for all. I’m done with you keeping secrets and shit from me,” Heat snarls.

“Heat, you need to understand that I can’t tell you every blessed thing. You’re just gonna have to get over it because I won’t tell you. I’m swore by my oath to keep them until the time is right for them to be revealed.”

“Like this bullshit with Eve?”

“Yes,” Herja snaps right back at him.

There are times when Herja shows her respect toward Heat and his position within the club, but then there are times like this when she doesn’t.

“What’s going on here?” Evelin demands, stepping away from me and making her way toward her mom and brother.

Heat’s eyes shifted and locked on Evelin. Nostrils flaring. His eyes come to me, and he looks downright pissed. “You didn’t answer your phone.”

“Was busy,” I tell him. It was all I needed to say at the time ‘cause we’re not having that discussion. “Did you need something?”

“Yeah, to know what the fuck was going on with my little sister,” Heat growls.

“I’m fine, Heat. Now, will you calm the hell down before you give yourself an aneurysm?” Evelin remarks, moving toward her brother and, kid you not, hugging him. “I don’t need my big brother getting all pissed-off on my behalf. I can do that all on my own.”

Heat wraps his arm tight around Evelin, dips his head down, and murmurs something for only her to hear. She nods and visibly presses herself that much tighter to him.

The two of them stick like that for a bit longer before pulling apart. I move in and reclaim Evelin at my side. Herja steps forward and looks between both her children.

“I’m sorry. Both of you. If I could share things with you, I would, but things have to be revealed as they’re supposed to, not before.” Herja looks at me with a sad smile. “I wish more than anything I could have told you about your real mother. She wanted to be there for you and your brother and sisters. However, the prophecy that was read the day you were conceived wouldn’t allow her to do so. She did what she had to, just as I do what I must for my own children.”

I nod, not about to have this conversation. I’ll deal with my issues at a later date. Turning my attention to Heat, I ask, “Were you filled in on Holstein?”

“Yeah.” He nods. “Part of the reason I was calling you last night. Wanted her ass back at the clubhouse on lockdown.”

“Think I can’t protect her on my own?” I demand, partly joking but mostly in all seriousness. If he doesn’t think I can protect Evelin on my own, then he’s got no trust in me to protect the club as I’ve done for years.

“Know you can,” Heat remarks, straightening. “Don’t think I don’t, brother, but this shit is serious. We can’t take the chances of you two being caught off guard.”

I can see his point of view on this. It’s nearly the exact thing I told Evelin the other night.

“What I was also calling to tell you was we’re having church. Now.”

Fucking hell.