Page 27 of Property of Mako (Kings of Anarchy MC: Louisiana #1)

A Reckoning with a Demon

Mako

Haidyn didn’t keep me waiting long. He never did.

One moment, the tree line that grew at the edge of the swamps behind the clubhouse was empty, the next, it was full of swirling black smoke and the stench of brimstone.

He stepped out of it like a goddamn phantom—immaculate in a tailored black suit, not a single strand of his golden hair out of place.

And he looked fucking pissed.

“You really don’t listen well,” he drawled, his sharp smile anything but friendly. “You’re lucky I like you, Mako. Otherwise, you and that girl would be ash already.”

I bristled, instinct rising, but I didn’t take the bait. “We got Lily. That’s what matters.”

His blue eyes flared with an eerie ember light, a predator’s glow.

“What matters is that you nearly ruined my game. Do you have any idea the lengths I went to, to cover your little stunt? I had to stand there, furious, spitting fire at the Covenant, pretending I gave a damn that the most valuable piece in the auction had been snatched out from under my nose.” His gaze narrowed, and his grin went wicked.

“It worked. They bought it. But don’t mistake my acting ability for charity. ”

My jaw tightened. “Then why cover for me at all?”

Haidyn’s smirk widened as he stepped closer, his presence like smoke curling around my throat. “Because I have my own interests, vampire. And because, deep down, I enjoy watching you disobey orders you should fear.”

“You don’t give me orders.”

His laugh was a low, dangerous rumble. “Keep telling yourself that.” Then his tone shifted, hard and sharp.

“Someone else already made a deal with me, Mako. A grieving parent. Their daughter was taken by the Covenant, and in their desperation, they offered me their souls in exchange for the girl’s rescue.

You almost fucked that up for me, and I would’ve been extremely unhappy about that. ”

My stomach turned, heat licking at my veins. “You’re saying?—”

“I’m saying,” he interrupted smoothly, “that I have things under control. Their debt has ensured my involvement. The girls will be freed, one way or another. You can stop pretending you’re the only savior in this little war.”

In disbelief, I stared at him, searching for cracks in his certainty, for any hint of a trap. But Haidyn was unreadable, a demon who never lied but always twisted the truth until it felt like a noose.

“What about me?” I finally asked, knowing this wasn’t over.

Haidyn’s eyes glittered. “Oh, you still owe me, D’Aragon. Don’t think for a moment you’ve slipped that leash. You may have forgotten, but I never do. And I’ll be collecting on that debt very, very soon.” He leaned in, his voice a husky whisper. “Pray it’s something you’re willing to pay.”

Before I could reply, tendrils of smoke and shadow crawled in from the trees to consume him, and he was gone.

* * *

Back inside the chapel of the clubhouse, my trusted brothers were waiting—faces grim, eyes sharp. The weight of Haidyn’s words still clung to me like smoke.

“We’ve got a problem,” I told them.

“No shit,” Crypt Keeper muttered.

I relayed the meeting—the act Haidyn had played, the debt he was owed, the soul bartered in desperation. By the time I finished, the room was tense enough to snap.

“Trusting a demon’s word?” Bugsy scoffed, still pale from his healing. “That’s a hell of a plan.”

“It’s the only one we’ve got,” I said flatly. “And Haidyn doesn’t make empty bargains. He’ll hold up his end.”

Spook leaned forward, his eyes flickering with shadow. “Which means our focus has to shift. The rat. Somebody’s feeding the Covenant information, and if we don’t find out who, the next setup won’t end with us limping home—it’ll end with us dead.”

Nods went around the table. Even through the distrust, there was steel in their eyes.

“Then we flush the bastard out,” Dexter growled.

“Agreed.” My gaze swept the table. “We stick to the false plan. Keep the plan tight. Spread the word just enough to tempt the leak. Everyone hears the same thing—except for one detail. Something small, something only the traitor will know. When it leaks, we’ll know who’s been feeding the Covenant.

We draw them out on our terms, not theirs. ”

“And in the meantime?” Crypt Keeper asked.

I thought of Lily’s hollow eyes, of Lyra’s voice whispering against my skin the night before. Of the other girls, still trapped, waiting in silence for monsters to decide their fate.

“In the meantime,” I said, my voice iron, “we trust Haidyn to keep his word—and we get ready for war if he doesn’t.”

“Zeus messaged me about ten minutes ago saying they were making their last stop for fuel and would be home soon. So this is about to get real,” Boomslang announced.

Silence enveloped us.

“So we need a plan. Ideas, anyone?” Killswitch asked.

* * *

The entire chapter was present for church that night. Tension was high as everyone worried there was someone in the chapter who had stabbed their own brothers in the back. Whether they did it personally or through pillow talk.

“We’re gonna have to lure them in,” Boomslang quietly said as he met the eyes of each brother at the table.

Crypt Keeper leaned forward, barely leashed claws drumming the wood. “What’s the bait?”

I thought for a moment, then said, “We plant word about a weapons drop. Make it sound like we’ve got a shipment of enchanted steel coming in from an ally that we’ll be selling on the dark web.

We’ll choose the place, the time, and we’ll watch.

The Covenant won’t be able to resist hitting us hard if they think they can disarm us before the auction and get possession of a load of enchanted steel. ”

“Or wipe us out,” our secretary, Bait, muttered.

Low grumbles spread through our members.

“No. We make sure that won’t happen,” Killswitch insisted.

Spook nodded slowly, shadows shifting in his irises. “And when they show up?”

“We let them,” I said. “We’ll be there waiting.”

What was left unsaid was that it wouldn’t be to fight them if we could help it, but to see who told them. Whoever gave us up was in the room.

Silence fell. Heavy. Suspicious.

Bugsy shifted uncomfortably, but his loyalty had never been in question.

Crypt’s wolf bristled but stayed steady.

My eyes lingered on Niner, the club’s treasurer.

He leaned back in his chair, arms folded, jaw tight.

I’d never liked the half-blood. Too slick, too smug, too careful about where he placed his loyalty.

A lot of dhampirs were unfortunately like that.

One by one, the brothers agreed to the plan.

“Fine,” Niner muttered when it reached him, meeting my stare a little too defiantly. “Set the trap. We’ll see who’s dirty.”

Oh, we sure would. Funny… we hadn’t said that was what this was about. “Guilty conscience, Niner?” I asked with a smirk.

Niner shot forward in his seat toward me.

“Enough, you two!” Killswitch boomed. “You’re goddamn brothers. Act like it!”

Pretending to be gruff after being properly chastised, I fell back in my seat and scowled.

Yeah, my gut already told me the bastard wearing the treasurer’s patch was about to hang himself.