Page 60 of Savage Captor (Deadly Devotion #1)

Grey

A n hour later, Cain calls all the Nighthawks down to the dining hall.

With the five we lost today, that leaves us with about twenty operatives—not accounting for the newbies sent by Eric.

I like Elijah well enough, and Bryan is good, but I’m uneasy about bringing strangers into the fold.

Unfortunately, this isn’t my call—I just have to trust Cain’s judgement.

The dining hall is big enough to easily support a hundred guys, with the kitchens off to one side and round tables scattered across the stone floor.

All of the remaining Nighthawks are already gathered there when I arrive, most of them sitting in groups and murmuring to each other.

The energy in the room is tense but not necessarily malicious.

I think whatever Cain says will make the guys decide whether or not to follow him.

Cain strides in just as I settle, leaning against the wall at the head of the room, where the Nighthawks leader’s throne sits. Cain’s suit is splattered with blood, as are his hands, neck, and even his face. His expression is blank, but I see the faintest bit of satisfaction in his eyes.

He stops in front of me and claps me on the shoulder, leaving a smear of blood on my shirt.

Thankfully, it’s black, so it isn’t visible.

I’ll need to shower before spending any time with Scarlett.

I don’t think she’s queasy, but I’d rather not smear blood on her porcelain skin when I take her tonight.

“How’d the new additions do?”

“Elijah was good, Bryan was solid—if not a bit cocky—and Tobias was decent backup. They still need to go through training procedures, but they have potential. My biggest concern is how we can trust their loyalty when they came from Eric. What if we split from him or things don’t work out?”

“Eric wanted to get rid of them; they were too bloodthirsty for his ranks. He works on the business end of weapons trafficking, not so much in the active killing end. He gave them a choice to calm down or fuck off to us, and they chose us. I vetted them; they’re solid.

Of course, they’re still trainees.” He tips his chin at the table where the newbies have settled.

“If you liked the ones that were with you today, they’re yours.

Tobias excels in tech—he’s done some black-cap work before. He’ll be a useful asset.”

I nod. “I’ll take the three with me. What about the other four?”

“I’ll put them under Max’s jurisdiction,” Cain responds.

“I’m going to get to talking; our guys are growing rowdy.

” He gives me a nod before ascending the three steps to the throne.

Instead of taking a seat, he remains standing.

The room quiets down without his prompting as every man gathered here turns their attention to Cain.

“All of you are aware of the events that took place today,” Cain begins.

“Boyce is dead, as are his four die-hard loyalists in our ranks. His leadership was shitty from the very beginning of his reign, and that reflected poorly upon the Nighthawks. I took it upon myself and a few of my most-trusted men to take care of him and clean up the mess he’s spent the better part of a decade creating.

” Cain lets that sink in, running his gaze over everyone here, searching out protests.

I also watch our guys, looking for any hints of dissent.

Nobody voices any protests, and most of the men actually appear somewhat pleased with Boyce’s demise.

“Things are going to change around here,” Cain goes on.

“We’ll be reconstructing headquarters into a fortress.

The existing buildings will be refurbished and upgraded, and new ones will be built.

I plan to expand operations in the coming months and years, so we’ll need more housing and more facilities.

My goal is to create a town of sorts, self-sustaining, without much reliance on the outside world.

All of you will, of course, be permitted to venture off-property—but we’ve been too vulnerable for too long, and that needs to change.

Renovations will be beginning this weekend; several vetted crews will be coming through here to get started.

They’re fast workers and very discreet, though if you see any suspicious behavior, report it to leadership.

“That brings me to my next topic; new leadership. In the past, the Nighthawks had a single ruler—a king, if you will—followed by a commanding officer and a first captain. My chosen Commander is Greyson, call sign Ghost. My pick for Captain is Maximus, call sign Reaper. All Nighthawks will be reporting to either myself, Grey, or Max moving forward. If anyone has problems with the leadership change, now is your time to speak.”

The room remains deadly quiet. Everyone should be aware that speaking out against Cain now will mean death. I think the next weeks will show who our enemies and friends within the Nighthawks are.

“One more order of business before we can celebrate the new changes in the Nighthawks: I will be reinstating an old tradition of the Nighthawks. The Ritual of Claiming. From this moment onward, every Nighthawk is done chasing pussy off property and risking your necks while doing so. ”

That’s what finally causes murmurs of outrage to arise. Telling a room of trained killers whose only joys in life are killing and fucking that they can’t take part in one of the aforementioned activities is bound to create discord.

“Instead of chasing pussy at your own risks, each Nighthawk deemed worthy will participate in the claiming ritual. You will choose a woman from the outside world to claim. It will be your responsibility to capture her, bring her here, and train her to suit your needs—all while aspiring to also be able to suit hers. The training period will be followed up by three trials that your chosen will undergo, constructed by me. The trials are meant to test the woman’s loyalty to you and to the Nighthawks.

If they fail, the training will resume, this time adhering to a schedule sanctioned by myself.

Now, you might all think that my request for your temporary celibacy is an abomination, but I invite you to take a few moments to think.

Think about coming home from a bloody op and having your chosen waiting for you.

Think about having another human who’s wholly dedicated and loyal to you.

Think about the new infrastructure the chosen can help the Nighthawks create.

Once they’ve completed their trials, they will be one of us, in whatever capacity suits them best.” Cain pauses, letting this sink in.

“We’ve already started instating the ritual with our first worthy member, Greyson.

He’s in the midst of a training regimen with his chosen, and from what I’ve seen, it’s going well. He’s happier for it.”

“And what about her?” It’s Elijah who speaks, staring at Cain with narrowed eyes. “What does his chosen think about this?”

“She’s reluctant but starting to settle,” I respond. “Things are bound to be difficult at first, but our relationship has improved over time and it’ll continue to do so. ”

“Tonight, we go out to celebrate,” Cain says.

“We’ll be going to a bar—Sanders’, about an hour away.

If you want to fuck, fuck. If you want to drink, drink.

If you want to stay here and take the time to process the new changes, be my guest. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new era.

” Cain nods at all of us. “If you have any concerns, approach leadership.” He descends the dais and walks up to me.

“A cleanup crew will take care of the bodies. Grab Max and meet me in my quarters. We need to debrief about roles and next steps.”