Page 3 of Vex & Suki (COSMIC CROWS MC #1)

Kragor looks uncertain for a minute before he lets out a heavy sigh and runs his fingers through his hair, pulling at the ends while he thinks on what to tell us.

“There are five altogether.”

My eyebrows shoot up; I know the others are just as surprised that there are that many.

He hesitates and looks around the table before saying, “I’m trusting you with a secret, and it’s a big one, so you need to be prepared. I’m in the process of doing the paperwork, but it’s delicate, and I’m not sure who to trust,” he admits.

Stron, Vorn, Brak, Rix, and I exchange worried looks. “Tell us,” I order.

“Four of my girls are from nearby planets, and it’s not an issue getting them paperwork. I’ve put them all down as my daughters; I don’t care that they’re all different species. They needed a home, and the last few weeks, they’ve made the tavern that home.”

“That’s only four,” I observe and wait him out as he wrestles with his decision. “Suki,” he starts, then stops, and his eyes plead with me, making me wonder what it is about this female. But he’s a brother, and if he’s asking for help, then I’d help him.

“You claiming her?” I want to know and then hold back a laugh at the look of horror on his face. “Feck, no. She’s too young for me, and I’m not good enough for her anyway. In fact,” he glares around at us, “none of you feckers are.”

Sniggers circle the table, but all he’s done is raise his brothers’ curiosity now.

“Kragor, who is she?”

He sighs, but I can see he’s resolved to tell us, “She’s the reason we’re doing so well. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Lyra is just as good, but Suki brings something special to the tavern; she’s also human.”

With that little bomb dropped on us, the table goes silent. I wiggle a finger in my ear, sure I hadn’t heard him right.

“Say that again,” I demand. “You did NOT just say human.”

“Fecking Hades hell,” Brax groans. “How the hell did you land up with a human?”

Kragor shrugs, “They kind of found me. They were trafficked together, and Suki has hidden talents that got them off the ship they were on but not before letting all the cargo free. Then they snuck out of Hyperia and ended up here. Vena got the job after she tossed a rude idiot out of the tavern where she’d come to look for a job.

I hadn’t intended to give a female the position but she’s good and Val is just as good.

Vena was sold by her family after her mother went to the stars because her father was human and she was going to end up in the mines. ”

Most of us grimace in sympathy because few made it long in the mines.

“Vena is most like us in looks,” Kragor continues.

“Val has always been a slave, born of slaves, and is talented in hunting, tracking, and fighting. Lyra is similar to Jax from Revolute Vultures MC and is hunted for what her skin can do. She was being sold to scientists. She helps Suki in the kitchen, and the two of them are a well-oiled machine. And Luna,” his gaze softens even more, if that’s possible, “Luna’s royalty from Lumeria; her family was the royal family that got overthrown.

You remember it was all over the news,” he reminds us.

“I remember,” I tell him, waving my hand for him to continue, which he does but not before huffing at me with irritation that I’d ruined his flow. But the male needs to get on with it.

“Anyway, as I was saying, Luna’s taken over the paperwork side of things, and if I were the rest of you with businesses, I’d have her look at your books. The female is not scared of haggling, and she’s quick at doing the books and saving money. That’s it,” he shrugs. “Those are my girls.”

Steepling my fingers, I rest my chin on them as I contemplate the table and the crow carved into the wood.

Black and holding a blue rose in its claws.

We never turned away from those needing help, and our brother, in his way, was asking for help.

But fecking hell A HUMAN, that was a whole other ball game with dire consequences if caught.

Lowering my hands to the table, I decide, “We’ll vote on it. All those in favour of helping keep Kragor’s girls safe, including the human. I’ll go first.” I wait a beat and hold Kragor’s pleading eyes while I give my vote. “Aye!”

He closes his eyes in relief, and if a tear runs down his cheek, none of us say anything.

These girls mean something to him, so they mean something to us.

Plus, we weren’t worried about the enforcers on Malimoor; we had them under control.

And with Zar controlling Revolt, the only ones we had to contend with were the ones from Zorvan, and I’d claim her if I had to before I allowed her to be taken by them.

The vote is unanimous. We’ll help his girls get papers and become legal citizens of Malimoor.

Little did I know how much that one action would change the Cosmic Crows MC brotherhood in the way it did.

Picking up the gavel, I slam it down onto the table, “Church dismissed. Be safe out there, brothers. Kragor,” I call out as he gets to the door. When he turns to look at me, a resigned look that I can’t interpret shows on his face.

“We’ll be at the tavern tonight to meet your girls.”

He nods in agreement and acknowledges my order with a grumpy, “Pres.”

A chuckle breaks out at his blatant unhappiness at having us upend his happy life with his new daughters.

***

It’s late when Stron, Vorn, Brak, Rix, and I glide up to the front doors.

We note the tall female who looks not dissimilar to all females on Hyperia, except for her eyes.

Eyes that are alert and watchful. She relaxes slightly when she sees our cuts, but her expression doesn’t change.

There’s a flicker in the shadows, and a smaller, more solidly built female with slight feline features appears, dressed in leather and holding a staff like she knows how to use it.

Beside me, Rix hisses and stands still, his eyes centred on the female.

‘Interesting,’ I muse, walking away. He’s a big boy; he’ll either handle her or not.

“Vena,” I greet, holding out my arm in the way of a warrior because that’s what we are. Warriors. We just don’t have any wars left to fight.

Vena grips my arm in a firm hold. “Vex.”

As I release her arm, her grip tightens, and she pulls me closer. I let her because I’m curious, but I’m also alert for any other danger. From behind me, I sense Brak approaching.

Vena ignores him, leaning into me. She whispers in my ear, “Don’t fuck with Kragor or my sisters. You do, President or not, I’ll hunt you down and put you in the ground. I vow this.”

Turning my head so that her ear is close to my mouth, I whisper, “No threats needed, little sister. Your family is now my family.”

Her grip lightens, and she straightens and eases back a step with a small nod, tilting her head towards the open doors. “Kragor’s waiting for you.”

Turning, we swagger into the tavern, laughing and greeting those we know.

There’s a distinctive hum in the air, almost like an expectation.

Kragor is busy serving, but he nods and tilts his head to the clay mugs of the local brew he’s put at the end of the bar.

Picking up my mug, I tilt my head back as I take a long draught of grainy mead, quenching my thirst and clearing the dust from my throat from our ride into town.

Near the serving hatch, a bell rings, and I catch a glimpse of dark hair and pale skin before she disappears. Something pulls me behind the bar and to the kitchen. Swinging open the door harder than I’d intended, it smacks against the wall with a bang.

A gorgeous angel turns, her long dark hair in a braid that swings out as she turns startled blue eyes towards me, creamy skin flushed from the heat of the kitchen, plump, pink lips open in an O of surprise.

I’m aware that there’s another female with my angel. I’d noticed how she’d blended into the kitchen siding when I’d startled her, but she wasn’t a threat, and my attention was taken up by the gorgeous, dark-haired human who seemed to have stopped breathing as soon as our eyes met.

Although I wasn’t much better. Inhaling deeply, my nose twitched at the citrus scent that could only be her. The next words out of her mouth have me holding back a laugh, and all I could think was how quickly I could make her mine.

“Yum,” Suki says out loud, her gaze traversing hungrily over my body.

Licking her lips, leaving them plump and shiny, ripe for biting.

When she wanted to know if I knew my way around a woman’s body and if we’d be compatible?

I was done. Ready to take her to the nearest holy man and make her mine in all ways.

The woman, Lyra, chuckled with amusement.

I grinned, telling my human in no uncertain terms that we were more than compatible, “Oh, a mhuirnín, trust me, we are more than compatible, and to answer your question: yes, I do know my way around a female’s body.”

My shoulders shake with mirth as she slaps her hands over her face, covering her gorgeous features that are pink with embarrassment. She berates herself.

‘Oh, my female is fun and not afraid to laugh at herself.’

I’m still laughing as I stalk towards her and take her into my arms, assuring her just before my lips meet hers, “We’re going to have so much fun, a ghrá. ”

I kiss her like I’ve never kissed anyone before. As her tongue sweeps across mine, the citrus scent intensifies, and I’m ready to spend the rest of my days with her.

“Come home with me,” I whisper against her lips.

She hesitates a moment and looks towards the other female, who's watching us with soft, amused eyes.

“Go,” she tells my little human. “I can manage in here for tonight. It’s nearly closing time anyway.”

Suki bites her lip, and her eyes move between her friend and me, indecision clear on her face. I have to say it’s a turn-on that she’s not rushing home with me. That she’s worried about leaving her friend to do her job says a lot about her character.

Her friend must read her well because she follows up with a gentle push. “It’s all good, Suki; you only get a chance like this once in a lifetime. Take it and enjoy the ride.”

Suki lifts her gaze to mine, and I know then that she’s made up her mind. I’m already anticipating all the ways I can make her come and never want to leave my bed if I have anything to say about it.

“If you’re sure.” She checks on her friend one more time, who nods that she’s good.

Turning to me, she rests her hands on my chest, and I love the feel of the weight of her palms on my bare skin. I’m enjoying it so much that I almost miss her next words.

“Let me grab my cloak and we’ll go.”

Pulling out of my hold, she whirls towards the cloaks hanging on the far side of the kitchen and swirls one around her shoulders, pulling the hood up and over her head, hiding her face from sight before walking back to me.

Grasping her hand, I tug her out of the kitchen with one last nod of thanks at her friend. We leave the kitchen and enter the front of the tavern to find Kragor glaring at me, arms folded across his chest as he takes in our entwined hands.

When my little human tugs her hand from mine, I hold back a growl as she walks over to him and wraps her arms around his waist, saying something to him.

I’m not sure what she says, but he nods. Holding onto the sides of her hood to hide her face, she lifts to her toes, pressing a kiss to his cheek, then turns back to me and takes my hand. We pass her friend at the door, who is glaring at me through narrowed eyes.

My little human has many protectors, and it makes me fecking thrilled that so many would go to war for her.

Not that they’ll need to, now that she has me.

Still gripping my hand, she stops and talks to her friend and follows the same routine as with Kragor, kissing her cheek and giving a quick wave to her other friend, who is looking at Rix with a strange look on her face.

I’d leave the two of them to sort that out.

I had better things to do tonight. Swinging my leg over my bike, I hold my hand out to Suki, who gathers her robe and slides on behind me like she’s done this before, fitting herself to my back like she’s made for me.

Suki wraps her arms around me, and my heart beats a little faster in my chest as a sense of peace and rightness thrums through me.

Or maybe it’s excitement and anticipation at this stage.

I don’t care. All I know is that I’ll move heaven and earth to make sure she’s safe with me. With us, so she’ll never have to leave.

“I’m ready,” she tells me, her soft breath tickling my ear and goosebumps raise on my arms.

‘Feck yeah, we’re going to have so much fun, my human and me.’