Page 9 of Vex & Suki (COSMIC CROWS MC #1)

V ex had called Church early this month after Vorn had come to him and told him about the amount of credits that Kragor was bringing in.

Not that it was unusual for the tavern to be making bank.

All our businesses were profitable, but it was Promis that made the most profit for us.

For the tavern to be bringing in more credits than the strip club was unheard of.

If it was anyone else other than Kragor, I’d have been worried.

Kragor was family. He’d been with us for longer than the MC had been formed.

He was the one we’d gone to as teenagers when we’d needed parental guidance.

All of us males come from families that didn’t care about their offspring.

We’d banded together from a young age and had been in our early adolescent years when we’d met Istes at a park.

I’m not sure why, but she’d befriended us, and the six of us had been inseparable.

I couldn’t help but wonder what her mother had thought of us, although she’d always treated us with kindness until she’d passed a year before Istes had.

Istes and Vorn had been especially close, and he’d not been the same since she’d gone to the stars. It had been because of him and the weekend away that we’d had the money to start the club. It had been my idea.

I was fascinated by the human motorcycle clubs I’d found information on when we’d found work and had cleared out a unit for the city.

It had been a treasure trove of items that must have been brought here during the wars.

I’d managed to get the vids working, and I’d spent many an evening getting lost in them.

I’d been quick to see the correlation between their brotherhood and ours.

When we’d won the money on our weekend away in the city and Vex had been arrested for going berserker on the piece of shit that had been assaulting a female while her child watched, I knew it was time to do something.

Luckily, my brothers were in agreement when I’d brought up the idea of starting a motorcycle club.

We’d first invested in Promis, and with Vorn in charge of our finances, we’d soon bought into other businesses, including the tavern that we’d given to Kragor to run.

It was a good life, with more than enough credits to spend, females to have as and when the mood struck, and I had my brothers. I had no complaints. What more did a male need?

Vex was getting down to the wire on why Kragor was so protective of the females he’d taken under his wing.

When we’d found out that one was human, I’d known then that the brotherhood would get involved, and I was right.

Vex wouldn’t be able to leave it alone, not when there was a genuine threat of the death penalty should she be caught on our premises with no paperwork.

I was relieved that it was only the most trusted brothers in Church along with those that ran our businesses.

It wouldn’t do for the news that we had a human working for us.

I’d known as soon as he called a vote we’d be getting ready to go to war should we need to. We’d keep Kragor’s girls safe. Although, by the sounds of it, two of them were more than capable of handling themselves.

I’m brought back to Church when Vex calls out to Kragor, who is leaving Church, albeit a little grumpily. I watch with amusement as he turns and glares at Vex when Vex says, “We’ll be at the tavern tonight to meet your girls.”

I’m chuckling when Vex turns to the rest of us with a smirk. “You boys feel like checking out the tavern tonight?”

Stron rolls his eyes and replies, “When do we ever not follow you into shit? And I have a feeling we’ll be biting off more than we can chew this time.”

Brak and I laugh. Even Vorn gives a small smile as Vex growls. It’s all in jest; the five of us have been brothers longer than I’d like to admit.

It’s nearing closing time when we ride our bikes up to the tavern, and even though it should be closing, we can see it’s full to capacity. We note the tall, blue female who doesn’t look dissimilar to us but without the white stripe through her black hair. Her eyes are all human, though.

Easing my leg over the back of my bike, I watch as Vex talks to her and note the tension in her body.

From my periphery, a vision enters, and I’m struck dumb.

An involuntary hiss escapes me when she moves into the light.

It surrounds her in a golden glow. She’s gorgeous from the top of her dark hair to the toes of her leather boots.

She’s not tall. She’s at least a foot shorter than me, but she’s strongly built.

Her features are similar to the Leonaires, but there are enough disparities for me to think she’s not a full-blooded one.

She has their pointed ears, a flattish nose, and slanted green eyes with sharp, high cheekbones and a mouth that’s a little too wide for her face.

She’s striking and I’m hooked. I know this when my cocks are rising as soon as I catch her scent.

Both cocks!

I know what this means. She’s my mate. I stalk towards her and slow the nearer I get, taking note of her body language. Whereas before she’d been alert and the way she held her staff, I had no doubt she could use it.

She’d been watching Vex and Vena, but as soon as she sees me stalking towards her, she stiffens and becomes hyper-vigilant.

Even from this distance, I can see her grip tighten on her staff, knuckles going white with the firmness of her grip.

She adjusts her stance into a fight-ready stance; her heartbeat has kicked up until it’s all I can hear.

My mate may look tough, and I have no doubt she can kick my ass if need be.

But something about me spooks her, and I don’t like it.

No, it makes me feel feral. Somebody or somebodies have hurt her, and I want to find them and wreak havoc on them all.

The berserker part of me, the part I keep under tight control, is ready to break free and avenge our female.

She only has to point me in the direction, and we’ll take it from there.

I halt my steps a foot away from her and meet her gaze with a steady one of my own, ensuring none of my turmoil shows on my face.

“Who hurt you, a stór? ” I ask her softly. So softly that it surprises her.

I’m not sure what she expects from me, but my gentleness throws her off.

“Too many to count,” she replies just as softly, her eyes clinging to mine. The sadness in their depths obliterates my heart. There’s so much pain in that one look.

Taking one step closer to her, I raise my hand so that she has time to track it until I can cup her cheek. Tilting her face to mine, I’m not surprised when I see resignation in her eyes and then the flare of surprise when I tell her, “Nobody will ever hurt you again, a stór, this I swear to you.”

She smiles wistfully at me and curls her fingers around my hand, pressing my hand to the softness of her cheek. “You’re not the first to say that. I’ve learned the hard way not to believe words.”

Dipping my head, I breathe in her ear and smile as her breath hitches when I tell her, “But none of them were your mate. And I promise you, a stór , if anyone hurts even a hair on your head, they’ll meet my berserker, and that’s not something that anyone wants to do.”

She tilts her head back in surprise. Lightning fast, my hand shoots up and I cradle the back of her head in my palm before it can hit the wall of the tavern.

Her eyes widen, and her pupils elongate as her incisors lengthen.

She slaps her hand over her mouth in surprise.

A muffled “Oh,” escapes, making me chuckle.

“What’s your name, milseán ?” I ask, my lips hovering just above her hand that’s still covering her mouth.

She mutters something. Then rolls those expressive eyes in disgust at herself when she realises I won’t be able to hear her and removes her hand, replying, “Valoria, but my friends call me Val.”

“Valoria,” I hum as I roll her name experimentally off my tongue. Nodding, I look back at her and say, “I like it. It’s beautiful, like its owner. My name’s Xanderix, but my brothers call me Rix.”

She smiles a blinding smile, and I bite back a hoarse moan when it hits me right in my cocks and they twitch in my leathers. They’re going to be bruised all to hell if they don’t quit it. The last thing we need is to frighten our mate, especially as I know she’s been mistreated.

Running my nose up her cheek, I hold back a smile as she lets out a soft sigh and tilts her head to the side, allowing me access to her neck. She may not know what it means, but to me it’s a flashing green sign of trust. And I’d not break that.

“Val,” I breathe in her ear and smile when she shivers, and her breathing speeds up.

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Her breath hitches and stops at my request before it starts up again. Patiently, I wait for my mate’s decision, and I want to crow and beat my chest when she utters one small word that changes the course of our lives.

“Please.”

Gathering her close, I nibble at the sides of her lips and brush butterfly kisses across her cheeks before coming back to her lips that I gently lick and suck until she opens for me. Only then do I take what is freely given, and I kiss my mate for the first time.

Her shy advances and retreats make me wonder if she’s ever been kissed before. Not that it takes my mate long to become enthusiastic as her tongue twines with mine. The slight roughness of hers against the smoothness of mine has a growl rumbling from deep within my chest.

Running my hands down the sides of her body until I reach the lush globes of her ass, I firmly cup and knead them until she jumps, and I’ve suddenly got my arms full of my delicious female.

I meet her tongue thrust for thrust, and it’s only Vena’s loudly cleared throat that breaks us apart.

We’re panting, and resting my forehead against hers, I ask a question I hope she’ll say yes to.

“Come home with me?”

She hesitates, and her eyes search mine. I let her take her time to decide.

“Okay.” She agrees, unwrapping her legs from around my waist and allowing her feet to drop back to the floor. I hate that I no longer have her plastered to me, but it won’t be for long.

Taking possession of her hand, I draw her towards my bike, only to come to a stop when she calls out in an uncertain voice, “Vena.”

Vena’s been watching us, but she hasn’t interfered. Her gaze softens when she looks at Val. Waving us on, she says, “Go on. I’ll manage. It’s nearly closing time.”

Taking Val’s staff from her, I slide it into a pocket sewn into my saddlebags. I wondered what I’d ever use it for when I fashioned these; now, I know. I’ve been waiting for her. I’m about to swing my leg over my machine when Vena calls out in a cold, deadly tone, “Male.”

Turning back to her, I have to be impressed because not many would take us on head-to-head. But I like her protectiveness when it comes to my mate. “You best be bringing my sister home in the same condition she’s leaving in. If even a hair on her head is harmed ....”

She doesn’t finish her threat. There’s no need to—she’s said all she has to, and I understand the warning.

Tilting my chin at her, giving her the respect she deserves, I assure her, “Val will be safe with me, that I can promise you.”

When she says nothing further, I mount my bike and help Val on behind me.

As we pull away from the tavern for the twenty-minute ride home, I can’t help but wish it was longer.

I’ve never thought of having a female on my bike, but with Val wrapped around me as close as she can get, her soft, lush curves warm against my back, I find that I love it and hope she’ll go for many more rides with me.