Page 29 of Heron's Flame

I turned to my right, spotting Chrome’s ol’ lady. His twin brother Rael was the Sergeant-at-Arms for the Tonopah RBMC. Chrome was a member, too, and one of several enforcers for the chapter. Their club had a large number of members, so it made sense to have more than one. “Hey, Cameron.”

“Heron, great to see you.”

“You too. This is Rebel. She’s my ol’ lady.”

“Oh!” Cameron gasped before attacking Rebel in a fierce hug. “Welcome to the ol’ ladies club.” She laughed as she released Rebel. “We’ll have to invite you, Bella, Gail, Callie, and Bree to The Crossroads soon.”

Rebel smiled. “I’d like that.”

We rejoined the crowd, walking among the vendors again until we found another tattoo artist. Rebel liked to stop and watch each one, fascinated by each artist’s skill. We had only stood for about a minute when I noticed the girl standing only a few feet from us. I’d know her anywhere even though she didn’t face me: the same slim, petite figure, curves, and light red hair.Memories assaulted me of the past, and I took a step in her direction, shocked to see her after all this time.

“Cerys!” Her name blurted from my lips far too loud, and I nearly cringed.

A guy stood beside her, nearly the same height as me. Big, too. He dwarfed her yet seemed attuned to her in a way that caused me to pause. There was something about him. A scent that I hadn’t caught in a long time. Fuck.Wolf.

The odor assaulted my nose, and I had to fight back a snarl. It reminded me of Undertaker, err, Alpha Caden. The fucker.

I shifted my focus away from the wolf. “Cerys, wow, imagine meeting you here. It’s been a long time. How are you?”

Cerys blinked. She seemed as shocked as I had been when I first saw her. I felt a volatile combination of emotions rush through her: unease, worry, surprise, and pain.

I winced at the last one.

The big bad wolf interjected, seemingly trying to control the situation. I sensed his need to protect Cerys, but I wasn’t a fucking threat. “Hi, I’m Brax. May I ask who you are and how you know Cerys?”

“Hello.” I paused, frowned, and decided to answer. “I’m Heron. Cerys and I have known each other since we were teenagers. I never thought I’d find her at a bike rally. I wouldn’t see this as your speed, Cer.”

“Hi, H-Heron. Yes, it’s been a while. As for me being at a bike rally, there’s a lot about me you don’t know. I’ve changed.” Damn, that sounded almost hostile. “Introduce me to your friend.” Her chin lifted toward Rebel.

I didn’t get a chance.

Irritation and confusion swept through Rebel before she answered, “My name is Rebel. We’re, well, together. I didn’t know Heron had friends outside the club.” Her tone was a bit accusatory, and I could guess she felt ill at ease. Her glance at myface proved she wanted to know who Cerys was and how she fit into my past. It really wasn’t the time to explain.

I opened my mouth to reply to Cerys when Hawk joined us. “Hey, man. We’ve been looking for you. Should’ve known you’d be here, staring at the ink slingers.”

Nice. Not the right time for jokes. I sent him a look. “You know me, Hawk.”

“Yeah,” he snorted as his gaze swept over Cerys and Brax. I knew when he noticed the wolf. His body language betrayed him. He ticked his chin toward them. “Who’re your friends?”

I was taking a fucking guess and figured the wolf wouldn’t miss the chance to make his connection known. “This is Cerys and her man Brax?”

“I’m her man,” the wolf growled.

I didn’t acknowledge him, continuing, “Cerys and I knew each other a few years back when we got out of high school. I haven’t seen her in years.” I turned to Cerys. “I thought you’d left Vegas.”

Emotions overwhelmed me from every direction. Rebel’s curiosity and a small wave of jealousy. Her irritation since I never spoke about Cerys. Confusion, hurt, and discomfort from Cerys. Possessiveness and a hint of anger from Brax. And then Hawk’s amusement combined with his disgust for the wolf’s odor. Fuck. It was almost too much.

I sent Brax an uneasy look when I felt his hostility grow. The tension thickened. This wasn’t the place to get riled up, especially in front of our women and the crowd.

Cerys shrugged as I refocused on her. “I don’t live here anymore, but I didn’t leave until about nine months ago.”

I wondered what made her finally leave.

“Oh, yeah, where are you guys from? I take it you’re not in a club,” Hawk guessed.

Nosy fucker.

“No, we’re not,” Brax answered. “We came with my friends. We’re all riders, just not an MC. We live in Needles,” he supplied, sharing more information than he needed.

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