Page 23 of Heron's Flame

Yeah, I thought so.

“I just want to compare notes. See if we can find out more than them,” Talon laughed.

I wasn’t gonna say a damn thing now.

“You just ruined it, Talon,” Hawk huffed.

“How do you know what time I got back?” I asked, too curious to drop it.

“Saw you pull in.” Hawk shrugged. “I needed a smoke.”

Ah. I didn’t know how I missed him when I parked my bike. I must have been too wrapped up in Rebel to notice.

“I decided to let you have a few moments alone before I walked inside,” Hawk added.

“How generous,” I mumbled.

“Have you shown her your crow yet?” Talon turned toward me, grinning like he knew a secret I didn’t. “It’s not like it’ll surprise her.”

Shit. I forgot about the circumstances of Rebel’s arrival. She came to The Roost after captivity on Undertaker’s lands. I found out about Undertaker and the war with the Dirty Death MC after I patched into the club last month. I knew he was no longer a threat, or I’d go after him for kidnapping Rebel. The Tonopah Royal Bastards used their reapers to separate the vargulf and the Alpha wolf, sending the evil part straight to Lucifer in hell. I missed all that, but I’d heard about it numerous times.

A truce had formed after the reaping, and now Undertaker, or Alpha Caden, no longer posed a threat. His club had become allies with ours. In fact, the Dirty Death no longer existed. His club had voted on a new name: Night Striders MC.

Still, I didn’t know if I could hold back if I saw him. He took Rebel, kept her locked in a dirty underground cell, and hurt her. I cracked my neck, instantly on edge.

“Brother,” Talon began, clapping my shoulder. “It’s the past. Let it go.”

“Would you say that if it was Gail?” I asked, flipping it back on him.

Talon cringed.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

“Crow’s orders,” Hawk interjected. “Hands off.”

I nearly growled in response.

“Hey, I’m not sayin’ I don’t get it. Hell, I’d go after any motherfucker who tried to hurt Callie.”

He understood. Good. “I don’t know if I can let it go.”

Hawk and Talon tensed.

“I’m not sayin’ I’ll go hunt down Undertaker on his land.” Both nodded. “But if I see that fucker here, he’s gonna have my boot up his ass.”

Hawk chuckled.

Talon shook his head. “I can’t say I blame you.”

I had met Alpha Caden/Undertaker twice before I knew what he’d done to Rebel. A part of me felt that retribution was justified regardless of the circumstances. A truce didn’t matter. He had to suffer for the wrongs he’d done. The crows outside begin to stir. Caws echoed as I heard the flapping of wings. I felt their agitation.

“What about your crow?” Hawk asked, keeping his voice low as the room filled with members.

I’d had several experiences with my crow—many more with the murder. I was still learning about our bond. My childhood and lack of knowledge left a gap in my growth. The bond occurred naturally, but my ability to control my shift still felt unstable.

I knew I had abilities similar to Hawk’s. He could partially shift, sprout wings, and fly as one of them. Strange, but also fucking awesome. I needed to learn better control before I could master flight.

“I’m working on it.”

---