Page 29 of Demon

I look around. There are two men and two women in the living room, one being Twitch. I think the other is the young man who stayed in the van overnight to make sure Sammy was safe. The women are sitting on their laps.

Jett starts walking up the stairs as Elena walks down with a man beside her. His smile grows when he sees me. Elena whacks him and whispers something to him. He shrugs her off and walks over to me.

“Finally,” he says in dramatic fashion, “I get to meet the woman that’s caught Demon’s attention.”

Elena’s head falls back. “I’m so sorry. He has no filter.”

He gives her an odd look then brings his attention back to me. “I’m Axle.”

“I’m Ivy.” I point up the stairs. “Sorry to be rude, I just want to go upstairs to unpack our bags.”

Elena smiles. Axle frowns and says, “We must talk soon.”

I nod and go upstairs. All friendly people at this clubhouse. I go down the hallway to Jett’s bedroom and poke my head inside. He isn’t in there. “Jett?” I call out.

“In here,” he responds. He’s in another bedroom across the hall. “This is a spare room for guests.” The room is bare, with a king-sized bed with a light-blue comforter and a side table. He looks at the bedroom door. “There’s a lock on the door.” Then he points to the cupboard. “You can pack your clothes in there. If you need anything, just let me know or ask Ava.”

“What happened to Ava? She seemed quite emotional downstairs.”

He pauses before he speaks. “She had an abusive ex-husband. You’re going through a similar experience. It probably triggered her.”

My heart sinks, and a heaviness settles over my body. I glance at Jett and back to his room. Even though the bedrooms are close, they seem far away. I frown. “Do you leave your door unlocked?” I feel uncomfortable not being able to talk or be with him when I need to. I know it’s irrational, but I trust him and need him to be accessible.

His head tilts slightly. “I can...” He pauses. “I’ve got a 9mm in the second drawer of my bedside table, if you need it foranyreason.”

“Thanks,” I mutter. I hate guns. I’ve seen firsthand in the hospital the horror they can inflict.

“I’ll be downstairs if you need me,” he says, then walks out past me.

My hand itches to touch him, hug him, but all I can say is, “Thank you for everything.”

He stops, nods, then keeps on walking.

After I’ve finished unpacking, I step out of the bedroom, into the hallway. A beautiful blond-haired woman is walking by. She stops when she sees me. She smiles and pulls me into her. “Welcome,” she says, beaming, startling me, then pulls back. “My name’s Sophie. I’m Viper’s ol’ lady.”

“I’m Ivy,” I say for what feels like the hundredth time.

“Oh, I’ve heardallaboutyou.” She winks. Her eyes wander over my face as she inspects it. “I’m sorry to hear about the position your ex has put you in. What a piece of shit!”

I force a smile. “Yes, he is.”

“Milly said you work at the hospital... Don’t stress about your job. My father is their biggest donor, and I’ll mention it to him to make sure your job is available when you’re fit to return to work.”

I pat my chest and blink rapidly, trying not to cry. “Thank you,” I stutter out, grateful that it’s one thing I don’t have to worry about.

“Aww...” she says, then touches my arm. “It’s no problem. I’m glad I can help. A friend of Demon is a friend of mine.” She chuckles. “Not that he has any other friends outside of the MC apart from you.”

Good or bad thing... I’m not quite sure, but it’s obvious he’s not a people person.

She eyes me up and down, but not in a bitchy way. “You’re beautiful...” She looks puzzled. “Out of curiosity, why do you trust Demon? I get the appeal. I’m just surprised you, as a nurse, trusts him... and I wonder why he cares enough about you to protect you.”

My eyes widen. She’s very much straight to the point. “Milly has warned me, and Jett has told me himself, that he’s a bad person, but he’s shown me time and time again that he’s no danger to me and that he’s willing to do anything to protect me and Sammy, and”—I look away—“I’m not too sure why Jett cares. Maybe because I was taking care of his sister.”

She snorts. “Is Jett his name?”

I nod.

“There you go. Viper doesn’t tell me much, but I know Demon as the enforcer protects the club at all costs. It looks like he’s willing to do the same for you, but as long as you’re aware he is violent when he needs to be.” She gives me a look of sympathy. “I want to be honest with you before you end up wanting to go further than friends. The violent part of him will never go away. The club is his life, and if I’ve learned anything, you have to be able to accept the MC men and the club for who they are or it will never work.”

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