Page 22 of Jace

Jace takes it, his expression darkening as he reads. He hands it to me, and my blood runs cold. Scrawled in jagged letters:

Keep your teacher close, Wolf. Or he’s next.

No signature, but it doesn’t need one. The Iron Vipers. My hands tremble, and Jace’s arm tightens around me, protective, fierce.

“They know about me,” I whisper, fear clawing at my chest. “They’re coming for me.”

“Not happening,” Jace growls, his voice deadly. “They come near you, they’re dead. I swear it.”

“And me too,” Arch adds, soon joined by the other men too. “No one fucks with us like this, especially not when there’s a boy involved.”

I want to believe Jace and Arch, but the note’s a cold reminder of how deep I’m in…

This isn’t just love—it’s danger, blood, a world I barely understand.

“What do we do?” I ask, my voice small, but I force myself to stand taller, to be the young man who walked into this clubhouse.

“We handle it,” Jace says, his eyes burning with resolve. “You stay with me, Caleb. No running, no hiding. We face this together.”

I nod, my fear battling the strength his words give me.

“Together,” I say, and it’s a vow, as much to myself as to him. I’m not the shy teacher anymore, not entirely. I’m his, and that means facing his world, no matter how terrifying.

Jace kisses me again, softer but no less intense, and I feel the clubhouse watching—Arch, Razor, Clay, everyone—noticing the shift, the way Jace’s claiming me in front of them all.

It’s a statement, a line drawn, and I know it’s not just the Vipers we’re fighting. It’s the club, his loyalty, the life he’s always known.

“Get him somewhere safe,” Razor says, his voice gruff but not unkind. “We’re moving out soon.”

Jace nods, his hand on my back, guiding me toward a back room.

“You’re staying here tonight,” Jace says, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I’ve got shit to handle, but you’re not out of my sight.”

I want to protest, to say I can go home, but the note’s words burn in my mind. I nod, letting him lead me, his presence a shield against the fear.

As we move through the clubhouse, the noise and chaos swirling around us, I realize something…

I’m not just falling for Jace. I’m becoming part of his world, for better or worse.

And as he pulls me close, his voice a low growl promising to keep me safe, I know I’m ready to fight for us, no matter what the price might be…

Chapter 9

Jace

I hate this place.

No surprise there.

Deep Viper territory…

Blood and smoke choke the air, the warehouse a fucking warzone.

The Iron Vipers’ stash house is a fortress of crates and steel, but we’re tearing it apart.

My brothers move like shadows—Tank with his sledgehammer fists, Razor with a pistol in each hand, me leading the charge, a Glock in one hand, a knife in the other.

The Vipers didn’t see us coming, but they’re fighting back now, bullets pinging off metal, screams cutting through the chaos.

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