Page 2 of Rix & Val
Luc turns and wraps his arms around my waist, burying his head against me, his little shoulders shaking with the force of his tears. Tears that are leaving wet trails down my chest. Leaning my cheek against the top of his head, I allow my own tears to flow freely while Raz cleans my back exactly as I’ve shown him to.
“All done, Valy,” he says in a choked voice. Pressing my lips to Luc’s head, I move away from him and slip my tunic back on. Turning towards Raz, I hold his gaze as I push Luc towards him. “Thank you,” I whisper. “Be safe, remember everything I’ve taught you, and know that I’ll carry you in my memories and my heart until the end of time.”
Turning toward the guards, I hold out my wrists to the larger one, who is looking at me with sympathetic eyes. “I’m ready.”
Closing my eyes as I allow them to lead me away, I try to block out the cries of the boys that follow me. I walk on wooden legs to the ship and up the ramp, not fighting, because what’s the point? The hold is empty, but I know it won’t be for long. With my cuffs removed by the guard, I turn and walk into the cell. The door clangs shut behind me as I sink onto the narrow bunk and curl into myself and cry. I cry for the boys I’ve left behind, for the life I’ve had to live, and for the pain that I know will likely come my way.
Never in a million years could I have foreseen my saviour to be a feisty woman from Earth.
With no tracker embedded in my back, I’m no longer a slave as I have no master wielding one. For the first time in my life, I’m free, and it’s my choice to pledge myself to Suki after she rescues us.
I’ll be in her debt forever for freeing me and allowing me to live life free.
RIX
Vex 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 vidsworking, 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 getting out.
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 amusementas 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 Laughing Crow 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, slowing as I read her body language. Before, she’d been tense and alert, her grip on the staff sure and ready and I had no doubt she could use it.
She’d been watching Vex and Vena, but as soon as she’d seen me stalking towards her, she’d stiffened and become 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 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.
