“So, what kind of cat are you?”
“Don’t be a dick, Brady,” Shadow said, taking a big bite of his cheeseburger.
Brady shrugged, digging into his own as he watched me carefully. “She’s family now. She can tell me.”
“It’s okay,” I said, laughing softly. “I’m an ocelot.”
“So, like a house cat,” Brady drawled, and I saw the mischief in his eyes. I felt Griff stiffen beneath me, but I didn’t think it was because of what Brady said. I could tell he was teasing me, so Griff had to know that, too.
I pretended to bare my fangs at him, as I teased back, “Look out, Demon, us house cats have claws and can be quite feisty.”
He laughed, a rusty sound that made me think he didn’t do it often and seemed to even surprise him. The hand Griff had on my hip tightened, and he whispered in my mind, Thank you, sweetheart.
I looked over at him in surprise, sending him a questioning look.
My brother doesn’t laugh. Ever. Not since he saw our mother killed.
By Mad Dog. I remembered that being said at the bar earlier, now. How could I have forgotten that Griff and his brother had been just as affected by the Lycaon Wolves as I was?
Yes.
I want to kill him again. Unable to contain the growl that built in my chest, I shoved a fry into my mouth, almost choking on it.
“Thanks,” Brady muttered, taking a drink of his soda. When I looked over at him, unsure how to reply, he said, “For caring. I think I’m going to like having a sister.”
I glared at him, grabbing another fry and ordering, “Stay out of my head, asshole,” before popping it into my mouth.
He laughed again, but suddenly his eyes went black, and I knew his cat was showing as he pulled out his huge ass hunting knife and stood. That was when I heard the rumble of several bikes heading our way. I gasped, sliding from Griff’s lap, my hand going to the Glock that was once again strapped to my thigh.
“That’s a lot of fucking Harleys,” Griff growled, holding his hand out to me. Not thinking twice, I gave him my Glock, and grabbed the other one at my hip.
“Holy shit,” Brady said in awe from where he stood by the window, before slowly sliding the knife back into its sheath. “It’s our guys.”
“What? I thought only a few were coming?”
“Guess not. It looks like the entire fucking crew.” Brady looked over at me, nodding slowly. “Makes sense. They want to help your mate, too. Family sticks together.”
I didn’t know what to say as I slowly put my Glock back into the holster at my hip. I felt those damn tears flooding my eyes again as I followed Brady and Griff out of the room and into the parking lot where what had to be over twenty bikes were pulling in. They were all there for me. It had been so long since I’d had anyone to lean on, anyone to help me with… anything. I didn’t know what to do. What to say. So, I stood there mutely, watching as they all parked their motorcycles and then came over to stand in front of us.
Griff slipped an arm around my waist as he handed the Glock back to me, and I blushed as I slipped it back into its place on my thigh. I looked back up to see a tall man with clear blue eyes and raven black hair watching me in amusement. I knew who he was without even seeing the patch declaring him president of the club on his cut. Wraith. The corner of his mouth turned up into a small grin and he cocked an eyebrow. “Doesn’t look like you need our help after all.”
I held his gaze for a moment, before I looked around at all of the club members surrounding us. I felt Brady move closer to me, as if protecting me, and felt a catch in my throat at the thought. All of these men were there for me. To help me find my sister. This was what having a family felt like. Reaching over, I slipped my hand in Brady’s, squeezing it gently as I leaned into my mate. “My sister does.”
Wraith nodded, his eyes going to where I held onto Brady, then coming back to me. “You and Shadow have completed the mate bond.”
It wasn’t a question, but I answered it, anyway. “Yes, we have.”
“You’ve accepted Demon into your family?”
That was a strange way of putting it. “They accepted me into theirs,” I finally said quietly. “I didn’t have a family before. Now, I do.”
“Your sister?”
“I’ve never met her,” I admitted, lifting my chin slightly. I decided to just lay it all out for the entire club. They had a right to know, after everything they were doing for me. “I just found out she existed when she was kidnapped from a place owned by the Lycaon Wolves. My mother called me because she knows that I’m good at…” I paused, “well, finding things. It’s my gift.”
“Her parents kicked her out at fourteen,” Griff growled, his arm tightening around my waist.
“I’ve been alone ever since,” I said, bowing my head for a moment. Taking a deep breath, I raised it again to look at all of the Dark Leopards crew. “I may not know Avery, but she’s still my sister. I can’t leave her with the coyotes who have her now.”
“Fucking coyotes,” a huge beast of a man snarled, his dark eyes full of rage. “Worse than the fucking wolves.”
“Don’t worry, Big Bry,” another man, this one not quite as tall, but just as big said. “You’ll get your chance to fuck them up.”
“Hell, yeah! We’re going to eat those fuckers for dinner.”
My heart filled as
