Dorain Wesley, the male I would call Chance, sighed and banged his head against the wall.
“The council saved me. I was alone when they found me. A cub hidden under the floorboards when someone came through and killed everyone in my village. They raised me. Trained me. And, I became one of their enforcers,” Dorain explained as Roark and I stared. “I was often sent out to take care of problems. Rogues and others that are a danger to the shifter population.”
“Why were you here?” I rasped. He’d already blurted it but I wanted him to say it again.
“Albinos are considered abominations. They sent me to kill you. But the moment I saw your picture, I knew I couldn’t do it. You have to trust me –”
“How in the hell can I trust an assassin who was sent to kill me?”
“I'm not an assassin!” Dorain snapped.
“Toe-may-toes, toe-mah-toes,” I replied as my eyes burned with tears. “Was sleeping with me just part of the job?”
“No!” Dorain moved forward and pulled me toward him. His hands bracketed my face. “Koroleva… you are not an abomination. I knew that the moment they sent me after you. Then I saw you across the strip club floor and I knew I’d never be the same.”
Leaning his head forward he pressed a kiss to my lips.
“All I want is to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to stay here and protect you. I want to fight for you… with you, at your side.”
“And, what If I don’t want you at my side?” I demanded as the tears welled in my eyes. “I was fine on my own. I don’t need–”
“But I need you, Koroleva.”
“Fuck,” I hissed as my heart swelled and cracked all at the same time. In that one sentence, he both destroyed me and fixed me. “I’m calling you Chance,” I stated.
“Alright. Can I call you Koroleva? It’s as beautiful as you are.” My heart melted at his question and I nodded.
Chance’s head tilted and he sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. I moaned and he slowly moved in for a deeper kiss. A swipe of his tongue and I stabbed mine into his mouth. His arms wrapped around me and lifted me up for better access. My leg immediately wrapped around his waist and I clung to him as something deep inside of me healed completely.
“Excuse me,” Roark coughed. “Can we take care of club business now?”
Roark leaned back in his desk chair with his feet up on his desk – I flinched at how disgusting it was – as he pretended to clean his nails. With a shrug, I mimicked his position on the opposite side – if he didn’t care about his things then why should I – and Chance leaned against the wall facing the side of the desk.
When the knock came, Roark barked out, “Enter,” and Crimson opened the door slowly.
I heard the groan as he saw me.
“I swear I did as you said, Banshee.” Crimson stood in the doorway and ran his hand over his neck.
“Ignore her, Crimson. Come in, I need to ask you a question,” Roark waved his hand and then went back to his nails as he feigned disinterest.
“Sure, Prez,” the biker replied and stepped inside.
Chance moved behind the man, closed the door, and leaned against it. I grinned over my shoulder at him and then turned a glare on Crimson.
“So, Crimson. Do you have any family?” Roark asked as he reached out and opened a drawer to drop in the knife he had been using on his nails.
“Um… a sister,” Crimson responded with a gulp and I could smell his scent change. Fear filled the shifter standing beside me.
“I never knew,” Roark murmured. “Banshee told me about her today.”
“Yeah. She moved to town about a month ago when our parents died in a car crash. She didn’t have anyone else.” Crimson shifted on his feet and I watched his eyes dart around the room.
“Why Crimson?”
“They were going to kill her, Prez,” the man rasped as his head dropped. The look of defeat so total that I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
“And you didn’t tell me, why?” Roark dropped his feet and leaned forward in his chair. Crimson’s heart raced and he struggled to keep his breathing even.
“I… I… she’s all I have, Prez. My only blood. I couldn’t let her get hurt because of me. I told her to come here and only a week after she arrives, she’s kidnapped and drugged. I’d do anything for her, Prez.”
“You know, you’re lucky that I found my Kendra, Crimson. Do you want to know why?” At the biker’s nod, Roark continued, “Because I know what it’s like to have someone you’d do anything for.”
“Agreed,” I spoke up for the first time. “I found her, Crimson. Chance and I brought her back to the clubhouse.”
Crimson fell to his knees. Everything drained from him and he slumped there.
“Thank you,” he pushed through his fear, relief, and shock. “Thank you.”
“Now, you’re going to tell me everything you know. Everything you told them. And we’re going to figure out how we are going to make them pay for what they’ve done to her.” Roark’s voice was firm and filled the office.
“Yes, Prez. Anything you want.” Crimson didn’t move to rise but looked up at Roark and waited. When Roark nodded the male began talking and it was hours later before he finished and we began to discuss what we needed to do.
327
Dorain
Crimson muttered under his breath as he mopped the main hall to the clubhouse. For his betrayal, he was knocked down to the rank of prospect, given damn near all the chores around the clubhouse, and had to report to Koroleva every hour. The reporting part turned out to be more of a punishment aimed at me because it seemed like I couldn’t
