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Demon's Hellfire (Dark Leopards MC East Texas Chapter Book 7) Page 3
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“They all die,” Shadow growled, an order the enforcer expected to be obeyed.
My mate didn’t argue.
“Nitro has the one by the back door. Talia will take out the roamer. They will meet us inside, along with the rest of my team.”
“Go!” A voice ordered, loud enough I heard it through the comms myself.
My brother burst from the shadows, silent and deadly. The guard didn’t stand a chance. I stepped over his still body into the building, not bothering to look down, my mate right behind me. I wanted her away from the danger, as far from New Orleans as she could get, but there wasn’t time to make that happen. Not only that, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t listen to anything I said anyway. She was too strong and independent. Definitely, not a woman to be coddled, no matter how much I would want to.
“My team is in position,” she breathed, so soft I had to strain to hear her.
Shadow slipped past us, Shyla close behind him.
They’re close.
The sound of my brother’s voice slid into my mind as natural as my own thoughts. It was how we communicated half the time. We preferred it that way.
I smell more of Kid’s blood, Shyla said, pausing to look back at me.
Yeah, me, too. Good thing the bastard can’t be killed.
“My team is ready whenever we are,” my little hellfire whispered.
We were almost to the room where Wexler was holding Kid and Aine. I could feel Aine’s fear, it was swamping me. Fear for her life, but even more for Kid. Did she not realize my brother had the gift of immortality?
“Just one question before we go in guns blazing, sweetheart,” I said, looking into my mate’s eyes as I waited for Shadow to give the go ahead to infiltrate.
“Yes?”
“What is your name?”
A slow smile appeared, and she opened her mouth to reply just as the loud crack of gunfire filled the air. Shadow and I cleared the room quickly, and I saw we weren’t the only ones, but my gaze was on the crazy ass hyena brandishing a gun around, firing at will. I heard a grunt of pain as a bullet struck one of my mate’s team members, and then dove for cover when the gun swung my way.
“Wexler!” my mate yelled loudly, and I roared in both anger and fear when his attention moved in her direction. His eyes were full of hatred and rage as he leveled his gun on her.
I’d just made it to my feet and was preparing to launch myself in his direction when a blade flew past me. I watched as it found its target, embedded into Wexler’s throat. Moments later he was engulfed in flames.
“Holy shit!” Shyla gasped, looking in awe at my mate. “You were right, Demon. She’s fucking amazing.”
I grinned with pride even though my heart was hammering in my chest, and turned to respond, when a loud keening sound filled the air. Glancing back, I froze when I saw Kid lying on the floor, staring lifelessly toward the ceiling. Aine held him in her arms, screaming for her mate.
“What the hell?” Shadow rasped, quickly crossing the room toward them. “Kid?”
“What’s going on?” Shyla demanded, tears filling her eyes as she watched. “Demon, why isn’t he coming back?”
I stared at the man who lay on the floor, a pool of blood on his chest, spreading wider and wider.
“Demon?”
I swallowed hard, taking a step toward my fallen brother. And then another. I tried to delve into his mind, to connect with him in a way only Shadow, Wraith, and I could. There was nothing. Nothing at all. Just silence. He was gone.
4
Rian
“Boys, mind your manners. Wash up for dinner.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Riordan muttered, rubbing his hand where our mother had just smacked it when he tried to grab an ear of corn.
Rory gave me a devilish grin, his eyes twinkling as he wrapped an arm around Mama’s ample waist and hugged her close. “You can’t blame a guy for trying! Best cook in east Texas right here!”
I shook my head when Mama’s cheeks turned pink as she pulled away from him, a small smile of my own appearing. My brother was always the tease, making all the women laugh and blush, but what he said was the truth. Our mother was one of the best cooks around. Waving toward the bathroom, she said, “Go! Now!”
“What about Rian?” Rory whined, glancing over at me.
“What about her?” Mama asked, arching an eyebrow. “Maybe you should spend a little more time worrying about yourself and a little less time worrying about others, child.”
“She’s right,” my papa said as he walked into the kitchen and leaned down to place a soft kiss on mama’s cheek. “If you did, maybe I’d have two sons patched in with the Dark Leopards now instead of just one.”
“Pops got ya there, brother,” Riordan said, coming back into the room. “Go wash your nasty ass hands so we can get our grub on.”
Rory flipped him off, making sure Mama didn’t see him, and then sauntered out of the room. When he reached the doorway, he glanced back and winked at me. “Good to have you home, Princess.”
It was good to be home, but I didn’t tell him that. My family had no idea about the double life I led. When I was gone for a few days at a time, they believed it was on a business trip for the company I worked for, supposedly as a secretary. My cover had been intact for months now. No one, not even my family, were aware of what I really did for a living. My brothers thought of me as their sweet and innocent baby sister. If they only knew…
Five minutes later, we sat around the large kitchen table, missing only my oldest brother, Ronan, who was in Houston for the weekend picking up some supplies for the family business, Kilkenny Construction. My papa had bid on a huge project a couple of towns over, and received word a couple of days ago that it was now ours. Papa and my brothers were hoping to start on it soon. Riordan had crunched the numbers, and then searched all over until he found a place that could give us what we wanted at the price we needed, which was how Ronan ended up over two hours away on a Sunday. Something that normally would have had our mama spitting mad. Sunday dinners were a tradition in our family. Even after the twins moved out, they still came back every weekend for it, no matter what.
“So, Rory, any idea when you might sport a patch of your own, Son?” Papa asked as he piled his plate high with fried chicken.
I saw Rory stiffen slightly, but he just shrugged. “Whenever they decide I’m worthy, I guess.”
“You are most certainly worthy,” Mama stated, handing Rory the wicker basket full of dinner rolls. “Leave him be, Patty.”
Papa grunted, shaking his head. “I’m just wondering, Moira. I thought they would patch in together.”
“That’s not how it works,” Rory said, handing the basket across the table to me, ignoring Riordan, who sat next to him.
“Yeah,” Riordan agreed around a mouth full of food. “They take the best first.”
Grabbing a roll, I threw it at Riordan, smothering a laugh when it bounced off his forehead.
Not missing a beat, he caught it in his hand, sliced it open with a knife, and began to butter it. “Hey, I’m just saying, you have to prove to them that you are worth it. Rory hasn’t done that yet.”
I let the conversation flow around me, staying quiet, as I listened intently. It had been two days since I’d last seen my mate. Two days since I’d left him in that warehouse, his friend lying on the ground in a pool of blood. I had wondered so many times if I’d been right to leave him there without telling him who I was or where I was going. But when Nitro gave the order to move out, I listened. I had no choice.
Our team was a part of a huge underground network that not many people were aware existed. We liked it that way. The less others knew, the better. We drifted in and out in the dead of the night, usually leaving behind a number of dead bodies. Or, in my case, ashes.
I’d come across Talia in college a couple of years ago, having no idea who the woman really was. She and I became close friends; as close as sisters. When she finally opened up about Night Star and what they did, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. I’d joined last year, and my life had never been more fulfilling. I’d helped save so many people—humans and shifters alike. At home, I was the baby of the family. The princess who had to be pampered and protected. With Night Star, I was so much more. I wasn’t giving that up for anyone. Not even Demon, the man who held the other half of my soul.
“If you hurry up and get your ass patched, I won’t have to leave you behind next time I go somewhere like New Orleans,” Riordan teased, bumping Rory’s shoulder with his own.
New Orleans? Riordan had been there? Shit! I hadn’t seen him.
“Whatever. They only took you with them because of your hacking skills,” Rory groused, glowering at his brother. “Then you had to come home and leave your bike for Kid and his mate.”
Kid. Was that the man who was bleeding out when I left?
“Whatever,” Riordan muttered, narrowing his eyes on Rory. “At least, I can say I was there.”
“Kid has a mate?” I asked casually before taking a sip of my water, hoping to get them talking more about New Orleans. “I don’t think you mentioned that before?” I knew for a fact they hadn’t, but I was fishing for information, and I had to be careful about it.
“He just found her,” Riordan said, stuffing his face full of chicken before going on. “Poor bastard almost died, but somehow he made it.”
“Thank God,” I whispered, not realizing I’d spoken out loud. Fortunately, my family didn’t think anything of it.
“Right? It almost killed Demon and Shadow when they couldn’t connect to him. Demon said it was like his mind was just blank.”
“What do you mean?” I asked in confusion. “Connect how?”
Riordan froze, glancing ove
r at Rory and then my parents before his gaze came back to me. “Ah, hell, Sis. We probably shouldn’t be talking about this.”
Oh no. He’d started this conversation. He was going to finish it.
Raising an eyebrow, I demanded in exaggerated excitement, “Are you saying Shadow and Demon can read minds?”
“Well…”
I stayed silent, giving him that wide-eyed innocent look I’d perfected over the years. The one that normally had my brothers telling me anything I wanted to know. This time was no exception.
“Look,” Riordan said, shrugging a shoulder, “it’s not a big deal. It’s just one of their gifts.”
“That, and they can talk to each other,” Rory added.
“Like, telepathically?”
Rory grinned, “Yep! And Shyla can talk to them, too. I have no idea how it works, but Shyla didn’t have the ability before she met Shadow. It’s kind of cool how they can communicate.”
Cool? What the fuck? Some other woman was whispering into my mate’s mind and they thought it was cool? A low growl slipped out before I could stop it, my fangs punching through my gums as rage filled me.
“Uh, Rian?”
I was going to fucking kill Demon. How dare he let some woman into his mind and not me? I frowned, that deep growl still rumbling in my chest. Wait, could he have read my mind? And he chose not to? Didn’t he want to know who I was? Where I was? Didn’t he want me?
“Uh, Rian, your tearing up Ma’s tablecloth.”
My gaze lowered to where my claws were extended, shredding the white cloth beneath it. I stared in shock as I tried to get control over my lynx, who wanted nothing more than to go hunt down our mate and claim him.
“Princess?”
I turned my gaze to Rory, glaring at him as I hissed, “Stop! I’m not a damn baby. Not a princess. I’m a grown ass woman!”
“Holy shit,” Riordan muttered, his eyes going from me to our parents. “She okay?”
“She’s going to be okay,” my mama said, laying down her fork and standing slowly. “She just needs some space. Rian, let’s go for a walk.”
“I’m fine.”
“Now, Rian.”
The thought of another woman slipping in and out of my mate’s mind came to me again, and I snarled in anger. Tremors ran up and down my spine as I fought to get control of my cat, knowing I was making a huge spectacle of myself in front of my family. My mating wouldn’t be a secret much longer if I didn’t calm down soon.
“Shyla is Shadow’s mate, Rian. It would only stand to reason that she and Demon would be close. Like brother and sister.”
My mother’s words penetrated the fog around my mind, and I realized my secret was definitely out of the bag. Not bothering to hold back, I snarled, “Mine!”
“I know, baby,” Mama said, coming around the table and reaching over to wrap her hand around my upper arm. Urging me to my feet, she cupped my face in the palms of her hands. “Does he know?”
Swallowing hard, I nodded slowly, ignoring Rory’s lowly spoken, “What the fuck?”
“He hasn’t claimed you?”
I met her eyes, my jaw trembling slight as I whispered, “No.”
“Why not?” Riordan snarled, rising so fast his chair flew out behind him, crashing to the floor. “Doesn’t he think you’re good enough for him?”
My eyes filled with tears as I realized what a clusterfuck my life had become in the past two days. Grasping Mama’s wrists, I slowly pulled her hands from my face, and took a step back. Glancing around the table, I shook my head. “No, he wanted me. I… I turned him down. He doesn’t even know who I am. Or that you are my brothers. I never even gave him my name.”
“Damn, no wonder he’s been such a prick since they came back,” Rory said, his eyes softening slightly as he looked at me. “Little sister has him all sorts of fucked up.”
“He’s going to be the one who’s fucked up when I get ahold of him,” Riordan growled, his hands tightening into fists.
“This ought to be good,” Rory joked, a large grin spreading across his face. “They do call him Demon for a reason, ya know.”
“They call me Taz for a reason, too, asshole,” Riordan snarled, before turning and stalking out of the room.
“Oh, no!” Mama whispered, her hand slowly going up to cover her mouth as she watched him leave. “This isn’t going to end well, is it?”
“Nope,” Rory agreed, turning to follow his brother. “Your baby boy is about to get his ass handed to him.”
“Son, you need to stop this,” Patrick ordered, rising from his chair and placing his hands on his hips. “You go get that blockheaded brother of yours and drag him back here before he does something stupid.”
Rory shook his head, laughing softly. “Too late, Pops”
“What are you going to do?” I asked, realizing at that moment just how much I’d messed up. If I had just been able to control my emotions, no one would have even guessed who Demon was to me.
“I’m going to grab some popcorn and watch the show.” Rory was almost out the door before he turned back to look at me. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“Are you coming?”
Was I going to go watch my brother challenge my mate and possibly get his dumbass killed because of me? Did I really have a choice?
Sighing, I grabbed my keys from the shelf by the door and walked out. “I’ll drive.”
5
Demon
I sat at the bar in the clubhouse nursing a beer, wondering what the hell I was going to do next. I had tried everything I could think of to find my mate. She’d just vanished. Fucking left me while one of my brothers was bleeding out all over the floor. One minute she was there, and the next, gone. As angry as I was at the situation, I couldn’t find it in myself to actually be mad at my hellfire. She’d told me straight up that our mating wasn’t going to work. I’d just hoped she would stick around long enough to at least talk it out.
“We can go back to New Orleans and hang out at that bar for a few nights,” Shyla suggested from where she was snuggled up against Shadow next to me. “Maybe she’ll show up.”
I shook my head, taking another pull on my beer. “She’s long gone from there.”
Shyla’s brow furrowed, and she tilted her head to the side, looking up at me. “I have a few favors I can call in. We don’t know much about her, but the fact that she’s a cat shifter and a firestarter should help. I don’t know anyone else that has a gift like that who isn’t a freaking dragon.”
“She knows who I am,” I said quietly. “She will find me when she’s ready.”
Was that what I wanted? Hell no. But I also didn’t want a mate who didn’t want me. Fuck, that was a lie. I wanted my mate any way I could get her. I just hoped that someday, she would feel the same.
“Hey, Demon,” a soft voice said.
I glanced down into the face of one of our club whores. Lette was a beauty with large, doe-like eyes you could drown in and the mouth of a sailor. She was really popular with my brothers. However, I hadn’t had her myself, and had no plans to.
“Hey, Lette.”
“You want to go in one of the back rooms?” she asked, sidling up closer to me.
“No.” It was the same response I’d given her every other time she’d tried to get me to fuck her.
Those eyes widened and then clouded over with hurt, but she needed to understand there wasn’t a chance in hell my dick was going anywhere near her. Especially, since I’d found my mate.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, Lette.”
She turned to walk away, but then glanced back, a small pout on her lips. “One of these days you’ll say yes.”
“Demon has a mate, Lette,” Shyla broke in, her eyes narrowed on the human girl. “It’s time to move on.”
“Oh!” A small smile appeared as Lette whispered, “Congratulations, Demon. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
Shit, it wasn’t like I’d been broadcasting it. Of course, she didn’t know. “Thanks, Lette.”