Page 4 of Savage King

Wariness tightened her muscles. She had brought her charge into a literal den of iniquity, but there’d been no dissuading Annika. And she couldn’t have just tied her down and refused to bring her—the girl was determined to come with or without Skathi, but Skathi, who’d been roped into the whole scheme felt responsible for her. So, here they were, and here she was, tense, head pounding, sweat gathering at the base of her neck, and possible threats everywhere.

This is worse than Kabul….

“Yeah,” Annika chirped, giggling her reply to Slick. “I was there yesterday getting the butterfly semi-colon tattoo on my belly,” Annika answered. “The guy there, Ringmaster, did a really good job.”

So, Annika had a fresh tattoo to go with her invite to the biker party. Her uncle was going to skin them both, especially if Annika’s father—Uncle Skeld’s best friend, Lars—heard about it.

“That’s right. Can I see?” Slick asked, wriggling his bushy black eye brows in, what Skathi believed, was an attempt to entice.

Annika giggled again, obviously tipsy from the single drink. She pulled up the hem of her tight dress to show the man a white bandage…and her barely there burnt orange panties. “Still healing.” The man pouted, though his hungry eyes devoured the sight of Annika’s nearly naked labia, making Annika throw her head back to laugh out loud, nearly dropping her drink in the process.

I’ll have to step up my game, otherwise she’ll end up drunk and disorderly before I can blink.

After Annika—thankfully—pulled her dress down, Skathi reached out and slipped the tumbler from Annika’s hand, but the woman didn’t even notice as she was practically nose to nose with the slick man with what Annika must have thought were slick moves. His arm around Annika’s shoulders, Skathi watched on, wondering if her job as bodyguard extended to keeping Slick’s dick out of her charge.

Uncle Skeld would say “Ja!” Yes!

Heaving a sigh, Skathi crossed her long legs the other way and leaned back into the black leather couch which had probably seen more action in the last month than Skathi had her entire life. Then again, from what she knew of MCs, the whole of the clubhouse was no doubt one giant biological hazard.

With Annika busy and contained, Skathi stole a moment to really take in the clubhouse and the partiers within. The clubhouse itself was big and appeared to have been a firehouse at one point. There were couches pushed up against the walls to leave room in the middle for dancing or debauchery. The bar in the back was manned by three men wearing blank leather vests, whereas many of the other men in leather had patches.

The Savage Raiders. Sons of the Gods. The large patch on the backs of the vests showed a wolf’s head floating above two crossed battle axes and flared wings. Above the head was the MC’s name, and below was the phrase, Sons of the Gods.

Well, they aren’t humble, are they?

Not that they would be. Or should be. Skathi had heard plenty about the Savage Raiders MC, especially recently, but she’d never thought she’d ever set foot in their clubhouse. A woman of stoicism, control, and observation, she wasn’t much for parties, random hook-ups, or illegal activity. One in a long tradition of military pride, Skathi lived her life as straight and honorably as she could, which was growing increasingly difficult while living in the City of Sin. But she lived, she thrived, and she put one foot in front of the other every day, just like the day before.

She had to. Falling apart—falling at all—wasn’t something she could allow. Not again.

Not after Aaron….

Biting back a growl of frustration at her own thoughts as the headache birthed at the door to the clubhouse began to throb, Skathi took a deep breath and willed herself to focus.

Loss of focus was the difference between a successful mission and dead brothers at arms.

A few feet to their left, one of the other couches had become a scene right out of a porno as one scantily clad woman knelt down before two leather vested men and proceeded to give one a blow job while giving a hand job to the other. To make things fair, she switched every few minutes. The moans and groans of the two men were loud enough to be heard over the Lacuna Coil song blasting through the speakers.

Slick, the gracious host, left to grab drinks, Skathi leaned in to Annika and said, “Is this what you were expecting?”

Annika grinned. “I don’t know what I was expecting, I just wanted to have a little fun before going home to overcast skies and boring classwork.”

Skathi, who was only twenty-nine, nearly said, “Classwork is important” like agammel dame. An old lady. Instead, however, she said, “Fun is important.Responsiblefun.” Yes, she had to add that last bit because she couldn’t shut it all the way off. Her straight edges had gotten her through more than one life lesson…and the wounds only still bled a little.

Annika snorted and rolled her eyes. “That’s whyyou’rehere, Skittles!”

Skathi grunted and crossed her arms, fighting the urge to snatch her friend off the couch and get the heck out of there.

Slick returned with two bottles of beer and handed one to Annika. Skathi eyeballed the beer, her gaze flicking between the slick operator and her charge. She knew it wasn’t smart to take an open drink from a stranger, but at least Annika wasn’t alone if the slick dick actually tried something.

Slick looked over at Skathi, his gaze narrowing for a fraction before a fake smile spread over his face. Oh yeah, the slick dick was up to something.

“Sorry,Skittles,” he sniggered. “I would have gotten you a drink but….” He raised his two hands and shrugged, implying he only had two hands so he couldn’t bring three drinks.

Raising a single eyebrow in answer, Skathi purposefully kept her gaze pinned to the man, letting him know with her eyes that she wasn’t falling for his slick ways—which were more greasy than charming—in her opinion. Annika appeared to be enjoying herself, though.

“I do not drink in public,” she replied flatly.

Annika giggled. “No, Skittles doesn’t drink, party, have fun—have sex! She’s a regular robot woman.”

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