Page 5 of Bones

I close my eyes and swallow thickly, fighting the urge to shut down. To disappear into the blank gray that allowed me to survive the Light Justiciars for half of my life.

I jolt when Bones’ large hand wraps around my nape. His hold is firm, his hand big enough his fingertips brush either side of my windpipe. Rather than making me bolt, his hold grounds me. Relief settles the trembling I hadn’t noticed, and a tight band around my chest is loosened.

“BLT on Wheat with fruit or the bacon cheeseburger with fries?” The question soothes the jagged edges of the anxiety spinning through me. I hesitate. He squeezes my neck, just hard enough to stop me from spiraling again. “Don’t think, just answer. Now, Sloan.”

“Bacon cheeseburger with fries,” I breathe out, focusing on his touch. If he lets go, I’m terrified the anxiety will take over again. The anxiety I can’t make myself numb enough to ignore.

“Good girl.” His praise flutters through me and my chest eases a bit more. “Now: water or sweet tea?”

My answer comes easier this time. “Water,” I breathe out. I’m rewarded by his thumb stroking the side of my neck, reigniting the warmth between my thighs at pleasing him.

“Now, tell that to Sydney.”

My head jerks up, looking at Sydney with shock and humiliation has my head dropping. Only for Bones to stop me, his thumb digging under my jaw and not letting me look down again.

“Sloan.” My name’s a reminder, a confident expectation that I’ll obey, and maybe even a promise of a reward.

I meet Sydney’s eyes, and rather than condemnation or derision, her hazel are patient. Like she’ll wait as long as it takes for me to answer. A brush of Bones’ thumb along my jaw reminds me that he isn’t as patient. I clear my throat gently before telling her my order.

She smiles, like she’s proud of me even if we’re basically strangers. “Coming right up, hon.”

When she heads to the serving window to relay my order, a full-body sigh rushes from me. Exhilaration follows.

Bones’ touch disappears, leaving my skin freezing without his heat and me reeling. I let out an embarrassing mewl as I move, chasing his touch.

His eyes are ravenous, framed by the gothic black hollows of his tattoo. My lips part and his eyes drop to them. All I can do is wait, a rabbit in front of a fox.

Bones sits up straight a moment before the door to the Styx opens and a flood of Knights fills the quiet space with their raucous conversations.

3

BONES

There’s been plenty of times my brothers have interrupted me with a chick and each time has pissed me off or annoyed me. This time, I’d been grateful though I’d never admit it. In fact, I’d put enough distance between Sloan and me in the hope that none of them had noticed.

Cinder, the VP of the motorcycle club, and Reaper’s right hand gave me a hard look while Blaze and Chainz greeted Colton then gave each other shit as they dropped into chairs at the table the club claims as ours. I refused to look away from the scarred demon, refusing to let any of the conflict in me surface. He’d said nothing, but jerked his head towards the table in silent order.

So I’d grabbed Sloan’s lemon water and my beer and told her to follow me. The chilled, sweating glass of our drinks didn’t cool me down but they kept me from reaching for her again. I sat her drink down towards the end of the table closest to the bar. I put two wooden chairs between us sitting next to Chainz, needing the distance. At our end of table, we’re between Sloan and any of the exits. Not that I think she’d make a run for it. Especially not when she’d struggled to make her own decisions regarding food.

I grip my beer bottle tight enough my knuckles would be white if I hadn’t tattooed them as I take a drink to buy myself another few minutes before Cinder lets me know what brought them here. I’ve known Cinder too long not to recognize the look in his eyes. Cinder rarely speaks, but he’s got no issue letting us know his thoughts with the smallest movements.

I don’t know what I’m feeling right now when it comes to Sloan. Her struggle was too real, the metallic scent of panic too strong. It pisses me off that I recognize every sign of living under the absolute control of someone else. That’s got to be the reason why I acted without thought. Dominating her and the situation, enough to make her feel like I was in charge. I still forced her to make her own choices, just without as many options as a menu gave her and I refused to let her get caught up in her fear.

I shouldn’t understand her, not when she’s our prisoner. Because I have to be real, that’s exactly what she is. She might not be in a cell or have her hands cuffed, but it just means our jail is more comfortable than the ones we’d been subjected to before escaping the Hells.

“So.”

Cinder’s scarred, gravel harsh voice interrupts Blaze and Chainz. Both of them shut up without complaint, shifting so they’re facing our VP. Like me, the three demons are wearing Knights of Hades leather cuts, patches with their names and their position in the club on the front as badges of honor. Like mine, the back of their vests is dominated by the KoH emblem: a snarling Cerberus with his three heads in a circle of chains.

I set my beer down on the scarred table, fingers picking at the beer’s Tartarus Taps label as I keet my attention on the man at the head of the table. Chainz is between me and him, with Blazeacross from Chainz. Cinder’s eyes flick up past us a moment before Sydney is there, dropping off mine and Sloan’s food, beer for the three and a fresh one for me.

“Usual food orders?” Sydney asks, straight to the point. The dark-haired sharp witted bar owner knows what it looks like when we’ve got business to discuss. At their nods, she leaves us to get down to it.

“Stubs find anything new?” I ask, guessing that whatever Cinder has to say is connected to the woman at the end of the table. I grunt in frustration, ignoring the burger and fries in front of me for now. “I should be helping him. Can’t do much while stuck at the clubhouse. My laptop doesn’t have as much tech power as we do at HQ.”

Chainz barks out a laugh and shoves a stolen fry into his mouth. “Shoulda thought of that before you saved the chick.”

My lips press together, not responding. Blaze eyes me from across the table, Cinder watching all of us.

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