Lucky (Inked Menace MC 1) (8 page)

12
Chapter Twelve

“I need a table in five minutes,” Lucky said to Hammer once he had opened his bedroom door a crack. Hammer rubbed his mouth with his hand and scrubbed his face.

“Fine. Rouse the others. This better be good.”

Lucky nodded and continued walking down the hall, proceeding to knock on his brothers’ doors, calling out, “Church in five minutes, boys and girls.”

He snatched Cecelia’s hand and pulled her to the meeting room, where they sat and waited.

A few minutes later Hammer, Flip, Meat, Flash, Pretty-Boy, and Brick filed in, carrying steaming cups of coffee, and in Brick’s case, hot tea.

“Commence meeting,” Hammer said, hitting the table with the gavel and watching Lucky and Cecelia over the rim of his cup.

Lucky nudged Cecelia and she glanced at him. He said, “Go on. Tell them what you told me.”

He watched his mate bite her lip, then turn her face to greet Hammer. “Good morning, Hammer.”

His president inclined his head. “Morning, darlin’.”

Then his mate did something he didn’t see coming. She started humming the
Lion King
song. He burst out laughing before he could stop himself. She was too full of surprises. “You’re a lion,” she said and smiled. She shifted her gaze to Flip, and studied him for a long second. “Jaguar,” she said and nodded, more to herself than anyone at the table. She continued to turn her head and stopped at Meat. She cocked her head to the side and said, “You’re a bear.” Her gaze fastened on Flash, and she perused her from head to toe. “Fox.” To Pretty-Boy, she licked her lips and said, “Tiger.” She stilled once she was staring at Brick. She inhaled, and exhaled, then examined him for what seemed like an eternity. “I’m actually not sure what you are. I guess I’m rusty. It’s been a while.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way.” Brick showed her his teeth.

Cecelia looked at Lucky and said, “Big, bad wolf.”

Hammer cleared his throat and said, “Well, aren’t you just full of surprises. Care to share how you know what we are?” He shifted his eyes to glare at Lucky.

“I didn’t tell her a thing,” he said and crossed his arms over his chest.

“He didn’t,” Cecelia confirmed. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything right away. I guess I was scared.”

Hammer merely raised a brow. “Afraid we’d eat you?”

Cecelia chuckled and reached toward her cup on the table, grabbed it, and took a big sip. “No, I wasn’t afraid you were going to eat me. I figured Lucky would do that,” she mused, causing his brothers to laugh under their breath.

“You’re not a shifter,” Flip said. “What are you?”

“Well,” she said. “Once upon a time…”

Hammer groaned. Meat made ‘hurry up’ motions with his hands. The others just openly stared at her with curiosity.

“Get on with it, woman!” Brick said from the far end of the table.

“Fine, fine. Sheesh, for a bunch of shifters you don’t have much of a sense of humor. I’m a gatekeeper,” she said and leaned back in her chair, resting her hands in her lap after she had set her mug back down.

Meat whistled, and Flash said, “What’s that? Like from
Ghostbusters
?”

“Ha! So you
are
funny. Good. And no. Not like from the movie. A long time ago, back when human civilization wasn’t as evolved, the supernatural community relied on gatekeepers to keep them safe and humans unaware.”

“I’ve heard of your kind,” Hammer said.

Cecelia inclined her head. “Now you know who I am, and that you can trust me.”

Pretty-Boy’s rolling laughter forced Lucky to growl. “Something amusing, Bryan?”

“I don’t trust outsiders.”

“She’s one of us now.”

His brother shook his head. “Just because she’s your old lady doesn’t mean she’s one of us.”

“She also has knowledge of our world,” Hammer said. “And from what I’ve heard in whispers over the years, gatekeepers are like librarians.” He moved, cracking his knuckles. “And you’re right. I’m a lion. You were right about everyone at the table.”

“Except him.” Cecelia hiked a thumb at Brick.

“Yeah, well, he’s ancient and I doubt you gatekeepers heard much about what he is. At the very least, your probably heard stories but refused to believe them.”

“Ominous.”

“It is what it is.”

“I suppose. Now what?”

“Nothing’s changed as far as I can see, except we don’t have to hide what we are around you, which is helpful. We’ll still go with the plan we laid out, but it will be a little easier, because the president of Delta is one of us. I expect he’ll fall in line, but the Ice are full of human mercenaries.”

“There’s one more thing you should know about our club,” Hammer stated, then waited until he had the attention of every member in the room. “We’re not just an MC. We’re also the Ruling Council of Shifters.”

Cecelia sucked in a breath through her teeth and tensed beside Lucky. He placed an arm over the back of her chair and caressed her bare arm, sending goose pimples dancing over her skin.

“Now that you know who and what we are, we can kill you to keep our secret, by pack law.”

She shrugged. “Not even trying to veil the threat to my safety. I can respect that.”

His mate constantly surprised him and Lucky found himself puffing with pride. Still. “You’re not going to kill my mate.”

Cecelia’s head whipped around and her eyes widened when she settled her gaze on his face. He showed her his teeth and shrugged one shoulder. “Gotta call a spade a spade.”

“I don’t think you could have scent-marked her any more,” Flash said with disgust. “She reeks of dog.”

Lucky grinned wider and wagged his eyebrows. “I know, right? She smells like heaven.”

“Hello? I’m right here,” his little bird quipped.

“You’re not a supernatural, correct?” Meat asked from across the table, resting his fat fingers flat on the wood.

“No. I’m human.”

Just with a few enhancements,
she thought.

Meat sighed. “You sure about taking a human mate, Lucky? Aren’t you afraid you’ll break her?”

Lucky clenched his fists, and when Cecelia turned to him, he tried to ease the tension vibrating inside him. But it was so hard to let go of the grief from the past. “I’m not afraid,” he said as he stared into her pretty eyes. “Not anymore.”

Hammer pounded his fist on the table. “Well, hot damn. Lucky’s back, y’all.”

Around the table, his friends’ faces broke into wide smiles. “’Bout time, bro,” Meat said.

“Glad to see you stop moping,” Flash remarked.

Brick remained silent at the end of the table, but that wasn’t unusual for him. The fire breather liked to watch rather than get involved. He rarely shifted; in fact, all they had was his word on what he transformed into.

Pretty-Boy stood and stretched his body like the lazy cat he was, carefully moving, trying to make Cecelia eyeball his body.

She laughed. “You don’t do it for me, cat. Stop trying. I’ve always been more of a dog lover.”

Pretty-Boy flexed and gave her a shit-eating grin. “I’m sure I can change your mind once you’ve sampled my tongue baths.”

“Ew. I’m sure you’re great. But please, keep your paws to yourself.”

Lucky watched the byplay, wanting to see how his mate would react, wanting to know if he could trust her with his heart, and so far, she hadn’t let him down. She was holding her own against animals who could rip her throat out in two seconds flat and feel no remorse, without even batting an eyelash.

“Man, am I lucky or what?” he proclaimed, then grabbed her face between his hands and planted a wet kiss on her lips in front of everyone.

“Got any friends you can hook me up with?” Pretty-Boy said once Lucky and Cecelia had stopped kissing like randy teenagers.

Cecelia choked for a second. If Lucky hadn’t been paying attention, he might have missed the sore spot being hit. She opened her mouth and said, “Not anymore. But maybe once this shit storm blows over, I’ll be able to make contact with a few people from before…”

Hammer raised a brow. “Where are your parents?”

Cecelia cleared her throat. “Back in San Diego. I haven’t seen or spoken to them in over four years.” Her shoulders hunched and she bowed her head. He was pretty sure he heard her discrete sniffle, but when she picked her head back up and glanced around the table, her eyes were dry and clear. She was amazing. Such a survivor. But he’d have to do something about her incessant need to be stoic. She had to know he’d be there for her. That it was okay for her to break down and rely on someone other than herself. He’d make sure she understood.

Later. When they were back in bed and wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Okay, so are you going to let me come to the meet on Saturday night now?”

“No.”

“Fuck, no.”

Cecelia stuck her lips out and crossed her arms. “I can handle myself. I’m not weak or helpless.”

“Didn’t say you were, sweetheart,” Hammer said. “But just because you know your way around shifters doesn’t mean you’ll be safe surrounded and outnumbered by them. Especially a bunch of unknowns. I can almost guarantee the Delta president won’t kill you on site, but I can’t say the same for his pack members.”

“I may not grow claws, but I know how to use a gun.”

He loved that she challenged his brothers. That she didn’t let them steamroll over her. Even if his first instinct was to protect her and keep her alive, the animal in him adored her moxie and need for retribution on her own terms.

Lucky placed his hands on the table and stood, leaning forward so he could see into the faces of the Ruling Council and his MC brothers. “If she wants to partake, I don’t have a problem with it.” He lowered his voice. “Mate bond supersedes club law. She’s not just my old lady. She’s my mate.”

He turned and caught her eye, watching a fierce pride give her back some steel. She sat straighter.

Then she said, “Let me prove myself to you, then you can decide whether you’ll let me stand by your sides.”

Hammer drummed his fingers on the scarred wood table, his eyes unfocused, locked deep within his own thoughts. Lucky wondered if it had been his mate asking, if Maura wanted to avenge herself, if Hammer would allow her to go. But Maura was a shifter, and a little more durable than his human bird.

He glanced at Cecelia out of the corner of his eye, taking in her petite body with her lean muscles and strong attitude. If any human could make it in his world, he kind of figured it was her.

“If you want to prove yourself, that’s on you. You’ll have to challenge a member to combat. Those are our rules. First blood.”

Hammer waited and watched Cecelia, and so did Lucky. Flip, Meat, Brick, Pretty-Boy, and Flash all remained silent at Hammer’s decree.

“Any member?” Cecelia hedged.

Thoughts passed through Hammer’s expression, too quick for Lucky to interpret, but as a wide grin formed, Lucky almost laughed.

“Anyone but your own mate.” Hammer cocked a brow, a slight quirk to his lip.

The sly smile she gave his president made Lucky realize just what a devious mind she had. He could work with that.

“I like the way you think, though,” Flip said. As their sergeant at arms, it was part of his job to outwit, and outmaneuver, his opponent. High praise from their wet man.

“Fine. I’ll think about it.”

Hammer nodded, then looked around the table, his eyes settling on Lucky. “All right, if that’s it, then let’s get outta here. I’m starving.” He waited a beat, then knocked the gavel against the table when no one else had spoken. “Don’t forget the party in two days,” he said as everyone stood to leave. “Gonna be a full house. We still have logistics to work out before the other heads get here.”

The crew mumbled and lumbered out of the room, fighting for the first spot at the bar. Lucky grabbed Cecelia’s arm and gently pulled her away from the ruckus, into the relative quiet of his bedroom.

“Wanna go for a ride? Get some fresh air?”

“I’d love that,” she said and quickly changed her clothes, donning one of his Inked Menace hoodies. The sight of her wearing his club’s logo filled him with an intense pleasure.

“Come on, then, little bird. Time to fly.”

13
Chapter Thirteen

Friday night had come fast, Cecelia thought as she got dressed for the party. She’d gone shopping with Lucky and purchased a new pair of tight, show-all-your-assets jeans, and the requisite black t-shirt. She’d even purchased a pair of black leather boots with a 3.5” heel to add to the sexy wow factor. Plus, they were good for riding too.

She glanced at her man and sighed. So much had happened over the last few days, she still hadn’t wrapped her mind around it. She’d stuck to taking it minute by minute in order to not get overwhelmed. Because if she sat down, if she let her mind wander too far, hello panic attack, goodbye compartmentalization.

Lucky handed her the leather vest he’d had made for her with the club’s patches. Their fingers touched and their gazes collided, then her heart stopped for a breath. It was crazy. Intense. Passion worth fighting for, something she’d yearned for all her life.

Now she had it in spades and she was terrified.

“You good?”

She slipped on the butter-soft leather and smiled at Lucky. “Yeah. I think so. Nervous, though.”

“I’d say don’t be, but fear is a powerful motivator. Let’s use it to our advantage.”

“Okay. Is there a plan for tonight, and is there an exit strategy if shit goes south?”

His cheekbones protruded as he clenched his jaw. “Nothing’s going down tonight.” A fierce growl punctuated his statement, as if he’d single-handedly stop any attacks on her.

“Better to be safe than sorry. It’s good to have back-up plans. Kind of like in the
Fast and Furious
movies? You know? Plan b, c, d, e.”

“Hopefully they won’t have a tank.”

He chuckled and shook his head, walked over to stand beside her, and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek.

“Am I going to meet your pack, Luke?”

Lucky’s face hardened and he shifted to stare out the window. “Not tonight,” he said, and bent over to finish tying his boots.

“Hammer said a few of the club’s packs and friends would be here too, just to be safe. I wondered if yours would be here too. Sorry.”

Cecelia gazed at the floor, trying to stay calm. Every time she’d asked about his previous life, he’d clammed up and changed the subject. He pretty much knew everything about her, and she still knew next to nothing about him.

Give him time,
she whispered to herself.
Your relationship is in its infancy, and he’s had a lot of trauma.

She shook off the thoughts and the grief. She’d had a horrible trauma too. She’d opened up, though.

She looked up and noticed he’d stopped to peruse her attire. He licked his lips. “You look gorgeous, and so fucking sexy I want to be late to our own party.”

Cecelia laughed, hoping to lighten the soured mood a little. She twirled in a circle to give him the full view, then cocked a hip. “That can be arranged,” she said, clucking her tongue.

Lucky’s hands fisted at his sides and he took a step toward her, then stopped, visibly shaking. “Can’t. We have to go. Hammer would go ballistic if we were late.”

Energy pulsed around the room, violence spiked with carnality. It seemed that Lucky was as on edge as she was, only he tried to hide it, whereas she’d decided to talk about it.

Men.

“Come on, then. Let’s get this party started. The sooner it’s over, the faster my life can resume.”

He arched a brow. “What the fuck does that mean?” From one blink to the next, he had her pinned against the wall with his body. “You planning on walking away once we get rid of the threat to you?”

Inside, she roiled, but she projected a calm exterior and stared into his eyes. “I meant I could breathe without feeling like I have a huge target on my back, Lucky. Not that I was going anywhere.”

Not unless I have a good fucking reason to leave.

Cecelia would never allow someone to hurt her again. Not ever. She knew shifters were a violent bunch, but she also knew they were caring, compassionate, loving, and most would die for their mates/girlfriends/wives/whatever. Lucky struck her as a gallant type, but craziness could be hidden until the right moment.

“Sorry,” he whispered. “This is all new to me, and it’s fucking hard to control. The mating frenzy is making me insane.”

She reached up and cupped his cheek. “It’s all right. We’ll get through it. One step at a time.”

“I understand what my brother went through, now.” Lucky smiled.

“Must have been something,” Cecelia said, even though she wanted to burst and ask a billion questions about him and his family. But she didn’t want to scare him away. He’d finally shared something. “What’s your brother’s name?”

“Mark. His mate is Rose. They have three kids. I haven’t seen them in a long time. Not since I left the pack and joined the Ruling Council. By rights, it should have been my eldest brother, Jonas. He’s the pack’s alpha. He let me come instead.”

Cecelia nodded and kissed him on the lips, then slid down and under his arm to stand behind him. “We’ve got a hot date.”

She opened the door and hooked a finger in his belt loop, tugging him with her. He slung an arm over her shoulder and they walked out of the bunkhouse, into the alley, and across the way to the party house. Lines of bikes gleamed in the space and music blared into the night as people milled about, smoking, drinking, laughing, and making out.

“Party’s in full swing,” Cecelia said into his ear and held his hand. She squeezed his flesh to rid herself of her nerves. They’d do her no good here. All the shifters would be able to smell her fear, feel her unease. She needed to project calm confidence, with a side of arrogance in order to play their games.

The humans needed to see her strong, unfazed, and even haughty. She was not an easy mark.
Ha. I’m fucking Cecelia Marks, bitches.

Laughter bubbled in her stomach and she erupted in a fit of giggles. Lucky kissed her to stop the flow. When he pulled back he said, “Better?”

She bit her lip and nodded. “Sure. Hell is waiting with bells on.”

No one paid them much mind when they walked in. Gazes sized them up, people probed around with their senses, and dismissed them. Cecelia saw Hammer talking with someone she’d never seen before and even though her blood was pounding in her veins, she walked on without missing a beat.

“Is that one of them?” she murmured to Lucky, thrusting her chin in the direction of the MC president who was laughing and bullshitting with a small group of men.

Lucky glanced over, nodded once, and squeezed her hand. “Showtime, baby. Put on your happy face.”

Cecelia closed her eyes and inhaled, searching for that calm place she went to when she meditated. When she opened her eyes again, she pasted a smile on her face and morphed her body into a sinuous and sexy female, then stalked toward her prey, all hips and ass and grins.

Lucky matched her pace and slung an arm over her shoulder, still holding her hand. “Evening, boss,” he drawled and sidled up next to Hammer, nodding to the other men in the small circle.

“Lucky, Cecelia, this is Darius, president of the Delta Dogs.”

Cecelia examined Darius. He was wearing faded blue jeans and a grey hoodie sweatshirt with his leather vest with club patches over it. He had on a black skullcap and his face was round. He had kind eyes. But she knew that could be deceiving, especially for a shifter. She inhaled discretely, sorting through the alcohol, sex, sweat, and dirt to get to his base scent.

Coyote,
her mind whispered.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Cecelia said, and took his offered hand. His fingers were callused and warm. Lucky did a one-armed hug and back thump.

“Good to see you, Darius. I hope you’re enjoying the party.” Lucky made a slow perusal of the myriad of women, drinks, and drugs floating around the large room. “Anything you need, just ask.”

Darius nodded. “Party’s good. Long day of travel. It’s nice to blow off some steam and let loose.”

“Amen to that,” Hammer said, and clinked bottles with him. A moment later, a tall woman strode up to Hammer and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Hey, baby,” she said.

Hammer turned and kissed her soundly to a cacophony of catcalls and whistles from the closest members. He broke away and showed her his teeth. “I missed you, Maura.”

The president’s mate was wearing black jeans with a silver studded belt, dangerously high heels, and a low cut red top highlighting her cleavage. She had long brown hair trailing over her shoulder. Her gaze collided with Cecelia’s and her eyes’ pretty hazel color sparkled with alpha dominance. Cecelia met her stare for two beats, then lowered her eyes and flicked her gaze away, pretending to be interested in the goings around the club. 

“How are you, Cecelia?” Maura’s husky tone jarred Cecelia’s thoughts, and she turned back to the pretty woman she’d pegged as being around forty-five. Wisps of gray hair were scattered amongst the blonde highlights of her flowing chestnut waves.

“I’m fantastic, Maura. How kind of you to ask. It’s a pleasure to see you.”

No one here needed to know they’d never met before this moment. It was all part of the charade. Maura flashed her a charming smile and reached out to cup her cheek. “Such a pretty girl. I can see why Lucky is so taken with you.”

She turned left and scrutinized Lucky. “Been a while, Lucky. You’re looking rested,” she said, and offered him a sly smile. “Mating’s been good for you,” she said, and raised a brow.

Lucky shuffled closer to Maura and kissed her cheek. “It has. I couldn’t be happier, Maura. And you–” He leaned back and gave her a once-over that earned a low, vibrating growl from Hammer. “You look fine as ever.”

Cecelia tested the scents from Maura and determined that yes, she was a lioness. A fierce one, too, if the faded white scars lining her chest were anything to go by.

The men around them laughed. Darius openly perused both Cecelia and Maura, then resumed his conversation with Hammer. “So, tomorrow night at Merlot’s, are you expecting trouble?”

Hammer shrugged, perched an ass cheek on the bar stool, and pulled Maura to sit on his lap. “Who knows with the Ice Rangers. I’m hoping it won’t come down to bloodshed, though.”

Darius gulped from his glass of amber liquid after setting his empty beer bottle down on the counter. “I can’t guarantee no blood. Two mil is a hefty bounty, and some of my guys are strapped. Not everyone’s on board after the patchover. There are a few holdouts I expected to have a decision on by now, but…” He lifted his hands in the air. “I didn’t want to kill them yet, but if they cross the line...”

“I understand. Do what you can. How’s Andrea?”

Darius’s face broke out in a wide grin, crinkling the skin around his eyes. “Better than ever. Almost ready to deliver our first child.”

Cecelia listened and filed away information for later use while studying Darius’s pack. He’d brought six men with him. One bald man was sitting on the couch with two female club bitches draped across his lap. A second was sipping a girlie drink at the bar, hiding his face with a baseball cap. Two more were playing pool, drinking beers, and laughing in good humor as they razzed each other. The last two stood behind their alpha and stayed silent. It was obvious the one wearing a blank face with dead brown eyes was the enforcer; the other showed a bit of a crazy light with a crooked smile, broken teeth, and tattoos covering most of his body.

His mouth was open slightly and he licked his lips in an attempt to make Cecelia uncomfortable when he caught her staring at him. His scent markings told her he was a hyena. The enforcer was a wolf. The other four she wasn’t sure of from this distance, but most likely were coyotes like their alpha.

Lucky tugged her arm and said, “We’re going to make the rounds.” Not waiting for approval, he pulled her to the bar and signaled their prospect. “What do you want?” he whispered in Cecelia’s ear, taking a quick moment to nuzzle her neck with his nose, making her shiver.

“Sangria.”

Lucky shifted and gave her an exasperated expression.

“What?” she asked.

“Seriously?”

Cecelia crossed her arms over her chest and held back a smile as Lucky’s eyes dropped to her breasts.

He called out, “Sangria for my old lady, and I’ll take a shot with a beer.”

The prospect nodded and got to work.

The rest of the night passed by in a blur of dancing, kissing, and talking with other members of their club and the Delta Dogs. Cecelia made sure she was all over Lucky, touching, grazing, fondling and putting on one hell of a display. Lucky did the same.

After they said their goodnights, they tore off each other’s clothes, hopped into bed, and fucked for two hours.

“I hated when those other men had their paws on you,” Lucky said as they lay in bed, sated and spent, getting ready to fall asleep.

“Me too.”

“Can’t wait for this to be over.” His low voice was laced with drowsiness.

She cuddled closer to him, rested her hand over his beating heart, and kissed his arm, knowing that the fight was just beginning.

*