BULL: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 6) (144 page)

Lexi climbed onto the bed beside her and lay down. It had been such a long time since the girls had been around each other, and yet at the same time, it felt like only days.

“I can’t believe Marv is dead,” Lexi said.

“I know,” Candy agreed. “I mean…he was a jackass, but…you know…”

“Totally,” Lexi agreed. “The Forsaken never would have killed him. The Iron Riders have really fucked up.”

“They’ll get what they deserve,” Candy said, meaning every word.

***

They lay there together until the early hours of the morning. Neither of them moved, and each time there was the slightest noise from the highway right out in the distance, they both stopped breathing momentarily so they could concentrate on the sound.

It must have been close to 4:00 am when the lights started down the dirt track that led to the clubhouse. Lexi shook Candy awake and both girls jumped up and ran to the window.

Lines of lights came piercing down through the darkness. There must have been at least twenty, maybe more, all flying towards them through the night.

“Is it them?” Candy asked excitedly.

“I don’t know,” Lexi said with hesitation. “But if isn’t, we’re all dead…”

She and Candy took each other’s hand and walked to the doorway of Steel’s bedroom. They opened it wide and moved out into the hallway. Part of Candy wanted to run downstairs and shout for them. She wanted so badly to run into Steel’s arms and for everything to be okay. But until they knew it was them, they couldn’t risk being seen. If the Iron Riders were coming to storm the clubhouse, both of the girls would be in grave danger.

They crouched at the top of the staircase on the third floor, both with their hearts in their mouths. As they heard the thumping of boots coming up the wooden steps to the front of the house, Candy could barely breathe.

The front door opened and the men, whoever they were, came inside. Lexi lifted her finger to her lips and shushed Candy even though she wasn’t making a sound.

“It’s done,” a voice came from downstairs and Candy sat up straight, straining to see over the bannister rail while remaining out of sight.

              More steps thumped closer and others started up the stairs towards them.              

“It must be them,” Candy hissed. “It must be.”

She got to her feet and shouted, “Steel!”

Lexi grabbed hold of her feet and tried to pull her back down, but in an instant, he croaked a reply…

“Candy… it’s me.”

She ran down the stairs to the second floor and threw herself into his arms. He was covered in blood and his eye was swollen. Cuts that looked like knife wounds ran all down his arms, and he was trembling.

“Steel,” she panted. “Come here.”

Lexi charged down the stairs after her and found her way to King. He too was wounded, but he was okay, and they locked themselves in a passionate embrace.

“We won,” Steel croaked. “We got Red X back.”

He collapsed into her arms while she helped him up the stairs and back into his room and lay him down on the bed.

***

She cleaned him with water and washed the dried blood away. Most of it wasn’t his, but his cuts were deep and she knew he would need a doctor. As he lay there with his head on her lap, she couldn’t believe the love she felt for him. He was the single most important person she had ever met in her life, and she never wanted to be faced with a situation where she could ever lose him again.

She thought back to earlier in the day, when he had asked her what she was running from. She had lied; she had told him no one. But now, she didn’t want secrets. She had seen him cracked open and vulnerable at the loss of his friend, and she was sure that not many people would have ever seen that side to him. She wanted him to know everything about her—she wanted to give him the same courtesy. She had to be honest and tell him about her past. She wanted him to know the wrongs someone had done to her, how much she had needed saving and how grateful she was that he had come into her life.

She looked down at him and brushed the hair away from his eyes. He was soundly asleep, and she wouldn’t wake him.

“Tomorrow,” she whispered. “Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives together.”

She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the forehead and then she closed her eyes. She was part of the Forsaken Riders now. She was Steel’s woman, and even though she had been on the run for months, now she knew she could finally call somewhere home.

THE END

Iona Savage

Copyright ©2015 by Iona Savage. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Thank you so much for your interest in my work! Please

Table of Contents

Chapter 1     The Cellar

Chapter 2     Flickering Light

Chapter 3     The Cruel Truth

Chapter 4     Fresh Tangy Oranges

Chapter 5     Mind Reading

Chapter 6     The Traveler

Chapter 7      By My Side

Chapter 8      Jolly Jack

Chapter 9     Little People

Chapter 10     Traitor is Your Name

Chapter 11     Discovery of Magic

Preview of Through the Highland Gateway

Other Quality Stories from Totally Romance Publishing

Chapter 1     The Cellar

“
You sure you want one of them
?
” Tammy double checked with the guy, if she could
n’
t change his mind, it meant lugging a crate of beers from the cellar.

“I’
d like what I asked for, if i
t’
s all the same with you
?
” Niyol was not going to change his mind.

Tammy tried to stare him down. Okay, so he was a good looking guy, tall and handsome, with a trace of Native American features, but did
n’
t he realize that her shift was nearly over and she really did
n’
t want to go into that damp, dark cellar, just to get his bloody beer?

“
Is there something special about that particular beer, that none of the others taste like
?
”

Niyol noticed the cold stare she was giving him, but he knew he was
n’
t going to change his mind. It wasn't by chance that the beer he wanted was in the cellar.

“
Sorry
,
” he replied, staring back at her with no intention of being the one to look away
.“
Tha
t’
s the beer I ordered, and tha
t’
s the beer I want
.
”

Tammy knew her cold stare was
n’
t going to work on this guy. She was going to have to go down there, in the last ten minutes of her shift, just for this punk.

“
Right
,
” she said, in his face
,“
yo
u’
ll have to wait until I fetch some up from the cellar, wo
n’
t you
?
” she told him, hoping this might change his mind.

“
I suppose I will
,
” he replied, equally as cocky
,“
you better get going then
.
”

Nothing she said was going to work. With a loud audible sigh, especially for his benefit, she turned and looked for the cellar keys. Tammy slammed the drawer open and shut, ensuring he knew exactly how she felt about his bloody beer.

“
Sorry
,
” she said, turning back to him
,“
it seems Paul, the cellar guy, has taken the key with him on his lunch
.
”

“
Is that not it there
?
” Niyol asked, pointing to a key hanging on a hook, just under the wine glasses shelf.  She really wasn't making this easy for him, he thought.

That was her last throw of the dice, she knew exactly where the key was, and it seemed that so did he. She had tried to appeal to his better nature, but this guy didn't have one, Tammy thought to herself. There was no point asking anyone else either, because the few staff on duty were all new here. This job sucked. Staff were always changing, customers were awkward, like this guy here, and all she wanted to do was finish her shift, go home and pick up with her friends on Facebook.

“
Okay, I wo
n’
t be long, Sir
,
” she placed extra emphasis on the sir, letting him know exactly what she thought of him.

Tammy opened the cellar door, reluctantly. She hated the cellar, it always gave her the creeps, and she usually refused to go down there. It was definitely haunted, she was sure, or perhaps it was just her imagination, but there was something about it. Maybe she should just get her coat and go home now, she had less than ten minutes left on her shift, no-one would be any the wiser. Nah, she could
n’
t afford to be sacked again, the rent was due. Sh
e’
d just have to suck in air and get down there. Quickly, she turned around to see if she could change his mind, but he had his back to her. If only she knew where this particular crate of beers was located, then she could be up and down in no time at all. It was going to take ages to find it.

Switching on the light, she mustered up courage and put one foot in front of the other, descending into the damp smelling, black hole of a cellar. The light was dim, Paul her boss was a cheapskate and hadn't replaced the blown bulbs down here, making it difficult to see. Somewhere there was the drip, drip of water. She would
n’
t be surprised if mushrooms did
n’
t grow down here, or something worse. She quickly scanned all the crates, searching for this gu
y’
s particular brand, desperate to get out of this place, when she heard a noise, like a scraping, as if a door was opening.

She looked in the direction of the noise but could not see anything in the darkened corners, although one corner looked a little darker than the others. She was about to turn her head again when she felt a light breeze flow across her face. Staring hard now into the corner, she was now convinced that it definitely was darker than anywhere else in the cellar, as though there was another room. Sh
e’
d never noticed another room before. Maybe the specialist beer crates were in there, because she could
n’
t find them here. As she neared the darkened shape, she could make out it was an entrance to another room. She supposed it was a bit hidden away. With this dim light it was no wonder sh
e’
d not noticed it before. With a bit of luck the crate would be in here, and then she can get off home.

Chapter 2     Flickering Light

As soon as she stepped into the passageway, she knew she had made a mistake, it seemed to go on forever. What was she thinking? Just turn back round Tammy girl, get your coat and go home, sod the dude and his pretentious beer. Then she turned to look back but couldn't see the entrance, all she could see was the cellar wall, she must have made a turn somewhere, without realizing. Looking in front, she could see a light glowing. With an increasing feeling of trepidation, she headed for the light.

The light flickered, like a flame, but she could
n’
t see anyone lighting a fire down here. A breeze blew up the tunnel and she realized she was about to step outside. How could it be the outside? She looked on in puzzlement, yes, it was definitely the outside, it led to a woodlands. There were no woodlands at the back of the bar, she was certain.

Her heart pounded in her chest and her legs felt like jelly, but bravely, she stepped out of the end of the tunnel, and into a dense woodland. Sat in a small clearing, next to a camp fire, was a figure. It seemed to have a cape or blanket over the shoulders. As she approached the figure, she could soon make out that it was an old man.

“
At last yo
u’
ve returned to us, Princess Tamara, and not a moment too soon
,
” the figure spoke to her with a deep rattling voice.

Tammy was surprised to hear the old man call her by name, her Sunday best name at that, but she had never met him before, she was certain.

“
I think yo
u’
ve got the wrong person, old man, I just work in the bar over there, and I ai
n’
t no on
e’
s Princess
,
” she turned back in the direction she had come from, and all she could see were trees in her wake
.“
Where the
f
…
I’
m telling you, I just came down a passageway, back there, and now I ca
n’
t see it. I have to get back, ther
e’
s a customer waiting for me
.
”

“
You have bigger problems than customers, Tamara
,
” the old man told her.

“
Do I know you?
I’
m sure I would have remembered you. How do you know my name
?
” Despite her question, she was certain sh
e’
d never met this man before in her life.

“
I gave it to you
,
” he replied, with no further explanation.

“
Are you crazy? I do
n’
t even know who you are, or how I got here.  And, while w
e’
re at it, where is here, exactly, i
t’
s no part of Baltimore that I know of
?
” She was beginning to feel afraid and unable to keep the rising levels of panic out of her voice. Something was wrong, maybe it was just a dream.

“
Calm yourself, Tamara
,
” a voice spoke behind her.

Tammy swung around at the sound of the voice behind her, and was a little stunned at what she saw. It was the guy from the bar. Speechless, all she could do was stare at the man.

“
Are you following me
?
” she managed to utter
.“
Just because I work in a bummer of a job, does
n’
t mean you can stalk me
.
”

The man looked at her with contempt, but said nothing, instead he walked over to the old man.

“
I
t’
s a mistake to bring her here, look at her, she cannot help us Father
.
”

The old man looked at his son.

“
She is our only hope, she always was
,
” he looked at his son harshly
.“
Make your peace, divided we are weak, and that suits no one but our enemies
.
”

Father? There was some crazy stuff going on here, and Tamm
y’
s head was in a spin.

“
I do
n’
t know what you two are about, but I think yo
u’
ve got the wrong girl, here
,
” she huffed at him and walked away, only thing was, she had nowhere to go.

Turning to Tammy, the old man beckoned her to sit by him.

“
Come, I have much to explain and little time to do so
.
”

She stared at the two men, unable to see any resemblance between them, although the fathe
r’
s skin was darker, and his features more pronounced. His eyes were dark, almost black, and seemed to look like deep pools, but she found them calming. He smiled at her and beckoned to her again. She was still uncertain, but the fire looked warm and comforting. What did she have to lose, she thought to herself as she walked up to the old man and sat down next to him.

“
My name is Angeni, and if you are ready, I shall begin
?
”

She nodded and waited for him to start.