Hellfire (Nightfire Academy #4)

Chapter 22 - Gable

CHAPTER 22 - GABLE

I let out a whistle to get her attention. Her head snapped in my direction, and her smile brightened. I patted the seat of my ride, and she changed directions, coming to me, hips swaying, glossy curls bouncing, eyes shining in the morning sun.

She stopped in front of my 1988 Triumph Bonneville , fingers worshipping the fresh paint job. “Nice ride. I didn’t know you were a biker.”

I bought the classic motorcycle two years ago when I scored a big job for the shifters, setting up protective wards on their territory’s boundary.

I dismounted and leaned on it, bringing her to my body, luxuriating in her soft curves, drowning in her perfume. “I don’t have any space for a car.”

The landlord gave the end four commercial properties, including mine, a parking space out back, and the fruit store’s truck took up most of the room.

She ran her fingers from my shoulder to my abdomen, and I wanted to strip off my shirt and leather jacket to feel her skin on mine. “Have I told you how sexy bikers are?” Her purr called my dick from hibernation.

“No. Tell me.” I collared her neck with my fingers, swiping my thumb along her delicate jaw.

“H.O.T.” She emphasized the word.

I tilted her head back, giving her my mouth, hers soft and submissive, molding into the curves of mine. I sucked her top lip into my mouth and massaged it between mine, my dick getting harder. He couldn’t get his mind off our hot encounter days ago in the Academy’s woods. I told him to forget it. Riding with a boner in jeans was excruciating and wasn’t happening.

“You smell good.” I traced the tip of my nose down the column of her neck, filtering the different scents my shifter senses detected. “Bergamot, peach, caramel, and amber undertones.”

She laughed and brushed her curls back. “How did you know the ingredients?”

I tapped my nose. “Good with flowers and herbs.”

The Brotherhood taught me to absorb every detail on missions—sights, sounds, scents—and feed it back to them for employment in their blackmail and assassination schemes.

I reached out to grab the spare helmet and my old riding jacket resting on my seat and gave it to her. “Put these on. We’re going for a ride. You ever been on a bike before?”

“No.” She worked her lips and grabbed the helmet, shifting it from palm to palm like a basketball.

I hated the restrictions on our lives enforced on us by the Brotherhood, the Academy, and her parents.

“You’re in for a treat.” Before we departed, I ran her through the safety protocol of the bike, ending on a warning to keep her leg out of the way of the exhaust to avoid burning herself.

“Where’s Mary?” Luna frowned. “She’s not alone, is she?”

I kissed my princess’ cheek to express my appreciation for asking and caring for my sister. “Inside with Castor.”

“The biker babysits?” Her fingers crawled up my stomach. “I thought you owed him.”

I did. A. Lot. The Jackals’ enforcer and I did favors for each other all the time in the spirit of professional courtesy. Though, hanging out with my sister bordered on more than that. Admiration of each other’s talents. Friendship, maybe. I bet he didn’t babysit just anyone when he had better things to do, like run the Jackals’ Wrath motorcycle club.

Castor worked for the Egyptian god, Thoth, the master of Magick, Writing, Science, and Reckoning. Well-versed in the light and dark arts, he was my go-to guy for anything magick-related. We had mutual respect for what the other did since I sought reckoning against the Dark Lord, and Castor punished fuckers who broke the cosmic laws. He helped me out from time to time, providing intel on my enemies’ whereabouts, letting me create chaos for their operations.

I clasped the side of my princess’ face and traced her rosy cheek. “Listen, I’m really grateful for what you’ve done for Mary. Your kindness has been instrumental in showing her that people can be kind and not want something from her.”

Every time Luna called me, she made time to chat with my sister, getting to know her, making her feel welcome, winning trust, and starting Mary’s first real friendship.

I wanted her to experience everything she missed out on while trapped in evil’s clutches, and that included friends, boyfriends, education, travel, and fun. I took her out for a ride a week back, and she loved the freedom of it.

“She’s sweet, and I like her.” My princess’ cheeks rounded with her smile.

“She likes you too.” I brought my mouth down to hers and kissed my gratitude into her soul. I didn’t want it to end, but we had to get going, because I agreed to meet another associate once we were done. “Stop trying to seduce me and get on, Princess.” I hopped on first and she snorted.

“Where are we riding to?” she asked.

“Have you been to the Newnes Plateau?” I replied.

“I haven’t gotten out of the Academy as much as I planned.” Sorrow constricted my chest at her reply.

I remembered a time after I first escaped the Brotherhood, and I feared for my life and descended into paranoia and mania at being captured and tortured to death. Luna had the luxury of her parents’ protection and not remembering the worst of her time in the cult, and what I would have done for that.

“We’re changing that, aren’t we, Princess?” Life was meant to be enjoyed, not hold you prisoner.

She nodded at my question, and I helped her lower the helmet and sit it right, tightening the chin straps to get an extra chance to touch her. My bike rocked as she slid on behind me, wrapping her arms around me tightly. I loved that she trusted me enough to take her for a ride when her men would have had a conniption fit if they knew she was exposed like this. She felt incredible snuggled up to me. Soft. Warm. Fucking sweet. I’d never ridden with a woman before, only with my ex-Brotherhood connections when we investigated and sabotaged the Dark Lord’s plans.

We weren’t going far. Fifty minutes, tops. And the location would benefit us both. Fresh mountain air. Spectacular views. Exercise with a short climb and a bite to eat. My kind of date. And I killed two birds with one stone. Mary was in safe hands with a trusted ally who worked on solving the Blaze serpent marking issue. Win-win.

Locked together, we took off, winding through the streets of Bathurst, onto the highway. When we cleared the forty-mile-per-hour zone, I cranked the throttle, and let my baby fly, the wind pounding my leather jacket. My princess whooped and extended her arms, enjoying the experience. Luck was a lady as we sped the whole distance to Lithgow, only slowing as I navigated the bike up steep and winding terrain to the plateau. I might have had help from a certain enforcer to clear the highway of police vehicles and prevent me from getting pulled over and fined for breaking speed limits.

I pulled up on the highland in an area owned by Pack Lumbry, one of the werewolf shifters I worked for, restoring their protective wards every month when the full moon weakened them, and they needed a touch-up. Spells protected their territory from rivals and shielded them from the eyes of the Guild, who hunted and eradicated them. I did everything I could to help fellow gantii, considering I was a half-breed too, my blood a mixture of human and naga.

Luna shook her hair out of the helmet, and although it was crushed in places, it bounced like a model’s hair in a shampoo ad. “This place is beautiful.”

“The territory belongs to Pack Lumbry.” I pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t go repeating that to anyone, Princess. Your lot at the Guild exterminates shifters like us.”

“Why?” She asked when I released her mouth.

“We’re half-breed gantii, impure and don’t belong here, according to Guild standards.” I made air quotes.

My princess set her helmet down on the back seat. “Well, that includes me with my naga blood, and I won’t let the Guild anywhere near them.”

I admired her healthy form of caution over the Guild. The princess needed to know what she was up for if she graduated from the Academy and was appointed to a Gildron role. She might have to slay one of her own. Not an easy choice unless faced with your own death.

The Guild did a lot of good work for the world but also caused chaos. Stuck in their outdated ways and rules, they failed to sympathize with the shifters who didn’t choose to be born part supernatural any more than I did.

I clasped her hand and gave her a tour of Pack Lumbry. “Dash, the Alpha heir, lets me wildcraft from his lands to dry and sell them as ingredients for a portion of the profits and a discount for his monthly spells.”

“What’s wildcraft?” she asked.

I grinned at her. “Nerd speak for foraging and harvesting plants, herbs, flowers, leaves, bark, flowers, seeds, and roots from the wild.”

Her eyebrows popped at me, and she swung my arm. “That’s very reciprocal of you both.”

“This world is all about scratching backs, Princess.” Nothing came for free. Everyone always wanted something from you. Lessons learned early in my training within the Brotherhood.

“I’ve got an itch that needs scratching.” She playfully stepped in front of me and showed me her back.

I squeezed her ass. “Mischievous little princess today, aren’t we?”

At odds with the obedient princess me and her three other men confronted in the Academy’s woods for one of the hottest experiences of my life.

“Always.” She stretched up onto her toes to slide her mouth against mine, tempting me to lift her onto the bike and show her an even better ride.

Later. Nature called my name. We had the weekend to feed our animalistic sides and fuck her again.

I cracked her on the backside. “Be good, Princess, and put the temptress away for later.”

She hummed with reluctance as I tugged her through the grass for the ballerina-pink flowers in the distance. Believe me, I’d love to christen my bike, just not yet. I had two hours to gather what I needed, indulge in a quick picnic, and meet Dash for him to review my takings.

Arriving at the first ingredient on my collection list, I bent down, stroking the spiky petals and the sunflower yellow pistil in the center. “This is Hynath, it’s used as a base in many spells, light or dark.”

I studied her reaction to determine if more of her memories came back. She said fragments filtered through at the mention of certain words, sights, or smells.

Luna crouched beside me and picked them with me, dropping them in the Heshan bag. “It’s not toxic, is it?”

“Pays to be wise, Princess.” I patted her knee. “I’ll wear gloves for those.” I patted my jacket pocket where I stuffed them.

When we filled up the eight-by-four bag, I tugged the drawstrings tight and added it to my backpack. “Does this bring back any memories?”

“Only little bits and pieces, like my grandmother crushing them to make a paste.” She rubbed the back of her head. “Nothing substantial like what she used them for, and they’re brief flashes, not enough to get more detail.”

I swallowed back the resistance screaming, “Don’t go fucking back there,” and asked, “Want me to have another look in your mind? Your conscious mind might be protecting you from trauma.”

Hell, I was no therapist, and I probably shouldn’t touch her mind when it took me two years working with a clinical psychologist specializing in cults to deprogram from the Brotherhood’s indoctrination. Two years of hell to unwind their tentacles and free myself from Camus’ grip, preventing him from accessing me through magical or brainwashing means, and becoming accustomed to thinking more normally and living in the real world. Therapy I’d put my sister through when she was mentally fit enough. Right now, she was fragile and breaking, and I wouldn’t do that to her until she agreed.

“We might need to.” Luna launched to her feet with me. “The Academy hasn’t been forthcoming on what they’ve found on my mind scan. I feel like their science experiment. A ticking bomb waiting to off.”

I placed my hand over hers, relishing her soft warmth. “Maybe they haven’t solved it yet. We had to seek Castor’s input to decipher the last symbol.”

Fuck. Listen to me being optimistic. This woman really changed me. Though, the darker, older, wiser side to me said the Guild withheld their findings for a reason. Luna Prince was their weapon now, deployable when they gave the order. I warned her once of their potential motivations and wouldn’t do it again. It was up to her to decide if she wanted to be their weapon.

“Maybe.” Her voice trailed off.

I turned to face her, curling her into my arms, reassuring her that I was by her side, no matter what eventuated with the Guild or the Brotherhood. “We’ll get answers, Princess. Don’t give up.”

She poked my side. “Since when are you the voice of reason?”

I groaned and squeezed her. “Stop reminding me. Look what you’re doing to me—making me hopeful and confident.” I poked her back. “How dare you? I’ve got a cynical reputation to uphold!”

Humor was all I had in the Brotherhood, where no hope or light existed. Sometimes it got me into trouble, but I didn’t give a shit.

She laughed hard and ended on a snort, then flushed red, burying her face in my jacket.

“Princesses don’t snort.” I rocked her from side to side.

“They do! It’s a secret concealed by royal PR agents.” She smacked my arm, and we both laughed.

I never wanted lighthearted moments like these between us to end, when at times it felt like the world was full of darkness.

“Come on.” I wrapped an arm over her neck and guided her away. “Teacher Gable needs to impart his wisdom.”

We ambled deeper into the grassland, then the forest, harvesting more flowers, grasses, herbs, and seeds, and I explained their properties, medicinal values, and applications. Once our bag was full from our venture and our bellies full from our picnic, we got back on the bike and descended the plateau. At the bottom, we met Dash, Alpha heir to Pack Lumbry, at the bottom, parking next to his bike, a restored 2018 Honda 125F that gave mine a run for its money.

The wolf shifter had a good four inches on me, looming over our bike, his shadow blocking the winter sun. Most of the wolves were taller than me, descending from two-legged Lycans, standing at up to eight feet tall. The werewolf packs bred them big to defend their lands.

Looks wise, the guy was attractive—dark hair, eyes darker than my gray, burning with a rebellious fire, body brimming with muscles, a jaw that made a model jealous, clean-shaven because his father was ex-military and demanded precision. Dash made every attempt to piss off his father, wearing torn jeans, a white tank top like me, and denim jacket.

Luna shook off her helmet and squeezed it under her arm. I followed suit, resting mine on my handlebar.

“Dash, my man.” I extended my palm for him to slap and shake.

“Who’s your lady friend?” His gaze shifted into an angry storm and slid to Luna, and she hardened against me. The shifter had reason to be suspicious. I didn’t clear it with him before bringing her into his turf.

“My bad,” I admitted, patting her leg, using it as a front to grab her hand and keep it glued to her leg. He couldn’t see her snake tattoos. “This is my girl, Luna. I should have cleared it with you beforehand. I’m sorry, I’ve been caught up with my sister.” I intentionally left out the part about Luna studying at the Academy for her safety.

Shifters and the Guild were at war, many packs in hiding from them, using my magical wards to protect them from detection and slaughter.

“That mistake’s gonna cost you a twenty percent discount on next month.” Dash’s father taught him how to ball-bust.

Umbra Lumbry, the Alpha, also didn’t know about our little deal, and would break my fingers for stealing from his lands.

“Fine.” I stretched out my hand and shook Dash’s. In our world, a gentleman’s agreement was their contract.

“How is your sister?” Dash folded his massive arms over his chest.

“Getting better every day,” I replied. “Thanks for asking.”

Packs were a close-knit community, one I wish I grew up in.

Dash’s nose lifted and inhaled my princess’ scent. “I don’t recognize your scent, Luna. What shifter are you?”

The gantii refused to use the Guild’s term for them. They might contain alien DNA, but they were part human, living on Earth, unlike their ancestor counterparts, and preferred human terms.

I rubbed her knee to encourage her to relax. We didn’t need the shifter asking too many questions, and we sure as hell didn’t need him coming across her wrists.

Words like Brotherhood and Academy would have us tossed out of here immediately with no return, so I seized the chance and answered for her in case she said the wrong thing. “Naga like me, except she’s royalty, and you’ll address her as Princess.” I said the last part to be a smartass and throw him off the scent.

Luna’s hand came down over mine, her skin cooler to the touch. “Nice to meet you, Dash. Your home is beautiful.”

“Nice to meet you, Princess.” Each word dripped with sarcasm.

An urge shot up my spine to correct him, tell him about her blood, but the shifters despised the Brotherhood as much as me when they were hunted as commodities, kept as pets, their blood and body parts used in spells.

“Check the bag.” I gestured for Dash to get on with it. I wanted to get out of here before he asked any more questions.

Our usual ritual. He inspected the contents, checking to make sure I didn’t take more than I sold or that I didn't take what wasn’t on offer. So far, we never had a problem.

“You’re good.” Dash clapped me on the back, and I let out the breath I held, thankful to still have my head.

“Thanks, wolfy,” I said. “Until next time. Don’t miss my sexy mug.”

“I’ll try not to. But I can’t stop dreaming of you.” Dash laughed, pressing a hand to his heart, retreating to his bike, throwing a thick leg over it, starting it and giving us a salute as he rode off.

That went well. Date with my girl. Check. Magical ingredients gathered. Check. No wounds. Check. Luna and me alive and well. Check.

I glanced over my shoulder. “Helmet on, Princess. I’m taking you home to make you dinner and make love to you. Now get your hands on my dick and show me how much you love me.”