Chapter 26
Salem
Back at my cabin at the Roost, the quiet wrapped around me like a blanket. But it wasn’t comforting. Not after what had gone down at the Halloween party. The weight of seeing Heresy with Diana still gnawed at me, my thoughts a tangled mess of anger, jealousy, and confusion. Not even what happened out in the woods could erase those feelings. I lit a candle, hoping the soft glow would calm me down, but all it did was cast shadows I couldn’t ignore.
Before I could dive deeper into my own spiral, there was a knock on the door. Raven, Razor, and Pixie barged in like they owned the place, all of them with curious looks on their faces. I barely had time to register their presence before Raven spoke up.
“Alright, spill. What the hell’s going on with you and Heresy?” Raven asked, crossing her arms and staring me down like I was on trial.
I hesitated, not sure how much to tell them. But these were my sisters, officially if I earn my patch. If anyone had my back, it was them. So, I gathered my courage and told them everything. From the first night in the farmhouse to the storm, the weird shit we found, the sex… and the note. Everything poured out like a confession I hadn’t meant to make.
As soon as I finished, Pixie’s face split into a grin, and she started laughing. Hard.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her.
Pixie wiped her eyes, still chuckling. “Okay, okay. So, here’s the thing. All that creepy stuff? The doll heads, the blood? That was us. Me and the other Heelz. We set it up.”
“Are you fucking serious?” I was both relieved and pissed at the same time.
Razor shrugged. “Yeah. We wanted to freak you out, make your dare memorable. Except the note… I have no idea what that was. We didn’t do that.”
I fell back onto my bed, groaning. “Great. So I was running around like an idiot, thinking the house was haunted, while you assholes were messing with me.”
“Welcome to the club,” Razor said with a smirk. “But seriously, we need to talk about Heresy. What’s the deal there? You can’t be getting mixed up with a Slayer. Especially now.”
My eyes rolled back. “Oh, come on. Brat and Riptide are getting married, and he’s a Slayer too.”
“That’s different,” Raven cut in. “Riptide’s the president of the Slayers, and Brat’s biker royalty. They’ve got history, and it’s not happening for months yet. Things can change. You, on the other hand, are still a prospect. You’re supposed to be earning your patch. If you want to become a Heel, you’ve got to show loyalty, Salem. Dating a Slayer isn’t exactly the way to do that.”
I clenched my jaw, feeling frustration bubble up. “So what, I’m just supposed to cut ties with him?”
Raven’s expression softened a bit. “Not necessarily. Look, if you earn your patch and the respect of the club, maybe things will change. But right now, you need to focus. No distractions. If you want this life, you’ve got to prove you’re committed to us first.”
I knew she was right, but it didn’t make it any easier to hear. After the girls left, I stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours, thinking about Heresy, my patch, and what I really wanted. It felt like my whole world was split in two.
The next day, I needed to clear my head, so I headed into town, deciding to hit up the farmer’s market. The sun was just beginning to climb in the sky, casting everything in a golden glow. The scents of fresh vegetables and baked bread hung in the air, mingling with the earthy fragrance of herbs and flowers. Normally, this place would be my sanctuary, a peaceful escape from the chaos that had become my life. But today, even the calm of the market couldn’t keep my mind from racing.
I figured a stroll through the rows of fresh herbs, produce, and homemade crafts might do the trick. The sun was bright, too cheery for how I was feeling. The colors of fall were vibrant, the air crisp and smelling like cinnamon and dried leaves. It should’ve been the perfect day to forget about my tangled thoughts.
But my thoughts weren’t so easily left behind. They kept circling back to him—Heresy. The way he looked at me, the way he touched me in that haunted house. The way he made me feel like I was on fire and drowning at the same time.
I made my way through the stalls, picking up the familiar scent of rue and rosemary. I figured maybe the herbs would help settle me, like they always did. My fingers brushed against the delicate stems, the earthy scent grounding me for a second. Maybe I could make a little charm or something to calm myself.
“Planning to cast a spell on someone, witchy?”
The sound of his voice shot through me like lightning, making my breath catch in my throat. That deep, gravelly tone that seemed to seep into my bones, shaking me even when I didn’t want it to.
I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. Of course, it was him. Heresy. Standing right there like he hadn’t been plaguing my thoughts all night.
Damn it.
Why now? I didn’t want to look at him, but my eyes betrayed me, dragging upward as if pulled by some invisible force. I took a deep gulp, attempting to act composed as I glanced up at him.
He stood there, hands in his pockets, his long dark hair catching the sunlight in a way that made him look even more infuriatingly sexy. His leather jacket was slung casually over his broad shoulders, and I hated how easily my gaze traced over the hard lines of his body.
His dark hair was tousled like he’d just rolled out of bed, his black T-shirt stretched over muscles that were all too familiar now, and those silver rings on his fingers glinted in the light. He had that smirk—half dangerous, half amused. It made my stomach flip.
I forced myself to roll my eyes, like the sight of him didn’t send my pulse skittering. “Not today,” I muttered, turning back to the herbs. “Honestly, I don’t even know what I believe anymore.”
His presence behind me was so heavy, so palpable, that I could feel the warmth of him without even touching him. He was close, too close, and yet I couldn’t pull away.
Damn it.
I returned to the herbs, pretending to focus on the rosemary, but my hands were trembling. I prayed he didn’t notice.
“You don’t know what you believe?” he asked, his voice lower now, more intimate. I could sense his gaze fixed on me, observing every move I made, and it made my skin tingle. “That’s funny,” he continued, his tone carrying a hint of something more. “I believe in more than ever these days.”
I snorted, trying to keep things light, pretending to be absorbed in the rosemary like my fingers weren’t shaking. “You know, it was all just a prank,” I said, grasping for something to ground me. “The creepy stuff at the farmhouse? That was the girls. Nothing supernatural about it.”
I hoped that would be enough to push him away. To shut this down before it spiraled into something I couldn’t control. But Heresy, as usual, didn’t take the bait.
“Salem,” he said, and the way my name sounded on his lips made my heart stutter. He stepped closer, and I could feel his presence like a storm rolling in, impossible to ignore. “I’m not talking about the farmhouse. I’m talking about you. Us.”
His words landed on me with the force of a fist. I froze, staring at him as my mind scrambled to catch up. Damn him. He was making this harder than it had to be. I wanted to tell him to fuck off, to say it was just physical, that it didn’t matter, but I couldn’t lie to myself—not when he was standing there looking at me like that, like he saw right through all my bullshit.
“Heresy,” I started, my voice shaky despite myself.
“This can’t happen. I’ll never get my patch if I’m with you.”
The words felt like shards of glass on my tongue, but they were the truth. I had worked too hard to let a man—even him—derail me. The club, the Hell on Heelz MC, that was my life now. My family. My future.
He didn’t back down. He never did. Instead, he took another step closer, and suddenly, it felt like we were the only two people in the entire market. The bustle of the stalls, the chattering of vendors, it all faded away until it was just us.
My skin prickled with awareness, the space between us crackling with magic. His voice softened, and there was something raw in it that made my chest ache.
“I know,” he said, and somehow that made it worse. “I’m not asking you to give up the Heelz. Hell, I’d never ask that.” His eyes softened as he looked down at me, and I hated how vulnerable he suddenly seemed. “But I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait. As long as it takes.”
His words wrapped around me, sinking into my bones, and for a second, I let myself imagine what it would be like if things were different. If we could be together without the rivalry of our clubs hanging over us. But that wasn’t reality. It was dangerous—for both of us.
I quickly glanced up at him, our eyes met, and I let myself feel it, if only for a moment. The heat between us, the unspoken longing that simmered just below the surface. His dark eyes locked onto mine, and the world tilted just a little.
I swallowed hard, trying to push away the lump in my throat. “That’s dangerous, Heresy,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. My throat was tight, my hands trembling at my sides. “For both of us.”
A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but there was something softer there, something real. We stood there, inches apart. His hand twitched at his side, just for a moment, I thought he was going to reach out and touch me. I didn’t know what I wanted—to pull away or to let him.
His smirk faded, replaced by something more vulnerable, more real. He reached out, his fingers brushing against my arm, sending sparks shooting up my spine. “I’m used to danger. So are you.”
The touch lingered, and I couldn’t stop myself from leaning into it, just for a moment. My body betrayed me, every nerve screaming at me to close the gap between us, to feel his hands on me again, to get lost in him like I had before. The memory of his lips on mine, the taste of him, the way his hands had gripped me like he couldn’t let go—it all came rushing back.
But I couldn’t. Not now.
I stepped back, breaking the contact, even though it felt like ripping something vital away. I couldn’t let myself fall any deeper.
“I can’t, Heresy,” I whispered. “I can’t risk everything I’ve worked for.”
He didn’t argue, but the way he looked at me—like he wasn’t going to give up—made it clear this was far from over. He wasn’t done with me. And Goddess help me, I wasn’t done with him either.
As I walked away, my heart felt crushed, the distance between us getting harder to bear. But I knew for a fact that this wasn't the end.
No chance in hell.