Property of Thorin (Kings of Anarchy: Massachusetts #2)

Chapter 1

Delaney

My body sways to the beat of the music as I make a cocktail for my customer.

The scent of sex, smoke, and alcohol wafts through the air around me. I let it soak into my soul, freeing me of any heartache that I have carried with me for many years. My new life is just what I need: a time for me to be free and be myself.

I have nothing to hide here; I sing and dance with the amazing people I work with.

I love Emerald— not her real name of course. She is feisty and will take down a man twice her size. Emmy, as I call her, is a shifter, an owl to be exact. She is the best. Then we have Monica and Nolan, who are human like me, not that I feel human if I do not get my morning coffee.

These are my new family, and I love them.

They took me in when I applied for a job here at Starlight Lounge.

I came in looking for a typical waitress job and they gave me a manager position.

It did make me think that maybe the club had a hand in this, but then I realized that they did not know where I was applying for jobs.

Thinking of the club makes my heart ache still. It has been three months since I left the Kings of Anarchy MC.

It still feels like I have left a part of myself there, but I know deep down that I had to leave. Seeing Thorin fuck a different woman night after night, and feed from them, slowly tore me apart.

He knew that he was hurting me, and he made himself a villain in my eyes. Skyla once said that maybe he was doing it to protect himself from getting hurt, and it did make me think that maybe he, too, has suffered some trauma in his many years as a vampire.

Hell, Camo was a dick to Skyla because he wanted to protect himself from losing someone he loved. Thank the fates that he pulled his head out of his ass, because he is a great mate for my girl Skyla.

I have seen both Camo and Skyla since I moved on from the club. They helped me move into my new apartment, along with Rush and Shift. Some of the brothers come in to see me, but never Thorin.

Sometimes I am grateful that he has kept his distance, letting me heal and get over him on my own. For years, I fell apart after finding out what we were to each other— and that he never intended to claim me. Now it is time for me to heal, to reach a place where I might finally stop missing him.

Time will tell.

There are times when I think I can feel him watching me. My skin tingles and heats up when I can feel him near, but he never shows himself.

For years I have seen Thorin as a villain in my fairytale. He is the man who causes pain and breaks the leading female’s heart, yet loves her deep down. One can only hope that he, like his brother, will pull his head out of his ass and do the right thing, but he is one stubborn vampire.

It is such heartbreak that he will not accept me, but I cannot, and will not, force him to be with me. I have more self-respect than that, if we just ignore the last four years, when I was with the club.

Being here in Starlight Lounge, I am a new Delaney.

I am strong and feistier than ever.

Living on my own has made me see that I can do things for myself, and while I was at the club, I did everything I needed as well.

The difference was that I had the added safety of the brothers, where now I do not, but my apartment building is super safe.

It is guarded by a witch’s ward, Aspen to be exact.

She is a friend of Skyla, Eva, Clark, and Rocky.

Aspen is a good witch by blood. People look to her for help and comfort in times of need.

“You good, girl?” Emerald hip checks me, shaking me out of my thoughts.

I blink, smiling at my friend.

“I am good. Just overthinking.”

“Okay. You were so lost in thought, I was going to have to spank you to bring you back.” She winks.

“Do not promise me a good time and not follow through, woman.” I twirl my finger in front of her face, making her laugh.

She moves in, biting the tip of my finger, and cheers go up around us.

This is what it is like to work here. Fun and relaxed.

She winks, then blows me a kiss as she dances down to the other side of the bar to serve customers.

We dance and laugh with customers, and a man watches me at the end of the bar. He is good looking, with blond hair and has a handsome smile while he watches me work. I have flirted with men and they have flirted back, but I am yet to go on a date since leaving the club.

Winger told me that I have no obligation to stay single and wait for Thorin; he told me that his brother was being a dick and will get what is coming to him. I felt like it was a blessing to date and move on with my life and show Thorin what he is missing, yet I have been unable to make the move.

Looking at this handsome man, who is the complete opposite to my rough vampire biker, it might be time.

Where Thorin has dark hair, stubble, with a smile that lures you in, and a dark aura about him, this man has light hair, his eyes sparkle, and his smile makes you want to smile back.

“Someone has an admirer,” Nolan says as he reaches for a glass next to me.

I smile coyly at him.

“Do you think?”

He rolls his eyes.

“Del, honey, you are a fucking knockout, and any man, or non-man, would be a fucking fool to not want you.” My new friends know the story of why I left the Kings; they know all about Thorin and the shit he pulled.

The man winks at me, nodding to his now-empty glass. Now is my chance, I suppose.

“Okay, here goes nothing.” I smile at Nolan, who taps me on the ass.

“Go get him, tiger.”

Walking toward the side of the bar where the admirer is sitting, I offer him a smile as I come to a stop.

“Another?”

“Please.”

I nod and set to filling his glass. I can feel his eyes on me, and I am thankful for all the freaking squats that Clark makes me do. They have my ass looking fine, if I do say so myself.

“Here you go. Is there anything else I can get you?” I lean on the bar, watching his gaze drop to my cleavage.

My boobs and ass are my best assets—well, that’s what my friends tell me.

“Thank you.” He takes a sip, sliding a ten across to me. “Maybe your number. I would like to take you out sometime.”

I’m smiling before my stomach knots, and a wave of nausea hits me.

What the fuck is that?

I blink, and stand up straight, looking around the bar to see if anything is pulling some supernatural shit on me, but I see nothing that stands out.

“Hey, you okay?” His hand touches my arm, and I shiver.

My gaze snaps to him, and I feel a pulse of powerful arousal surging through me. My nipples harden, and my pussy flutters. A gasp slips free, so I try to take a step back, but he keeps a firm grip on my wrist.

“You are okay. You would like to come home with me, wouldn’t you?” His voice takes on a mesmerizing tone, causing my body to hum with desire for him.

Shit.

He is strong, and desire for this man starts to take over any rational thought. Out of my control, my body starts to crave his touch. Leaning forward, his smile widens.

Shaking my head, I’m unable to stop myself from inching closer to the bar to get to him. His smile makes my heart flutter and my pussy weep more. Why can’t I stop myself from moving toward him?

His touch is so inviting and intense.

“Oh, fuck no.”

The words break through his seductive voice, and I am snatched away.

Blinking, I turn to look at Emerald and Nolan.

“Get the fuck out before I have you thrown out. You know the rules of Starlight. No powers are to be used, fucker.”

“Powers?” I ask, my voice shaky.

“This motherfucker is an incubus.” I turn my glare to the man who is still smirking.

“She wanted it,” he smarts off.

“No, fucker, she was doing her job and being nice to you. You a weak person to use your powers to lure a woman in,” Nolan snaps.

“LANCE,” Emerald calls out loudly, making people turn to see what is happening.

Within seconds, one of our security guys appears. Lance is a huge man; since he is half troll, he towers over everyone in here.

“This fucker thought he would use his powers to seduce and take Delaney. He needs to go,” Nolan explains, and I see the rage seeping into Lance’s eyes.

“OUT,” he growls, making the humans and supernaturals cower around him.

“Oh, come on, she wanted to be seduced. Being all sweet and smiling at me.” The piece of shit tries to defend his actions.

The boss man, one Mr. Osbourne, made Starlight Lounge a neutral territory; everyone is welcome, and powers are not to be used within the walls of the club.

“You know the rules. Mr. O will hear about this,” Lance snaps back, his voice deep and throaty.

“So will the Kings,” Emerald adds, and I roll my eyes.

Fear floods the man’s face when he hears her say the word ‘Kings,’ and I have to say, it makes me happy that they are feared among people.

“What do you mean, the Kings?” His eyes bounce between me and Emerald, and I cross my arms and smirk at him.

“Oh, you did not know? My girl here” —she lays her arm around my shoulders— “is under the protection of the Kings of Anarchy MC, and you know what they say: no one fucks with the Kings.” Pride in her voice makes me giggle.

She loves to brag that I am with the Kings of sorts.

“Fuck,” he mutters. “I did nothing to harm you, right? You don’t have to tell them,” he rushes out, fear coating his voice.

“Oh, I do not know; what do you say, babe?” I shrug. “Maybe Thorin should be told.”

My body stiffens as the man goes deathly pale at the mention of Thorin’s name.

“Thorin, as in the vampire?” I nod as he says this to me.

“That’s the one.”

He doesn’t say anything else, bolting for the door before Lance can react, and then he is gone.

It takes a second to realize that he was fucking fast, then we all burst out laughing, all except Lance, who is still as stiff as a board.

“Any more shit, give me a call.” I nod to him, then he turns to head back to the main door.

“Fucking men,” Emerald gripes.

She walks to the back wall, ignoring the calls from customers, and pours me a shot of vodka.

“Drink.” I take it from her and down it in one go, the burn making me wince.

I do not drink alcohol.

The very last time I drank, I woke up to my arms and legs bound to a bed and three vampires feeding off me. My boyfriend at the time had put something in my beer, so he could use me to pay off his debt.

My right hand goes to my left, rubbing the scars that are covered by big flower tattoos. When I got clean of the drugs I was being pumped full of and came down from the blood feeding high that you get, I got them, thanks to the Kings.

It took me some time, but I healed inside and out, learning to love myself and feel more confident in myself again. What happened to me was bad, really fucking bad, but I was alive and found my mate; little did I know that he was a vampire.

I was stunned when I found out, and I think it was my reaction to that fact that kept him away from me. Even though I came to terms to the idea of him, and I had healed, Thorin did what he did to keep me thinking he was a villain.

At the end of the day, that is exactly what he is.

It was Cotton who suggested that I cover my bite scars with tattoos. He led me to Spirited Ink, where Rolley got to work and designed my entire sleeve.

It is filled with flowers, skulls, and has a few thorns mixed in. It is a symbol of what I have been through and broken through. They are my healing tattoos.

Skyla told me once that maybe it is because of my past that Thorin has not claimed me. I believe her to some degree, though it should be up to him to talk to me, but he never has. He just continued to hurt me and made a fool of me for letting him.

Now is the time for me to heal myself from him and move on with my life. There will always be a part of me that belongs to him, as we are fated, but this is my new path in life, and I plan to live it to its fullest.