Chapter 41
By five o’clock, the heavy heat had softened, leaving the air still and quiet across the whole place.
Tiny and Swift dropped us back safe at the club, parking the van out of sight where it always stays. I found myself sat in the little sheltered garden nook, a mug of tea in my hand, while Ivy rested back on the sofa cushions and Rose had her feet up, Leo’s heavy jacket draped gentle over her legs.
I was trying so hard to look calm, to sip my tea like nothing was wrong – but my hand wouldn’t stop trembling. Half from the secret I’d found, half from this aching, tangled thing between me and Rage.
Rose’s sharp blue eyes picked up on it straight away. She leaned forward slow, setting her cup down with a soft clink.
“Right then, Tamer. Out with it,” she said gentle but firm, that look of hers that no one ever dares argue with. “I’ve seen that exact look enough times to know what it means. It’s not your lessons or anything like that – it’s our stubborn man, isn’t it?”
My cheeks burned bright red. “How did you know?”
“Is it Rage?” Ivy asked, sitting up straight, eyes going wide. “Three months and he’s still holding back like this?”
I let out a long, defeated sigh, and buried my face in my hands.
“He is,” I mumbled. “I just… I don’t get it.
He holds me so tight, like he’s scared I’ll vanish.
And when he kisses me… it feels like the whole world catches fire.
But the second I get any closer… he pulls back so fast it hurts.
I think… I think he doesn’t want me and too scared to say it. ”
Rose and Ivy looked at each other for a long moment, then both burst out laughing, warm and loud and kind.
“Oh, bless his big silly heart,” Ivy giggled, shaking her head. “Bones did exactly the same thing with me at first. Thought because he was so rough, so used to fighting, he’d break me.”
Rose leaned in closer, her voice turning serious and soft now.
“Listen to me Danika,” she said. “Rage has spent his whole life being the one who protects everyone else. He’s never once been allowed to be gentle, or soft, or to be looked after.
He’s not holding back because he doesn’t want you – he’s holding back because he respects you so much he’s terrified he’ll hurt you.
He thinks you’ll run if you see how wild and fierce he really is. ”
“Then what do I do?” I asked, my heart hammering hard against my ribs.
“You take charge,” Rose said firmly, a bright fierce spark lighting up her eyes.
“You meet fire with fire. Remember who you are. They call you Tamer for a reason – because you’re the only one who can reach him.
He’s six foot four, built like a mountain, everyone’s scared of him – but you’re the only one who doesn’t have to be. And he knows it.”
She leaned in even closer, like she was sharing the most precious secret.
“Whenever Leo gets stubborn like this,” she whispered, “I don’t step back. I step right up. I don’t let him hide himself away. You’ve got to show him you’re not afraid of the beast he keeps locked up. You’re the one who holds the key to that lock.”
“She’s right,” Ivy added, nodding fast, her eyes shining bright. “Don’t wait for him to ask. Go to him tonight. Don’t be shy. You’re Tamer – you take what’s yours or you will be ninety and still holding hands.”
A thrill ran right through me, hot and bright and sure. Their words echoed round my head, loud and clear. You are the one who commands it.
By eleven that night, the whole club was quiet and still.
I stood in my bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror, heart thudding hard enough to hurt.
I pulled on one of Rage’s old black tees – the one he’d left in my room weeks ago, that still smelled so much of him.
My hair fell loose over my shoulders, wild and free.
I walked out into the dark corridor, barefoot, not making a single sound. Until I stood right outside his door.
I didn’t knock. I just turned the handle and stepped straight inside.
The room was dim, lit only by the warm glow of the fire. Rage was sat on the edge of his bed, just in his jeans, working slowly at wrapping his hands, all those old scars standing out clear across his broad shoulders. He looked like a wild thing that had finally crept back to its den.
The soft click of the door made him jump. He spun round fast, eyes wide, staring at me like he couldn’t believe I was there. His breath caught sharp in his throat.
“Sweetheart,” he rumbled, his voice rough and thick with worry, standing up quickly. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Are you hurt?”
He started walking towards me, all that gentle careful look on his face, ready to wrap me up and keep me safe like I was something fragile that might break.
“Nothing’s wrong, Rage,” I said. And my voice was steady, stronger than I’d ever heard it, carrying a bright spark of power all its own.
I didn’t wait for him to come to me. I walked straight across the room, right up close until our chests were almost touching, until I could feel the heat coming off him, until the smell of him – rain, leather, something purely him – wrapped all around me. Tonight, he will be mine.