Chapter 9 Pagan
It had been a week since the Devil’s Ride. In that time, I hardly left my room unless Grim called church, choosing to spend my time with Lainey, whether sex was involved or not. I had grown obsessed with being near her, hearing every sigh and moan, and learning everything I could about her.
After a vigorous session where my Reaper visited her again, I held her against me as I sat up, back against the headboard of the bed. My fingers stroked the soft skin of her arm. “You never told me why you left the motel.”
Her head lifted from my chest. “Oh! Well, I got scared.”
I figured.
She swatted my chest playfully. “Not of you. The room. I heard voices and felt hot breath on my neck.”
“Really?”
“That’s not the worst part, though. I left the room to get some air, and the door locked behind me.”
“Aw, shit. You should have woken me, baby.”
“No. You needed the rest.”
She was right, but I still wouldn’t have cared.
“When I walked to my car, I saw a guy move out from behind it. He wore a black hoodie. I couldn’t see his face.”
I grasped her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze. “Were you hurt?”
“No. He chased me into the cemetery.” She shivered. “It was super creepy at three in the morning. I felt every ghost might pop out of their graves and scare me to death.”
I couldn’t help the twitch of my lips. “Not funny. You should have come back to the room and banged on the door. I would have saved you.”
She made a face.
“You already saved me, darlin’. Let me return the favor.”
“When? Now?” Her question was a joke, not meant to be serious.
“Actually, yeah. Get dressed.”
“Pagan.”
“The Reaper wants to be sure you’re safe.”
“It’s midnight. We’re cuddling.” She tapped a fingernail on my bare chest. “It’s cold out.” Her pout was fucking adorable, but it wouldn’t deter me.
“That’s the reason we’re leaving now. If it’s a spirit, I can handle it. If it’s a man, my Reaper will ensure no one threatens or harms you.”
His rumble rattled my chest as Lainey sighed. “Fine.”
“Good girl,” I praised. “You’ll get a reward later.”
Her eyes widened. “How about now? Before we go?”
Nope. My Reaper answered her with his gruff voice. “No, my female. Safety first. Fucking last.”
I guess that settled it.
“I don’t think I like this idea, Pagan.”
“Well, it’s one of those situations where you just have to trust me, darlin’. Okay?”
A dramatic sigh followed. “Okay.”
Good.
“But only because you promised treats later.”
I grinned. “After the tricks, lots of treats.”
It was silly how often we made Halloween jokes. I fucking loved that she was playful. It was another way we connected. An added bonus because I couldn’t get enough of her, and the more we had in common, the better.
“Dress warm. It’ll be chilly on my bike.”
I planned to keep it so long that it became mine. Rael would have to deal with his crankiness.
She blinked, swiping the hair out of her eyes with a shaky hand. “You want me on the back of your bike?”
I frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because it’s sacred to bikers, especially the Graven Bastards. Only ol’ ladies ride behind them.”
“That’s right.” I didn’t see the issue.
Her eyes look glassy. “That’s me?”
Fuck. I cradled her face and kissed her, then lowered my forehead to hers. “I guess I still haven’t been clear about what we are and what it means to be in my room. I’m not just fucking you, Lainey. You’re my woman. My Reaper has claimed you.”
“I understand that part.”
“You’re mine now. My ol’ lady. My ride or die. My whole fucking heart.” Didn’t she see now? I couldn’t go on without her. She was oxygen in my lungs. Life. Everything.
“It’s going to take some time for me to get used to this,” she whispered.
“Get used to what?”
“Being happy. Being wanted for more than a good fuck.”
Christ. I fucking loved her sweet talk and naughty mouth. “Then no more doubt. Promise me.”
“No more,” she agreed.
“Come on. I want to ride out to the motel while the moon is high.”
Once we both dressed, I led her outside and to the bike, ensuring her helmet was secure before we left The Crossroads. The moon had climbed high in the star-riddled sky as we rode toward the motel, brightly twinkling as Lainey’s hands wrapped my stomach with warmth.
The lot was mostly abandoned as I parked, an eerie fog rolling across the asphalt, billowing around our legs as we walked through thick white clouds.
Lainey gripped my hand and pressed against my side as she searched for the masked man who chased her while I slept only feet away, unaware of her scary romp through Tonopah’s haunted cemetery.
Yeah, it was haunted. I could see that now.
Before receiving my Reaper, I only suspected ghosts roamed these grounds and the long-abandoned silver mines. Now, I could see them. In various stages of decay, stuck forever in the throes of death, they lingered on the soil as if searching for peace.
Not all spirits remained. I could sense that.
Some left as soon as death occurred. But others, mostly those who died in gruesome ways or were murdered, couldn’t handle the trauma.
They swept across the headstones with footsteps that never touched the ground—always chasing, searching, begging for release.
That was the spirit who appeared before us. A man in a black hoodie pulled too long to see his gruesome features, but my Reaper did. I felt my lip lift in a snarl.
“He’s here.”
It was the Reaper’s voice, not mine.
Lainey gasped. “It’s him. The one that chased me.”
The man rushed toward us, his hand lifted high in the air as a knife appeared, poised to slash my woman.
She tried to bolt as I held her too tightly to escape.
“Stay still. I will protect you, my female,” the Reaper ordered with a gruff promise.
As the masked figure reached us, I yanked my own blade free from my cut. It caught the moon’s light and reflected the masked man’s empty features inside the hood of his sweatshirt. He was only a husk—a malevolent spirit left behind from a killer.
The Reaper pushed forward, and his bony fingers clutched the knife, swiping through the masked spirit’s essence. He sliced with precision, using dark magic that I barely had the time to notice before a violent screech filled the air.
The masked being poofed into a cloud of black ash that settled on the ground beneath our feet. The wind picked it up and carried it into the desert. The spirit has been vanquished.
“A sad reaping,” the Reaper grunted. “Disappointing.”
I agreed—too little suffering and screams.
“Thank you, Reaper.” Lainey sounded relieved.
I nuzzled her face, pressing kisses to her neck.
“Wait. Shit.” She blinked as I lifted my head.
“What?”
“He was a spirit.”
“Yeah?”
“Pagan. He wasn’t alive.”
Oh. Ohhhhhh. “You saw a spirit. A ghost.”
“Yeah.” She trembled, staring into my eyes. “Reaper, does that mean I see dead people now?”
“You always have. Now you see more clearly.” I tapped my chest, but it was his gesture. “So does Pagan. Two gifts of spirit sight.”
Spiritual sight. I’d heard of it.
“But you’ll be there in case I’m spooked or something evil is after me, right?”
“Yes.”
She blew out a breath. “Okay. That’s good.”
The wind picked up around us, and I caught a familiar odor. It was odd to feel it tingle my nose since I hadn’t smelled it since the day of the accident. A strange mixture of sweat, tobacco, and cheap cologne.
The hit-and-run driver. He was close.
A growl rumbled my chest when I saw his truck pulling into the gas station across the street. He wouldn’t be escaping a second time.
“What is it?” Lainey asked, gripping my arm.
“The guy who hit me. He’s over there.” I gestured to the gas station.
“What do you want to do?”
“Either you stay in my room or by my bike. I’m going after him. He needs to answer for fucking up my bike.”
“No clown rooms.” She shook her head. “No way. I’ll stay by your bike and wait for you.”
“Don’t be anxious. I won’t be far. Nothing will harm you.”
She lifted on her toes and kissed my cheek. “I know. Go get justice, baby.”
The Reaper and I both enjoyed her endearment. It made my cock hard. “I’ll need to fuck you soon.”
“I’m counting on it.”
I escorted her back to my bike and left her there as I quietly approached the gas station. The asshole never saw me as I advanced on him, waiting until he finished pumping gas. Before he could react, I had my arm around his neck, dragging him into the shadows.
My hand covered his mouth as I retreated into the desert.
“You left me for dead, motherfucker.”
He clawed at my arms, trying to get free. His feet kicked at the ground, but weren’t able to do more than tire him out. As he flailed and fought, I tightened my grip. His face turned red as panic set in.
“I don’t want to know your fucking name. You’ll die out here among the insects and filth. No one will ever find what’s left of you.”
It didn’t take long to pull him far enough away that no one would hear his screams. Even from this distance, I knew Lainey was safe. Nothing harmful lingered. Only curious spirits who kept their distance, recognizing that a Reaper coveted the pretty blonde who stood by a silent motorcycle.
None would risk losing their spirits to death.
The Reaper’s rage grew in strength as he took charge. He plucked the man from the ground where I dropped him and held him up, chuckling when his feet kicked at the empty air. “You will die.”
It must have frightened the poor man to death. He pissed himself first before he clutched at his chest. His eyes widened as he sputtered, desperately trying to breathe.
A heart attack.
The Reaper shook him. “Your soul is mine.”
I felt the scythe as it appeared in my right hand. It glowed with power. The souls of the dead who had fallen beneath its blade howled and wailed. It was sweet music to my ears.
The Reaper enjoyed those sounds. They fed him.
With a swipe of the blade, the man’s soul was ripped from his body. His husk fell to the ground, a mass of meat and bone, but with no spirit to give it life. It withered away as I held onto the man’s essence, staring at the foul, filmy image.
“Judgement has been issued. You are guilty. Condemned. Sentenced. Your punishment will be quick, much faster than you deserve.”
And I tore into him, growing excited by his terror and the screams that soon were silenced when nothing remained. The ground rumbled below my boots and began to crack open, sucking in the pieces of his soul and slurping them up like tasty morsels feeding a ravenous beast.
When I could sense the man’s soul had been sent to hell, I heard laughter bubbling up from below.
Lucifer. He received his first soul from my Reaper.
The ground popped and cracked as it began to close, shifting beneath my boots as I stumbled and caught my balance.
Justice had been served. Vengeance was mine.
I returned to Lainey and kissed her hard, eager to get her on my bike and back home since the reaping seemed to flare need in my body. I had the urge to fuck my woman afterward, and I couldn’t wait to devour her pussy.
But as we rode onto the lot and I parked, I sensed the presence of the others. Holding Lainey’s hand, I led her inside the clubhouse, surprised to see that every member had gathered in our absence.
“You reaped your first soul,” Grim announced. “Well done, Pagan.”
Cheers erupted as I walked toward them, hands slapping my back and congratulating me on my success.
“It woke us,” Rael explained. “All of us.”
“Lucifer wanted to gloat. You’re the first Reaper to send him a soul within hours of signing your contract. It’s a new record,” Mammoth informed me.
“He’s fucking proud,” Grim added as he shook his head. “You’re in for it now. You’re the favorite.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
“Don’t worry,” Rael snickered. “Lucifer always has fun games.”
The rest of the guys flipped him off.
They didn’t need to tell me that the devil was a pain in the ass. I already experienced it. Still, I was alive. I had my woman. I’d found a home and a brotherhood.
Life was pretty fucking good.