Chapter 3 Heron
What the fuck was she thinking? Rebel almost got hurt.
I arrived with Crow in time to see Bella swerve the sand rail away from the sinkhole and topple over the edge of a hill. I swear my heart jumped into my throat. Crow and I ran toward the wreckage, worried they’d been injured.
When we reached the women, they were both laughing as they hung upside down inside the sand car’s cabin. The roll bars and lacing did their job. Along with the five-point harness, Bella and Rebel remained unharmed—nothing more than a bit of adrenaline and maybe a sore muscle or two.
It could have been worse.
When I pulled Rebel free and held her in my arms, I had to fight every instinct to punish her for risking her safety like that. Torn between spanking her ass and kissing her, I finally ended up reaching for her hand. She let me hold it all the way back to The Roost, but not before she made it clear that we were still two different factions in a private war.
Ugh. I scrubbed a hand down my face, distracted by my thoughts the following morning in church.
“Heron,” Crow growled as I locked eyes with my president. “Focus. Think about gettin’ your dick wet outside of church.”
Shit. It would be funny if I had a chance of getting laid.
Guffaws erupted around the table, and I sat back, crossing my arms over my chest. “Yeah, Pres, I hear you.”
“Good. Listen up. I’m planning a birthday party for Bella.”
I couldn’t help grinning at the announcement. Of all the things we could be discussing and dealing with in church as a club, this was highest on the agenda. Patching into the Devil’s Murder seemed a no-brainer after learning about Crow and this club’s abilities, but the brotherhood I found here made it feel like home.
“I’ve gotten her a spa day gift certificate to get her the fuck out of here so we can decorate. I’m counting on every one of you to help.”
A couple of groans followed.
“Where is Bella going for her spa day?” Yeah, I asked because I wanted to know if she was going with all the ol’ ladies. That would include Rebel, even if she wasn’t wearing a goddamn property patch, as she pointed out. If I couldn’t have her, no one else was either.
I didn’t give a shit if that sounded controlling or possessive.
“There’s a place she loves in Vegas. It’s off the strip.” Crow leaned back in his seat and ticked his chin my way. “You wanna know who’s going with Bella?”
Fuck. I wasn’t half as slick as I thought. “Yeah, I do.”
“All the ol’ ladies and Rebel. I’m payin’ for them to have a fun time, which means we’re gonna hang back and let them have it.”
“But we’re still gonna follow, right?” Raven asked, holding a baby monitor in his hand. He kept staring at the screen, watching his infant son sleeping as he took a nap. If I had to guess, I would say Bree slept in the room with him. They’d been blessed with a son a few months back.
Staring at the older man, I realized love found us at all different ages and circumstances. A bit philosophical, maybe, but it gave me hope that I could find out about my past and bloodline and find a way to get my property patch on Rebel’s back. Aside from the men in this room, I felt a connection to her, unlike anything I’d ever had.
“We might have ended the war with Undertaker and the Dirty Death MC, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any threats out there. Carrion, you got anything to say on it?”
I turned my head in time to see Carrion push off the wall. He emerged from the shadows, almost wraith-like, for a couple of heartbeats before he approached the table. Dark energy swirled around his shoulders in a thin black mass before it disappeared. Whenever I saw him, I wondered if he joined us straight from hell since I could swear I smelled burning wood.
“Nothing to worry about for Bella.” His gaze cut to mine. “But you should be there, Heron.”
I shot to my feet, immediate concern for Rebel overriding everything else. “Tell me what’s happening, Carrion.”
The corners of his mouth pulled down in a frown. “It’s not my place to reveal her secrets.”
Her? “You’re talking about Rebel.”
He didn’t deny it. “She needs your help. Not sure how soon it’ll happen.”
I wanted to ask him for more details, but he faced Crow. “I’ve got to leave.”
“How long?” Crow asked, rising to his feet. “If it’s something dangerous,” he began.
Carrion shook his head. “This is for me. Juliet needs me.”
“Who?”
A smile transformed his features, and awe swept over him. “We’ll all meet her when the time is right.”
Carrion spun on his heel as the door opened on its own, and a crow flew in, landing on his shoulder while Carrion left the chapel.
“Damn. I thought I was weird,” Cuckoo joked.
I spotted his newest outfit as he stood. The guy never wore traditional clothing. Every damn day was a new costume or creation.
Today, he wore a Batman suit, but instead of a bat on the chest, he’d glued or sewn a crow over the original emblem. I had to admit that I liked the alteration. The suit had been created with padded muscles on the top half of his body, so they added to his already chiseled chest and abdomen, showing off his cut stomach and making him appear extra buff. He looked like a pro wrestler or deranged superhero. Instead of tight bottoms or leggings, he’d replaced the costume’s lower portion with red leather. Shit. They were Deadpool’s pants. He added black boots and black leather thigh holsters for his knives. The red, gray, and black colors of his costume actually worked with the design.
I still didn’t know how he managed to fit his cut over most of his costumes, including this one. “How the fuck do you look in the mirror in the morning and not laugh?” I asked him as he faced me.
“Because I’m sexy as fuck. There’s nothing funny about it.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to laugh. He didn’t. “You’re cuckoo for cocoa puffs, brother.”
He snickered. “As I said, I’m a sexy motherfucker.”
“That might be true,” I admitted, “but I don’t swing that way.”
Cuckoo winked. “I like pussy. You’re safe.”
“Thank fuck,” I laughed.
Crow picked up the gavel and slammed it down on the table. “Hawk, Talon, and Heron, the three of you will accompany Bella and the ladies on their spa day tomorrow. Church is dismissed!”
I left the chapel, heading toward my room. As I passed the bar, I swept my gaze over the room, immediately locating Rebel. I didn’t have to worry about what she had on most days. Sure, she showed off some skin but didn’t flash her tits and ass like some of the girls, especially the ones hoping to snag a single brother in the club.
My feet tripped when I noticed her outfit, or lack thereof, and a growl started low in my throat. She wore a bikini with nothing more than a thin strap of fabric around her waist to cover her curves. And fuck me, she had curves for motherfucking days. I groaned as I turned in her direction, moving without the conscious thought to do it. All I could focus on was the fact that some other asshole would get to see all that pretty bare skin.
No fucking way.
I stomped toward her, removing my cut to rip off my shirt and shoving my arms back inside the leather holes before reaching Rebel. “Put this on,” I ordered, not bothering to hide my irritation or the growl in my voice as I draped her shoulders with the material.
Her jaw popped open as I surrounded her with it, helped her arms through the sleeves, and did up the buttons as everyone in the bar quieted. I wasn’t rough, but I also didn’t give her a chance to refuse my shirt.
“No fucking bikinis.”
I knew how it looked and sounded. I didn’t give a fuck.
A sudden pain in my knee caught my attention as I spun, facing Lucky Lou as he sat on his red scooter. He held his cane in his hand and looked ready to use it a second time. The old coot was a regular around here. He sure loved to put his nose in everyone’s business.
“Back away from Rebel, Heron.”
I blinked, confused, pissed, and about to do something else equally stupid.
“Heron.”
Rebel’s soft voice caught my attention. As soon as my gaze swept over her, I felt instant remorse and shame. My feelings, not hers. But then she blinked, and I realized she’d paled. In fact, she seemed almost catatonic. Fear radiated from her.
Oh. Fuck.
“I’m sorry, Rebel. I didn’t intend to scare you.”
Outside The Roost, multiple crows cawed. One belted out a strained kraa.
My actions disturbed me, but not as much as Rebel’s reaction. Something wasn’t right. I had to fix this, but I couldn’t do that until I figured out what the fuck had spooked her.
That tingling sensation returned, and I knew she’d been harmed, possibly abused. Sudden rage flashed through my body. I’d find the motherfucker who did it, and he’d be sorry.
“Heron.” Crow ticked his chin toward his office. “We need to talk.”
Well, shit. I wasn’t going to get anything resolved right now. “Rebel.”
Her blue eyes seemed dull, less vibrant than usual. “I’m fine, Heron.” She didn’t remove my shirt but walked to the table where Bella sat, drinking tea with Bree and Crow’s sister, Gail.
I didn’t believe for a fucking second that she was okay. I overreacted, but to become afraid of me didn’t make sense.
“Heron,” Crow repeated.
I didn’t have a choice but to obey my president. “Comin’.”
If I could have gone straight to Rebel instead, I would have done it in less than a heartbeat.
Crow shut the door behind me as we entered his office, leaning against his desk instead of sitting behind it. “Is Rebel your mate?”
I frowned. “Mate?”
“You know what I’m asking. Your crow is agitated. He won’t stop squawking, and it’s riling up the others. Haven’t you noticed?”
“I suppose so.” I scrubbed a hand down my face and over the stubble on my jaw. Sometimes, I shaved it off, but I was letting my beard grow again. “The whole mate thing is confusing.” Even after a year, aspects of the crow bond still eluded me.
“You’re possessive, overprotective, and I’m bettin’ it wouldn’t take much to make you jealous. Am I right?”
I blew out a breath and decided to be honest. Lying to him wasn’t an option, and I didn’t want to do it anyhow. “Yeah. There’s something about her. It draws me in. I can’t seem to stop thinking about Rebel.” Or dreaming about her.
“And?”
“I’m on edge.”
He nodded. “That’s how I felt with Bella, Raven with Bree, Hawk with Callie, and Talon with my sister. When the crow chooses a mate, that’s it.”
I figured that part out already. “But what if she doesn’t want me?” Fuck. The thought of it made me physically ill. And then I remembered when I promised myself I wouldn’t touch her without permission, and I did it anyway. That just made me feel worse.
“You’ll have to work through whatever is going on between you. Rebel has a past, and it’s not my place to expose her secrets. Or yours, either. You need to talk to her.”
“That’s what I’m plannin’ to do,” I admitted.
“In the meantime, you gotta chill on the crazy, Heron. We’re almost like wolves who scent their mate. It’s not that different. Shifter males have a need to dominate and protect their females. Species don’t matter. It’s the instinct that drives us. The urge to mate.”
“I understand, Pres.” I cracked my neck, still feeling anxious. “That’s not what’s getting to me. It’s the fear I’ve felt from her on several occasions. Her emotions bring out a feral side I find hard to contain.”
He seemed surprised. “You feel her emotions?”
“Yes. As deeply as my own.”
“Damn, Heron. That’s new. I don’t think the rest of us have had that ability. It makes sense why you’re struggling. You’ve got to wrestle with both at the same time.”
“It’s overwhelming.”
He stroked his beard and nodded. “I wonder if that variation comes from your bloodline.”
Crow was still digging for answers about my past and biological parents.
“I guess it would make sense if it did.”
“Check in with Eagle Eye. He’s been looking into a commune he found in Ohio. It might be a lead.”
“I hope so.”
Crow pushed off the desk. “Make it right with her before tomorrow. I don’t need you distracted or Bella’s spa day filled with drama. You feel me?”
“Yeah, Pres, I do.”
I left his office with a purpose, determined to make this right with Rebel.