Spawn's She-Wolf

Kimera Chapter 7

They were so concerned and hovered. I knew they were doing it because they cared. Or at least that was why Troian and Lash were. I wasn’t sure why Spawn was. Shouldn’t he be spending time at the clubhouse? It was where the men gathered to have a good time and find companionship. I knew what the bunnies and hang arounds were for, even if I hadn’t met them yet. Since I’d been here, I’d stayed well away from the clubhouse when the women came to party, but I’d heard about them.

Thoughts of Spawn with them made me sick, but I didn’t have a hold over him. He was free to do whatever and whoever he wanted. Yes, he’d been with the group that rescued me, and afterward, he hung around until they went to take care of business, but I knew that was him being a good brother to Lash. The slight possibility of any interest he might’ve had in me prior to that night was a thing of the past. I would’ve thought my refusal to speak to him would be enough to show him I didn’t expect his attention. I didn’t need pity or whatever you called it from him.

I’d begun to enjoy our sparring contests up until I was foolish and got myself taken. He made my heart beat faster and my temper rise. I felt alive when he’d debate with me or look at me. Now, all I felt was dead. I wanted to be left alone. I needed to figure out my life and how to proceed. Everyone had paid me a visit at least once, and the old ladies more than once. Troian was with me every day. Although I stayed here at the compound for the first couple of days, I couldn’t confide in anyone, not even Troian. Especially her.

I knew her well enough to know she blamed herself for what happened to me. I could see it on her face every time she looked at me. That wasn’t a burden I wanted her to carry. I told her several times none of it was her fault. She said she knew that, but her actions said she didn’t believe it. She wanted me to talk about that night and what occurred. Lash and Alisse had tried more than a few times to examine me and begged me to let them get me treatment. I told all of them no. I just wanted to forget and get on with my life.

Lash and Troian practically forced me to come back to live at their house. I was tired and let it slide, but I wouldn’t impose on their hospitality for much longer. I needed to be in my house, where I was alone with my thoughts and dreams. Every night, I know I woke them with my screams. The nightmares wouldn’t stop. As hard as I tried to either not have them or to not scream, I did it every time. Afterward, I usually couldn’t go back to sleep, or it would take a long time before I could. I was surviving on catnaps.

I’d stayed in their house, not venturing out, but today, I wasn’t given a choice. I was told I was going to the clubhouse. Troian said Lash would carry me there himself if I didn’t go on my own two legs. His nod showed me they were dead serious, so I reluctantly agreed to go with them. I had no idea why they insisted I be there.

I was surprised when I was led not inside the clubhouse but to the area between the barbeque area and the playground. I noticed they’d set up seating and even heaters in that spot, and someone had sprayed a large square on the grass with white paint. What were they doing? I scanned around me, trying to figure it out and to see where everyone was.

Troian and I joined Annie, the kids, and the old ladies. She and I sat close but not right next to any of them. They greeted us with smiles and said how great it was to see me. I gave them faint smiles. Hopefully, they wouldn’t want to talk to me. I wasn’t up to it. Lash disappeared as soon as we got there, and I didn’t see a single one of the guys. Were they in church? What were the ladies waiting for?

Suddenly, the door to the clubhouse opened. I saw Rhaines holding it as the men marched out. The other women, along with Troi, called out taunts and booed the men. The guys were all stripped down, only wearing loose sweatpants. Their upper bodies were bare, and I had to admit that they made an impressive sight. All were fit and muscular and had numerous tattoos. My eyes couldn’t seem to stop staring at one man in particular. Spawn was a perfect specimen.

When I tore my gaze away from him, I saw they had colored tape wrapped around their hands. It dawned on me that they were having their fight night. The one Troian and I had egged Lash and Spawn into doing and placing bets on the outcome. God, it seemed like ages since we talked about it and teased Spawn and Lash about making those bets. It will be a week tomorrow since we issued our challenge. They lined up around what I now guessed was the dirt ring in front of us. Reaper faced us.

He was very businesslike as he addressed our small group. “We’re here tonight to settle a bet that was recently made. Two of you ladies challenged the manhood of the Iron Punishers in regard to our ability to handle pain. The exact charge was we wouldn’t be able to stand the rigors of childbirth if we were able to have children. Troian and Kimera were adamant it wasn’t possible, and I believe they said we’d curl up and whine or something to that effect.”

The old ladies, along with Annie and Troian, snickered. I let a small smile slip. It seemed our challenge had been taken to heart by the whole club. This just might be interesting. Once the other women quieted some, Reaper continued. “Of course, there’s no way we can give birth to prove it, so an all-out no-holds-barred fight was suggested. We men will engage in it and not hold back. The ladies will then judge when we’re done if men could stand to have babies.”

“And what else do you get out of it if you win, other than your male pride?” Annie yelled.

“Well, for those of us just supporting our two brothers, it’ll be pride and satisfaction as well as a damn good workout. As for Spawn and Lash, well, that’s between them and those two.” He pointed to Troi and me.

“We’d like to know what it is unless it’s a secret,” Annie insisted.

Lash gave her an answer. “Part of it was we all put money down on the outcome. If the men win, we pick a worthy organization to receive the pot as a donation. The losers double the pot amount to make it a better donation. The other part of it is personal and between us and the ladies.”

“Oh, I gotta hear that part. Ladies, we’ll talk later,” Annie teased us. I felt my cheeks heat up, and Troian blushed, too. There was no way I was telling them what the second part of the bet was. It was a moot point now, anyway. There would be no pleasure or children between me and Spawn. Troian and Lash would be the ones to do that. All the old ladies grinned and told us they had to hear it, too.

I was thankful when Reaper took back the conversation. “Enough talk. It’s time to get this started. This is based on total honesty, so no cheating, just to be unified against the men. The rules are we won’t permanently maim each other, use weapons other than our hands and feet, and a match will go until it’s called due to being pinned and unable to break loose, one man is unconscious, too hurt to continue, or one of the fighters taps out. We won’t kill each other either. Those are the rules. The refs for this will be Colt, me, and Mayhem. We’ll take turns. Do you ladies agree to be unbiased?”

“Agreed,” rang out from all of them. I kept my mouth shut.

I didn’t know what to expect, but as the first fight got underway, I learned. They were fighting all out, and I flinched more than once at the blows that landed and how hard they fought each other. The first fight was between Remus and Shadow. They didn’t start hitting each other right away. They bounced around and let loose with some halfhearted jabs. That lasted a minute or two, and then they started to really fight. Neither man took it easy on the other just because they were friends and club brothers. They had us ladies gasping. It was Shadow who won it by knocking out Remus. He was helped to the sideline to recover while the next match was chosen and started.

Pair after pair were called into the ring, and the fights were brutal. Ink and Tinker fought, and Tinker won after putting Ink in a submission hold he couldn’t get out of. Next was Rhaines and Romulus. The prospect held his own for a long time, but ultimately, Romulus won when he made Rhaines tap out. Reaper fought Mayhem, and it was the best fight to that point. The swearing and yelling were much more frequent and louder for their match. They were bloody and bruised. Finally, Colt, the ref for their match, called it a tie since neither man could get the upper hand or would submit.

Crusher and Maniac went up against each other after those two. Lark flinched the entire match and chewed on her thumb while their son Flynn watched it avidly. I didn’t think he ever blinked. I was finding myself more and more in awe of their skill and dedication to proving us wrong. Eventually, the match was called due to the amount of blood. Mayhem was worried one or both had been seriously hurt.

Ratchet and Sandman were next. They tried to get me to draw the names for their match, but I told them to let one of the other ladies do it. Their round was filled with jabs and kicks. It was a fluke, I think, when Ratchet got Sandman in a hold, and he couldn’t break it, so Sandman had to submit. They didn’t leave the ring mad. They were laughing, joking, and slapping each other on the backs as they left.

I didn’t know if it was intentional or just luck, but the last fight was between Lash and Spawn. Troian and I exchanged worried glances. I saw Lash wink at her. Spawn actually came over to me. “Kimera, you don’t have to worry. We know what we’re doing. We’ll both be fine.”

He didn’t give me a chance to respond before he walked off and got into the ring with Lash. He shook Lash’s hand. They wished each other good luck and hoped they would win their bets. They said more, but it was said so low we couldn’t hear it, but they appeared very serious as they spoke. There was a flash of fury on Spawn’s face for a couple of moments. Then, it was replaced with a grin. The bell rang, and the fight was on.

They exchanged blow after blow and kick after kick. Neither seemed to slow down or lose the power behind their punches and kicks. They went on and on. My anxiety increased as each minute passed. Would they keep doing this until someone got hurt? Why didn’t Reaper or one of the other refs stop it? My fear peaked when Lash hit Spawn in the temple, and he fell to his knees. A scream escaped me. Tears filled my eyes, and I stood up. I had to get out of here. I couldn’t watch any more. I took off running for the house. I heard my name shouted, but I didn’t stop. How I wish Toro was with me. I’d left him at their house so he could chill.

I was past Maniac and Lark’s house, coming up on Lash and Troian’s when my arm was snagged, and I was whipped around. I wasn’t jerked hard or anything, but it scared me. I let out a scream. It took a couple of heartbeats for me to recognize Spawn had a hold of me. He was frowning in concern.

“Kimera, what’s wrong? Why did you scream then take off? Surely you didn’t think we were gonna hurt each other.”

I didn’t know what to tell him, so I tried to deflect him. “I don’t know why I did that. I’m fine. I just want to go to the house and lie down. I’m suddenly really tired. Please, go back to your brothers. I bet everyone will be in the common room celebrating. You don’t want to miss it or the entertainment later.”

He frowned. “What entertainment? Sure, some will have a few drinks, maybe shoot pool, or play darts. Others will just relax and talk. I wouldn’t call that entertainment.”

His coyness pissed me off. Why did men have to lie and sneak around? Why did they have to only care about themselves? “You know what I mean! Those women who come in after the wives leave. The ones there to fuck you and your brothers. The bunnies and hang arounds. I meant them. They’ll all be gone if you don’t get back,” I said snidely.

He reared back in surprise. He didn’t say anything for a couple of beats, then he denied it. “Babe, I’m not interested in going back to the clubhouse and hooking up with anyone. Yes, later, there are women like that coming, I have no doubt, but they’re for my brothers, not me.”

“Why not you? Don’t you like women?”

He narrowed his eyes on me. “You know I like women. I made a bet with you, didn’t I? Why would I touch one of them when you and I are planning our marriage and kids?”

I yanked my arm loose. His words made my stomach knot and my eyes water. “That’s never happening between us. It’s cruel to tease me about something like that.”

“What!?”

I didn’t stay to debate it with him. I darted off, and somehow, I made it to Troi and Lash’s house and inside. Toro came running to me. He followed me as I ran up the stairs as fast as I could to reach my bedroom. I locked the door behind us and then threw myself on the bed. Tears poured out as I sobbed. Too bad crying didn’t ease my pain. I didn’t think anything would. I wished I could find oblivion for a little while. Toro climbed up and curled himself up against me. I threw an arm over him and bawled. He was the one to wipe my tears away with his tongue.

???

The days since the fight night had been nerve-racking for me. Troian kept asking me why I left and what Spawn said to me. Spawn wouldn’t stop coming by the house and spending hours here when Lash was around. Why couldn’t they respect that all I wanted was to be left alone? Their poking and prodding into my pain and life wasn’t needed. It was more than illustrated tonight when Spawn and I got into a yelling match. He’d joined us for dinner. I tried to eat in my room, but Troian begged me to join them, so I did.

We were almost finished eating when I casually mentioned my plans. “Troi, Lash, I want to thank you for having me here. I know that three is a crowd, especially when you’re just establishing your lives together. You’ll be happy to know that I’m planning to go home in the next day or two. It’s time I got back into the swing of things. My work can’t wait forever, either. Thank you both very much.”

The clatter of metal against something hard made me turn my head. Spawn’s spoon was half lying off his plate. He was staring at me with a stunned look on his face. Troian was giving me a pleading look while Lash watched with worry on his face.

“Kimera, you’re not imposing on us. We love having you here, and we don’t want you to leave,” Troi said.

“Troi, you’re sweet, and I love you for being such a good friend to me by allowing me into your house, but it’s time for me to go home. It’s been sitting empty. Lord knows what’s happened to it. I thought tomorrow would be a good day for me and Toro to go back.”

“Like hell, you will. You don’t need to be out there all alone with just your dog. If you don’t want to stay with Troian and Lash, there are plenty of other places you can stay. Besides, you’re still recovering. You need to be where you have people who care for you and will be available if you need anything. Your house is fine. I’ve been checking it for you,” Spawn said gruffly.

“It wouldn’t just be me and Toro. Did you forget I have guns? I know how to use them, I assure you.”

“Why don’t we calm down and talk about this?” Lash asked calmly.

“There’s nothing to talk about. She’s not going, and if she tries it, I’ll lock her ass up here,” Spawn snapped.

“Fuck you, Spawn! You can’t tell me what to do!” I yelled. How dare he talk like that. Who did he think he was?

“Fuck if I can’t. I’m not letting you get hurt to satisfy some asinine idea that you have to do everything alone.”

“Screw you and your asinine comment. No man tells me what to do!”

“This man does, so get used to it. You’re not going, and that’s final,” he snarled.

I shoved back my chair and screamed at him. Toro was alert and growling. He didn’t know what the hell was happening. “Fuck you! No man will ever control me again. So watch me.”

Tears made an appearance, much to my embarrassment. I ran from the room with him yelling for me to come back. He ended up following me and sitting outside my room, trying to get me to talk to him, but I wouldn’t. I wrapped pillows around my ears so they would muffle his words. He sat out there for a good hour before it got quiet. Toro relaxed once he was gone. Until then, he stood between me and the locked door and paced.

That was yesterday. Today, Troian and I spent the day entertaining Toro. We didn’t talk about my plans to leave. I was still determined to do it, but not today. I figured if I tried it, Spawn would have someone at the gate to stop me. I had to do this smartly. Also, I couldn’t leave Troi when she was worried about Lash. He left in the middle of the night, according to her. I found this out when I got up this morning. She had no idea what he was doing other than it was club business. I couldn’t help but wonder if the reason I hadn’t seen Spawn today was because he was out with Lash and other members completing this club business.

I was in my room reading while Troian was watching a television show. She asked me to join her, but I needed a bit of alone time. A knock at my bedroom door got me to put down the book. I’d been struggling to get into the story anyway. “Come in,” I called out when I heard her say my name. I sat up on the bed.

“Hey, Lash is back. He says the guys need us to come to the clubhouse. They have something to fill us in on. He said it wasn’t anything bad.”

“Really? I wonder what it is. Give me a minute to brush my hair, and I’ll go.”

She ended up waiting for me, and we walked into the living room together. Toro was on my heels. I was full of apprehension despite Lash’s assurance to her. He smiled at me, and the three of us, along with Toro, walked over to the clubhouse. There were a ton of bikes out front. Inside, the club members were everywhere.

They nodded at us, but no one said anything. Lash kept walking, so Troian and I followed him. The guys fell in behind us. We were taken into a room with a huge table and lots of chairs around it. From my tour when I first came here, I knew this was where they had church. Why were we there? Women weren’t allowed in here, just patched members. I stumbled as I saw Reaper and Spawn were already at the table.

As we approached Spawn, he jumped up and pulled out a chair next to him. After catching my attention, he pointed to it. I thought of arguing but then decided that wasn’t the way to go, so I sat down. Troian sat further along beside her man. After the others took their seats, Reaper hit the table with a hammer-like thing and spoke.

“Ladies, welcome. Thanks for joining us. You have to be wondering why you’re here. First, let me tell you, it’s nothing bad. In fact, it’s damn good. We wanted to tell you together. You need to know, as the newest members to our family, we don’t make promises we don’t keep, nor do we leave things not tied up,” Reaper told us, then paused.

Troian thanked him and then told him she knew that about them. He said actions spoke louder than words, and as their family, she should’ve been safe. He even apologized to me for getting hurt while trying to protect Troian, my friend. He thought it was their fault I was hurt. They should’ve assigned more than Colt to me.

I couldn’t let his recriminations go unchallenged. “No, it wasn’t your fault. I was the one who colored my hair and rode around like that. I got Colt hurt. He could’ve been killed. I’m the one who should be apologizing. You’ve been nice enough to let me stay here despite that, but I want you to know I plan to get out of your hair.”

This earned me a rumbling growl from Spawn and a glare. I glared right back at him. Reaper continued talking about Crusher’s family in Russia and how they were taking care of the Gusev family there. That left just Andrik, the one Troian put in prison here. He finished up that interesting speech with, “I’ll let Lash and Spawn tell you the rest.”

Lash was given a chin lift by Spawn, so he began to talk. “Last night, Spawn and I made sure Andrik will never see daylight again. He met with an unfortunate accident which landed him in the infirmary of the prison.”

“What kind of accident? And how will that keep him in prison? He only got a ten-year sentence,” Troi said.

“He did, but then he took a hard tumble down the stairs,” Lash said with a grin.

This got my attention. I had to ask. “How did he fall down those stairs?”

“It seems someone started a rumor that he was not only in there for pandering but he likes the kiddies. Rumor was he not only pimped out women but kids too, and he sampled them,” Spawn said, sounding short. Then Lash explained Andrik’s prison record was altered, and an inmate saw the notation and told others.

As amazing as it sounded. I asked the obvious questions, or at least they seemed obvious to me. “How does this keep him there, though? Won’t they just put him in protective custody? That’s what they do to those filthy bastards.”

It was Spawn who answered me. “Usually, yes, but it seems his luck got worse once he got to the infirmary. See, there’s an inmate who’s in for life. He was a doctor, so the warden let him work there. Free labor, you see. It appears that recently, one of his nephews was molested. He’s only ten years old. Suffice it to say his uncle is furious that he’s not able to do anything about it. I guess when a cho mo appeared in front of him, he couldn’t resist,” Spawn added.

Troian asked what a cho mo was. I had no idea, either. When he told us it was prison slang for a child molester, I wanted to say duh to myself. I wasn’t sure where knowing prison slang would come in handy in the future, but I filed it away. Troian asked how they knew all this. I found out truly how cunning and talented Spawn was. Of course, I’d never tell him this or that I admired his skills. I also learned to fear them a bit when Lash said they had people on the inside to help with problems like this.

I had no remorse for the man, even if Troi voiced a bit of guilt over a lie getting Andrik killed. Spawn quickly told her there was no lie. He’d found evidence of Andrik’s guilt. He not only molested kids, but he sold them in his sick sex ring. Hearing all of this, while relieving me on one hand, brought up terrible memories. A sob slipped out, and then another. I rocked in my seat.

I was stunned when Spawn reached over and lifted me up like I didn’t weigh a thing and sat me on his lap. He rocked me, and I was too drained to fight him. I let comfort seep into me as he whispered in my ear.

“Baby, don’t cry. All those animals are gone. They can’t hurt you again. You just need to focus on healing.”

I sobbed harder. How could I remind him that they weren’t the only monsters in the world? There were so many and most we didn’t know about until it was too late. They ruined lives, and most got away with it. I don’t know how long we sat like that before I realized the others had left the room. I sat up and wiped my wet face.

“I’m okay. You can let me up now. I think we should go see what the others are doing.” I tried to get up, but he held me to him.

He searched my gaze. “Are you sure you’re ready for that? We can talk. I’m a good listener, you know.”

“I’m sure you are, but I don’t want to talk.”

Sighing, he let go so I could stand. “Well, if you change your mind, I’m here. You’ll talk to me one of these days.”

I hurried out of the room when he said that. What he just said was what I was afraid of. I couldn’t tell him or anyone else here about it, but especially him. I had to get out of here soon.