Chapter 12 Bedlam
M addog clapped my shoulder with his meaty hand, steering me toward the exit. “Time for the Devil’s Ride, Brick. Not sure who’ll you come back as once he’s done with you.”
He had to be joking.
“When you return, we’ll talk. I have my suspicions, but I believe you had a rat in your club. No other explanation for how the Crimson Skulls got the jump on you or why you didn’t find them before they attacked.”
I already had that thought myself. “I know.”
“We’ll find them,” he promised.
Dagger joined me, dropping onto the seat of his bike at the same time I did. He was antsy, pissed, and didn’t want to be anywhere else but hunting the assholes who took Audrey.
“We go right after this,” I swore.
“If she’s harmed,” he growled. “I’ll fucking kill them all, Brick.”
“And I’ll be by your side.”
Dagger started his engine, riding beside me as we followed Maddog out of the gate. Neither of us understood why we had to go on this ride for initiation, but since the Graven Bastards voted to help us, we’d do what was required. Their club was our club now.
Did that mean we turned our backs on the Desert Titans? Hell no. Those fallen brothers would always be a part of us.
Fuck. Thinking of Judge, my chest tightened. He was betrayed, and I intended to find the motherfucker who did it.
Cool wind whipped against my clothes and face as we rode out of Vegas and headed down the highway. Maddog led us for several miles before he turned right, heading directly into the desert. My tires crunched over dirt, rocks, and tumbleweeds, kicking up a brutal vortex of thick sand that lashed at my skin.
“Maddog!” I yelled, hoping to get his attention.
We must have ridden into a dust storm.
The ground became unsteady as I gripped my handlebars tighter, fighting for control. The wind blew harder. I had to struggle to keep my eyes open, hoping I didn’t crash into the bike in front of me.
But it wasn’t a motorcycle I crashed into a few seconds later. I slammed into something hard and round, realizing far too late that I hit a massive boulder. My Harley stopped with the brutal impact, jarring my body so hard I snapped my teeth together. My back tire lifted off the ground, and I was thrown from the saddle, sailing through the air in an ungraceful arc.
Fuck!
I landed on the ground with a thud, groaning as a bone in my arm snapped. I heard the break and closed my eyes against the wave of pain that throbbed afterward, stealing all my focus. Where the hell was Maddog, Dagger, and the rest of the Graven Bastards? I didn’t see or hear anyone after I crashed.
“That’s because you’re fuckered, my friend.”
My eyes popped open, and I stared into the black face of an enormous spider. All eight legs supported the hourglass body and rounded head, claspers twitching as it skittered closer.
“Oh, fuck!” I shouted, jumping to my feet as I cradled my arm. “What the fuck?”
“Twice in a row. How utterly prolific.”
Huh?
Eight eyes blinked at me as I took a step back. I swear this arachnid was staring at me like I was fucking dinner.
What the hell was going on? Did I crash and hit my head? Was this all a dream?
An inhuman laugh spilled from its mouth, gaping open as two fangs dripped a secretion that resembled saliva. I wasn’t going to be eaten by this monstrous spider. No fucking way!
I had a knife in my cut. One arm injured, I’d still gut the motherfucker.
As fast as the spider appeared, it vanished. I blinked, and it was gone, replaced by a dude in a dark suit. His dark hair was slicked back, and as he approached, I could see blood had been used instead of hair products.
“Hello, Brick Mayfield.” The stranger bowed.
“Uh, you were just a fucking spider.”
“Yes, it appeared that way, didn’t it?” He snickered. “I know you’ve always been fascinated by them. Never did get scared like some of the other kids. You always played with them and then released them on trees.”
How in the fuck did he know that?
“I’ve been lingering around you since the day you were born.”
I blinked, confused by his clipped, precise way of speaking and the flawless, tailored suit that fit him like a second skin. A blood-red pocket square and crisp white button-down shirt completed his impeccable appearance.
“Who are you?”
“I would think I didn’t need an introduction.”
The Devil’s Ride. That was what Maddog told me before we left the clubhouse. He said I would see what he decided to call me.
Fuck me. This was Lucifer Morningstar.
The motherfucking devil himself.
“Ah, you have heard of me.”
“Who hasn’t?”
“So very true. My reputation precedes me. It’s quite convenient.”
Uh-huh. I bet.
“Aren’t you delightful? It never ceases to amaze me how Grim and Maddog find such titillating humans to add to my collection.” He covered his mouth with a gleeful laugh. “Oops. I must not tell my secrets.”
I opened my mouth to reply when he flicked out a forked tongue and tasted the air, wiggling it before slurping it back into his mouth. He made an enraptured noise like something turned him on.
Better not fucking be me.
He chortled, grinning wider than humanely possible, but then, he was the devil.
“Would you like to vindicate the deaths of your fallen brothers?”
What kind of question was that? Of course, I did.
“How about ensuring your sweet Ginny and unborn son are safe, free from harm or any threats?”
My son. Did that mean he knew the gender of my child?
“I do.” He shrugged. “Sorry, not sorry for telling you.”
I actually didn’t mind.
“What if I told you I could guarantee that you’d never have to worry about anyone ever harming them because you’d have the strength and ability to overcome every enemy?”
Fuck, that was tempting.
“What’s the price?” I asked, wary of his offer.
“No price.” He winked. “Just a favor.”
Hmmm. Favors didn’t usually come without the expectation of being called upon later to make it even.
“True,” he answered as if he could hear the thoughts in my head. “Wise of you to consider it. However, this time, you won’t have to worry about that detail. What I’m asking of you covers any and all current and future stipulations.”
Frowning, I crossed my arms and winced. I nearly forgot I’d injured one of them.
The devil sauntered closer and touched the tip of his finger to my arm. I felt a flash of heat and then a stinging sensation. A few seconds later, all the pain was gone.
“You’ve been healed. Consider it a gift.”
“But you were the cause, to begin with, weren’t you?”
He laughed, seeming pleased that I figured it out. “What do you think of my proposal?”
“What do I have to do?”
He backed up a few paces, then spread his arms wide. “Find the souls marked for death and lead them to the reapers.”
What the fuck?
I was about to ask for clarification when my mind became flooded with images. Things I shouldn’t have known and had neverexperienced were dropped into my mind. The hungry shadows who sought out the darkest, vilest of souls. How they whispered into the ears of those who could hear and lent their ability to see those souls. And the reapers, chosen by Lucifer, members in the Tonopah Chapter of the Graven Bastards.
Graven and marked by the devil to serve him.
I nearly stumbled as the truth sank into my mind, filling it with all I needed to know to become another vessel for Lucifer.
“There are so many wicked souls out there. I’m hungry.” He shrugged. “Feed me.”
Yeah, that was fucking creepy.
“In exchange, you will receive an entity to help guide you. One of my trusted shadows.”
“What if I don’t want to give all the power to the shadows and the reapers? What if I want to help destroy those wicked souls you speak of?”
Like Butcher and the rest of the Crimson Skulls MC.
“Well, ask, and you shall receive.” He rushed me, knocking his forehead into mine as we collided.
I felt my skull crack open, and then a piece of Lucifer entered me, taking up residence and slithering into the roots of my soul. This entity bonded to me almost instantly, and I felt his presence, power, and overwhelming hunger.
“He will guide you, but he will also obey.” Lucifer winked. “It’ll be an interesting merger. This is one of my independent shadows, one who likes to get dirty.”
Um. I couldn’t tell if that was good or bad.
Lucifer smirked. “What does it matter? Good? Bad? They are simple definitions for simple-minded people.”
I could argue that, but I didn’t.
“Do you accept my offer?”
I didn’t have a choice now that a demonic shadow had entered my body and latched on. “I do.”
“How marvelous.” Lucifer snapped his fingers, and a scroll appeared, tumbling open as gold lettering appeared, writing up a contract so fast I couldn’t keep up with all it entailed. That must have been the point. “You must sign.”
“Okay.”
“In your blood.”
“Isn’t that a bit archaic?”
“Why, yes. That’s why I enjoy it.”
I believed him.
Lucifer sliced his nail across the tip of my finger, drawing blood to the surface.
Without thinking about it, I signed my name on the bottom of the parchment, giving Lucifer what he asked.
Would I someday regret this? Time would tell.
“The only regrets are not living in the moment. Trust me. I’ve seen enough human failure to last a million lifetimes. These terms will benefit you far more than your ordinary life ever could.”
What a salesman. Even after he had my signature, he still enjoyed the pitch.
“Oh, one more thing.”
Shit. “Yeah?”
“You’re getting a slight name change.”
Ffs. “What do you want me to be called?”
“Bedlam.” He grinned. “I believe you’ll enjoy the chaos and carnage that follow.”
Before I could reply, he disappeared.
In an instant, I was back on my bike, seated as I stared at Maddog, Skel, Dagger, and the other Graven Bastards. Knowing smiles lingered on all their faces. They’d done this before and had similar experiences. I didn’t have to ask to know it was true.
“Well, how do you feel, Brick, or should I say, Bedlam?”
“You know he changed my road name?”
“He made a point to tell me.”
I looked at Dagger. “What did he name you?”
Dagger snorted. “I’m still Dagger.”
Son of a bitch. The joke was on me.
Every one of them laughed as I shrugged. “I guess I have to live with it.”
“He has his reasons.” Maddog, my new president, nodded. “It suits you. I can see your shadow warrior. He’s hungry for vengeance on your behalf.”
“Dagger?”
“He’s ready, too.”
I almost asked if he received a new friend like I did when I sensed it inside him. I could sense it in all of them. Each unique shadowed entity that craved for things only spoken about in the darkness, like carnage, blood, death, and retribution, and they each bolstered the others. Together, we were a mighty force of reckoning.
Dagger smiled for the first time in weeks. “Let’s hunt.”
Maddog lifted his fist and pumped the air. “We leave no prisoners. No mercy. Avenge our fallen!”
It might have been a bit cheesy, but I could feel the collective strength, power, and motivation. We would be unstoppable.