Chapter 8 Crypt
Ihad only been standing outside the bedroom door for about half an hour when Grim approached. He wasn’t alone. I didn’t recognize the prospect with him, but I could tell by the cut he wore. The patch only read his position, not anything else. He wouldn’t get a road name until he patched in.
“We’re riding out,” Grim announced. “Prospect will keep watch until we return.”
I wanted to object, but I didn’t. I had to do what my president ordered, even when I worried that Rachel would need me and I wouldn’t be there.
Grim led me outdoors. I didn’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t the long row of bikes waiting with GBMC members in the saddles, all staring at me with expectation.
“We’re gonna take the Devil’s Ride. You survive it, you’re in.”
Survive it? I didn’t ask, but fuck, that sounded ominous.
I nodded and joined him, riding beside Grim, although it was the spot reserved for his VP, Mammoth. The cut I wore, and my DNA already earned me a spot, but I also had to prove that I could handle being a Graven Bastard.
What that meant, I wasn’t sure.
It seemed about half the club was taking this ride with me, including Patriot, Rael, Mammoth, Exorcist, and a few others. The rest remained at The Crossroads with Hannibal.
A prospect opened the gate, and we rolled out, riding in a side-by-side format in a long line until we left town and merged onto Hwy 95. The warm Nevada wind blew through my hair, and it felt right to be among men who had known and called Lockjaw family.
Grim gestured for me to follow him and turned a sharp right, entering a nameless road that soon became nothing more than desert sand beneath my tires.
Dust started to swirl around my bike, rising higher until I couldn’t see anything around me.
I was suddenly lost inside a funnel, watching the wind whip around me like the inside of a tornado.
No longer able to ride, I slowed to a stop.
“Grim!”
I shouted his name several times, but didn’t hear a response. I knew the desert could kick up a brutal sandstorm. I must have been caught in one and separated from the rest of the group.
The wind finally began to slow, but as the air cleared, I didn’t see the desert any longer.
Grass and freshly dug earth replaced the sand.
Instead of rolling tumbleweeds and cacti, I saw a brown casket inside a grave.
The headstone read a name I hadn’t visited in years. My father’s, carved into the stone.
I stumbled back a step, nearly losing my balance when I noticed I no longer sat on my bike.
Ahead of me, I heard a strange growl. Massive black wings rose from inside the grave, appearing first as I stared at the clawed tips.
As the creature rose from the ground, I blinked, wondering what the fuck happened to me.
Was I dead? Did I fall off my bike and hit my head?
This couldn’t be real.
A dark chuckle filled the stagnant air. There was no breeze. No sounds other than the monstrous thud of clawed feet as the creature emerged from the grave.
Now that I could see the body and head, I couldn’t decide on what type of monster stood before me.
He had wings but no horns. Clawed feet and hands, but a human face.
A muscled humanoid male form with an enormous cock.
The longer he stood there, the harder it grew until the appendage bobbed in the air.
Luckily, he was too far away to touch me with it.
I held my ground, refusing to look down, keeping my focus on his face. “What are you?”
“Wrong question.”
I blinked. “Who are you?”
He snickered. “Much better.”
“And?”
The creature snapped his clawed fingers, and the wings disappeared, followed by the claws. A man stood in front of me wearing an expensive black suit. His painted nails matched the color. Long, dark hair brushed the top of his shoulders, but he didn’t have any facial hair.
Now fully clothed, he spread his arms wide, a grin on his lips. “Lucifer Morningstar.”
“The devil?”
He shivered. “Every time one of you gets it right, I get hard. It’s so fucking delicious.”
Um. I took a couple of steps backward. “Not interested.”
Lucifer stomped his foot like a spoiled child who wasn’t getting their way. “You can’t reject me before you know what I’m offering.”
Yeah, I could.
“Lockjaw would be very disappointed.” Lucifer gestured to his grave. “He’s been gone a long time, Crypt.”
Yeah, I knew that. Hello? I’m his son.
“What if I can offer you something he never got the chance to hear? Something he was destined to be included in, but his enemies got to him first.”
What the hell was Lucifer talking about?
“The chance to get even. For revenge.”
“I don’t need revenge against anyone.”
“Don’t lie,” Lucifer growled as his eyes began to burn red. “What about Michelle’s attacker?”
A burst of rage filled me, and I rushed toward him, only to be flung backward when he lifted his hand, and I smacked into an invisible wall. “So tiresome,” Lucifer mumbled. “Your sister was attacked. Your father was also attacked. How about a little violence and bloodshed? An eye for an eye?”
Was he talking about murder?
“I can’t kill anyone.”
Lucifer sighed and tilted his head back, dramatically. “You won’t be doing the killing.”
Huh?
He shook his head. “I’m getting bored.”
Okay? Why was he even here?
“Let me spell this out for you, Crypt. Me? Badass devil, leader of the underworld, king of demons, and your master. You? The guy who gets to bond with a Reaper, heap violence on bad guys, and send souls to me. Easy.”
Send souls. . . wait. “Explain in better detail.”
Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose. “Being a part of the Graven Bastards means you reap the souls of wicked men and send them to hell.”
Did that mean Grim and the other members all. . . reaped souls? “Like the Grim Reaper? With a scythe?”
Lucifer clapped his hands. “Finally. Yes, that’s exactly what it means.”
“How does this work?”
“I offer you a contract, and you sign it.” He shrugged. “It’s a simple business arrangement. You rid the world of bad men, and I get to feed on the suffering of their souls.”
A contract? “Am I signing over my soul?”
Lucifer smirked, which didn’t make me feel any better about his deal.
“You’re signing a contract to accept a Reaper and share a bond where he reaps the souls, and you get to help.
Think of the power you’ll have to rid the world of rapists, predators who target children and the innocent, and human traffickers. ”
It had its appeal.
“You can send Trey Burrows to me in hell.”
That motherfucker deserved to rot in hell for eternity. It was hard to say no to this bargain. I would finally get revenge and justice for my sister.
“One last thing, your father was supposed to become a Reaper. Grim was chosen to lead the Graven Bastards, and Lockjaw was meant to stand beside him. You have a chance to join the club he loved and died to protect, to become a vindicator and champion for those who can’t protect themselves.”
Like Rachel’s daughter, Rylee. My sister. Other innocents.
I always felt a pull to the Graven Bastards. It was more than riding a Harley Davidson and patching into a club. The GBMC was a brotherhood and family. They were the missing piece ot the puzzle of my life.
Lucifer’s lips twitched as his grin widened. “You’re ready.”
“I am.”
He snapped his fingers, and a cream-colored parchment appeared in his hand.
It popped open and unrolled, coming to a stop at my boots.
Words shimmered in a golden hue, sparkling before darkening to a deep crimson.
I could see every detail of the contract as I skimmed the words, noting that my only real requirement was to reap the souls Lucifer marked for death.
As long as I obeyed him, there wouldn’t be any issue.
“How do I know which souls are marked?”
“The Reaper will show you.” Lucifer tapped the parchment. “Sign.”
I didn’t have a pen.
“Lift your hand.”
As soon as I did, he pricked the end of my finger. Blood immediately began to bead on the surface. Using my own blood, I signed my name.
The parchment trembled like it was alive, soaking up my blood and rolling closed before it disappeared in a shimmer of golden sparks. Lucifer sure seemed to love drama, especially when he created it.
“Now it’s time to meet your Reaper.”
I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it wasn’t being shoved with two hands on my chest, slamming into the ground as I groaned.
With a curse, I rolled over onto my back.
Something hovered above me, almost a shadow but not quite.
It sank into my skin as I sucked in a breath.
For a few seconds, my heart felt like it would beat hard enough to break through my chest.
“Ohhhhh,” Lucifer giggled. “This is a good match.”
In the future, I will always remember this moment as the one that changed the course of my life forever. I was no longer alone. There was another presence inside me. Powerful. Energetic. Awe overcame me, and I felt what I could only describe as an internal hug.
Then the entity inside me spoke. His voice filled my head.
“I’m home.”
Lucifer’s dark chuckle followed his words, and then the devil left us, disappearing as I struggled to contain the Reaper inside me. I felt his need to bond—the push to accept him.
“Okay.” I said the world aloud, jolting when I felt him sink further into my bones and organs, attaching to every cell.
He was as much a part of me as my lungs and brain, as important as the blood flowing through my veins. I never felt anything quite like it. His power became mine as a burst of energy filled me.
And then a wave of protectiveness, fierce, intense as Rachel, Rylee, and Michelle filled my thoughts.
“Hey, you’re back,” Patriot announced.
Rael was laughing as I realized I sat on my bike in the middle of the desert. Headlights from all the bikes pointed at me. It was bright as fuck, but I could see them all staring, waiting, watching.
“Yeah, he got fuckered.” Mammoth shook his head. “Lucifer likes his drama.”
“This is the worst part,” Grim assured me. “It gets better, easier to handle.”
“But you’ll still feel overwhelmed with your emotions.”
Yeah. I was there for sure.
“It’s the lust that will fuck with you first. Your cock will want to fuck for days like a horny teenager. Since you can’t have Rachel, you’re gonna rub your palm raw.”
“Thanks, Rael.” I flipped him off. Asshole.
Grim laughed. “Leave him alone, Rael. He’s already got to deal with Hannibal.”
True. My Reaper liked the sound of Rachel’s name. He wanted to see her and urged me to return to The Crossroads.
“Time to get inked, Crypt. You’re a Graven Bastard now.” He ticked his chin toward the highway. “I think Lockjaw would be proud.”
Rael nodded his agreement. So did Mammoth.
I was finally with family, where I belonged.