Chapter 9
ONYX
My thumb grazed the edge of her calf tattoo again, my jaw tightening as the edges of that symbol snapped into place in my head.
An ownership mark. Not like the ink the Hounds had.
This didn’t signal love, loyalty, or even protection.
It coldly declared possession. A flag in the dirt that told anyone with the eyes to see it that she belonged to someone. That she was property.
And she had no fucking idea.
I’d seen syndicate shit like this before. Criminal branding meant to signal ownership, not just of loyalty, but of her body as well. It was a warning that she was off-limits in every way.
She’d been walking around wearing someone else’s fucking claim, and Marks had never told her. Hadn’t explained what it meant or warned her that every time she wore shorts, the wrong kind of eyes might see it and make assumptions that could get her killed.
Like these two fuckers who had rolled up to send a warning. They’d seen that mark, and now they knew she wasn’t just an art project for Marks. She was not to be touched.
Marks had turned her into a valuable commodity.
Which meant they’d be back. Or someone worse would come. Because word would get out, it always did.
I saw red.
Elena’s skin was still warm under my fingers, but I was barely functioning through the white noise roaring between my ears.
That fucking bastard had touched what was mine.
Claimed her like he had the right. Burned his territory into her flesh like she was a tool.
No, like she was a fucking asset he’d purchased and stored for later.
The worst part was that he’d obviously branded her without her permission. Like fucking cattle for the slaughter.
Elena shifted slightly, probably sensing the storm just beneath the surface, but I didn’t move. Didn’t speak. I couldn’t. The fury inside me had snapped something loose, and everything rational I’d clung to was falling apart piece by piece. Every fucking scrap of patience and restraint.
She was mine.
And that brand didn’t belong on her skin.
My fingers curled around her ankle, not rough but firmly enough to ground myself as I finally looked up at her, knowing I couldn’t hide the madness that was quickly consuming me.
Her eyes were wide, still bright with leftover adrenaline and something softer—trust. She didn’t understand what seeing that symbol had done to me, but she didn’t look at me with fear.
I slowly got to my feet, my jaw locked so hard it felt like my molars would snap. Then I took Elena’s hand and helped her up. I towered over her, but her gaze was soft as she tilted her chin to look up at me.
We needed to get the fuck outta here. I needed her alone before the roaring animal inside me took over.
“I’m taking you to the clubhouse. Now.”
She blinked. “Why?”
I stared her down, every muscle in my body tight and thrumming with barely contained rage.
I couldn’t fucking think, let alone explain.
My hands itched to wipe that mark off her skin, and my mouth burned to cover every fucking inch of her with something that would bury every trace of him under my claim.
“Not now,” I snapped, then softened my tone slightly. “Grab your shit, baby.”
She didn’t argue. Maybe it was the way I looked, or that she was still shaken, but I hoped she just trusted me enough to know I’d tell her when I could breathe again.
Whatever it was, she just bent down and grabbed her bag.
I took it from her and slung it over my shoulder.
Then I wrapped my fingers around her hand and guided her over to my bike.
She hesitated, looking unsure. “I’ve never—”
“Relax, baby,” I tried to soothe, though my voice still came out rough. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Ever.
She bit her lip, then murmured, “I don’t have a helmet or—”
“I’ve got you.” I yanked mine off my handlebars and dropped it onto her head, nearly smiling at the cute picture she made. There was too much turmoil inside me to find a smile, so I just tried to keep my expression as gentle as possible while I buckled it and tightened the straps.
When I was done, she looked at me again, concern creeping into her gray-blue orbs, but she didn’t ask anything else.
I climbed on, then helped her mount the bike to sit behind me.
“Wrap your arms around my waist, baby,” I instructed her.
I waited for her to obey before starting the engine. As I drove away, having her wrapped around my body settled something inside me just enough to ride.
We weren’t far from the compound, but I couldn’t go straight there. I didn’t want to scare the fuck out of her with my intense need. I hoped a little wind and speed would help to bring me back under control. So I set a different course.
The second we hit the highway, I opened the throttle.
As I’d hoped, the speed bled some of the fury out of my system.
With Elena’s body pressed tightly to mine and her fingers clutching the hem of my shirt, my breath came just a little easier.
Neither of us spoke on the ride. She just held on, as if she knew I needed her to be my anchor.
By the time we pulled into the compound, I was still vibrating with fury, but my head had cleared enough that I could think somewhat rationally. One thing I knew for certain was that I couldn’t go slow anymore. Couldn’t pretend Elena wasn’t already mine.
Someone else had claimed her—without her knowing
It was time I fucking claimed her back.
So I was gonna make the situation crystal clear to her.
I killed the engine and got off the bike. She started to swing her leg off, but I was already moving, catching her by the hips and guiding her down, my hands lingering longer than they needed to. She looked up at me, confused and a little worried, but not scared. Not yet.
“Reeve, what—”
I cut off her question. “Not here.”
I laced my fingers through hers, then hauled her through the clubhouse doors without another word. The music was low, and a couple of the guys sat around bullshitting over drinks. Kevlar looked up from a pool cue and arched a brow, but he didn’t say anything when he saw my expression.
Tomcat leaned against the far wall near the bar and gave a quiet whistle under his breath. “Looks like someone’s about to lose control.”
I didn’t slow down, just gritted out, “Fuck off.”
He chuckled as we passed him.
I barely registered the others. My only focus was getting Elena up those stairs and into my room before I fucking lost it.
She followed, slightly breathless by the time we reached the second floor, but she didn’t resist. Not when I unlocked the door, when I pulled her inside, or when I slammed it shut behind us with a hard, echoing thud.
The second the door latched, I turned.
She stood in front of the door, her eyes bright and hair loose and windblown, tumbling over one shoulder. So fucking beautiful.
Her chest rose and fell fast, in sync with mine as I crowded her back until there was no room left and our bodies were plastered together.
The madness was still there, in my eyes and the thick, hard ridge of my cock that throbbed against her center. But she wasn’t afraid. Her pupil's body was already reacting to the charged air between us.
I needed to say it. To make my claim real.
“You’re mine,” I growled.
Her lips parted. “Reeve.”
I grabbed her chin and tipped her face up until she was looking straight into my eyes. “You’re fucking mine. No one else touches you.”
Then I kissed her.
It wasn’t gentle or teasing. This wasn’t some slow seduction or careful escalation. It was a fucking detonation.
My mouth slammed over hers, and she gasped, giving me the opening I needed to dive in. My tongue swept past her lips, devouring her in every way I could short of tearing off her clothes and fucking her right there against the wall.
She tasted like heat and the vanilla lip balm she always wore. I couldn’t get enough. My hands were on her face, her neck, and then her hips. I dragged her even closer against me, needing to feel her soft curves pressed to the iron bar of my cock.
She moaned into my mouth, and that soft, desperate sound nearly undid me.
I broke the kiss, breathing hard. My hands flexed on her waist. “Tell me you’re mine, baby.”
Elena’s eyes searched mine, her lips swollen from my kiss, and her breath came out in rapid bursts that matched the pounding of my pulse. “I’m yours.”
“Fuck, I need you,” I growled, pressing my forehead to hers.
“Then take me, Reeve,” she whispered. “Claim me.”
I cupped her jaw again, softer this time but no less intense as I let my thumb brush the edge of her cheekbone. “I need you to understand something, Elena. If you let me have you. From this point on, there’s no going back.”
She nodded, just once.
And I kissed her again like a man obsessed with her perfect lips. I couldn’t get enough.
Her hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me closer like she was trying to fuse our bodies. I pushed one thigh between hers to widen them so she felt the length of my cock grinding against her center. She moaned into my mouth, the sound sweet and broken, her hips rolling against me.
“You feel that?” I rasped against her lips. “That’s what you do to me, baby. Every fucking second you’re near.”
I dragged her up the door just enough that I could slide a hand down the front of her jeans and into her panties. She was drenched. Hot, slick, and swollen. My fingers slipped between her folds, circling her clit in firm strokes, and her mouth fell open on a gasp.
“That’s it, beautiful,” I whispered, kissing her jaw. “Rub that sweet little pussy against my fingers. You know you want to come. You’re fucking soaked for me.”
She whimpered, her breath hitching and legs trembling where they wrapped around my waist. I kept working her clit, faster now, knowing exactly what she needed and watching her face twist with pleasure.
“Been hard as fuck, waiting to make you mine completely,” I growled, kissing the corner of her mouth. “But you’re already mine, aren’t you? Your body knows it.”
“Reeve, please.”
“Come for me, Elena. I want your pussy dripping all over my fingers before I get you to the bed.”
She broke with a cry, clamping down on my hand, her thighs squeezing around my hips as her orgasm tore through her.
I kept rubbing her through it, slower now, coaxing every last spasm out of her until she was shaking and boneless in my arms. Her head dropped to my shoulder as she let out a ragged breath.
“Fuck, that’s my girl,” I muttered, kissing her temple. “So damn perfect when you come for me.”
I carried her to the bed and set her down gently, tugging her jeans and panties off in one smooth motion. She blinked up at me, dazed and flushed, her shirt pushed halfway up her ribs, and her hair a wild mess around her face.
I dropped to my knees between her thighs, sliding my palms along her hips and up her sides, fingers catching on the soft cotton as I pushed her shirt up and over her head, then flicked her bra open and let it fall.
Her tits bounced free, full and flushed, the nipples already tight and aching.
I cupped one in my palm and bent to kiss the other, sucking gently before letting my teeth graze the peak.
Her breath caught, her hands tangling in my hair. I pulled back just enough to meet her eyes.
“Before I go any further.” My voice was low and rough, “I need you to tell me something.”
She swallowed, her cheeks pink. “What is it?”
“Are you a virgin?”
She nodded, her lips parting to speak, but she hesitated.
I touched her cheek and waited.
“I’ve never been with anyone. I wanted to wait until it mattered.”
Fuck. My heart clenched hard in my chest, the possessive fire already raging inside me doubling.
“You matter. You hear me?”
She nodded again. “Yes.”