Epilogue
WILLOW, TWO WEEKS LATER
T he Savage Reign kitchen smells like home.
Coffee filters through the entire house and something sticky and sweet is baking in the oven.
And just under all the goodness ticking my senses, lingers the scent of leather and smoke.
It trails through the air and I’m growing to love the way it’s a constant everywhere I go.
Back home, with my father and his crew, I hated everything about the biker life.
Only when I came to live among the Savages do I actually get to appreciate more about the lifestyle. Especially, with one savage man.
I linger in the doorway, Venom’s oversized flannel falling halfway to my knees over my jeans.
I still feel a little weird being among the Savages and thinking of them as my new family.
Venom says I am welcomed here so I embrace his words and hold that hope close to my heart.
He’s kept me all to himself tucked away in another cabin he keeps off the Savage property.
It was fourteen days of pure sex, lovemaking and connecting on levels I can’t describe.
It was soul level and deeper still, if that makes sense. I draw in a deep breath and let it hold in my lungs for a few seconds.
I hope it does, because I am still rapping my mind and heart around finding love with a man my father swore up and down was my enemy.
But it turns out he was my soulmate.
We only made a couple of trips here so I still feel a bit new to all this family love and gentle vibe among the Savage crew and their women.
Sunlight spills across the battered table set in the middle of the Savage kitchen. It washes over the floorboards, and it chases away the chill from the winter freeze that still hasn’t released us from its grip.
The house comes to life around me. Familiar voices carry over the warm air. Laughter rolls through and the occasional boots thudding overhead resonates all the way to the heart of the home. All of it so new and loud I almost miss the ache that lived in my chest for years.
Almost. I take another deep breath and let all the new sounds and feelings linger in my mind and heart.
I hear a shuffle behind me and turn to see my new friend.
Arabelle’s kind face lights up when she sees me standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
She’s the kind of woman who reads a room the way most people read a weather report.
She’s in her element, hair twisted up, wearing a Savage t-shirt and that wicked little grin I’ve grown to associate with the president’s bride-to-be.
She makes a beeline straight for me, coffee in hand, and hooks her arm through mine like it’s nothing.
“Hey, Willow. We were starting to think Venom would never bring you back and just keep you tied up until he got you pregnant.” Her voice is pure mischief and all welcoming warmth.
I flush, surprised but weirdly happy about it. “He tried, but it seems our men can’t stay in one place for long and that’s a good thing, because I think you’re right about the tying me up part.” I don't say it, but Venom is crazy for keeping me unclothed and sated day in and out.
Arabelle laughs and draws me in like I’ve always belonged. “Come on, you’ve gotta catch up with the rest of the circus.” She lowers her voice and adds, “If Venom is anything like Reaper, if they had their way you’d be naked and in their bed all day long.”
The kitchen is a busy hive when we enter the kitchen and head for a nook tucked off to the side.
Isa, Ash’s girl, is slicing strawberries at the counter, looking cool and put-together, even though she’s as new to the Savage world as I am.
She slides a plate in my direction without missing a beat, wearing a welcoming smile.
“Sit. Eat. Tell us what the softer side of Venom is like. All we get to see is his bossy side when he tells us to take better care of ourselves.”
“Or his irritated side when one of his brother’s pisses him off,” Arabelle chimes in. “That man has a serious aversion to parties too.”
Storm’s girl, Emilia, sits by the window, a book open in her lap, unread.
Her gaze wanders over the groups of talking ladies and I imagine she’s doing exactly what I love to do.
Not only is she taking it all in, but she’s noting details.
Like Arabelle always putting her hand on her stomach and Isa doing the same.
Given how much Venom kept me in bed the last two weeks, I’m not far behind in wondering if I’m carrying his baby.
She spots me and pats the seat beside her. “You picked a hell of a time to join up, Willow.”
I settle at her side. My heart still jitters, not from fear but from the newness of being cared for by women who know what it means to survive. “It wasn’t exactly the plan, but I’m grateful Venom found me when he did.”
Isa snorts. “When does anything ever go as planned?”
Arabelle nudges a mug of coffee into my hands, and I accept its warm comfort. After I take a sip I add, “That’s the truth. We just improvise. And pray.”
Charli, the Savages mother hen and book connoisseur excuses herself and comes back with a pan of something that smells like gooey cinnamon goodness and pure happiness.
She wipes her hands on a dishtowel and glances at the book I placed on the padded bench beside me.
I didn’t know if I would be put in a corner and left to entertain myself so I brought a book.
It’s one I picked up from Venom’s place about a biker who buys a bride because he needs her help to destroy his enemy.
“Oh, sweet baby Jesus, I knew you’d fit right in!
” she throws me a wink and nudges my shoulder.
“That’s a good one. I like it when he takes her in the shower.
Steamy as fuck and I’m not talkin’ about the hot water, baby.
If you ever want to hide, just come to the Broken Chapter.
I’ll set you up with more romance and we can use the backroom for a read-a-thon.
” She grins, eyes twinkling behind her glasses.
Arabelle snorts. “Charli is our local dealer. Books, cookies, and unsolicited advice.”
The other women laugh, and I join in. For the first time in so long, it feels good just to let the sound out without earning insults or jeers from harsh men looking to tear me down just because I want to be happy. It feels like exhaling after years of holding my breath.
Venom appears at my shoulder, smelling like wood chips and sawdust. He’s been out cutting wood and clearing away dead trees that fell during the snowstorm.
He’s wearing another Hensley, dark jeans and his usual biker boots.
His arm snakes around my waist, his grip casual but iron-strong. He bends to press a kiss to my temple.
“You settle in okay, snow angel?”
I lean into his touch. “Yeah. I think I could get used to this.”
Charli reaches out and pats my hand making me miss my mother. I fight back a wave of emotions and force the tears to hold. “You did good, Venom. You did good.”
I can feel the love she has for me and it makes my heart marvel at how someone can be so open and welcoming to a stranger. It also makes me grateful. I can’t do more than offer a water smile back and she takes it with one of her own.
My heart is full and I want to soak in this light and love all day long.
Venom’s fingers curl at my hip. “I did, Charli.” He turns his lips to my ear and whispers, “You’re part of the family now. I’m never letting you go.”
Heat flushes my skin and I wonder if anyone can see how desperately I want this man. Not just sexually, but in every way possible. A soul-deep need to have him in my heart and life roots in my bones.
I pick out a few wayward chips of wood from Venom’s long hair and press my forehead to his. “You know, I think I might be obsessed with you, too.”
Someone clears their throat behind us, cutting off something Venom was about to say back.
We turn to see Phantom in the doorway. He’s the only one of the crew who hasn’t grown his hair out.
Dark brown tips play over the collar of his cotton T-shirt.
It’s freezing outside, but the man doesn’t seem to be phased by the cold. Something else is bothering him.
Dark circles smear the space under his eyes, a deep shadow covers his jaw and his hair is a mess. Like he’s run his hands through it a million times since the sun came up. He’s holding a battered laptop in one hand and a manila folder in the other.
“Sorry to crash breakfast.” His voice is low and tired, but his gray eyes are soft when he looks at me. “Willow. Good to see you back among the living. Venom likes to keep his treasures to himself.” He walks in and does the shoulder bump thing with Venom before taking a seat next to us.
“Thanks to you, we’ve got enough on your father’s operation to finally make some moves.
I’m going to find Reaper after I grab a coffee.
Nothing is final, but from the video you provided we have faces and dealings going down.
We just have to make sure, like you said, another snake doesn’t slither in before we can burn the nest. That’s Reaper’s department, though. ”
The room stills, and everyone grows quiet. The feeling of relief, hope, and the bone-deep worry feels like a heavy blanket over the room. Now the danger really starts.
I swallow harshly, my heart tight. I don’t want to be the cause of anyone getting hurt but I know what comes next. “And my father?” I’ve wanted to ask since the night the Savages took him, but I also didn’t want to know the answer. Being a daughter to a man like him isn’t easy.
“He’s not dead, but I’ll be honest with you. He’s not playing ball the easy way. I don’t want to lie and pussy-foot around the truth here. Pardon my French, sweetheart.”
I nod, brushing his comment away. “He never wants to do anything the easy way. He earns the karma he receives. All the deaths that are on his hands have to be paid for somehow. I feel wrong saying that but I can’t take his actions on my shoulders.”