Zephyr
I couldn’t believe Olav had died. And all the implications and questions it raised.
However, there would be time to contemplate all that later.
Right now, Raider had returned after speaking to Bone, who agreed readily to round up his chapter and ride up to Rhinelander.
We had the exact location of the charter clubhouse from Olav.
Fenrir got Olav’s phone ready to make the video call. We all stood in a semi-circle behind our Pres. He’d start the call by showing us, then switch to show Aksel his man Olav. The call was answered within two rings.
“What the hell…” Aksel’s hated voice came across loud and clear. It made my skin crawl. It was hard to see him on the tiny phone, but I caught a glimpse.
“What the fuck are you doing with Olav’s phone, Bodin?” Aksel said coldly to Raider.
“The name is Raider. And I have it because we need to have a conversation,” Pres stated just as coldly.
“What conversation? How am I going to make you all suffer? Put Olav on the phone,” he snapped.
“I think you should reconsider who will be suffering, Aksel. Things aren’t what you think they are.
I heard you had a visitor. A man named Gunther came and told you a story.
And that you’ve been wanting to find out if there was any truth to it.
That’s why Caves from the Albany, Georgia chapter shot at me.
And it’s why, when he failed to return, you had Ducky send four more of his brothers after my club.
“I know you’ve been waiting for news, so I’ll give it to you. Those four are dead, and so is the rest of your Albany chapter. You’re down to ten sister clubs and yours. And after what we’ve learned, I’d be prepared,” Raider said, smugly.
“Prepared for what? You can kill all those chapters, but it won’t change the fact that you can’t do anything real to my true followers and me. We’ll never let you rest, Bodin. You must be made to pay for your betrayal,” Aksel snarled.
“Then, come after us if you dare. But if you do, I want you to know what’s in store for all of you.”
As Raider finished speaking, he switched the phone’s view to Olav’s body hanging against the wall. His stillness was evident. There were several beats of silence before Aksel spoke again.
“What have you done to him?” Rage and fear battled in his voice.
“We killed him,” Raider bluntly answered.
“Don’t lie to me. That’s not possible. Wake him up! I need to speak to him,” Aksel ordered.
“We can’t wake him up. He’s dead. No breathing, no heartbeat equals death. He’s been that way for at least forty minutes,” Raider replied.
“YOU LIE! Wake him up, now!” Aksel thundered.
I moved forward into the frame. I held up my blood pressure cuff. Without a word, I applied it to Olav’s arm, then inflated it. As it deflated, the result showed. It was one of those digital ones that gave you a readout. It read 0/0. Pres zoomed in on the screen.
“That’s dead, Aksel,” I stated flatly before walking off.
“It’s a trick. You’re trying to trick me,” Aksel muttered, as if talking to himself. His face had gone ashen.
Without a word, Invader moved over to stand next to Olav. He lifted his head by his hair, then drew his seax. He held it to Olav’s throat a moment, then cut his neck. Not a peep came out of Aksel’s man, and blood didn’t flow because there was no heartbeat to push it.
The roar over the phone was a mixture of animalistic rage and utter terror. It made us flinch. I pulled Everlyn into my chest, blocking her ears. It was drawn out. When he fell silent, we heard his ragged breathing. No one spoke. After several beats, Aksel spoke.
“You’ll pay. By the gods, I’ll kill every single one of you as painfully as possible,” he threatened raggedly.
“And this is our warning. If you come near us, there will be more of the same. And Aksel, remember, you have no proof that we’re now killable, too.
Maybe the Seidman’s curse knew who the true betrayers were, and it’s time for them, for you, to pay.
You should’ve never started this,” Raider said menacingly, then he disconnected the call.
Seconds passed before it rang. It was Aksel calling back.
Raider didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he shut it off and handed it over to Fenrir, who removed the chip that was the phone’s brain and smashed it.
Invader and Harbinger would handle the disposal of the body in the crematorium.
The rest of us would gather and think about our next steps as we waited to hear what Bone found.
?
It had been a week since everything happened with Ducky, Olav, and Aksel.
I wished it meant that all threats had been eliminated, but that wasn’t the case.
Bone had reported back later that day. It wasn’t good news.
When they arrived, after about four hours, it was too late.
Aksel and his people had left. And they’d had to do it in a hurry.
We figured they had to leave a lot behind, which is why they burned their clubhouse to the ground.
It was to prevent us from finding anything we shouldn’t, like where they might’ve gone.
We made sure that we were prepared for them to attack us here.
The gate to the graveyard was kept closed and locked.
You needed a remote device or a code to enter.
The same was true for the second one that led to our homes.
Pausing to open it was a minor irritation, but it was worth it.
What was more complicated was our legitimate businesses. We couldn’t lock them down, but we increased security as much as possible. My bigger worry was Everlyn and Allegra safety. Fenrir had supercharged the security alarm and cameras at Allegra’s business and home and monitored them with ours.
As for Everlyn’s Moore Enterprises, it was well protected.
They had armed security guards on the premises because some of the things they handled required it.
You didn’t get past the front without proper credentials or approval.
But just to be sure, Fenrir had it added to our monitoring after he met with the team at the company.
Everlyn told the staff he was a consultant she had hired.
Everlyn’s home wasn’t a concern because I’d convinced her early this week to move in with me.
She agreed, and we were bringing her things over.
The house was furnished, but Allegra insisted she take anything she wanted, so those items would be brought home soon.
Her personal items and clothing had been brought on Tuesday.
We warned other chapters of the Grave Prowlers that we had an enemy who might not be content only to come after our chapter.
While we hadn’t outright told the others what we were because it hadn’t affected them, with this new development, and as unhinged as Aksel sounded, we didn’t want to take chances.
So Raider had a call with Cannon in Virginia.
Afterward, we held a video call with the presidents of all the chapters.
They were told about Aksel and us. I could tell some thought we were messing with them, but they agreed to be alert.
We had pictures taken years ago, when we had a run-in with Aksel’s bunch. We shared those with them.
One thing we refused to allow was for our lives and plans to be turned upside down. Aksel could disappear and never be heard from for years. We wouldn’t stop living, which meant that all of us had gathered today, along with Allegra, and celebrated the first Christmas we’d ever had.
We exchanged actual gifts and ate a ton of food.
The food prep wasn’t left to Allegra and Everlyn alone.
More than a few hands knew how to cook and bake, so everyone pitched in, even if all some of us could do was chop and stir.
It had been a wonderful day filled with laughter and a great time.
Everyone agreed that next year we’d do the same.
As part of the day, the club presented a collective gift to Allegra and another to Everlyn.
The one for my shieldmaiden was slightly more personal.
It was her official welcome-to-the-family gift Raider had hinted at.
It was a necklace that was made of Tiger’s Eye beads.
At intervals, gold beads were interspersed, and a circle of pressed gold hung from the center.
Etched into the edge of the circle and on the gold beads were protective runes. Each member had chosen a rune for it.
Everlyn had exclaimed over it, telling them how much she loved it.
When she discovered that Invader had made it, that he was a jeweler, she’d been even more thrilled.
Allegra asked him if he sold his pieces.
He admitted he did, but only online and selectively.
She told him they needed to talk, which made him grin and tell her maybe.
Invader explained that Tiger’s Eye symbolized confidence, protection, and courage.
It promoted focus and mental clarity and represented willpower and strength.
All things they saw her exemplify. That earned them all hugs.
However, that wasn’t the end. I still had two more things to do to claim her.
One I would do in front of the club. The other was private.
“Everlyn, our tradition when couples came together was to exchange a few things as part of what you would call an engagement. I know modern times are different, and I acknowledge that. I plan to give you an actual ring. But first, I want to seal it with the declaration to our family.”
When I paused, she smiled. I kept going. “First, it is customary for the groom and bride to exchange swords, which, from the groom, symbolizes the lineage and heritage you’re joining. The bride’s sword would symbolize her family’s protection extending over the groom.
“I know that since you don’t have such a sword, one would have to be made for you. I happen to have one that came down through my family line. I’d like to exchange mine for yours.”
Her astonishment showed. “Who made it?” she asked.