One Hundred & Thirty-Six Scars (The Devil's Own #1)

  There are more?

  Sighing, I squeeze Melissa into me. “Maybe just stay by me. I don’t know who these people are, but they must be fine or Beast wouldn’t have told us to come down.”

  “Fine for you, you’re claimed by the Devil himself,” she states.

  Monster sized hands wrap around my waist, pulling me into him. “Damn straight she’s been claimed by the Devil himself,” he growls into my hair and my nipples stand to life instantly. Turning in his arms, I wrap my fingers behind his neck and stand up on my tippy toes which only take me to just under his neck. He’s six foot four and I’m five foot six, that’s a bit of a drop.

  “Hey baby,” I coo and he picks me up effortlessly off the floor before placing me back down.

  “Come, both of you. Melissa, you’re Meadow’s friend. You’re protected here, you should know that?”

  She smiles, nodding her head. “Thank you, Beast.”

  He nods his head before carrying on his walk. His walking comes to a halt and he spins around to face Melissa again. “Close your eyes.”

  She scoffs. “I can handle whatever it is that’s happening, Beast. You’re not the first bikers I’ve been around.”

  She pushes him out of the way and I watch her face as it crumbles to a million little pieces in front of me. Following her line of sight, I see Hella leaning back on the sofa, his arms spread out and his legs spread wide. There’s a girl’s head bobbing up and down on his lap and his eyes are zoned right onto Melissa. A small smirk crawls out on his mouth as his eyelids hood and his fist wraps around the girl’s hair, pushing her down harder. I tilt my head to the side and watch as his eyes drag all over Melissa’s body. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’s getting off on Melissa right now, not the skank sucking on his lap.

  Beast pulls me into him. “She gonna be okay?”

  I look over at Melissa to see her shoulders square and a smirk on her face. It’s not a playful smirk though, it’s a you-fucked-up-and-now-I’m-going-to-fuck-you-up smirk.

  I’d be scared if I was Hella.

  “Yeah, look. Give me a second.” I smile up at Beast and he nods his head. “I’ll be over there. Don’t venture far. Actually, don’t go anywhere.”

  I nod my head and bring my attention back to Melissa. “Hon? Are you okay?”

  She smiles at me, her eyes glassed over but her smile is not faltering. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay. I’m just going to do something real quick.”

  Walking to Hannibal, I kneel down in front him while he’s talking with Nyx, Ripper, and Skid—the prospect.

  “All right,” I start, looking at all of them. “Hella told you to stay away from Melissa, didn’t he?”

  They all look around at each other. “Yeah,” Nyx states, smiling. “Why?”

  “And you listen?” I scold them and they all lean back into their seats. I calm myself down a notch. “Don’t listen,” I say, taking a stand and crossing my arms in front of myself. “Go full buffet on her, if that’s what she wants.”

  They all sit there silently.

  “Now,” I whisper harshly and they all stand to their feet, Nyx making it over there first and I chuckle to myself. Nyx is delicious, if I were single or whatever. I’m not interested in anyone let alone any of the guys, but I am a woman.

  Walking over to Beast, who’s sitting down beside Hella, who’s finished getting his junk sucked, I slump down next to Beast where he pulls me into him. “What’s going on tonight? It’s packed out.”

  “That’s what I need to talk to you about.” He smiles, pulling me under him more.

  Hella laughs around the rim of his beer and I peek around Beast to scowl at him. “What’s so funny?”

  “Has Melissa gone home?” he asks, eyebrows raised as if he did that to make her leave. Unfortunately, my friend has the stubbornness to fill the whole state of Alaska.

  I shake my head. “You’re such a turd, Hella.”

  His wide grin spreads out across his mouth. “A turd?” Before clutching his stomach and laughing.

  “I’m not laughing with you. You made my best friend sad. You’re lucky I don’t chop your dick clean off.”

  “Oh baby, you wouldn’t know what to do around my dick.”

  I laugh. “You’re right, because first I’d have to actually find it.”

  Beast laughs and pulls me in tighter. “All right, shut the fuck up. The only dick that should be coming out of your mouth is mine.”

  I catch movement in the corner of my eyes and see it’s Melissa and Nyx all over each other. N.E.R.D ‘She Wants to Move’ comes pounding through the speakers and I have to hold back a laugh at the lyrics. Bringing my eyes back to Hella, he’s fixed on both of them, his jaw flexing.

  “Hella,” I warn. “Leave her alone.”

  He shakes his head, bringing his eyes to me. “Fuck that!” Pushing himself off the sofa and making his way outside, I look to Beast and he narrows his eyes at me.

  “Don’t stir the pot, baby. You’ll get someone killed.”

  “I wasn’t, but he deserves it.”

  Wrapping his hands into mine, he pulls me up. “Come on. We’ll head over.”

  After grabbing Melissa, we are all in the gym when Jada comes walking in, dropping her duffel bag to the floor. “For the record, I’m not a fan of this idea.”

  I laugh as Beast tugs on my hands to wrap them in gauze. “Me either.”

  “Self-defense Jada. Don’t touch her.”

  “I know, I know. I’m still not a fan of this plan.”

  We both get into the octagon and I laugh. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.”

  Jada pulls her arms up. “Give me your best right hook.”

  I shrug before landing a right hook on her, only it didn’t land because she blocked it effortlessly.

  We spend forty minutes in the octagon, flipping each other around and tapping out. My body is soaked in sweat and I have a bad case of the dries.

  “All right,” Beast answers, stepping into the octagon. “You’ve learned a lot in a week, baby. You’re a natural.”

  Melissa jumps in too with a bottle of Ready To Drink in her hand. “Seriously, Meads. You’re a badass!” She nudges me with her shoulder.

  “Hardly. Did you bring the bow?” I ask, wiping the sweat from my forehead with my towel.

  He nods. “Yeah, come on.”

  After a couple hours on the bow, we head back to the house with Melissa in the passenger seat and Beast behind us on his bike.

  “What’s going to happen when you go back to Westbeach?” Melissa asks, peering at me from the passenger seat.

  I shrug, changing down gears. “I don’t know yet.”

  “You don’t want to go back, do you?” she asks with disbelief in her tone.

  “What? Don’t be stupid, of course I do. I just don’t know what’s going to happen with me, him and the distance between us.”

  “Well…” she begins, “…if there were anyone that could make the long distance thing work, it’d be you two.”

  “You think?” I ask, glancing at her.

  “Yep, positive. You were obviously carved out of the same stone. You’re perfect for each other.”

  When we pull up, I get out of the car and wait for Beast while Melissa walks into the house. It’s dark out and I know she’s tired, but I also know that Hella has had a major impact on her. I want to take her home. I know that would be the right thing to do, so I’ll have to talk to Beast about it tonight.

  “You good?” he asks, removing his gloves.

  “Yeah,” I say, walking up to his bike. “I’m good.” Maybe Melissa is right, maybe we were cut from the same stone.

  Dragging my overworked body up the stairs, I drop my duffel bag onto the floor. Beast walks into the bathroom before coming back into the room. “Come on, I need to talk to you about something.”

  I follow behind him into the bathroom, my heavy steps dragging me toward the steamy room at snail pace. Closing the door
behind him, I strip off my clothes, huffing out a tired breath when I struggle with my sports bra that’s stuck to my sweat soaked skin. He chuckles, gripping his hand around the bottom of it and ripping it off.

  I sigh. “Thank you.” Before stepping into the ceramic bathtub and taking a seat under the high pressured scalding water.

  He steps in after me, my thighs clenching together at the sight of him in all his naked glory. Sighing again, I shake my head because even though my body is beat and my ass is literally sore from landing on it so much tonight, I know I’d still happily saddle up for a round with him.

  “What did you want to talk about?” I ask, taking the soap bar in my hand and running it over my aching arms.

  He sits opposite me, running his damp hands through his hair. “We’re ending this thing with The Army in a couple nights,” he states, bringing his eyes to mine.

  I tilt my head. “Is it safe?”

  He laughs, taking my hand in his and pulling me over to him. I rest my back on his chest, his shaft pressing against my back. “I can’t guarantee anything baby, but I promise nothing will hurt you.”

  “That’s not reassuring for me, Beast.”

  That’s not reassuring for me at all.

  The next night we’re pulling up to the clubhouse, I swing off my bike before helping Meadow off. She turns in my arms so her back is flush with my front. “You know,” she mumbles, her perky ass rubbing against my cock, stirring him to life. “I think we need a drink.”

  I laugh, spinning her around in my grasp and pulling her into me. “Let’s go.”

  Pulling her body to my side, we both walk up to the open metal door where there’s loud music and a whole lot of drunk patched members crawling about everywhere. Meadow laughs, resting her face against my chest.

  “Where’s Melissa?” I ask, inhaling the sweet smell of cherries and coconut coming from her hair.

  “She’ll be in there,” she answers, mumbling into my chest.

  I turn her face to me. “She hasn’t left yet?”

  “Nope. She’s a lot stronger than she looks.”

  I nod my head. “Yeah, Hella is a bit of a—”

  “Fuck boy?”

  “Well, I wasn’t going to say those exact words—”

  “A pig?”

  “All right, I get that you’re mad, baby. His loss, don’t sweat it.”

  “Does he care about her?”

  I pause, nodding my head. “He does. Just… not enough.”

  Sighing, she laces her hands into mine, pulling me toward the bar where Jada and Hella are both siting.

  “I need to get drunk,” she announces, taking a seat on one of the stools beside Jada.

  Jada laughs, sliding the bottle of Tequila across the bar. “Go at it.”

  Running my hand across my chin, I pull her stool closer to mine, taking the bottle off her and taking a long pull.

  The atmosphere is alive. Goosebumps run across my skin as the effects of the Tequila begin to pulse through me, warming my blood and setting off happy jolts of electricity static over my skin. Peering around, I drag my slightly drunken eyes to Beast, who’s sitting beside me, taking gulps of his drink.

  “Wanna dance?” I ask, removing my zip hoodie and placing it on the bar. I push my white tank down to cover my stomach, only it pops back up and rides on my hip bones.

  Behind a light chuckle, he shakes his head. “Really?”

  I smile at him, turning my back on all of them with Hannibal sitting beside Beast to make my way to the sound system where Ripper is sitting, drinking his beer.

  “Hey,” I say, walking to the sofa he’s stretched out on.

  “Sup mischief. What are you planning now?” he asks his pierced eyebrow cocked. Seriously, who still has their eyebrow pierced in this day and age? Surprisingly he pulls it off with all his boyish charm.

  “Nothing at all,” I answer, stepping over his outstretched legs and picking up the iPod.

  “Can I ask you a question?” He places his beer on the table before running his hand through his long blond spiky hair.

  I pause my scrolling to peer at him on the corner of my eye. “Sure, only if I can ask you one too?”

  His eyes narrow before he pulls his lip into his mouth. “Fuck it, it’ll be worth it.”

  “Shoot,” I gesture to him.

  “I sort of… ah… know… about what happened.”

  My body stills as the alcohol that was once turning my body hot with happy temperaments now drops to an icy level. “Really?” I say, swallowing down the bile that’s formed in my throat.

  “Not like that,” he says, taking a stand and moving to me. He pushes his hands into his jean’s pockets and cocks his head. “I only know because I overheard Beast and Hella talking about it a couple years back.”

  “Oh,” I whisper, my palms sweating against the metal back of the iPod. “You had a question?” I say after clearing my throat.

  “Yeah,” his eyes softening. “Did you ever get over what happened?”

  My eyebrows quirk as I think over his question carefully. “No. I just learned to live with it. Why?”

  He shakes his head. “No reason. Carry on,” he gestures to the iPod before retreating back to his spot on the sofa. “What was your question?” he asks with a smile around the rim of his bottle.

  “How’d you get the name, Ripper?”

  His eyes drop and a devious smile invades his face. “Isn’t it obvious?”

  After a few seconds of silence, I register what he means. “Shit, really?”

  He nods his head. “Yeah, really, really.”

  “That’s sick.”

  He shrugs, placing the beer back on the table. “Not for me it’s not.”

  He keeps his eyes on mine, tilting his head and flashes of him ripping people apart with his bare hands invade my mind. “Why?” I ask. “Why do it? Why not just kill them and get it over with?”

  “Why do you think the police can’t pin anything on us, sweetheart. It’s because they can’t find enough of the remains.”

  “Okay, yes, got it. Forget I asked.”

  He laughs, picking up his bottle again.

  I continue through the playlist until I come across the perfect song. Smirking, I tap on Breaking Benjamin ‘Dance with the Devil’ before walking back to the dance floor, pulling Melissa up from her spot on the sofa on my way. “Come on.”

  She laughs, tapping my elbow and nudging her head at Beast and Hella, who are sitting at the bar watching us intently. “We dancing with the devil?”

  I nod my head before we begin dancing and losing ourselves into the lyrics of the song. Bringing my arms up, I run them down again and drag my eyes to Beast with a small smile. His eyes lock onto mine, a smirk sprawling out across his lips before slowly running his eyes up and down my body. Licking his lips, he places his bottle down on the bar and begins making his way over.

  Hooking his arm around my waist, he spins me around and pushes my body up against him front to front. Bringing his head down to the crook of my neck, he growls, “You’re playing with fire, baby.”

  I laugh, bringing my arms up behind his neck as the chorus kicks in. I tilt my head, running my eyes down the angry scar that starts from behind his ear, running down his neck all the way to his V lining. Dragging my thumb across his cheek, I bring it down to the risen white scar before taking my eyes back to his. His jaw tightens as he shakes his head and grips onto my hands, pulling them back down again.

  Gripping me into him again, we finish up the song before walking back to the bar where Jada is sitting with Hella watching Melissa closely.

  “Why don’t you two just talk?” I say, dropping onto the barstool and taking a long drink of Beast’s beer.

  “Because,” he starts, keeping his eyes locked on her. “I don’t want a girlfriend.”

  “What makes you think that’s what she wants? She wants to kill you, Hella. I think you’re safe from a grade A clinger.”

  A slow smile pulls on the co
rner of his mouth as he drags his eyes away from Melissa and brings them to me. “Maybe. But maybe that’s where the excitement is? I’d fuck her black and blue up against a brick-wall whether she had a knife in her hand ready to shank me or not.”

  Beast exhales, bringing his elbow to the counter, pinching his eyes between his fingers and shaking his head with a low chuckle. “Brother, you are fucking sick.”

  “Don’t I know it,” he replies, his eyes still locked on mine with the same smirk on display.

  Jesus, there is no words that could explain this man.

  “May I recommend a therapist?” I tease, taking the shot Jada just slipped to me.

  He laughs, throwing his head back. “I’d put your therapist in the nuthouse, sugar.”

  I believed that. Shaking my head, I shoot back the shot as Beast shakes his head, his shoulders jiggling under his laughter.

  Hella bumps Beast with his elbow, nudging his head to the crowd. Beast pauses, spinning his stool around so I follow suit, turning around to see that same woman from the other night walk in through the doors, her eyes searching the crowd.

  She’s stunning. Her long mouse blonde hair sits around her jawline in a perfect halo, her sharp nose and high cheekbones showing she has a no fuck around attitude about her. She pushes through the masses of people, shoving through the crowd while she makes her way to us. Swallowing, I look to Jada, who laughs at the expression on my face.

  Bending her head into my ear, she whispers, “She’s not your issue, babe.”

  A nervous laugh escapes me as I pour another shot.

  “Everything good?” Beast mumbles beside me, looking toward the dance floor at I presume where the blonde beauty is standing.

  Downing the shot, the hot liquid burning the back of my throat like a cloak of fire, I spin my stool back around and lock eyes with her. “Hi,” I say, placing my hand out. “I’m Meadow.”

  Her eyes narrow as she tilts her head at Beast. A small smile slips over her mouth after a few seconds and she takes her finely manicured hand into mine, shaking it lightly. “I’m Shelby. Nice to finally meet you.”

  “Finally?” I ask, glancing between her and Beast.