by Breck, A. R.
I instantly freeze, but she’s not shy about it. She reaches up, trailing her finger down my back. “What you had to have gone through… I can’t even imagine. I thought my life was shitty, but yours… it must have been a literal hell.”
“I think I would have preferred hell.” I say honestly. And that’s the truth. There is no place worse than where I lived. I would have traded it for anything, literally anything.
“I’m glad Aziel saved you. Maybe it was meant to be.” She says, grabbing my wings and hooking them on the back of my dress.
I bite my lip. “Maybe.”
“Okay, enough before I cry. Let’s go downstairs and have a good night. But to top off your outfit…” She reaches into her bag once more and pulls out a pair of black high heeled combat booties. “These are my babies, so you better not ruin them.”
“Well why don’t you wear them?”
“Because I knew they’d look badass with your costume. Come on, let’s go.”
“I’m only going to go for a little bit.” I emphasize. I’m not planning to get shit wasted drunk like the guys do all the time. I’ll show face because I’m forced to, but then I want to come back to the solitude and my daughter.
Sliding the booties onto my feet, I feel winded as I zip them up on the side of my foot. They reach about mid-shin. The heels are much taller than I’m used to, sitting about three inches higher, at least.
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.” She waves me off, putting her makeup back into her bag and turning off the light.
I give once last glance to Lilah as we walk out. Still sound asleep.
One of the prospects is already outside, texting on his phone with a beer in his free hand.
“Hey, Sage. Come find us if you need us.”
He nods without looking up.
“I’ll be back to check on her shortly.” He looks up, his eyes nearly popping out of his sockets as he appraises me.
“Wipe your drool, Sage. She’s taken.” She laughs at him.
He wipes his mouth, turning so he faces the door. “My bad.” He lifts his beer, guzzling the remainder of it in obvious shock.
Violet pulls me down the hallway towards the stairs. The heavy metal is exactly as I expected, blasting through the speakers at max volume. I haven’t listened to any type of music besides Hispanic music in the last five years, so I’m not even sure what’s popular anymore.
Once we reach the bottom of the stairs, my eyes widen at the amount of people that have filled the clubhouse. Bodies fill the bar area all the way to the couches with the TV, and every space in between.
The door to the outside is propped open, and people flow in and out seamlessly with drinks and food that Haley has been preparing throughout the day.
Heads turn our way as we walk through the main area. I stick close to Violet, and she nods and says hello to pretty much every person in the room.
We make it to the bar, and I watch as Haley takes care of everyone effortlessly. The amount of people asking for her attention would drive me insane, but she does so without batting an eye. She does make a smart comment or call someone out every once and a while, but otherwise manages the bar as if she’s done this a million times.
The scent of marijuana and alcohol permeates the air. It smells like must and smoke and bad behavior in here, mixed with barbeque and women’s perfume.
“Do you want to drink?” Violet asks.
I shrug. I don’t know. I don’t drink often, save for the occasional glass of champagne Santiago would let me drink.
“Are you allowed to drink? You’re only sixteen.” I ask her.
She rolls her eyes. “I’ll drink whether or not they allow it anyway. They try and cut me off after a couple, but…” She shrugs. “No taming this Little Red Riding Hood.”
I smile at her. “I’ll take whatever you’re having.”
“Haley! Two Jack and Coke!”
Haley raises her eyes at us, shaking her head as she whips together two drinks for us. “Don’t make me regret serving you tonight, Vi.”
Violet raises her drink. “No promises.”
I lift the murky colored drink in front of me and take a drink, instantly wincing at the overwhelming taste of whiskey hitting my tongue.
“Not a big drinker?” Violet smiles at me.
“Not so much.” I clear my throat and set the drink down. “I wonder where Aziel is?”
She looks over her shoulder at the crowd behind us. “The guys are always pulled somewhere during these parties. They’re always busy, you know? This is a time where they finally don’t deal with business and can let loose a bit.”
I see Cassius sitting on a chair with a playboy bunny sitting on his lap. He plays with her bunny ears as she flaunts her oversized cleavage in his face. “Letting loose for sure.”
Violet stands up, straightening her red dress and fixing her curls. “We need to do something. We can’t just sit at the bar all night.”
“We just sat down.” I lift my eyebrows at her.
“I know, but it’s the Halloween party. Look at how creepy it is in here. It’s fucking awesome. I want to get tipsy and have some fun.”
I look around, seeing the orange string lights hanging from the ceilings and creepy skeletons. There’s a smoke machine creating a fog in the room, and a Freddy Krueger walks through it with a slutty nurse on his arm.
“It’s pretty badass. You did a good job.”
“Look! There’s West. Let’s go bug him.” She grabs her drink off the bar and pulls on my arm. I glance at my drink and decide to leave it there. I’m probably not going to touch much of it anyway.
West stands over by the front door, talking to a couple people from the club that seem to be here a lot but I haven’t been able to meet.
“West! What’s up?” She asks in an extra girly tone. I give her a look. Does she like him? He’s way too old for her, but I guess there are no rules in a biker club.
He turns around, smiling when he hears her voice, but the moment he sees her that look is wiped off her face. “The hell you wearing?”
“I’m Little Red Riding Hood. You like?” She twirls around, and the curls bounce off her shoulders in perfect rhythm.
“Not in the slightest.” He reaches down to the hem of her dress and pulls on it, only for it to bounce back up to the top of her thigh. “This isn’t…” He looks flustered and a little annoyed. “Go dress in one of your other million Halloween costumes. This shit is too small.”
Violet giggles. “It’s not too small. It fits perfectly. And my only other costume is the one Ivy is wearing. She throws her thumb towards me.
West glances over, as if just noticing I was standing next to her. He does a double take, as if realizing what I’m wearing. His mouth drops open, as if at a loss for words. “Um, yeah.” He starts laughing. “This will be interesting.”
My eyes narrow, and I cock my head to the side. “What will be interesting?”
He opens his mouth, then falters. He glances from Violet, to me, and back to Violet. “You guys are… trouble.”
“Ay, West. Get your eyes off my girl.” Comes from behind me. I glance over my shoulder, seeing Aziel walking up with a cigarette hanging from his lip. He wraps his hand underneath my wings and around my waist.
West immediately averts his eyes. “I wasn’t—shit. My bad, man. But look at her.” He frowns. “Look at both of them. Why are you guys dressed like this? Tryin’ to give a heart attack to every guy in this place? Fucking hell.” He runs his hands through his blonde locks. “I need a drink.”
Aziel looks down at me, flaring his nostrils as his eyes fall down my body, landing on my breasts, my waist, and my shoes. He points at West. “Don’t look at her again.” Then he points at Violet. “This is the fucking awesome costume you got her?” He sneers.
Violet laughs, extending her hands towards me in a sort of ta da. “Yeah. Isn’t she hot?”
Poor, stupid Violet.
He looks at me again, anger and lust firing up in his gaze. “
That’s one way of putting it. Good thing I’m in a halfway decent mood tonight.” He points at Violet again. “Otherwise, your ass would be dead.” He points at me. “And your ass would be changing.” He stomps out his cigarette. “And Haley would be pissed.”
“Why?” I ask, wondering how she comes into this equation at all.
“Because that jar of eyeballs on the bar?” I look to where he’s pointing, seeing the gross looking fake eyeballs in some sort of liquid. “Those would be real eyeballs, because I’d have to poke everyone’s eyeballs out for looking at you in this costume.” He digs in his pocket and taps out another cigarette.
West pulls a joint out of nowhere. “This is what you need. Shit, we’ll both need it if we’re going to get through the night.”
“Thank fuck.” Aziel slips the cigarette back into his pack and takes the joint and sparks it up. “Good thing I’m in a good mood tonight, right?” He says to me.
The looks in his eyes is untamed. The beast is back, hands gripping the bars as he tries to break free. He wants to be unleashed. He wants to create unimaginable havoc.
He’s full of chaotic anger.
“Yeah. Good thing.”
19
Aziel
I can’t get her out of my head.
I sit outside on the bench, Ivy only a few feet ahead of me talking to Violet. She’s been quiet. She’s pretty shy, I realize. Whether she’s always been that way or what’s happened to her has turned her into an introvert, she doesn’t socialize much. Between talking to Violet, myself, or West, she hasn’t really spoken to anyone else.
Every so often she goes upstairs with Violet to check on Lilah, coming back down minutes later to say she’s in the same position she was the last time she checked on her.
I just can’t get her out of my fucking head.
Then she stands there in that damn black dress. It teases her upper thighs, swaying and sliding up as she walks in the sexiest fuck-me heels I’ve ever seen. The wings are large, realistic, and black as the night as they sit on her back. The girl is black head to toe except for her blonde, shiny locks that shine in the dark, like a halo on her seductive body.
I’ve been in a state of half-erection all night. Angry and fuming as I have to threaten everyone with a livid glance every time someone looks at Ivy. They notice her long, thin legs that lead to her tiny waist that flares at her hips. She’s a miniature hourglass, and I want to slide her underneath me with her costume on and ravage the fucking shit out of her.
As if noticing I’m thinking about her in this way, she glances over her shoulder at me with a sly look on her face.
She acts innocent, but after watching me the last few hours, I can tell she’s starting to realize the wrath inside of me is ready to come out and play.
I’m barely hanging on by a thread as it is. With the Santiago shit and everything happening down south, the rage is building by the day.
Then Ivy walks out in a dress that screams to tear her apart, and the only thought in my mind is to do exactly that.
“Well, well, well, look who decided to come out in play?” A voice comes from behind me. My heated lust turns to ice and I have to contain the snarl that wants to take over my face as I glance at Max, the Jessie that’s been in my bed one too many times.
“Max.” I nod at her and turn back around to see Ivy giving me a funny look.
Max slides onto the bench, scooting over so her bare thigh presses right next to mine.
“You aren’t dressed up.” She pouts.
“Am I ever?” I suck down my cigarette, giving a slight shake of my head at Ivy when she takes a step towards me. I don’t want them talking to each other. Max is a chronic shit starter and will only start drama with Ivy.
Why the hell did I ever sleep with her? Oh yeah, her hug ass.
“Do you know what I am?” She rasps, bumping her shoulder against mine. I lean away from her, not liking the heavy vodka scent coming off of her or her voice that she uses when she wants to sleep with me.
I glance over at her and see her leather one piece. It’s black, the bottoms being shorts that probably show off her ass when she’s walking. The top has a low v, showing off the fact that she’s not wearing a bra. She has a mask covering her eyes and some black cat ears.
“Cat woman.” I say, not guessing, but rather insinuating.
“Bingo.” She leans over, grabbing onto my thigh and giving it a squeeze. “It’s kind of cold out here, want to go inside?”
“Aziel?” Fuck.
Ivy walks up to me with an irritated look on her face. I move even further away from Max, ending up on the edge of the picnic table.
“Aw, cute. What’re you supposed to be?” Max asks Ivy, like she’s talking to a little kid.
Double fuck.
Ivy narrows her eyes at Max, glaring at her then looking back towards me. “Can I talk to you?”
“Yeah.” I move to get off the bench when Max slams her palm on my thigh. “Sorry, kid. We’re in the middle of a conversation. If it’s past your bedtime, maybe you can see him tomorrow? Later in the day though, I’m thinking we’ll be up pretty late tonight.”
Ivy scoffs at her, baffled and shocked and I can see as the irritation builds to a red-hot anger.
I peel Max’s hand off my thigh. “Max, you need to—” I start.
Max stands up and straddles me, her ass right in Ivy’s face as she leans in on me. “Baby, are you really spending time with that little girl? She looks like she’s still in training bras. You want to be with a kid, or do you want to spend your night with a woman?” Her finger pulls at the v of her shirt, revealing a peak of her left nipple.
Max’s head jerks back and she flies off my lap, landing on her back on the dirt ground.
“What the fuck?!” She screeches.
Shocked, I look and see Ivy standing above her, steam pouring out of her ears and her blue eyes turned a fiery red. She looks angrier than I’ve ever seen her as she white knuckle grips Max’s hair in her tiny fingers.
“Slut!” Ivy says as she pulls Max away by the hair.
“Agh! You bitch!” Max rolls over, gripping onto Ivy’s wrist as she tries to gain control. She rolls around and kicks Ivy in the shin. Ivy stumbles, turning angrier as she punches Max in the face.
Max grabs onto her own hair and pulls, ripping some out of her own skull and the rest of out Ivy’s hand.
“You’re going to fucking pay for that!” Max punches Ivy right in the nose, and it instantly starts gushing blood, pouring out of her nostrils. Ivy cups her nose, screaming out in pain.
Ivy grabs onto Max’s hair again and whips her to the floor, kicking her with her leather boot like a soccer ball.
Okay, that’s enough.
“Hey! Hey, hey, hey. Stop that shit.” I leap off the bench and wrap my arms around Ivy, lifting her off the ground and walking away from Max. “What the fuck?”
Ivy writhes in my grip, her only focus inflicting pain on Max.
“That little bitch.” Ivy growls, squirming around in an attempt to slide free.
“Calm the fuck down.” I grip her tighter.
Max screams from the ground. West helps her up while Violet stands to the side looking completely shocked.
I walk towards the gate, as far away from Max as humanly possible. It’s dark over here and quiet, most of the party still inside and completely unknowing of what just happened.
“Let me go! Let me go, Aziel! Why are you trying to protect her?” She screams at me, pulling at my hair.
“Would you chill out?” I yank her off me, slamming her up against the gate. “Ivy! Chill the fuck out!” I shout in her face.
She breathes heavily, her chest heaving with the motions. I don’t think she can ever see me through her rage.
I grip her cheeks, shaking her until she looks at me. “Ivy!”
Her gaze focuses, and she zones in on my face. “Are you protecting her?” She asks, offended and maybe a little hurt.
“No!” I b
ark. “I’m protecting you.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “How are you protecting me?”
I release her and take a step back. “Because you can’t just go fucking people up for no reason.”
She raises her hands. “Are you fucking kidding me? She was going to start riding your dick right on the picnic table! What the hell do you expect me to do? Cheer her on?” She sneers.
“No, just… fuck. Hitting someone is one thing, Ivy. But you look like you wanted to fuck her up real good.”
She lifts her chin. “I would have if you wouldn’t have stopped me.”
“Which is exactly why I stopped you.”
“You hurt people all the time. You kill people.”
“Yeah, and I don’t want you to have that shit on your conscience. There’s no coming back from it, Ivy. Once you reach a certain point, it changes a person.”
She pushes me away. “If you think there’s a turning point on my conscious, you don’t know me enough. I’m past that.”
“I just don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.” And she will, regret it, that is. The look in her eye when she kicked Max was one I’ve felt on my own face a million times. I’ve seen it on the face of my brothers. Of the members in the club. You don’t get that face when you’re just pissed. You get that face when you want to obliterate someone.
“The only thing I regret is not pulling her off sooner. What a whore. She totally deserved it. Fucking slut bag.” She sniffs.
“She deserved it.” I walk up to her, done talking about this. Done talking about some inconsequential bitch that I give zero shits about. She stirs up shit because she can. She flaunts her tits and ass because she has it. But she’s done here. “And she won’t be coming back to the club.”
“She better not.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her into me and kiss her on the lips. “She done. She won’t be back.” I kiss her again.
Ivy kisses me back, wrapping her arms around me and kissing me deeply. “Did you like it? Did you like her on you like that?”
I shake my head. “Not at all.” I kiss her again, wanting to be done talking about fucking Maximillian.
