Arsen

by Kathryn Thomas

  “Good point,” Arsen agreed. “But how are we going to do that? We’re going to have the same problem the Horsemen did hitting us. We killed three of their guys, wounded another, and didn’t get a scratch.”

  “How about we call in help? The Advocates brought this to our attention. Maybe they can help us solve it,” Zane suggested.

  Arsen thought it over. “I don’t know how I feel about admitting we can’t handle out own problems.”

  “The Horsemen are three times our size, maybe more, but the Advocates are at least five times their size. We could sell it as we are giving them a chance to extract a little revenge for fucking with their territory,” Phil suggested.

  Arsen shook his head. “No. If we go to them, we should be honest with them. They’re our partners, and once we start lying to each other the trust breaks down. What do you think? Do we ask for help or not?”

  It was an informal vote, but in the end, the Blades decided not to ask for help. “Let’s table this for now,” Arsen said. “We’re still on lockdown in case the Horsemen try again. We can discuss how we’re going to handle them in the morning.”

  “I want to pull everyone in tonight.” Phil said. “I doubt the Horsemen will come calling again tonight, and we won’t be able to see in the dark anyway. We’ll leave the compound lights on and put a man on the cameras. That should give us enough warning.”

  “Sounds good. Make it happen,” Arsen ordered.

  ***

  The Blades were sitting down for a late dinner of cold sandwiches when Arsen’s phone rang. “It’s the Horsemen,” he said before answering the call and putting it on speaker as the club gathered around. “What do you want, Roger?”

  “We need to talk.”

  “No, I don’t believe we do. Having your men show up here today put an end to the talking. You tried this once before and got your ass handed to you. You must be a slow learner.”

  “Kyle, I don’t have any choice. My back is against the wall.”

  “Sucks to be you.”

  “Give me the girl and we can make a deal on the molly. We’ll stop counterfeiting your stuff.”

  “I gave you that option but you wanted to get into a pissing contest. Why the change of heart?”

  There was a pause. “I need something, Kyle. My club is coming apart. The molly, that’s business, but the girl, that’s personal. She killed a brother and she has to answer for that. I can use that to hold the club together.”

  Arsen glanced at Quinn. She’d gone pale, her eyes were wide, and she was shaking. “So I give you the girl and you stop counterfeiting the Hearts and Daggers? That’s the deal your offering me?”

  “That’s the deal. You wrecked my lab, killed my chemist, killed three of my brothers, and another is going to pull a stretch in lockup after he gets out of the hospital. I’m willing to overlook all of that, and stop the counterfeiting, for the girl.”

  “A tempting offer,” Arsen said slowly. “I have counter offer. Why don’t you go fuck yourself? She’s a Blade now and we protect our own. You’re the one who called in the thunder when you started counterfeiting our stuff. You hit my compound and then you rat us out to the pigs. I should thank you for that I suppose because they didn’t find shit. Now we’re protected. It seems like everything you touch turns to shit.”

  “I can’t let this go, Arsen. You have a chance to end it, now, and you’re pissing it away. All it’s going to cost you is the girl. What does she mean to you anyway?”

  “She’s a Blade. That’s all you need to know.”

  “You’re starting a war, Kyle.”

  “No. I’m finishing it,” he said before stabbing the button to end the call.

  “They must really be in a bad way,” Greg said after a moment.

  “Good,” Alex snarled. “There is no way in hell we’re giving them Quinn. She’s one of us now.”

  She didn’t smile, but her shaking had stopped and her color was returning.

  “She’s going no place,” Berk said firmly. “They had their shot at her. They’ll have to go through me to get another.”

  A rumble of “And me” circled the room as all the members and old ladies voiced their support.

  Arsen watched her eyes. “And me,” he said after the room fell silent. Quinn whimpered, her face crinkling as tears began to crawl down her cheeks. He took her hands and held them. “We’re not turning you over to them, not now, not ever.”

  She nodded and pulled her hands from his to wipe her eyes. “I believe you. All of you. Thank you.”

  The rest of the meal was consumed as the Blades talked about what they were going to do about the Horsemen. The two sticking points were covering what they were doing and prying them out of their clubhouse. A straight on assault would cost a lot of Blades lives, even if they were successful. They had to get in and out clean, and have an alibi. Having brothers attest they were with them would work, but better would be someone unrelated to the club stating the same thing.

  Nothing was resolved by the time dinner was finished, and afterwards Arsen worked with Quinn to teach her to play pool as a way to pass the time. He wasn’t a great player, Greg could wipe the floor with him and every member of the club, but he was better than her by a large margin. The best part of the instruction was leaning into her ass as he taught her to stroke the cue. She seemed to enjoy the instruction and began pushing back into him.

  ***

  “I have our cots setup,” she said as she stepped into the small room that held the servers that ran their club. “We’re in the manufacturing building.”

  He nodded. He, Zane and Phil could have claimed the three of the guest quarters for themselves, but all the brothers had drawn straws for them and they weren’t one of the lucky four. If they were still on lockdown tomorrow night, maybe they would have better luck.

  “Anything?” she asked, hopping up to sit on the desk.

  “Quiet as a cemetery. I don’t expect anything to happen tonight.” He shrugged. “But then I didn’t expect anything to happen during the day today, either, so what do I know? The Horsemen must be desperate, and that makes them dangerous and unpredictable.”

  “They were already dangerous and unpredictable.”

  He smiled and stroked her thigh. “When we’re done, you’ll never have to worry about them again.”

  She nodded. “I hope you kill every last one of those fuckers.”

  He looked at her, his eyes opening wide. He’d never heard such hate in her voice before. Pain, yes, and fear, but not this seething anger. He smiled and caressed her leg again. He was glad to hear that anger. When he lost Holly he was first in shock, then pain, then came the anger. He was angry for a long time at the cruelty of the world, but finally he was able to let the anger go and accept his loss. Once he did that, he was able to move on. Her anger meant she was healing.

  “I’ll make sure they know you send your regards.”

  Chapter 30

  Arsen swam out of the darkness, the soft press of Quinn’s lips to his stripping away the veil of sleep.

  “What?” he murmured, trying to throw off the cobwebs.

  “I want you,” she whispered. There were bunking in the production area of the plant, a large space filled with machines. They were surrounded on all sides by sleeping brothers and sisters, twelve in all.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I want you,” she repeated. “I need you.”

  He sat up, blinking, trying to fathom what she was telling him. “Want me?”

  She tugged on his hands, pulling him to his feet. “I can’t sleep,” she whispered as she pulled him along behind her.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Someplace where we can be alone.” She led him to the very back of the plant, where the industrial water was treated. It was hotter than seven hells in the room, but she didn’t care. It was the one place where she was certain they wouldn’t be heard or disturbed. The moment the door clicked shut behind them, she turned to face him, pulling h
is head down to kiss him lustily.

  He fought out of the kiss. “What are you doing?”

  “I want you.”

  “You don’t have to do this. I told you that.”

  “I want to. I was laying there tonight, thinking, couldn’t sleep. The more I thought about what happened to me, the more upset I got. Those fucking Horsemen took everything from me. They took my life and my friends, but that wasn’t enough. They wanted me back. I—”

  “You’re not going back,” he snapped, cutting her off.

  “I know! Tonight, hearing everyone in the club say they would have to go through them first made me believe, for the first time, I’m safe. Then, the way you looked at me when you said the same thing.” She shook her head. “I’m tired of being afraid. I’m tired of wondering if I can ever be normal again. It pisses me off what they’ve done to me, and I’m not going to let them win! I want to make them pay for what they did to me, and Miranda, and Teresa, and Holly, and your parents!”

  “They will,” he said firmly.

  “I believe you, and I’m not going to let them make me afraid any more. I’m taking my fucking life back!”

  He nodded in understanding. He understood exactly where she was coming from. She was trying to find something to crack open the darkness inside of her so she could let it escape. “What can I do to help?”

  “You can fuck me! You can fuck me and make me alive again! The night in the cabin showed me I wasn’t broken. I want you to remind me that fucking is amazing, and fun, and there is more to life than simply existing.” She paused, watching his eyes in the dim safety lights, wanting to see if he understood what she was trying to say.

  Hearing the fire in her voice as she ordered him to please her made him ache for her. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, her skin already glowing with sweat, but it was the life he saw in her eyes that spoke to him. She was alive and vibrant in a way he’d never seen from her before. He reached behind her head and pulled her to him, stopping mere millimeters from his lips. He wouldn’t force her to kiss him.

  She smiled as he paused, then closed the distance, pressing her lips tightly to his. He was wearing pants but no shirt, and she ran her hands over his back, feeling the sweat forming, her passion climbing to heights she had never experienced before. Whether it was the kindness he’d shown her, the fact he was going to extract bloody revenge on those who had hurt her, or her all-consuming rage, she didn’t know, and didn’t care. For tonight none of it mattered. All that mattered was she wanted him like no man before, and she would have him, over and over, until her rage was consumed.

  She pushed him back, then dropped to her knees in front of him. The concrete floor was painfully hard, but she barely noticed, so consumed by her lust that the only thing that mattered was pleasing him and being pleased in return. She opened his pants and jerked them roughly down before swallowing him, grabbing his ass and pulling him forward and deep into her mouth.

  He hissed as she took him deep, his desire roaring. She was being rough, but that was fine. He could be just as rough. He grabbed her head and pulled her down on him, holding himself deep in her mouth as her nails bit into his ass, releasing her as she tried to pull back. She spat on him then took him into her hand as she stroked him hard and fast. She rose and pulled her shirt over her head, then shoved her shorts down. They stepped out of their pants together, then holding his cock, she pulled him into the reverse osmosis machinery and tank farm that provided their pure water. It was a tight squeeze between the two large, smooth, plastic holding tanks, but that was fine by him.

  She pulled him deeper into the machinery, wanting to feel the closeness of the tight confines. It made her feel hidden and safe from discovery, allowing her to let herself go, and she wanted to let herself go to recapture what she once had. She loved sex, and while she was generally satisfied with her sex life before, she’d never had a lover who could fully satisfy her. They all lacked either skills, stamina, or both. Listening to Michelle describe his relationship with Holly, she hoped Arsen would be different, and tonight she would find out.

  She dropped to her knees again and took him deep into her mouth, her tongue flicking the base of his shaft as she held him deep then drew him out, before plunging him back into her mouth, making wet slurpy sounds as she worked him over.

  “Fuck!” he growled, as she again pulled back, licked down his shaft to suck his balls, then plunged his cock into her mouth again. Quinn was a force of nature, wild and unstoppable, and he could feel his control slipping.

  His growls and pants, the way he held her head, making his desire known but not hurting her, enflamed her. She was taking her rage with the Chrome Horsemen on out Arsen, replacing anger with lust, pain with pleasure, fear with desire. She was being rough, and she knew it, but she couldn’t stop herself. She wanted to be handled roughly, to dominate him in sexual conflict, to fuck as long and hard as possible, to be left wrung out and gasping as she burned out the darkness with the heat of passion.

  He was going to come. Rarely had a woman been able to make him come with her mouth, but he was going to tonight if she continued. He tried to push her away, but she refused to yield, her nails once again biting hard into his ass as she continued to work him over with mouth and tongue. She pulled back then plunged down again. If she wanted to suck him until he came, then fine, he would fucking come. Then, once the edge had been taken off, he would make her scream in pleasure.

  He grabbed her head and thrust into her mouth, holding her tight. He was finally getting into it, exerting his will over her, and she thrilled with the change. She’d always liked men who knew how to please a woman and didn’t wait to be told what to do. He let her back off long enough to catch her breath, but when she swallowed him again, he held her until he barked, thrusting his hips forward as he spilled into her mouth. He tried to pull back again, but she continued to batter him with her tongue, his deep hard groan of pleasure making her blood run hot.

  He reached down and pulled her to her feet, then picked her up by the waist, ducking under her legs as he sat her on his shoulders. He’d always wanted to do this to a woman. He took a half-step forward and tipped her backwards so her back was resting against the tank. He jacked her into position with his hands under her ass, then set to work.

  When Arsen picked her up, Quinn felt a rush of panic, but he handled her effortlessly, sitting her on his shoulders before tipping her back into the tank. As his tongue began to tickle and caress her sex, she gave herself over to him, placing her absolute faith in him that he wouldn’t hurt her, either physically or emotionally, allowing the pleasure to swell within her, the excitement of this new and unique position and their surroundings twisting her up.

  After several minutes she began to thrust her hips, using her powerful leg muscles to move. She was getting slippery with sweat, but with her back against the tank and her legs draped over his shoulders, he knew she couldn’t fall. She pressed up hard and he tighten his neck, allowing her to control the pressure of his kiss, his tongue slithering and darting, his lips pulling and tugging.

  “Fuck! Shit!” she snarled, as she thrust her hips into his face as hard and fast as she could, then pressed her hips hard forward as her pleasure consumed her.

  Her snarling, growling pants as she pressed her pussy in to his face made him want to fuck her long and hard, to make her squirm and gasp in pleasure. He’d had many women since Holly, but fucking them had been about his need and his pleasure. With Quinn, he wanted to please her, to hear her cry his name as she found release.

  “Oh fuck…please stop!” she wailed, trapped on his shoulders, unable to escape the searing pleasure of his tongue. She was about to cry out again, the sensation of his tongue and lips on her pussy rising to the point of near pain, then suddenly they were gone. She gasped, a shudder passing through her as her climax washed out of her, leaving her feeling spent and weak.

  He stepped back, twisting her to one shoulder, using one arm to hold her steady as he slipped
one leg, then the other from his shoulder, allowing her to slide down his body. When she reached the proper height, he pressed her into the tank again. As her arms and legs went around him, he reached under her ass and directed his throbbing cock into her wetness. He allowed her to slip a little lower than began to thrust with long hard stokes.

  His passage as he entered her, and the feel of his weight as he pressed her hard into the tank, was exquisite. The curve of the tank was perfect, almost if it had been molded with the intention of being fucked against. She gripped him tight, her mouth opening in a silent cry of ecstasy as they moved together, their sweat slick skin another source of pleasure.

  “Do you feel alive now?” he snarled, driving into her hard.

  “Yes! Yes! Don’t stop!”

  “I’m never going to stop,” he growled, picking up speed, driving into her harder and faster, his need consuming him. “You’re mine and I’m never letting anyone take you from me!”