Hades’ Flame
Copyright © 2018 Glenna Maynard
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means – electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying), recording, or otherwise – without prior permission in writing from the author.
Dedication
This will sound funny to some, but I dedicate this book to myself, because I wrote it for me the way I wanted to write it with no outside influences. That means, you are the first to read it. No betas. No critique partners. Simple and me. Sometimes a girl must return to the basics to find her voice. Here’s to never giving up and losing sight of who we are. Be bold. Take chances. But most importantly, BE YOU. Because you are beautiful, and your voice is important.
Acknowledgments
To Morgan, Dawn, Jordan, and Jenna y’all were such an amazing support to me while I wrote this even if it was just to say you got this, I appreciate it. I love you xx
To my ride or die rebels you make me believe anything is possible.
To my main man, thank you for picking up my slack so I could take the time I needed to write this book for me. I needed it more than you know. I love you, honey.
MaryAnn, Michelle, and Amber you ladies inspired some fierce kick ass ladies. I hope you enjoy what I did with your namesakes.
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Author’s Note
Blurb
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Coming soon
About Glenna
Available Now
Chapter 1 Grim the Beginning
Dear Reader,
Hades’ Flame is book one of the Devils Rejects MC series. It takes place within my Black Rebel Riders’ MC world and could crossover to my Born Sinners MC as well. To best follow this series, it is recommended although not required that you read the BRMC books 1-10 first to get the full history. The BRRMC series is read in order, but books 9 and 10 could be read on their own to start this series. Book 9 is Danny’s first appearance in the books, but he meets Sara in book 10. For my BRRMC readers, Hades’ Flame can be read as book 11 of the series.
Glenna xx
Hades’ Flame
When you make a deal with the devil he’s going to want to collect his dues.
Sara
I gave up everything to be with Danny.
All I want is his love.
All he wants is to build an empire.
A new day is upon the Devils Rejects MC.
I am a stranger in their eyes.
The daughter of an old enemy.
A forty year old feud doesn’t end overnight.
I will show them I have rebel blood running through my veins, but a Devils Reject owns my heart.
Danny
I was made a deal I couldn’t refuse.
A deal that promised me my forever.
I shook hands with the devil to get what I wanted.
Lies will threaten to destroy us.
Lies will build my empire.
Innocent blood will pay my debt.
I will do anything to protect the woman I love.
Prologue
Sara
Drag Creek, Kentucky
“You can’t possibly be okay with any of this!” My mother screams at my father. Hell, I am sure the whole state can hear her.
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “There was no other choice.”
“There’s always a choice, Nash. You want our daughter to drop out of school and raise a baby with that man. And he’s a man, Nash. He’s too old for her. I can’t. I won’t accept this.” I knew yesterday when she said she would accept Danny and Cain Thomas it was too good to be true.
Danny hugs my back to his chest as we listen from the front porch of my Grandpa, Grim’s house. “I’m sorry about all of this. If I had never talked to you…”
“Hey.” I twist around to face him. “I chose to get in the truck with you. I chose to be with you. I chose you and I’d choose you again.”
His mouth comes down on mine and I open to him completely. Danny brings out the best in me. With him is where I am meant to be. His soul calls to mine as if they are old friends.
He is mine and I am his.
I won’t stop fighting to be with him. Cain Thomas needs us.
He doesn’t have anyone else.
“It won’t happen. I won’t sign the papers.”
“It’s already happening, Karly. You can hate it all you want to, but legally that little boy sleeping in there is our grandson. If you don’t get on board with this you could lose Sara forever,” my father warns.
“I’ve heard enough out of both of ye,” I hear Grim’s loud voice boom. “We did what we had to. Sara did what she had to because she knew what was on the line. You may have been off in California living your fancy little life where everything was fuckin’ perfect and your shit didn’t stink, but you aren’t in Cali-fuckin-fornia. You’re in my house. Sara will go with Danny to Webb Hollow as soon as they are married. He has to be there to get a handle on his club. He don’t need to be here pussy footin’ and sucking your asshole to prove himself, Goddamnit. Now ye either plan your daughter a fittin’ weddin’ or shut the fuck up.”
Danny’s eyes widen at the same time as mine because Cain is wailing from his bassinet.
“I don’t want to go in there,” I admit
Danny grabs my hand. “We’ll do it like we’ll do everything…together.”
I smile. “Together.”
Chapter 1
Sara
“You sure you’re ready for this?”
“What?” Danny’s dark brows knit together. “Marrying you?”
“Well…not only that but doing the wedding in Drag Creek? I know things haven’t been easy with the tension between the Devils and the Black Rebels. Is bringing the clubs together right now a good idea?”
His good hand reaches out for mine and he tugs me toward him until I fall into his lap. It is a long story, but Danny lost his hand when the homemade bomb he made detonated in his grasp.
Danny’s arm snakes around my waist as those torturous lips brush over my temple. “Baby, you know I would love nothing more than to avoid this whole meeting between the two clubs, but I know you. I know you want your family around no matter what you say.”
Letting out an annoyed huff, I know he’s right.
I passed my GED, that was my mom’s main stipulation for this wedding. She still isn’t thrilled with the choices I have made but she loves CT. Cain Thomas. He’s really Danny’s nephew, the son of his dead sister, Harper and equally dead brother-in-law, Marek.
We were with Harper when she went into labor and due to circumstances, I took the baby to raise as my own along with Danny.
These past six months haven’t been easy, but when I look at my son and Danny, I know it has been worth the struggles.
Danny inherited a motorcycle club he didn’t want, but a club who needs him to lead them. The Devils Rejects have been involved in some seriously bad shit, but Danny has been turning things around. A change like that doesn’t happen overnight though.
During this time, I have been living in Drag Creek, Kentucky and on the weekends,
Danny makes the drive from Webb Hollow, a small town, in northern Tennessee that is home to the Devils Rejects to be with me. I haven’t actually spent any time with Danny’s club. Our weekends together are never long enough, and CT is always with us too. Once we are married though Webb Hollow will be my new home. I only hope that the two clubs will continue to keep the peace. My grandfather, Grim, was president of the Black Rebel Riders’ MC until a few months back when him and his VP, Romeo, (my other grandfather) passed the club to my father, Striker and his brother, Rebel. My older brother, Cole, is an enforcer for the club as well.
I have rebel blood running through my veins, but a Devils Reject has my heart.
My life is so far from where I thought it would be. I came to Drag Creek right before my seventeenth birthday for my grandmother’s funeral. A trip I thought would last a week at best. Instead it has turned into a new life. I’m a mother and high school dropout. Is this the life I would have chosen for myself? Probably not, but CT didn’t ask for any of this either and I won’t let him pay for the sins of his parents.
They were terrible people, but he has his whole life ahead of him.
Danny says, I can always see the bright side even in the darkest of times.
Our relationship didn’t start out as a fairytale, considering he kidnapped me. That’s another story though. We closed those pages and are writing our own future.
“I want you to be honest with me. You aren’t having second thoughts, are you? I would understand if you are, Sara.”
“Babe, I have been given so many chances to walk away from you…from raising CT, but I told you, we’re in this together. You and me against the world if need be.” We already faced my mother and well…she can put the fear of God in an atheist.
Studying his face, I wonder if he is the one having thoughts of backing out. I think Danny loves me, but we haven’t had a lot of time together. Our relationship is unusual. I know I want nothing more than to be with him. I only hope he still feels the same. From the moment I met him, I was drawn to him.
“Are you prepared to have me and CT living with you? Cause we will be there all the time, no more weekends. You’ll be giving up a lot of freedom.” I don’t think Danny has been unfaithful to me but I’m not dumb either. I know his club is nothing like my grandpa’s and there are women who hang around ready to do whatever is desired of them. My mom told me a lot of crap I wasn’t ready to hear. She wasn’t sugar coating shit.
I only hope I can be strong enough for Danny. The pressure of leading a club nearly destroyed my parents’ marriage, but we aren’t them.
“All I want is to have you by my side…in my bed.” His fingers dig into my hip. “You drive me crazy, baby. I can’t wait for you to make our place a home.”
Brushing his lips over mine his tongue slides over my lips.
Parting my mouth, I meet his tongue with mine, craving much more than a kiss.
Danny presses his forehead to mine with a sigh. “I wish I could take you with me now.”
“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” I whisper against his tempting mouth.
“What time is it?” He asks, flipping my wrist over to look at my watch.
I attempt to pull away. It’s way past time for him to be on the road.
“C’mere.” Danny nuzzles his face into my neck. The whiskers from the beard he has been growing scratches me, creating a delicious friction, reminding me of when they were ticking me somewhere else.
“Don’t go. Not yet. Can’t you stay one more night?”
“Sara…” The way he says my name all deep and throaty sends shivers coursing down my spine. “One more week. You’ll be all mine. Forever.”
“Promise,” I whisper.
“I love you.”
“I know you do.”
Danny
Every time I drive away from Sara and CT, I leave a piece of my heart behind with them. I can’t wait until I get to make her mine. These past six months have been hard. Being torn between cleaning up the fuckin’ mess dumped in my lap by Marek’s death and being with the one I love. If I had a choice, I’d pick being with Sara every fucking time. I never thought I would be president of a motorcycle club and raising my nephew as my own, but here I am. This is the hand I was dealt. CT is growing bigger every damn day. Each time I see the kid he has started doing something different.
We’ve just said our see ya laters. There are no goodbyes to be had because she is my forever.
I’ve done everything asked of me. Taken everything her family has thrown at me, because I’d do anything for her. Club politics aren’t easy to navigate when there are decades of bad blood between the Black Rebel Riders’ MC and the Devils Rejects.
The new revenue from the moonshine runs has nearly replaced what we were receiving from the trafficking ring, but it isn’t enough. I have to look outside of my deal with Grim to keep this club from sinking under.
Tiny Leone has requested a meeting.
Sara and her family can’t know. They won’t understand or approve. I have to think about my men…my club.
I’m not on my way home to Webb Hollow. I’m meeting up with my VP, Cupid, and riding out to meet with Tiny.
My men still don’t fully trust me. I can’t blame them, but I will prove to them I’m their Prez. I will provide a future for them. I will make damn sure I can give Sara everything she dreams of and more.
Chapter 2
Danny
Somewhere between Kentucky and Texas
Cupid lights up a cigarette, cupping his hand around the flame to keep the wind from putting it out.
“You know what he’s going to want. You sure you got the stomach for it?” He questions, flipping the top of his lighter down and shoving it in his pocket before taking a long drag.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to bring this club back from the grave.”
Tiny’s car pulls up in the empty parking lot of a deserted carnival. It looks like everyone simply vanished. The company went bankrupt and nothing was ever done with the equipment or the land.
I watch with disinterest as Tiny and his men exit the car. His guards are armed as they should be. Tiny is feared but he is also hated. You can’t be a cartel boss and not be both. When you are at the top everyone either wants to be you or kill you. For those reasons alone, it is essential to surround yourself with people willing to take a bullet for you. I grew up with Cupid. He used to date my sister when they were kids. He followed her everywhere. He followed her to hell with Marek. I know he will be loyal to me out of love for Harper. God rest her soul. I hope my sister is finally at peace.
I hope she is resting easy from that grave of her own making knowing that I’m still here, and that I will raise her son to someday take my place.
“That president patch looks good on you, no?” Tiny smiles wide, flashing me his teeth. I give him a chin lift, kicking at the dirt and the gravel, ready to get this over with. Whatever deal Tiny wants to make, I know it will cost me. He isn’t a cheap man. Shit, his wardrobe probably costs more than my fake hand, and my hand costs a small fortune.
“You said you had a deal for me. What is it?” There is no other way to be other than direct with a man like Tiny. Marek, my dead brother-in-law, made the mistake of getting too comfortable in his partnership with Tiny. He thought he could control him. He paid for that mistake with his life. Not that he was a great loss to me. I hated that bastard for what he did to my sister, for the monster he made her become.
Tiny though, I think part of him loved Harper, and it is why he killed Marek in the end. None of us knew what fate would befall Harper thanks to her fuck up of a husband and his bitch, Sayika. That shit doesn’t matter now. It’s done and over. My sister is dead, and her son is now my son. My son with Sara.
“You have everything your sister wanted for you. I got you your Sara. You have your nephew and you are president. I got what I wanted. An in with the Black Rebel Riders’ MC. But there is business that has been left unfinished. My men are restle
ss. My connections are unhappy. I need more girls. You are going to get them for me.”
“You told Grim you don’t trade or sell women.”
“I lied. We both know that. Don’t make this difficult, Hades. You owe me—therefore, your club owes me. Don’t forget who made you. Six months ago, you had a target on your back for taking your Sara. Now you are set to marry. I’d hate for anything to ruin your special day.”
I step forward, but Cupid holds his arm across my chest in warning as Tiny’s guards draw their weapons. “I may owe you, but don’t you ever fucking threaten her.”
He waves his men off. “So, you do love her. I thought perhaps it was your guilt that made you want to keep her. Good. It means you have something to fight for. A man with nothing to lose is dangerous, wouldn’t you agree?”
I stay silent because I know he’s right. I don’t like it, but it is true.
“I’m glad we understand each other. Now that we have that settled. I need five girls for an auction. You can bring them when you deliver my moonshine. You have two weeks. Don’t be late and Hades, do not even think of crossing me. You breathe a word to Grim or anyone else and I will take your Sara and show her what her intended fate was. Make no mistake, I cared for your sister, but I saw an opportunity and I took it. I had to tie up that loose end. Marek was out of control and Harper, well we both know the bitch was out of her mind.”
The morning Harper died plays back in my head. It wasn’t Sayika who prepared Harper’s food it was Tiny. I remember him topping her pancakes with strawberries, her favorite. That bastard.
Rage courses through me, pumping into my veins. My heartbeat is in my throat.
He moves to get in his car and turns back, looking me over. He smiles. “You’ll get your cut from the auction. Your first payment will be delivered on your wedding day. Think of it as my blessing. Give Grim and his men my regards. And kiss the blushing bride for me.”
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