Elliot rubbed his thumb over Knight’s hand, still in awe that he got to touch such an amazing man. “I will have to make changes on my Youtube channel.” Fantasizing of this imaginary future dropped weight from Elliot’s shoulders. “Maybe change my nickname too. Make a grand comeback after all this time.”
“Yeah? What would you change?” asked Knight, and it didn’t even sound like the kind of dismissive questions people asked to be polite. Knight really wanted to know.
“I’d change my look, since The Count was a tribute to Fane. I would expose what Fane did to help those he hurt find peace. And it’s important to give Laurent the recognition he deserves. Since he’s my great-great-grand uncle and all that.” He leaned in for another kiss. Fortunately, Knight was just as handsome when seen with one eye, as he was with both.
Knight’s mouth curved into a smile, and he pulled Elliot closer, stroking him with such care as if Elliot really was worthy of his attention. As if he were worthwhile and precious. Elliot was ready to make all the sacrifices in the world to not let him down.
Elliot closed his eye with a smile. “I’d also invite a local genealogy expert as a regular guest.”
Chapter 28
Elliot would have never imagined a man like Knight could be so tender and caring. When he’d first met Knight, he’d only seen the force hiding in the thick arms, and the confidence in every step Knight took through the world. And yet, despite being a biker, and an outlaw at that, since Elliot had no doubt there was morally dubious activity going on in the club, Knight had been at the hospital every day until Elliot was ready to leave.
Every day, Knight would bring him some little gift, or sneak in some food, or crawl into Elliot’s bed that barely had enough room for the two of them. Even though they hadn’t spoken about it, Knight had also paid all the medical expenses which were surely so staggering that thinking about them had Elliot nauseated.
For now, Elliot decided to stick with the eye patch, especially since his abused eye socket was still healing, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted a fake eye in the future. The idea of the eye patch was growing on him, especially that Knight said it would make Elliot look ‘dangerous’, ‘mysterious’, ‘like a man who’s been through a lot and survived’.
With so much attention and sympathy showered on him, Elliot didn’t even have time to grow much concerned about how the scar would affect his physical appearance. Still, being discharged triggered all sorts of uncomfortable feelings, and despite declaring so many times that he wished to return home with Knight, the moment the two of them stepped through the threshold of the hospital his mood plummeted.
Knight held him by the hand as if he didn’t care about people staring, and led Elliot to one of the large SUVs owned by the club. They then set out of Brecon and toward the clubhouse.
Elliot watched the muddy road in front of them as they drove through the slush-filled landscape. “Is the club named the way it is because it’s in the devil’s home?” he asked after a long silence. He hadn’t thought of that before, but it came together in his mind all of a sudden.
Knight frowned, and he must have hit the brakes, because the car slowly came to a halt on the side of the road. “Fuck. I don’t know. King used to say it was because, like the devil, we made our own rules, but by the time I found out the devil actually existed, he was already dead. Who knows?” he asked and shot Elliot a wide smile.
There hadn’t been much snow since a recent thawing, and so despite it being January, the scenery was more like that of late autumn. Depressing and brown-gray like Elliot’s heart.
Elliot wasn’t sure why they stopped, so he looked around, but no reason occurred to him. “I could ask. That could be interesting. King’s an attention seeker.”
Knight put his arm around Elliot’s shoulders, pulling him closer to the fragrance of his strong body. Not all the guys in Elliot’s life had been outright abusive, but none of them acted so tenderly toward him either. It was confusing to be treated as if he actually mattered.
“Tell me about it. The bastard needed to be in the spotlight constantly, but when he was there, he had this charisma that made you forget what a shit he was.”
Elliot instantly wrapped his arms around Knight. Was this a chance for a quickie? “Sounds like Fane. He knew exactly what to say to get his way.”
When Knight groaned his displeasure, his body trembled against Elliot. “That’s what I wanted to talk about. If you really want to live with us, we came up with precautions so that he won’t endanger you or anyone else. There’s still time to back out. I could rent you a room in town.”
There it was. Knight trying to push him aside. Elliot couldn’t have that. If he wasn’t at the clubhouse, Knight would be more prone to look for excitement elsewhere.
“No, no! I understand. You want to cuff me?”
A grin flashed across Knight’s features, and his thick fingers sank deeper against Elliot’s flesh. “As tempting as that it, I think it’s better to use something soft to keep you contained. Don’t want to injure those nice, angular wrists,” he said, stroking the back of Elliot’s hand.
A warm shudder went all the way down to Elliot’s stomach. “You like my wrists?”
“Mm, they’re pretty hot,” Knight said as he pulled Eliot’s hand to his lips and rubbed his scruffy chin against the sensitive palm. Heat flashed down Elliot’s chest as he looked into his lover’s eyes, completely mesmerized. “There’s plenty to like about you. Shame I won’t be seeing much of them until we get rid of Fane.”
Elliot smiled. He kind of knew Knight was into him, yet it still always caught him off guard. “Knight? We will get rid of him, right?”
Knight frowned. “Yeah. Of course we will. One-hundred-percent,” he said, fast like a machine gun. After one more squeeze to Elliot’s shoulder, he leaned between their seats to retrieve a thick bundle of white cloth from the back. He tossed it into Elliot’s lap.
Elliot frowned at the straps and buckles, but then he held it up, and the long sleeves of the straitjacket dropped to the sides. “Oh. Right. I guess that makes sense. Where did you get it?”
“Joker found it in one of the storage rooms. Maybe it’s haunted?” said Knight with a wide grin.
Elliot pouted. “In the circumstances we’re in, that’s not very funny.”
The smile was instantly wiped off Knight’s face. “Sorry. I forgot you... see them, you know. Anyway, it’s been washed, and it smells of some kind of fabric softener the girls use around the club. It’s nice enough, I think.”
Elliot pulled it up to his face. It did have a fresh aroma to it. “Okay, let’s get it over with.” He got out of the car and took off his jacket as Knight caught up with him. “What if I need to pee?” He raised his eyebrows as the reality of being restrained dawned on him.
Knight stalled, but it only lasted a second. “I’ll be there to help you.”
Elliot worried that Knight would soon get tired of it all and start resenting him, but he didn’t want to voice it. Maybe if he didn’t prompt it, Knight would take longer to get fed up with the situation. He held out his arms. “You just want to hold my dick.”
Knight’s eyes flashed with humor. “Oh, no, my secret is out!”
The atmosphere became too somber for any of them to joke after that, and while the straitjacket encased Elliot quite pleasantly, by the time all straps were in place and his arms forced to rest against his body, he kept thinking that this would be his reality for... he didn’t even know how long. He would from now on be like a child, unable to even use the bathroom or eat without another person’s help.
He couldn’t help his breath speeding up from the stress of it all, and he laid his head on Knight’s shoulder to calm down. Unlike some other men in Elliot’s life, Knight wasn’t just a force of nature. He was a rock, an island of sanity in the wild waters Elliot was forced to navigate.
Knight pulled him in and rested his chin atop Elliot’s head, encasing him in his warmth, the fresh scent of his t
angled hair, in the soft leather that felt so nice against Elliot’s face. It was cold out here, but only beyond the embrace they shared.
Knight exhaled and slowly pushed Elliot away while still holding on to his shoulders. “Let’s be brave, yeah? Be nice to that bastard.”
Elliot nodded. Soon enough he’d be facing Fane, and he was overwhelmed by the perspective already. “I hate it when he touches me.”
Knight’s nostrils flared. “But he doesn’t like... molest you?”
Elliot hung his head to escape Knight’s gaze. “He’s never gone far with it, but he touches me, kisses me sometimes. It’s like being caressed by a dead body that’s lain in the snow for a few hours.”
Knight exhaled and slowly moved his warm palms up Elliot’s neck and all the way to his face. “Babe, if he crosses the line, you tell me, and I’m gonna take you to safety. Is that clear?”
Goose bumps perked up all over Elliot’s skin. He trusted with all his heart that Knight would do so, that Knight would be there to save him. He loved how Knight called him ‘babe’, and how he was always there when it mattered. “You’re a white knight after all.” He kissed Knight’s lips.
Knight growled and squeezed his fingers on Elliot’s hips, as if he were about to turn Elliot around, bend him over, and fuck him against the hood of the SUV out in the open, regardless of this being a public road. But instead, Knight pulled away and gave Elliot one more kiss before opening the door for him.
“I only wear black.”
Elliot’s smile widened, and it didn’t even hurt his face anymore. “Dark Knight then.”
He got inside the car, and at that moment it didn’t even matter just how much horror he’d been through since they met. When Knight leaned down to fasten Elliot’s seatbelt, Elliot knew it’d been worth it.
“Much better,” Knight said.
They made out for a few more moments, but then it was high time to go, and Elliot braced himself in the seat. The restraints weren’t exactly comfortable, but since it was a cold day, he didn’t really mind the thick outfit, even if its presence meant he’d need to be helped with everything from switching on the TV to preparing food.
Elliot became tenser as they approached the grounds that belonged to the Kings of Hell MC, but it was the cool touch to his neck that made his skin crawl and told him Fane was there. The ghost slid his hands down Elliot’s chest and hugged him from behind the seat.
“At last. I’ve missed you, my sweet. I even worried that you wouldn’t come back. What a terrifying thought that was. Were I human, I would have surely not eaten for days.”
Elliot licked his lips, unsure if he should speak or stay silent. He wished to ignore Fane, but Knight had told him to appease the ghost, and in terms of pure logic it did make sense. No point in agitating the lion you were trapped in a cage with. “I missed you too,” he mumbled in the end.
He briefly met Knight’s gaze and saw the big hands that he so enjoyed on his body squeeze the steering wheel harder. But Elliot would do as he was asked, regardless of his true feelings. He barely kept in a shudder when Fane’s cold touch wound itself around his neck in the parody of a hug.
“Did you, really? You’ve been cheating on me with this man all the time. But fear not. All I need is a body. Once I have Laurent, I will be able to satisfy you in any way you want,” Fane insisted, petting Elliot’s chest.
Elliot glanced back into the handsome face that now seemed almost angelic, with only a frown of concern marring its perfect features. He could see how a young man in search of fulfilment could get lost in Fane’s blue eyes, desperate to please a man both so alluring and powerful.
“You cut my eye out. I wasn’t exactly able to get to Laurent from a hospital bed,” he said through gritted teeth, unable to hold back the anger when he thought back to the torture Fane had put him through.
Fane deflated and leaned in even closer kneeling between Elliot and Knight as he pulled Elliot’s head to his chest, which contained no breath or heartbeat. “I’m so sorry. Anger got the better of me. After being cheated by past lovers so many times, I lost my mind. But I care for you. I promise this will never happen again. Once I have a new body, we will be together forever.”
The promise caught Elliot off guard even though a part of him knew just how evil Fane was. But then Elliot remembered the stories of past lovers who’d supposedly cheated on Fane, used him for his money, or simply tried to leave, and he wasn’t so sure if Fane was lying. “You said I’m not good enough for you. You like pretty boys like Laurent.” Was he being too angry? Should he have just smiled and nodded, like Knight suggested? That would have surely come off as fake.
Fane exhaled, and his cool lips rubbed against Elliot’s jaw, sliding lower, all the way to his neck. “I’m so sorry. You know it’s not just about looks. I value your dedication to me. It’s just... this state that I’ve been in for centuries takes away my humanity bit by bit. You need to help me, Elliot.”
Elliot inched away from the touch but looked back into Fane’s eyes, which were cool, almost watery. “Does it? How does it feel?”
“Like a big black void always surrounding you. I’m forever left unable to sample the warmth of another man. Of you.”
Elliot glanced up at Knight, self-conscious about the parts of the conversation that Knight could hear. “I know how that feels,” he whispered. No matter how much affection and dedication Knight showed him, he would never be willing to give himself to Elliot completely.
Fane on the other hand declared he would, but none of his promises could be trusted. He enforced his will with physical abuse of the worst kind, and who was there to guarantee Elliot that the two of them would remain together after all of this was over?
“We’re twin souls, I believe, my dear Elliot,” Fane whispered. “Never again to be parted.”
The words were like a blow to the stomach, and they forced out a choked sob Elliot couldn’t even hide, since he couldn’t use his hands. That was all he wanted from Knight. To entwine their souls and never part.
Why wasn’t he good enough? Why wasn’t he enough?
Was he just greedy to want a man like Knight all to himself? Maybe it meant he was just like William Fane, secretly craving to trap someone?
The car slowed down, and Elliot realized they’d just approached the grim shadows of the clubhouse.
“Is everything fine, Elliot?” Knight asked, but when Elliot wanted to look at him, Fane grabbed his jaw and leaned closer so that his face filled Elliot’s entire vision.
“He doesn’t care for you like I do. What can he offer you? A spot in his bed once a week until he gets bored of fucking boys? A chance to lick his manhood once in a while? He only thinks about himself. He will never love you.”
“I’m fine,” Elliot choked out before uttering another sob that made his face hurt. He wasn’t fine. Fane was right, even if he was a horrible person himself. Elliot still put his head on Fane’s shoulder and welcomed the touch of cold fingers stroking his hair.
Fane was volatile and brutal, but also capable of the most possessive and dark kind of love. If Elliot ever gave him what he wanted, Fane would weave himself around Elliot like thorny branches digging into Elliot until Fane suffocated him with his torture-filled desires.
But no matter how much of a liar Fane was, he was right about one thing. Knight would never love Elliot.
Knight parked the car in the garage and opened the door for Elliot so fast as if he were saving Elliot from a burning vehicle. Unlike Fane’s, his hands were always warm and offered comfort to Elliot’s bleeding heart, even if only temporarily.
Elliot leaned in and allowed Knight to brush off his tears.
“He is incapable of loving anyone but himself,” Fane whispered poison behind Elliot’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Elliot mumbled, curling his shoulders. “I don’t want to be like this. I’m not a crybaby.”
Knight pulled him out of the car, careful as if Elliot were made of fine crystal. “It�
�s fine. You will see everything will end up fine. A hundred-percent. I told you.”
Elliot nodded, and taking deep breaths of the cool air helped his nerves calm down.
Knight gave Elliot a quick kiss and called Beast to let him know they’d arrived. They walked into the building, and Knight held his arm on Elliot’s shoulders, securing him around any uneven surfaces and stairs.
Fane followed them without a word, but he kept exhaling and humming, as if to remind Elliot of his presence.
“Just remember, Elliot, if we want to be together, you need to make them think you’re on their side. Just go with whatever he wants for now,” Fane said as they approached Knight’s apartment, walking up the stairs.
Elliot nodded, relieved at the lack of outrageous demands. He turned around at the sound of quick footsteps following them up the stairs.
“Knight! Elliot! Wait!” Laurent panted as he caught up with them. “How are things?” he asked, throwing Elliot off with the concern in his voice. He put his hand on Elliot’s back, touching him for the first time since they’d met.
Fane shuddered, his anger so powerful Elliot’s head spun. Knight’s arm was the only thing keeping him upright as his muscles buzzed to just jump on Laurent and send them both stumbling down the stairs.
“Laurent! Where do you think you’re going?” bellowed Beast, speeding into the hall below at a speed that had him bouncing off the nearest wall to change direction.
“It’s all under control,” Knight said, pulling Elliot even closer.
Laurent cleared his throat and stepped back. “I just… wanted to apologize. The exorcism was my idea, and it didn’t work. Such dreadful business, and it only ended in tragedy. I am so sorry that you have to go through this, Elliot.”
“Liar!” Fane tried to push at Laurent, but his hand went right through him. “He’s a snake!”
My Dark Knight (gay biker romance) (Kings of Hell MC Book 2) Page 35
