My Dark Knight (gay biker romance) (Kings of Hell MC Book 2)

by K. A. Merikan

  Dazed, Elliot watched as the last bits of the black, fingerless gloves turned into ash on Knight’s massive fists. He had no more understanding of what was going on when he realized that the backs of Knight’s hands were marked with a round pattern, a sigil just like Fane’s and yet completely different. It glowed with icy-blue light, as if the devil’s seal had been carved in Knight’s skin, and the infernal light now came from within Knight.

  Elliot didn’t understand any of this.

  Knight could see Fane? He could grab him? Pull him out of Elliot and hold him by the throat?

  With a roar that seemed to come from the very depths of his chest, Knight smashed Fane against the same wall that Fane had earlier thrown Elliot at, his long hair bristling and standing up as if lifted by static electricity.

  “You bitch! How dare you tell him things like that? You don’t know me, you don’t know who I love, you don’t know what I think. You are nothing! You don’t even have a body, because you don’t deserve one,” Knight yelled, pushing the specter, which seemed so material in contact with Elliot, against the wall as if Fane weighed close to nothing.

  “Leave me be!” Fane choked out, desperately turning his head toward Laurent and reaching out for him, but his dream body was already halfway to the door, thrown over Beast’s shoulder. “You don’t know the nature of my conversations with Elliot.”

  Elliot sat up on the bed with his head still dizzy. He watched one of Knight’s thumbs press into Fane’s throat so hard that dark blue liquid burst out of the hole they made, and Fane screamed out so desperately Elliot had to cover his ears for fear of his brain exploding.

  “I heard every word, you piece of shit. You don’t deserve to be near him. You never deserved him. He is not plain. It’s you who’s so empty that he needed to murder people so that he could feel something! But I’m here now, and I won’t let you have him,” hissed Knight, powerful like a titan against the menace that was William Fane. He yanked Fane away from the wall and smashed him into the floor with so much strength the wood cracked. So did Fane’s skull, spraying Knight’s face with a ghostly blue that also drizzled out of the broken head and pooled on the planks.

  Elliot crawled to the edge of the bed, amazed at what Knight was able to do with the soul of a man who’d caused Elliot so much grief. He was too shocked for words and his tongue still bled profusely, but he watched on as Fane grasped at Knight’s forearm in desperation.

  “Elliot! Save me from him, please! Know mercy!” Fane yelled when Knight punched Fane’s chest so hard he broke through the ribcage, making even more of the blue blood pour out around the spectral corpse. Full of clots as if it was crushed berries, it spread over the floor more each time Fane writhed under Knight.

  Knight’s entire hands were now covered in the shiny blue writing, the sigils pulsing with every twitch of muscle and shedding pale light on the predatory grin that twisted Knight’s features.

  Elliot sneered at Fane’s pleading. “Die,” he spat despite blood dripping out of his lips.

  Knight looked back at him, breathless, with eyes that burned like two white lamps with only a shadow for the iris. The fluorescent blue clung to his skin as he smashed one fist down, over and over until Fane’s voice was so distorted no words could be understood from his screams. His breastbone cracked, and Knight’s hand dove into the iridescent cavity inside.

  Fane didn’t look like himself anymore. His face wasn’t physically broken but twisted, as if sucked into a whirlwind that centered somewhere between his eyes. The toothless, distorted mouth opened in a wordless scream, and then Knight ripped out a tiny blue ball marked with the dark sigil of the demon. Knight crushed it with a clang that echoed throughout the entire building, as if a crystal chandelier had just fallen to the floor.

  In the same moment, Fane turned into ash, and then disappeared completely, along with the blots of blue that covered the walls, the bed, and Knight himself just a second ago.

  Everything looked like it had before, and only the cracked floor and the burn scars on the backs of Knight’s hands remained as proof that the things Elliot had just seen actually happened.

  Knight let out a laborious exhale and fell forward, barely keeping himself from tumbling to the floor. The long hair obscured his face as he struggled to sit with his back resting against the bed.

  “Knight? Knight? Are you okay?” Elliot rolled down from the bed, only now realizing just how much he’d missed being warm. The cold, evil soul of William Fane had really left his bones. Stunned, he pressed his body against Knight in the only hug he could give with his arms restrained. “He’s gone…”

  Knight’s head rolled to Elliot’s shoulder. He was pale, with some of his hair clinging to his sweaty cheeks and forehead, but he nodded, opening eyes that looked as if he was about to fall asleep.

  “You’re free.”

  Elliot looked around them, even though he knew in his heart it was true. Fane was nowhere to be seen. “How did you do that? How… What’s that on your hands? Please help me out of this.” He wiggled helplessly in the straitjacket, dying to embrace his savior.

  Knight lifted one of his hands and glanced at the sigil before lazily untying the back of Elliot’s straitjacket. “Nothing important.”

  Elliot battled the instinct to kiss those capable fists. He was not allowed to do that anymore. “Nothing important? I was sure he would murder me! What did you do, Knight?”

  “I killed him. He’s no longer here, and he won’t be a bother to you or Laurent,” Knight said, and with one last pull at the back of the straitjacket, Elliot realized he had enough freedom of movement to do the rest himself.

  He grasped Knight’s neck with arms still clad in the overly long sleeves and clung to him as hard as he could. “I’m not letting you off the hook. You have to tell me how you did that. I will never be able to thank you enough. You saved my life for the third time. It means you get a wish now.” Elliot felt so light and warm without Fane’s soul weighing him down. Would Knight wish to get Elliot back and be in an open relationship?

  Knight watched Elliot without a word, breathing evenly in the embrace. “You know what I want Elliot? When I finally heard the things he was saying to you it was so hard not to let him know I could see him. I wish that you wouldn’t believe the things he said about you, because none of them are true.”

  Elliot bit his lip and hugged Knight even harder. “I’m so embarrassed that you know what he said. He was so cruel. But I grant your wish, I’ll forget all about his poison,” he whispered the last words and nuzzled Knight’s temple. The weight of Fane’s insults dropped off his shoulders.

  Knight smiled. “I made an agreement with the demon. Gonna come in handy. I can hurt souls.”

  Elliot sat back in Knight’s lap to look into his eyes, torn by the horror of that admission. He pulled up Knight’s hand to look at the sigil scar at the back of it. “You shouldn’t have. Knight… what is the cost?”

  Knight squeezed Elliot’s hand with his warm fingers, and it was a relief to see color returning to his handsome features. “Come on, you know I couldn’t let him do this to you any longer.”

  “I know. You’re my dark knight after all. You must think I’m the most useless person ever.”

  Knight rolled his eyes. “There we go again. Didn’t you just promise not to believe him?”

  Elliot laughed, even though what he really wanted was to cry. He wasn’t being crushed by Fane’s evil presence anymore, and yet he didn’t feel whole either. “I’m sorry. I’ll just try not to get in trouble all the time.”

  “I mean, you know my number. Whenever something happens, all you need is to call. Pretty simple,” Knight said, gradually leaning more of his weight on the bed frame.

  Elliot snorted, unable to contain his love for Knight even though he was from now on bound to conceal it. “You’re unbelievable. I still need to know what the price for this… power is. It was all my fault, so I want to help you in any way I can.”

  “I woul
dn’t mind a beer,” Knight said, and his hand lazily rested on Elliot’s thigh.

  Elliot got the message loud and clear. Knight wasn’t telling him. Chivalrous as he was, he likely didn’t want to share any of his burden. “Thank you, Knight. No one’s ever given me as much as you.” He forced himself to smile and rubbed his eye. “You want a sandwich with that beer?”

  Knight swallowed and moved his fingertips up and down Elliot’s arm, never looking away, as if he were completely enchanted. “You needed my help.”

  “I’ll always need your help. I trip over my own feet.” Elliot had never said a truer sentence. Knight was embedded in his life now. Carved into his soul the way the sigil on Knight’s fists was permanently burned into Knight’s skin. No matter what happened, he knew he could depend on Knight. Even if Knight wouldn’t say it, the sacrifices he’d made for Elliot spoke of love loud and clear.

  Knight laughed and pulled himself up to sit on the bed. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind a sandwich with that beer. Make two. You must be starving.”

  Elliot groaned once he stood on his own two feet, already craving Knight’s warmth again. “My tongue hurts. Motherfucker bit me.”

  Beast burst through the door just like he had before, but once he saw the scene, he just stood there, watching them, all red-faced under the ink. “Is he gone?”

  Elliot stroked Knight’s shoulder. “He is. Knight smashed him to pieces.”

  Knight grinned and turned his head, nuzzling Elliot’s forearm. “It’s nothing. Everyone would have done so in my place,” he said in a tone suggested he knew very well that this wasn’t the case.

  Beast huffed like a wild bison. “Good. Fucking hell. Finally a break from the madness.”

  Elliot cleared his throat. “Thank you for supporting me. I know you didn’t have to.”

  Beast rubbed his shoulder, suddenly slumping forward, as if he was uncomfortable with the gratitude.

  “Make him a sandwich too. Or two. He needs to eat a lot to maintain all that,” Knight said with a wild grin as he rolled into bed.

  Beast shook his head, but then pulled down his phone when it beeped. “Fuck. Fucking fuck. No break after all. Magpie’s coming tomorrow. Be ready.” He turned around and walked out before Knight could even acknowledge what Beast said.

  Elliot walked over to the fridge to get Knight a beer. “Is that a bad thing? Isn’t he your work associate?” By which he understood Mr. Magpie was most likely a criminal, because Beast wouldn’t be making such a fuss about a beer keg delivery.

  Knight stretched, his eyes already closed. “Yeah... you see, dealing with Magpie is like dealing with a celebrity who wants golden toilets at the hotel and a very specific and obscure type of food in every room. But don’t worry. I can deal with him,” he said, as if Elliot had anything to do with the visit. He did want it to go well though. For Knight’s sake.

  He wanted only the best for Knight, even if they couldn’t be together.

  Elliot brought Knight the beer and sat next to him on the bed. “Are you fine with me staying at the clubhouse after… everything?”

  Knight grimaced and rolled his head to look at Elliot. “Do you really need to ask me that? I got scarifications in your honor,” he said with a half smile.

  Elliot ran his fingers over the sigil only to pull back, surprised by how hot it was. “I will never stop loving you. I want you to know that.”

  Knight swallowed hard and grabbed at air before letting his hand fall to the mattress.

  Elliot understood that gesture all too well. He too wanted to put his hands on Knight and never let go. But if they gave in, it would only end in more misery for both of them.

  This was better.

  Even if letting go hurt like being stabbed by a rusty nail in the stomach, getting covered in gasoline and then set on fire.

  Chapter 32

  Hound whined and licked Beast’s fingers, urging his master to pet his black head. Knight smirked, because the gentle scratching to the dog’s ears was the first thing Beast had done this morning without looking as if he’d bitten into a lemon. Since Knight had met up with him at breakfast, Beast’s grumpy demeanor and barked orders kept everyone from sticking around for conversation. When a huge cup of coffee hadn’t changed Beast’s mood either, Knight decided not to ask. But once the narrow mouth curved into a smile as Beast looked down at his pet, it seemed like a good moment to approach him.

  With Magpie close enough that all the Kings of Hell gathered outside the clubhouse to greet him upon arrival, it wasn’t like there were more important things to do.

  “You got up on the wrong side of the bed today.”

  Beast’s blue eyes settled on Knight like icicles. “Is it so wrong that I don’t want my fiancé to die? It’s not a lot to ask that he doesn’t put himself in danger, is it?”

  Wow, that escalated quickly.

  Knight raised his hands and shook his head. “I mean... I get it that you’re worried. Are you still angry with him?”

  “He’s angry with me. Can you believe that bullshit?” Beast huffed and crossed his powerful arms on his chest. “All I did was pull him out of a situation where that motherfucking ghost could have smothered him.”

  Knight didn’t voice just how grateful he was to Laurent for luring Fane out of Elliot’s body at such great risk to himself, because he knew it would have only aggravated Beast more. “Why is he angry with you?”

  The silence that followed suggested nothing good. Beast pulled a hood over his head when the snowflakes started falling again. They’d used a small plow to clear the road of some of the snow that had fallen throughout the night, but it seemed to have been useless.

  “‘Cause I locked him up. But I had no choice. I needed to check on you, and I couldn’t risk that he’d follow me in some attempt at bravado.”

  Knight scowled. “Ah. Yeah, well... I mean, I get you, but he’s very independent, isn’t he?”

  “Too independent, if you ask me. I’m happy for him to be doing shit, but for fuck’s sake, he’s shocked himself with electricity recently.”

  “It didn’t go that far. Lots of kids put their fingers where they don’t belong before they learn better.”

  Beast frowned at him. “He’s not a child. He’s… young, but he’s in his twenties.”

  “Yeah, but he is only now learning about technology. Just let him, you know, explore. You’re my best friend, brother, and my advice is, don’t use your strength to undermine his independence, or else that ring could soon be gone from your finger.”

  Beast scowled and hid more tightly in his hoodie, but he didn’t try to argue. Instead, he moved so that they faced one another and looked around to make sure no one overheard their conversation. The other patches still needed to be updated on the events of last night, but with an important guest coming, this had to wait.

  “How are you coping? New moon is only days away.”

  Knight frowned. “Really?”

  Beast rubbed his face. “Yes, I checked it online. That’s how little time you have to bury those damn rocks, so make sure you do it.”

  Knight chewed on his lip. In exchange for the devil’s help, he needed to bury several smooth black stones around Brecon. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal, even if he was to infuse them with his blood beforehand. Then there was the matter of having to perform further services every new moon, which essentially forced him to be in Brecon at least once a month to get the blood of an opponent on his fists on that specific night of each lunar cycle. In practice, it meant that Knight needed to get into fights—organized or not—and win. But that too wasn’t that big of a deal, even if he needed to plan any trips around those dates from now on until pretty much forever. If he didn’t do as he was required though, the blood would be taken from his body, and he wasn’t about to sacrifice anything more to the demon.

  They stood in silence and listened to the far-off hum of engines.

  Rev raised his arms into the air and approached them. “Fucking hell! Finall
y! I’m freezing my balls off.”

  Jake had waited for Mr. Magpie at the entrance to the property and was now leading the way for another motorbike and a huge beast of a car. Knight frowned when he saw it glint, but it was only when the short cavalcade left the shadow of the trees that the golden bodywork of Mr. Magpie’s Hummer caught light and showed itself in all its nouveau riche glory. In Knight’s mind, the color made the already flashy vehicle look as if it were covered in plastic—an oversized toy car that a spoiled little girl might want for her Ken.

  But he expected nothing less from a man who couldn’t bear to remain unnoticed.

  Jake rushed up to them, unusually pale-faced for this weather, but it might have been the food poisoning still bothering him. “We need extra space for a motorcycle in the garage.”

  Knight raised his eyebrows, but Beast was quick to wave his hand dismissively.

  “Get on that, Prospect,” he said to Jake, but then turned to Knight. “Magpie has a new accountant for us. Vetted, experienced, and a biker.”

  Knight blinked. “What? He’s staying?” he asked, discreetly swiping his gaze over the bulky form of the new ‘accountant’, who was already dismounting his machine. His cheeks and nose were red from the cold, but as he lowered a thick black scarf that covered the half of his face, a roguish smile appeared in the frame of a salt-and-pepper beard.

  Beast watched Jake rush off toward the garages. “We’ll get him prospecting for a month or two so that he and Jake can be patched in at the same time, but if all goes well, he’s staying.” Beast raised his hand to greet the guy.

  Knight frowned. “Wait, do you even know him? He’s Magpie’s man, not ours.” He wanted to add a few more things that sprouted in his mind at all that unexpected information, but a tall man left the driver’s seat and opened the back of the Hummer.

  Knight might have inhaled too much of the cold air when he saw Magpie’s shoes—a dusky purple that went surprisingly well with the man’s dark gray suit. What appeared next though had Knight forcing himself not to drop his jaw like a sex doll. A red fur cape was attached to Magpie’s shoulders as if by magic, because it didn’t slide any lower when he moved. Its epaulettes widened Magpie’s already impressive stature, and a golden chain linked the two sides of the fur over Magpie’s chest. The coat underneath was a monstrosity of velvet, rouge brocade and fuck-only-knew what, because Knight had no idea what names the fabrics had.