by Bo Reid
“Yeah, our girl likes it when I mark her ass, don’t you, Pretty Girl,” Hunter says before delivering another slap to my ass, then gently rubbing over the spot with his hand.
“Yeah, I do,” I pant as Hunter and Kesden slowly start to thrust into me.
“Fuck, I can feel you inside her,” Kesden grits out to Hunter. “So goddamn tight, Little,” he says as he moves his hand between us to rub my clit.
Kesden leans forward and sucks one of my hard nipples into his mouth, nipping and sucking. Hunter reaches his hand around and grips my throat, and I moan when he roughly jerks his hips in and out. The sting from the fresh cut on my side is just enough pain to keep me grounded, to prevent me from completely losing myself in this moment. I want to savoir this time with them, this moment with Kesden, and Hunter inside me as Talin and Ranger watch from the other side of the room.
How did I get so damn lucky?
“You’re so goddamn sexy,” Kesden growls as my legs start to shake, and I feel a tingle start to spread across my body. Hunter and Kesden work their hips, meeting each other’s movements thrust for thrust.
I moan again, throwing my head back and digging my nails into Kesden’s sides as my orgasm rushes over me. Kesden’s hips still inside me as he moans my name, and Hunter pulls out of me, coating my ass with his own orgasm before delivering one final slap to my ass.
“I guess sharing isn’t half bad,” Kesden whispers before turning his head and gently kissing my lips. I smile at him as he brushes the hair off my face.
Talin lifts me off of Kesden and walks into the bathroom, where Hunter has already started the shower. He checks the water before placing me on my feet inside it. My legs wobble, but Ranger steps up behind me already naked, gripping my hips to steady me. Talin steps in after him.
“Dinner is in two hours,” Talin whispers in my ear, and if I weren’t about to get at least one more orgasm, I would argue.
Kesden
I’m just finishing pulling my pants back up and tucking my dick back in when Hunter walks out of the bathroom, and I hear Morana moan.
“Fuck, that’s hot,” I grit out, staring at the closed bathroom door.
Hunter laughs as he pulls on a pair of boxers, then rummages through a bag for more clothes.
“Yeah, sharing isn’t so bad when it's just as hot to watch someone else fuck her,” he says, pulling a shirt over his head. “So, you’re in this now? Hundred percent? I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, but I’m going to, you hurt her we’ll kill you,” he shrugs, as if his threat is nothing more than the offer of a beer.
“Yeah, I’m in; there is nothing left for me here anyway,” I say, sitting down at the table and pulling my phone out of my pocket. I unlock it and scroll through my missed calls and unread texts, but I don’t see a single message from the one person I wanted to hear from.
I haven’t heard from or seen Ty since that morning back in the diner, which feels like weeks ago; in reality, it’s only been a few days. Still the longest few days of my life, I have never, since moving here, gone this long without speaking to my best friend. I want to see him before we leave here, I want to tell him goodbye… No, what I really want is to see if he would come with us. I truly don’t know what I am going to do without my best friend by my side.
“Great, well, we’re all going to meet Talin’s mom. Family dinner,” he says, slipping his boots on.
“Uh, all of us?” I question.
“Yup.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“What’s going to happen with Morana’s brother and mom?”
He runs his hands over his face and groans.
“Dude, I don’t have a fucking clue, let's just get through tonight. She’s going to want to leave tomorrow, so after dinner, go home and pack whatever shit you need to take and be ready,” he says, and I nod as a chorus of moans comes from the bathroom, and my dick twitches in my pants.
Sharing isn’t so bad.
Chapter 22: Ohana
Morana
Talin grips my hand as we walk up to his childhood home; Ranger, Hunter, and Kesden follow us up the steps. Talin plants a kiss on the side of my head, leaning in close to whisper.
“Just be yourself, she’ll love you.”
I snort. “Talin, I’m a murderer who just took out half the local law enforcement and the local gang. Are you sure you want me to be myself?” I quip, rolling my eyes, and he smiles.
“Just don’t kill anyone.”
“Better make sure you take all the sharp objects away first,” Kesden quips at my back, and I glare at him over my shoulder, but he smiles and licks his lips, eyeing me up and down.
Ranger punches Kesden in the arm, as Talin knocks on the front door. I feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest — I didn’t even realize it could still beat — let alone feel as anxious as it does in this moment.
The door swings open, and a small woman stands in the doorway with a bright smile on her face. She is the spitting image of her son; dark hair, blue eyes, and a smile that goes on for miles.
“I thought I heard voices out here. Come in, come in,” she says, waving us inside.
Talin steps over the threshold, practically having to drag me behind him, and when Hunter presses close to my back, I have to take another step into the house.
I feel a small hand grip my wrist gently, and I turn to meet the bright smile of Sharon Marks. “Oh, dear girl, it is so good to finally meet you,” she says with a small tear glistening in her eye.
She brings me in for a hug, wrapping her arms around me tightly and I panic searching for Talin, he motions for me to hug her back, but I can’t move. When my chest starts to rise and fall rapidly, and I can’t take air into my lungs, she lets go and steps back.
“Sorry, Dear,” she says, wiping at her eyes. “It’s just, I have been waiting to meet the girl who stole my boy's heart for so long. Talin has told me so much about you, about all of you,” she says, looking around at the guys.
“Not you, though,” she says, eyeing Kesden.
He steps forward and extends his hand. “Kesden Shay, I’m uh, well, kind of new to this whole thing,” he says, winking and throwing an arm around me. He rubs his thumb in slow circles on my shoulder, trying to calm me down.
“Oh, Matthew Shay’s boy?” she questions him, and he nods.
“Oh. Well, excellent then. Anyways I just feel like I already know you all. So finally meeting you is very exciting for me,” she says.
“Mom, what’s for dinner, we’re all a bit starved,” Talin says trying to take the attention off of me.
I have never done well in the spotlight; it's too hot. Sweat breaks across my forehead, and I can feel more panic settling into my chest.
“Burgers, I hope everyone is hungry ’cause I made a lot,” Sharon says, smiling and moving towards the kitchen.
The guys all move to follow her, but I stand rooted to my spot, eyeing the door debating on tucking tail and running. I can face down mobsters, entire MC’s, and a bar full of Harley-loving criminal networkers, but I can't face my boyfriend’s mother.
What the hell is wrong with me? Oh, don’t open that door, Morana.
Ranger steps towards me, wrapping his arms around me. “It’ll be okay, Love,” he says as a knock sounds at the door. “Reinforcements have arrived,” he smiles and reaches behind me to open the door, and when I see them standing there, I nearly fall apart.
“We brought wine!” Emma yells before wrapping me in a hug. “You’ll be fine, Babe,” she whispers before passing me off to Nash.
Ranger tucks Emma under his arm, and they walk towards the kitchen. Nash wraps me in his arms, silently holding me and calming my breaths.
“What are you doing here?” I whisper.
“The guys thought you might need a little extra support,” he says, kissing the top of my head.
“How did you even get here in time?”
“We started planning our trip
when you stopped answering your phone,” he whispers, “like I was going to leave finding you up to those knuckleheads?” he chuckles.
“Thank you,” I sigh, melting into his arms and squeezing him as tight as I can, feeling all my panic melt away the longer he holds me. Now that I have my whole family here, I can take on anything. Well, maybe not my whole family, but the ones that count.
Dinner flies by without incident — as in no one gets murdered — Sharon doesn’t seem to be judging any of us, not even when Nash sits next to me holding my hand. Kesden plays footsie with me under the table, and Hunter jokingly takes my knife away. Talin glances my way every few minutes making sure I’m still okay, but mostly he soaks up this time with his mother.
We all laugh and joke, and she doesn’t even question what we did while we have been here. I have a feeling she knows exactly what we have been up to though, the whole town probably does.
After dinner the guys get to work clearing the table, Emma and Nash do the dishes while Talin and Kesden pack away leftovers. Sharon gently grabs my hand, leading me out of the room into a small study off the kitchen.
“How are you doing, Dear?” she asks as we sit on the couch.
“I’m good. I’m sorry about how I was when we got here; I just don’t know how to do this meet the parents thing,” I sigh, tangling my hands together in my lap.
Sharon places a gentle, motherly hand on mine to stop my fidgeting. “I don’t mean about this, how are you holding up after meeting your brother, finding out your mother is here. Saving her, none of the past week could have been easy for you,” she says gently.
“Oh, that,” I say.
She gives me a small smile. “Yes. That,” she chuckles. “You don’t have to talk to me, but I am here if you want to. Talin has told me the gist of just about everything; I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, that’s okay,” I sigh, blowing out a deep breath. “It’s just; she’s not my mom. She left us when we were three, but what’s even worse is someone who I trusted as a friend turns out to be family — our uncle — and he has been updating her on us for years. She knew when my brother died and didn’t do anything. She just ignored us all these years.”
“What happened earlier? Talin said you managed to save her. That has to feel good, right?” she asks.
“Can I be completely honest with you?” I ask quietly.
“Of course, my dear, I know all about your, umm well, I know you’re slightly homicidal,” she laughs, and it makes me smile.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” I laugh. “Saving her just kind of pissed me off. You don’t get to abandon a monster, then call it back for help when it suits you,” I sneer.
Sharon pats my hand gently, smiling softly at me. “May I make a small suggestion?” she asks, and I nod. “Hear her out? Now, I’m not saying I agree with what she did; I could never have left my baby.” She raises her hand in surrender. “But there might be more to the story than you understand. Don’t hear her out for her, but for you. You have waited over twenty years for answers; here is your chance to get them. You owe it to yourself to get those answers.”
A small tear falls from my eyes, and Sharon reaches out, pulling me in for a hug. I lean into her, letting her wrap her arms around me, rubbing my shoulders as I cry tears I didn’t realize I had.
“Shh, it's okay, Dear,” she says quietly, rubbing a soothing motherly hand up and down my back. A gesture that should be commonplace in all households, but I never got — because my mother left me.
Chapter 23: Family
Morana
I grab the only picture left of her and run my small finger across her face. I look nothing like her. My hair is dark, and hers is blonde. My eyes are emerald, hers more like coffee. Her skin is light-colored while mine is tan.
I’m built like her, though. She barely reaches Daddy's chest in this picture; she’s tiny. Just like me. But unlike me, she isn’t invisible; she belongs in the light, not the dark. Maybe that’s why she isn’t here; it's too dark here.
She should have taken the light with her, Hades, he should be with her now. But not me, I have to stay here. In the dark, to protect Daddy and Hades. It’s my job to protect them, even if I don’t know how to do that without spilling blood.
But that’s okay; I want to spill blood. Lots of blood. I can feel the growl of a monster inside my chest; she agrees — lots of blood.
“Daddy, why did Mommy leave?” I ask as I curl up into my father's lap.
“I don’t know, my dear girl,” he replies, placing a soft kiss on my forehead.
“Didn’t she love us?”
“She did, she does, Dear. I don’t have all the answers for you, I wish I did,” he wraps a gentle arm around me before standing and carrying me out of the room and up the stairs.
“Will she ever come back?”
“I don’t know, Dear.”
“I don’t think I want her to,” I sigh, closing my eyes as he walks into my dark room. Not a night light in sight. I know some little kids are scared of the dark, even Hades has a night light, but I like the darkness, it soothes me.
“And why not?” he asks gently, as he tucks me into my bed.
“Because I don’t want her to hate me.”
“She could never hate you, my dear girl.”
“Yes, she could, I’m a monster,” I sigh before closing my eyes and drifting off into the darkness of sleep that is calling my name.
That night I dream of pools of red, screams, and tears. And laughter, and smiles, and shiny, sharp blades. That night I know that I’m the monster in everyone's nightmare, and their screams are like a peaceful lullaby to my ears.
I make my way up the front steps towards Victoria Tyler’s front door. My mother, the woman who left me. I haven’t mattered to her all these years; I don’t see why I should care about her.
For me, I need answers for me.
After knocking on the door, I take a step back. Ranger, Hunter, Talin, Kesden, Nash, and Emma are all here — my family. Nash, Emma, and Talin are waiting in one SUV. Hunter and Kesden are in the other, and Ranger is waiting at the base of the porch steps, always closest to me. I’m not sure if they’re here for moral support, or to make sure I don’t kill anyone.
Both are probably valid reasons.
The door swings open, and Aether stands on the other side. When he sees me, he crosses his arms over his chest and widens his stance — forever protecting his mother from the monster that is his sister.
“Thought you would have skipped town by now,” he says.
“Thought I might stick around, apply for a job down at the sheriff's station. I heard they’re hiring,” I quip, and he smirks.
“Aether, who is it?” I hear Victoria call from inside the house.
“Family,” he says, a smile pulling at his lips before he reaches out for my hand and pulls me into a hug. “Thank you for getting her back,” he whispers.
Victoria rounds the corner and peers around Aether, and when she sees me, tears glisten in her eyes. “Hi,” I say with a small wave, taking a step back out on the porch.
“Hi,” Victoria says. “Would you like to come in?”
“Umm, actually, can we sit outside?” I ask and motion to the swing on the porch. She nods her head and steps outside. Aether follows her out, but he walks down the stairs and shakes hands with Ranger.
I see everyone else file out of the waiting SUV’s and gather on the snow-covered lawn.
“You’re taking him with you?” Victoria asks, motioning her head towards Kesden.
“I am.”
“You two will be good for each other. He has always needed someone strong like you,” she says, and I smile at Kesden.
After a few beats of silence, she lets out a deep breath, wrapping her hands in her lap. “You want answers,” she states.
“I think I have waited long enough.”
She nods her head. “I thought I was in love with Matthew Shay, he promised me so many things, and I was s
tupid enough to believe him. You and Hades were three, and I just found out I was pregnant with Aether. I thought he was Matthew's, and I panicked. I wasn’t sure how your father would react if he found out I was having an affair,” she shakes her head.
“I should have known he would never hurt me. Even doing what he did, he never laid a hand on you kids, or me. I was blinded by promises from Matthew. So, when I told him I was pregnant, and I wanted to leave, he said we could leave together. He promised to leave the crime behind us in Sanorah, that he just wanted to run a Harley shop. I should have known it was a lie. At least your father never lied; he was always upfront about his dealings. I didn’t want to know everything but if I ever asked, he told me the truth — always. The truth is important, Morana. Never forget to be truthful to yourself and who you are.”
“We have all fallen for a pretty smile and a good line at some point,” I whisper, thinking back to a time not too long ago that I did just that.
“Yes, I suppose we have,” she says before reaching her hand out and tracing my tattooed forearm, the ink barely camouflaging the deep scars.
“Anyway, I was going to come back for you and Hades after I had Aether. I was going to come back and take you both with me, and now I’m happy I didn’t; you were safer with your father.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t because Matthew wouldn’t let me leave here; he was convinced I would go back to Aeron. So, for twenty years, we have been trapped in this town unable to get away. I tried a few times, but he always managed to hunt us down, beat me a few times in front of Aether. And when he threatened to beat him and send someone for you and Hades, I stopped running,” she sighs.
“I did everything wrong twenty years ago, and I have been paying for it ever since. But not just me, Aether has paid for my sins. You have too, and Hades died. I can never forgive myself for leaving the two of you behind. I’m sorry Morana, I wish you knew just how sorry.”
