I glance over his head at Abel, who’s giving me a stone-faced look. I was right. He must have said something before he came into the bathroom to make Eli think that I’d pay the price for whatever conversation they had. What a bastard. I glare. “I’m fine. I’m unharmed.”
Eli exhales, but Abel doesn’t give him a chance to settle into the knowledge. “For now.”
Clearly, he’s going to use threats against me to keep Eli in line. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m furious at Eli, but eventually my anger will cool. I don’t want to torment him.
Abel uncuffs Eli and drags him to his feet. “Let’s go.”
I snag my shoes off the floor and slip into them. “Where are we going?”
“It’s time to claim the faction.”
8
Abel
This night’s been full of surprises. Primary among them is Harlow. She’s a fierce little bitch, and I like her despite myself. There’s the added bonus that her at my side will be a constant dagger in Eli’s heart for the next year, but she’s an asset that I have no intention of wasting.
Neither of them speak as we wait in the main warehouse for my people to gather, including my brothers. I don’t expect a fight, not when word would have spread about what happened during the Lammas feast. Eli’s people show every evidence of being loyal, but they’re also citizens of Sabine Valley. They know the laws. I won him, Harlow, and the entire fucking faction through combat. There’s no taking that back. If they try to dig in their heels and fight, they run the risk of the Amazons and Mystics moving to crush them entirely. Better to bide their time and wait to see what my brothers and I will do.
Cohen is the first to arrive, towing Winry—the Amazon queen’s youngest daughter—behind him. She looks frazzled and scared but not overly traumatized. Good. She’s softer than I expected of one of Aisling’s daughters, and I wouldn’t have paired her with Cohen if I’d realized it when we decided on Brides. For his part, he looks just as cold and intense as ever.
He glances at Harlow and Eli and raises his brows. “You get it done?”
“Yeah. You?”
He doesn’t look at Winry. “Yeah.” His tone invites no other questions, which is just as well. I don’t need the details of the consummation. Fuck, I don’t want them. It’s enough that he got it done and didn’t maul her.
One by one, my brothers appear. They all give me nods of confirmation. It’s been done.
And then Donovan shows up with Ciar’s former youngest wife…and another woman. The Mystic’s wife is a curvy white woman with curly, dark hair and full lips that look like they’ve been sucking cock for hours. The other woman is muscular with straight, dark hair and a body that suggests she punches through walls for fun.
I point at her. “Who the fuck is this?”
“Bodyguard.” Donovan shrugs. “She showed up as we were getting in the trucks. She’s loyal to Mabel, not to Ciar. She got pushy, so I brought her along.”
I stare at him. “She was pushy, so you brought her along.” Donovan just stares at me, as if he didn’t potentially breach our security on a whim. “And you didn’t think to mention it?”
“We were all otherwise occupied.” He gives me a slow grin. Of all my brothers, he’s chosen to deal with the harsh realities of our exile and survival with humor and a determination to take nothing too seriously. Sometimes it’s a welcome relief. Sometimes—like now—it makes me want to wring his neck.
I turn to the bodyguard. “You do anything to fuck with us, we won’t just kill you. We’ll kill her, too.” I point at Mabel. “Got it?”
She sets her chin and leans forward on her toes, obviously wanting nothing more than to punch me in the face. “She’s my priority. I couldn’t give a fuck about the rest of it as long as she’s safe.”
Yeah, we’ll see. I level a dark look at Donovan for complicating my life and jerk my thumb at the trucks. “Load up. We’re relocating.”
This time, I don’t toss Eli in the bed of the truck. I drag him to the passenger seat and shove him in. Harlow, I guide around to the driver’s seat. “In the middle.”
“Lucky me.” She climbs up, giving me a flash of the lower curve of her ass.
She’s taken sex off the negotiating table, but not off the list of possibilities. Hell if I don’t respect her more for realizing that I’d never let my cock guide me in making policy decisions. And for not denying the obvious; we’re attracted to each other, and the sex was hot enough to set the entire warehouse on fire. I’m going to have her in my bed again, and soon, but right now that’s not the priority.
I lead our little caravan out of the warehouse. As we leave, several additional trucks join the line—our people who’ve been keeping watch of the perimeter to ensure no one decided to pull anything underhanded.
After several blocks, I glance at Eli. He’s retreated into himself the same way he used to do when we were kids and he came up against a challenge he couldn’t immediately find a way around. That impressive brain of his is firing on all cylinders, trying to figure out a way to turn this situation to his advantage.
Despite my best efforts, my gaze drops to his mouth. It’s still all fucked up from our fight, but the memory of him sucking my cock isn’t one I’m going to be able to erase from my head anytime soon.
I’d always been attracted to him, but we were friends first, and in our world, true friendship is rare enough that I didn’t want to fuck with it by adding sex to the mix. I never bothered to find out if he felt the same; it was too risky to fuck up our dynamic. I trusted him. That was more intimate than any sex could ever be.
Look where that trust got me.
Orphaned and exiled.
It doesn’t matter if my father was a monster, that he would have died before the end of that year regardless of whose hand held the blade. We had a plan—for us, for the faction—and Eli threw it all away to grab power for himself. I welcome the anger that surges in response to the memory of that night. The ash on my tongue from the smoke of our childhood home going up in flames. The fear. Fuck, I was so goddamn scared that night. The knowledge that if I fucked up, my brothers might die as a result, had burned away any thought but getting out of the city and getting out fast.
I can never forgive Eli for taking everything from me, for making me fear, for throwing the truth in my face—no matter how strong, how fucking fierce I am, it can all be turned against me in a moment because I trusted the wrong person.
“You will tell your people to stand down.”
Eli stares out the windshield. “And if I don’t?”
Harlow opens her mouth, but I shut her up with a hard look. This is between me and Eli. “If they try to fight, I will cut them down without hesitation. If they start shooting, they’re not going to just hit me and my brothers, Eli. They’re going to hit Amazons and Mystics and Harlow.”
He clenches his jaw, still not looking at me. “I’ll give the order.”
“Good boy.” Even with that order, his people can’t be trusted. Eight years ago, I might have believed otherwise, but most of them were part of the coup. The laws of Sabine Valley won’t make them hesitate if they see an opportunity to strike me and mine down. “They’ll have an hour to collect their things and get out.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” I have my own people, ones who have walked through hell and back with me. I might not trust them as intensely as I used to be capable of, but they have no reason to betray me at this point. It’s not in their best interest, and that I trust.
It takes fifteen minutes to get to Eli and Harlow’s headquarters. It’s a compound of sorts that stretches an entire city block, tucked safely behind a ten-foot wall with guard posts on each of the corners. Eli’s father learned from mine’s mistake and tucked the things he cared about behind enough security to make a small army hesitate.
I pull up to the gate and glance at Eli. “Now’s a good time to prove that you intend to keep your word. For once.”
Eli
glares, but by the time he leans out the window, he’s got an easy grin on his face. “Hey, George. Open up.”
The man standing outside the gate walks up to the car. He’s a short and stocky Black man, and he’s got his hand set easily on the pistol in a holster at his hip. “Heard you had some trouble during the festival.”
Eli shrugs. “You win some, you lose some. You remember Abel.” He motions idly in my direction. “He’s in charge for the time being.”
Damn, he couldn’t resist even that little dig, could he? I keep my expression locked down. George’s eyes widen a little, and he looks back at Eli. “Sir—”
“Open the gate. And then let everyone know to meet us in the inner courtyard as soon as possible. That’s an order.” He says it so casually, but then Eli was always a fan of using honey instead of a knife to get what he wanted. He used to argue that it was better to have people underestimate you than fear you—something I’ve never agreed with.
Back then, between the two of us, my brutality and his cunning made us damn near unstoppable.
I knew being back in Sabine Valley would have those memories surging, but fuck if it doesn’t sting after all these years. We had so much possibility. If he’d just been patient, had just been fucking honest with me, we could have pulled off all our plans without so much loss of life.
I’ve never forgive myself for being unable to see that he was ambitious enough to never want to share the throne. Eight years, and he hasn’t changed. He has a perfect partner in Harlow and he keeps her hobbled so he’s got the power all to himself.
George finally nods and hustles back to the gate to open it. I drive in slowly, taking in our surroundings as I do. Two rows of short, squat buildings that I suspect are barracks for Eli’s people. Past that are a pair of warehouses on either side of the road. Their doors are open, showing civilian vehicles in one and combat vehicles on the other. Interesting.
Next up is the house. It fits in with the rest of the compound, though it’s three stories tall and nondescript with small windows on the sides facing the exterior walls. “Expecting a siege?”
“You never know,” Eli says softly. “Especially these days.”
It will serve nicely. I pull to a stop in front of the house and grab Harlow. “Just in case anyone gets any funny ideas.” I haul her over my lap, and she’s the one to exit the truck first. I keep a hand on her hip, not letting her get too far away.
Harlow gives me a sharp look. “A human shield? Really?”
“No one will shoot if they might hit the princess of this faction.” I look up at the building. Sure enough, there’s a sniper on the roof. I give him a cocky wave. “Eli.”
Eli takes his time getting out of the truck. I can’t tell if he’s being difficult or if his injuries are giving him issues, but I choose not to comment on it. He rounds the truck to stand by me as a white woman with a rifle stalks out the front door. Eli holds up a hand. “Call them off, Marie.”
“But—”
He shakes his head. “I gave my word. The Herald witnessed.”
She blanches but finally nods and yanks a radio off her hip. “Stand down.”
Eli sighs. “Get everyone here.”
Marie’s still glaring daggers at me, but she relays the order. It takes fifteen minutes for everyone to appear. I study the crowd, matching names with faces. Nearly everyone is here. Good enough. “You have an hour to clear out your shit. When you leave, pass the word on. The Paine brothers are back. The Raider faction belongs to us in truth again. You don’t fuck with us, we won’t fuck with you. Try some shit, and we’ll make examples of you.” I meet several of their gazes in turn. “You do not want to be made an example of.”
Silence greets me, but it’s got a mutinous quality. They don’t seem to give a fuck that if they attack us, they’ll undoubtedly take out some important people to the other factions. Violence broils in the air, and I glance at Broderick. We figured we might have to fight our way through those loyal to Eli, but we’d hoped to avoid it. Nothing gets people up in arms like killing a few dozen of their friends and family. We can’t afford a civil war within the faction.
Harlow steps forward. She should look ridiculous wearing my shirt, but she just looks sexy as fuck. She glares down at them. “Are you going to dishonor your leader? Are you going to dishonor our faction, your vows? The laws are there for a reason. I don’t like this any more than you do, but I will keep my word. Will you do anything else?”
One by one, they drop their gazes and the possibility of violence dispels. I catch Eli looking at her like he’s never seen her before, and I have to wonder what the fuck he expected. How can he have this woman in his bed and at his side for five years and not realize what an asset she is? It doesn’t make any fucking sense to me, but then Eli stopped making sense to me the moment he betrayed my family.
Harlow stares at them for a long moment. “Don’t bring shame on us. Do as you’re told.”
I glance at Cohen. “You, Ezekiel, and Donovan go with our people to monitor things and start moving our shit in the second it’s clear.” And then at my brother, Finnegan. “Take Gabriel and find the security shit and change the codes. That takes priority over anything else right now.” And finally at Broderick. “Get the Brides gathered up and inside. We’ll figure out living arrangements shortly.”
Everyone scatters, but I grab Eli’s arm before he can follow Broderick and the rest of the Brides into the house. “Not you. You’re with me.”
Eli hesitates but finally nods. I start walking, and he falls into step next to me as I circle the perimeter of the house and walk along the wall. I wait. He’s been stewing since I left him in the bedroom and joined Harlow in the bathroom. It doesn’t take long before he boils over. “Let Harlow go.”
“She doesn’t want to be let go.” It’s the truth, and I take great delight in using it as a weapon. “She’s exactly where she wants to be.”
He stares straight ahead, jaw clenched. “She deserves better than to be used as a whipping boy when you’re pissed at me.”
“No argument there,” I agree easily, just to see what he’ll do. “But I like taking out my frustration on that hot little body.”
He lunges for me, but I’m expecting it. I grab his arm, using his own momentum to shove him face-first into the wall and pin him there with a hand on the back of his neck. I step closer until I can speak directly in his ear. “She wasn’t faking it when she came all over my cock, and you know it. I thought you were smart, Eli. You never used to be the kind of man to let an asset like her go to waste.”
“She’s not an asset. She’s a person.”
“Semantics.”
Eli curses and tries to shove off the wall, but I use my body to keep him in place. We’re as close as lovers now, and it’s a fight not to let myself react physically. I laugh in his ear. “You’re so determined to protect her from something she doesn’t want protection from. No wonder she’s ready to jump ship.”
“Fuck you.”
“Oh, she will. Repeatedly.”
Eli goes still. “You never used to be this cruel.”
“I don’t know why you’re surprised. Betrayal has a way of burning out all the good in a person.” I take a slow breath, fighting to keep my tone moderate. “You’d throw yourself on a sword for her, wouldn’t you? Would you let me fuck you to spare her?”
“Yes,” he grinds out.
I lose my battle with control, and my cock goes hard against his ass. I growl against the back of his neck. “You liked my cock down your throat, didn’t you?”
“I’ll submit to anything to save her.”
“That’s not an answer.”
He curses again. “It’s the only one you’ll get.”
Yeah, that’s not going to work for me. I have eight years of revenge to play out, and letting Eli make noble sacrifices isn’t on the list. “Pass. When I fuck you again—and I will—it will be when you get on your knees and ask me nicely. You will say please.” I ignore hi
s shoving back against me. “And after I make you come, you will thank me for the pleasure.”
“Not fucking likely.”
I set my teeth to the back of his neck, and Eli’s breath shudders. Oh yeah, he feels that inconvenient attraction, too. Well, he can choke on it just like he choked on my cock. “Everything I do to Harlow, she welcomes.” I shouldn’t offer even that much, but it slips out despite my best intentions.
“Liar.”
“Ask her.” I shove away from him. “Then again, you don’t seem to listen to a single fucking thing she says, so why start now?” I turn back toward the house. There’s shit to accomplish, and it’s going to be a pain in the ass, but I fully intend to reward myself by seducing Harlow tonight.
She’s one hell of a reward, and if it infuriates Eli to know his woman welcomes me between her thighs, all the better.
9
Eli
It’s more than a little shocking how seamlessly Abel takes over the compound. Within two hours, my people are gone and his are established in their place. I don’t get a chance to see much of the other Brides; Abel sends me to my rooms and leaves me there. I’ve just showered and pulled on a pair of pants when Harlow walks through the door.
She stops short when she sees me. “Hey.”
“Hey.” This is what we’ve come to. As awkward and unsure as strangers.
She shuts the door behind her and tugs at the bottom of the shirt she’s wearing. Abel’s shirt. Impossible to miss that silent message he’s determined to send to me; he’ll take everything from me.
Harlow. My home. The faction.
“Harlow—”
“You look like shit.” She crosses toward the closet. “Let me change, and I’ll put some butterfly bandages on the deeper cuts.”
I want to ask her if she’s okay, but it couldn’t be clearer that she doesn’t welcome the question. So, instead, I sit on the bed and wait for her to return. When she comes back in, she’s put on a pair of jeans and a black tank top. She’s also carrying the first aid kit we keep stashed in the bathroom. I can’t remember the last time we’ve had to use it, not since the first year after I took over for my father. There were some challenges during that time and for a few Lammas after. I took down every one publicly enough that they stopped coming.
Abel: A Sabine Valley Novel Page 6
