Claimed (Blood Ties Book 6)

“Where the fuck is he!” I gripped my gun with both hands and took aim.

The bleeding piece of shit didn’t answer. Those wide eyes fixed on the muzzle as it bounced from one side of his head to the other.

“I…I don’t fucking know!” he screamed. “I don’t know any fucking Son, or where Hale is!”

I sucked in the dust-filled air, remembering to breathe. Slowly, that rage-filled haze eased, just darkening a little, leaving the biker to look to his buddies for protection. I didn’t need to follow his gaze to know they were all dead…

Stabbed and shot. By Carven’s hand and my own. I glanced at the bloodied strands of someone’s hair hanging from the butt of the weapon in my hand, faintly remembering me driving it down over and over…and over.

We’d come for Hale…but we’d take their vile lives instead.

Leather smeared with blood was all around me. Their screams rang inside my head.

Or was it my own?

I couldn’t tell anymore.

“Tell. Me. Where. He. Is.” My voice was husky and cold. “Or I’ll kill you.”

He shook his head, unleashing a low moan as he pressed his hand against his side. Blood still spilled between his fingers from the bullet in his side. It didn’t matter. He was dead anyway.

Metal on metal squealed from the open doors of the warehouse.

“You’re like that other fucking bitch, aren’t you?” he groaned. “The one the Banks brothers were after.”

I flinched. The words tried to push past the murderous haze inside my head. “Y-you know Ryth?”

My sister.

I remembered now. Remembered it wasn’t just my Colt they wanted. They wanted all of my family. They wanted me. I surged forward, dropping on top of him and drove my knees into his chest as I shoved the gun into his mouth. “You fucking bastard. You took her, didn’t you?”

He unleashed a moan, trying to push me off, but his blows were weak now as he groaned. “We did what we were told.”

That white haze pressed in, narrowing my vision. All I saw was that severed thumb on the counter. And rage followed, the kind that made me feel savage. I shoved the gun against his lips and aimed upwards. “She’s my family. So, you take from me, motherfucker…and I take from you.”

All I needed was a twitch of my finger. One tiny…squeeze.

Boom!

His body kicked under me as his head flew backwards.

I felt nothing as I rose. Not disgust at what I’d done. Just…empty. There weren’t enough bullets in the world to fill that hole inside me. Still, I’d kill and I’d keep killing until they gave Colt back to me. My knees shook as I pushed away from the body.

A man’s scream came from inside the warehouse. I sucked in a hard breath as I glanced at the open door. Movement came from beyond. Dark. Murky. Shadows gathered around Carven as he strode out, clinging to him like a cape. He was born anew from the violence within those walls. A god of wrath and vengeance.

If he was a god…what did that make me?

Damned by love.

One glance at the dead man at my feet and he murmured. “We need to go…now, Wildcat.”

I tried to move, but my body no longer obeyed my commands. My knees shook so hard, they buckled as Carven reached me. Strong hands caught me, pulling me hard against him.

“Easy now.”

BOOM!

I jumped at the deafening sound. Behind us, the warehouse exploded. Walls blew out. Windows shattered. They were all dead, and still we had nothing. No Colt and no Hale.

My throat thickened as I clutched Carven. Black smoke followed, spewing into the air. As I watched the building crumble, I felt the city quake and it wasn’t just from the detonation. It was in fear. Fear of what we’d done…and what we’d do.

“I’ll k-kill them.” The words burned like acid in the back of my throat. “I’ll kill them all.”

“I know you will, baby.” Carven stared at me as I watched the ruined building collapse.

Still, my body shuddered and shook, unable to even stand upright.

“Just not right now,” Carven murmured. “I’m taking you home.”

I shook my head, lifting my gaze to the brightening sky. “No.”

“Vivienne.”

“I said no!” I roared as tears filled my eyes. “I can’t, Carven…not until we find him.”

He never flinched, never scowled. Never reacted to the shrill sound of my voice at all. But my knees gave way, even as I held onto him. He grabbed me, then bent. Those strong arms trembled as he cradled me against his chest.

He was exhausted, blood-splattered. stained by evil. Still, he gently carried me back to the open door of the car. Carven was the savage son. The cold, unflinching animal created to destroy and yet his body quaked with the effort as he lowered me gently into the car and snapped the seatbelt in place.

As he rose, I caught the smear of fresh blood on the side of his shirt. He was hurt, too. Cut deep from the shorn metal in that place when he’d fought the Son who’d tried to abduct me.

He knew they were chasing me…and he’d said nothing.

I shut my eyes as he closed the door with a thud.

BOOM!

Something exploded in the warehouse. I didn’t open my eyes at the sound and barely flinched. I didn’t care anymore. Not about them or about what I’d done. There was no going back for me anyway. The Order had made sure of that.

It was kill or be killed.

And those who I loved would make sure I wasn’t the latter.

Carven opened the driver’s door and started the engine with a growl. One glance at the smoke billowing into the air from the warehouse and he shoved the muscle car into gear and tore out of there. That black smoke filled the side mirror as we left the biker club behind.

You’re like that other fucking bitch, aren’t you?

I closed my eyes as those words hit home. It wouldn’t end. The breeding. The destroying. The controlling. Not until now. I opened my eyes and turned my head as Carven pressed the button on his phone. These men will burn The Hale Order to the ground. It was the only way to stop this once and for all.

“Guild, it’s me. No, nothing. You?”

I saw hope die in his eyes as he drove with harsh jerking movements. We were far too tired to care.

“We’re going home.” He cut me a steely look. “Call me the instant you hear anything. I mean it…yeah.” He glanced my way. “Wildcat has done well, real well…”

He lowered his phone and hit the button.

I didn’t fight him this time as he nosed the car to the expensive suburb neighborhood where we lived. Instead, I hit the button on the seatbelt and shifted closer to him, leaning my head on his shoulder. He lifted his arm, wincing with the effort as he pulled me close.

By the time we turned into our street, sleep had all but given up on me. I tried to blink the sting away from my eyes as we pulled into the driveway. A pang tore across my chest as I stared at the empty spot where Colt’s four-wheel drive had sat last night.

I wanted him back.

Now.

Every second he was with them was a second longer they’d hurt him. I tried to not think about it as Carven killed the engine and I climbed out. Tried to push away his screams that resounded in my head as I made my way to the back door.

A guard stepped out from the side, carrying a sniper’s rifle in his hand. He stared, wincing as I passed.

“Turn your goddamn head,” Carven snarled. “Don’t fucking look at her like that. What the fuck do you think this is, a goddamn playdate?”

The guard’s eyes widened before he turned away. I didn’t need to see the horror in his stare. I knew exactly what I looked like. I’d seen it all in the reflection of those I murdered. As I yanked open the door and stepped into the hallway, I realized I was past caring.

The devil could take my soul if there was a deal to be made. I’d gladly hand it over, wrapped in a bow and all…

As long as he gave me back to those I loved.

My steps were slow. My body, heavy. I barely saw anything as I made my way to our wing and stepped into my bedroom. The bedding was still a mess, the sheets rumpled from where Colt had lain. I stopped at the foot of the bed, listening to the thud of the bedroom door further along the hall, and in a brutal wave, it all hit me.

I crumpled, grabbing hold of the soft comforter as I sank to the floor.

He was gone…

Just like that…

I shook my head as a sob ripped free. But it wasn’t tears I wanted. I strangled the softness as a scream ripped free, searing and bloodied, unfurling like a demon inside me. My hands shook, yanking and tearing the sheets until the momentum consumed me and shoved upward.

“YOU FUCKING BASTARD!” I screamed. “I FUCKING HAAATEEEE YOOOUUU!” Each breath was like swallowing shards of glass. Still, it was all I had. One after another, cutting and slicing, shredding me apart on the inside. I licked my lips and tasted blood.

What they’d done to me was one thing.

But to do that to someone pure like Colt…it was inhuman.

I stared at the ruined bed. That’s exactly what Hale was…a beast…a monster.

Only now, he’d just created a new breed of monsters just like him. Ones who’ll hunt him down.

And I was one of them.

I unfurled my fists, letting the soft comforter fall to the floor before I turned away and headed to the bathroom. A numbness moved in. Not cold. Not anything. Still, that blistering burn stayed in the back of my throat.

The bathroom filled with the hiss as I turned on the water, then slowly undressed. By the time I stepped into the shower, I’d lost all sense of myself.

I couldn’t feel the cloth as I dragged it across my skin. Nor could I feel the heat that made my skin glow bright red. I tilted my head back, losing myself in the robotic movements as I washed my hair, then conditioned and rinsed.

You’re like that other fucking bitch, aren’t you?

The words echoed as I stepped out and grabbed the towel, drying myself with slow mechanical movements before I placed it back onto the railing. Sleep…that’s what I needed. Sleep, then I’d go again. We’d start somewhere, anywhere…

Movement came from the doorway as I turned toward the bed. Carven neared, his hair glistening from the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. Those blue eyes were almost black as he yanked the edge of the towel, letting it drop to the floor.

A flicker of familiarity fluttered inside me as he stepped close. His hands slid along me, his fingers finding every sting and ache as he pulled me against him.

“I need to fuck you,” he murmured. “I need to feel…something.”

Something other than rage.

I knew that hunger well.

One slow nod and I lowered myself to the bare bed and slid backwards, then lifted my feet to the edge of the mattress and parted my knees. I needed this as much as he did. He stared hungrily as he crawled along the bed. His hand slid to the inside of my thigh and pushed, opening my legs wider.

There was no softness here.

No time to be gentle.

Just two fingers sliding down my pussy before they shoved in deep. “You wish this was him?” He fucked me, making me squirm.

I shook my head. “No.”

There was a twitch in the corner of his eye before he pulled out, grabbed me around the waist, and flipped me over. My palms landed hard against the mattress, my nails stung as I clenched. This wasn’t the Carven I knew. This was the old him, the one who didn’t care. The one who wanted me to hurt, just like he was hurting. I didn’t fight as his hands gripped my waist and yanked me backwards against him.

That flutter pushed through all the rage trapped inside me.

“I love you,” I whispered.

He stilled, that cruel grip easing around my waist.

Then there was nothing. No movement, no fucking, and no pain.

I flinched at the slow slide of his hand down my spine before he cupped my ass. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “You deserve better than that.”

I turned around, finding those darkened eyes filled with desperation, and that flutter in my chest rose once more. My pulse sped at the sight, causing me to reach out and take his hand. My fingers curled around his and cupped it to my cheek. “You don’t have to be sorry, Carven. I’m here, any way you need. You want to use me, then use me.”

He scowled, then shook his head. “That’s the thing…I don’t. But I can’t…I can’t find my way. I can’t feel anything other than…”

I lowered his hand and pushed upwards as purpose filled me. I could fight. I could kill. I knew that…but this…this is what they needed most of all.

I was their anchor in this violent, terrifying storm.

It was his cheek I cupped as I rose on the bed. “Then let me show you.”

He never moved when I leaned close, just closed his eyes as I kissed him. He smelled of violence and rage. The smell of gunpowder clung to his body as though he were made of it. I guided his hand to my breast and gently kneaded.

Callused fingers brushed across my nipple, making me tremble. He broke away, staring into my eyes, then looked down. He liked the way my body reacted, brushing his thumb over the sensitive skin once more before he lowered his head. Warmth closed around the peak. My fingers were in his blond hair, combing through the sodden strands.

He needed this.

I needed this.

It was the one thing I could do.

With a low moan, he bent, slid his hands under my thighs, and lifted me.

“I want to feel you, Wildcat. I want to…remember how it was with the three of us.”

You want us both?

Those words filled me as he eased down onto the bed. Those hard lips were soft against my skin, kissing down my breasts, then over my ribs and my stomach before he lingered at the top of my slit.

“Open your legs for me, baby.”

I did as he wanted. Cold air moved in. But I didn’t have time to shiver as he pushed his tongue into my warmth.

“Oh, fuck.” I lifted my head, watching beads of water fall from his hair to hit the bed underneath me. “Yes.” My hips moved as he sucked my clit. Those strong fingers that were so at home around a trigger now slid down my lips and opened me wide. “Harder, Carven.”

With a guttural sound, he moved lower, sucking and probing as he stroked along my lips, running all the way to my clit. I jutted forward, my hand moving to the back of his head.

“More,” I panted. “Christ, I’m going to come.”

My body bloomed, pulsing slowly as he sucked, then pushed those fingers inside. I unleashed a moan, my head tilting backwards. “If you don’t fuck me right now, I think I’ll die.”

He moved faster. Making me jerk my eyes open as he pushed me against the bed and rose upwards, settling between my thighs. “Well, we can’t have that. Can we, Vivienne?”

He only used my name when I forced him.

But he used it now.

His tongue snaked out, licking the remnants of my desire as his cock thrust between my legs. I wanted to take my time. Wanted him in my mouth. But we were too far gone for that. I fisted the half-torn-away sheet, bracing myself as he thrust deep.

“My fucking Wildcat,” he grunted, driving his cock inside all the way to the hilt.

I writhed underneath him. Opening wider, aching for one more precious inch. I wanted his cock to stretch me, wanted him to fill me until it was all I could feel.

“Fuck. Me,” I growled.

He lifted his hand. Those strong fingers grasped my throat. Fingers I’d seen drive a blade through a man’s belly last night. Fingers I’d seen gouge and puncture…and squeeze.

“Tighter,” I whispered, holding his gaze.

Danger flickered in those eyes. His jaw flexed as the muscles on his arms corded. I reached up, closing my grasp around his forearm. “Now fuck me like you want me.”

His hips slammed home, tearing a whimper free.

Air forced out with every savage thrust as he drove home again…and again…and again.

This was the Carven I needed.

This was the man who’d found his way to me.

“Th-a-a-t’s my k-killer,” I whispered as he fucked like his life depended on it. “This is wh-ere you b-e-long. R-right h-here.”

A dangerous sound coiled in the back of his throat and slithered between his lips. “You. Belong. To. Us.”

“I belong t-to you.” I grunted as that wave rose, unleashing with a savage force inside me.

My body clenched tight, causing me to thrust and shudder and moan as I came hard.

“Damn right you do.” He eased his hold, sliding his hand around the back of my neck while he kiss me hard.

This was our anchor.

This was our home.

While all four of us had this…we would be okay.

I closed my eyes and thought of Colt as his brother gave a grunt, and warmth filled me.

I’ll find you, I whispered inside my head. I’ll save you, just like you saved me.