Sneak Peek

“ H ow was the date?” Hawk asked, dropping beside me in church.

Talon sat in the empty seat on my right. “You sure got back late.”

How the fuck did they know what time I brought Rebel home? No one was awake.

“Not sure it’s your business,” I replied, kicking back in my seat. Crow wasn’t here, but he would arrive and start church soon.

“Come on. Don’t hold out on us,” Hawk urged.

“I promised my ol’ lady I’d ask,” Talon added.

“Callie and Gail will probably talk to Rebel, so I don’t have to say shit.”

Hawk snorted. “Oh, they’ll talk.”

Yeah, I thought so.

“I just want to compare notes. See if we can find out more than them,” Talon laughed.

I wasn’t gonna say a damn thing now.

“You just ruined it, Talon,” Hawk huffed.

“How do you know what time I got back?” I asked, too curious to drop it.

“Saw you pull in.” Hawk shrugged. “I needed a smoke.”

Ah. I didn’t know how I missed him when I parked my bike. I must have been too wrapped up in Rebel to notice.

“I decided to let you have a few moments alone before I walked inside,” Hawk added.

“How generous,” I mumbled.

“Have you shown her your crow yet?” Talon turned toward me, grinning like he knew a secret I didn’t. “It’s not like it’ll surprise her.”

Shit. I forgot about the circumstances of Rebel’s arrival. She came to The Roost after captivity on Undertaker’s lands. I found out about Undertaker and the war with the Dirty Death MC after I patched into the club last month. I knew he was no longer a threat, or I’d go after him for kidnapping Rebel. The Tonopah Royal Bastards used their reapers to separate the vargulf and the Alpha wolf, sending the evil part straight to Lucifer in hell. I missed all that, but I’d heard about it numerous times.

A truce had formed after the reaping, and now Undertaker, or Alpha Caden, no longer posed a threat. His club had become allies with ours. In fact, the Dirty Death no longer existed. His club had voted on a new name: Night Striders MC.

Still, I didn’t know if I could hold back if I saw him. He took Rebel, kept her locked in a dirty underground cell, and hurt her. I cracked my neck, instantly on edge.

“Brother,” Talon began, clapping my shoulder. “It’s the past. Let it go.”

“Would you say that if it was Gail?” I asked, flipping it back on him.

Talon cringed.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

“Crow’s orders,” Hawk interjected. “Hands off.”

I nearly growled in response.

“Hey, I’m not sayin’ I don’t get it. Hell, I’d go after any motherfucker who tried to hurt Callie.”

He understood. Good. “I don’t know if I can let it go.”

Hawk and Talon tensed.

“I’m not sayin’ I’ll go hunt down Undertaker on his land.” Both nodded. “But if I see that fucker here, he’s gonna have my boot up his ass.”

Hawk chuckled.

Talon shook his head. “I can’t say I blame you.”

I had met Alpha Caden/Undertaker twice before I knew what he’d done to Rebel. A part of me felt that retribution was needed regardless of the circumstances. A truce didn’t matter. He had to suffer for the wrongs he’d done. The crows outside begin to stir. Caws echoed as I heard the flapping of wings. I felt their agitation.

“What about your crow?” Hawk asked, keeping his voice low as the room filled with members.

I’d had several experiences with my crow—many more with the murder. I was still learning about our bond. My childhood and lack of knowledge left a gap in my growth. The bond occurred naturally, but my ability to control my shift still felt unstable.

I knew I had abilities similar to Hawk’s. He could partially shift, sprout wings, and fly as one of them. Strange, but also fucking awesome. I needed to learn better control before I could master flight.

“I’m working on it.”

Hawk nodded. “Hit me up if you need flight time.”

Yeah, I would. Soon. But my focus shifted to Rebel, and nothing felt half as important as her. I heard the crows rattle their throats in agreement. They felt affection and urgency around Rebel. The need to protect her almost overrode common sense. She wasn’t in danger, so I didn’t understand why I kept feeling these strong emotions.

Nothing would harm her at The Roost.

“What’s got you on alert?” Talon asked, noticing that I sat forward, staring at the door.

“Rebel. I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right. I feel I’ve got to be with her every hour of the day.” It sounded crazy, possessive, and overprotective.

“Aw shit,” Talon laughed.

Hawk grinned. “You’re almost mated now.”

Mated? I hadn’t fucked Rebel yet. How was that possible?

Of course, I wasn’t telling Hawk or Talon.

“When the crow knows.” Talon ticked his head toward me. “That’s it. There’s no stopping it.”

“Stopping what?” Crow wondered as he entered the chapel. He took his position at the head of the table and picked up the gavel. With a quick slam on the wooden surface, he brought the meeting to order. “Might as well tell us all, Heron.”

I had the attention of everyone in the room. Fuck. “Me. Rebel is my mate.”

The room erupted in chuckles and groans, money exchanging hands as those who lost forked over their cash and those who won snatched their earnings.

Motherfuckers. All of them.

“You’re all assholes,” I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest. “Shouldn’t you be happy for me instead of betting on whether or not I can seal the deal?”

Cuckoo snorted. “Don’t get your panties twisted, Heron.”

Crow held up a hand as the room silenced. “Our boy is finally growing up and popping his cherry.”

After that, I decided to ignore every last one of them. Indefinitely.

The laughter took way too fucking long to die down.

“Heron, you’re one of us. Get used to this shit. Just remember, when one of them goes through it, you get to return the favor.”

Crow had a point.

“Back to business. We have a new player in town. A crew who’s been pushing drugs through Vegas and close to our territory.”

The room sobered; no hint of amusement remained.

Raven frowned. “They got a name?”

“Grave Robbers MC. New president, too. Goes by Hammerhead.”

Hmmm. Something about that information didn’t sit right. It wasn’t just the name or how it reminded me of Rebel and our trip to the aquarium, but also the timing.

“We know his real name? Or what he wants?” I asked, feeling the tension build in my shoulders. That dangerous vibe and the overwhelming feeling I needed to protect Rebel grew stronger.

“No, but he’s asked for a meet. I’ve decided it’s best to sit down with him at the rally. It’s neutral ground. If shit goes down, we got plenty of brothers to watch our backs.”

Smart.

“And the Royal Bastards?” Hawk wondered.

“They’ll be with us. We good with that?”

Fists pounded the table as the members agreed.

“Eagle Eye?” Crow rumbled as the man in question lifted his head. “Need you to dig up whatever you can find on Hammerhead and his club. I want to know his real name, the members, and anything else to give us an advantage before the rally.”

“You got it, pres.”

“Only officers at the meet, but I don’t want anyone goin’ far. You stay at the rally. No one leaves.”

Nods from the men in the room followed.

“Until then, we celebrate Bella’s birthday. She’s looking forward to the barbecue tonight. I got all her favorite foods, and several deliveries are still being made. Stay sharp. I don’t want any surprises with Hammerhead showing up in Las Vegas.”

His concerns were legit. We didn’t know shit about this guy, his club, or what they wanted. Until we did, we kept our shit locked down. Asking for a meeting this close to the rally roused suspicion, especially because it happened at the last minute.

After church, I spent several hours helping with deliveries and prep. A sweaty mess, I headed back to my room to shower, change clothes, and prepare for the party. When I shoved my arms through the sleeves of my cut, I noticed my phone had several missed texts.

Rebel missed me.

With a grin, I swiped across to read her messages when I caught the photo she sent me.

Oh, dirty girl. You’re gonna pay for this, preferably with my hand on your ass.

“Or my cock in your pussy,” I murmured aloud.

The tease had sent a full frontal to me, nude, sexy, legs spread wide. Her pussy glistened like she’d just finished playing too. Slick and ready. All pink and perfect.

Fuck.

She only wrote one sentence: I’m yours if you can get me alone.

Challenge. Fucking. Accepted.

Instant lust filled my brain, and my dick hardened, tenting my jeans. The realization hit me that she did this for two reasons. One, she was fucking horny. I had no problem being the one to satisfy her needs. Two, it was her way of letting me know I finally got my chance. She didn’t want to wait any longer. My girl needed me.

I left my room on a mission. There wasn’t a soul at The Roost able to steer me away from my goal. Both my mind and my dick were in agreement. I had to locate Rebel as swiftly as possible. I would fucking burst if I wasn’t inside her soon.

Hawk tried to talk to me. I brushed him off. Cuckoo stood in front of me, and I growled, shoving him aside as I found Rebel’s scent first and her sexy body second. That sweet blossom of a female was bent over a pool table in shorts so tiny her ass cheeks fell out the damn bottom.

She held that stick in her hand, gliding her palm down as I approached. Her pink tongue flicked out of her mouth before she licked her bottom lip. She wiggled her ass as she took her shot and gained the attention of every single guy in the room.

“Mine.” The word exploded from my chest like the crack of thunder.

Rebel slowly rose off the table, placing her stick aside. She hopped onto the surface and opened her legs wide. I swear to fuck; I almost punched several of my brothers as they nearly salivated at the sight of those soft parted thighs. She leaned back, giving me a coy smile.

“Say it,” I ordered as my voice boomed across the bar.

She didn’t have to ask what I wanted. Rebel knew.

“I’m yours, Heron.”

Heron’s Flame , Devil’s Murder MC releases March 2025