Chapter 12 Lacey

P resent—

I was so confused. Why were the Bladed Serpents MC at the strip club when the Royal Bastards MC owned the bar? Skel mentioned that ownership changed hands, which meant the old owners had to vacate.

What was happening?

I got shoved into a room by one of the Serpents after my performance on stage. I'd done it as a distraction since the detective I worked with on the case asked for my help. Skel was going to be pissed. At least, I thought so until his hungry gaze watched me work the pole, and he didn't hide the growing bulge between his legs as a result of it.

Turning my man on? An added bonus.

I knew the police had finished gathering intel on Ratchet, the Bladed Serpents, Luis Diego, and Angel Mackenzie. They were all going to prison for a long time.

Skel stiffened as soon as he saw me. His jaw locked.

Everyone in the room was tense. I didn't focus on the others, only caring about my biker—the guy who was going to put a ring on my finger. Even if he hadn't asked me yet. And maybe, I'd get to be an ol' lady.

I looked up what it meant. I'd be his property, but that was a biker's way of laying claim. An ol' lady was protected, loved, cherished, and respected. What more could a woman want? Oh, fantastic sex. I had that in spades.

My guy knew how to fuck me right. No complaints there.

I wasn't paying attention, and that proved to be a mistake when the room erupted in chaos. Guns were drawn. People began shouting. Some threatened others.

My hair was yanked, and my head snapped back. Shocked, I tried to twist out of the grasp. "Hey!"

"Don't move, princesa ."

Shit! Luis Diego dragged me across the room as I flailed, trying to hit him but failing. He kept me turned enough that I couldn't make contact with any body parts. A shame. I'd love to stomp all over his flaccid dick.

"Let me go!"

"Take your hands off her," Skel demanded.

"You've caused enough trouble, Skeleton Man. Time you learned who's in charge."

Skeleton Man. My masked vigilante.

I managed to turn enough to see him. There was no mask tonight. No face paint.

But . . .shadows began to seep from Skel. They grew in intensity, taking shape and forming a thick, heavy mass. Inside the dark cloud, I saw faces .

Multiple skeletal images overlapped and laughed. The deep, sinister laughter was horrifying, but somehow, I sensed it was only a threat to Luis. I felt protected by the mass.

So weird.

"Let her go," he ordered one final time.

Luis Diego seemed hypnotized. He watched the skeletal images floating in the shadows and whimpered. His hand finally released me, and I winced at the ache in my scalp.

"Lacey. Come here."

I rushed to Skel as he slid an arm around me. The shadows began to pulse and writhe, flowing around my limbs and body. I felt caressed. Desired. And turned on. Holy shit. My core ached, and my clit pulsed with need. Lust filled the red eyes of the phantom faces. They wanted me.

Wow.

"Uh, Skel?"

Sure. I had a mask kink. That was obvious by now. Same with sex in the open where I could get caught. Another kink.

But ghostly faces and shadows? That was something new. I didn't know how I felt about it.

"You're protected, my Sweet Girl. Nothing and no one will harm you. You're mine. All of me."

Um, okay. Kinda hard not to feel special after that.

But wait. How would that work? Did the shadows play?

Soft touches brushed across my skin, and my nipples hardened. I felt a light caress on my inner thigh and then a tickle against my clit. I jolted. Instant arousal flooded my body, and I had to hold back a moan.

A girl could get used to having foreplay like this.

Skel growled, and I realized I had missed what was happening around me. The shadows used their skills to distract me. I might have protested, but it felt good, and I didn't have to deal with Luis Diego.

Awareness slowly brought clarity. It was strange. Like the shadows had kept me hidden within them while a battle raged in the room. As that veil lowered and I saw all the bodies, I gasped.

"It's okay, Lacey. Had to be done, Sweet Girl." Skel held me against his chest, wrapping me in his embrace. "He won't ever come after you or the judge again."

Relief swept through me. I thought it was handled when Luis went to prison, but that only enraged him. He would never stop. I knew that now. Skel had to end it.

I closed my eyes tight, not wanting to see the blood and carnage. Justice had been served on multiple levels tonight. I could tell from the shift in the room. There was a peace I felt that wasn't there when I first walked into this room.

How strange that I could sense it.

"It's the shadows," Skel whispered. "They're communicating with you. I feel it."

"The feds are outside." I opened my eyes, staring at the biker Skel called Creature. He was intense. "We need to finish up here."

"The bodies," Skel replied.

"I know, brother."

"You got closure, Creature. Happy for you, brother."

"And you got your ol' lady."

Skel held me tighter.

"Someone call for a cleanup?"

The three of us turned at the sound of the cheerful voice, staring at the door. Two men I'd never met but wore Royal Bastards leather vests joined us. I caught the names on their patches: Diablo and Rael.

Rael startled me when I saw his face. He wore Day of the Dead-themed makeup with black and white and skeletal features. It was far different than Skel's mask or his shadows.

Diablo wore red and black face paint. He grinned at Skel, and I shivered. It was so demonic that I was glad I had Skel with me. Both bikers were intimidating, but something different hovered over them. A feeling that they were different, like Skel. Enhanced. Powerful. Almost like the hand of death.

"Reapers," Skel whispered.

Woah. Actual grim reapers?

Uh, we needed to leave. They harvested souls!

As if they all heard my thoughts, dark laughter followed.

Skel steered me toward the door. "Let's go, my little vixen. I've got a surprise for you."

"Okay."

Outside, Skel led me down the sidewalk, clenching my hand. Blue and red lights flashed in the darkness, but the police weren't arresting anyone. I guessed the other bikers would handle it.

We stopped at a gate, and a young guy opened it. Skel led me through, gesturing toward the parking lot and the row of motorcycles parked outside the massive building.

"This is home, Lacey."

I swallowed hard, afraid to ask.

He tilted my chin up, hovering his mouth above mine. "Your home and mine. It's the new clubhouse. Doesn't matter where we end up, though, Baby. Just stay with me. I fucking love you, Lacey."

My heart soared.

Nothing had ever sounded more perfect.