I nod, not needing to speak and unable to at the same time.

  One more man who had a hand in my sister’s demise will fall tonight. He was a child, but that doesn’t mean he won’t pay for his crimes.

  Some might argue he was a victim as well—of circumstance, of his upbringing, of his father. I don’t give a fuck about any of that.

  He raped my sister and now he will pay for it.

  Kirill steps back and the three men he trusts with his life do as well. Alek looks around as if someone will come and save him. No one will.

  I glance at Kirill one more time and he waves his hand toward Alek like he’s an offering for sacrifice. Maybe he is. “We’ve gotten everything out of him we can. Think of this as a present for the continued support the DSMC has given me and my brothers.”

  The hands my brothers are using fall away from me and I stand at my full height. I want to beat him until my hands are a bloody mess—both his and mine. I want to torture him for however long he raped my sister.

  I also want to go home to Rebel and bury myself in her comfort. Because I’m going to need it.

  Before I would simply bury the emotions that revenge would bring out in me. But I can’t do that anymore, not when I have a woman who loves me and wants to help me carry the burden on my shoulders.

  I step forward slowly, taking my time as my gaze locks with the man who helped break my sister. I know he wasn’t the only one, but he was there. And he made a choice.

  To rape her.

  To not help her.

  To allow her trauma to continue unfettered. Not only that, but he also added to it.

  And not just her trauma, but the women who were there with her and had to watch, who knew their fate would be just as bad. Until we rescued them.

  When I’m standing in front of him, I start to land blows on his face. I make sure each one counts. I hit him twice for Sofia, breaking his jaw with the second one. He screams, but it’s like listening to an orchestra.

  I continue to rain down punch after punch, one for each one of the women we rescued that night.

  His blood is splattered on my clothes, each punch causing him to look more broken. Just like my sister was. Just like I’ve been for the last ten years.

  After I land the last punch, I reach for my knife. Alek lets out a sound of protest when I wrench his head back and slice his neck, making sure to catch his carotids. When I step back, I don’t take my eyes off him until he’s covered in his own blood and he’s no longer breathing.

  I close my eyes for a moment and think about Sofia. This time I picture her smiling face instead of the way I found her that night, broken and lost, or the way I found her dead. No, this moment is one where her life should be celebrated.

  I don’t know if she would approve of what I just did. Honestly, she probably would be horrified, but it had to be done. The world is a slightly better place now.

  I look at Kirill and give him a chin lift in thanks. He simply nods in return. I turn and meet the eyes of my brothers before I start to walk away. I know the cleanup will be handled. I know my brothers have my back.

  But there’s someone I need to see, someone I need to hold, and it sure as fuck isn’t one of my brothers.

  CHAPTER 9

  REBEL

  I’m cutting some fabric in my sewing room, taking advantage of the message Tyler sent me telling me he had some club business to take care of, when someone starts to pound on my front door. It startles me at first because it sounds like whoever it is wants to break in. My heart is pounding as I pad to my front door, my shears clutched in my hand.

  “Rebel,” Tyler’s voice booms through the door and I rush to unlock it. Something in his voice tells me he needs me and right this fucking second.

  The moment the door is unlocked and starts to open, he throws it wider and steps through. I get a glimpse of him, and the blood splatter covering him, before I’m engulfed in his arms. My shears drop to the ground with a clatter.

  Tyler kisses the top of my head, his voice a desperate rumble, “The shears were a good choice, Hellcat.”

  I melt into him, feeling the tension radiating through his entire body. I’ve never seen him this strung tight and he’s not exactly a relaxed man on his best of days. True, I haven’t known him for a long time, but we’ve spent a lot of time together since we met.

  Something is wrong. I can feel it.

  And then, of course, there’s the blood.

  I whisper against his chest, “Whose blood is this?”

  “A man who deserved his fate,” he grits out through his teeth, fury rolling off him.

  As I tilt my head up to meet his gaze, I notice how the muscles of his neck are bulging. I run my hands up and down his back, hoping to soothe him, hoping to give him what he needs. I make a humming sound accepting his answer. For now.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” he grunts.

  I narrow my eyes at him, his steely gaze taking me in like he’s memorizing me. When I step out of his hold, I can feel his reluctance to let me go. My eyes trail over him and I grimace. Not because he’s covered in blood splatter, but because I was just pressed up against it.

  He holds his hands out to his sides, a challenge in his eyes and his words, “This is who I am, Rebel.” His hands fall to his sides and his shoulders curl inward, like he has something to be ashamed of. His words are broken this time, “This is who I am.”

  I reach up and cup his jaw in my hands, forcing him to look at me instead of the floor. My voice is fierce, lined with steel and love, when he meets my gaze, “I know who you are Tyler. You’re a giant of a man with a heart of gold. You’re haunted by your past and it’s defined you for so fucking long.” I shake my head and hope he can see the sincerity in my eyes. “You’re loyal. You’re strong. You’re incredibly talented. You’re a man who loves his bike and his club.”

  “And you,” he rasps, and I freeze.

  I blink up at him, my fingers feeling numb where the pads rest against his short beard. Did he just? I mean, is he saying?

  “And I love you,” he says, his voice strong and sure.

  “And I love you,” I whisper, his steely eyes holding mine captive, holding all of me captive.

  His forehead comes down to meet mine and he breathes out, “Fuck. That was not how I imagined saying that to you.”

  A cheeky smile graces my lips and I tease him, “What? Were you picturing rose petals and candlelight? Unexplained blood and a little grime are way more my style.”

  “Hellcat,” he chuckles and shakes his head.

  His large hand grips the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him even though I barely put any distance between us. He kicks the door closed behind him, the sound loud in the quiet between us while we soak up each other’s words, each other’s truth.

  “Just saying,” I toss back at him and shrug.

  When he lowers his lips to mine, the kiss between us is sweet and filled with promises. Of forever. Of growth. Of good times and bad. Of answered questions. Of demon slaying. Of hope.

  I explore his mouth with my tongue before they twine together, just like our hearts and souls have done. There’s nothing urgent in our kiss. It’s languid, cascading through time and space with endless tomorrows.

  It’s everything I want in a kiss.

  But I also want his passionate kisses. The ones with teeth. The ones that make my body buzz. The ones that make me a puddle of need and desire.

  When he pulls back from me, I can see the love in his eyes. It’s there, mixed with the pain I think he will always carry. I don’t fault him for it. I’m just thankful he lets me carry a little of it for him because he would do the same for me.

  I grab his hand and lead him through my house until we get to the bathroom. I do have some of his clothes here and they’re even clean now, but I have a feeling he won’t be slipping them on. Not when I can see hunger and lust joining the party in his eyes.

  After I turn the water on in the shower, I start to strip out of my pajamas and I’m not at all surprised when starts pulling his clothes off. I almost get lost in watching him, loving every bit of him as he exposes himself to me. My eyes trip over the tattoos adorning him and the way his muscles bunch and pull.

  When he’s standing in front of me gloriously naked, I let out a little sigh of contentment. He’s mine. All fucking mine.

  The smirk on his face tells me he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

  And because he is mine, it’s my honored duty to take care of him. I grab his hand and lead him into the shower, pushing him gently until he’s right where I want him. Considering his size, it’s clear he’s only following my direction because he wants to.

  Tyler could be an immovable wall of hard planes and beautiful art if he so chose. But he lets me take the lead and gives himself over to me.

  I fall in love with him a little more.

  As I set about washing him, I whisper, “Tell me.”

  I feel some of the weight on his shoulders fall away as he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “We got a call from one of our clients with the security firm.” I arch an eyebrow in question, but he shakes his head, his voice serious, “I can’t tell you some things because it’s club business, Hellcat.”

  “Fine,” I pout.

  He leans down and nips at my bottom lip, causing my pussy to clench on fucking nothing. I know he’ll be filling me up soon enough. The man has a serious kink when it comes to stuffing as much cum inside of me as he can.

  I’m more than okay with it. I’ve always wanted children and Tyler will be an amazing dad. I haven’t been put off by his desire to breed me, not once since he first mentioned it. Is it a little reckless? Sure, but I’m embracing this man and everything he has to offer.

  “The important part of tonight is that I went with a few of my brothers to where a man was being held.” He swallows hard as I grab the showerhead and start to rinse the suds off his body. “The man in question lost is virginity at 15 by raping my sister.”

  I stand there, frozen, my jaw practically on the floor as I stare up at my man. My strong man. My giant. My teddy bear.

  It feels like my chest cracks open in solidarity with his. The showerhead hits the wall with a thud as I throw myself at Tyler. He catches me with ease, even with both of us slick from the water.

  I bury my face in his neck and cling to him, wanting all his desolation, wanting to take it all inside me so he doesn’t have to hold it anymore. My arms and legs are wrapped tightly around him, but it’s not nearly enough.

  Nothing will be enough.

  “I’m sorry,” I murmur against his skin, my words muffled and not nearly enough.

  Nothing will be enough.

  He runs his huge hand up and down my back, whispering soft words. Soothing me when it’s all I want to do for him.

  “I know those words mean nothing. I know they aren’t nearly enough, but they’re all I have,” my voice breaks.

  “That’s not true, Rebel. Those words coming from you mean everything and you’ve given me so much more than you realize. So much more than your words.”

  “It’s not enough,” I whisper.

  His fingers tangle in my hair and give a gentle tug until there’s enough space between us that we can look at each other. He lets go of my hair and wipes the tears from my cheeks. When did I even start crying?

  “You take my pain and make it into something else, something that doesn’t sting. You wrap my soul in your love and blanket me in warmth. It’s enough,” he assures me as fresh, hot tears roll down my cheeks.

  I nod slowly, his steely eyes capturing mine. “He’s dead,” I don’t phrase it as a question, but an irrefutable fact.

  Hell, if I would have been there and gotten to him first, I would have killed the bastard myself. I’ve never been someone prone to violence, but I would figure it the fuck out.

  Tyler nods slowly, not saying the words we both know are true. I nod, my voice clipped, “Good.”

  One side of his mouth lifts, wonder in his tone, “You’re perfect. So much fire wrapped in softness I can’t get enough of.”

  Gah, this man and his mouth.

  When I met the old ladies last week, they told me how happy they were that Tyler found someone and that they were worried about him. They could see his tortured soul, same as me. They also knew they couldn’t mend the broken pieces of him.

  They described him as a man of few words, and I almost laughed. Not like he chats my ear off or anything, but I don’t find it to be a completely apt description. It made me feel special knowing I get a part of him no one else does.

  I search his face, needing to know one more thing. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be.”

  I nod slowly, a thought popping into my head and making me blurt, “Did you come here thinking that seeing the truth behind who you are would scare me off?”

  “No,” his voice is firm. “I just needed to see you. I needed to be wrapped up in you and your light after what happened tonight. I knew you would help to heal a little more of me with your touch,” he pauses, his voice dropping an octave, “and your love.”

  I capture his face in my hands and kiss him, needing him to feel how much his words mean to me and how honored I am that he chose me.

  Or maybe he didn’t, and fate did.

  Not that it matters how we came to be, not anymore. What matters now is how we walk through life together.

  Always together.

  When he sets me back down, I make sure every part of him is washed clean. He does the same for me, his hands reverent against my skin. I can feel it in his touch, and I feel reborn once he’s done. It’s a heady feeling, one I welcome. Because the weight of it matters.

  I try to grab a towel and dry him off, but he gently bats my hands away and wraps me up in the towel instead. His movements are precise, but there’s an edge of need there as well.

  I know why.

  I know what he needs.

  When he scoops me up in his arms and strides into my bedroom, I’m more than ready for him.

  I’ll be exactly what he needs.

  His soft place to land.

  His partner.

  His means to chase away the darkness.

  Because he is those things for me as well.

  This man is mine and I’m his. It’s just that simple.

  CHAPTER 10

  REBEL

  Tyler places me on my bed gently and then covers my body with his own. His large frame takes up all my vision, not that I want to see anything other than him. Not right now. Not when he needs me.

  I wrap my arm around his neck and pull him down to me, loving the feeling of being caged in by him. I kiss him softly, letting the desire between us build slowly and it does fucking build. When we pull apart, we’re both panting for breath, a sense of desperation on the edges of our consciousness.

  “Rebel,” he growls and all I can do is submit to him in this moment. “Tonight,” his voice reverberates around us, “I’m putting my baby in you.”

  My pussy fucking gushes at the thought, my nipples becoming hard peaks begging for his mouth. This man is dangerous, and I am here for it. Completely. Without question.

  “Did your pussy just get wetter for me?” There’s a knowing glint in his eyes and I swear his chest puffs up with masculine pride.

  “Yes,” I moan and arch up into him, needing to feel his skin against my own.

  “You want me to fill you with my cum and plant my baby in your womb,” he doesn’t phrase it like a question.

  Because it isn’t.

  “Please, Tyler,” I beg.

  After the night he’s had, I’m expecting him to thrust into me hard and fast, but he doesn’t. He pushes inside of me slowly, one fucking millimeter at a time and it drives me fucking wild. My nails dig into his back, trying to urge him on. By the way he clenches his jaw, he will not be rushed.

  Not that I can blame him because this is the sweetest torture I’ve ever experienced. I’m moaning and wiggling my hips by the time he’s fully inside of me, the delicious stretch enough to have my eyes rolling back in my head. Then he swivels his hips and I’m already teetering right on the edge.

  “Hellcat,” he whispers and my eyes snap open to meet his. “There you are. Good girl,” he praises, and my thighs start to tremble.

  I love his praise. It’s not just his words though. He praises me in the way he looks at me, always watching and assessing, always keeping me safe. He praises me in the way he touches me, gentle hands and caresses like fire licking across my skin. He praises me by trusting me with his past and letting me dance with his demons.

  His love is the ultimate praise and I soak it up as he starts to move.

  I feel every glide resonate through my body. He pulls out until only the head of his cock remains. He slides deep until I’m so full of him that it feels like we’re one.

  Over and over.

  Again, and again.

  He takes me with beauty and light.

  “And I love you,” I moan, my legs wrapping around his waist squeezing him tighter, needing more to take me to the edge and push me over.

  “And I love you,” he grits out through his teeth.

  I can see the strain going slow is causing him. I can see how much he wants to let loose. I squeeze my walls around his length, urging him, teasing him.

  The next time he fills me, there’s more force behind his movements and I revel in it. What was measured and sweet becomes hungry and needy. Every breath. Every thrust.

  We become lost in each other, needing more, and giving each other everything we desire. I move my hips to meet him, the sound of our bodies coming together filling the room in a rhythm only we understand.

  “Need you to give me your baby,” my words are broken with panting moans and whimpered pleas.

  “Fuck,” he barks, the muscles of his neck strained with how hard he’s clenching his jaw.

  He tilts his head up toward the ceiling, breathing like a wild predator hunting their prey. The movement of his hips becomes more forceful, but he doesn’t speed up. He powers into me, thrust after thrust, filling me deeply and making my entire body shudder with the intensity.

 

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