RIDING WITH THE BEAST

PRICE OF PROTECTION

CHAPTER 2: PRICE OF PROTECTION

The door clicked shut behind me, and I slid down it until my ass hit the floor. My chest heaved like I’d just run for miles, and everywhere Kael had touched still hummed like he’d left a brand on my skin.

What the hell was happening to me?

I came here to be invisible. To hide in the shadows and forget the life I left behind. Instead, I’d walked straight into the line of sight of the most dangerous man in town — and he’d claimed me before I even finished introducing myself.

The room was tiny. A single lumpy bed, a chipped dresser, and a window covered in years of grime. But after three weeks of sleeping on bus seats and motel mattresses that felt like cardboard, it was better than anything I’d had lately.

I tossed my beat-up backpack onto the bed and stared at the keys still clutched in my hand. They were warm, like they still held the heat from his rough fingers.

Downstairs, the noise picked up again — loud laughs, clinking bottles, the rumble of voices. But above it all, I could still hear that deep, growling tone echoing in my head.

My rules. My world. You belong here now.

“Like hell I do,” I muttered, throwing the keys onto the nightstand.

But even as I said it, my pulse raced. I should be terrified. I was terrified — but there was something else there too. Something hot and twisted that made my blood sing instead of run cold.

About an hour later, a sharp knock rapped on the door.

I jumped to my feet, heart lurching into my throat. “Who is it?”

“Jax. Prez sent food and clean clothes. Open up.”

I hesitated, then unlocked it just enough to peek out. Jax was broad, muscles straining his cut, a thin scar slicing through his left eyebrow. His face was hard, but there was no leering, no dirty grin — just a serious look that said he’d seen every kind of trouble there was.

He held out a brown paper bag and a folded pile of fabric.

“Thanks,” I said, reaching for them.

He didn’t let go right away. His eyes scanned me quick, like he was sizing me up.

“Listen, girl. You got lucky tonight. Most strangers walk in here, they either get thrown out on their ass or passed around like a cheap bottle. Prez taking you under his wing? That doesn’t happen often. Not ever, really.”

I stiffened. “I’m not under anyone’s wing.”

Jax huffed a dry laugh, but there was no amusement in it. “Keep telling yourself that. Just remember two things — don’t lie to him. And don’t try to leave without his word. Betrayal burns worse than fire in this club. You got it?”

Before I could answer, he pushed the items into my arms and turned away, heavy boots thudding down the stairs.

I locked the door again, this time twice, and leaned back against it.

Don’t lie. Don’t leave.

Simple rules. But they already felt like chains.

I opened the bag first — a thick roast beef sandwich, a bag of chips, and a cold bottle of beer. The clothes were plain: a soft gray t-shirt, black sweatpants, and a pair of socks. Nothing fancy, but cleaner than anything I’d worn in weeks.

I ate fast, showered in the tiny washroom attached to the room, and changed. Standing in front of the cracked mirror, I stared back at myself — pale skin, dark hair falling loose, eyes still wide and bright with that strange mix of fear and heat.

Who was I turning into? The girl who ran… or the girl who was starting to want to stay?

Later that night, when the noise downstairs had died down to a low murmur, another knock came.

Slower. Heavier.

My pulse spiked so hard I thought it might stop. I knew exactly who it was before I even spoke.

“Who is it?”

A low, familiar growl vibrated through the wood. “Open up, Lila. We need to talk.”

My fingers hovered over the lock. Part of me wanted to yell for him to go to hell. Another part — the stupid, reckless part — wanted to yank the door wide open and let him take whatever he wanted.

I turned the lock and pulled it open.

He filled the whole frame instantly, and the room felt ten times smaller. He’d taken off his leather cut, leaving him in a tight black tee that clung to every ripple of muscle, showing off more of those dark, intricate tattoos. The scent of whiskey, leather, and cedar rolled in with him — heady, impossible to ignore.

He stepped inside, kicked the door shut behind him, and leaned back against it, crossing his arms over his chest. His dark eyes raked over me slowly, from my bare feet all the way up to my face, and when they locked on mine, I felt like I was burning from the inside out.

“Comfortable?” he asked, voice rough and low.

“As comfortable as I can feel locked in a room that feels like a cage,” I shot back, lifting my chin.

A slow, wicked smirk tugged at his mouth. “Cage? Baby, you have no idea what a real cage feels like. This? Compared to what’s waiting for you out there? This is freedom.”

He pushed off the door and took one step toward me. I backed up automatically until the backs of my knees hit the bed, and I sank down, trapped between the mattress and his advancing frame.

He stopped right in front of me, knees brushing mine, and leaned down, planting both hands on either side of my hips — caging me in completely.

“Let me make this crystal clear,” he murmured, his face inches from mine. “I didn’t bring you here out of some good heart. The second you walked in, I saw it — the fear, the rage, the secrets. You’re broken, but you still bite. And I like that.”

“I don’t need fixing,” I breathed, even as my hands curled into the sheets beside me.

He chuckled — deep, throaty, vibrating right through my chest. “You say that now. But I know exactly who you ran from. Rich. Powerful. Used to getting his way. Used to bending women until they forget how to say no.”

My blood turned cold. “How the hell do you know that?”

His eyes darkened, sharp and knowing. “Because I’m just like him — only better. I take what I want, but I don’t break what’s mine. I own it. I protect it. And I sure as hell don’t let anyone else touch it.”

His thumb dragged slow and deliberate over my lower lip, and I gasped softly, my eyelids fluttering shut for half a second before I forced them open again.

“Right now, your husband Julian is already on the move. Calling motels, checking bus stations, tracing every step you took. He won’t stop, Lila. And if he finds you? He’ll lock you up so deep you’ll never see daylight again.”

My eyes flew open, fear surging sharp and real. “You’re lying.”

“Am I?”

He pulled out his phone, tapped the screen, and held it right in front of my face. There was a photo — a sleek black luxury SUV, two men in dark suits, and a face I’d prayed I’d never see again.

Julian Hale.

My chest tightened until it hurt. “Son of a bitch.”

Kael slipped the phone back into his pocket, then curled his fingers around my jaw — firm, unyielding, but never painful — forcing me to look only at him.

“So here’s your choice, sweetheart. You run again, and he’ll have you in less than twenty-four hours. Or… you stay here. Under my name. Under my protection. And in return? You give me what I want.”

My heart hammered against my ribs. “And what exactly do you want?”

His smirk turned hungry, dark and wicked, and his gaze dropped straight to my lips.

“For now? Your obedience. Later? Every single inch of you — body, heart, soul. All of it. Mine.”

Before I could even draw a breath to answer, he leaned in. His lips crashed onto mine — not soft, not gentle, but claiming, hot and demanding, stealing every bit of air from my lungs.

My mind screamed stop, but my body melted into him instantly, fingers tangling in the fabric of his shirt, kissing him back just as fiercely.

And just as things started to heat up, he pulled away slow, leaving me dizzy, breathless, and craving more.

“Think about it,” he growled, his voice rough with need. “But don’t take too long. Julian is only one day’s drive away… and once he hits Blackpine? The hunt begins.”

He straightened up, unlocked the door, and stepped out into the hall, leaving me alone in the quiet room — lips tingling, skin burning, and a decision hanging over my head that felt heavier than any chain.

I could run back to the hell I knew… or stay and ride with the beast who promised to protect me, even if it meant belonging to him forever.

And deep down?

I already knew exactly which road I was going to take.

End of Chapter 2