BIKER QUEEN AND HER HELLBOUND KING

CHAPTER TWENTY

Grace

“Right.” I whispered at Kent's words. He was right, hesitation got you killed. It almost did earlier if Kent hadn't caught Bane by the throat.

I looked down at my hands.

My veins were faintly lit, gold tracing the lines from my wrist to the inside of my elbow, barely visible but there, this was what Mara warned me about. Proximity to Kent.

But proximity did not explain the other things Kent's presence did to me. There was no explanation for the way my chest felt when Kent looked at me. I didn't think it could explain why I felt safer in a room with a man who could snap bones like dry twigs than I did anywhere else in the world.

I pressed my fingers over my wrist and the light pulsed once under my skin.

Kent stood upright and walked away when I didn't say anything else, his footsteps heavy and loud in the silence, leaving me alone in the wreckage of the meeting room.

I looked at the long table. There was a deep indentation where Bane’s head had hit the wood. I walked over to it and ran my fingers over the splintered grain.

I looked up at the wall clock I had seen before chaos had broken out. It was seven-fourty-three in the evening.

Somewhere in the midst of everything, the sun had set and night had fallen.

I walked round the room taking in the mess.

If Kent was the only thing standing between me and the Collector, then I was the reason the only thing protecting this town was starting to c***k. I thought about what Rook had said earlier about Kent’s judgment being affected. I thought about the way Kent had sat in my room all night, watching the door.

Rook was right. I was a bomb. But as I looked at the dark stains on the floor, I realized I didn't want to be a bomb. I wanted to be the match.

I couldn't wait until everything went to hell before I did something.

I left the room and headed outside. I didn't go to my room, though. I went to the bar and grabbed a bottle of the strongest whiskey I could find. I didn't plan on getting drunk, but I needed something to burn away the sound of Bane’s bones snapping.

None of the Riders stopped me when I grabbed the drink, probably because I was Kent's guest, probably because of the deadly look I was wearing.

As I climbed the stairs, I looked out the window at the dark forest. The moon was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds and the woods looked like a solid wall of black. Somewhere out there, the Collector was waiting. The town of Velmore was quiet as usual and I wondered how long the quiet would last. How long until the Collector found a way to break through Kent's defenses.

I went into my room and locked the door, but for the first time, the lock didn't make me feel safe. I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my hands. They were still shaking.

I realized then that Mara was right. My life wasn't just different; it was gone. The girl who worked in a lab and worried about grant money was dead.

The girl who was sitting in a room in a supernatural town, waiting for a war to start, was the only one left.

I reached up and touched the bandage on my arm, I would need to see Mara tomorrow, I think I ripped a few stitches.

I took a big swig of the drink, welcoming the burn as it came.

"I'm the prize," I whispered to the empty room.

I didn't fall asleep until the sun started to peek over the trees. And when I did, I dreamed of violet light and amber eyes, and the sound of something heavy dragging itself across the ward, closer and closer to the bar.

I woke up a few hours later to the sound of someone knocking on my door. It sounded light and gentle, which told me it wasn't an emergency situation.

"Grace? You in there?" It was Jinx.

I got up and stretched, wincing at the pain in my arm. I opened the door just enough to see his face. He looked like he hadn't slept at all, I wasn't sure I looked any different.

"Kent wants you," Jinx said.

"Again? I just saw him," I complained.

"It's not another meeting," Jinx said, yawning half his words.

“I'll be down in 30.” I closed the door and went back to bed. I wasn't sleepy anymore, but I didn't want to get up just yet.

I stared at the ceiling and thought about all that happened yesterday. I wondered if Bane was a bit stable now. Maybe Mara would tell me something when I went to her later.

I got up after tossing and turning for a while and went about getting ready to head downstairs.

Most of the clothes I had gotten since I came to Velmore were leather. Quite inconvenient if you asked me, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the Riders had gotten them. I preferred flowy clothes that allowed for movement and airflow but beggars couldn't be choosers so I hadn't raised a complaint with Kent.

Honestly, clothes have been the least of my problems since I've been here.

I found something simple to wear after taking a quick shower and went to find Kent.