The Biker's Priestess

INKA I had never been inside a bar before tonight. And my hands trembled as I stood outside The Devil's Shadow. My fingers tightened around my bag's strap until they hurt, my plain gray dress suddenly too thin and too tight. For months, I had mastered the art of remaining invisible in this dusty desert town. But then came the phone call—a job interview, four hours from now. I'd rushed home from errands, desperate to get ready, only to discover I'd locked my damn key inside the house. My friend Riley, whom I lived with, had the spare, and she wasn't answering her phone. With the sun already fading beyond the horizon, I'd run out of alternatives, and I now stood in front of the town's biggest bar where she worked. Swallowing the knot of fear in my throat, I pushed open the heavy door, and the smell hit me right away—whiskey, cigarette smoke, and leather. The noise inside was deafening. Until suddenly it wasn't as conversations died one by one. Heads turned, dozens of dangerous eyes dragging over me like dirty hands, and heat flooded my cheeks as I lowered my gaze and hurried toward the bar. Just find Riley. Get the key and leave. But when I looked up, I realized she wasn't there. Panic clutched at my chest as I leaned across the scarred wooden counter. “Excuse me! Is Riley working today? I really need to speak to her. It's urgent." Of course she was working, and I knew that, but how was I supposed to think clearly, still feeling the stinging sensation of everyone's eyes still on me? The bartender looked me over, the speed with which he did so causing my stomach to knot. It was too damn slow, and I needed to get out of the place. “She's on break out back. It might be a while." No, no. I couldn't wait that long and I opened my mouth to ask if he could get her for me, but then the atmosphere suddenly changed. The entire bar appeared to tighten around me, the air heavy as if the room itself had detected something dangerous. Then I felt him—a dark, overwhelming presence right behind me. My heartbeat became erratic before I even turned, and my breath caught in my throat the moment I did. He sat at the far end of the bar, like a king on a throne of sin, his broad shoulders draped in black leather with the diamond patch on his cut glaring like a death penalty. He was both beautiful and terrifying, with a jaw carved from stone and dark eyes that fixed on me with a hunger so intense that it drained the oxygen from my lungs. He looked at me like he already knew exactly how I’d sound when I broke for him, and the thought should have terrified me. But instead, it sent a dangerous shiver through my body. His gaze dragged slowly down my figure, lingering at the curve of my breasts, the dip of my waist and my trembling thighs before lifting back to my face again. I watched with bated breath as the corner of his mouth curled into a dark, knowing smirk and my knees nearly buckled. But he didn't say a word. Instead, he stood, and every inch of him moved with deadly grace—six-foot-four of hard muscle. The crowd instinctively parted for him as he stalked toward me like a predator closing in on its prey, and I took a shaky step back, but the edge of the bar smashed into my spine, trapping me there. He paused, close enough for me to feel the heat radiating from his body. “Well, f**k me," he muttered roughly. “Who might you be, sweetheart?" His gaze dropped to my mouth, then lower to the frantic rise and falls of my chest. “Where have you been hiding in my town?" His town? I tried to respond, but my throat had become completely dry. So I blabbered instead. “I'm just looking for Riley," I said quietly, hating how breathless I sounded. “I need a spare key for the house. I locked myself out." He didn't move out of the way. If anything, he got closer. One large hand braced against the bar beside my head, effortlessly cornering me without even touching me before his hot, whiskey-laced breath touched my ear. “Riley can wait," he muttered, the low rasp of his voice sending a sinful caress through my skin. “You walk into my bar looking like every filthy f*****g fantasy I never knew I needed…” His eyes locked onto mine. “And now I wanna know your name, little ghost.” His free hand lifted slowly, the rough knuckles of his fingers brushing my jaw with deceptive gentleness, and electricity shot straight down my spine so hard my breath caught. I should have pulled away. Hell, I should have run. But I couldn’t move as heat pooled low in my stomach like liquid lava. “I don’t belong here,” I managed weakly, my voice trembling. “Please… I just need my friend so I can leave.” A dark chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Too late for that, baby.” His thumb brushed across my lower lip, slow and possessive, his gaze darkening as my mouth parted on a shaky inhale. “You stepped into my world now.” His voice dropped lower, rough enough to make my core clench. “And I don’t let pretty little things disappear once I’ve seen them.” The way he looked at me wasn’t simple lust. It was ownership. Like he’d already decided I belonged to him—body, secrets, broken pieces and all. And the worst part was that some twisted, terrified part of me melted beneath his heat. I was wanted for murder. I was running not just from the law but from God. And I'd ended up trapped against a bar by the devil himself, who looked fully capable of ruining me in every possible way. Darkness I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to escape. His hand slid downward, fingers wrapping loosely around my throat. They weren't squeezing, just holding to let me know who was in charge. And my heartbeat spiraled completely out of control. “Name,” he demanded, the gravel in his voice making my entire body ache. “Now.” Before I could answer, the back door burst open. “Inka?” Riley’s voice cut sharply through the tension. “Oh s**t—there you are—” It was too late. He had my name now. And from the savage gleam spreading across his face, I knew one thing with terrifying certainty. This dangerous stranger had no intention of ever letting me disappear again. •••••••••••••••• PLEASE READ THE WARNING: The book includes explicit and graphic s****l content, intense adult themes and dark romance elements. It's a dark erotic romance.