Devil’s Vengeance (Devil’s Disciples MC #6)

Chapter 48

CHAPTER 48

CHASE

“Wake up, boy scout,” a familiar voice taunted me. He sounded muffled as my brain tried to come back online. Pain tugged at my neck and my shoulder, making me flinch as I shifted restlessly. What the fuck happened?

A hand slapped my cheek lightly, and he chuckled when I batted it away. “Fuck off, Viper.”

“He lives,” he crowed with a laugh. “The mighty boy scout has risen again.”

“Is that a Jesus reference? Are we calling Chase Jesus now?” Snake Eyes commented around a mouthful of food. I forced my eyes open, blinking a few times to clear my vision, only to watch him stuff another handful of popcorn into his maw like a damn idiot.

“Where am I?”

“Heaven,” Viper answered with a smirk. Then he frowned. “No, wait. Hell. My heaven sure as fuck wouldn’t have you in it. It’d have lines of hot babes waiting for me to bless them with the glory of my cock.”

“Shut the fuck up, both of you,” Doc commented, hauling Viper away by the back of his shirt. He took the asshole’s spot, shining a pen light in my eyes. I squinted and shoved the light away, which made him sigh. “Well, you look fine. A centimeter to the right and it’d be a different story.”

It took a minute for it all to come back to me. The stupid plan keeping me away from Mariah. The stakeouts every night to watch over her. The officers were discussing a new plan when Trick finally showed his face. They weren’t ready. I was the only one looking out for her. I sent a 911 text to Neo, who would get to them the fastest, and hauled ass inside. Because I wasn’t there during the day, I didn’t notice Trick’s crew coming in and methodically removing the alarms on the doors. Mariah didn’t notice either because she’d only show up in the afternoon to keep up with her little ruse. It made it easy to follow them, but because I was on my own, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get her out of there myself. I killed the one hanging around the back door to prevent her from escaping, but I couldn’t take them all on and protect her at the same time. I was terrified the plan to have her run would backfire like it had with Hannah, but she got out the door. That was when I took a shot to the neck. I couldn’t remember anything after that.

“Mariah…”

“Your girl is fine. Croy’s got Knox updating her on your condition,” Snake Eyes said, munching happily on his popcorn. When I frowned at him, he shrugged. “Apparently her daddy is an old hangaround. Has some pull with the older generation. Had a meeting with Croy and got him to agree to keep her updated.”

There was a lot to dig into with that sentence, but I wasn’t going to do it with him. Those two knuckleheads would only make it harder on me. Pushing up to my elbow, I touched the bandage on my neck, frowning at Doc.

“When can I leave?”

He was busy cleaning up his supplies, but he looked over his shoulder at me. “Sit up.”

I did as asked, letting my feet hang over the edge of the bed. I was shirtless, but still in my jeans. My shoulder throbbed from the pain, and the stitches pulled on my neck, but it was nothing a little medicine wouldn’t fix.

“Any dizziness? Nausea?”

I shook my head, then winced from the action. He rolled his eyes.

“Don’t do that. How bad is the pain?”

“Manageable. Got any advil?”

He grunted, grabbing a bottle from his pack and tapping a few out into his palm. “If you would’ve said pain-free, I would’ve told you to stay put because I’d know you were lying. No riding until you can turn your head without pain. But you can move around the clubhouse just fine. Get a ride to visit your girl. After you check in with Prez. I don’t want to be responsible if you sneak off.”

He handed me the medicine and a bottle of water. I tipped back both, careful not to move too much and tug at the stitches. As long as I moved slowly, it didn’t bother me that much. I grabbed a new shirt from my dresser and socks, sitting on the edge of my bed to pull on my boots. I was going to ask where my phone was when someone knocked on the door. It wasn’t one of my brothers, it was too gentle for that. That bubble of hope filled my chest again and when Mariah came into the room, I felt all the tension escape me in a rush.

“You’re awake,” she said, surprised.

Doc stepped past her, shooting me a sour look over his shoulder. “No fucking around and ripping your stitches.”

Yeah, yeah. I ignored him, putting my hand out to beckon her closer. When she got close enough, I wrapped my arms around her hips, resting my forehead against her stomach. I wanted to just breathe her in, but a steady munching reminded me that we had a fucking audience. I turned my head enough to glare at the dynamic duo.

“Fuck off.”

“Aw, but then we’ll miss the show,” Viper protested. Snake Eyes nodded, offering the bag of popcorn to Viper while he stared at us.

Mariah looked like she was trying not to laugh. “You did hear about how I maced the last group of bikers who pissed me off, right?”

“Ooh, kinky,” Viper teased. I growled out a warning, but he was already moving, hauling Snake Eyes with him as they headed out. I wasn’t sure why it was so damn entertaining for them to watch me recover, but I wasn’t going to complain. At least they didn’t hate me like everyone else did.

Mariah’s hand cupped my cheek and I leaned into it on instinct. I wanted to know what happened, for her to tell me everything, but I also just wanted to wrap myself around her and never let go. I realized what an idiot I was by refusing to give her something real. Keeping her at a distance didn’t stop the way I felt about her. It only drove me crazy because I couldn’t be with her like I wanted to.

“Be my ol’ lady. Let me claim you,” I murmured, lifting my chin to look at her. It tugged at the stitches, but I didn’t care. I needed to look her in the eye and show her I was serious.

She sighed. “Nothing’s changed, Chase, and I–”

“It has changed. You want something real. I’ll give it to you. Whatever the fuck you want. I’m not asking so I can protect you. I’m asking because I thought I’d lose you and I couldn’t stomach the thought. I want you, Mariah. And I’ll bare my whole fucking soul to you if that’s what you need to believe me.”

A smile slowly overtook her lips and she dipped down, pressing her mouth against mine in a sweet kiss. When she pulled away, I tried to chase her, but she laughed and pulled out of range.

“You’re not going to let it go unless I give in, are you?”

“Why do you think they call me Chase?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows at her. Hannah gave me the name because I wouldn’t give up until she agreed to be with me. I wouldn’t give up on Mariah, either. I’d chase her to the ends of the earth to make her mine.

She crawled into my lap, running her fingers through my hair. With another soft kiss, she whispered against my lips, “Yes.”

“Yeah?”

She hummed, leaning her forehead against mine. “I don’t want to lose you either. So yes. I’ll be your ol’ lady. As long as you agree not to shut me out anymore. I took on a team of bikers for you. I’m in this, whether you like it or not.”

She said that, but I was still going to do everything in my power to keep her as far from the crew as I could. Plenty of guys did it. Cleo was only ever at the club parties that everyone was required to go to. I’d take a note from Nevada’s book and keep Mariah safe and happy. Until it was my turn to meet my maker.

I wasn’t the only overprotective one. Mariah protested me leaving my room, no matter how many times I told her I was fine. The only way she could get me to agree to stay was with my tongue in her mouth and my hands on her skin. She made me lay down so I wasn’t stretching my neck and straddled me, using her feminine wiles on me until I was hard as a rock and completely uninterested in leaving the room. But when I tried to take her clothes off, she pulled back and shook her head, frowning at me.

“You’re injured.”

“I’m fine. I’ll be a lot less fine if you don’t help me with the problem in my pants right now.”

She laughed outright, shaking her head. “You’re gross.”

“Told you I’m not a gentleman,” I teased, drawing her back down with a hand on the back of her neck. I had to be careful, she had some scrapes herself, but I wasn’t willing to let her go.

She hummed into the next kiss, her smile pressed against mine. “Liar.”

“Maybe. For you anyway.”

My acceptance of her little nickname sealed the deal. She sank back into a filthy kiss, sliding her hands under my shirt. It took some maneuvering to get her clothes off without letting her off my lap, but I worked around it. I didn’t want her three feet from me if I could help it.

She rolled the condom over my dick herself, surprising the hell out of me. But the position wasn’t working for me. I moved us to the head of the bed, sitting with my back up against it, and pulled her back into my lap. I didn’t have to stretch to meet her lips this way, and when she slid down my length, her entire body pressed against mine. I wondered for a moment if I actually was in heaven, because the most perfect woman on the planet was wrapped around me, and I didn’t think it was possible to get any better.

She tipped her head back, drawing my good hand to circle her neck. I groaned, nearly losing it and tossing her on her back to fuck her hard.

“God, you’re fucking perfect,” I murmured, kissing along her jaw as I gently squeezed her neck. “Remember the signal?”

She nodded, her pupils already blown and her eyes half-lidded. She lifted herself almost all the way off my dick and sank back down, dragging noises out of both of us. When I squeezed her neck, her lashes fluttered and she tightened around me, keeping her movements slow and languid so she wouldn’t dislodge my hand. Whenever I let go and she gasped, I pressed kisses along her neck, teasing her with the juxtaposition. It seemed to work for her, because she grabbed the headboard behind me, using it for leverage as she sank down a little harder.

It was a rush, the power she gave me over her, the trust. She knew without a doubt that I wouldn’t hurt her. And it made it all so much hotter. She was pliant, letting my free hand guide her movements. The only time she fought back was when I tried to take over. She didn’t want me to get hurt. Since I knew the feeling, I let her have some control this time. But once I was all healed up, we were doing this again with me in control. I wanted her to bounce on my cock until her face was all red and she was screaming.

Instead of something fast and explosive, she kept her movements languid, dragging out the pleasure until we couldn’t take it anymore. A few rough thrusts had us both coming together, the squeeze of her body sending me straight into the stratosphere. As I came down from the rush, she melted against me, leaning her forehead against mine.

“Hey, Chase?”

I was too relaxed to speak right away, so I just hummed. “Hmm?”

“I forgot to mention, but there’s one more thing you have to do before you claim me.”

My brow furrowed and I shot her a questioning look when she sat up enough to look me in the eye. She already accepted. She couldn’t take it back now.

A mischievous grin flashed across her face. “My dad wants to meet you. Considering he greeted Trick with the barrel of a shotgun against the back of his head, I thought I’d warn you. You want to claim me, you’re gonna have to talk to him.”

Fuck.