Page 34 of Blaze
12
KENNEDY
The loose relaxation from Blaze’s attention disappears at Chainz’s words. I curl my fists, fighting the instinct to run. To get back on Blaze’s bike and ride as far as I can.
As if he hears my thoughts, Blaze’s hand wraps around one of my fists, a silent promise of safety, an anchor in the sudden hurricane of fear within me.
“How long do we have until they get here?” Blaze asks, and I haul my eyes from the ground up to the other demon in search of his answer.
“We aren’t sure yet,” Chainz admits. I suck in a breath, and Chainz’s eyes move to me before going back to Blaze. “So far, they’re headed west by car. But they could get on an airplane at any time and be here in hours rather than days. Stubs is on it.”
“Is there a plan?” I’m surprised I ask the question, but with Blaze beside me, I feel steady enough to be brave. Fear starts to give way to anger, the same anger that drove me to strike Enzo and run.
“Reaper has us on stand-by,” Chainz answers. “Stubs and Bones are on tracking details. Any move those fuckers make, we’ll know.” The broad demon seems to hesitate, an almost awkward expression on his face before he looks at me. In the stark, fluorescent light of the massive garage, he and Blaze both tower over me, both of them in dark jeans and their matching leather vests. With the length of chain around his neck, the last thing Chainz should appear is uncomfortable. He clears his throat. “We don’t let fuckers like them come after women, even if they tried to off someone first,” Chainz says.
I tilt my head, torn between confusion and amusement.
He rubs the back of his neck. “I just know ya might have gotten the wrong impression of me. I’m an asshole—”
“Yeah, we know,” Blaze mutters, and Chainz glares at him.
“But I’m not that kind of asshole. Blaze here has claimed you, so I just wanted to make sure ya know I’ve got your back. We all do.”
Surprisingly touched, I tug my hand free from Blaze, who lets me go reluctantly, if his fingers trailing over my skin means anything. I throw my arms around the other biker, hugging him tight despite him going stiff.
“Thanks,” I tell him, completely sincere. I let him go before he can do something, like have an aneurysm and drop dead at my feet.
“What about the town?” Blaze asks, tugging me back to his side and draping his arm over my shoulder possessively. “Lacy and Sydney?”
Chainz snorts. “Lacy had no issue with relocating to the clubhouse, especially with getting towards the end of her pregnancy. Cinder’s working on her to move their binding ceremony up, rather than waiting for the spawn to show.”
I’m not sure what a binding ceremony is, but I’m glad that Lacy will be at the clubhouse with me. I’ve only talked with her a bit—or really listened to her as she filled me in on everything around town. “And Sydney?” I ask, wringing my hands together. The headstrong woman doesn’t seem the type to hide when told.
Chainz snorts. “Reaper sent Brute and Heathen to stick to her side. Better their balls than mine.”
Blaze laughs and nudges me forward towards the door Chainz came through, around the other parked bikes. I stare wide-eyed at the huge helicopter in the back of the garage, toolboxes on wheels surrounding it. “Is that yours?” I ask Chainz, glancing up at him in amazement.
Blaze chuckles behind me, his fingers brushing over the back of my neck, making my stomach clench.
“Ours,” Chainz answers. “Knights picked it up from the last job we had out in California. It’s Bones’ baby.”
I try to picture the demons in their human disguises flying the huge machine, and I can’t help but smile.
“You fly it?” I tease Chainz, unable to help myself. The demon grins at me, his dark sunglasses hiding his eyes.
“Nah,” he admits. “Bones offered to train me, but I’m better at keeping my feet on the ground.”
“Chainz is afraid of heights,” Blaze supplies.
Chainz whirls around, glaring at the other demon. “Am not, fucker.”
I laugh, and Blaze presses his mouth to my ear. “Come on, kitten.” His breath is warm, his words full of promise. “Let’s get inside.”
My laughter dies, and the weight of Chainz’s glare follows us out of the garage, but I relax a bit.
“Do we have to stay inside?” I ask as Blaze leads me around the side of the building. “Doesn’t this place have a pool?”
I’m desperate to get back to the peace I had earlier. Before Chainz’s news. Before the reminder of Enzo and the Santi Pastori chasing me.
