Page 3 of Conan
“You’re always going to be my best friend, Demi,” she whispered in my ear as she backed away. “See you at school.”
“See you at school,” I murmured as I lifted myself back up and through the window. Luna was the reason I didn't try to leave. I can withstand anything thrown my way as long as she was there. She’d become more than my best friend, she was my sister.
AGE SEVENTEEN
“We did it,” Luna enthused, bouncing on her feet. “I can’t believe we finally graduated.”
“Me neither,” I agreed, releasing a whoosh of air from my lungs as she tackled me. Her laughter was contagious and I found myself giggling alongside her.
“We even got into the same college, Demi. Our future is bright, make sure you have your shades on hand so you aren’t blinded by all the success heading your way.”
I found the easiest and cheapest degree in the handbook. The system was paying for my tuition but it only allotted so much. My dad didn’t have any money or life insurance for me to inherit so I’m going to work for the school to pay for what isn’t picked up by the state. It’s going to be a long four years, but Luna’s parents got an apartment for us to share while they’re out traveling the world. They’re good people but dismissive where Luna is concerned. The loss of her twin, whom they lost before I met my Luna, caused some sort of switch to flip in her folks’ brain. They fed, clothed, and kept a roof over Luna’s head, but outside of that, they hardly paid attention to her.
This morning, before leaving for the ceremony where my fake diploma was deposited in my hand, I packed what little belongings I had and stuffed my little bag into Luna’s trunk around her boxes when she picked me up, never once looking back at the house that gave me nothing besides nightmares. My real diploma will be mailed to her parents’ house and we’ll have our mail forwarded once we get settled. I never have to see those assholes again if I decide not to—and that’s exactly what I’ll choose.
I pulled out my sunglasses, popped them on my face and sent her a gleaming smile. “Let’s get out of here and blow this popsicle stand.”
“On to our next adventure,” Luna smirked, twirling her keyring around her finger as we waved our goodbyes to our classmates and jogged to her car. Once she’d put the key into the ignition and fired up the engine, we blasted the radio and rode off into the sunset. Our future was unknown, but anything was better than the abuse I’d suffered since being placed in the system.
Technically, I shouldn’t be out on my own until next month when I turn eighteen, but my case worker expedited thepaperwork since I graduated. Now, nothing was legally tying me to the monsters that hid around every nook and cranny, waiting for an opportunity to bruise my flesh and have tears streaming down my cheeks.
Fuck. Them.
I’m outta here and they can’t ever lay a finger on me again without being placed behind bars. I made sure they could never foster again by turning in documented proof of the way they treated me. I turned in photographs along with a written journal where I’d noted every incident, no matter how small it was. Luckily, Luna gave me her old phone when she got a new one. It didn’t make calls, and I never hooked it up to the internet, but the camera worked. I never told her why I wanted it, I’d never sully her point of view on the world, but the device, it came in handy.
CHAPTER
ONE
CONAN
The first timeI saw my demoness behind the cage, I was mesmerized. She took every hit like a pro, as if she’d learned long ago how to dodge and lean with each jab. Now that I know the reasons behind why she so expertly did those things, my entire body quakes with rage. Her foster parents though, aren’t the only people on my hit list. The club has vowed to avenge her, but they’re dragging their feet which is why I’m so hot headed during this church meeting.
“She has nightmares every damn night,” I argue with my brother and president.
Kodiak peers over at me from the side of his eyes, and huffs. “I know that, Conan. I hear it, I breathe it, I live it when y’all sleep in your old room.”
I moved out of Kodiak and my shared house and all but shoved my way into Luna’s apartment where Demi now resides. My woman is a powerhouse, independent to a fault, and balked at my appearance on the front stoop with bags in tow. But I didn’tlet that deter me, I was bound and determined that I was going to force her past her commitment issues and plant myself in the middle of her daily life. She won’t be able to eat, sleep, or shit without seeing something of mine sprawled throughout the apartment.
She can push me away all she wants to—but she’s stuck with me because I’m not going any goddamn where. She’s mine, and she’s stuck with me. The sooner she accepts that, the better off she’ll be. I’m a determined motherfucker, and when I set my eyes on something, I won’t back down until it’s in my possession.
That may make me sound like a downright asshole to some, but it’s one of the attributes that makes me—well, me. The fact that I’m as headstrong as I am is what makes me one helluva good vice president. I don’t admit defeat and I never accept the word no.
Kodiak growls when he notices my focus is elsewhere. “Conan, pay the fuck attention.”
“I am,” I lie. “Just thinking, bro.”
“Think on your own dime, not mine,” he grits out. “Your bid to go nomad is denied. The club will take care of this, Conan. I promised Luna we would and I never break a promise I make to her if I can help it.”
“She’s my woman, pres. I take care of what’s mine.”
My brother twists his entire body sideways to where he’s facing me. Once again, he gets growly when he states, “She hasn’t accepted your patch, Conan. Don’t step out of line.”
“I’m claiming her ass whether she likes it or not,” I argue. Club law clearly states in black and white that once a member laysclaim to an old lady, officially or not, she’s that man’s property. And seeing as I’ve made it known that she’s mine, the club can’t go against my wishes when it comes to her safety and avenging her. “She doesn’t have to accept jackshit when it comes to the way things work in the club, brother. You know I’m speaking the truth.”
He harrumphs because he knows I’m right, whetherhelikes it or not. Damn,like it or notneeds to become my new catch phrase because I’m either thinking it or saying it—a lot. “You’re skating on thin ice when it comes to her.”
“Living dangerously isn’t something new to me,” I state, shrugging my shoulders. “I don’t live in fear, Kodiak. If I did, the club would still be stuck on the road.”
