Shhkuk scoffed and let down the magical glamor that hid his true form. His ears lengthened, and his slender fingers tapped the table. “Your reputation proceeds you. You don’t give a shit.”
“Oh, a fae that curses. What do I owe the pleasure?” Locke gave a wolfish grin.
Grim shifted in his seat. “Locke.”
“I know, I know.” He leaned over the table, closer to the fae. “Truth is, your clan is stronger than ever being in our climate over the weeks. They have been primed for the cold, and now with these much easier temperatures, their power grows.”
Shhkuk raised his jaw. “For what. Your bidding? Ride bikes, throw beer bottles around. We are above that.”
Locke didn’t smile. He tapped his knuckles on the table. “Do you know what we stand for? This little cover I’ve created?” Everyone stayed silent, the tension palatable.
“We arranged ourselves as a club, an MC to help each other when times were dark. To live amongst humans to survive.” Locke pressed his finger into the wood. “Riding bikes,” he spat, “lets us feel the wind in our hair when we can’t feel the wind in our fur. It’s a perk.” He lifted his shoulders. “But don’t you throw off on the people that have come from nothing, been rejected by the same realm that you ran from.”
You could hear a pin drop in the room.
Locke’s forehead beaded with sweat, and he reached into his cut for a cigarette and said, “The work we have done here has brought us the redemption we sought. A second chance, second chance mates. We were granted it by the Moon Goddess. You’ve seen it, witnessed it. We have our own priestess. She’s far more powerful than any priestess in Elysian, and you know it.”
Locke’s hand shook, trying to light the cigarette. Grim gripped Locke’s wrist to steady him. Locke took a long puff and nodded to Grim. “The work we do here is to rescue the lesser of us. Usually humans, but we have rescued our kind a time or two. There is a mansion where Nadia was held, and it holds women, men, hope to the Goddess no children, but Duke Idris… he’s in control of it. Ready to ship them off in containers for sex trafficking.”
Shhkuk’s face paled. “What, why? Why would he do that?”
Hawke growled. “Sex, drugs, money, that makes the world go around here. He’s planning to rule it all. At least that is our guess. We just know we need to stop him.”
“He’s creating a new world. One where he will rule. He promises the supernaturals that join him will get a piece of the pie. How he is able to continue walking around without a mate, it’s wrong,” Sizzle said, shaking his head.
“Look, we don’t have all the answers,” Locke interrupted. “We just know we need to get those women out. Delilah used to live in that house. She knows the layout. We don’t leave souls behind.”
Shhkuk leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “I see.” He paused, rubbing his chin. “What do you need from us?”
Locke took a final drag from his cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray. “We need your help in retrieving his prisoners. Your people have unique abilities that can aid us in infiltration and sabotage. We need to disrupt his operation and take him out before he can hurt anyone else.”
Shhkuk considered this for a moment before nodding. “We owe you a debt. Consider it repaid. We will assist you in any way we can.”
“Good,” Locke said, sitting up straighter. “We’ll need to plan this carefully.”
As the meeting came to a close, I could see the slight relief on Locke’s face. He’d been carrying the weight of this operation on his shoulders, and it was clear that he needed all the help he could get. I glanced at Shhkuk, still trying to read his expression. He was a mystery to me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what his true motives were.
As everyone filed out of the room, I caught up to Locke. “You okay, Pres?” I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He gave me a tired smile. “Yeah, just a lot on my mind. This is a big operation, and we can’t afford any mistakes.”
I nodded in understanding. “We’ll get it done, Locke. We always do.”
Locke nodded and started to make his way out of the room. “I’m gonna go check on Delilah. Make sure she’s ready for this.” He let out a shaky breath.
“I’ll do that.” Grim slapped Locke on the back. “Our females will be informed. Let’s get you a drink?”
Locke didn’t say anything as I followed them back to the bar. His steps were slow, calculated as we stepped inside. Hawke nodded me off while he and Grim stepped side by side with Locke.
My eyes trailed behind the bar, looking for my mate. She wasn’t where I had left her, and a slight panic rose in my throat.
“Whipped,”my grizzly gruffed.“She’s on the dance floor.”
I huffed and jerked my head to the music. The Moonlight Outcasts were nowhere to be seen, just the old, worn-out DJ stand where one of the brothers could pull from a long list of songs on a computer.
My mate was swaying with Journey and Delilah, who was now heavily pregnant. My mate outshined them all, waving her hands in the air. Her movements weren’t at all with the beat. They waved violently across the dancefloor as she hysterically laughed and twirled.
I shook my head and weaved my way through the tables and chairs. The brothers all watched the females that were all way too drunk, but they knew damn well never to touch a mated one.
