Horse (Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club Book 6) (16 page)

“I had to take an oath before I married into the family,” my grandfather told me, his eyes so tired, so sad. “Part of the oath stated if any Rabbit in any realm was born in human form, I had to see to it he or she was killed as soon as possible. If I weren’t in a position to do it myself, I was obligated to report my findings to the King. The legends say a human-born Rabbit will someday overthrow the Lepori line, so it had been decided no Rabbit would ever have the chance.”

“If you were free right now, would you try to kill me?”

He shook his head. “I would report you to the King to keep from being foresworn. I don’t have it in me to do the deed myself.”

I wondered how many men had taken this oath, and whether my life would be in danger if the circumstances of my birth became widely known. I’d talk to Aaron about it later, but for now I had other questions for my grandparents.

“I was born with the Lepori name. How could I be responsible for overthrowing the Crown? It would still be held by a member of the family, yes?”

No one answered and the whip struck my grandmother’s ass twice in a row, and she finally sobbed, “They don’t consider you family, my dear. They don’t think you’re one of us.”

“Aunt Bea was ready to adopt me. Does she know I should’ve been killed as a child? And how about King Neville? He knew who I was, and how I was born, and he let me live!”

“He let you live, and he knew?” My grandfather didn’t appear to believe me, and Aaron told him, “I don’t believe he took the oaths the other Kings have taken. His ascendancy to the Crown happened a few days before his sixteenth birthday, and was rapid and unexpected.”

“Would Aunt Bea have known?” I asked.

My grandmother tried to shrug from inside the stocks, and winced. “The women in line to the Crown take an oath to follow through if they’re Queen, but they aren’t obligated to take action unless they hold the Crown. The men who marry into the family take the oath, because it’s assumed women would have more trouble killing a newborn.” She tried to look sideways to her husband, and looked back to me. “I knew about his oath because I’m in line for the Crown. So, I didn’t tell him.” She seemed to be considering something a moment, and finally said, “You’re right. If Bea were to adopt you, then even though you might overthrow the sitting King, the Crown would still be held by a Lepori. Letting her adopt you would remove you from the legends.”

Aaron shook his head beside me. “Because she spent the majority of her life not considered a true Lepori, I believe the legend would still apply to her. Also, if she takes over the Crown by force, she’ll do so without taking all of the oaths the Lepori must currently agree to before they’re put into the line of succession. King Neville took all but two oaths at twelve — this one is reserved for the ceremonies on the sixteenth birthday.”

“Can we ask you a few questions, little Avye?” my grandmother asked.

“I’m Gabby now. I changed my name after I found out what my father had done because I don’t want to be known as his daughter. Only a few people know my true identity, and I trust you’ll keep it quiet.” I looked up to the man with the whip. “You too, please?”

He tilted his head. “I’m loyal to My Queen. I would only tell if she asked me to. Otherwise, to tell might deprive her of a political chess piece, and she would be most displeased.”

I sighed with the knowledge The Winter Queen might one day use the information against me or a loved one, and nodded to my grandmother. “What would you like to ask?”

“You’re married to the Grizzly Bear? And I’m assuming by his familiarity with you that the Amakhosi is one of your lovers? I want to know about your life. I want to know who you are. Have you had a good life?”

The question seemed genuine, so I told her, “I loved my mother very much and I missed her terribly when she was gone. I don’t remember things being bad with my father until I started to fill out and blossom, and even then, as long as I wore a sports bra and clothes that didn’t show my shape, he loved me and did right by me.” I looked towards the bed on the other side of the throne, saw Horse on top now, pounding the Queen something fierce, and I smiled. “I love my husband more than I thought was possible. The depth of my feelings for him are unfathomable. Yes, Nathan is one of my lovers, and my husband and I both consider him a dear friend. I’m going to school so I can one day be one of the people who finds serial killers.” I realized she wasn’t familiar with the term, so I said, “People who kill a whole lot of people, one after another. The ones who get away with it for a long time are almost always geniuses, and hard to catch. I want to help figure out who they are, so they can be captured and put behind bars.”

“You aren’t to blame for what he did.” My grandfather hadn’t said much, but when he spoke he seemed to consider every word carefully.

I gave him the same respect with my answer. “No, I’m not, but I was raised by one of the most famous serial killers ever. That will
have
to give me some kind of upper hand in finding others. I know how he thought, I know what he did in his free time, and I know his opinions on women.”

I looked towards the bed again and then to Aaron, “Any idea how long they’ll be?”

He grinned and shook his head. “I’m surprised it’s lasted this long, with her having to keep it to vanilla. Your Grizzly must know what he’s doing.”

Horse

I’ve lived a life of sexual indulgence, but never had I indulged quite like this.

Gabby sometimes nibbles on my nipples. It isn’t painful, but the sensation can kick me into overdrive when I’m already close. Sometimes, she uses teeth on the head of my cock and it’s the same thing — not exactly painful, though right on the edge of it, and when I’m already horny it works for me.

The Winter Queen started out with the things Gabby does, and then she pushed it farther. I was fucking the living daylights out of her while she pinched and twisted my nipples, and I both wanted her to stop and I didn’t want her to stop. The latter was currently winning, because all I had to do was ask her to stop, and I hadn’t asked.

When it finally got to be too much I rose over her and pushed her legs so her knees were close to her shoulder, and pounded harder and faster. I was probably out of line, but she wanted sex with a Grizzly so I figured she wanted my kind of sex. I held her gaze as I found the sweet spot deep inside, and when her eyes rolled back in her head I stayed at it, rubbing over and over it as I jackhammered. No human could’ve survived this, but she was inches from an orgasm and I gave her an order.

I gave The Winter Queen an order.

“Come, Your Majesty. Come around my cock.” Her body tensed and relaxed around me and I didn’t back off with my near growling. “That’s it, let me feel you, come on.” I kept at it until she’d given herself over and I knew she’d become the orgasm and was no longer thinking like a Queen. And that’s when I gave another dozen pumps and came deep inside her.

She got more of me than I got of her, and I’d been wrong — even this far into bliss she was still in total control, but I saw parts of her I’m not sure many see.

And she saw way more of me than I intended.

When it was over we lay in each other’s arms a few moments before she rose over me and patted my cheek. “I don’t do vanilla very often, so it was nice you didn’t make it terrible.”

“You’re friends with Sophia?” I asked. I’d seen their friendship in the little bit I’d gotten from her.

She grinned and didn’t deny it. “Yes, and Sophia had a talk with me about her friend Gabby the other day.”

From what I’d seen, Sophia is quite special to this woman, which possibly explained why Aaron was assuring Gabby before we left that everything would be okay, while a week ago he was warning her he might not be able to protect her.

“Can I help you with anything, Your Majesty? I’d love to cuddle, but I also want to check on Gabby.”

“I’m not a cuddler. Get dressed and go. I’ll give you a few moments to meet her grandparents and then I’ll need to stow them away in their cell until their next assignment. I’ll probably pull them out and play with them a few times in the coming days, since I’m probably about to lose them.”

I’d been heavily coached to not thank anyone while in Faerie, so I said, “It’s been a pleasure, Your Majesty.”

I quickly dressed, and was still buckling my belt as I rounded the throne. Gabby was leaned into Nathan, his arm around her waist, and Aaron was standing at her other side. I walked up behind her, and she leaned back against me as Nathan removed his arm and I wrapped mine around her tiny body. I wanted to thank Nathan for taking care of her but it would have to wait until we were home. For now, I told him, “Glad you were here for her.”

Gabby did the whole formal introduction thing and her grandmother said, “What kind of a name is Horse, for a Grizzly Bear?”

The conversation was surreal, with them bound as they were and us just standing here. Gabby answered for me. “He’s hung like one. He had the nickname before we met.”

We proceeded to have the most bizarre ‘
meet the parents
’ conversation I’ve ever had, and I was actually kind of relieved when The Winter Queen stepped to us, instructed everyone to say their goodbyes, and then waved her arm. The stocks and pole, as well as the two grandparents and the whipmaster, all disappeared.

Gabby bowed to Her Majesty once again and said, “You’ve been most gracious, Your Highness.”

Aaron walked with us to the portal and put his hands on Gabby’s shoulders. She’d memorized two statements, but I knew which one she was going to tell him before she opened her mouth.

“I authorize you to speak for my grandparents on my behalf today, to anyone in authority who needs to hear my wish for my grandparents to regain their freedom.”

He dipped his head and told her, “I accept this responsibility.” We all stood in silence as he stepped to the edge of the clearing, turned into a huge dragon, and flew away.

Without another word, we walked through the portal and back to the human realm. We were deep in the woods, but we all paused to be sure there were no threats.

Gabby turned towards me to say something, but Nathan caught my gaze and said, “May I have a few moments with her?”

I smiled and told him, again, “I’m not the jealous type. I appreciate your consideration of my feelings, but Gabs is the one you should ask.”

She reached up, grabbed my shirt, and gently tugged down. I leaned forward for her, saw she wanted a kiss, and gave her a quick peck on the lips. We grinned at each other a moment and she turned towards the Amakhosi.

He pulled her to him and held her a few seconds before telling her, “I’m proud of you, Gabriella. You were raised to hate them, and you managed to set that aside to see them for who they are. Knowing when they lied and when they told the truth for sure helped, but the way you handled them, as well as your composure with The Winter Queen, tells me if you end up with the weight of the Crown on your head one day, you’ll do fine.”

I’ve tried to explain to some of the wolves how I feel when I see Gabs with one of her lovers. Since I love her, I want her to be happy, safe, secure, and loved. The more people who love her, the happier and more loved she is. I know she’s mine, and I’m hers — we’re a partnership, and her affection for others doesn’t take away from our love for each other.

I’m happy she has Nathan in her life. We’re both fortunate he gives us advice and helps train us. I know he isn’t doing it out of the goodness of his heart — having responsible leaders who can handle their power benefits everyone — but I still appreciate the time and energy he’s put into training and befriending us.

“Thanks for taking care of her,” I told him. “I couldn’t have given The Winter Queen my undivided attention if I’d been worried about her, but I knew she was in good hands with you.” He nodded, kissed the top of her head, and nudged her back into my arms.

Three months later

Gabby

I met Horse a year ago. It’s hard to believe everything that’s happened in that time.

I have grandparents who dote on me. My father’s parents even venture to the human realm to see me, and I go to Faerie to see my family occasionally.

I’ve also finally been able to let my mother’s parents know I’m their granddaughter. I’d met them briefly when I lived in Faerie as a teen, but hadn’t been able to tell them who I am. Now that it’s out in the open, I offered purchase their freedom, but they said they have a good life and merely asked me to negotiate so we can spend time together. Their owner has been most kind, and has freed their schedules so I can see them when I’m in Faerie. Their status as slaves bothers me, but I’ve respected their wishes.

I have a four-point-nine-seven grade point average, and one of the werewolf FBI agents arranged for me to spend two days at Quantico this summer for a training workshop. Aaron is working with UTC to make me a paid intern at Drake Security so I’ll get college credits for it, because he’s decided he wants me working for him instead of the FBI, though he says the choice will be mine when I graduate. One of my lovers works for Aaron — Lou is an actual horse, and he’s responsible for all of the Drake Security computer and technology gear. They’ve let me sit in the control room during a couple of ops, so I can hear everything and see much of the action via cameras, and I’m beginning to think working for Drake Security might be a better career path than working for the FBI. Time will tell, and I have at least three more years of college before I have to decide.

My father is alive. I was shown what his owner said was a recent picture of him, and assured he will never escape. He’s owned by a powerful Strigorii vampire with homes around the world, but his primary residence is currently on the shores of the Black Sea in Romania. The vampire told me if I’d agree to be his for a week, he’d let me visit with my father for an hour. I told him I have no interest in visiting with my father. He’d bartered down to my being his for forty-eight hours before Horse stepped in and told him I’m not interested in seeing my father under any circumstances. I told him at least fifteen times, but Horse only had to tell him once. Apparently, I need to work on asserting myself better.

Aaron made some inquiries without my asking him to, and he told me, “Dwight is in another kind of prison now. One that can hold him indefinitely, and is teaching him every day what it’s like to not be the most powerful person in the room. He lives the life of a slave, and knowing who has him, I imagine his life is pretty hellish.”

I’ve been to five Concilio meetings now, and Horse and I have similar feelings about them. We don’t especially want to make the kinds of decisions that need to be made, but someone has to make them so we’ll step up and do our part. There’s a battle brewing between good and evil, and Chattanooga is set to be the battleground. Aaron, Abbott, Bran, and the rest of the local leaders are doing everything possible to keep it from happening — and to be assured our side wins if we can’t stop it before it starts.

The wolves of the RTMC don’t terrify me anymore. Gonzo still makes me uncomfortable, but apparently I’m not alone because most of the other ol’ladies feel the same. Harmony seems to be the closest to him, but he treats her differently than he treats the rest of the women.

I can be in the same room with the Rabbit King for short periods of time without worry of my accidentally becoming Queen. By mutual agreement, we avoid being in close proximity when possible, but we’ve managed it okay for family functions. He likes being King and I don’t want to be Queen.

Most importantly of all, Horse and I are happy. He’s the love of my life, my best friend, confidante, and protector when I need one. It’s true with the powers I have now, I can take care of myself under most circumstances, but I really don’t want to have to. No one messes with Horse. When he’s around, there aren’t any problems.

I don’t know for sure what the future holds, but I know Horse and I will deal with whatever happens, together.