––––––––

“You’re done for the night, bitch. We got this,” Kris said.

NeNe looked at the black-haired girl who was Grace’s little bitch. God, how she wished they’d just go fuck off and maybe even, fuck off again. “I’m not done until Mac says so, Kris, and you know it. Last time I checked, he’s the one who pays me.” And she hadn’t received her money for the night, except for the tips she’d made.

“Do you not have a brain in that head of yours?”

She turned to see Paula enter the tent that acted as a place for them to relax. Of course, it was the one place they could come and reapply makeup, deodorant, and use the bathroom without fear of getting felt up. Not that Grace, Kris, or Paula cared about the latter. To hear Paula ask if she had a brain was so funny, she snort laughed. “Oh, good one, Pauly.” The nickname came out before she could censor herself.

“My name is Paula, you little twat,” Paula said, shoving NeNe into one of the tables.

“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Grace walked in, her red hair pulled into a ponytail.

NeNe noticed for the first time that all three girls had their hair pulled back. Usually, they wore their hair down and had more hairspray holding their curls in place. Between the three of them, they were probably the cause of some of the ozone issues. The next thing she took in was their lack of earrings. She started doing some calculations and didn’t like the answers she came up with. Nope, three on one was only sexy in a book, and that was if it were three guys and one girl, and it was sex.

“So, what’s your plan?” she asked Grace since she was their leader.

Grace flipped her ponytail around. “Why, I think it’s pretty simple. Since Mac seems to find you attractive, we’re gonna do something about that.”

NeNe rolled her eyes. Their logic was fucking flawed. Hello, she would heal, then what? They going to kick her ass every night at closing time? Newsflash, she was out of here in a couple days. “Listen, I don’t want to fight with any of you. I don’t want Mac or any guy here for that matter. I just want to do my job and go home.” Gah, she hated the whine at the end. She was pleading for them not to beat her ass. Heck, one-on-one she was pretty confident she could take them, but three on one was a no brainer. She was going to get her ass whooped.

“We could just let her go,” Kris offered.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh had NeNe looking over her shoulder. Paula glared at Kris who was now holding her palm against her cheek, anger radiating off of both of them. Well, fuck her running. “Alright, I guess that’s a no, then?”

Before Grace could decide to make the first move, NeNe tried to rush toward the door, her flight instead of fight kicking in.

“Oh no you don’t, little girl.”

NeNe was shoved back inside by a man she’d met several times as she delivered drinks to Mac. “You in on this?” She blinked up at him, watching him shrug and look over her shoulder.

“Pussy’s good, sweetheart. You shoulda put out.”

She looked behind her, a sick feeling entering the pit of her stomach as Grace stood there with her two little bitches. The three of them didn’t think anything was wrong with spreading their legs for the men wearing cuts. Never mind the fact none of them in this club would respect them in the morning, or make them theirs in any way, except for the moments of pleasure if they gave as good as they got, which she doubted.

NeNe wasn’t a virgin, but she sure as shit chose her partners wisely. Of course, it had been a long dry spell for her. Ever since she’d seen one tall, tatted biker who looked right through her. Nope, she wasn’t going to think of him.

“So, you’re saying if I’d put out I’d have been safe? Yet, the reason the three of you are going to give me a beat down is because Mac wants to fuck me? Do you even hear yourselves? That’s fucked up on so many levels. Look, I’ll go and not come back. Problem solved.” She dusted her hands off in front of herself, showing how easy it would be, hoping they agreed.

Grace tossed her head back, laughing. “Ah, sweetie, you’re so funny. No, now we just really want to hurt you. You’ve walked around here, strutting like a bitch in heat who was too good for any of us. Now, it’s time for us to teach you a lesson.” As one, they moved forward, cracking their knuckles.

Lord, did they watch movies and take notes on what to do when in situations such as the one they were in? Cracking their knuckles for fucking crying out loud. Next, they’ll be pulling out a set of brass knuckles and a ball bat. Holy shit, she prayed on her Great Aunt Stella’s grave that didn’t happen.

NeNe felt a big hand on her back give her a shove toward the trio, her cowgirl boots kicking up dust as she tried to keep on her feet. From years of avoiding her father and brother’s abuse, she ducked between Grace and Kris, elbowing Kris in the back of the head, then latched onto Paula’s ponytail and jerked hard. The woman landed on her back at the unexpected attack.

Grace spun around, smirking. “Ah, look at her, she’s got claws.”

She had more than claws in her right boot if she needed it, but NeNe wouldn’t pull the blade out unless things got real messy. Facing the three of them again, she held her palms out in front, her legs bending slightly as she balanced on the balls of her feet. Grace attacked first, her fist flying out, but NeNe blocked, hitting the other woman in the jaw, moving away quickly.

“You’re gonna pay for that,” Paula shrieked.

NeNe hit, kicked, blocked, and rolled from more punches, yet in the end with three on one, she knew she didn’t stand a chance. Blood dripped from her nose, and she couldn’t see out of one eye thanks to Paula’s foot that had come down on her head.

Now, she rolled into a tight ball, trying to protect her face and stomach as best she could. Another kick hit her in the side and she swore she heard something break.

“Enough,” a man roared.

Coti had only drank half his beer with the man named Mac, self-proclaimed alpha of the Hell Makers, when he felt a tug on his mind. The man was jawing about his business savvy and how great he was. All Coti wanted to tell him was that a man who had to proclaim how much a king he was, clearly had to be a fucking pussy. However, he kept his thoughts to himself and sipped the beer, a fucking Corona. What self-respecting alpha male drinks a damn Corona?

“Gentlemen, I need to take a piss,” he announced standing in the middle of Mac’s blathering about something Coti couldn’t recall.

“Just go hang your junk off the side, ain’t nobody gonna say shit, unless you’re one of those who need a little privacy?” Mac made the word privacy sound like an offence.

He shrugged, chugged the rest of the drink being played off as beer. “Need to make sure my dick and balls are still in the same condition as before. You wanna look for me?” He raised his brows, a slight challenge in his tone.

Mac tossed his head back laughing. “Champ’s a tough sonofabitch, huh? You must’ve got him when he was weak. Next time, watch your shit.” Mac pointed his bottle at Coti.

The implied threat didn’t bother Coti, not when the tug on his mind was screaming at him to get somewhere fast. Fuck, he wanted to squeeze his temples. Instead, he made his way back down the damn stairs, which surely were going to collapse under him at any second, allowing his senses to lead him. Instinct was a fine thing, and what had kept him alive as long as he’s been. It was what had led him to the Iron Wolves all those years ago. He sure as shit wasn’t going to ignore it now.

Making his way back toward the entrance, he nodded at humans who called out to him, never breaking stride. One of the men he’d seen with Mac stood outside a tent, his arms folded across his chest. Coti stopped, his nostrils flaring at the familiar scent and the coppery smell of blood behind the man.

“Keep walking, boy,” the man snarled.

Coti shook his head. “No can do, boy.” He moved to go around the wolf shifter.

He put his hands up, trying to shove Coti back. Coti looked down at the hands on his chest, then up into amber eyes. “You don’t want to do that,” he told the shifter. “Take your hands off me and walk away.”

The other man shook his head. “Fuck you.” He tried to grip Coti’s T-shirt, his face twisting in a snarl.

Had Coti truly been human, the fact that the other man half-shifted would’ve freaked him out. As it were, he allowed his own wolf to rise just under the surface, lending him strength. He grabbed hold of the shifter’s wrists, squeezing until he released Coti’s shirt. Much harder and he’d have crushed bones. They’d have healed in time, but Coti didn’t care. The man was blocking him from NeNe and she was hurt. “I said move, fucker. Either get the hell outta my way, or I’ll make sure you can’t walk.” The real threat was clear. This man had seen him beat the shit out of Champ. Coti could see him thinking of shifting, then the decision to walk away was made. His grip relaxed, Coti’s shirt fell from his fingers. For good measure, Coti gave one final tight squeeze before letting him go. The man stepped around Coti, muttering about pussy not being worth it. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but the vision of three women surrounding a tiny lump on the ground wasn’t it. His wolf howled in his head. His other side wanted blood. The females’ blood.

“What the hell are you doing?” he roared. Shit, his wolf was up and so was the other half of himself. They were uniting, and neither were happy.

All three women turned to him, blood on their fists and clothes. Their own, and his NeNe’s...Ah shit. They were claiming her, yet he couldn’t seem to stop the growl as they stared at him.

A redhaired woman placed a hand on her hip, looking him up and down before she spoke. “Go on about your business, this doesn’t concern you.”

He moved toward them, silently cheering when they scattered away from the prone form of NeNe. “Hey, you.” He bent and brushed back a hank of hair that had fallen over her face. Her heart raced, the whoosh whoosh sound reassuring to him.

“You can’t just come in here. This is our space.”

Coti glared at the red head. “You speaking again? Really, you should probably shut the fuck up and run. All three of you, get the hell outta my sight, but make no mistake, I’ve catalogued every single thing about each of you.” Oh, he knew he could find them in a crowd at anytime from that moment on. Once he told Lyric and the girls what happened, these three bitches were going to wish they were never born. He watched the redhead’s eyes flicker to amber, her wolf wanting to come out and fight him. The fact he was still masking his scent was the only thing keeping her in check. Of course, if he allowed his wolf out, she’d become a bitch in heat begging him to forgive her or some shit. There was no forgiveness for what was done to his female. She may be his unclaimed mate as of now, but that was going to change, soon.

The three females quietly rushed from the tented space, the flap closing quietly behind them. He opened his senses, allowing himself to flow into NeNe while he kept a presence in his own body. “Fuck,” he swore as he imagined the internal damage she suffered from their beating. Being human meant she didn’t heal like shifters, nor was she as strong. If he attempted to lift her and carry her out, there was a chance he could kill her. Yet, he also knew if he didn’t do something she was going to die. “Those fucking bitches.” Looking around the space, he nicked his finger with his incisor, watching as the tip filled with ruby red blood. The rich lifeblood of his kind would help heal her enough that he’d be able to carry her out and get her to a human hospital, he hoped. With his other hand, he tilted her head back to make sure her breathing was steady and stuck his finger into her mouth. At first, she didn’t do anything, her stillness making him think she wasn’t going to accept his gift.

After a few seconds, he felt the soft rasp of her tongue flick against his finger. He ran his hand over the back of her head, feeling a huge bump. “Motherfuckers,” he whispered, his palm moving away from the injury. Her mouth closed around his finger, cheeks hollowing out as they sucked. Goddess, his dick became fully erect, which made him feel like a complete pervert since she was near death. Slowly, he eased his finger out, knowing she had enough to start healing, yet not so much humans would wonder at the miracle.

One big green eye blinked open. “I’ve died and gone to heaven,” she whispered.

Coti chuckled. “Pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve been accused of being in heaven.”

NeNe moved to sit up, then groaned. “Oh god, I’ve been run over, then backed up on for good measure. Where’s the sisterhood of the traveling bitches?”

At the reference of the trio in question, he growled, then the scents hit him. Shifters were coming, and they were coming quickly. “Can you stand?” His blood was powerful, but he didn’t know if she’d had enough to work that quickly. Her right eye was still swollen almost completely shut since he’d concentrated on her inner injuries.

“Well, I can breathe without feeling like I’m going to pass out, and I can feel, everything. I say that’s a good thing. Help me up?” she asked, holding her hands out.

Coti stood, grabbing her under the arms and lifting, not wanting to jar her too much. What he really wanted was to carry her out, but if he was going to fight, he’d need both arms free. “Can you shoot a gun?”

She pointed at her face. “I’m a good shot, but not sure if I would be with only one eye?”

He nodded. “I’d rather you be honest than accidentally shoot me in the ass.”

The flap was jerked open, allowing several men inside followed by the sisterhood of the traveling bitches as NeNe called them. “He threatened us because she got what she deserved for disrespecting us.” Grace pointed, her voice grating.

A huge man, clearly a bear shifter, placed Grace behind him. “Boy, you don’t come in here disrespecting our bitches. You may’ve beaten Champ, but that was in the cage. Out here, there ain’t no rules.”

The sound of fabric ripping let him know some of the shifters were partially shifting, agitation making them lose control. Fuck, what the hell was wrong with this pack that they not only allowed humans to lead them around by their dicks, but they’d shift in front of them and have fights between shifters and seemingly full humans for fun? “Listen, I don’t want to fight any of you. I’m taking my girl here, and we’re leaving.”

“Looks like your girl ran into some trouble. Why don’t you let us take care of her?” The bear shifter offered.

Coti’s wolf wanted to break free and rip the assholes throat out, but years of tempering both sides of his being kept the animal reigned in. “Nah, I got this.”

“Yo, you got a problem, Coti?” Joaquin asked.

Seeing a familiar face in the crowd along with several of the man’s MC brothers, Coti gave a lift of his chin. Joaquin not only was a shifter, but he was Coti’s alpha’s cousin. If he opened his mind, he’d be able to connect with the other man, but Coti didn’t trust easily, nor did he want to give Joaquin an opening to his own thoughts. Instead, he met the alpha’s stare, a thousand words conveyed between them.

None of the shifters could miss the scent of NeNe’s blood or the fact she was one hundred percent human, while the three bitches hiding behind the wall of shifters weren’t. The fact the little firecracker was alive was a testament to her strength.

“What the hell, man? Who fucked up your old lady?”

“Real fucking subtle, Blade. I think that’s a question we’re all wondering.” Joaquin looked around the space, his eyes going to the three women with blood on their white tank tops. “Haven’t you heard it’s better to stick with black? It don’t show blood as easily.” Joaquin moved closer to Coti and NeNe, putting himself between the crowd.

Without a word, several other men came to stand in front of Coti and NeNe, creating a wall of tattooed muscle. “Looks like we got a standoff. What’s it gonna be, boys? We gonna have a brawl inside this here tent, or you gonna let our boy and his lady walk out of here?” Joaquin asked, his tone sounding bored.

“You can’t let her leave.” a female voice growled angrily.

“What the fuck is going on in here?” Mac called out, making the entire space go quiet.

Coti allowed his other being to close itself off so only his wolf was apparent, then opened a link to Joaquin. “I’m leaving here with NeNe if I have to kill every motherfucker in this place, including that bastard pretending to be an alpha.”

“I feel you, but let’s try to keep the bloodshed to a minimum. There’s more going on here than what you see on the surface.” Joaquin shifted closer to Coti.

“Rose, girl is that you? What the hell happened? Come, I’ll take you to our physician.” Mac held out his hand.

NeNe whimpered, pressing herself closer to Coti. “Sorry, man, but she’s mine.”

Mac’s brows rose. “Is that right? You’ve been here all of five fucking minutes. How’d that happen?”

Coti could see the man was fighting to keep his wolf in check. “I actually came here looking for her. We sort of had a fight. Took me a minute to track her down. Luckily, I did.” He put his arm around NeNe, feeling her shiver at his touch.

The crowd parted as three more men filed in, their scent let him know they were cat shifters as well, but these men he knew. Of course, they were usually on his side, but Coti wasn’t willing to risk NeNe’s life on the off chance they were playing for the other side.

Damn, he really wished he’d called his pack before he’d walked into this shithole. Before everything could go completely to shit, he opened his link to Kellen, hoping like hell he wasn’t intruding on ‘sexy time’. “Hey, man, sorry to pop in unannounced, but there’s some shit going down.” He gave a quick rundown while keeping his eyes on the gathering crowd, waiting for Kellen’s response.

“Well fuck, son. You sure know how to ruin a guy’s boner. The Fey Queen’s out of commish for the time being, but I can send a fiery little dragon. She’s kinda made herself available in Jenna’s place.”

Coti pictured the pink haired crazy female popping into the already full tent. “Not just yet. Let’s see how this shakes out. I got Joaquin and a few of his guys. Hell, Ace and the cats just strolled in like they were out for an evening walk.”

“Cats make me sneeze,” Kellen snarled.

“You should see the fucking menagerie we got here. Lions, tigers, and bears, alongside wolves.” He joked, not mentioning what all he was. “Oh, and let’s not forget the dragons.” Yeah, their world was getting crazier every damn day.

“You forgot to say ‘Oh my’ you know. Don’t get killed, and just so we’re clear, there’s gonna be a mandatory meeting when you get out of the situation you’ve found yourself in. Check in with me as soon as you get your ass out of there. Me and the boys will be paying Mac and his crew a visit real soon.” Coti heard the threat in the growled voice inside his head. The Iron Wolf was not to be fucked with, which made him wonder why Mac and his merry bunch of shifters had settled so closely to them.

“Alright, I need to focus on the circus in front of me. I’ll try not to get dead.” Although Kellen had said it like a threat, Coti and the rest of the pack were an intricate part of the Iron Wolves. When one was severely injured, or Goddess help them, killed, Kellen felt the loss deep within him. An image of Kellen’s middle finger with the Wolf head ring on it flashed in front of Coti’s eyes.

“You ready to roll outta here, Coti?”

He turned, meeting Ace’s eyes. The huge shifter moved subtly, showing Coti he was packing a couple guns. “Ready when you are.” Which meant he was up for just about anything.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” NeNe whispered.

His gut clenched at the image of the fiery little female tossing her cookies in front of the crowd. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.” He swooped down, lifting her into his arms, trusting his pseudo pack to have his and his unclaimed mate’s back. Of course, if shit went south, his other half would come out, then none of them would be safe.