Split - Coffin Nails MC (Contemporary New Adult Erotic Dark Romance) (Sex & Mayhem Book 7) (28 page)

Hunter took a deep breath. “I don’t know
when I’ll see another invitation from my mom after this. I’m pretty sure that
in the last years, she kept sending me them every now and then out of habit,
not actually expecting me to show up. Let alone with a date.”

Asty stroked the side of his head and
kissed his cheek. She raised her hips for a more comfortable position, and
Hunter’s cock slipped out of her, but she was completely focused on her man.
“Maybe she’ll change her mind when she finally has a grandkid?”

“It would be her first one. That
could
melt her heart.” Hunter inhaled deeply with a satisfied smile.

Asty kissed him again and entwined their
fingers. “I think she’s just lost in her priorities. Life doesn’t work in
absolutes.”

“It does in my mom’s world. And it does in
mine, because I would give my life for you.” His gaze softened, and Asty
shifted to lie on her side next to him.

Asty’s heart seemed to grow in her chest,
and she blinked a few times, chasing away those damn hormonal tears. She was
such a ridiculous softie since she got pregnant, and she refused to believe she
was losing control over her tear ducts just because her man was so sweet to
her. “It’s so strange, because I’m just nineteen, but I’m really happy to have
your baby. It’s like you’re with me even when you’re not there.”

“Fuck, babe. Now you’re gonna make me cry.
And I’m incapable of that, as we know. Coffin Nails don’t cry, right?” He
nuzzled her cheek, surely leaving a white mark on there.

Asty swallowed hard. “If they sometimes do,
I won’t tell,” she told him, gently playing with his thick fingers.

“I won’t. So that you can always lean on
me.” Hunter gave her another kiss, with his eyes soft and tender as he stroked
her side.

Asty glanced at the gory sculpture of Jesus
and then back to Hunter. “You know, being in this house makes me understand you
better. Thank you for bringing me here.”

Hunter snorted and pulled her closer. “You
mean that now you know why I’m so fucked up?”

Asty smiled at him. “No. Now I know why you
aren’t like the other bikers.”

“Is that why I got to win you over?”

“Among other things. Your cello game is on
point,” Asty said, sliding her fingers around his smudged lips.

“What about my fuck game?” Hunter gave her
a cocky grin.

Asty mock-punched his chest and twisted his
T-shirt around her hand. “You’re distracting me, and I’m trying to tell you
something.”

“Oh, really?”

Asty nodded. “Yes. I think your mom’s
overdoing it, but I see where she’s coming from. When you were talking to your
siblings, I thought about all the devotional items, and it got me to think.
Your family’s belief in God is just as strong as my Dad’s belief in the
nonexistence of God. And I thought ... that if there’s something in me that
tells me that demons and spirits are real, why should I dismiss that?”

Hunter’s smile faltered. “I thought you’ve
been thinking in a different direction lately …”

It was killing Asty to spoil the happy
atmosphere, but this was important, and she didn’t want to hide her feelings
from the man she loved. “Why is it so bad that I’m a believer? Is this because
you never felt a connection with a spiritual being?”

Hunter frowned. “It’s bad because you
wanted to hurt yourself over it. You cut your skin. You did some crazy shit,
Asty, and wanted to do even worse. That’s why it’s bad.”

She scowled and pulled his hand to her lips
to kiss it. “It was like a frenzy. But it always used to bring me peace to do
the rituals. I’m not sure I want to let go of that. People who follow
mainstream religions sometimes do weird shit, too, but that doesn’t mean the
religion is necessarily to blame.”

“I mean … like Priest said, if the rituals
bring you peace, if it’s like meditation, self-motivations, and stuff like
that, then okay, I’m curious myself, but not if you hurt yourself. I can’t
stand for that, Asty.” Hunter sighed and squeezed her hand.

Asty swallowed hard. “But I need to know. I
don’t want to be gullible and just be led away from something that I believed
in for years when it might be just as real as this,” she whispered, stroking
Hunter’s forearm.

“How would you ever check if it’s real? Did
any of your rituals actually work? Did you ever see a demon come to you, or
kill someone?”

Asty frowned. Little things did happen, and
when they didn’t, she could always blame it on something else. She had no idea.
“I’m not a bad person. I never really wished anyone serious harm, and I felt
like I wasn’t advanced enough to summon a powerful entity.” She took a deep
breath. “And I ... I was a bit scared. Maybe if I didn’t have to do it alone, I
could see if my calls would be answered.”

Hunter watched her in silence and played
with her fingers as tension rose between them. But he didn’t say “no.” She
needed to persuade him now before the moment would be gone.

She gave him a soft smooch. “If you’re
right, and there really is nothing out there, you have nothing to lose. Would
you do this with me?”

Hunter swallowed. “Okay. But only if you
agree that this would be the last test. And it can involve no cutting, or
dying, or any of that.”

Asty smirked. “No dying. No excessive
blood. I promise.”

Hunter groaned, but he did smile. “Fucking
hell. What am I getting myself into …”

“If you and Dad are right about this, it
will be a fun activity with your girl,” she said and gave him a peck on the
cheek.

Hunter closed his eyes. “Yep, a ritual to
invoke a demon sounds like much more fun than going ice skating.”

Asty didn’t respond to his mocking and just
gave him a long, sweet kiss to seal the deal. She wasn’t even sure whether such
a one-time opportunity would really do it, but the fact that Hunter was willing
to go there despite his own misgivings about hell gave her the confidence to go
through with it. Something was telling her  this would end up being one of the
defining moments of her entire life.

Hunter

Hunter packed the last of his belongings
into a duffel bag, which he hung over his shoulder. All his stuff was piled up
in a few boxes stacked at the back of the tiny room, and it seemed not long ago
he had carried them all in here after moving into the clubhouse. He would
finally get to have his own space again and have his privacy back.

He and Asty spent the last few weeks
looking at places to move into once she gave birth, and having to juggle money
among other things, they eventually settled on a house owned by a landlord who
agreed to charge very little rent provided they do necessary renovations within
fixed periods of time. The building was quite big with a decently sized garden
and even a romantic gazebo, which Asty fawned over even during the first visit.
Now he had to move in and make sure at least some rooms were usable by July.

Hunter grabbed one of the boxes and walked
out into the corridor. At least he owned a van, so he could easily transport
whatever would be needed for renovations, and then move Asty’s stuff once the
house was ready for her. The first house Hunter would be able to call truly
his. For him, Asty, and their kid. And maybe more kids in the future as well.
He wouldn’t have to deal with Ray’s bullshit, he could have a place of his own
where he could play the cello whenever he felt like it and have sex with Asty
whenever they wanted to, without sneaking around. Though since the big reveal,
Asty wasn’t afraid to openly invite him over anymore. He still couldn’t stay at
her place when Priest was there. The potential for disaster was too great.

He scowled when Ray’s door opened, and his
cousin looked out. “Hey. That was quick.”

Hunter gave him a glare. “I don’t have
much,” he said and walked on. Having to meet Ray every now and then meant that
Hunter had to learn to not throw his fists at the fucker all the time, but it
still made him displeased to see that face. Whenever he saw him, it reminded
him that this treacherous son of a bitch had tried to kill Hunter’s future
father-in-law, bullied him for years, but worst of all, molested and threatened
Asty.

Ray sighed. “Maybe it would be quicker if I
helped you out?” He put his hands in his pockets, watching the box in Hunter’s
arms.

Hunter shook his head and walked on. “I’m
good.”

But Ray just wouldn’t take the hint and
followed him down the stairs, his footsteps thudding all too close for Hunter’s
comfort. “Look, I know we haven’t spoken in a while, but can’t we just have a
beer and hang out like in the old days?”

“Where’s the change of heart coming from?
You don’t feel like threatening my fiancée today?” Hunter got to the van and
put the box in the back.

Ray groaned and closed the door, leaning
against it, so that Hunter couldn’t go back into the staircase without forcing
him away. “I didn’t think you were serious.”

“I am. And it’s now all in the open as
well.” Hunter crossed his arms on his chest.

Ray raised his hand and gave him the
sincerest look since forever. “I get it. It just didn’t seem like she was a
girl you’d want to actually get together with. I’m gonna forget everything that
happened.”

Ray couldn’t be spreading rumors about how
everything started anyway if he wanted to keep his head.

“Since when do you care what I think?”
asked Hunter.

Ray poked a stone with his boot. “We’re
kinda in this together. You know I have to stay here. I was thinking about it,
and I might have not ... valued it enough that I had family left.”

Hunter raised his eyebrows and took a
moment to process what Ray was saying. At least Hunter still had the other part
of his family to connect to. Ray only had some of his old friends at what used
to be the Rabid Hogs MC and was now another chapter of the Coffin Nails. From
what Hunter had heard, there had been a big reshuffle in their ranks as well,
with some of the guys who were most against the Nails patch over leaving and others
trying to consolidate what was left. Ray was alone and not mixing in with the
Nails as well as Hunter had.

“You never have,” Hunter said in the end.

Ray exhaled and massaged his jaw. “I’m not
a good guy,” he eventually said with a crooked smile. “But maybe I wanna
change? I look at you having it all now, while I’m stuck here like a prisoner
with no one to talk to.”

That was a surprising amount of
self-awareness for a guy like Ray. “You’d have more if you actually spent time
with the guys here and let the past be the past. There’s no going back to how
things were, Ray. And I loved Head like a father”—
A lie for the sake of the
argument
—“but he was no saint. He fucked these guys over, tried to start a
war with them. And he lost. He knew what he was doing and took the risk.”

Ray sighed. “Yeah. It just feels so wrong
to serve under the man who had him killed, no matter who started it, you know.
And you, my cousin, will be having a baby with that man’s daughter. It’s not
easy for me.”

“You were the one who said that we should
go and check out that church. Maybe it was some kind of fucked-up way in which
fate wanted to tie us to this new club. You only got one life, Ray. You gotta
make the best of it. You’re not too far gone. Give it a few months, a few good
parties, a few runs, and you can be a part of it all.”

Ray smirked and slowly walked up to Hunter,
patting his shoulder. “You’re right. I might have focused on the wrong things.
Can we still get along?”

Hunter gave Ray a long hard look. “With
time.”

Ray took a deep breath and his smile
widened. “You know Raja told everyone he’s a fag?”

That was exactly what Hunter didn’t want.
Getting drawn back into Ray’s hateful world. “Gay, Ray. It’s called being gay.
And it only means there’s more pussy for everyone else if he fucks guys now.”
Hunter had to admit it was a bit of a shock for one of the Hogs to turn out
gay. It did make sense that he came out now that the most homophobic guys
rage-quitted the club, not wanting to be associated with the Nails, who had a
gay VP.

Ray put his hands up. “Okay, okay! Just
sayin’. Thought you’d want to know what’s up with the Hogs.”

Hunter sighed, and Ray squeezed his
shoulder before giving him a short, awkward hug.

“I’ll help you with those boxes, yeah?”

Hunter nodded, and together, they quickly
got all the boxes into the van. It was strange to see Ray so broken, but at
least he was trying now. Maybe in a few months things would look brighter for
him. All Ray needed to do was try to blend in more. A big step down from being
the club president’s son, but that was life.

They finished with the boxes, and Ray even
suggested going out for drinks, but despite best intentions, Hunter needed some
time away from his cousin. He said his goodbyes and went to the kitchen to pick
up a sandwich before driving off to his new home. Priest popped out of the
office as soon as the microwave beeped after heating up the food.

“Hunter, a minute,” he said and disappeared
behind the door.

Even after a few weeks of being with Asty
officially, out in the open, hearing those words from Priest made Hunter cringe
on the inside. A brand new window was put into the office, but Hunter still
remembered sitting in Tooth’s medical chair and awaiting having his teeth
removed one by one.

Hunter grabbed the hot sandwich and groaned
feeling it was a bit soggy, but he followed Priest into the office.

Priest leaned back in his chair when Hunter
entered. “Take a seat. Today’s the big day, isn’t it?” he asked, a bit stiffly.

Hunter nodded and bit into his sandwich.
“I’m gonna get the house in order before the baby comes.”

“Right, right,” said Priest. He was silent
for a few seconds and then grabbed a bottle of Coke and took a few sips. “Asty
told me it had a great shed in the garden. She seemed happy with it.”

“Yes, she’s got some plans for it. And
don’t tell her, but I’m gonna prepare a craft room for her, for the candles and
stuff.”

Priest smiled and tapped the bottle with
his fingers. “That’s a great idea. I’m happy that you’re thinking about what
she needs,” he said and drank some more.

“I’d be in trouble if I didn’t.” Hunter
dared a smile. “Asty is pretty vocal when she doesn’t like something.”

Priest smirked. “She takes after her
mother. Although Dolly could be much more... violent with the plates when she
got angry. Unless Asty doesn’t do this to me out of respect.”

“No, she’s sweet. It will be the first real
adult house for both of us, so we’re really excited. Milk offered to help with
painting, and everyone else has been pretty great about it.”

Priest chewed on his lip. “I could help too
from time to time. It’s only four months left now.”

Hunter nodded and stuffed his mouth with
more of the sandwich. “It’s gone so fast. I’m sorry for all the trouble it’s
caused.”

Priest exhaled. “I accept your apology. You
couldn’t have known she was my daughter. And she can look much older when she
wears makeup, so ...” He leaned forward and looked into Hunter’s eyes for the
first time since they sat down together. “I thought she’d get her life in order
first, but I suppose she could have done worse.”

Hunter forced himself not to groan. “Doing
my best.”

“I thought our British Prince would be more
up her street, but it seems one can never know. I suppose I will be happy as
long as she is happy, but this is difficult. I still don’t know you well.”

“On the bright side, I’m a Nail, you’ll get
to know me better. If it was some other guy, you wouldn’t know him at all.”

Priest nodded slowly. “Right. Well, I’m
happy you’re so quickly growing into the fabric of this club ...”

“I was only a prospect with the Hogs, here,
I got to really be a part of everything.”

“You like the sense of community. I can see
that. Shame that Ray won’t make as much effort as you,” snarled Priest, and
Hunter could only hope nothing would ever come out about Ray’s treatment of
Asty if his cousin were to stay alive.

“He’s getting there. He lost more on the
way.” A euphemism for getting his father murdered. “But I think he’s turning
the corner now. Being here will be good for him in the long run.”

“I haven’t seen the two of you together
recently,” said Priest, and his pale eyes became more focused.

Hunter sighed. “The way he talked about
Lucifer, the things he did… We fell out, but we might be on the way to mending
things. It’s all good.”

“I’m happy to hear that. Well, I suppose I
won’t keep you here much longer. You have things to do ...”

“Yep, Blitz has some furniture I can pick up
from him.” Hunter licked his fingers but then looked back to Priest more
intently. “After all that has gone down with the Hogs, thanks for not just
keeping me here, but treating me as an equal. I don’t have much contact with
any of my family, so it means a lot.”

Priest frowned but gave Hunter a nod.
“You’re welcome. This club is my family. Whoever becomes a part of it should
feel welcome.”

“We
are
gonna be family.” Hunter
smirked but quickly dropped the cocky attitude when Priest glared at him.
Too
soon.

Priest leaned back so abruptly his chair
creaked. “Well, to be honest, I haven’t seen a new ring on her finger yet.”

Hunter’s heart sunk. “Oh. That. I didn’t
want to just buy a cheap one, and with the new house, and the renovations,
there’s not much to scrape by on.”

Priest sighed. “I get it. Believe me or
not, we’ve all been there sometimes, but you two keep saying you’re engaged,
and you are soon moving in together. Things need to happen at a right time.”

“Asty doesn’t want to get married pregnant
anyway. So I thought I’d save up for a few months.” Hunter didn’t even notice
when his hands started getting sweaty. Embarrassment mixed with guilt over not
getting her an engagement ring and made him perspire.

Priest leaned forward. “Look, I’ve known my
share of women, and I’ll tell you something. No matter what they say, they
aren’t like us. They are more sensitive. They need the stability of that ring
on their finger.”

Hunter slumped in his chair and nodded. He supposed
he could sleep on a mattress for a while instead of getting a nice bed. “I’ll
work it out.”

Priest opened a drawer in his desk and
pulled something out as he looked at Hunter. “I told you that I get it. You
need money for the renovation, and I’m sure you don’t want her to have
something cheap either. Give her this for now,” he said and pushed a small
black box across the desk.

Hunter sat up and opened the box, surprised
by Priest’s gesture. The ring inside was gold with what had to be diamonds. Four
of them at that. One big one and three smaller ones. “I—thank you, sir. I don’t
know if I really should.” But he wanted to, he really did. He wouldn’t be able
to afford something this nice for a while, and Priest was right—if he was to
give her something that was to remind her of him every time she looked at her
hand, he wanted it to be special.