“Aww, Gun.” I reached for his face, leaning over the table to kiss him just as a screech and a whoosh of air warned me to duck my head.
“Shit, Horus!”
Gun pushed his chair back to the sounds of thumps and ruffling feathers. I looked up to see that Horus had crash-landed on one of the couches, and everyone on the patio had ceased their conversations to see what had happened.
“Is he okay?” I rushed over to where Gunner had picked him up and inspected his wings.
“Yeah, he’s fine.” He looked sheepishly at me. “I guess he didn’t expect you to touch me right then. It’s hard enough grabbing onto my shoulder with only one foot.”
I stared at him. “Why would he grab you with one foot?”
Gunner looked down at the bird on his lap, now seeming nervous. Everyone was still staring. “Because,” he sighed, “he was supposed to land on my shoulder and then hand you this.” He lifted Horus to show that the falcon held a small box in his talons.
A jewelry box.
A giddy laugh escaped me as I gently took the box from those fearsome claws. “This was his errand?”
“Yeah,” Gunner frowned. “Tried to have it all planned out and romantic—”
I leaned in, kissing him to the sound of whistles and cheers from our spectators. “You’re the sweetest man ever. Thank you.”
His smile touched mine, one hand reaching up to stroke my cheek. “You haven’t even seen what I got you.”
“Doesn’t matter.” I kissed him again. “You’re still the sweetest.” His face was flushed, throat working nervously as I sat back and opened the lid on the box.
“Gunner!” I gasped and looked up at him with my mouth open. “Are you serious? Are these…”
“From the dagger on my wall, yeah.” He swallowed again. “It didn’t mean that much to me, was too old to be used as an actual weapon. But I knew you liked it, so—”
This time, he saw the kiss coming. My ears recognized Reaper’s sharp whistle, the only hint that there was a world outside of my gunman’s beautiful smile.
“They’re perfect.” Both of us were smiling too hard to really kiss properly.
“Put ‘em on,” he whispered, his grin reaching up to his sky-blue eyes.
The earrings were shaped like two daggers, the sharp end pointing down with a slight curve like the original weapon they came from. The silver had been polished to an almost mirror-like finish, while the carvings had been etched and blackened to show them more clearly.
It felt like putting on a unique kind of armor as I slipped the hooks into my earlobes. I realized the gifts of each of my men represented the nature of my relationship with them. Gunner helped me find my own strength. Jandro filled my life with laughter and color. And Reaper’s devotion promised I was never alone.
“They look amazing on you.” Gunner’s eyes moved from my ears to the butterfly necklace at my throat, his gaze then lowering to rest at the ring on my finger. “All of it does. It’s a complete set.”
“Because I’m completely yours.” I was all but crawling over him now, him leaning so far back he was nearly reclining on the sofa. “I love you.” I made sure to say it low enough that none of our audience could hear.
His grin, however, was telling enough. “Love you so much, baby girl.”
My next kiss did send him lying back, Horus squirming to get out from between us. Gunner grabbed my upper arms to pull me closer, and a throbbing pain shot up to my right shoulder.
“Ow!”
“Shit, sorry.” He released the bandage covering my newest tattoo. “Forgot that was there for a second.”
“It’s okay.”
The ache throbbing up my arm was a stark reminder of Shadow, how the tattoos were his own, unique kind of gift. Not in the same way as my guys, but…
I pushed the thought away and melted deeper into Gunner’s kiss.
Five
REAPER
The maps in front of me blurred into meaningless squiggles and lines. I rubbed my eyes, leaning back in my chair with a groan. Trying to decide on a route for the whole club was tedious enough, but after a full belly of tacos and maybe a little too much whiskey, working on anything was a chore.
I couldn't help that last drink though, not after seeing Mari and Gunner all wrapped up in each other. Before giving her my ring, I thought about having Hades give it to her. Although entertaining to watch, that crash-landing by Horus made me feel good about my decision not to have animals involved in my proposal.
In any case, I was glad to see that Gunner had fully embraced his place at Mari's side, symbolizing his devotion with a gift in the same vein as me and Jandro. An extra celebratory drink was the only logical thing to do.
Celebrating could never last, as I knew all too well. Mari went to check on Jandro and bring him food, Gunner rode off to liquidate more supplies, and I came back here to my study. To stare at fucking maps again, and try to guess the least dangerous route through the desert, to some unclaimed place we could settle. Away from General Tash and his spies.
Naturally, I'd rather be doing just about anything else. So when a knock came to my study door, I welcomed the distraction. Hades, in a food coma of his own, barely acknowledged the sound—just an ear twitch from his sprawled out position in the dog bed next to my desk. At least I knew whoever was at the door posed no threat.
"Come in," I called.
The door swung open and I regarded my visitor with cool indifference from across the room.
"Prospect," I greeted, refusing to address Larkan by his name. "What can I do for you?"
"President," he returned just as coolly. "Mind if I sit?"
I gestured to the armchair across from my desk and watched him stride over to it. The kid was not lacking in confidence, I'd give him that. It was him who gave us the information that Tash turned against us. I thought he was just a rat at first, flipping on his employers in the hopes we'd spare his life. It turned out, he was an accomplished marksman and bike mechanic, and had wanted to become a Steel Demon since he heard about us nearly a decade ago.
I was man enough to admit my first impression was wrong, and we took him on as a prospect. If he continued being loyal to us, he might even become a fine Demon one day. Only when Larkan sat down did I notice the nervous swallowing of his throat.
"President," he began. "I know I haven't been with this club long, but I want you to know you have my steadfast loyalty and respect—"
"Skip the ass-kissing, prospect." I waved my hand in a move along motion. "Just tell me what you need."
His throat worked again, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed his nerves.
"I came to ask your permission to make Noelle my old lady."
My gut feeling told me this was about my sister, but I felt no victory at being proven right. Instead, I felt the heat of my temper curling under my skin, shaping my hand into a fist. I beat Larkan's ass at the last Fight Night for being too damn handsy with my sister, and the fucking kid just seemed eager for more.
"No."
He had the gall to look confused. "No?"
"I'll be clearer—absolutely fucking not."