Loved By The Lion Read online

I didn’t stop struggling, even though my wrists were tied up. How did they know I was coming? How did they know to keep a watch on the airport? But the Snake Skulls knew everything. If they believed that debt was owed to them, then they were going to make damn sure that it was paid. Even if it meant by taking my life.

  When my muffled screams grew too tiresome for them, they stopped in the middle of the highway and dragged me out of the car. I tried to run when they pulled me out, but I was no match for the three Snake Skulls men plus the driver. They grabbed me and stuffed me into the trunk, while my mascara ran in a heavy dark stream down my cheeks.

  I hadn’t eaten in several hours, and I was beginning to feel weak. Instinctually, I continued to kick at the walls of the trunk, even though I knew that there was no escape. In those moments of utter terror, instead of thinking of Papi, only Ace’s face floated in front of my eyes. Even though I hadn’t seen him in ten years, it was his face that I was reminded of. The guy who had made me feel safe, the one who had made me feel special. I felt like he was the only one who could save me now.

  When they stopped at the motel and pulled me out of the trunk, I fell unconscious in their arms. After that, there was only darkness until I woke up on the motel bed.

  Did Papi even know I was missing? How could he know? I hadn’t even told him I was coming. When I received the letter from him, telling me that he was very sick, I still couldn’t make up my mind if I wanted to come back here. I was still in shock that he had tracked me down after all those years.

  At the last minute, just hours before the fight I eventually took, I decided that I couldn’t just let him die before saying our goodbyes. I hadn’t written to him or called to say that I was on my way. So, he didn’t know to expect me, which meant that he wouldn’t know that I had been kidnapped.

  And now I wasn’t sure what would happen to him if I did manage to escape from here, even though the chances of that happening were minimal. Would they kill him if I left? They most certainly would.

  As much as I was afraid of Papi, as much as I had hated him for the things I had seen him doing…he was still my father. I couldn’t just forget about all those years of my childhood when I had looked up to him before I had met Ace, and Papi was the only man in my life. I had run away from home without leaving him a note, without keeping in touch…in my mind, he had already paid his dues to me. It was why I had returned.

  I lay back down on the bed now, staring up at the ceiling blankly. What were these men going to do to me? How were they going to avenge Papi's debt? I had been away from the gang and MC world for so long, but it didn’t mean that I wasn’t aware of what they were capable of.

  The fact that they had kidnapped me meant that they had something planned. The Snake Skulls wasn't the kind of gang that would kidnap me just to scare my father. They were going to teach him a lesson. They were going to use me as bait, or make sure that Papi never got to see me again. Either one of those two options were bad news for me.

  I shivered and tossed and turned on the bed, and every time I pressed my eyes closed, I thought of Ace and where he might be. No other man had even come close to the young love that we had shared as teenagers. For all I knew, he had left the MC and gotten married and started a family. I smiled at the thought of Ace with a wife, with a cub…was he happy?

  I felt the tears trickling down my cheeks as I lay there. Even in the worst moments of my life, when I had no hope of getting out of this place alive, all I could think about was the man I ran away from.

  Chapter 3

  Ace

  I was standing facing Hunter at Church. This meeting had been called to discuss our latest discovery that a local gang was running a fighting ring, using kids. I had my fists clenched on either side as I stood glaring at him. They all knew how I felt about this issue, and a small buzz of voices had rung out in the bar around me.

  “Quiet. We’ll give Ace his say. Continue…” Hunter called out, and the buzz died. My brothers did as they were told.

  I didn’t need to clear my voice. I was already prepared for what I was going to say.

  “I was one of them, Hunter. Till you helped me get out of there. Thankfully, I was still alive,” I said, through gritted teeth. My lion prowled beneath the surface, pissed as hell. I didn’t even have a mane back then, just a scrawny little cat. Now I was the king of the jungle, and I wouldn’t let anyone forget it.

  Not a day went by that I didn’t think of my life in those fighting rings. When we were pitted against each other. One shifter cub against another. Poised to break jaws, jam claws into eyes with the crowd around us roaring wild. Blood spilling everywhere, making the crowd, even more, blood thirsty. Hunter’s eye twitched as he stared back at me. He knew exactly what I was talking about. He had saved me from it.

  “There are too many to save now,” he replied, in a small thoughtful grumble. I sucked in a lungful of air before I spoke again.

  “And each of them deserves to keep living. I was a street kid before the Snake Skulls picked me up. I didn’t know any better. I thought that the pittance they were going to pay me to fight their fights in the ring, would pay for my mother’s medication. That finally, I would be able to provide for my family,” I said, and I could feel my blood boiling.

  Hunter shifted in his seat and looked at the men standing behind me. Daredevil, Beasty, Jordan…all brothers, all shifters who were on my side. They knew every detail of my past because I had shared it with them and they knew how passionately I felt about the fighting rings.

  “I know your story, Ace. I don’t need any reminders,” Hunter said, and I took a step towards him, and he arched his eyebrows.

  “Hunter…you saved me,” my voice dropped by several decibels. I was willing to beg him if I had to. To get those cubs out. I had an excellent idea what kind of life they were being forced to live. The lure of petty cash for a teenager would have seemed tempting enough, but once they joined the gang, they would have no way to escape. They would be forced to fight in the rings every day. Fight till their deaths, and then new boys would be recruited for the same pitiable lives. There was no escaping that circle. Unless we did something about it.

  “And I am glad I did,” Hunter said and I shook my head.

  “This was me ten years ago,” I countered passionately.

  “And I know you feel bad for those boys. But I'm not sure if this is a risk worth taking. If we go in there and try to close a ring that the Claws are running; it could mean that we lose our men,” Hunter growled, trying to put me back in my place but I wasn’t about to take no for an answer.

  “Yes, that is a risk. But what the Claws are running is against every code of our MC. No cubs or women. Remember? Isn’t that what you taught us?” I growled and could feel my shoulders heaving as I spoke.

  Hunter was studying me, from head to toe. His gaze fell on the cross on the silver chain that always hung from my neck. It had escaped out of my shirt and was hanging loose on my chest now. He stared at it for a couple of moments and then blinked.

  “Yes, that is what I taught you, and I stand by it,” he said, and I tipped my head once.

  “Then we should make sure that we stand up for what we believe in, and rescue those cubs,” I said, and a low buzz rang out in the bar again. Hunter looked around lazily, at his men…the men whose lives he was responsible for and then turned to me again.

  “You have come a long way, Ace,” he said, and I clenched my jaws.

  “Yes, I have, and I owe it all to you and this pride. I wouldn’t even have been alive if it wasn’t for you,” I reiterated, and Hunter nodded his head. I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest. What did that nod mean? He took in a deep breath, and I could see him looking into the eyes of Daredevil and Beasty, for a sign of approval. I didn’t have to look at them to know what they were thinking.

  “All right, we’ll go in,” he said, and the bar erupted in a cheer.

  I found myself grinning too, a wave of relief had washed over my face. Ever since Daredevil and I had walked into that warehouse and seen the fighting ring, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. The only thing that mattered to me now was rescuing those cubs, giving them a chance the way Hunter had given me.

  This time it wasn’t going to be easy. Hunter had saved me from a low scale gang. Whereas now, we were going to be up against a full-fledged MC. And the Claws and us weren’t exactly on friendly terms. God damn wolves, the whole pack mentality worked against us. Most of us were big cats, except Beasty. The bear among us, but while we had each other’s backs, we didn’t think as one like wolves did. They had that advantage on us.

  I felt Daredevil’s hand slap down on my shoulder and then squeeze.

  “You did it, brother,” he said, and I turned to my brothers and found them smiling.

  “You convinced Hunter,” Jordan said, and I nodded my head. This was just the beginning.

  Chapter 4

  Elena

  They sat me down in the front row. Not that there were any rows. Just plastic chairs dotted around the fighting ring. I could have been the only female in that warehouse, either way; I hadn’t looked. All I knew was that I was in an abandoned warehouse, surrounded by big men with tattoos and in leather jackets.

  It wasn’t only the Snake Skulls guys who were there; I could see that the bulk of the crowd around me were from an MC. The Claws? I was trying to not stare at the patch on their jackets.

  They had driven me from the motel room to this warehouse, with my wrists bound again. They wanted me to see what they could do to other people, to instill fear in me. To make sure that I didn’t try running away.

  The three Snake Skulls guys stood around me, and I looked ahead, breathing hard, sweat trickling down my forehead. I could see the shifters being pre
pared to be thrown into the ring. I knew what was going to happen. I hadn’t seen a fight like this before, but I had heard of it. I knew Ace used to be one of these cubs; he was forced by Papi into doing exactly this. It made my stomach turn.

  “Elena…you are as beautiful as always,” I heard a voice behind me, and I whipped around in my chair to look. It was Juan. He looked older now. I knew him well when I was growing up. He used to be one of the teenagers in the fighting ring like Ace, but apparently, he had taken over the gang since Papi fell sick.

  “Juan, what are you doing to me?” I screeched, but my voice was drowned by the loud music and other people’s voices. Some of the biker guys turned to look in our direction, but they weren’t going to help me. The only reason they had even looked at me earlier was because I was a woman. I was nothing but a walking-talking pair of tits to them.

  “Calm yourself, sweetheart, you know exactly what is happening to you,” Juan walked around in front of me, and then reached out to stroke my hair. I yanked myself away from him, my chair toppled a little, and one of the guys pushed me forward again. They all laughed, including Juan.

  “Your Papi owes us money, he borrowed more than he could repay,” Juan said, with the smile still on his face.

  “He’s sick!” I screamed at him, trying to spit the words out but it didn’t affect Juan. He just smiled and stepped back.

  The fight was about to start behind him; the cubs had been led on to the ring. A bell went off somewhere, and everyone turned to pay attention. I was breathing hard through my nose as Juan came over to stand beside me. He placed a hand on my shoulder. A slimy cold hand that turned my body to ice. He was going to use me. He was going to hurt me. I knew he was.

  I gasped, crying out in terror when I saw the cubs lunge at each other. Their fur was matted, they didn’t even look like they had eaten in days. Both little tigers. I heard Juan laugh, and the others clapped and cheered as the boys took punches.

  I was screaming, even though I couldn’t hear my own voice. I saw the blood pouring down the one cub’s leg. His orange and white fur smeared with red streaks. The cub who won the fight would be the one getting food tonight, and a paycheck worth a few bucks. Both of them were as desperate for blood. It was natural shifter instinct, fight to survive.

  My throat ran dry; I couldn’t scream anymore.

  That was when I realized that my wrists weren’t tied anymore. One of the men had untied me at some point, confident that I wouldn’t be able to escape in a place like this, surrounded by hundreds of my enemies.

  Trying to even my breath, I gulped, and my eyes fell on the cell phone sticking out of Juan’s pocket. His crotch was at level with my face as he stood beside me. I looked up at him; Juan was grinning manically at the ring, cheering on the cub he had placed his bets on. None of them were staring at me anymore.

  I reached for the cell phone, repeating Papi’s phone number over and over again in my head. All I needed to do was warn him. To let him know that I was kidnapped and that they were going to come for him.

  When my hands touched the phone, I looked up at Juan again. He hadn’t noticed. I tried to slide it out, and he still hadn’t moved. I was so close if I could have it for just a few seconds. Just enough to send a text.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” One of the other guys had seen me. I felt all the blood drain from my face.

  I screamed when he grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me back in my chair. Juan was alerted now, and he glared at me with his nostrils flaring.

  “Elena, that was a big mistake, my girl,” he said and grabbed my shoulders and lifted me off the chair. I screamed and struggled in his grip as he plonked me down forcefully on the ground.

  None of the other men in that warehouse batted an eyelid. They didn’t turn to see what was happening to me.

  Nobody except the Snake Skulls men saw the punch that Juan landed on my jaw, throwing me back a few feet with force. I slumped on the floor, tasting the metallic flavor of blood in my mouth. I could feel my limbs aching and tears gushing down my cheeks. But I was glad I tried. I would try again if I had the chance. These men were not going to break me so easily.

  Chapter 5

  Ace

  I remembered the warehouse well. I was standing exactly where I was standing the last time we were here, except this time, it was more than just the three of us. Hunter had sent twenty-six of the Club members with me, and I was armed and ready to invade.

  I never went in for a war without saying a prayer, and my brothers respected me for it. So now, I stood with my eyes closed and my head hanging down as I said a silent prayer to God. The cubs needed to be rescued, and my brothers needed to walk out of there with their lives intact.

  From inside the warehouse, we could hear sounds of the ongoing fight. By day, this place wouldn’t have caught anybody’s attention. It looked like any other derelict, abandoned warehouse from the area, but right now, it was thumping with metal music and the loud cheers of people inside, with every punch that a shifter took.

  I clenched my fists, gritted my teeth and tipped my head at Daredevil. Hunter had given me the order to lead the raid, and so I took the first step.

  We burst into the warehouse, our guns in the air. A quick survey of the place told me that at least eighty percent of the Claws were in the place and there were also some faces that I didn’t recognize. Ahead, in the clearing, the ring had been set up as before, and two cubs were lunging at each other. Blood was coursing down to their whiskers, turning them unrecognizable.

  The Claws turned to us, while I stood at the head of my Club. The music continued playing in the background, but the cheers had died down. Despite the fact that the Claws outnumbered us, we had the element of surprise on our side. A lot of them, I was hoping, would not be armed or prepared for the bloodbath I was going to rain on them.

  I fired the first shot into the crowd, and the men growled.

  Daredevil, Beasty, and Jordan were by my side as we plunged ourselves into the depths of the Claws. We fired as much as we could, there were wounded men on the floor before my gun was knocked out of my hands. One of them had come up from behind, wound his arm around my neck and was in the process of crushing my windpipe. I clawed at his arm, elbowing his gut till his grip weakened. He was pulled away from me, and when I whipped around, I saw Beasty standing there, grinning.

  No gun? No problem, I ripped off my shirt and pants and felt the familiar change coming on me. I saw a man off to my left do the same. Go ahead idiot, my lions can crush your wolf any day of the week. My bones cracked and my claws protruded from my fingers. I shook out my mane as my paws hit the floor. My tail swished as I stood between Beasty and some Claw members who hadn’t been smart enough to shift yet.

  Someone came at him, and I jumped, forcing the weight of my body on him till I had him pinned to the ground. I clawed his arm and then knocked his head against the ground. He was knocked out cold, his jaw hanging loose.

  Another man tried to get close to me and I growled as I took a swing and missed. He was quick, but I was faster. I was glaring into the eyes of a Claws member with a scar right across his face. He was sporting a mad smile like he was enjoying it. Nobody was enjoying this as much as I was. I was on a mission, and he had no idea. I was trained to be a fighter in a ring just like this one.

  I leaped at him and wrapped my paws around his weak body. I smelled him, a human. He lay down on the ground panting. I couldn’t understand why the Claws would let a human into their Club. Especially a wolf dominated Club.

  “What do you guys want?” he growled out at me when I stood over him. Beasty grabbed his collar with both his hands and lifted him off the ground.

  “All these kids go free, or you all are dead,” Beasty said and knocked his forehead against the human’s. The force made him jerk back to the ground, where his head hit the concrete, and he was out cold.

  I looked around me. My brothers were neck and neck with the Claws. Some of them still had their guns in their hands while some of the others had changed and were fighting wolves and a few bears. I growled and sprinted towards the two guys who were holding Jordan by the neck.