CHAPTER 7: War

ELARA’S POV

The ride to the clubhouse was torture in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

Every time Knox accelerated, my body pressed closer against his back. 

I could feel the heat radiating through his leather jacket, the solid muscle beneath my palms, the way his abs contracted under my fingers when he shifted gears.

I tried to focus on anything else. The wind whipping past us. The trees blur into streaks of green. The roar of the engine drowned out my thoughts.

But all I could think about was last night.

The way his mouth felt on mine. His hand tangled in my hair. The way he’d looked at me like I was the only thing in the world worth having.

Stop it, Elara.

Jason had cheated on me three days ago. Three days. I had no business letting another man kiss me, touch me, make me feel things I’d never felt in six years with my fiancé.

Ex-fiancé.

The word still felt strange.

Knox slowed as we approached the clubhouse, pulling into the familiar gravel lot packed with motorcycles. He killed the engine but didn’t move right away.

Neither did I.

My hands were still on his stomach. I could feel his breathing, steady and controlled, completely unlike mine.

“We’re here,” he said quietly.

I pulled my hands back like I’d been burned and climbed off the motorcycle. My legs felt unsteady, though I wasn’t sure if it was from the ride or from being pressed against him for twenty minutes.

Knox dismounted and took the helmet I’d forgotten I was still wearing. His fingers brushed mine as he took it.

That simple touch sent heat rushing through me.

What is wrong with me?

“Elara?”

I looked up to find him watching me with those piercing blue eyes, the ones that seemed to see straight through every wall I’d ever built.

“Your neck,” he said, his voice dropping lower. “You might want to…” He gestured vaguely.

My hand flew to the spot he’d marked last night. The hickey. I’d completely forgotten about it in my rush to avoid him this morning.

“Do you have makeup in your bag?” he asked.

I shook my head. I’d packed light, not expecting to stay long enough to need a full beauty routine.

Knox’s jaw tightened. He pulled off his leather jacket, revealing a black t-shirt that clung to every muscle I’d just been pressed against.

He draped the jacket over my shoulders. “Keep the collar up.”

The jacket was warm from his body heat and smelled like him. Leather and aftershave and something darker, and more dangerous.

I pulled it tighter around myself, suddenly grateful for the coverage even though the morning was already warm.

“Thank you,” I said softly.

His eyes held mine for a moment longer than necessary. “Don’t thank me for fixing problems I created.”

Before I could respond, the clubhouse door swung open.

Inside, the familiar scent of whiskey and leather hit me immediately. 

The place looked exactly as it had two days ago…worn leather couches, a long bar, motorcycle parts scattered on tables like decorations.

But something felt different.

The men weren’t just drinking and talking. 

They were cleaning weapons and counting ammunition.Like they were preparing for a war.

“Princess.”

I turned to find Rylan approaching us, his face etched with exhaustion. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and I wondered if he’d slept at all since Dad died.

He pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m sorry about last night. You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said into his shoulder. “Knox got there in time.”

Rylan pulled back and looked at Knox over my shoulder. “Thank you. Again.”

Knox just nodded.

Rylan’s eyes lingered on me for a moment, and I prayed he wouldn’t notice the hickey hidden beneath the collar of Knox’s jacket. 

“We need to talk,” Rylan said, gesturing toward a back room. “Both of you.”

My stomach dropped.

Knox and I followed Rylan into what used to be Dad’s office. The sight of his desk, still covered in papers and maps, made my chest tighten.

Rylan closed the door behind us and leaned against the desk, arms crossed.

“We have a problem,” he said without preamble. “The Skulls aren’t just coming after us randomly. They’re specifically targeting Vipers’ families.”

My blood ran cold.

“How do you know?” Knox asked.

“Because they hit Martinez’s wife yesterday. She’s in the hospital. Critical condition.” 

Rylan’s jaw clenched. “They also went after Crow’s sister. She got lucky and escaped through a back window.”

“They’re trying to break us from the inside,” Knox said. “And make us weak.”

“Exactly.” Rylan’s eyes found mine. “Which is why you can’t go back to New York. Not until this is over, I wanted to allow you to go but this is serious.”

“What?” The word came out sharper than I intended. “Rylan, I have a life there. We have talked about this. My photography business, my apartment…”

“Can wait,” Rylan interrupted. “Your life is more important than your business.”

“You can’t just hold me here…”

“I can and I will.” His voice was steel. “I already lost Dad. I’m not losing you too.”

I wanted to argue, to tell him he couldn’t control me, but the look in his eyes stopped me.

He was terrified.

“How long?” I asked instead.

“Until we end this war.” Rylan looked at Knox. 

“Which brings me to why I called you both here. We’re accelerating our timeline. Hitting the Skulls hard and fast before they can hurt anyone else we care about.”

“When?” Knox asked.

“Tomorrow night. We have intel on their main warehouse. We’re going to burn it to the ground.”

My stomach churned. “That’s going to get people killed. Our people. Their people.”

“They already got people killed,” Rylan said quietly. “Martinez’s wife is dying because of them. We don’t have the luxury of playing nice anymore.”

I looked at Knox, searching his face for any sign of doubt, any hesitation.

There was none.

This was who they were. Who they’d always been.

Warriors. Killers. Men who solved problems with violence because violence was the only language they spoke fluently.

“What do you need from me?” Knox asked.

“I need you to keep doing what you’re doing. Keep Elara safe, until the funeral which is the day after tomorrow. After that…” He trailed off, his expression darkening. “After that, we finish this.”

He left without another word, closing the door behind him.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

“He’s going to get himself killed,” I said quietly.

“He’s doing what he has to do.” Knox moved closer, close enough that I could smell his aftershave again. “To protect you. To protect all of us.”

“By starting a war?”

“They started it when they killed Tiger.”

I turned away, my hands clenching into fists. “I hate this. I hate all of it. The violence, the revenge, the endless cycle of blood and death. This is exactly why I left.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” I spun back to face him. “Do you really? Because you seem perfectly fine with it. With killing people. With getting shot. With…”

“Watching you angry makes me feel like kissing you”

My face flushed. “That was a mistake.”

“Was it?”

Knox stepped back immediately, putting distance between us just as one of the Vipers…a man I didn’t recognize…stuck his head in.

“Knox, Rylan needs you. Now.”

Knox’s entire demeanor shifted, becoming all business. “What happened?”

“Skulls just hit one of our supply routes. Crow’s missing.”

Knox was already moving toward the door. He paused only long enough to look back at me.

“Stay here. Don’t leave this room until I come back.”

Then he was gone, leaving me alone in my dead father’s office, my heart racing and my body still aching for a man I absolutely couldn’t have.

I sank into Dad’s chair and buried my face in my hands.

What am I doing?