In the Arms of the Beast (Kings of Hell MC 5)

Driving on a highway while staying invisible was always stressful, so Gray was glad to park by the concert venue and have that part of the job over with. The hot presence Shadow obscured had him with slid off like sweet-scented balm, and the body attached to Gray finally stirred to life.

Shadow stretched with a groan. “I’m so stiff.”

Gray smiled at him and squeezed his lover’s hand, which remained unnaturally cold after the ride. “Maybe I can help you relax later,” he said, and unstrapped them.

Shadow grinned with a predatory glint in his eyes when he hugged Gray tight and picked him up. Feeling his strength never got old. After so many years, Shadow had matured and wasn’t as wide-eyed about everything anymore, but he’d never lost that strand of sweetness Gray loved so much.

“Never heard a more tempting offer.”

Gray was still enchanted by their closeness, but the job needed to be done, so he knocked on Shadow’s forehead. “Pleasure later. Let’s see them inside.”

Shadow gave Gray a kiss before putting him down. “You were the one teasing.” He stepped aside, because it would be much harder to blend into the crowd if they were too openly affectionate.

Gray used to be uncomfortable with PDA, but the kind of symbiotic relationship he and Shadow had made it impossible to hold back sometimes. Whenever he looked back at his past lovers, he was struck with the emptiness hidden behind the facade of short-lived love, but in Shadow he found a true companion. Someone who would never leave and felt as much a part of Gray’s life as his own limbs.

“Sorry. You’re too tempting,” Gray said before following the stream of people gravitating toward the club. At forty-two, he no longer blended in with the young crowd as easily, but his slim figure and modern clothes did the trick. He didn’t have to be stealthy, because the Mercier brothers made so much noise they seemed unaware that there were other people around them.

It was dark inside the venue too, which made Gray’s confidence grow, and he squeezed Shadow’s hand as they hid behind a pillar and watched the boys crowd the bar counter on the other side of the room. Loud music already blared from speakers, but the venue wasn’t yet full, and the staff were adjusting cables on the stage.

Gray ran his hand down his face when Louis started making out with the guy they’d picked up on the way, drawing so much attention Dexter yelled at someone for staring at his brother.

This would be a long night.

Shadow poked Gray’s side and pointed to the other side of the room with his head. “Isn’t Jasper too old for a nanny?”

Gray knew what he’d see even before he spotted Malachite creepily watching the boys from behind another metal pillar. If he kept that up, some young lady would report him. “None of them is too old for a nanny, considering that we’re here too,” he said and chose Malachite’s phone number.

The guy picked it up and answered in his strange, raspy voice. “Yes?”

Gray rolled his eyes. “To your left. We see you.”

Malachite exhaled. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

Malachite walked their way. “Sick Sisters are playing tonight.”

Shadow sniggered. “Sure, that’s what brought you here.”

When Malachite squeezed behind their pillar, Gray turned off his phone. “Let’s make this mutually beneficial. You stay and creep on the kids and we can go away for a few hours. Text us when they leave.”

Malachite crooked his head. “How is that mutually beneficial?”

“We don’t tell Jasper you’re here,” Gray said with a slight smile.

Malachite’s shoulders hunched. “I understand.”

But there were only so many places one creepy man could be at once, so when

Gray spotted Marcel gravitating toward the exit, away from his brothers, he pulled Shadow with him.

They followed the straying lamb. Gray imagined Marcel wanting to go back on the minibus to read a book, but no, the sneaky little snake in the grass turned the corner once outside and walked into a tiny alleyway. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, leaning against the wall of the club. Naughty naughty.

Gray wondered how the little bastard kept the smell out of his long hair, especially since Laurent would have noticed. Unable to get any closer without once again leaving Shadow’s body limp, they ended up climbing to the roof of the low building and moved to wait out this dumb situation.

But when Gray had been ready to write the whole thing off as a smoke break, a man entered the alleyway, dressed in a weird top featuring a pink tiger and a cap that cast a shadow on his face.

“You Lee?” he asked, setting off alarms in Gray’s head. Marcel, the good boy, was hooking up with strangers in a back alley? That was new.