Heart Recaptured (Hades Hangmen 2)

Lilah released her hand and cupped Mae’s cheek.

“I am fine, sister. It is no worse than what I—what we both—have suffered before.”

“Who did this to you?” she asked, getting real pissed.

“Tiff and Jules. They were jealous and angry at my spending time with Ky. They wanted to join with me… tried to force their attentions on me…” Mae sucked in a breath and had to look away. “Ky… I mean, Letti… punished them under club rules. It is resolved now. We can discuss it at a later time. But we both know why they did it…” Lilah trailed off.

Now that made me sit up straight.

I had no idea what she was fuckin’ talking about. What the fuck kinda thing was she thinking that would make it understandable why Tiff and Jules wanted to suck on her tits and get all up in her pussy?

Mae’s face saddened and she pressed kisses to Lilah’s palm. “You know I do not believe that, sister.”

Lilah just shrugged.

Mae leaned back and stood up; Styx automatically moved behind her and wrapped an arm around her chest. His eyes were tight, his mouth hard. With one look, I knew what he was saying to himself. What the fuck went down at my club when I was away, and why the fuck am I just hearing about it now? I held up my hand to signal I’d tell him about it later. He clenched his jaw and took a long swig of Beam.

Styx leaned down to Mae and whispered something into her ear. Mae’s gaze snapped back and she shook her head in refusal at whatever he was saying. Styx’s gaze hardened further and he looked to me, clicking his fingers.

“Translate,” he signed. Mae chewed nervously on her thumb, her worried gaze always on Lilah.

Styx released Mae to turn to face the brothers and whistled through his fingers until everybody looked our way. Styx looked back and waved me over to stand beside him, bringing Mae to stand in front of him.

Brushing my lips past Lilah’s ear, I said, “Be back in a minute, sweet cheeks. Sit beside Hush and Cowboy while I translate for prez.”

Lifting Lilah, I placed her on the bench, and she smiled shyly at my brothers. My chest fuckin’ expanded. She was gradually coming out of her shell. I prayed nothing else happened to send her back to what she was like before. Tiff and Jules, the cunts, had nearly ruined everything. At least now they were burning in hell. Letti had slit their throats and sent them to the boatman—no coins on their eyes. Lilah didn’t know that piece of information, and never ever would.

“You ready?” I asked Styx. He freed his hands from Mae.

“We’re gonna make this quick,” Styx signed, and I verbalized his words. The brother’s arms went over Mae’s shoulders, his hands still free as he signed, “I asked my woman to marry me. She said yes. Thought y’all should know there’s gonna be a Hangmen wedding.”

I translated without really taking in the words, too busy watching Lilah. But when the place erupted into howls and smashing bottles… I cast a double take in Styx’s direction.

He was already looking at me, waiting for my reaction, and he shrugged, signing, “It was always the bitch with the wolf eyes from behind the fence. Now I’m making it legit.”

Genuinely happy and beaming a fuckin’ huge smile at my brother, I pulled him to my chest. “Another one bites the dust, hey, fucker?”

Styx jabbed me in the stomach, then looked questioningly at Lilah still sitting on the bench, seeming shell-shocked, and then looked back at me with a raised brow. My stony face clearly told him not to push whatever he was implying, and he walked away to pull Mae away from Beauty and Letti who were interrogating his woman to fuck.

Turning, I looked down to Lilah, who was as white as a damn ghost; she was sitting awkwardly between Cowboy, Hush, and now AK, her chest jerking and her hand rubbing at her sternum. Kneeling, I took Lilah’s clasped hands between mine and flicked my head at my brothers to scram.

Doing as I ordered, Lilah and I were left alone. She was chewing on her lip, her eyes staring off into nowhere, bright with panic.

“What’s going on in that head, sweet cheeks?”

Taking in a ragged breath, Lilah shook her head, her eyes now focused on Mae and Styx as they were congratulated by the brothers and old ladies of the Hangmen. Tears filled her eyes. I glanced down to our joined hands. Hers were shaking.

Tugging her closer, I asked, “Lilah, what the fuck’s going on? Why the fuck are you shaking? Talk to me,” I pushed quietly, not wanting to draw the attention of anyone else in the yard.

Lilah’s big blues locked on mine and she began shaking her head back and forth, slow tears tumbling down her pale cheeks. “And the third-born Cursed temptress of The Order shall join in holy matrimony with the revealed prophet of the Lord. Her devil-tainted soul will be purified, rid of Eve’s sin, as will all of the fallen daughters of Eve. This sacred joining of the prophet’s wife shall signal the end of days, the triumph of light over darkness, of God’s strength over Satan.”

Lilah’s hands squeezed mine with every line she spoke. I frowned, not understanding the shit spilling from her mouth.

“Lilah, calm the fuck down,” I whispered harshly and glanced behind to make sure her crazy wasn’t being overheard. I immediately crashed gazes with Mae, whose eyes went to Lilah; fear and disappointment shined in their depths.

Lilah began rocking, repeating those words over and over, her voice getting louder, starting to pull the focus of my brothers and their bitches.