Tempting A Knight: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Hell's Knights MC Book 1), page 1
Tempting a Knight
Hell's Knights Book 1
Leann Ryans
Copyright © 2022 Leann Ryans
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Cover design by: Dazed Designs
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Epilogue
Thanks
Raider’s Treasure
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Chapter One
Brooke
What do you do when one of the baddest alphas you know decides he wants you during your next heat?
You find a bigger, badder alpha to take it instead.
Or you try to.
Tension crawled down my spine as I forced myself to keep my chin raised, though I didn’t meet the gaze of the male in front of me. My plan was insane. Completely desperate and ill-advised, but it was the only thing I could come up with to save myself from Arik.
“You want to what?”
The alpha’s tone was neutral, as if he was asking me the weather and not to repeat the most embarrassing thing I’d ever had to say. It didn’t matter that I’d known him once, he’d changed since then. Become dangerous, according to some. Bikers weren’t to be trusted.
Sucking in a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and met his dark gaze.
“I want to offer you my next heat. It should begin in about a week, and I—I’d appreciate you tending me through it.”
Not an ounce of emotion showed on the alpha’s face as he stared down at me. The noise of the garage seemed to have stopped as I spoke, but I refused to look around to see how many others were watching.
Massive arms rose to cross over a broad chest, white t-shirt doing little to hide the muscles and dark ink swirling beneath. Grease and dirt smeared his forearms, the tang of it blending with the virile, musky scent of him, teasing my nose even amidst all the other smells in the shop.
“Do I know you?”
The rumbled question sent a shiver through my core. His already deep voice had dropped further, the only sign he’d registered what I was offering. What I’d be submitting to if he accepted.
I’d known the alpha in front of me because he’d been best friends with my older brother, but I doubted he had ever noticed me back then, and that was a long time ago anyway. I had been just an awkward girl who’d yet to present when my brother got in trouble with one of the local gangs and was killed shortly after, but I remembered how close the two of them had been before the issues started.
“I’m Vincent Frost’s sister.”
I saw a flash of something in those chocolate eyes, but it was gone too fast for me to be sure what it was. Surprise? Grief? Arms dropping to his sides, he took a step closer, my own feet moving me back before I could resist the instinct to retreat from the powerful male.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
The way his voice scraped my insides had me taking another step back, heartbeat fluttering in my throat. I’d known it was crazy to approach Sebastian, but I was grasping at straws to save myself from what was coming. Arik was the last alpha I’d let use me, even if denying him meant my death.
I needed help.
I bit my lower lip to stop it from trembling. Blinking back tears, I dropped my gaze to the stained concrete, trying to come up with something to convince Sebastian to agree. This was the only plan I could come up with.
Before I could think of a valid reason, a large hand landed on my shoulder, startling a small yelp from my throat before I could choke it back. Spun around to face the open garage doors, I was thrust forward by the hard grip.
Chuckles followed as Sebastian marched me out of his shop. The size of it proved how well the business had done, and it provided a place for his motorcycle club to hang out during the day. I didn’t know much about the Hell’s Knights, but they were discussed in whispers just as much as the Purists. The main difference was that Sebastian’s club was more inclusive, and respected, and feared more by criminals than the average person.
Sebastian didn’t release my shoulder until I cleared the building, and I took two more steps before turning to face him again once he let me go. His ridicule would be better than what I’d face with Arik if I didn’t find a way out of his plans.
“Please.”
The whisper was pathetic, and shame burned my cheeks as I resorted to begging. Omegas were desired, shifter or not. They bore whatever they mated with, so there was plenty of interbreeding. I should have had alphas fighting over me, not be begging one to take pity on me and see me through my heat to save me from another.
The problem was finding one who didn’t answer to the Purists, wouldn’t claim me, and wouldn’t enjoy hurting me.
Movement to the right caught my attention but I ignored it to keep my gaze locked on the alpha in front of me. Even if they were Knights and a better choice than Arik, they weren’t who I was here for. It was hard enough to place my trust in a man I barely knew, but who my brother had trusted.
“Just for this cycle, then I’ll figure out something else before the next. I’m not asking you to claim me or do anything more. Just a couple days.”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed, features hardening, but he remained silent. The figure who’d approached from the side stepped into my field of vision, another grease-stained alpha, though smaller than Sebastian. His stringy hair was slicked back from a narrow face, grin sporting missing teeth despite being around my age.
“I’ll tend you through your heat, pretty. You say when and where, and my knot is yours.”
A shudder rolled down my spine at his leer, the way his eyes focused on my breasts as he adjusted his crotch making my stomach surge. The scent of something wet and dirty rolled off him, gagging me further. I parted my lips to form a denial, but a harsh growl rumbled through the air before the words could emerge from my throat.
Hands clutching my belly as it spasmed, I fought to stay upright under the weight of an alpha’s displeasure. As civilized as people tried to pretend they were, we were still animals at our core, and instincts were impossible to ignore. There were different kinds of growls, but this one was clearly full of rage, and it took a moment before I realized it came from Sebastian but wasn’t aimed at me.
Dark eyes locked on the second male, lips pulled back in a snarl as his canines elongated, the noise continued until the other alpha bowed his head and backed away, apology lost under the grating noise assaulting my nerves. Trembling, I stared at the ground and sucked in great gasps of air when it finally faded away, drenched in sweat and on the verge of tears.
I didn’t notice Sebastian move closer until his boots appeared on the concrete in front of me. Dragging my gaze up his body until my head tipped back, I was hit once again with how large he was. Human alphas were big, but shifter alphas tended to be even more massive.
Unlike the other male who’d approached, Sebastian’s scent wasn’t revolting. It wrapped around me, filling my lungs with each inhale and making my eyes try to roll back in my head as I shuddered.
The omega part of me knew this was a strong, dominant male, and was ready to roll over and present for him at the first sign of acceptance. The wholly female part enjoyed all that was before me. He was everything an alpha should be. Everything I desired rolled into one delicious package that I shouldn’t want beyond what I needed him for.
“Go home, Brooke, this isn’t the place for you. You’re better than this. Vincent would be disappointed.”
Chapter Two
Sebastian
My teeth were clenched so hard my temple
Her cheeks flamed red, lush lips parting at my jab. I didn’t like shaming her, but my words were nothing more than the truth. Brooke Frost was too good for anyone in my garage, my club, or this whole damn city. Her sweet innocence didn’t belong here.
I let out a huff as she turned in silence and stumbled back to the car she’d arrived in. She had seemed familiar when she walked through the open door and called my name, but I hadn’t placed her until she mentioned her brother. She’d changed a lot in the past few years.
Another stab of pain shot through my chest as I forced myself to turn away. Vincent had been my best friend growing up, the garage our shared dream, but now I was running it without him because of what I was, and a dumb decision I’d let him make.
I’d tried to talk him out of joining the Purists, but he hadn’t listened. Had insisted on working for them despite what they stood for. I knew he’d never shared their ideas of human superiority, but seeing him associating with them had left a bad taste in my mouth. He’d said it was the best way to make the money we needed for the garage, but I’d known they were involved in dangerous shit, and we should have stayed clear.
But Vincent had been right. He made a lot of money. Fast. Every penny of which went to his funeral less than a year after joining the gang that targeted shifters like me and the humans associated with them.
I shook my head and stomped back to the bike I was working on, lifting my gaze to see the others still watching me.
“Back to work.”
They jumped at my barked order, eyes turning back to the vehicles in front of them. I was generally laid back as long as the men got their shit done in a timely manner, but I wasn’t in the mood for prying eyes, or twenty questions. Brooke may not be my sister by blood, but she was the closest thing I’d ever had to one, and I’d beat any asshole who thought to take her up on her offer. I wouldn’t trust any of them not to claim her and trap her in this shitty city on top of the hell she’d catch for bonding with a shifter. The Purists were too prominent here to let that happen.
I could see the questions burning on the tips of their tongues. Queries about why I’d turn away an omega offering herself to me. Even if they guessed she was pure human, they didn’t know she was my dead best friend’s little sister and part of the pain I’d carried every day.
And I hadn’t known she was an omega.
I’d seen Brooke as a child of course, all knobby knees and awkward smiles. She’d grown into a hell of a woman while my head was buried in the garage, and a part of me soured at the thought that I’d failed Vincent by not keeping an eye on her after he passed. Even without being an omega she’d have drawn attention from any male she passed, and with a pair of human betas for parents, I doubted she’d had an easy time with boys while growing up. I should have been there to protect her.
Growling under my breath, I tried to push thoughts of Brooke aside. I didn’t know why she came to me with her request, but it was damned uncomfortable to crawl around a motorcycle with a boner jammed into my zipper.
Balls pinching as I shifted to reach for a bolt, I cursed and threw my wrench to the ground. There was only one way to solve my current problem so I could focus, and I stomped my way to the bathroom, hating every second.
Yanking my cock out of my jeans the second the door closed behind me, I didn’t waste any time. Taking it in a punishing grip, I jerked up and down the length, hissing at the pull before spitting to give myself a little lube.
I tried to keep my mind blank, but it was impossible not to think of Brooke. Her full pink lips as she asked me to tend her through her heat. The way her baby blue shirt clung to her breasts, full, and more than enough to fill my palm. Her hips had swelled out her white leggings, swaying when she walked and making me want to leave my dirty prints all over them.
I let out another string of growled curses as I came, one hand shooting forward to brace against the mirror as rope after rope of my seed painted the sink and the floor in front of me. Black fur had broken out along my arms, showing how on edge I’d been.
My knot didn’t even have a chance to swell as I strangled the demanding thing and forced it to finish draining. Groaning at the thought of having to clean up the mess, I reached for the paper towels and turned on the water as I fought back the shift. At least I’d be able to focus and do my job without an erection trying to rip through my jeans.
And hopefully Brooke wouldn’t come back, though my cock twitched in disappointment at the thought.
Ignoring it, I cleaned the sink and floor beneath before tossing the paper towels in the bin. There was nothing I could do about the smell, but the men knew better than to mess with me when I was in a mood. Any idiot dumb enough to open his mouth would get the shit schedule for a month and be scrubbing the garage from top to bottom. There was enough dirt collected in the rafters to keep them busy for a week.
Brooke had to be insane coming to me after all these years, making that kind of request. Omegas had their pick of partners. She knew I was a wolf. She’d always seemed like the good girl type who’d settle down with a quiet beta human and have the usual two point five kids and the white picket fence. Preferably somewhere outside the city, after getting a degree from a college her brother and I had been too dumb and short sighted to attend.
Insane… Or in trouble.
Frown tipping down the corners of my mouth, I stepped out of the bathroom and fought to subdue the sudden urge to track her. The Brooke I remembered hadn’t been an omega. She’d been quiet, and shy, but smarter than her age suggested. Not someone who’d come to a biker garage asking a virtual stranger to fuck her while she was at her most vulnerable. She knew better than to trust that easily.
Adding up the years in my head, I was honestly surprised she was still in town since I’d have expected her to be in college already. She was plenty smart enough to make it. Given the chance, she should have gotten as far from here as she could, so why hadn’t she?
Possibilities turning over in my head, I went back to work on the bike. My hands knew what to do even if my mind wasn’t on the repair, and there was nothing to stop the distraction I was chasing.
What if something had happened? Was she in trouble?
I clenched my teeth and set to finishing my work as fast as possible. I wasn’t going to be able to rest until I’d checked on Vincent’s family and was sure everything was okay.
I just needed to do it without running into his little sister again, or I might lose control of my baser urges and accept her offer.
Chapter Three
Brooke
“You’re getting closer.”
The words billowed against the side of my neck, the stench of smoke on his breath making me gag. I was pressed against the wall so hard I was surprised I hadn’t become a part of it, but it wasn’t enough to save me from Arik.
He sucked in another breath with his nose buried in my neck, the rumble he released on exhale not affecting me the way Sebastian’s had. Arik made my skin crawl, but there was nothing I could do to avoid him when he cornered me at work.
The bell above the entrance jingled, announcing the arrival of another customer. I’d been trying to stock the shelves when Arik arrived and waylaid me, so I couldn’t see the person who entered.
“I-I need to get back to work.”
Arik’s hands pressed against the wall on each side of me, hemming me in. Footsteps moved through the aisle next to us, but he didn’t seem to care that we may have an audience. He pictured himself as above everyone else, and anyone who knew who he was wouldn’t interfere on my behalf. Even if they didn’t, it wasn’t likely someone would be willing to put themselves between an alpha and omega, even if the omega seemed to be in distress. Alphas were too powerful to risk enraging if they didn’t have good control.
