Heartless (Steel Demons MC #6) - Crystal Ash Page 0,105

on you.

Reaper thought he was protecting me by sending Shadow away. He knew I’d be upset, but saw it as a fair trade-off for keeping me safe in the long term. I’d always known he was a man of absolution. He took no half-measures. His decisions were final, permanent. This was just another example of that.

I shook my head with a groan and rubbed my temples. He deserved an apology for what I said, for taking the ring off, but I wasn’t ready to forgive him. I wasn’t sure when or if that day would ever come.

A tapping sound brought my gaze up, and I spotted Horus peering at me through the window. As much as I didn’t want to leave bed, I slipped out and went to slide the pane open. Chilly air rushed into the room, and I rubbed my arms against the cold.

Fresh air and sunlight will do you good, daughter.

Like Hades, Horus’s voice sounded ancient. Powerful enough to rattle through my sore head, but right then he spoke with a gentleness, like a parent would to soothe a child. And he was right. I could already breathe easier, the cool air feeling like it revitalized my lungs and calmed the puffiness of my face.

“Do you know where he went?” I asked the falcon.

I see him, the bird answered. I always do.

“Is he okay?”

No. But he is alive.

I pulled in a deep breath, looking out over the landscape below my window.

“Will he come back?”

Not without a reason.

My gaze returned to the small, fearsome bird perched on my windowsill. He’d never come to me on his own, not without Gunner nearby, and had certainly never spoken to me before. But here he was now, like he’d been waiting for this moment to speak to me.

“I have to go find him.” The words flew out of my mouth without a thought. “I have to give him a reason to come back.”

Yes, Horus said, as though it were obvious. But not yet, daughter.

“When?”

I will tell you when the time is right. The bird fluffed up his feathers before smoothing them down again. Shadow must learn to fly and he has only just opened his wings.

Epilogue

SHADOW

One Week Later

I finally hit my breaking point where I needed to stop. Everything ached when I pulled up to the service center, another hotel from before the Collapse that had been converted into something between a hostel and brothel. I’d crashed in a few of them throughout my long, aimless journey, but never for more than a night. This time, I needed to stay in one place for a bit. A week or so to figure out what I would do next.

This particular service center also had a bar, from what the blinking neon lights in the windows claimed. Now that I could no longer be properly medicated, it was back to booze to chase away the nightmares.

Parking out front, I noticed a few motorcycles and muscle cars out in a side yard that had seen better days. They were cobwebbed and filthy, but some had to be in driving condition.

I pulled the front door open to a dark, smoke-filled bar. A middle-aged man with glasses wiped down the bar, while a much younger woman in ripped stockings, a miniskirt, and a cropped T-shirt stood on a stepladder to put away bottles. Lounging around in arm chairs and low couches scattered across the room, a few other women drank and talked. Service girls, naturally. A couple of whom looked pregnant.

“Welcome,” the man called jovially to me. “What’re you lookin’ for? A drink? A room? A good time? All three?”

“Uh, just a drink and a room,” I said, approaching the bar. “For a few nights, if that’s available.”

The woman next to him jumped down from her stepladder, whirling around to face me. She had dark makeup on and several piercings through her nose, lips, and eyebrows. “How’re you payin’?”

“Well, I saw your junkyard out front. I know basic vehicle maintenance if you’re looking to sell or get those running again.”

The woman elbowed the older man, who shot her an annoyed look.

I cleared my throat. “I’m, uh, also a tattoo artist. I’ll be happy to trade ink for room and board if that sounds fair.”

“Ooh, tattoos?” The woman’s eyebrows shot up, dark lips pulling into a smile. “Can you do any style?”

“Just about. I can show you flash art if you’d like.”

“Oh, yes! Doc, let him stay.” She put her elbows on the bar, cradling her face