Chapter Eighteen Part One
Raya St Claire

Everyone was already seated around the meeting room’s table when the newcomer decided to join us. He had no reason to be late seeing that we left my room at the same time after our encounter but I guess he had business to take care of, that business being his ‘excitement’ after the make-out session the two of us had on my bed this morning.

His hair was disheveled and his shirt was slightly crumpled. His lips were also slightly swollen.

I couldn’t help the fact that my cheeks burned at the thought of our encounter, but then I remembered how pissed Bear was still at me, and the thought of kissing the newcomer and how good it actually felt vanished into thin air, and in its place was pure guilt, my chest actually tightened, because while I was having a full-on make-out session with the newcomer this morning, Bear was still walking around the mansion feeling like he lost the love of his life.

The feeling of the newcomer’s lips on mine and his hands on my hips still lingered, though.

The newcomer smiles apologetically at Archie, who just beckons for him to sit down next to me. A few days ago I would have scowled at the thought of having him sit so close to me, but today I grew hot and feverish, still being able to recall how his hands felt on my body and how the mint mixed with a subtle hint of nicotine tasted on my tongue, and my cheeks grew hot all over again.

Archie’s voice makes me snap out of it, bringing me back to the table, at the present times. “Glad you could finally join us, Ezra,” Archie says, smiling softly at him, “I’ve set the meeting for today because I want to discuss your initiation, but there’s also something else I’d like to discuss before we go into the entire initiation ceremony.” Archie drums his fingers against the oak table, his smile from earlier vanishing into thin air. Seeing Archie not smiling made me shiver in my seat, it was never a good sign if Archie didn’t smile, and whatever he wanted to discuss was most likely very, very serious. “The guys back at the club, at Geoffrey’s grand reopening that night… Apparently they will not stop until they get their crates back.”

“It’s not their crates anymore,” Rossi says, shrugging, “they should stop moping about it.”

Archie’s lips pull into a firm line. “They’re still moping.” Archie says, looking at me and only me. “Raya has nearly been killed again, by the same guy who had her in a knife chokehold.”

“What?!” Bear nearly choked on air trying to spit out the word. “That bastard got to her again? When the hell was this?” He asks, looking directly at Archie, and not at me at all.

I didn’t miss the way his hands were balled into fists. It told me that he still cared about me despite us fighting at the moment, and that brought a smile to my lips. Bear still cared about me.

The newcomer, on the other hand, shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “He didn’t just get to her,” the newcomer spits, “that fucking bastard tried gutting her.” He cracks his neck from side to side. There’s silence for a few seconds before he speaks again, but this time his anger was directed toward Bear. “She wouldn’t have been gutted if it weren’t for your fucking moping and Raya’s need to leave the environment because of it.”

Bear nearly jumps up from his chair, and he would have if Storm didn’t catch him in time. “You should watch your fucking mouth, newbie. You’re not part of this gang yet. I will kill you a—”

“ENOUGH!” Archie shouts. “It’s not Bear’s fault. It could have happened anywhere.” He says.

Bear sits back in his seat, glaring at the newcomer like he wanted to gut him right here and now. The newcomer also glared at Bear, but I noticed a smirk trying to make its appearance, too, but he managed to keep it at bay, but I think if Archie weren’t seated at the table, he would have pushed Bear to his limits, and no one lived to tell the tale because once Bear lost his cool, there was always bloodshed. The newcomer was playing a dangerous game now and he didn’t know it.

“Can I have a word, please?” I ask once the table has calmed down. “I wasn’t nearly gutted. The newcomer here likes to pull things way out of proportion. I had things under perfect control—”

The newcomer chuckles humorlessly. “Under control? Yeah, let’s go with that one.”

“We have gone a long time and managed not to cut each other’s throats, newcomer, let’s not start today.” I glare at him. “If you didn’t interrupted us, I would have had him where I wanted him.”

“Oh right, because him having the upper hand is having everything under control. You could have died. If I didn’t interrupt you, you would have had your head on a platter right about now.”

“Okay. Okay.” Archie says. “Let’s just calm down.”

“I am calm.” I shrug. “I just hate it when you guys are trying to protect me when I clearly have things under control. I am a grown woman, I can handle myself. I can also handle a damn blond guy with a knife, thank you very much.” I looked at the newcomer as I voiced the last sentence.

“When was this?” Bear asks, looking at me.

I went completely still, not believing my eyes.

Bear was looking at me for the first time in a very long time. I suddenly didn’t know what to do, or what to say. I didn’t want him to retreat into his shell again by saying the wrong damn thing.

“It was the day I excused myself—”

“It was the day she had to excuse herself from the table because you couldn’t stop giving her the cold shoulder, making her uncomfortable and making her feel like complete shit.”

Storm’s eyes widened. Rossi and the twins just sat there, watching the scene unfold in front of them. And Archie, well, he also just sat there. He always left us to sort our shit out, but he only stooped it if he knew that it would get too out of hand. The vein in Bear’s forehead looked like it wanted to burst, and the newcomer, well, the newcomer looked slightly calm and that scared me.

Some people were expressionless when angry and some showed it all over their faces. Like Bear.

I have to stop this before it ends badly. And quickly.

“I can speak for myself.” I tell him, placing my hand on his arm. It was a mistake because Bear eyed the gesture and his gaze on the newcomer hardened. I took my hand away, and folded my hands in my lap instead. “I went to Geoffrey’s, okay? I needed some air and the only way I can do that is if I’m at Geoffrey’s. And besides, I wasn’t alone. The newcomer saved the damn day.”

Bear pinches the bridge of his nose and fixed his gaze on Archie. “I’m going to kill ‘em all.”

“They will get what they deserve,” Archie says, “we still have time to plan everything, but now that this attack on Raya was discussed, I think we should discuss Ezra’s initiation ceremony before there’s going to be bloodshed at this table this afternoon. Before we can finally welcome you into the NC, you’d have to go through a little initiation ceremony, or a test if you will. It’s to see if you’re really capable of being a member of the NC. It’ll test the skills that you have.”

“I’m ready for anything.” The newcomer says.

He was looking at Bear when he said that.

“I wouldn’t say that too confidently, Ezra,” Storm says with a sly smile, “if you manage to survive the wrath that is called Raya St Claire, only then can you be ready for anything. Because if you can survive her, you can survive anything.”

Ezra does a double take and a frown takes over his forehead. “I’m sorry, did you just say survive the wrath that is called Raya St Claire? What exactly am I supposed to do?”

I clap my hands together happily, smiling at him. “We’re going to have a little ring fight. If you can go three rounds without tapping or passing out, and manage to succeed in a series of trials that Archie would lay out for you, you’re officially going to be joined into the gang. The NC.”

“I couldn’t care less about the trials,” the newcomer says, “I will not be fighting a damn girl.” He touches the base of his neck, shaking his head repeatedly as if he was trying to process the words. “I will not be fighting you. I am a guy and I am way stronger than you are. It’s unfair.”

“I wouldn’t say that too confidently either,” Rossi says, “Raya’s no ordinary girl. You’ll see that once you’re in the ring. She’s a fucking savage. I think she broke three of my fingers in the ring.”

“And the trials?” The newcomer asks. “What do those entail? Fighting with an actual bear?”

“We have to test your abilities. Your skills.” Archie says. “You’ll have twenty seconds to shoot five targets in the yard, and you’ll have a minute to throw three knives at the targets as well. Each target you shoot at should be near the bull’s eye, or on the actual bull’s eye. Fail to complete any of the trials given, or the fight in the ring with Ray, you’ll be declared unfit.”

As Archie explained the trials to Ezra, I noticed that he didn’t look so worried about the time limit on each target, not like when Archie told him that he was going to have a fight with me.

I guess I was intimidating to him after all.