C H A P T E R E L E V E N

{No going back...what did she have to lose?}

Hesperia's arms tightened around Dwayne's stomach, to the point she thought she was hurting him, but he made no complaint and she squealed as he lurched to a sudden stop at a set of wooden stairs.

Her heart thudded furiously, like the beat of a drum in her ears, and she smiled widely at him when he peeked at her over his shoulder, her anxiety with him and the rest of the group forgotten as she let herself enjoy the moment.

He returned it with a small smile of his own and she felt a pleasurable shiver race down her spine. His smile turned into a wolfish smirk at her reaction and he sped down the stairs; her body left the seat for a moment causing her to scream, sand flying from underneath the wheels. She was sure she'd be sore tomorrow but she could care less, leaning her head on his back as he raced along the sand and giggling as the wind whipped around them, loose strands of her raven hair escaping her bun.

Dwayne couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this genuinely content and he knew, he was extremely lucky to have this small moment of peace with his mate away from the others—a luxury they had yet to experience. He relaxed and enjoyed the ride as he felt her giggle again against his back with exhilaration. He'd never grow tired of that sound.

Hesperia lifted her head hearing a few whoops and shouts in front of them. Squinting her eyes against the wind she saw they were quickly approaching the rest of the group and broke out in laughs at the sight of Cassius, clinging on to the wild glam rocker like a petrified cat.

They quickly passed Marko, the ringlet adorned boy winking at her before he threw his head back and yelled into the dark abyss of the night. Her face betrayed her want to be neutral, turning up into a smile again and she buried her face in the the stoic mans jacket hoping Marko wouldn't see her reaction.

She looked at the cause of her bashfulness from the corner of her eye and she saw him mumble something like 'cute' before he smiled softly at her and slowed his bike, riding behind them.

The terrifying man, the cocky and stern leader was at the front of the group, looking back every so often like he was trying to make sure she was still there and hadn't disappeared, and that sent a thrill through her for some odd reason.

She was really beginning to grow confused with her own feelings. She wanted to hate them after everything that had happened in the last two days, they'd even threatened her brother for fuck's sake. Yet...no matter how hard she tried she was finding it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay mad at them.

After they'd left that dingey alley she felt all the fear and anxiety melt away, it was like her body wouldn't accept her fear of them and that really pissed her off. Like it was rejecting it and the normal reaction of any person who felt their morals being questioned constantly, she felt like she had no control of herself anymore.

She was awakened from her troubling thoughts as they pulled up alongside Cassius and the grouchy biker forced to have him hold on, both of whom turned their heads at their arrival. She beamed at them both and Cassius felt his angry frown turn up into a small but happy smile, glad she was actually enjoying herself.

Paul's eyes locked with hers and he wished that this moment could last forever before the relaxed atmosphere would inevitably be broken and she'd most likely want to run from them again, screaming in terror. She looked so pretty when she smiled and he was sure if his heart still worked it would have skipped a beat. He knew he was being uncharacteristically sappy, but he really couldn't give a fuck. A babe as hot as her deserved all the mushy thoughts he had to give.

They passed under the boardwalk, maneuvering through the wooden beams only missing them by inches. Suddenly, strangely, she felt herself become extremely drowsy despite the thrill she'd been feeling moments ago. The combination of the purr of the bike, the constant wind and the mysterious man's warmth only helped her become even more tired and she blinked her eyes sluggishly as she struggled to stay awake, not even caring about the speed they were travelling and the bumps that jolted her body every so often.

All her anxiety attacks always left her drained, but it was stranger than anything that she was falling asleep on a bike.

'Get a couple of minutes of sleep buttercup, I'll wake you when we get there. You deserve it.' Cassius promised, his light voice that whispered in her mind like a lullaby successfully making her even more lethargic. She leant her head against the cool leather jacket, trusting her brother and the firm hold the man before her kept on her hands to keep her safe, falling easily into a light sleep.

Dwayne felt her slump against his back and slowed his bike down slightly in efforts not to wake her or jostle her, firmly fastening the hand holding her joined ones that were locked around his stomach so she was more secure.

Cassius observed the action with scrutiny and was sort of surprised that the stoic man was taking that much care to be gentle and not wake her.

The rest of them, eerily considerate too, had stopped their hideous shouting. The only thing he could hear was the noises of the boardwalk that was growing smaller the further they got from it, as well as the loud hum of their bikes that they, too, had slowed to the point everything wasn't a blurry streak around him anymore.

As they travelled through a dark wooded area he gripped the man in front of him impossibly tighter and he barely heard him as he grumbled to himself. Honestly, Cassius had no idea how he'd managed to stay on the bike. The rocker wannabe drove like an absolute maniac and it didn't help that Cassius had decided to be extremely petty, leaning his body as far away from the man as possible at all opportunities, only holding onto him when the ground became uneven.

Mist suddenly surrounded them and he grew concerned when he could only just make out his sister's from in the distance, the head of wild cloud like hair didn't help him as it blew back into his eyes. He huffed irritably and pushed it away from him, yanking harshly on the teased tresses.

He could have sworn that whitesnake actually hissed at him for it.

The bike stopped abruptly, skidding dangerously close to the edge of what he now saw was a cliff. Cassius wasted no time, practically throwing himself off of the two wheeled death machine, so relieved to be on solid rocky ground that he nearly bent down to kiss the floor.

The tall arrogant ass of a man who'd tried to murder him with his reckless driving strutted past him and threw him a mean scowl, purposely bumping into his shoulder.

Cassius rolled his eyes and searched his sister out in the mass of mist for comfort, intent on waking her up as quickly as possible so he didn't have to suffer the band of miscreants alone.

He finally spotted her and frowned as he looked at the mysterious rider she'd chosen. The dark mystery of a man had turned his body so that he was facing her and she was now leaning on his arm, appearing to be contemplating the best way to wake her up.

Hesperia shivered as a cold wind rolled up from the sea, goosebumps rising on her skin. Dwayne, concerned, pulled her large jacket tighter around her, surprised when she snuggled closer to him and grabbed his arm, pushing her face further into the smooth material of his sleeve.

The other boys glared with unconcealed envy. They had yet to even touch her and there Dwayne was, smiling smugly at them as she clung to him like a sleepy koala. David rolled his eyes when Dwayne's grin morphed to be mocking. He was the definition of the cat who'd gotten the cream.

Dwayne refocused his attention on his mate again and was resolved to just lightly shake her shoulder to wake her up. If he had it his way he'd carry her in but he knew, she wasn't ready for such things yet.

Hesperia groaned and swatted at his hand like he was an irritating fly, missing by a long shot.

She'd smacked him dead in the face.

Woken abruptly, she shot up as Cassius, Marko and Paul broke into loud cackles. David chuckled to himself, satisfied as the gloating expression was wiped clean off of Dwayne's face.

Still in the clutches of sleep, Hesperia slowly turned her head to look at Dwayne; he found he couldn't stay mad at her as her tired and sleep glazed eyes stared right through him. She was just too sweet to be infuriated with, and he shook his head at how cute she was.

She peered around her curiously, still in the throes of foggy sleep, and finally she started to wake up as she took in her surroundings, or lack there of.

The only thing she could see was a lighthouse in the distance, the light shining on them all every ten seconds.

The other, slightly more intimidating piece of landscape, was a set of very old stairs that lead to something out of view. They were covered in various foreboding signs, the big one at the top in red and yellow broadcasting in blaring letters, 'stay out'.

Oh great, so these guys were crazy after-all, huh?

She turned to the group of laughing men, and voiced her concerns.

"Question...we're, uh, we're not going down the stairs that are literally telling us to keep out, are we?" She said, laughing nervously.

She knew her question was in vain when Marko grinned sneakily at her, his eyes sparking with mischief. She had already known the answer was yes but...she was hoping maybe this was some sort of prank. It wasn't too insane a theory, and she wouldn't put such things past them.

David took a moment to dismantle himself from his bike before he approached her and Dwayne. "Sadly darlin' that is the case, but there's nothing to be afraid of."  He eased her worries and smirked as he held his hand out for her to take, whispering, "Trust me?"

She stared at him unsurely for a moment, looking into his encouraging eyes for any sign of dishonesty; he was annoyingly and charmingly convincing with his cute little smirk.

Fuck it, what did she have to lose any way?

Slowly, giving herself time to back out and see if she'd call for an eager Cassius to take her away, she dithered unsurely...until she raised her hand to his, her heart racing when his cold leather glove met her hot skin.

Answers were needed, feelings explained.

There was no turning back now.

As he snagged her hand tightly, grip unrelenting, growing a smirk that chilled her to the bone over those stubble shadowed lips, Hesperia gulped.

She had a terrible feeling something wasn't right—that this was a mistake.

But it was too late, now.

She'd made her grave. Time to lie in it.