Bound In Secrets : A Death Kings Novel

**Storm**

"What do I do?"

"Can you be more specific? Like I don't know, give me a hint or something, Storm?"

"Carley. She is Gator's niece," I growl at my best friend and stepsister.

"Are you talking about Sawyer?" She questions me.

"Who else would I be talking about?" I say frustratingly.

"Okay. I know Sawyer is a Death King. So am I. Why is this such a big deal to you?" She questions and I halt my running.

I was so angry that I went for a run and called Carley to get her advice. Maybe I should have called Jase or Weston instead.

"She doesn't need our protection," I ground between clenched teeth.

"Why is that a problem?" She asks me.

"Because he was under the notion that they needed to return to protect her," I hear Jase comment.

Over the past three years, we have grown close to the members of C.H.A.O.S. once we put aside our dick-measuring contest for Carley's attention. Sure, we wanted her on our team to be our medic, but I also couldn't deny the fact of how much Carley loves them. They are equally in love with her. She is their greatest obsession, and they will always protect her.

In my head, I thought Sawyer would be more like Carley, needing to be protected.

"Sawyer isn't like you," I comment, feeling defeated.

"Not at all. Sawyer is a lot more like Ali than me. I don't like to kill, but she doesn't mind it at all. Sawyer is vicious and powerful. She is a King not just by marriage or blood. She has earned her title," Carley tells me.

"I'm such an idiot!" I shout, punching the nearest tree. I hear the crunch of a knuckle fracturing.

"She is not a woman who needs anyone to protect her. Have you not heard the rumors surrounding Seraphim?" Jase questions.

I realize I'm on speakerphone. "Seraphim? Is that Sawyer?" I ask.

"Yes, it is!" Carley chirps.

"Ask around, Clyde," Jase suggests.

I wish he would just tell me, but I understand he wants me to learn things on my own. This is a growing experience. I want to hate his wisdom, but I know it's the best way for me to learn. "Fine," I sigh, cradling my hand.

To make my life more interesting, I hear a hiss that has me freezing his place. I grew up in Louisiana. I know what makes that sound. I slowly turned around to find a large alligator.

"What was that sound?" Jase asks curiously. I'm glad I have my headphones in to have my hands free.

"That would be the giant ass gator warning me away. He is right in front of me." I say to him, backing away from it.

"Oh wow! That's crazy!" Carley says in surprise.

"Nah. That's Louisiana. Gators are everywhere around here, Cactus," I reply to her, keeping my eye on the territorial alligator as I back away slowly.

"Easy dere. I'm leaving," I tell it in a low voice.

I'm not about to run. Gators can move surprisingly fast for their size. They can reach up to 35 miles per hour on land. If it doesn't catch me quickly, I can outrun it distance-wise since they tire quickly, even so, I am not about to press my luck. "I don't hear any screaming, so I'm going to assume you made it safely away from the giant reptile I don't want anywhere near," I hear Jase say.

I'm now far enough away that I can continue my jog. "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for the concern, Alpha," I respond to him and then snort.

"No problem, Clyde. You still enjoying being home?" Jase questions.

"I am. What's your issue with gators?" I ask curiously.

Jase scoffs. "Tee, of course. If those creatures are anything like that man, I don't want to be on the bad side of one."

I hummed low in my throat at him. "You have a point. Especially after seeing him and Demon snap necks like they were toothpicks." I respond, thinking back to the fight we were caught in the middle of between the Damned Forsaken and the Ravagers to rescue the man I'm talking to now. Those two men are monsters.

"We are doing fine. We've been buying up what we can of the town, but between the Seraphim Serpents and the Death Angels MC is proving to be difficult. I think we might have run the Serpents out of Grêle," I comment with my answer to his previous question.

I hear Jase chuckle with the sound of Carley retching in the background. "That's going to be tough, brother. Before you ask, you'll figure out why on your own," he says, as if he could read my mind.

I grumble at him about his being cryptic. "Did you guys knock Carley up again?" I ask, curious about why she is puking her guts up so early in the morning.

"Yes, and this time we have no clue which one of us got the job done this time. With Brennan, it's obvious he is mine, but this one... we have no clue. We know for sure it isn't Ransom's since he's sterile." "It's a good thing the psychopath of ya'lls group is sterile. Can't psychopathy be hereditary?"

"I don't share the same sentiment. I wanted a Carley/Ransom blend. Regardless, to answer your question, yes, psychopathy can be hereditary," Jase replies. I think he is insane for wanting Ransom to procreate.

"To avoid becoming like Ransom and Camden, individuals need a stable upbringing and firm foundation. They can become valuable members of society. They are very good at excelling in the business world, especially as executives." Jase informs me.

"Do read the same books Weston has to study for fun or what?"ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Jase chuckles again. "I do. I often help Weston with his papers and coursework, so I need to understand the material to help him to the best of my capabilities."

I scoff. "You are such a nerd," I joke.

"One should never stop learning. It's better to have a growth mindset than a stagnate fixed mindset," Jase comments with amusement in his voice.

I roll my eyes. Jase is wise. I'll give him that. He is also an overconfident genius that I might be slightly off. Okay, I'm completely jealous. The guy is good-looking, intimidating, brilliant, wise, with a close-knit family. The type I always wanted. However, because of the things Carter went through and what he has done, I'm missing that. Our trust in him was shattered and now he is a liability I'm not sure I want. To top it off, Sawyer is not who we thought she would be. I'm at a loss. "Ransom is calling. He is working with the Furies who are currently in Japan, so I need to answer this. Talk to you later." With those words, he hangs up before I can say anything else.

I turn on my music app to listen to some rock music while I run.