“Cole challenged me in a fight for leader of The Tomb and lost. I give you your new leader!”
Thirty Nine
Axle
Two Weeks Later
“Stop squirming!” Ana scolds as the wraps drop for the third time.
“Then stop fucking tickling me,” I counter, raising my arms again. She gives me a look and I grin back. Gritting my teeth against her small fingers, I stay as still as I can while she wraps my ribs.
“There we go,” she says, tying off the last of it.
“Can I get up now?”
Another look before she kisses the tip of my nose. Damn if she doesn’t know how to emasculate me, but damn if I care. Ever since that day weeks ago when she defeated Cole and I announced her the new leader of The Tomb, it’s like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. My addiction, the demons and fire in my blood, have finally cooled, almost as if they know the need for them is gone. Well, not gone. I’m still one of the most ruthless and feared motherfuckers here, second only to one. I smile at her with a devilish look, and her eyes narrow in suspicion.
“Ax, you know you can’t…” I growl and grab her, flipping her on to her back and ignoring the twinge of pain in my side. She giggles as I trail kisses down her face.
“Ax, your ribs!”
“Hasn’t stopped me before,” I mutter as I continue my ministrations. Ana giggles again before pushing me off.
“Come on, we need to go down.”
I sigh and roll my eyes but let her up.
“I think I liked you more when you weren’t so bossy,” I tell her as I grab the sling she made for me. She grins back at me and winks.
“We’re going to be late,” she says, “besides, you love it when I boss you around.”
That smile. I toss the sling back to the side.
“This is The Tomb,anmol,” I tell her, opening my arms, “I think you can afford to be late.”
Forty
Ana
If someone had told me a month ago I’d be leading the inmates of the most feared prison in New Europe, happily fucking a bloody and ruthless man, I would have scoffed in their faces.
The days following Cole’s defeat were strange. When I challenged him, it was only to keep him from fighting Ax. I never expected the inmates would constitute that as a winning challenge, much less Ax himself. He’s surprised me though. While he still helps a lot, for the most part, he has been content to sit back and let me take over.
He seems calmer and happier than I’ve ever known him, not that I knew him for long. It still feels like we’ve been together forever, though. Like my life before him didn’t even count. Two twisted and somewhat broken puzzle pieces that only fit together.
For the last two weeks, he’s spent most of his time telling me about the organization of The Tomb, introducing me to the gang leaders and family heads. Most of them have been accepting of my role and I’ve only had to kill three men so far. I’m beginning to understand a bit more of the addictive quality of violence that Ax spoke about.
Even still, there is so much more to do. While many of the inmates have been accepting of a woman leading them, there are still things I plan to put into place, and there is still the monthly meeting with the guards coming up next week. Ax told me he would go in my place, keep me hidden from them, but I refused. I’m still not sure how, but I’ve accepted this place and it’s going to accept me. No more running, no more hiding.
I look at Ax, who is wagging his fingers at me to come closer. I giggle at his insatiable appetite, but really, I’m not one to talk. Ribs or not, I’ve jumped him every chance I’ve had the last few weeks.
“I suppose I can be a little late…”