Gods & Monsters Read online

  GODS & MONSTERS

  Scorpio Stinger MC Series

  Book # 3

  USA TODAY & INTERNATIONAL Bestselling Author

  Jani Kay

  April 2015

  Contemporary Romance Novel

  WARNING:

  For Mature Audience 18+

  Contains Adult Sexual Situations & Language

  Table of Contents

  Disclaimer

  Copyright

  Content Warning

  Reading Recommendation:

  Novels By Jani Kay

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 — Cobra

  Chapter 2 — Cobra

  Chapter 3 — Cobra

  Chapter 4 — Cobra

  Chapter 5 — Cobra

  Chapter 6 — Alessandra

  Chapter 7 — Alessandra

  Chapter 8 — Cobra

  Chapter 9 — Alessandra

  Chapter 10 — Alessandra

  Chapter 11 — Cobra

  Chapter 12 — Alessandra

  Chapter 13 — Alessandra

  Chapter 14 — Cobra

  Chapter 15 — Alessandra

  Chapter 16 — Cobra

  Chapter 17 — Cobra

  Chapter 18 — Alessandra

  Chapter 19 — Alessandra

  Chapter 20 — Cobra

  Chapter 21 — Cobra

  Chapter 22 — Cobra

  Chapter 23 — Cobra

  Chapter 24 — Mia

  Chapter 25 — Cobra

  Chapter 26 — Mia

  Chapter 27 — Cobra

  Chapter 28 — Cobra

  Chapter 29 — Cobra

  Chapter 30 — Ryder

  Chapter 31 — Mia

  Chapter 32 — Mia

  Chapter 33 — Mia

  Chapter 34 — Cobra

  Chapter 35 – Cobra

  Chapter 36 — Mia

  Chapter 37 — Cobra

  Chapter 38 — Cobra

  Chapter 39 — Mia

  Chapter 40 — Cobra

  Chapter 41 — Mia

  Chapter 42 — Cobra

  Chapter 43 — Mia

  Chapter 44 — Cobra

  Chapter 45 — Mia

  Chapter 46 — Cobra

  Chapter 47 — Mia

  Chapter 48 — Cobra

  Chapter 49 — Mia

  Chapter 50 — Cobra

  Epilogue — Daemon

  Chapter 1 from TORMENTED

  Thank YOU!

  CONTACT DETAILS

  Further Reading: Lost In France - Jani Kay

  Copyright

  Please respect the work of this author and do not violate copyright laws —

  NO sharing without the author’s permission.

  Copyright 2015 JANI KAY

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes, copied, or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except for brief quotations embodied for reviews.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.

  Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Pirating is STEALING!

  Editing:

  Lauren McKellar

  Cover Design:

  Louisa Maggio

  Content Warning

  WARNING:

  Contains adult content that may make some readers uncomfortable, including non-consensual sexual situation, violence, drugs and language.

  Read at your own risk only if you are over 18.

  Reading Recommendation:

  BEFORE reading GODS & MONSTERS (Book 3) it is recommended to first read the other books in the series as the story follows on directly from the previous books and you will have a much better understanding of the characters.

  GODS & MONSTERS is Book #3 in the Scorpio Stinger MC Series and follows directly from Unchain My Heart and A Biker Christmas.

  Reading order:

  Ryder - Prequel #0.5

  Two Worlds Colliding #1

  Unchain My Heart #2

  A Biker Christmas #2.5

  Gods & Monsters #3

  Available as ebooks and paperbacks on all platforms.

  The first 2 novels can also be found in “THE BEGINNING: A Duet” which is available as an ebook and as a Paperback too.

  Coming next:

  Tormented Book #4 (Harrison & Eva’s story)

  Novels By Jani Kay

  Standalone Novel

  Open Your Eyes

  Firebird Series:

  Lost in France (Book 1)

  No Regrets (Book 2)

  Scorpio Stinger MC Series:

  Ryder — Prequel (# 0.5)

  Two World Colliding (# 1)

  Unchain My Heart (# 2)

  A Biker Christmas (#2.5)

  Gods & Monsters (#3)

  Love on Wall Street Series

  Debonair (Part 1)

  Parts 2 & 3 coming soon.

  Available as ebooks and paperbacks.

  Prologue

  I never looked in a mirror. I didn’t need to. If I wanted to see what I looked like, I’d just look at my twin. Daemon and I were identical in every way—from the outside at least. But that’s where it ended. We couldn’t be more different in character.

  Daemon was born five minutes after me. He hated that he’d come second. It irked him that I breathed life into my lungs before he did. And ever since he’s been trying to steal everything I have. Everything I love. To own it first.

  It started with toys. He’d snatch my newest away and usually break it before I’d even had the pleasure of playing with it. And then he’d refuse to share his with me. At first I’d beat him for destroying my property. But usually I’d give up the fight—it was futile because he’d go after the next thing with even more intent on demolishing it.

  He stole my feed at the breast. Stole our mother’s time and attention, until she was too exhausted to give any to me. That’s when she started calling him Demon instead of Daemon. ‘He’s the devil incarnate’, she’d say and wail that she could’ve spawned such evil from her body.

  It only made matters worse. Daemon accused me of stealing our mother’s love too. He never forgave me for the fact that she loved me more, in spite of his best efforts to steal her away.

  This is my story. And my twin brother’s. Because try as I might to deny it, he’s the other half of me. Sometimes he knows my thoughts before I did. And he always used that power against me, taking from me what I desired before I could have it.

  Until one day. The day I became president of the Scorpio Stinger MC. I threw him out like the garbage he was. Rotten filth.

  He wouldn’t be able to taunt me any longer.

  Well, that was what I believed then.

  How wrong was I?

  Evil knows no barriers. It stops at nothing. It won’t rest until it gets what it wants. And he wanted what was mine. MINE. He wanted my woman. My air. My reason for living.

  I’ll die before I let him take her from me.

  This would be a battle to the end. Till the last man is left standing.

  And only one of us was breathing.

  Chapter 1 — Cobra

>   The Early Years

  Stunned by the news, I blinked a few times as I processed the information. “You’re letting me come to Mexico with you?”

  The president of the Scorpio Stinger MC nodded. My old man smiled at me from across the large wooden table as he leaned back and though the disease must have riddled his body, making every movement painful, he laced his fingers together behind his head with barely a wince.

  For the first time Daemon and I had been allowed to attend the last ten minutes of a club meeting. I’d thought it had something to do with his lung cancer getting progressively worse, I never dreamed it was to offer me a chance to ride with the brothers.

  “That’s why you told us to stay back while the boys went to get beer? You wanted to tell us that you’re taking Cobra with you but not me?” Daemon sneered. He didn’t even try to hide his anger.

  The old man ignored my twin. “I’ve been watching you, Cobra. You can handle a motorcycle like any of the other boys. It’s a long ride, but I think you can do it.” Malone didn’t give compliments easily; I’d earned it fairly by practicing my skills every day till I mastered the thunderous beast.

  Excitement bubbled up inside me. This meant my father acknowledged that I was becoming a man. That I was good enough to ride with the rest of the gang.

  “Why is he going but I can’t come?” Daemon yelled, the scorn on his face a sight I’d become used to. He still threw temper tantrums like a two-year-old. I itched to punch the fucker in the face. I stuck my fists into my jean pockets to stop myself from planting a right hook on his chin.

  My old man sighed, weariness etched on his leathery skin. “Because he’s the oldest. You’ll come next time.”

  “Those five fucking minutes are going to count against me for the rest of my life. I should’ve killed you in the fucking womb when I could’ve,” Daemon roared, making a strangling gesture with both his hands.

  I looked away. Didn’t stop him from sucking the life and joy out of everything.

  “On second thoughts, glad I didn’t. This way when you crash and burn on that journey, I’ll be able to laugh on your fucking grave,” Daemon sniggered.

  I puffed up my chest. “You’d fucking love to see that happen wouldn’t you? You’re always trying to rob me somehow. But guess what, asshole? You couldn’t kill me if you fucking tried. I’m a survivor. You’d be smart to remember that, little brother.”

  My father coughed, his face screwed up in pain. “Cobra, you have a month to prepare for the ride. I want you to learn how to run this club, keep it afloat. ” Another fit of coughs made it difficult for him to speak. He spat into a handkerchief, then wiped sweat from his brow. “Let Ox and Ripper show you the tricks and get you ready. Think you can handle it?”

  “Sure can. I was born ready.” I grinned. Fuck Daemon. I was glad to get away from his constant competitiveness. I’d show my old man he could be proud of me—that I was ready to be groomed to take over his legacy.

  My biggest rival wasn’t another biker. It was my own brother. My fucking twin. Something I couldn’t name ached inside me. I knew other twin siblings—they were close, working together as a unit. I yearned for that with mine, but every year that passed tore us farther apart instead of bringing us closer.

  My twin hated me. I tolerated him. No love was lost between us.

  The old man pulled his shoulders back and knitted his brows as he stared down his other son. His fists balled by his sides. “Cobra has the business brains. And he’s the next pres. So suck it up like a man, Daemon. Stop your whining—you worse than a bitch.”

  Malone wasn’t an easy bastard to live with, but he was a fair man. He hated squabbles between us, his backhand often landing on a cheek when he’d had enough. But since we’d grown nearly as tall as our father, the slapping had decreased substantially. The squabbles hadn’t.

  “I’m fucking smarter than him. A better fighter. Better everything.” Daemon’s voice spewed bitterness. “You even love Ryder more than me—your own blood. Shame on you, old man.”

  Malone gritted on his teeth. Daemon was lucky to be sitting at the furthest end of the table.

  Ryder walked in on the conversation. “You misusing my name again? Didn’t you get a tooth knocked out recently because of it? Want another for the tooth fairy?” He grinned at Daemon as he flexed his fingers wide.

  Every day since Razor and I’d rescued Ryder from juvie, he’d pushed his lean body through grueling workouts, swearing that nobody would ever place him in the same vulnerable position again. Ryder, even though younger than Daemon and I, was as fast as fucking lightning. He’d have us on our backs in a brawl before we even knew what the fuck had hit us.

  “Fuck off, pansy.” Daemon sneered. “I bet you’d love a fuck up the ass.”

  Because he knew he couldn’t beat Ryder down with his fists, he always cut him with his tongue instead. My adopted brother’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he threw his head back and laughed. “You offering? Ain’t no man born I'd leave standing alive if he tried to stick his dick up my ass. So back off, asshole.” Ryder turned to me. “Can’t wait till I’m old enough to come along. Mexico sounds good.”

  My old man laughed. “You stick to Mexican take-outs a bit longer. Your turn will come soon enough.”

  Ryder grinned, pride evident on his face. “I can ride as good as any other motherfucker. Razor and Hammer have been teaching me. They say I’m a natural.”

  Daemon pointed a finger at Ryder. “A natural disaster—that’s what you are,” he snickered. “You think everyone here loves you, don’t ya? Well news flash, juvie boy, I hate your fucking guts. And if my old man takes you to Mexico before me, you’re all going to be sorry as fuck. That I’m promising you all today.” The glare filled with enough hatred to detonate a bomb that he passed from one person to the other caused a chill to run through me, as if someone had just walked over my grave.

  Although I was no fucking angel, I shuddered at the thought that it could just as easily have been me born that way—evil seeping from my pores, hatred from my breath, maliciousness my intent.

  I prayed with every fiber in my being to be spared such a vile life. I needed someone to help keep me from turning to the dark side, because I knew somewhere deep inside me, it was lurking . . . bubbling under the surface . . . just as surely as it was ruling my twin’s life. We shared the same DNA, for fuck’s sake. If I gave in to it, I’d become just like him.

  I’d rather die at my own hand than be like Daemon.

  Mercy was all that separated us.

  Mercy. And a very thin line called humanity.

  Chapter 2 — Cobra

  One month later

  “Fuck it’s hot in this godforsaken place.” My eyeballs scorched in the sun and not even my sunglasses could keep the glare out. Crows squawked lazily from a distance, their long drawn-out caws the only sound besides the whirring of a fan on the wide porch.

  “This is no place for a pale-skinned man. I fucking curse every time I come to Mexico, swearing I ain’t coming back. And here I am.” My old man poured water from a bottle down the back of his neck in a vain attempt to cool down. Fanning himself with his wet shirt, he grimaced as sweat trickled from his forehead into his eyes, cursing as he wiped the sweat with the back of his hairy arm.

  I chuckled under my breath. Earlier I’d done the same and the salty sweat from my damp skin had burned my eyes more. That was when I’d tied the bandana across my forehead, to catch the droplets of perspiration and prevent them from rolling into my eyes.

  So far what I’d seen of Mexico was less than impressive. Old broken-down vehicles lined the dirt road to our destination, a graveyard of rusted metal stripped from all the parts that once made up cars and trucks.

  My ass still hurt from the hours on the motorcycle and my skin and lips felt like sandpaper from the lashing of the wind and the sun baking them. Cagey, I sat back in the squeaky chair on the porch of a farmhouse in the middle of the desert, and watched as tu
mbleweed rolled across the dirt in a warm breeze. A dog barked, then yelped before shutting up.

  “Sure as hell don’t know why I was so damn excited to come on this trip with you and the brothers. Don’t think I’ll ever be back. Once is enough.” I smiled wryly. “Next time, bring Daemon—he’s so fucking eager to make the ride and string along.”

  The sooner I got out of this fucking place, the better. Coming to Mexico wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but it wasn’t this.

  “You’re sure about that? You want me to teach Daemon instead of you? Don’t be so quick to decide.” My old man leaned forward and gave me a pat on the back, his eyebrows lifted as he stared me in the eyes. “I need someone I can trust to run this operation, Son. And I don’t trust Daemon like I trust you. I’m getting too old for this shit . . . I don’t wanna do long bike rides for much longer. I’m skin and bones since your mother died and my ass gets lame on that fucking seat.” He coughed into his fist. “And now with this fucking cancer, well . . .”

  I didn’t want to think about Malone’s disease ripping him from my life. My eyes narrowed as I scrutinized his face. The wear and tear of a rough life had taken its toll on the man and I was shocked to admit he was right. He likely had a few more trips in him before it became too difficult. My heart beat furiously, hammering against my ribs. That was why he’d wanted me to come. He wanted to introduce me—the next Scorpio Stinger president—to the Mexicans so that he could retire from the long ride. It all made sense now.

  I scrubbed a hand over my face as I processed it all. It was Dad’s way of slowly passing the control to me before he stepped down. I reached out and squeezed his shoulder, letting him know I understood what he meant.

  He grinned at me, pride shining in his eyes as he leaned back in this chair, fanning himself with his cap. Wearing our leather cuts in this heat seemed ridiculous, yet not one of us would remove them. We stood together—a brotherhood of men. Family. Not of blood but of conviction.

  Ox wiped the beads of sweat from his brow. Perspiration poured from his skin, yet he didn’t complain. He leaned against the wall, kicking his boot against a rock that held the wooden door open.