Shift (The Disciples' Daughters #2) by Drew Elyse Page A

Savage Disciples. Got me?”

My muscles were tense beneath my skin when I parked outside the farmhouse. My body was ready for a fight, ready to come out swinging. The memories of the bitches who hurt Ash, the knowledge that I reopened those wounds tonight, had me on edge.
    I tried to breathe. I couldn’t go inside like that. I’d scare the shit out of her. Ash didn’t respond to confrontation. Aggression made her retreat every time. Besides, she didn’t deserve that. It was my fuck up. I needed to rein it in. Every part of me screamed to barrel through that door, to get to her and fix this shit, but I held myself back on the front porch.
    The memories were still swirling. I could still remember one of the deans escorting me from the cafeteria. They asked for an explanation, and I gave them one. They asked for an apology, and I refused. They asked if I understood I had taken things too far. I told them they could go fuck themselves if they thought I wasn’t standing up for my girl who wouldn’t do it herself. That was what turned the two-day suspension into a week.
    It didn’t matter to me. Yelling at those bitches, earning that suspension, got me the greatest fucking gift I’d ever been given.

    A one-week suspension meant I was barred from school grounds, effective immediately. Assholes wouldn’t even listen when I explained I was Ash’s ride home. As my legal guardian, Gunner got called in. The dean wasn’t exactly thrilled when his response was to tell me I’d done good. I left about an hour before school let out. Gunner stuck around to get Ash, having insisted they send a note to one of her classes to let her know about the change of plans.
    I was hanging around the clubhouse when she got there. She and Gunner walked in nearly an hour after school let out. He took her for fucking ice cream while he knew I was waiting. Whether that was to check in on her or bust my chops, I didn’t know. Probably both.
    Ash ran right to me and threw her arms around my middle. Damn if that didn’t make me feel like a king. Having Ash close always did.
    “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice muffled against my chest.
    “What are you talkin’ about, Firefly?” I asked.
    “It’s my fault you got in trouble.”
    Hell no.
    She was not going to think that shit.
    I grabbed onto her arm, having to pull a bit to get her to release her hold on me—which made me feel even better. I led her out back where we could be alone. Bikers were nosy fuckers and we didn’t need an audience.
    I’d had words with Indian after I got back. I told him straight up what had been happening and promised if my threat hadn’t put an end to it, I would see that it didn’t go on. He thanked me for watching out for his girl, not that he needed to. I promised him I would a long time ago and I’d be doing it with or without that promise as long as she let me.
    Outside, Ash threw herself against me again. I let her do it, thinking I could get used to that. I gave her a minute to hold me, twirling my fingers through her blonde curls. Her hair was so fuckin’ soft, I couldn’t help but touch it when I got the chance. She never seemed to mind.
    “Was Gunner mad?” she asked after a while.
    “No, babe.”
    She stepped back a bit to look up at me. Those blue eyes of hers were round and bright—too bright. She was on the verge of tears. “Really?” she asked, her tone worried.
    I cupped the side of her face, making sure she paid attention to how serious mine was. “I promise. Once he heard why I did it, he was glad I did.”
    Her eyes moved away from mine, her chin pushing down against my hand. I didn’t release my hold. Ash knew I didn’t like her hiding from me.
    “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
    She shrugged. She was pulling back in the only way she could by not speaking. I gave her a look that told her that shit wasn’t going to fly.
    “I don’t know,” she sighed. She tried again to step back and since I could see her mulling over