Chapter 14 Xiara
I t’s been hell for the last ten hours, but not in a traditional sense. I’ve not been touched other than the mark on my skin. Even then, it’s not that big. Murder says I’ve been branded with his mark. To tell the truth, I don’t know what he means because it’s not the emblem of his club. It’s a tiny tattoo on the inside of my arm. At first, I thought it was a cursive M. It’s not.
Murder hasn’t tried to force himself on me and has ordered every member of his club to leave me alone. It’s so bizarre. I think he’s planning to claim me or something, and that’s the only thing that’s been scary. I know it won’t happen. Bullseye will never allow it.
“Branded?” Bullseye narrows his eyes. “I’ve already made her my ol’ lady. You don’t have a claim to her.”
Murder tightens his hold around my neck, and I choke. “I say I do.”
Spots dance in front of my eyes. I try to pry his fingers from my airway when he leans down to whisper in my ear. “Make it believable, Xiara. Convince him that you want me instead.”
When he relaxes his hand, and I can breathe again, I cough. “Bullseye.”
Murder points his gun at my temple. “Tell him.”
I open my mouth to speak when I hear a gunshot. Blood splatters my face as I scream. It takes a few seconds to realize that Murder’s hand has gone limp, and he starts to fall. It’s Bullseye suddenly in front of me, hauling me into his embrace as he thanks someone across the room.
All I see is a man holding a gun. He’s about the same height as Storm, with dark hair but older.
“That’s Hangman. He’s the president of the Heretics.”
Okay.
“He shot Murder.” Bullseye sounds surprised. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re safe. I’m taking you home.”
I’m so tired that I nod. I don’t have words.
My head rests on his shoulder the whole way there, and I don’t ask why we aren’t riding his Harley. I’m in no shape to hold onto him.
His hand holds mine, and he caresses my skin. As I drift in and out, unable to stay awake, Bullseye whispers about the mark on my skin. He’s not angry. My biker says he’ll just ink his own right over it.
By the time we’re home, I’m exhausted and can barely keep my eyes open. Xaden meets us at the door, and I collapse against him when he tries to hug me.
“Shit! You okay, Xi?”
“No,” I mumble. “I need sleep.”
And that’s what I do for the next nine hours. When I wake up, Bullseye is in bed with me.
“Hey, Beautiful. Feeling better?”
“Yeah. Just thirsty.”
“I thought of that.” He reaches toward the dresser and hands me a water bottle.
“Thanks.” I drink about half before twisting the cap back on.
Bullseye takes the bottle and places it to the side.
“You came for me.”
He looks insulted. “Don’t tell me you doubted I would.”
I shake my head. No, I knew he’d come.
“Hey, I’m always gonna come for you. I’ll fucking carry you if I have to, just like I did when I brought you to bed. So don’t fucking forget it.” He’s teasing me.
“I saw you, you know.”
He brushes my hair back from my face. “I know.”
“You were ready to kill Murder. I’ve never seen you that angry.”
“I didn’t want that part of me near you. I was born into hell and violence. It’s all I knew as a kid. When I grew up, I found ways to channel it.”
“Like the club and being an enforcer.”
“Exactly.”
“Do you feel that anger now?”
“When I’m with you, that noise that roars in my head is hushed. It’s silent. I don’t think of myself as that broken boy covered in bruises or the kid who had to take a bat to a grown man’s head to get him to stop hitting my mother.”
I reach for his hand and hold it. “I can’t imagine.”
“You’re my personal lighthouse.”
I laugh. That’s cute.
“It’s true. You’ve put a spell on me. Some sick love potion that directs my thoughts toward you every free second of the day. I can’t get enough. I’m fucking addicted. I need the next taste of your lips like it’s the fix I crave, and I will die if I don’t get it.”
“You should seek professional help,” I tease.
“What if all I need is right here?”
“Hmmm?”
His finger slides down my lip, creating a gap as he stares with intensity. “This fucking mouth.”
I blink. Huh?
“I dream about your lips,” he admits, parting his own as he grins.
And that fast, my thoughts have centered on the handsome rebel in front of me and the hunger in his hazel eyes. When he’s turned on like this, they shift in color. They’re darker now, almost like the brown flecks have overtaken the green.
It’s intoxicating the way he stares at me like he wants to devour me, and he doesn’t care where we are or who’s around.
It makes me feel like I’m not the only one obsessed. “You’re my magnet,” I blurt.
He arches a dark brow. “Magnet?”
“I can push and pull, and it doesn’t matter. We’re always going to end up back together. We’re magnetic.”
His lips curl into a devastatingly handsome grin. “Magnets. That’s fucking poetic, Babe.”
“I’m pretty good at sweet talk.”
“And I’ll stay good at what matters,” he whispers huskily.
“Meaning?”
“Keepin’ those thighs shakin’ and that sexy voice of yours callin’ my name.”
“You’re so in love with me,” I declare.
“You think so?”
“Yep.”
“I think you might be right.”
My breath catches.
“That’s my master plan, so you’ll keep me around.”
“What’s your master plan?”
“I’ll tell you, Beautiful. I’m just gonna love the hell outta you.”
“Bullseye.”
“I’ll take all your pain and sorrow, Babe. All that loss from your parents. You won’t have nothin’ left to prevent you from loving me back.”
“Drew.”
“I’ll be your anchor and your haven. Fuck, Xiara. I’ll love you so fucking deep you won’t ever doubt it.”
His head lowers, and we kiss. It’s unhurried, but I can feel the passion behind it.
Life will never be boring. And if we forget, I’m sure Xaden will remind us.
“You know something? I think we’re gonna be happy.”
My inked neighbor is so much more than that. He’s a friend. Savior. Lover.
Bullseye rolls me onto my back, stealing a kiss. “We’re gonna be real happy, Beautiful.”