Chapter One
People toss around the word obsession, joking that I belong in a padded cell. Rude, honestly. Not entirely off base, but still. Obsessed just sounds so ugly for what I feel.
I melt deeper into the shadows as more club members drift outside, circling closer to where my prey lingers.
“Shoo. Shoo. Move it. You’re blocking my view,” I hiss when Pope’s massive frame eclipses Tomcat.
Maybe he heard me, because he shifts just enough for me to drink in my love’s handsome face again.
Fine, maybe obsession is a sliver of it, but what Tomcat and I have needs a word way more beautiful.
The first time I tailed him, it was just to make sure he stayed safe. The man is a certified hoe. What if one of his nightly conquests was a setup? She could slip a knife between his ribs, and he’d be too busy getting his dick wet to even realize it.
Honestly, I’m doing him a favor by haunting his every step. Maybe the gifts and love notes are a bit much, but what else can a woman do when she can’t spill her heart aloud?
Really, he ought to be grateful. It’s a miracle he survived this long before I entered his life.
And he’s predictable. Painfully predictable. Everyone knows you never walk the same path home or stick to a routine. That’s how you end up dead.
The poor man might as well wear a neon sign that screams, I’m easy. He is, but that’s beside the point. He drifts through life without a care. Nothing will touch him, not while I’m watching. Not before the day I finally claim him as mine.
Soon.
Soon I’ll bring my love into the light. Until then, I’ll cling to him like a cute, unwanted demon.
Tomcat throws his head back in a laugh, and I sigh happily. Honestly, he’s almost too pretty for this world. I bet there are invisible hearts bobbing over my head right now.
I sit on the ground, lean against the tree, and steady my binoculars. Legend stands by Pope—a smaller version of his father, matching stance and smirk, hair growing out.
It’s almost criminal how cute that is.
Watching him and his twin sister settle in so well fills me with a weird, fizzy happiness.
My smile grows when Birdie, Pope’s ol’ lady, and their daughter, Lovelyn, exit the clubhouse and move across the club lot to meet him.
I can’t hear his laugh as Lovelyn barrels into him, but I’ve heard it so many times that I know what it sounds like.
Pope picks her up and twirls her around like the adorable little princess she is before placing her on her feet.
Then he turns to Birdie, and I swear his entire soul gravitates to her as he wraps his arms around her.
He’s basically a giant, gruff teddy bear. The kind of teddy bear who would snap your neck if you so much as glanced at his family the wrong way, but a teddy bear nonetheless.
I move the binoculars back to Tomcat.
Could he ever love me that fiercely? Would he spill blood for me?
I wouldn’t hesitate for him. Killing to survive isn’t new to me. Or at least, that’s what I believed. Turns out, you should always check for a final breath before igniting the place and making your escape.
Who would have guessed someone could survive a chest wound and a blazing house?
I’m not surprised that a monster so cruel could cling to life, refusing to disappear.
I can’t prove it, but for four years my instincts have screamed at me.
The mind games, the taunting messages he carved into my space—they were his signature.
He never revealed himself, but I felt him lurking, always watching, waiting for the perfect moment to crawl back from the dead.
So I kept running, knowing if he ever found me, I’d join my family on the other side.
My heart tightens as I remember my parents.
I miss them so much.
“μου λε?πετε, μαμ? και μπαμπ? ,” I say under my breath.
Maybe that was the moment my mind shattered. Anyone forced to watch the man you loved slaughter your parents while you’re helpless, drugged, and bound would break, too.
Two years have gone by without feeling Damon’s malignant shadow, but I’d be a fool to relax. I’ve dared to reclaim my birth name, but that’s the only gamble I’ll take. Sooner or later, he’ll find me, and I’ve already decided this is where I’ll confront him for the final time.
Live or die.
Coral Cay is my refuge. The people here are my chosen family, and I won’t let Damon steal another soul from me.
A sudden burst of laughter from nearby snaps me back to the present and to the group framed in my view, reminding me where I am.
Some might compare my secret nighttime rituals to what Damon inflicted on me. But his actions were about domination, about possessing me in ways I never agreed to.
I don’t want to own Tomcat. I just want to love him. Openly. Freely. Without fearing my past will take him away from me before I get the chance to.
For hours, I nestle against the tree in my hidden nook, watching the man I love laugh and banter with his club brothers. Their bonds are unbreakable. Instead of envy, I feel quiet joy knowing he’s surrounded by so much love.
My smile sours as one of the club girls sways over to him.
Except them.
All the damn women.
Their love for him doesn’t spark any joy in me.
Honestly, it’s probably just his dick they’re after.
How can you love someone you barely know?
They’ll never see the hidden corners of him that I do, which is why I’ll always be the one who matters.
Sure, maybe he won’t exactly be thrilled when he discovers I’m his shadow, but once he realizes the depth of my devotion, he’ll understand.
Those women are just passing storms. One day, it’ll be my name on his lips, and then he’s going to be all like, ‘Club girl, who?’
Jealousy burns through me when the club girl presses against him, and he drags her between his legs by her hips. My vision blurs crimson, a low growl vibrating in my chest as he leans in to whisper something in her ear.
Probably some recycled line he’s whispered to a hundred other girls, smooth as silk and just as empty.
Me big man with big dick. You warm woman with vagina. I poke, you worship, I finish.
The ancient mating ritual, performed with all the subtlety of a caveman.
Yeah, definitely something classy like that.
It takes a moment to realize that jealousy has yanked me to my feet and sent me stalking forward, steps silent and hungry, and I jerk to a stop, suddenly aware I’m about to leave the shadows of my vantage point.
Right.
Watching him grind on another woman is a recipe for disaster. That’s how my wild side takes the wheel and starts plotting chaos, maybe even a murder spree. I can’t risk being exposed before the time is right.
No. No, that won’t do.
After forcing myself not to act, I refocus. My gaze locks onto them again. They’ve drifted away from the crowd, settling by the fire pit, where he tugs her onto his lap like she belongs there.
Although maybe a little murder spree wouldn’t be the worst thing…
Yes. Yes, it would be bad.
A twig snaps beneath my foot, and I freeze, cursing the universe for making the world fall silent at the worst possible moment.
Yet, it seems like Tomcat is the only one who hears it because everyone else keeps laughing, as his head whips toward me, eyes slicing through the dark. He locks onto me, and I go statue-still, barely daring to breathe.
Stupid, Marigold.
So stupid.
I know better than to watch him with the women, but I always do anyway.
Not that.
I don’t watch that. Even I have boundaries, few as they are. Spying on my man while he’s with someone else, without either of them knowing, is just…
I shudder.
Eww. No. Just no.
Now, imagining him in the shower? That’s a whole different fantasy. A girl has needs, and the last guy I slept with six months ago barely qualified as a warm-up act.
It’s like, how do you still manage to miss the mark when I’m all but giving directions?
No, thank you.
Jack the Dripper never disappoints, so I’ll stick with him until someone actually worth my time comes along.
Tomcat finally looks away, and I lower the binoculars with a heavy breath.
That was way too close for comfort. Next time, I need to be smarter.
Note to self: Stop watching Tomcat with other women.
Not that I’ll actually listen. I never do. But hey, reminders never hurt.
He’s safe in the clubhouse tonight, surrounded by his brothers. I can finally rest, knowing I’ve kept him alive for one more night.
“Until next time, psykhí mou,” I whisper, blowing him a kiss before carefully fading into the night.
One day soon, I’ll step out of the shadows and confess everything. Until then, I’ll keep haunting his every move from the darkness.