Then her arms tightened again, and I wanted to touch her back. I wanted to motherfucking touch her.
Heart still pumping from the rush of the kill, pulse slamming in my neck, I squeezed my eyes shut. Forcing my arms down, I took a deep breath, and pressed my hands to her back. As my hands touched the material of her dress, I sucked in a breath, feeling her body jump under my palms.
I almost pulled back, the feel of her in my arms fucking with my mind. But that was shot to hell when I felt wetness on my chest, on my skin, and the bitch, cried, “You freed me. You freed me from him.”
At those words my eyes snapped shut. My heart sprinted in my chest, but the flames in my blood, the heat in my blood, was calmed.
The flames never calmed.
They forever fucking burned.
But with her…
I wanted to grip her tighter.
I wanted to hold her closer, but then she dropped her arms and pulled away.
My hands clenched at my sides as I watched her go, then just before she reached her sisters, she looked back at me and asked, “What is your name?” Her voice was shaking, like she was scared. But her eyes never left mine. They fucking burned into mine, making my heart pound.
Then I thought of that question. My name…
“Flame,” I said, pushing my other name far from my fucking mind, the name I couldn’t stand.
I froze as she dipped her eyes and smiled. My fingernails dug into my palm, so I could fucking try and stay calm at that smile. “You have my eternal gratitude, Flame. I am forever in your debt.”
The air blew out from my mouth as she turned and walked away, but I couldn’t stop staring at her.
My eyes dropped to my hands and I stared at my palm. I’d touched her. I’d fucking touched her and I hadn’t hurt her.
Then my stomach fell. Because the flames were still under my skin. I could feel them. And if I touched her again, I could hurt her.
“Fuck man, you alright?” AK stood in front of me blocking my path to the little black-haired bitch.
I held up my hands, palms up high. “I fucking touched her,” I whispered. “I fucking touched her.”
AK nodded. “I know, brother. You doing okay? You’re not gonna go psycho on her ass, right? No thoughts to slit her throat going through that head?”
Moving to the side, I looked over AK’s shoulder and asked, “What was her name? What the fuck did Mae say her name was?”
AK glanced back too and said, “Maddie, I think?” He took a deep breath. “Yeah, Maddie.”
Maddie, I thought, then whispered her name aloud on my lips. “Maddie…”
Within hours we returned to the compound and the brothers from out of state, along with most from our club, drank and fucked the night away. But I could only see Maddie. I could only see her in Styx’s apartment window where she’d taken up position. I didn’t drink, or smoke, instead I watched her sitting on the window ledge, watching me back.
I paced below her window until AK and Viking dragged me home to my cabin. But I couldn’t get her the fuck out of my mind. Kept seeing green eyes and long black hair in my head. Kept feeling her hands around my waist.
Grabbing my blades, I burst out of the door and ran all the fucking way to the compound. As I broke through the line of trees, I ran until I reached the window of Styx’s apartment… then stopped dead.
The window.
Sat at the fucking window was Maddie.
My heart kicked into a sprint as I stared at her.
Then she looked down and stared back at me.
I watched her mouth drop open.
I watched her green eyes widen.
I watched her hand press to the glass.
I watched her lips, as they mouthed, “Flame…”
Clutching my blades at my side, I stormed forward. I began pacing below her window. Because no one would fucking get near her again. No one would ever hurt her again. If they did, they would die.
Die under my motherfucking blades.
Because she was mine.
The little black-haired bitch called Maddie was mine.
Chapter One
Flame Present day…