Page 34 of Where We Ended

Natty let her arms drop, as she ran her fingers over the patch one more time.

“When my property patch gets made up, I want that one on it. I want to be the property of The Roman.”

My heart flipped in my chest; a thousand fireflies released at the sight of that smile.

“What makes you think I’d patch you?” I couldn’t stop my smile as she sauntered back toward the bed.

“Novi omnia secreta tua.”

A burst of laughter left my chest. “You know all my secrets, huh?”

Her lips pressed into my sternum while she nodded.

“When you wear it, come around the club with me…it will give you protection and let everyone know you belong to me.” I pushed pieces of her hair back behind her perfect ears.

I could see she was still unsure, but after a few more lingering kisses, she relented.

“If your name is on my back, I’ll go.”

“Deal.” We fell back into the sheets and began kissing until our bodies tumbled back into a rhythm that was becoming familiar to us, two waves crashing together, creating a riptide.

The club was noisy and completely packed.

I had never really noticed how many patched members there were, but every place I seemed to turn, there was someone new. Natty was next to me, wearing my patch with my name on her back…including my new nickname. The insignia of the reaper in the middle.

Her hair was braided, pulled over her shoulder, so everyone had a clear view of who she belonged to. Music blared, uncomfortably loud as people partied around us. Within the week since talking to Natty about doing this, she seemed to be comfortable with the idea but now that she was here, she seemed tense as if she was worried about someone finding her.

Maybe it was her mother she was concerned about.

I had to focus on our surroundings, so I just pulled her close and draped my arm over her to ensure she was safe. We joked with a few prospects our age, laughing and even playing pool. We ate some food, and Natty drank a diet coke while watching the mayhem unfold around us. She didn’t seem bothered by it, or really surprised by anything that happened, yet she was still jumpy anytime someone shouted or came up behind us.

She was tucked into my side when there was suddenly a familiar face in the crowd, his smirk so annoyingly confident that I wanted to punch it right off his mouth.

“Big brother.” Alec dipped his head, then his eyes traveled to Natty and his entire body froze. “Wow…so you two are,” he stammered, as if he were truly astonished by the fact that we were together.

Natty gripped my hand. “You seem surprised that we are.”

Alec’s eyes narrowed, but his smile grew. “Not at all…I knew it was only a matter of time. I just assumed that perhaps you’d realize what a fucking psycho my brother is and not want to touch him with a...” He snapped his fingers, as if he couldn’t remember.

Addressing me, he asked, “What’s that saying again? Wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot cross, was that how it went?”

Natty’s gaze slid up to mine, her brows folded in. “Is he drunk?”

Alec moved closer. “I see you’re proudly wearing his new nickname on your back, he explain then how he got it?”

Fuck.

“Alec, just leave it?—”

“Well, well, well,” a new voice boomed from beside us, revealing Dirk and his inner circle. “It’s Fable’s sons…The Roman and The Wrangler.”

Fear spiraled through my chest, reeling so fast that I was afraid I was going to throw up. I wanted to push Natty behind me, shield her from what she was about to learn but something else happened then. Something that didn’t seem right. Dirk’s eyes tapered, as if he just registered who was in front of him. He stepped closer to Natty, and she quickly stepped back.

They knew each other.

How the fuck did they know each other?

“I see you’ve patched a fawn.” Dirk clicked his tongue, his fingers were out as if he were about to touch Natty’s hair. His eyes gleamed with lust, an unnatural hunger reflecting there. Alec stepped to the left, blocking Dirk’s view of Natty, as if he sensed it as well.

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