Seeing her try to end me was the closest I’ve ever come to love. She should have driven the blade higher, or watched until my last desperate, rattling breath before she set the house ablaze. My little flower was frightened. Perhaps she hoped that by ending me quickly, she could escape her fear and guilt. So, it made sense she believed her work was done.
My men found me as I dragged myself from the flames. Quick hands stitched me together and spirited me away. They moved swiftly enough to convince the world she had won, but she didn’t.
She only made me patient.
Now I watch from the shadows while she laughs at the words of a man already marked for death. She was clever to hide with the Saint’s Outlaws, evading me for a time. But she grew careless, dropped her alias, and started moving through the world as herself again.
“Λουλουδ?κι μου... ν?μιζες ?τι θα μπορο?σες να ξεφ?γεις; ?” I murmur before blending into the night.
My little flower... did you think you could escape?
She can run, she can hide, she can even lose herself in the embrace of a man too fragile for her storm. But one truth will always linger beneath her skin, sharp as a promise carved in glass.
I will always find her, because Marigold was mine before she even knew my name.
It seems my little flower has forgotten who first showed her how to love the dark.
It is fortunate I have returned, ready to teach her that lesson once more.
Chapter One
Peopletossaroundtheword 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.
