“And he found you again. He came back for you?”
Flame nodded. “Yeah. I was seventeen.” His gaze fixed on mine and he said, “I was seventeen… seventeen, when I embraced the darkness. Seventeen when I fucking became Flame. Styx’s old man gave me the name because I told him I cut my arms to release them from my body. He never asked anything more. He just accepted me.”
“Flame,” I murmured, kissing along an orange flame tattoo on his chest. But as I did, I asked curiously, “How did you get all of these tattoos and piercings if you cannot be touched?”
“I wanted them so people wouldn’t come near me. So they could see on the outside, what lived inside.” Flame tensed, and he added, “And they were painful. Tank did them. Did them all over my body for three days nonstop. Viking and AK kept me knocked the fuck out. Then when I woke up, I was this me. I was Flame. No longer Josiah William Cade.”
I stared at the tattoos and I understood. They kept people away. So they wouldn’t touch him. They made people stay away before they chose to stay away.
Every new word from his mouth seemed to gut me.
“Flame…” I whispered and pressed a final kiss to his skin. Then I asked, “And what happened after AK and Viking found you?”
“AK brought me to Styx’s old man, the Prez at the time, and they took me in. They didn’t fucking care that I cut myself. They didn’t fucking care that I was different. They just took me the fuck in. And I never left.”
“And AK and Viking…?”
“Are my brothers. They… understand me. They know how to talk to me. They saved me. They fucking saved me. I owe them everything. Even when AK went on tour with the forces, he always kept in touch with me. Checked in on me as much as he could.”
A lump built in my throat and moving up Flame’s body, I pressed my lips to his. Suddenly, the sound of voices erupted outside. It was laughter. It was happiness, and brotherhood. And it was Flame’s family. Which made them my family too.
“They are loud,” I remarked, smiling.
Flame nodded his head, and my heart swelled when I saw his lip twitch with affection. “They always are. Especially Viking. Ky hits him a lot to get him to shut the fuck up. It never works for long.”
Then, surprising me, laughter erupted from my chest. Flame stopped breathing, then he sat up and crushed me to his chest. Yelping in surprise, I held his head in my hands and asked, “Are you okay?”
Flame nodded against my chest and said, “I like you laughing.”
I sighed and whispered, “And I just love you in any fashion.”
Flame held me tighter still.
*****
I walked out of the bedroom, dressed in my long white dress with my hair pulled back. I saw Flame sitting against the wall, next to the fire, with his blade in hand. He was staring at the hatch in the floor at the back of the room. He was dressed once more in his leather pants, black boots and only his cut. He looked so handsome I thought my heart might burst.
Another round of raucous of laughter erupted outside. Flame lifted his head. I held up my hand, trying not to show my concern. My concern that he had been staring at that door.
Flame got to his feet and approached. Without hesitation, his hand slotted into mine. “You really want to go outside?” he asked, and I nodded my head.
“I have stayed indoors for far too long. I feel safe with you by my side and they are your friends. Your brothers.”
Flame led us to the door. As we entered the clearing in front of the three cabins, I noticed that the entire club was there, including Mae and Lilah, with Styx and Ky.
They were all drinking and eating food from the grill, when Viking suddenly looked up. “Flame!” he called, and he winked at me. “Little One.”
Everyone went quiet again, and feeling the embarrassment of their attention, I curled into Flame’s side, his large strong arm coming around my shoulder to hold me close. I instantly felt safe.
Flame began walking us forward. The closer we got, the more the voices returned to their previous state.
“Maddie?” Looking up I saw Mae and Lilah sitting with Beauty and Letti. I waved. Flame glanced down and asked, “You hungry?”
I nodded against his chest and said, “I shall wait with Mae and Lilah.”
Flame’s arm seemed to tighten as though he was reluctant to let go, until Viking called his name. “Flame, put down your bitch for a fucking hot minute and come get your crazy ass some steak! You’ve fucking lost weight, and I don’t want the fucking responsibility of being the biggest meanest fucker in this club.”
“Don’t fucking worry, Vike. Tanner’s got that shit down anyway,” Tank said in reply. Viking began ripping off his shirt.
“We fucking doing this again, brother? I swear you keep saying this shit just to get me to strip. You getting hot for my pale ass? Beauty not giving you what you need?”
The brothers all started to laugh, and Flame reluctantly let go of me to walk to the grill. I turned to join Mae and Lilah, when I caught sight of AK leaving his cabin to my right. So overcome with gratitude for this man, I hurried to where he was walking, blushing as his face broke out in a smile. “Hey, Madds—”
I cut off his greeting by wrapping my arms around his waist. AK stilled. Unable to bear his touch for long, I stepped back, and with lowered eyes, said, “Thank you.”
AK crouched down, his face wearing an expression of confusion. “For what?”