Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37638 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37638 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
“Yeah.” Wylde scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I know a fuckin’ tattoo won’t do much to warn that bastard away from them but having them inked would go a long way toward the rest of the club accepting them. That’s part of the reason no one accepted Bev like they normally would have. Which was why she didn’t do more damage than she did. We all knew that, as long as Warlock didn’t ink her, he didn’t completely trust her. So, you guys need to figure out what to do. Given their history, I can see how it might be difficult. But you know it’s what needs to be done.”
“Fully aware, brother. I’d hoped to wait until all three had settled in, but that may not be possible.” Roman gave me a hard look, obviously feeling the same way I did. “Safety trumps comfort. This has to be done. Today.”
“Iris needs hers, too. Might as well do all three women together.” Sting wasn’t about to let us force our women into doing something he wasn’t willing to subject his own woman to. “I’d hoped to give her time to think about it, but you’re right. This has become a safety issue.”
“Ace should be back this evening. I’ll let him know he has work.” Wylde left me, Sting, and Roman. I glanced toward the woman.
“No reason to think they’d be opposed,” Roman said with a shrug.
“No reason to think they won’t see us as the ones scarring them this time. Only instead of knife wounds, we’re forcing them to get a tattoo. With ‘Property of’ permanently written on their skin.” The more I thought about it the more I hated it. I wanted her to wear my ink, but I absolutely would not allow her to put me in the same category with the beasts who brutalized her years ago. I was a beast. But I was her beast. I’d fight and kill for her.
“You know we have to do this, Brick. If not, we need to send them back to Black Reign now, and I for one am not willing to do that. Winter’s my woman. I never want to be without her.”
“I know, brother. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“I never really thought about this where it concerned Winter. Should have. That’s on me.” Roman rubbed his chin, stroking his beard. “I have my own ink, as do you. It’s part of being in this MC. In most MCs.”
“Most MCs don’t ask this of their women, though. I suppose some do, but the Tzars have had hard and fast rules for longer than either of us has been alive. The ol’ ladies might as well be patched members. We hold them to the same standard.”
“Yeah. No divorce. No leaving. If we want to keep our secrets, this is how we have to do things. We might keep club secrets from them, but if you’re with someone long enough, you confide in them. Already I see the appeal of having someone to talk with. It’s usually you, but…”
“I know. It’s different.”
“Maybe if they all do it together, side by side, it will seem less like a punishment.” Roman had a point, but I wasn’t sure that would be enough.
“If she’s gettin’ inked, then so am I.” I hadn’t gotten ink since I got out of prison except my own Iron Tzars brand. It had been forced on me as a way of life on the inside, and I never wanted to be part of that lifestyle again. I’d chosen to be part of Tzars knowing I’d have to be branded because it was a life decision. I was my own man but made stronger for my loyalty to the club. For Serelda, though, I’d do whatever I had to for her to be secure in our relationship. This might be something I could give her to ease any fear she might have regarding her own tattoo as well as her place in my life.
Sting raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? What’er you gonna get?”
I thought for a minute. “I’ll get a ring tattoo. Her name on my left-hand ring finger.”
“I could get behind that. If Winter can wear my name on her skin, I can do the same for her.”
“Makes sense.” Sting nodded. “I’m on board, too.”
That made me feel more comfortable about the situation, though not totally at peace with it. If she truly balked, I’d figure something else out.
“Don’t borrow trouble, brother,” Sting said, gripping my shoulder. “They’re both stronger than anyone has given them credit for.”
“I know. I don’t know if I can stand the look in her eyes if she can’t do this.”
“She can. All three of them can.”
The women approached us, arms around each other and huge smiles on their faces. My heart softened even more. It struck me how much I’d fallen for Serelda in such a short time. I’d been drawn to her from the very first, when the sisters had poked their heads up from the back of Sting’s Bronco on the way back home from Florida after helping Warlock’s woman find her sister. Serelda had hidden behind her sister, obviously terrified of her situation, so at odds with the woman who’d spent the night in my arms last night. I was eager to complete our union, but I knew this had to be settled sooner rather than later.