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I’m attempting to get away, but his pal won’t let me go. He has both of my wrists tied behind my back. I look towards Tera and see that Arthur’s brother is holding her back. She is scared and her eyes get bigger. She is worried about what Kelvin will do to me.
Kelvin smirks and looks down at me with a grin that makes me sick. “Too bad, isn’t it?” “Liam can’t see this beauty. I’m sure he won’t mind if we get you a new slave. It won’t make any difference to him, right?” Then he laughs out loud.
Tears of anger are burning my eyes. “Let me go.”
I scream as Kelvin grabs a knife from the kitchen table and pulls my shirt collar so tightly that it almost chokes me and makes my feet leave the ground.
He points the knife at my blouse, and the tip touches the soft fabric. “No. Let everyone see the lies you’ve been telling him.”
The stinging blade against my skin makes my heart halt. He’s going to tear my shirt off in front of everyone.
“You’re just a girl without the tattoo. You filthy little liar. You’re an intruder.”
It’s too late now. I can’t stop it.
When Kelvin cuts my shirt with the knife, my body shakes with panic. The ripped cloth falls to the floor, leaving me standing here in my bra and nothing else.
People are gasping and whispering in a panic. The person who was holding my wrist suddenly lets go, and I lurch forward and almost hit Kelvin in the chest.
Kelvin steps back, which is strange. His eyes are not on me; they are on the friend behind me. When I turn around, I see him staring at my back with sheer dread.
“What the hell is that?” His voice is trembling all over the place.
I turn my head quickly, but everyone is still looking at me with the same terror in their eyes.
There’s a mirror on the wall across from me, so I look at it and hope to God that this won’t be the last of me. My heart is pounding hard against my ribs.
When I view my tattoo on the back of my shoulder, time appears to freeze.
I can see two Eagle Wings. It’s not enormous; it only covers the right half of my shoulder blade. Tera made it, and it’s amazing. I can hardly believe that such beauty is now permanently on my skin.
But that’s not all. I can see why they are all gaping at it in shock. This Eagle Wings tattoo isn’t normal since it has gold streaks on it.
I haven’t seen any Eagle Wings members with tattoos like this before. I also recall Lizzy telling me that the streaks are either silver or crimson.
“Impossible.” Kelvin’s voice is trembling too. He is staring at my tattoo, which is now facing him.
People are chatting and whispering more quickly. They’re attempting to figure out what it is.
Kelvin says again, “You can’t have that kind of tattoo.” “It’s not possible.”
“What do you think we’re seeing now?” a female he doesn’t know yells at him. “You’re going to die. You’re doomed.”
“Yeah,” another person yells. This time, it’s a man’s voice. “We shouldn’t be doing this to her. You just dug all of our graves.”
It feels like the room is spinning and my head hurts. I don’t get what’s going on.
People around me start to fight, yelling and getting angry.
The air is full with fear, and everything goes wrong. The phrases that are being thrown about me and the history of Eagle Wings that I already know are going through my brain.
Different kind of Eagle Wings tattoos show who the individual is.
Black = regular members.
The Knights, who were thought to be the commanders of Eagle Wings, wore black with crimson streaks. There are three of them right now: Zane, Dante, and Victor.
The Kings are black with silver stripes. This tattoo belongs to the owner of Eagle Wings and all of his blood relatives. It belongs to Ethan and Liam. If their sister were still alive, she would have the same tattoo.
Then there’s another one, the sort of tattoo that people don’t talk about much because they haven’t seen one.
Black with gold lines. This tattoo is on the body of someone who is important to the family but not connected by blood. They are just as vital as the Kings and must be kept safe at all costs. Ethan and Liam’s mum was the only other person to have this tattoo. Her spouse gave her the tattoo.
I hold on to the table on my side for support as the audience goes wild around me.
“Is that really true?” someone yells. “What’s that tattoo supposed to mean?”
“Mine,” a voice says firmly, and everyone stops talking right now.
My skin is crawling with goosebumps. My heart stops when I turn around to check who the voice belongs to.
Liam is now in the room. He looks like he just got back from his morning run because he’s wearing a jacket. Anyone would be scared to death by the look on his face.
In a frightening manner, he continues, “It means she’s f*****g mine.”
I know he’s doing this to keep me safe, but the way he said it and the look on his face make me doubt that he truly means it. No matter what it is, I feel a big sense of relief, and I can’t help but cry.
He says, “No one touches Emily,” which makes the stillness that follows much worse. People seem afraid to move a finger while he talks. “I say again,” he hisses angrily. “No one. No one can f*****g touch her.”
His wrath is taking over his whole body. I can see his body quivering with anger, and it makes me want to go to him.
He embraces me in his arms, and I bury my face in his chest right away, letting my tears flow.
I don’t care. I can’t keep this relief within.
When he holds me tighter, a sweet grin comes to my lips.
It’s been a few weeks since Liam gave me the tattoo, and a lot has changed within the house.
No one is brave enough to bully me anymore, but I can still feel their eyes on me. I can’t see Kelvin and his pals anymore. People are saying that Victor has heard about what happened in the kitchen and that Kelvin and his buddies are now on a mission with just a 10% chance of making it out alive. I wonder whether they are being punished in any way.
People still talk about me behind my back. I know they can’t believe it, but I got the tattoo coloured in black with gold streaks, and I’m the only one from Eagle Wings who did. A ordinary tattoo would be enough to keep me safe here, but I wonder why Liam had me get that tattoo.
After lunch with Tera at her house, I went back to Liam’s room and saw him standing by the window with his back to the door. He turns around as soon as he hears me walking in, and he knocks down one of the picture frames on his desk.
I’m about to assist him get it when he grabs for it. I saw the picture of him as a tiny child sitting next to a little girl. She has a beautiful smile on her face, while he has a grin on his. I think it’s his younger sister who perished in the vehicle tragedy.
“Is that…” I stop talking as he puts the frame back on the desk. I ask, “Your sister?” and my heart starts to race.
Things are going well between us right now, and I’m worried that my query may make him angry. Liam has been putting up barriers for years, so it’s hard to get close to him. He could pull back again if I talk about his sister, but I’m just so curious. I want him to tell me more about himself and his family.
His lips quiver in annoyance as a sharp pang crosses his face.
“I’m sorry,” I respond hastily. “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean to make you think about how much it hurt to lose her. I just wanted to know. She’s beautiful.”
Liam doesn’t say anything. He comes up to the bed and sits down. Since I’ve been living with him, I’ve figured out how he acts when he wants to shut down. He’s fidgeting now, which is one of the indicators. Then he becomes upset and lets everyone know about it. He gets angry quickly when he thinks of the anguish he went through.
But I know he can get better. We still fight, but it’s more like arguing now. It’s not as severe as it used to be, and it happens less often.
I sit next to him on the bed and say, “I’m sorry.”
I know he can hear my suffering too.
“I’m so sorry you lost her.”
He swallows.