Page 126 of Of Flesh & Bone

CHAPTER 41

Eve

My arms are heavy.Legs too.Why can't I move?There's more light in here than normal.My tongue is thick in my mouth, and I can't form words.I hear myself slurring, but I'm not even sure what I'm trying to say.It hurts.My back hurts so bad and something warm is running down my sides.

"Heyyyy, Slayer.You did well.So, well.You're a natural."

It's him.His voice is unmistakable.What is he doing to me?It hurts.Why?I can't move, and it hurts so badly.I hear myself make sounds again.

"I'm officially claiming you.You've proven yourself against our enemies.This will let everyone know that you belong to me.You'll never be alone."

In the distance I hear someone calling to me."Eve."They aren't inside the room with me.It isn't him.The one who's claiming me.It isn't him.Louder this time."Eve, love."A warm hand cups my face."Eve.Wake up."The voice is more urgent this time and I break free.My eyes open and it's bright.Much brighter than it was in that room.I blink rapidly trying to adjust to the light."Damn it, Eve.You were starting to scare me.Were you dreaming?"

Adam.It's Adam.Relief consumes me.I'm so happy to see him.My smile takes over.He has something covering his forearm.The tattoo shoppe.We're in the tattoo shoppe.We're getting tattoos."Can I see?"I ask him in a deep, sleepy voice.

"Are you okay?I think you were dreaming."

"Yeah.I'm fine.Are you finished?"There's no way I was asleep long enough for him to get a tattoo that size.

"Yeah.So are you.You slept through the whole thing.That was an eight-hour tattoo, love."

Holy shit.Is he serious?I have a tattoo?I got a tattoo, and I have absolutely no idea what it is.Brilliant.

"No way.I didn't think I was even that tired."

Adam smirks in that devilish way of his."Well, you were up late last night and quite active.Then you woke up fairly early this morning, as you remember."

Yes.How could I forget?I think I actually just passed out last night from physical exhaustion and then he woke me up a few hours later for a repeat performance.No wonder I was so sleepy.My body saw this tattoo session as the perfect time to catch up on some REM.

"I remember."I tell him dryly.

"Are you ready to see it?"

I know he's talking about my tattoo, but I want to see what he got too."Yeah.I'm ready."Inhaling a deep breath and squeezing my eyes shut, I take the mirror from his hand.I let the breath out and open my eyes, using the mirror in my hand to reflect off of the larger wall mirror behind me.

I can see everything.The mirror behind me is so large that I can see everyone and everything in the room.I can see my tattoo andholy shit.It's huge.It spans from one shoulder to the other all the way across my back and it stretches down to about the center of my spine in the middle, but the sides don't go lower than my shoulder blades.

I start to stand up, but I remember I'm not wearing a shirt and realize that my bra has been unclasped.Adam sees my dilemma and hands my shirt to me."Can I put it on?"

Grace speaks up first."Just cover yourself with it so you can get a closer look.Then, we'll help you put it on before you leave, sugar."

I nod."Okay."

Adam helps me cover myself with the shirt and we walk over to the large mirror.I close my eyes, turning away from the mirror and prepare myself for what I might see.I swear to the Dalai Lama that if he had his name tattooed in various fonts across my back, I'm going to tattoo the inside of his asshole with Property of Eve in big ass Olde English letters.

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