James Tate

of my left breast. There, he ever so slowly, ever so gently followed the lines of my third tattoo.

Pushing himself up on his elbow, he leaned over and kissed my tender skin where I'd inked a design just for him: a treble clef that turned into a pulse line. I couldn't even begin to tell him how long I'd stared at the beeping pulse line of his heart monitor after he'd been shot, so when I'd seen the design Cass had drawn, I’d known it was perfect.

I spotted Cass across the parking lot, standing over the bearded Reaper who'd punched me. He seemed to say something to the man, then shot him straight in the face.

I spotted Cass across the parking lot, standing over the bearded Reaper who'd punched me. He seemed to say something to the man, then shot him straight in the face.

That left just one enemy alive, and he was on his knees with his brother's gun to his head.

"You're a fucking traitor," Zane spat at Cass, who sauntered over to stand beside Archer with his gun held ever so casually in his hand. "You think you can just take my place? My family created the Reapers. They'll never follow a snake like you."

Cass just arched a scarred brow and shrugged. "Well, that's not really your problem, is it? You signed away your life the second you made a move against Archer, and you knew it."

Zane snarled. "Fuck you, Cass. Fuck you."

"You're boring me," Archer commented, his voice dry and devoid of any human emotions. "And you broke the rules."

Bang.

Just like that, the Shadow Grove Reapers saw a change of leadership.

He kissed my fingers again, then slid out of the car and left me alone. I stared down at my hand for a long time, my eyes locked on my new diamond ring, and felt a strange sense of relief that Zane hadn't taken the heirloom. I was crazy attached to the thing.

Archer just made a sound in his throat that was neither agreement nor disagreement. Regardless, he was the definition of caring as he gently washed dried blood, dirt, and grime from my battered skin. When I was clean, he hurried to rinse off himself

"I can't believe he fucking shot you," Archer whispered in outrage, his lips feathering over my forehead near the bullet graze.

I let out a small laugh. "I told him to do it, Sunshine, so stop being a bear about it. You know how good Steele is; there was no way he'd take that shot if he thought for even a second he might miss."

Before he could leave, I grabbed his hand. "Stay with me. Just until I'm asleep or something? I don't... I just need to feel you close."

Archer gave me a small frown of concern, then nodded and climbed into my bed beside me. I clenched my teeth against a grimace of pain as he got comfy, then carefully snuggled into his embrace.

"I thought you got shot for real," I confessed, my words mumbled into his chest. "I thought..." I couldn't even get the rest of those words out. It was bad enough watching Steele almost die of a shot to the chest, so when I'd seen that gun, heard a shot fired, then seen Archer collapse, my heart had stopped.

Archer knew what I meant, though. He just rubbed soothing circles on my back and kissed my hair.

"Baby girl, I'm like a cockroach. I can't be taken out so easily."