Page 29 of Claimed

“Blue,” Chase uses his nickname for me as he gently grabs my arm and pulls it away from my chest. “What are those?” I look where he’s pointing and realize what they’re all staring at. The trail of heart marks across the top of my chest.

“Oh.” I just blink down at them dumbly. How had I forgotten about them? How had I forgotten to mention them to my mates?

Quick glances at their curious faces and I know why. They’re going to be upset when they learn ‌how I got them.

“They’re ugly,” I say as I run my finger over one of the bigger ones, wondering what death that one is from.

“Ugly?” Hunter asks in confusion. “They’re beautiful. Were you born with them?”

I shake my head.

“Are they tattoos?” Gage asks as he leans a little closer and squints at them.

“Not exactly,” I say as I swallow the lump in my throat.

“Why do you look worried?” Maddox asks cautiously. “What aren’t you telling us?”

I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly feeling dry. “It’s just that—when I tell you, you’re gonna hate them. I’m afraid you’ll never look at me the same again.”

“Hey, now,” Maddox says as he grabs my hand and threads our fingers together. “We’re your mates. No matter what. You hear me?”

“We might still be mates, but it doesn’t mean you’ll still want me.”

“Where is all this self-doubt coming from?” Chase says as he wraps his arms around my middle. “Where did my cute little vixen go? These marks are beautiful, no matter where they came from. ‘Cause they are part of you.”

His words help me feel a little bit braver, but it’s Bain’s next words that decide it for me.

“Angel, tell me. I need to know.”

Why is his bossy voice so sexy?

Deciding to bite the bullet and tell them, I take a deep breath and lift my eyes to Bain’s as I explain. “After I die and wake up, one of these marks is magically burned into my skin.”

I trace my finger along the trail of hearts as I watch him carefully, scared that this will change everything. Slowly, his brow pinches and his eyes move down to my hand on my chest, as if he doesn’t understand. I glance at the others, and they all look just as confused.

Gage is the first to speak. “Are you saying that every single one of those hearts represents a time you died?”

“Yes.”

“Fucking shit,” Chase curses.

“What the actual fuck?” Hunter asks at the same time.

Maddox shakes his head, staring at my chest in horror, and I risk a glance at Bain, who still looks confused.

“Bain?” I ask, in worry.

He reaches up and runs a finger along the marks as he shakes his head. “I don’t understand. You died this many times? But there must be over fifty or sixty here.” His eyes turn from confused to furious as he lifts his gaze to mine. “Are you telling me you’ve died sixty times?”

I feel a tear escape and quickly move to wipe it away as I tell him, “Don’t be mad.” Avoiding answering.

“Not mad at you, baby,” he growls, his eyes moving back to my chest as his finger follows the trail into my armpit. Silently, he lifts my arm, and I take a deep breath, knowing he’s going to trace it all the way back to the start.

“The fuck?” he whispers in horror when he sees it going toward my back. Chase gently presses my back, making me lean forward, then I feel him gather up my hair, holding it off my back and neck.

“Motherfuckers!” Chase yells so loud I jerk in his lap. “Sorry,” he says a little quieter as he gives my waist a small squeeze. I feel fingers trace over the marks along my upper back and up the side of my neck to where they start at the back of my ear.

“Is this where they start?” Bain asks, sounding like he’s about to completely lose it.