Chapter Twenty

Animal I Have Become

I stood beside Negan, who was pacing and swinging Lucille in front of him. Anger rolled off of him in waves

Saviors were filtering into the training room, leaving Negan, Simon, and myself with enough room at the front.

Ever since I'd left the infirmary with a promise from doc that Harvey was going to be fine, I couldn't shake the need to take action. I wanted to physically harm whoever had hurt him, whoever had the fucking audacity to kill our people unprovoked. It was cowardly, sneaking into a place when most people hadn't been awake to defend themselves.

When it appeared that everyone was accounted for, Negan turned to glare at everyone.

"Outpost three has been attacked. Everyone's fucking dead," Negan started, "Paula has a couple people with her at a safehouse. We've sent a group out to bring them back."

Shocked faces looked back at us as a dead silence blanketed the room.

I couldn't sit still any longer and started bouncing on my toes, trying to shake the anger out of me.

"We're going to find out who these motherfuckers are and handle this shit accordingly," Negan grunted, swinging Lucille in a wide arc, before he glanced over at me.

I didn't even have it in me to send a supportive smile.

The radio on Negan's hip crackled and he snatched it up with an impressive speed.

"Sanctuary, this is the escort group, do you copy?" A male voice sounded.

I could hear the unsteady voice clearly and knew this was about to be bad.

"Did you find them?" Negan asked.

"Boss, everyone's dead. Paula and her group… they're dead. There are no hostages here. They took out the six Saviors that got here before us. Everyone's… dead," the voice responded.

I sucked in a breath. It felt like the whole room did as we all stood there, staring in shock at the radio.

Someone was coming for us. Someone who was powerful enough to take out groups of men at a time.

"Get everyone back here now," I murmured to Negan.

He looked up at me, his eyes a mixture of anger and genuine fucking sadness for his people.

"Come back to the Sanctuary. Now," Negan said into the radio, gritting his teeth as he clipped it back to his waist.

"We need a plan, and we need one right fucking now, Negan," I said, stepping close to him and keeping my voice low so no one else could hear me.

His eyes hooked onto mine.

"We need to flush them out," he responded.

"We do. Do you have a map of the outpost locations?"

"In my office," he nodded.

"I'll meet you there? Bring the lieutenants and Laura, yeah?"

"You got it, wildflower," he responded, placing a kiss on my cheek before turning back to the group.

I started walking towards the door, making eye contact with Dwight who was leaning against the wall. I signaled for him to join me and he fell in step beside me quickly as we made our way through the halls.

"We got a plan?" He asked, glancing over at me.

"We're about to. I want to look at the map of the outposts while Negan finishes up in there," I responded, bounding up some steps with Dwight on my heels.

He stayed beside me as we entered the office. I kicked off my flip flops and threw my hair up in a bun on the top of my head as I walked towards the desk. I slid into Negan's chair, crossing my legs underneath me, while Dwight grabbed a rolled up map from one of the tables behind Negan's desk.

He rolled it out across the desk, placing objects around it to pin it down. Leaning over my shoulder, he started pointing.

"This is three, the outpost that was attacked. We have other outposts in these locations, with the red star on them," he stated, making sure to point out all of them.

"And where was Bud's group attacked?"

"Here," he said, pointing to a spot on a road.

I nodded my head. Bud's group was attacked within forty-five miles of the outpost. My eyes scanned over the map.

"Where are these other communities?"

"The blue circles. Except this one, obviously. That was Purcellville."

"Safe house Paula was at?"

"This green x."

I grabbed a pencil from a cupholder, circling the area of attacks.

"Everything that's happened has taken place inside this area."

Dwight grabbed the pencil from my hand, leaning over me further, his chest pressing down on my shoulder as he marked a spot on the map.

"I haven't even told Negan this, because I didn't think it was important, but when Sherry and I left, we ended up here. We met a man who told us that he was part of a community that was safe. I think he called it Alexandria," Dwight said, looking over at me while still leaning over my shoulder.

The door flew open, causing us both to jump.

"This is the second goddamn time I've found your ass entirely too god damn close to my girl, and I'm telling you now, Dwighty boy, today is not the fucking day," Negan growled, stomping into the room.

I looked up at him as Dwight straightened himself.

"Put the fucking testosterone away, Negan. We have shit to do," I barked at him, unable to deal with his possessive bullshit at the moment.

His angry eyes locked on to mine as everyone filed into the room behind him, keeping their eyes downcast.

Negan rounded the desk and lifted me from chair before sitting in it and pulling me into his lap. I rolled my eyes so hard that I was pretty sure I could see my brain.

"You know I'm going to punish you later, right?" He purred into my ear, quietly enough that no one could hear him.

"Try me," I said, not caring if anyone heard me or not, before turning my head to the other people in the room, "If you guys are done pretending like you don't exist, feel free to step forward so we can have a conversation."

"I see you're in just as good of a mood as your worse half," Simon murmured, walking towards the desk.

Ignoring his comment, I started explaining what Dwight and I had been talking about.

"And this," I said, pointing to the pencil mark D had made, "Is where Dwight met a man that said he was from a nearby community."

Dwight jumped in and explained what he had told me, giving a thorough description of the man.

"Why have I not fucking heard about this before?" Negan asked, glaring at Dwight.

"Probably because he didn't have time to talk to you while you were holding an iron to his face and fucking around with his wife, but what do I know?" I asked, ignoring the uncomfortable expressions around me, "Notice how all of this shit falls within this fucking area? These people have to be close by. I'm not saying the guy Dwight met is definitely a party to this shit, but I'd bet money he probably is. Regardless, I think we need to focus our energy here first. See what we can find."

"Like trying to find their camp or community or whatever?" Arat asked, looking up at me.

"Yes, but also, not engaging within their area. These people obviously have firepower and manpower. They took out an entire outpost and a safe house and none of their people were wounded enough to be left behind. We just need to know who the fuck they are so we can plan accordingly," I said, looking to everyone.

I felt Negan's head nod over my shoulder.

"You're right. We need to wait them out, get them outside of their comfort zone when they're least expecting it," he said quietly, deep in thought.

"Exactly. But I want information first. I want names, locations, power dynamics laid out. We should send someone to the other communities and see if they know anything, too."

"I can grab a crew and head out to meet with dear old Gregory at Hilltop in the morning," Simon offered.

"And we have an exchange happening with the Kingdom tomorrow afternoon. I can bring it up to the King then," Gavin sighed, looking like the least invested person in the room.

"The King?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dwight laughed.

"It's a whole fucking thing," he said, "I'll tell you about it later."

Negan glared at him. He might as well just piss on my leg to mark his fucking territory.

"Perfect. We need groups of Saviors patrolling this area. However many we can spare," I said, turning my head to look at Negan, "But ones we can trust not to engage, just gather information."

He looked to Simon, "You know which ones I want on this. Tell them they leave at first light tomorrow."

"Got it, boss," Simon said, nodding his head.

"What are we going to do when we get our hands on them?" Laura asked, causing Negan to grin.

"Introduce them to my dear Lucille. She's been real fucking thirsty lately," he said.

I couldn't explain why, but the malice in his tone sent shivers down my spine straight to my core. It was probably an indication that I needed some serious psychiatric help, but it wasn't like we had a therapist on staff.

"Laura and Arat, I want you to amp up the watch on the walls. Make sure no one comes here. Send some patrols out daily through the immediate surrounding area," Negan commanded, staring at the women.

They both bobbed their heads.

"D, can you and some others focus on trying to find that guy you were talking about? Like maybe start with the area that you met him and expand out? Please?" I asked, looking over at Dwight.

"Yes, ma'am. We'll head out tomorrow morning," Dwight said, smiling softly at me.

"Okay, now that everyone has their assignments, get the fuck out," Negan growled.

The room cleared quickly.

The moment the door clicked shut, Negan's right hand wrapped around my neck and pulled me back tight against his chest, a small gasp falling from my throat.

"You drive me fucking insane. Every time that fuck gets close to you, I want to burn the other side of his goddamn face, Piper," he snarled into my ear, "And then when you stand up for him, every fucking time? Downright homicidal."

"He's my friend," I gasped as his other hand slid over my abdomen and into the front of my leggings.

"Guess how much I care, wildflower?"

His fingers made contact with my clit.

"I think you like it when I get a little crazy, baby. Because you're already fucking wet for me," he purred, circling the bundle of nerves.

"Negan," I panted as he bit down on my shoulder, "We have s-so much to do."

"Mhmm, but we're just gonna have to make time for this."

He released my neck and leaned forward, keeping me pressed against him as he hastily shoved everything from the desk to the floor.

"What are y - "

A yelp cut off my sentence as his hands found my waist and he stood. He twisted me until I felt the desk under my ass. He quickly pushed my shoulder until I was laying on the desk in front of him and his hands quickly grabbed onto the fabric of my leggings, tugging them and my panties off my body and letting them drop to the floor.

A low hum of approval left his lips and he sat back in his chair, pulling it close to the desk, close to me. I lifted my head slightly to look at him.

His tongue swiped across his bottom lip slowly.

"I think I need to remind you who the fuck you belong to, Piper," he gritted out.

A lightning bolt of desire speared through me as I let out a small whimper. Maybe I did have it in me to deal with his possessive bullshit after all.

We had things that needed to get done. I needed to check in with Livie, go see Harvey, make sure Jolene and James were okay. I wanted to look over the map and try to place where those fucking assholes were hiding.

But fuck, I wanted his mouth on me right now.

"Put your feet flat on the desk, Piper."

I obeyed instantly, keeping my eyes on his. I was spread completely open for him.

He lazily lifted a finger, running it down my wet slit slowly, as he pressed his lips to my left thigh. My hips raised slightly and he quickly put his other hand to my abdomen and pressed down, sending me a glare.

"Stay still."

He returned to what he was doing, keeping his hand on my stomach and his lips pressing lazy kisses across both thighs. When his mouth got closer to where I needed him to be, another whimper fell from my mouth and he locked his eyes on mine. I could still see the possessiveness behind his dark orbs.

His tongue flattened across the bundle of nerves just as he slid two fingers deep inside me. His fingers curled, finding that spot deep inside me that always made my legs shake. My head dropped back to the desk as I groaned.

A dark chuckle sounded in the room as he found a rhythm, his fingers moving in time with every lick and suck. He never let up and I felt the pull on my abdomen, the promise of a mind blowing orgasm. Plea's fell from my lips, begging him to keep fucking going.

My walls clenched around his fingers and all of a sudden he wasn't touching me anymore. My head snapped up. He was watching me from between my legs.

"What are you fucking doing?"

"Teaching you a lesson, baby," he purred.

My eyes widened and my mouth fell open.

Sure that my orgasm had retreated, he bent his bed back towards me and latched onto my clit as his fingers slid back into me. I relaxed again as he brought me closer and closer to the edge. And when I was there, just about to freefall into bliss, he stopped touching me again.

"No, no, Negan please," I begged, sounding desperate, "Please make me come. Please."

"You sound so pretty when you beg for me, baby. But I still don't think you remember who the fuck you belong to."

"You, Negan. I belong to you, please," I whined, lifting my hips from the desk in an attempt to get his mouth back on me.

My legs were shaking. Fuck, my entire body was shaking.

Negan just chuckled and slowly started again, but never finished. Three more fucking times he teased me, making sure I was just about to come before he stopped. I couldn't control the way my body shivered or the tears that rolled down my cheeks as I begged him.

The final time, he stood up quickly and shoved his pants down. He gave me no time as he shoved his hard dick inside me. I screamed, clutching his arms. Too full, too much.

His eyes were fucking crazed as he fucked me.

"Who. Do. You. Belong. To," he gritted out.

"You. Always belonged to you," I managed to get out between pants and moans.

His hand snaked around the back of my neck, lifting my face to his.

"That's fucking right, wildflower. You are all mine. Every goddamn piece you," he grunted, slamming his lips to mine for a brief moment before his forehead rested against my sweat covered brow.

I could feel the coil start to tighten again, the tension in my stomach almost unbearable as he hammered into me.

"That's it, baby. Come for me, let me feel you," he breathed, one of his hands sliding to my sensitive clit, making messy circles around it.

His other hand stayed locked behind my head, holding my face to his as I exploded around him. My body shook and my breathing stopped for a brief second all together.

"So. Fucking. Tight. Where do you want me to come, pretty girl? Tell me right now," he questioned as I fought to bring enough air into my lungs.

"Inside me, Negan," I gasped, still not able to completely focus on anything.

"That's my good girl," he grunted, as his hips stuttered and he slammed into me forcefully.

I felt him spill into me, my name dropping from his mouth like a prayer. His body collapsed on top of mine as he buried his head in my neck, placing light kisses to my pulse.

The only sound in the room came from my ragged breathing. I felt a headache starting to pound from behind my eyes, either from the adrenaline rush or me holding my breath.

"I love you," Negan whispered into my neck.

I mumbled something unintelligible as he lifted himself and looked down at me. His eyes were still damn near feral as he took me in.

"Fuck, I have never seen a more perfect goddamn picture."

The following days went by quickly. Both Simon and Gavin reported nothing from either of the communities they had visited. The groups that were out looking hadn't found anything yet and the security around the Sanctuary was amped up.

It was two weeks later when Harvey had been released from bedrest by the doctor and returned to work, though he'd had to beg me. He'd told Negan and I multiple times about what he remembered of the attack. That a group of armed people came into the outpost and had taken out almost everyone sleeping before anyone even realized what had happened. He was in the armory, organizing the cases of bullets when he'd heard yells and gunfire.

He told me, with tears in his eyes, that a large man with red hair had found him. Harvey said he'd tried to fight back, but the man had shot him and walked away. He'd waited until he didn't hear anything anymore before he'd snuck out the back where the truck was parked and drove away.

I'd spent a lot of time with Harvey after that, coddling the kid like an old mother hen. He'd cried while I'd hugged him, saying he had been so scared that Livie would be on her own and I'd made a promise to him at that moment, that as long as I was alive, Livie would never be on her own. And I had meant it. If something ever happened to Harvey, I'd make sure Livie was the most protected child in the fucking world.

The entire Sanctuary felt tense, everyone having heard about the outpost attack. I only saw Negan at bedtime, both of us working as much as possible. I was worried we would end up in another showdown, so I'd made sure to up the production in the lab, with the help of my group.

"Piper, get to the meeting room now," Negan barked over the radio I kept on my desk early one morning.

I rolled my eyes, convinced he would wither away if he thought someone heard him say fucking 'please', for once.

I made my way to the meeting room, the one Negan usually only used when he was meeting with his lieutenants, like we had when we'd originally told them about Purcellville. The hallways were empty, which had become the normal given everyone was gone all the time now.

I slipped into the room, not shocked to see the usual suspects, minus Dwight. Negan was sitting at the head of the table in his leather jacket and white t-shirt. He shot me a quick grin, the look on his face not matching the command he'd sent through the radio a couple minutes ago.

I marched across the space to Negan's side, placing a quick kiss on his cheek before sliding in the empty seat to his left. Crossing my legs at the knee, I leaned back in my seat and looked at Negan expectantly.

"Now that everyone is here, we have fucking news, people," Negan boomed, clapping his hands, "Dwight found the guy, plus some extras. And the best fucking part, is we know where these motherfuckers are now."

Everyone sucked in a breath as we looked at Negan.

Simon, sitting to Negan's right, jumped in, explaining everything he had found out with his group.

A community they called Alexandria. They couldn't see beyond their walls, but had a rough estimate of numbers inside. He said that there was one man who appeared to have more of a say so than the others, from what he glimpsed.

The entire time he talked, I felt my foot bouncing.

"We know it's them. There's… there's a giant ginger that matches the description that Harvey provided," Simon said, eyes locking on mine.

I felt a grin spread across my face.

"God damn, you're scary as fuck when you make that face," Simon said, smiling largely at me.

"It's time to end this shit," I responded.

"That it fucking is, baby. And let me tell you exactly what the fuck we're going to do," Negan expressed, his grin matching my own.

"They're fucking terrifying together," I hear Arat whisper to Laura, who just nodded her head.

Negan laid out his plan to everyone. He had people watching the community 24/7. As soon as we had movement that this leader of theirs was a part of, Simon and his people would head out to enact what he deemed as a game of 'cat and mouse', blocking all roads until we had them surrounded. Then we'd get them in a "lineup", where he said the real fun would begin.

"Are we just going to kill them?" Arat asked.

"Oh, my sweet simple Arat. Abso-fucking-lutely not. People are god damn resources. We're going to kill one of them and the rest are going to provide for us, just like the other communities do. But instead of them getting the joy of dealing with one of my fine lieutenants after I kill one of them, they get me to make it extra fun," Negan said, leaning back into his seat, a shit eating grin splitting across his face.

"And me," I declared, looking at Negan, preparing myself for an argument when he objected.

Much to my surprise, he didn't.

"Of course, wildflower," he responded, sending me a wink, "Everyone keep your radios on you. When it's time, it's fucking time. We are all going to take care of this shit for good."