Feral: Love, Hate and Fine Lines....Negan and Pet

Lead Me Not

"What?" Pet bellowed and started a fruitless struggle against him. "Why? You should have killed me yourself!"
Negan held her tightly against him as they laid in the loft, refusing to release her wrists. Of course she wouldn't understand. How could she?
"Alexandria is the safest place." He tried to explain.
"The safest place!" She cried,trying to free herself. "Are you crazy?"
He had went crazy, actually. If it hadn't had been for Lucille's less than subtle sign, he would have killed Pet with his bare hands and now he had to convince her there was no other choice but to go back to the place where she had probably killed the leader of Hilltop.
"Pet, I know how it sounds but..." he tried to explain.
Pet ripped her arms out of his grasp and sprang to her feet. Negan propped himself up on his elbows and admired her in all her angry, naked glory. Her generous feminine curves swayed provocatively as she stamped her foot and pointed an accusing finger at him. He loved the feisty, willful Pet. He wished he could tell her that he was only teasing but their destination was going to be Alexandria whether she liked it or not.
"If I show up at those gates they'll kill me!" She screamed. "And what about you? Do you think they're just going to welcome you with open arms?"
"Rick sent me to bring you back, Pet." He confessed. "It's exactly what I'm going to do."
If it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation, her expression would have been comical. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes became as big as saucers. He knew exactly how she felt. It wasn't that long ago that she had left him feeling just as betrayed.
"The hell you are!" She roared and went for her clothes.
Negan popped up from the hay bed and grabbed her by the arm roughly, spinning her until they were face to face.
"Do you realize where we are, Pet?" He growled. "I'll tell you where we are. We're up shits creek without a boat. There is nothing out here. How long do you think we can survive on baby food? How long until our ammunition runs out? We have got to get behind the safety some walls."
"Being behind the walls of Alexandria isn't very safe for me, is it?" She hissed, wrenching her arm out of his grip. "The ferals don't have walls!" She countered, pulling her shirt down over her head.
"The ferals have numbers. They have weapons and they're always on the move. I'm sure a bunch get picked off regularly." He explained. "Plus, they live like animals."
Pet pulled up her pants and stared coldly at him.
"Then you'll fit right in." She spat.
Negan had enough. He reached out and grabbed a handful of her hair and gave her head a good shake as if it would jar some good sense into her. She winced and went to slap his face but he grabbed her hand.
"Where to?" He snarled. "Sanctuary? So we can both die there? Dwight might kill me quick but if Simon's ass is there you can bet your death won't be. Or maybe Hilltop? Your biggest fan Daryl runs that show now. Last I heard, he wanted to kill you himself."
"Hilltop? Sanctuary? Alexandria? What's the fucking difference?" She yelled back.
"Rick Grimes is trying to bring back civilization with law and order. He wants a trial. Which is more than I ever got." He said angrily.
A trial? It was the most ridiculous thing she ever heard but it was so Rick to try something like that.
"What's my defense, Negan?" She asked. "Self defense, I suppose. But what if she is dead? You're my only witness and no one will believe you anyway. Or me for that matter. Daryl will lie through his damned teeth. What if Rick lied and he just wants us to come back to hang us both?"
As reasonable as that sounded, for some reason Negan knew that Grimes wasn't lying. It wasn't in his nature. And even though he had ultimately lost to Rick, he had been a worthy opponent. His people were fiercely loyal to him which was more than Negan could say for himself. Even Pet had dusted him although she was so willful, it shouldn't have surprised him. As if reading his thoughts, Pet looked him dead in the eye.
"I'm not going." She huffed. "A trial. I highly doubt I'd get a fair one. I killed Maggie and you killed her husband. That's gonna go over big."
"You are going." He shot back, making his way down the ladder to gather his clothes. "We'll die out here and I for one don't feel like starving or being eaten. And the ferals? You heard what those two scumbags said. They sell people and it sounds like they have the market cornered. From what that dirty kid said, you are damaged goods. They'd just use you and kill you."
Pet gasped at the backhanded insult. The kid had said it but coming from Negan's mouth hurt much more. She bore her scars and maybe he was the only one in the world that found them beautiful. But right now, she was wearing new marks. Marks that he made.
"We could run, Negan." She offered. "Just the two of us. We could head north..."
Negan was shaking his head even as she spoke the words. It was way too dangerous. Also, if he didn't bring her back there was a strong possibility that a bounty would be put on their heads. Every established group in the area would be hunting them.
"No can do." He answered.
In an instant, she was down the ladder and heading towards the barn door, pulling at the wooden planks that secured it. Negan bounded towards her just as she pushed the heavy door open, flooding the barn with brilliant sunlight. He wrapped his arms around her waist and attempted to pull her back in but he was met with a sharp elbow to the gut, forcing him to release her. Part of the reason he loved her was due to her determination but right now she was just being a huge pain in the ass. He didn't blame her for being frightened but this decision was the best for her safety.
He caught her right before the old main gate and brought her down with a full body tackle. The air was forced from her lungs as she hit the dry dirt, a puff of dust kicking up as she landed.
She put up a wholehearted struggle when he grabbed her by her ankle and began dragging her back towards the stable, cursing and flailing as they went. She almost squirmed out of his grip twice and he was actually relieved when he was able to grab a piece of strap to secure her wrists behind her back, leaving her panting and struggling on the barn floor.
"I hate you!" She hissed.
"Well, I love you and that's why I'm doing this." He stated. "I'm trying to keep you alive so that we have some kind of future."
Flipping her over, he reached down and pulled her up by the front of her shirt and tossed her over his shoulder, laying her belly down over Odin's back. The horse protested, huffing and stamping his hoof at the sudden drop of dead weight. Her insults were still flying as he gagged her mouth with the strip of rope, tight enough so that she was forced to bite down on the course material.
"Don't worry, Pet. We'll be back at Alexandria before you know it." He said gently.
He knew she was absolutely livid with him although she settled down as they started the journey back. They had enough supplies to get there and enough ammunition if they didn't run into any major problems. Having a horse was going to make the trek go much faster although he noticed this particular stallion seemed to spook easily. He had a hard time guiding him through unbeaten paths.
They had been riding for about two hours and Pet had fallen asleep even though she was probably uncomfortable draped over Odin's back. She hadn't muttered a word in the last hour. He looked down at her, hands tied and fiery hair hanging down in messy tendrils. He stroked the soft skin of her back that peeked out from the hem of her shirt, the marks from the switch and his belt still evident. He hoped he was doing the right thing. If someone had asked him only a few short months ago if he wanted her dead, he would have been sincere in his affirmation. Now all he could think about was getting her back to safety. How safe? He didn't know but it was safer than out here. At least he could try and negotiate a deal if the trial went bad.
As they made their way through the dank and steaming forest, Odin suddenly stopped, his ears twitching erratically. He stomped his hooves and moved back and forth, snorting nervously. Negan listened and the birds had suddenly went silent. There was movement and the cracklings of branches being trampled underfoot. From the depth of the overgrowth, a herd of deer moved towards them, not even spooked by the fact that he was right in front of them. They seemed frenzied as they passed.
Odin began to move nervously , rousing Pet and forcing Negan to take sterner control of the animal. It wasn't just deer that was moving through. He spotted a bear and her cubs tearing through the dense branches heading in the same direction as the others.
"We're in trouble, Pet." He said quietly. "I'm going to cut you loose. We have to turn back."
As he cut her bindings, Odin reared up, tossing her to the ground as the first of many walkers made their appearance, shambling towards them. She scrambled to her feet, offering her arm to Negan who pulled her back into the safety of the saddle and turned tail, heading back to where they came from.
They raced through the forest with Negan letting his horse lead the way. Animals always knew better when there was a threat of herd, their primal instincts guiding them to security. They had to find higher ground and Negan set his sights on a mountain ridge high over the valley, urging Odin up a steep and treacherous incline.
The apex of the ridge was flat and barren save for a few trees, sparsely dotting the top. Negan climbed off the saddle and stood at the edge of the precipice. From where he was standing he could see at least a hundred of the dead pressing forward, consuming whatever was unfortunate enough to stand in their path. Luckily, the walkers had never learned to climb making the top of the ridge safe until they pushed through. With any good fortune, they might even be get swept away by the river that ran along the side of their safe zone but it was going to take some time. Their numbers were too great.
"It looks like we'll be stuck here for a bit until the herd thins out." He told her, pulling the pack from the saddle.
Pet was actually relieved for the herd moving through. It would give her more time to try and get Negan to change his mind about going to Alexandria. This was her life they were dealing with and there was absolutely no guarantee that Rick would be willing to keep her alive. And if he did, she most likely spend a significant part or the rest of her days in the small cell under the town hall.
"I guess we stay here tonight." Negan suggested.
He pulled the strap she was tied with from his pocket and held out his hand. He wanted her wrists again. Pet scrunched up her face.
"Oh come on." She protested. "Where am I going to go with all those monsters down there?"
Negan hesitated. She was right but he kinda liked her helpless and told her as much.
"I think you'll like me better with my hands free."  She cooed. "I know how to start a fire. I learned when I started scavenging."
Negan raised his eyebrows.
"You never cease to surprise me, Pet." He admitted and put the strap away. "A small campfire please. Let's not draw any attention to ourselves."
Starting the fire was a lot harder than she had remembered and she was grateful that he was there to help her since getting any flame required strength and endurance to muster enough friction with the dry wood and sticks for the fire to catch. But as the sun started to set, they had burning embers and little licking flames.  Negan had spread out Odin's saddle blanket out and stretched his long body on it, motioning for Pet to join him. She plopped down beside him and curled into the crook of his arm, inhaling his familiar scent and snuggling against his warmth. The sun was going down and the sky was the color of pink champagne with vanilla clouds. It was beautiful and if it wasn't for the gurgling of the walkers and the thought of Alexandria, she would have considered this a piece of heaven made just for her. When she looked to Negan, he was gazing at her, a half smile on his tired face.
"Did you really mean it when you said you loved me?" She asked, searching his eyes.
Negan sighed and rolled his eyes even though he never lost the small grin.
"I never say what I don't mean." He answered.
And Pet knew that was true. For as long as she knew him, Negan had never broken his word or not followed through with what he said. For her it was both a blessing and a flaw. Whenever he said she would be rewarded, he made sure she was, whether it was in the form of special treats or his lusty attention. It worked the other way too though. If a punishment was coming, there would always be one no matter what.
"But..." she began.
"Can't you keep that smart mouth shut?" He teased and turned on his side to take her lips in a deep kiss.
She returned it eagerly, running her palm against the course scruff and tangling her tongue with his. Slipping his arm beneath her, he pulled her till she was laying on top him, her curves melting into his body and buried his fingers in her hair, pulling her in as if he could consume her. Pet broke the kiss and straddled him, grinding her hips gently against the growing bulge in his pants, stripping her T-shirt and tossing it into the dark.
He stared up at her, the light of the low flame casting delicate shadows and bathing her skin in a soft amber glow. He cupped her breasts and kneaded them in his strong hands, her nipples springing to attention at his urgent touch.
"What if this is our last time, Negan?" She whispered, continuing her slow gyrations.
He scowled slightly even though she had started to unbuckle his belt and pull the tight button of his jeans.
"It won't be, Pet." He comforted.
The truth was he didn't know that for a fact but he was going to do his damndest to make sure it wasn't. That's why he had to return her Alexandria in good faith. He had to show she was willing to face what happened and plea her case even if it meant throwing herself to the mercy of Rick's council.
"Stand up and take everything off. I want to see you under the stars." He ordered softly.
She stood and slinked out of her shorts. The fire outlined her womanly curves and she did a slow, dance like spin for him as he pulled his cock from his pants and kicked off his boots. Dropping to her knees, she slithered towards him till she was between his parted legs and tugged on his jeans until they were balled up and thrown to the side.
"How do you know?" She asked.
Her voice sounded small and scared and he felt a pang of guilt move through him.
"Wherever you go. I go." He reassured her. "I thought I lost everything and that I would never be able to feel again until I found you. If I lost you there wouldn't be a reason for me to go on. I would follow you, Pet. I would follow you to the gallows if I had to."
She quieted then and began kissing his thighs, letting her tongue flick over the course hair of his legs, feeling the goosebumps rise to the surface of his skin. He groaned as she gave a long, slow lap up the shaft of his straining member and he bucked at the shrill sensation, coaxing her to take him the wet warmth of her mouth. She complied, swallowing him deeply until he pushed past the tight muscles of her throat, groaning as the they squeezed him. She kept up the deep exploration until he was panting, his release hurtling towards him. Grabbing a handful of her hair, he pulled her up and pushed himself into her clenching sex, softly moaning as she began her sensuous ride. She ran her hands up his shirt, touching the familiar indents of his taut stomach and picked up the rhythmic swirling of her hips, finding her secret place within her. She fell over the edge first, a primal cry escaping her lips and Negan followed her into the haze of bliss, exploding deep inside of her. She collapsed on top of him and he folded her into his arms, kissing her forehead and pulling her close.
"You really would follow me anywhere, wouldn't you?" She asked as they held each other.
His eyes were closed, drowsy and satiated from Pet's love. Squeezing her a little tighter, he sighed.
"Yes." He said hoarsely. "I would follow you to the gates of Hell."
Pet smiled against his chest and bit her lip. He was actually trying to bring her to the gates of Hell but he said he would follow her always. If that was the case than he was going to be following her north because that's exactly where she was going.