by Holly Evans
Keirn frowned but nodded. “I didn’t want to say anything, but you do look like death.”
“I don’t know, the shadows under his eyes bring out the green, and the hair has that wonderful freshly fucked look about it,” the breaker said.
I ignored the breaker, thanked Vyx for her help with the stalker that day, and wished Keirn a good night before I went up to my room. Taking a deep calming breath, I sat on the edge of my bed, closed my eyes, and asked the ink network to give me the sleep and rest I needed. It seemed foolish, but if I didn’t get some sleep I was going to make a mistake, and that could be fatal.
29
It was afternoon when I woke to find Kyra trying to wriggle her way out of her tattoo. She’d never succeed, but that didn’t stop her from trying on a semi-regular basis. I stretched and enjoyed the feeling of being well-rested for a change. A soft tapping came from my door.
“Yes?” I called.
The door opened a crack.
“Can I come in?” Vyx asked.
I pulled up my sheets to cover myself. I wasn’t ashamed of my body, but it felt wrong for her to see me naked.
“Come in, Vyx,” I said.
She stepped into the room and gently closed the door behind her.
“I don’t like the dusty man. I don’t want to go near him,” she said.
I propped myself up on my elbows, careful to keep everything from my bellybutton down covered.
“Why would you have to go near him?” I asked.
She sighed looked skyward before she said, “Ethan said I should go and speak to him, see what he wants.”
Kyra yowled in my mind. I shushed the cat. The breaker had been around for one night, and he was already upsetting things.
“Ignore him, Vyx,” I said
“I don’t like him, he’s so… pushy,” she said wrinkling her nose.
“He’s a magic breaker,” I muttered.
I hadn’t met a single one yet that wasn’t an arrogant, pushy asshole.
“Keirn thinks he can help with the tattoo thefts,” she said.
“And how is he supposed to do that?” I asked.
He came from another city, so he didn’t have any connections here. He didn’t even have a shifter’s nose, or a weaver’s ability to create some construct. That gave me an idea. Once Isaiah was healthier, I’d speak to him about creating a construct to try and track down the thief. I kicked myself for not having thought of it before.
“When we find the thief, he can break its magic,” Vyx said.
I rolled my eyes.
“That still leaves it down to us to find this thief. It should be the council doing it,” I said.
“Dacian! Dacian, get down here, you have a visitor!” Keirn shouted up.
I wasn’t expecting a visitor. I couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps the dusty man had decided to stop watching and start talking.
“I need to get dressed,” I said to Vyx.
She nodded and stood there for a moment.
“Vyx, I’m naked,” I said.
“Oh! Sorry,” she said before she left the room.
I pulled on some fresh clothes and a pair of boots and headed downstairs. The hallway was well lit. It threw my entire brain off for a moment. It had never been well-lit in the entire time I’d lived there with Keirn. Vyx had followed me down into the kitchen and proceeded to make coffee. I noted she only pulled down three cups. Good, maybe that meant the breaker had found a hotel or something.
My phone buzzed with a text. I ignored it, assuming it was Isaiah hoping to get lucky that night. Keirn almost bumped into me when I walked into the main tattoo parlour.
“There you are,” he said.
I put my hand on his cheek.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered.
“Long day. I’ll talk about it later. You have a visitor,” he said.
He walked around me into the kitchen, and I greeted my visitor. She was a little woman with a big presence. Her head couldn’t have come up past my collarbone, but she still managed to be as imposing as Jake.
“Mr. Corbeaux, I trust,” she said.
I put my hands in my pockets. I could feel her tattoos. They were all hidden under her long-sleeved shirt, but they were strong.
“Speaking,” I said.
She strode up to me and thrust an envelope at me. “My late boss, Ms. Goldarn, instructed me to give this to you just before she died. I apologise for the delay, I’ve been in shock.”
I took the envelope. Her fingers lingered on it a moment too long. She didn’t want to let whatever its contents were go. Her makeup was immaculate, but it didn’t hide the tears that welled up in the corners of her eyes or the slight tremble to her bottom lip.
“I’m sorry for your loss. She was my mentor,” I said.
The woman gave a sharp nod, turned on her heel, and walked out. The city had lost a lot when Ms. Goldarn was killed. She was truly something special to so many people. I pushed the emotions aside and opened the envelope to find a handwritten note addressed to me. She had put aside a number of very old books on tattoo magic for me. Their focus was on connecting with the ink network on a deeper level and ink magicians. She signed it off with, I always knew you were special, you were something more. These will help you step into your full role.
My blood ran cold. She’d known all along what I was. I calmed myself. She hadn’t mentioned it to me, and I had to trust that she hadn’t told anyone else either. Still, with the council breathing down my neck, could I risk collecting those books? My phone began ringing. It was Faru.
It was hard to understand him through the yowls and sobbing.
I had to lean back on the wall behind me when he finally managed to choke the words out.
“He got him. His tattoo was stolen.”
30
“Faru’s other half had his tattoo stolen,” I said to Keirn. “He called me to help him. I failed him,” I whispered.
“I should have stayed and done more,” Vyx said.
“Stop. Both of you,” Keirn said sharply.
We looked at him. He stood with his arms crossed and his expression stern.
“You are a tattoo magician and a feral. You did what you could,” Keirn said.
I squeezed my eyes closed and embraced his words. We did what we could. We had no leads. There were too many chaotes in the city. Even if we could find all of them, his illusions would allow him to hide too easily.
“We will pass our condolences to Faru and do what we can to stop it from happening again,” Keirn said. “Now, what did your visitor want?” he added.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.
“Ugh, Ms. Goldarn’s assistant said that Goldarn had left me something. She reserved some books for me, old books on tattoo magic,” I said.
Keirn took the envelope from me and inspected the list of books.
“These look at the theory of ink magicians and how best to connect to the ink network as they do,” he said.
I shrugged. “She said I had potential. Maybe she felt I shouldn’t have been a tier three, too.”
“The network can show you the thief,” Vyx said.
I looked at her. “I’m sorry?”
She huffed at me.
“He’s stealing the tattoos. That’s an abomination against the ink network. You said both of you have felt it, the network’s upset. If you can connect more deeply,” she poked at the list of books, “then maybe it will guide you to the thief so you can stop them,” she said.
It wasn’t the worst idea I’d ever heard. I handed the list to Keirn.
“You’re the tier one,” I said.
Vyx snatched it away and pressed it to my chest.
“You,” she said.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Excuse me?”
“You’re the one the ink network won’t let sleep. Keirn told me the dreamwalker said you’re the chosen one,” she said firmly.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about the new, sharper, more c
onfident Vyx. I took the list.
“I’ll get the books once I’ve eaten,” I said.
She smiled and handed me a cup of coffee.
“Why is the magic breaker here, Keirn?” I asked the elf.
He sat next to me. I reached across and stroked his hair.
“I’m scared, Dacian. My spirit fox is a far more powerful tattoo than anything that has been taken so far. If I lose him, I lose myself. I asked Ethan here as protection,” he said softly.
I pulled him into a hug. Vyx came to the side of us and threw her arms around both of us in a group hug.
“I will do what I can to protect you, Keirn,” she said.
I ended the hug and looked up at the feral.
“You were already injured by the thief’s half-formed wolf, little fox,” I said gently.
She gave me a death glare. “I am not useless. I’m sneaky and will help Keirn in any way I can.”
“Wait a second. It was me who fed you!” I said jokingly.
She simply grinned at me in response. Her loyalties were clear for all to see. We didn’t get any more time for affection and such. A pair of clients walked into the tattoo parlour. Keirn and I brushed ourselves off and got to work.
Vyx was quite a good cook. Her food was simple, but it tasted good, particularly when paired with a nice elven wine that Keirn had been hiding somewhere. My phone buzzed again. I realised I’d ignored three texts due to work and the news from Faru. They were all from Isaiah, hoping to see me that night. The texts started hopeful, and ended concerned about my health. News had spread about the tattoo thief striking again.
I concluded that a night with him would do me some good. I had a lot of frustration and anger to burn off, and a passionate night with him would do exactly that. I finished my food and told him I’d be there in thirty minutes. The magic breaker strolled in just as I left.
“I heard the news. I’m sorry, Dacian,” he said.
“Keep Keirn safe,” I replied.
He squeezed my upper arm. I wasn’t entirely sure if he was feeling my muscles or trying to offer comfort.
“I’ll do my best,” he said.
We left it at that.
Fortunately, the walk to Isaiah’s was without incident. Even the dusty man wasn’t present, although I wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good thing or not. I suspected that someone else followed me. I kept catching something in the shadows, but soon concluded I was being paranoid.
Isaiah’s weaving had held up well. He buzzed me in through the locked and fixed front door to the building. The one to his flat still had the faint blue glow showing his work on it, not that he gave me time to admire it. He pulled me into his flat and kissed me hard, thrusting his tongue into my mouth and pressing his body tight to mine. I pushed him away and pinned him against the wall with his hands above his head. I ran my spare hand up his throat and stroked my thumb over his lower lip.
“You’ve been very pushy and demanding,” I said huskily.
He strained against my restraint, trying to kiss me again. I held him tighter and pressed my leg between his. His desire to move things along was very present.
I teased him slowly and mercilessly until he finally said, “I’ve secured my first client. He’s paid fifty percent up front.”
I nibbled down his throat. “Well done. I might consider rewarding you for your hard work.”
He moaned.
“Please thank your father for me,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Should I do that now?” I asked.
I held him in place, but removed my body, all teasing while pulling out my phone.
“No, no… please,” he said.
Needless to say, the night was long and full of pleasure.
31
I had the morning off to spar with Jake. I’d texted him to let him know that Isaiah would be with me. We were going to put some muscle on him and teach him to fight back properly. Isaiah was in a good mood. He walked with his chin high and a smile on his face. We stopped in a sports shop to buy him a couple of pairs of suitable pants before we quickly ducked into my place so I could change. Isaiah sat on my bed and watched as I did so.
“You had enough fun last night,” I told him with a smirk.
He tilted his head to one side and looked me over. “I don’t know…”
I pulled on my sweatpants and pointed out the door. “Come on. We’re not going to be late to meet Jake.”
He laughed and went into the hallway, where he almost bumped into Ethan wearing nothing but a towel. The grin slipped from Isaiah’s face. He stepped back and went into a defensive pose. I put my arms around my weaver’s shoulders and guided him away. Ethan gave me a confused and rather hurt look, but we had places to be.
Jake had said he had someone suitable to spar with Isaiah, someone a little more patient and gentle. Having seen Isaiah face down the fire elemental, I hadn’t seen a problem with him taking on the wolf alpha, but I trusted his judgement. We dropped the bag of stuff in the corner of the sparring room and removed our shirts and shoes. Jake and his friend came in a couple of minutes after us. Jake raised an eyebrow when he saw Isaiah.
“Scrawnier than your usual type,” he said gruffly.
Isaiah puffed his chest out and stared the wolf down. Jake smiled.
“He has fire, I like that.” He gestured to his companion. “This is Caiden. He’ll teach you how to look after yourself.”
I looked at Caiden and did a double-take.
“I didn’t know you ran with a hound,” I said to Jake.
Caiden was about my height and build with thick pitch-black hair and bright green eyes, although I could see the golden flecks glinting in the harsh light overhead. There were deep red stripes running through his hair just above his ears, but it was the Celtic tattoo over his heart that really gave him away. The Wild Hunt ran through Northern Europe once a year. I didn’t know the details, but I did know that there were thirteen hounds, each of them strong both physically and magically, chosen by the gods. For one week of the year, they belonged to the gods and ran in their hound forms. For the rest of the year, they were their own person, each formidable, not someone you crossed.
Caiden crossed the distance between us. Isaiah had frozen, his eyes locked on Caiden’s. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or lust that held him. I didn’t like either option. The hound held his hand out to Isaiah and had a polite smile on his face,
“Caiden. Nice to meet you. Have you had any fight training?” he asked.
He exuded power and control, yet his voice was calm and gentle. I stepped back and left Isaiah to it. The hound would look after him.
“How did that scrappy little thing claim you, Dan?” Jake asked as he made his opening shot.
I punched back with more intensity than I’d intended.
“He hasn’t claimed anything,” I growled.
“Not what it looks like from here.”
I didn’t give him a chance to dominate and control my movements. I pushed back hard, aiming for his knees and lower abdomen. He was too strong and fast for me to get many hits in, but it felt good to at least make him step back and work on the defensive for a bit.
“My condolences to your friend,” he said.
“I’ll pass them along,” I said.
“No progress on the murderer?”
“The feral I have staying with me caught sight of him, but she was injured and lost his trail,” I said and landed a good right hook.
He quickly returned the favour with a sharp jab to my ribs. I risked a glance at Isaiah and Caiden to see Caiden with his hands on Isaiah’s hips telling him how to better distribute his weight. Jake punished me for my lack of attention with a pair of hard strikes to my stomach.
“He’s got you bad,” Jake said, laughing.
I pushed back with a flurry of punches, but none got through his guard.
“Did the feral at least grab something of the murderer’s so we could track him?” Jake asked.
“No, she los
t him entirely,” I said.
He growled. “I tire of my pack living in fear.”
I attempted a spinning kick. He took my supporting leg out from under me before I could complete it.
“I’m doing what I can. Talk to the enforcers,” I said from the floor.
“They’re busy dealing with a rogue dragon,” he snarled.
“All of them?”
“Apparently.”
We ended the sparring match when we were both tired and aching. I’d be covered in bruises the next day, but it was worth it. Isaiah strolled over to me, looking very pleased with himself.
“He’s got spirit. If he can improve his confidence, he’ll be a good fighter,” Caiden said with a smile.
I nodded in understanding.
“Will you be around long?” I asked.
Jake grinned. “He’s an old friend, and he has done me and my pack the honour of choosing to spend the summer with us.”
“Would you mind making this a regular thing then? With Isaiah?” I asked.
The hound looked at Isaiah.
“Would you like that?” he asked him.
Isaiah grinned.
“I’d love to,” he said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically.
“Then it’s agreed,” the hound said.
We all headed into the showers and ended our conversation there. Isaiah tried to join me in the shower, but I sent him away. Things would be done on my terms. Once we were showered and dressed, I turned to Isaiah and asked him if he could create a construct to track the tattoo thief. He told me he’d need something of his to do so, which put me back at square one. If we had something of his, the shifters could track him by scent. I thanked him, regardless, and headed home for an afternoon of work. I needed to speak to Faru, but I couldn’t face the guilt. I decided I’d pick up the books Ms. Goldarn has reserved for me once we closed up for the day. Maybe Vyx was right, and they’d help me put an end to the murders.
32
The afternoon had passed by relatively quickly. Keirn had to help me tattoo a rather small girl, she couldn’t have been more than sixteen, with a rather large bear. The bear was very protective over his girl, which made it difficult for us to finish it, as it kept trying to push through and drive us back away. The girl was strong, though. She controlled the bear and formed the bond without any further difficulty. Fortunately, she opted to give the bear its first run in the physical world with her family, far away from us.
