“Well then that’s your fault for not clarifying. What, do you not trust me to pick out a good one?”
“No, I don’t trust you to draw a good one on my freaking skin. This shit’s permanent, ya know!”
He grinned his trademark wicked grin. “Exactly. Now where do you want this? It’s gonna be smaller—about the size of a dollar bill folded twice.”
She cocked her head at him suspiciously, obviously trying to ascertain what exactly he was giving her. He just smiled mischievously, not giving away anything.
She thought for a moment, then pulled off her coat. Reaching across her, she slowly pulled down the straps of her tank top and bra at the same time, maneuvering her arm through the hole until the straps were tucked under her arm, exposing her right shoulder. Tallen’s grin had disappeared as he watched her remove the portion of clothing, his ocean blue eyes following her movements with heated curiosity.
Pointing to the front of her right shoulder, just above the collar bone, she gave him a tentative smile. “Think this’ll be a good spot?”
He nodded, and she could have sworn she saw the slightest movement of his throat, as if he had swallowed nervously. Maybe not nervously? Maybe excitedly.
She leaned back in the chair, her head resting on the headrest as she stared at the ceiling and listened to him rustle around. His face popped into the line of her vision, and she turned to watch him as he slowly and gently cleaned the area on her shoulder where the tattoo would go. There was no turning away from his ocean blue eyes and no escaping the heat as he glanced her way, his hand pausing on her collar bone as he looked into her pale blue eyes.
“You got everything you need back there?” An unfamiliar voice hollered, and Ria nearly jumped out of her skin, having completely forgotten that they weren’t actually alone in the place.
Tallen looked mildly irritated. “Yeah, we’re good.” He called back tightly.
Covertly, he placed a thin piece of paper with something drawn on it that he didn’t give her the chance to see on her shoulder, transferring whatever the image was onto her skin as a guide. She was definitely nervous about what he thought would be good enough to become a permanent decoration on her flesh, but there was also a sense of trust. Their relationship, however new it may be, was close, and she had a feeling he got her in a way that most people never did. He was like the sexy best friend she never had. If she were being honest, they all were becoming the sexy best friends she never had, and now that they were in her life, it was quickly becoming evident that she wanted them there for good.
Hopefully they were feeling the same. She’d probably have to have some kind of, like…discussion with them about just how permanent this situation was going to be. There was little doubt in her mind that they were in it for the long haul considering they freaking insisted she move in with them, they gave her all kinds of shit like, oh, say…cars...and dance lessons…and all the food she could eat. That had to mean long term, right? But then again, they were immortal beings, having existed for basically all of time. Maybe their idea of long term and her idea of long term were different.
Well DUH they’re different. They’re IMMORTAL, ya dumbass.
The moment the needle on the tattoo gun touched her skin and the feel of the sharp vibration hit her, she felt herself relax. She already had a tattoo low on her right hip, a raven in flight (at least, she liked to pretend it was a raven, even though it was impossible to tell what with how tiny it was), that she had received from an up-and-coming tattoo artist in exchange for…basically nothing. It was the fifth tattoo he’d ever done on an actual person, and since he still needed practice, he’d asked her if he could tattoo her for free. She had seen all his drawings, and he was a truly great artist, so really, how bad could he mess up a bird the size of fifty cent piece? And he hadn’t messed it up. It was one of the best choices she could’ve made, and she had decided if she ever ran into him again, she’d pay him for another one.
Of course, that had been on the streets of Seattle at least four or five years ago, so the likelihood of her running into him again was slim.
As she listened to the sound of the tattoo gun puncture her skin at super-sonic speeds (or at least, ya know, really, really fast), she realized how far she’d come since her days of living as a runaway. She’d hitch-hiked over the entire western half of the United States before finally settling in her tiny town, a form of transportation that certainly had its risks, but not for a girl endowed with the power to manipulate a person’s emotions. In fact, she’d met a wide array of fascinating people that way, and heard so many wild and fantastic stories (half of which she was sure were somewhat glamorized if not outright fallacious). On the other hand, the inconsistent relationships and acquaintances were probably what had led to her current state of uncertainty when it came to the guys.
“There.”
Tallen’s sudden statement pulled her out of her musings as she realized the sound of the tattoo gun and the lulling vibration against her shoulder had stopped. She sat up quickly, leaning over to look in the large mirror that rested beside the tattoo chair, but the angle was all wrong. Becoming frustrated, she moved to sit when suddenly a handheld mirror appeared in front of her. She smiled brightly at Tallen before grabbing the mirror and tilting it so she could see her fresh ink.
“You like it, kitty cat?”
Kitty cat indeed.
She couldn’t help but grin as she gazed at the all black, side-profile silhouette of a cat. It was sitting on its hindlegs, its head tilted slightly up and its tail hanging down and curling loosely.
“It’s perfect, Tal. I freaking love it.” And she really did. It was like having a piece of Tallen constantly with her.
It hadn’t occurred to her until just then that she’d never actually seen Tallen really smile. Yeah, she’d seen his devious smile and his smirking smile, but never a full-on, blind-you-with-its-brilliance smile such as the one he was gracing her with just then. It was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds, pure and warm. In that moment, she decided she would do whatever was necessary to see that smile more often.
Note to self—figure out what Tallen likes. Aside from teasing me.
*********************************
“I SMELL FRIGGIN’ BACON, YO.”
Ria reached around Tallen as he stepped through the doorway of the cabin and slammed the door behind them. The walls shuddered, and Jace huffed from the couch where he sat reading a book. “Stop slamming the door.”
“I. SMELL. BACON.”
“Yes, yes, m’dear, I have your bacon. Not just any bacon, but maple bacon. Maple bacon crack, to be exact.” Dax’s bright voice echoed from the kitchen where the delicious aroma was wafting from. He was pulling a cookie sheet from the oven with a pair of oven mitts that had—of all freaking things—angel wings all over them. Seems a little on the nose…
“Gimme, gimme, gimme! Oh, and hey, while you’re at it, fix my friggin’ ankle, ya slacker.”
Rolling his eyes as he pulled of his apron with—yup, that’s right—angel wings on the front, above the words ‘Angel of the Kitchen’, Dax maneuvered his way around the large island separating the kitchen from the living room. He wrapped his hand around her ankle as soon as he reached out, pulling off her shoe in the process. He was silent for a moment before he released her. “Not really much to fix.” Rolling his pointedly towards Jace, he cleared his throat. “A sprain, huh?”
“I could have sworn it was sprained.” Jace responded calmly without looking up from his novel.
“I really hate you all. I hope you realize that.”
Dax gasped in mock shock, placing his hand dramatically against his heart. “You can’t hate me! I just made you food! Maple bacon crack, no less!”
“…fine. I rescind my hatred of you. Everyone else, though—hatred still stands.” Crossing her arms against her chest, she nodded definitively.
A large sigh heaved out of Tallen, forcing his muscles to expand and contract against Ria i
n her arms. “You can’t hate me either, kitty cat. I just gave you a tattoo.”
She considered this for a moment. “Okay, I also rescind my hatred of you. In fact, I also rescind my hatred of Cade cuz…well, he’s just too sweet to hate. Also, he’s gonna watch World of Dance with me. Uber points right there.”
“You hated me?” She tilted her head backwards until she was watching Cade descend the stairs upside down.
“Past-tense, Cadey. I can’t hate you, like I said. You’re such a sweetheart.”
“I prefer the term gentleman, but I will accept sweetheart, as long as it keeps me out of the same category as Tallen.”
“Hey, fuck right off, asshole.” Tallen scowled darkly at Cade while he gingerly placed Ria on her feet.
“After you.” Cade didn’t even bat an eye as he made his way to the couch opposite Jace.
Tilting her head to the side, she eyed Jace’s profile as she stood with her arms crossed.
It took a good several minutes before Jace finally realized she was explicitly staring at him. When he finally caught on, he looked over at her with a blank expression. “It seems like you’re waiting for something from me.”
“Yeah, I’m waiting for you to give me a reason to rescind my hatred of you, mister torture master.”
“I’m not going to stop your training, so stare all you want. Hell, take a picture while you’re at it.”
Stomping her foot, Ria pouted dramatically.
Tallen snickered, quieting when Ria shot him a death glare, but completely unable to repress his grin.
“Stop laughing at me, Tal.”
He threw his hands up into the air. “I’m sorry, but really, can you blame me? Imagine what you must look like standing there with your hands curled into fists and stomping your foot.”
“I imagine I look pissed.”
Nodding, Tallen grinned that beautiful, brilliant smile again. “Like an angry little kitty cat.”
“Did…did you just smile? Like, a real, honest-to-Source smile?” Dax gaped at Tallen in mock disbelief. “Guys, guys! Tallen can smile! It’s true! I just saw it! Holy shit, someone’s got to alert the government. They’ll need to know this shit.”
“Shut the fuck up, Dax!” Tallen growled as he swung a fist at Dax.
Dodging the fist, Dax made his way into the kitchen. “Don’t get mad at me, bro. I honestly didn’t know you were capable of it. Hey, how come you never smile at me like that? I’m the one who fucking feeds you, bathes you—”
“Like fuck you do!”
“—I do so much, and never once do I even get a smile for it? But she does?”
“Well yeah.” Tallen replied in a tone that clearly said ‘duh’. “I mean, have you looked at her?” He motioned towards Ria with a hand.
In response, she held both her hands up and smiled at Dax as if to say ‘isn’t it obvious?’.
A look of serious consideration crossed his face as he placed his chin in his hand and nodded. “Yes, yes, I see what you mean.”
Clapping her hands together, Ria regained the attention of all the men in the room. “Now, because I lurve most of you,” she eyed Jace with a raised eyebrow, “I am willing to share my maple bacon crack. NOT ALL OF IT, MIND YOU. But you may each have a piece that I will select. Jace, you get the smallest piece because you’re evil.”
He rolled his eyes before returning his gaze to his novel.
With a large grin, Ria reached out towards Dax. “Crack me, Daxamillion!”
She didn’t miss the amused shake of Cade’s head, nor the smirk on Tallen’s face as she waited for Dax to give her the precious food of the gods that she’d damn well earned.
“Wait, wait. I need evidence that your last mission was successful. Let me see this supposed tattoo.”
It was Ria’s turn to hold her hand to her chest and gasp in faux shock. “You would question my integrity? Good sir, when I aim to win something, I do not resort to cheating or debase lies!”
“Come on, Red Hot. Lemme see.” He motioned towards her with his hand.
Sighing dramatically (but not really), Ria removed the sleeve of her coat before pulling the strap of her tank top and bra down her shoulder, albeit not nearly as provocatively as she had in the tattoo parlor with Tallen. There was a bit of clear plastic wrap stuck to the ointment covering her tattoo, but one could still clearly see the black cat tattoo.
Dax grinned as he inspected the new ink, reaching up to brush the back of his hand against her neck as if to move her head back so he could get a better view. “Nice. It suits you.”
“Just like my other one.”
A quirk of an eyebrow preempted Dax’s curious expression as his gaze met hers. “You have another tattoo?”
“Yup.”
“…and?”
She shrugged. “And what?”
Dax heaved an overly dramatic sigh. “When do we get to see it?”
From the couch, Jace’s sharp, gravelly voice cut through the room. “No.”
“Whataya mean ‘no’?”
Glancing up from his book, Jace leveled a stern look on Dax. “I mean, no.”
“Why not?”
Ria shuffled on her feet a bit. “Probably cuz I told him the reason why he hasn’t seen it is because he hasn’t seen me without my pants on. I think it might have sent the wrong message.”
Jace’s gaze swiveled from Dax over to her. “Oh, it didn’t send the wrong message. You’re not taking your pants off here. End of story.”
Shrugging, Ria reached down to the waist of her leggings. “I don’t have to.” Before Jace could even take a breath, she pulled her pants and underwear down just far enough to show of her raven tattoo.
Four sets of differently colored eyes automatically focused in on her hip, as if they’d had no control over the action and were nothing more than puppets being pulled by strings.
“See? Pants are still on, nothing inappropriate about this. It’s just my hip.”
Dax grinned at her. “And a very lovely hip at that.”
Cade’s voice spoke up next. “Is that a raven?”
Smiling happily, Ria nodded her head up and down. “Yes, exactly!”
He nodded and smiled approvingly at her.
Moving towards the kitchen, Ria reached for the knife lying next to the sheet of maple bacon crack. “Okay, boys, let’s dig in! Yo, Dax, put on some Marvel movie. I need to vicariously save the world.”
Ria spent the rest of the evening curled up on the couch eating maple bacon crack and competing with Dax for most ridiculous movie commentary, which apparently drove Jace up the wall, much to her delight. She may have let him know a few times that it was simple payback for the pain and misery he put her through every morning with training. Not that it had any effect. In fact, after the third comment, he even threatened to add in weight-training and sprints, to which Ria responded that the only way he would see her run is if she were being chased by a swarm of wasps.
She found herself falling asleep against Cade’s shoulder with her feet in Dax’s lap after they started the second Marvel movie. It was partially due to the long, arduous hours of activity she was putting in each day, but another contributing factor was the foot massage Dax began giving her, combined with the heavy, musky smell of Cade’s cologne. She barely even registered when strong, lean arms wrapped around her and lifted her up, nor the lulling motion of being carried up the stairs and to her bed. A soft, gentle kiss flitted across her forehead briefly, rousing her just enough to recognize the act before her door gently closed.
Her mind had just enough consciousness left to briefly wonder who it was that had given her the kiss before the fleeting smell of musky cologne and the softness of her feather pillow lulled her back to sleep.
Chapter 8
Ria was roughly awoken the next morning by the brutal, stabbing pain of her monthly period. Her last menstrual cycle had been surprisingly light on painful cramps, making her think maybe she’d grown out of them or something? Apparently, it was a
filthy trick concocted by Aunt Flo to make her let her guard down before the cramps came back in full force. And back they were, pulsing through her lower abdomen in waves of burning pain, reverberating through her lower back like little monthly, demonic terrors. Thank gods she had been prepared for this and already arranged to catch the devious little bitch when she went to the bathroom the previous evening, but the onslaught of abdominal pain…dammit, she thought she was past that!
A loud knock came at her door, and she moaned softly as she debated whether or not she should actually get up to get ready for the training she was clearly late for. Another wave of pain instantly put a kibosh on that possibility. Nope, there was no way in hell she was going anywhere. Jace could fuck right off, the torturous bastard. She needed a Motrin, or a shot of morphine, or even a surgeon to physically remove the over-zealous babymaker wreaking havoc in her abdomen.
A second knock sounded on the door, this one significantly louder.
“I fucking heard you the first time, you mother-fucking asshole!”
Ouch. That was probably a little bitchy.
Another wave of pain had her guilt melting away like ice cream in the desert.
“Arianne? Um…are you…are you okay?” Jace’s cautious voice drifted through the door. “You’re late for training and, uh…you haven’t done that for a while, so…”
A low, groaning moan was the only response Ria could muster, and it must have been loud enough for Jace to hear, because the soft click of her door slowly opening reached her ears a moment later. She didn’t bother opening her eyes but rather just continued to lie there, curled up in the fetal position and wondering if the guys would pay for her to have her ovaries and uterus removed. They could write it off as a form of population control. Besides, what kind of insanity would a cambion create if she became pregnant?
Could totally bring about the apocalypse. Yeah, that’s we’ll say. I’m saving the future of humanity.
“Arianne?”
Moving her head just enough so she could get a good look at Jace, she was surprised to see all four guys standing just inside her doorway, looking hesitant and rightly concerned. Apparently, she’d hollered louder than she had originally thought. She levelled a self-righteous glare at the quad before opening her mouth to speak.
Demon Bones: The Soul Series Book 2 Page 8
