I narrowed my eyes. “How do I know you’re not getting back at me for the tattoo on your neck? I’m not going to end up with a permanent unicorn as part of some elaborate prank.”
“I assure you, it’s not a prank.”
“Oh? Then show me yours.”
He stepped back and leaned against the wall, arms folded. “’Fraid not.”
Gem pulled off her shoe and put her right foot on the table. On the sole of her foot, right along the arch, was a silhouetted tattoo of what looked like an eagle.
“What’s that supposed to be?” I asked.
“A heraldic eagle,” she said. “And I don’t recommend you getting one there.”
Shepherd cleared his throat. “Gem wanted butterflies. That wasn’t happening.”
She put her foot back on the floor. “Well, it was better than your idea of a Spartan helmet.”
Blue sat down in one of the chairs in the corner. “The eagle was the only thing we could all agree on. It’s a symbol for a protector—someone with courage. We also needed a simple design.”
Gem picked up her shoe. “The guys wanted one of those dragons with wings and fire. Do I look like a girl who puts scary reptiles on my body?”
“Nothing wrong with a good snake,” Wyatt quipped.
Niko stepped forward with an ink gun in hand. “Are you ready?”
I stared in horror.
He suddenly busted out laughing, Wyatt and Claude joining in. “I’m only teasing, Raven.” Niko handed the device over to Wyatt.
Which didn’t instill that much more confidence.
“Don’t worry,” Wyatt said, holding it like a pistol and blowing on the tip. “I used to draw a lot when I was a kid.”
“That’s reassuring. Is this necessary?”
“Viktor has his blood-chalice ritual, but we wanted something else that links us together. We thought about matching pendants or rings, but jewelry gets lost, and it’s not discreet enough. You can hide tats, and most people don’t pay much attention to them. Viktor would have a fit if he found out, and that’s why we decided on a symbol that wasn’t as ubiquitous as a butterfly or rare as some made-up symbol.”
“That’s a big word,” Shepherd said. “Ubiquitous.”
Wyatt glared at him. “It’s my word for the day. Tomorrow’s word is asshole, so be sure to swing by my office and help me use it.” He turned around and fumbled with something on the counter. “So where do you want the tattoo?”
“She’ll be having it on her forehead,” Christian offered.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I thought you didn’t believe in tattoos?”
Wyatt swiveled around with a regular pen in hand. “He was drunk, and I wasn’t drunk enough.”
A tattoo seemed awfully permanent, but if I was serious about this job, then what was the big deal?
“Well?” Wyatt asked, twirling the ink pen between his fingers. “I have to draw it first.”
“My labia.”
The pen flipped out of his hand and fell to the floor. “Your whatia?”
Gem giggled and tapped Claude on the arm. He lifted her up and set her on one of the cabinets to the right, giving her a better view. It was a small room, not unlike an examining room at the hospital or doctor’s office.
“Is everyone going to watch?” I asked.
