His fingers dig deep into my neck, and I moan at the relief it brings to me. The sound is out before I even have a chance to take it back. Firmly, he squeezes the nape of my neck, and that perfect pressure makes me moan even louder.
“Oh god.”
“Ah, so you like this? Me touching you?” He smirks.
Elijah moves to my side. “Not the right time, Gabriel,” he warns.
Chuckling, Gabriel drags his hand down my arm, wrapping his fingers around my wrist and turning it over, exposing my tattoo. Goose bumps creep across my skin as he delicately runs his thumb over the lone puzzle piece. Trying to stave off another moan, I pull in a short breath and get a whiff of his skin. Spicey. Like cinnamon mixed with something else that I can’t quite put my finger on. Vanilla? Tobacco maybe? Might even be coffee? Whatever it is, it’s a nice blend and I like it. Way too much.
“You know,” Gabriel interrupts my senses, fingertips still ghosting over my tattoo. “One of the fascinating things about Meera was that she had this ability to create a picture within a picture.” He looks up from my wrist. “You know what I mean, right?”
Actually, I don’t. But I’m too embarrassed to admit it.
Interpreting my silence as not having a clue, which couldn’t be more spot-on, he tries smoothing things over. “It’s alright if you don’t. Honestly, to most, it would go unnoticed; but to a trained eye, like myself…” He trails off, bringing my wrist closer to his face and, damn it, the warmth of his breath tickles my skin, making me close my eyes and hold my breath.
“What do you see?” Elijah asks, leaning his head against mine, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Rain,” he replies. “This isamazing.”
I open my eyes just in time to witness a brilliant smile stretch across Gabriel’s face. More like an astounded one.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Elijah growls.
“Look here.” He taps on the ink that fills in the lines of the puzzle piece. “See this? It looks like…rain.” He flicks his eyes up. “Does that mean anything to you, Alex?”
I shake my head. It means absolutely nothing. In fact, I hate the rain. Meera does too.
“I could be wrong, but…”
Narrowing his eyes, he puts both thumbs over the puzzle piece and applies pressure, like he’s spreading the ink apart. I take a closer look, and now that he’s mentioned it, the shading does look a little like raindrops. Strange because the pieces on my back happen to be solid.
In a zone, he tilts his head. “Could also be…tears?”he suggests, looking at me for confirmation.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Elijah snaps, yanking my hand out of his hold.
“No, wait! Hear me out!” Gabriel barks back, sweeping his hair out of his face. “Alex, I think there’s something else she’s trying to tell you, another confession maybe, and totally unrelated to your connection to Ana. Actually, I’m certain of it.” He stares wide-eyed at me and shoves his fingers into his hair, scraping it back in a bun. “Jesus, this chick fascinates me.”
I take Elijah’s hand and pull him to my side, keeping him from running away.
Gabriel blows out a breath. “Let’s have a look at what we’ve got. We know that Ana’s birthmark is the link that connects the puzzle pieces on your back, sí? Puzzle solved—she’syour missing link—your daughter. Granted, it forms another puzzle piece, but that’s irrelevant.
“But there’s no picture,” Alex snarls.
“You’re wrong, Alex.Anais the picture. It’s what Meera wants you to see. Fuck, this is incredible!”
Still feeling all sorts of confused, I glance over at Elijah, who’s looking slightly more enlightened than I am by Gabriel’s revelation.
Not deterred, he wisps his hair out of his face. “It was her trademark, Alex. One of the things that drew me to her. Remember I said Meera had this uncanny ability to create apicture within a picture? That’s exactly what she’s done here. In a completely unexpected way. Fucking fascinating.”
“Oh, come on!” I finally snap, having heard enough.
“Get on with it, Gabriel,” Elijah hisses. “I’m beginning to think you’re just as crazy as the artist.”
He holds up his hands. “Alright, alright. At this point, I think we can all agree that Mimi, um, sorry, Meera had a complicated mind. Right? Like she was working with two brains—both brilliant, by the way. They coexisted, which is what made her artwork so intriguing, and although separate, they worked together. One mind, two thoughts, therefore, two pictures. Get what I’m saying?”
Truthfully, all I’m getting is a headache. I can’t wrap my head around any of this nonsense.
“Are you suggesting she has a split personality?” Elijah inquires.
