TJ chuckled, his eyes glittering. He picked up the device again and waved it in his hand. “The machine didn’t give it away, huh?”
“It looks a little familiar...”
It was a newer model—cleaner and cordless—but it reminded me of the tattoo machine I’d seen years ago during the incident. But that couldn’t be right. There was no way this gorgeous place was a tattoo shop.
“Oh?” TJ’s brows rose curiously. “Where have you seen it before?”
I rolled my eyes. “You don’t wanna know...”
“I do,” TJ insisted. “You have ink?”
Surprised, I met his gaze. “I do.”
“Can I see?”
An embarrassed blush lit up my cheeks. “Ah... I would, but trust me, you don’t want to see it.” I rubbed my sleeve, as if the tattoo in question burned. “I’m actually in the process of trying to get it covered up.”
Now TJ looked deeply intrigued. “You are?” A slow grin spread over his face. “Well, Brady. You’ve come to the right place.”
“How’s that?” I asked.
TJ gestured to the massage tables behind him. “This isn’t a spa. This is my tattoo studio—and I’m the artist.”
Two
Tj
I knewfrom the second Brady walked in that he was something special.
When I locked eyes on him, an ancient, magical instinct exploded to life. I felt it from the ends of my hair to the tips of my toes. It made me want to shift into my true form, stand up on my hind legs, and roar to the heavens.
It wasn’t often I experienced that feeling. Most of the time, my instincts were buried by day-to-day life. My true nature as a tyger—a mythological heraldic beast—sunk below the surface.
Now Brady’s gaze plunged beneath the water and dragged it back into the sun.
A full-body chill ran through me as Brady entered my shop, but I played it cool. Like all my clients and neighbors and the people I bumped into on the street, Brady was human.
Unlike me.
If I courted him—and I knew deep in my bones that Ihadto claim him—I’d have to be extra cautious not to scare him away.
Brady was instantly endearing. His confusion about the shop’s appearance was adorable, and it excited me when he admitted to having a tattoo. But his apprehension about it worried me. Normally, people were thrilled to show off their ink.
When Brady said he wanted it covered up, a spark lit inside me. Thismustbe fate. How else would a human take a wrong turn and end up in a tyger’s tattoo shop?
After telling Brady I was the artist and owner, his sweet blue eyes widened.
“Y-you are?” he asked, clearly embarrassed he hadn’t figured it out by now. He slapped a hand over his face. “Oh, god. It all makes sense now. How did I think this place was a spa?”
“Did you read the sign? Heraldry Ink?” I asked, amused.
He blushed. “I saw the coat of arms, but I didn’t actually read the text. I figured it was British or something...”
“Britain doesn’t own heraldic imagery,” I teased.
Brady laughed. “I know, I know. Listen, the sun clearly scrambled my brain.”
I grinned. “It’s an honest mistake. I tried to cultivate a Zen atmosphere rather than one of heavy metal and smoking and rowdiness. There’s nothing wrong with that either, but this is more my vibe.”
