Chapter 1
Joel
“Areyousureyoureally want to do this?” Kedi glanced over at me warily, sunlight glinting off the silver barbell through the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t his only piercing, not even close. Not even counting the row of rings down each ear, he also had a lip ring, a septum piercing, and a tiny rhinestone nestled into his dimple, blue to match his eyes. His entire body was a work of art, glinting metal and swirling ink, a visual representation of his vibrant personality.
Was I sure I wanted to be just like him when I grew up? “Absolutely!” I said without meeting his eyes. My bravery was debateable, but I wasn’t about to turn back now. Not when I was just two blocks from Karma Katz. I’d made this appointment ages ago after the last breakup in a long line of shitty breakups. I’d had this burning desire to dosomething so unlike me that I might be able to claw my way out of the rut I found myself in. A great idea at the time, but now that it was my turn under the gun? My confidence was wavering.
I wouldn’t have fooled a total stranger, let alone Kedi, my roommate and designated bestie, who knew meverywell. He peeked at me again, our shoulders brushing as we walked side by side down the sidewalk. “Like, 100%, etched-in-stone sure? I know I make them look amazing, but tattoos are forever.”
“Hmm, yes, I do seem to recall hearing something like that before,” I said snidely, making sure he caught my eyeroll before I turned away.
I appreciated that he was trying to look out for me. It was sweet that he cared about my wellbeing, since it wasn’t like I had anybody else to do it. My parents had me late in life and had both passed a few years ago. I had no siblings, no aunts or uncles or cousins, and all the friends I’d made were coworkers, and it hardly counted since we stopped talking once we were off the clock. Meeting Kedi in the first place had been pure luck—or maybe just stubbornness. I’d essentially shown up at his doorstep and refused to leave.
Two years ago, I’d answered an ad looking for a roommate, and when I showed up to meet him, we were both stunned speechless. Here was this tall, lithe omega with tanskin and blue eyes outlined in black, spiked hair dyed neon green, in a tight tank top showing off full tatted sleeves and enough piercings to act as a lightning rod, and I was his complete opposite. A full six inches shorter, nothing graceful about me, I’d been wearing a suit and tie, trying to look responsible, my hair slicked back, dress shoes polished to a high shine.
The two of us had stared at each other for far too long, as if wondering which one of us had stepped into bizarro world. All I knew was that if I didn’t say something soon, he was going to close the door in my face, and Ineededthis apartment. It was the only thing I could find in my budget, and my old lease was up in a week. So I’d closed my wagging jaw, smiled brightly, and said, “Hi! I’m Joel. I’m here about the apartment.”
I wished I could say that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, but in truth, it wasn’t anything like that at all. His first reaction had been to scowl at me, shake his head, and say, “Forget it. How did you even see the ad? It wasn’t meant for humans like you.”
That was a weird way to comment on my straitlaced appearance, but I hadn’t let it get to me. So what if we were complete opposites? I wasn’t about to judge him based on his tattoos or piercings.
Lucky for me, in the end, I wasn’t the only one who was desperate. His old roommate had left suddenly because he found his “fated,” whatever that meant. And it turned out peopledidjudge Kedi on how he looked, and he wasn’t exactly beating them off with a stick for the opportunity to live with him. Plus, there was also the fact that the whole building smelled strangely like sauerkraut, so for a lack of better options, he’d agreed to a trial run of three months to see if we could handle living together.
The rest was history, so to speak. Regardless of our differences, we’d just… clicked. Turned out we had tons in common, from the same taste in music, to our love of cheesy slasher flicks, and even a secret devotion to a certain romance novelist, Jordan Kepler. We weredestinedto be besties, and he had been powerless to resist my persistent charm. He’d even hooked me up with a job at a place a friend of his worked.
Kedi liked to say that he’d “adopted” me into his “pack”, which was just a funny way of describing his group of friends, kinda like they were trying to rebrand the Rat Pack or something. They were a weird bunch, but I liked that they’d taken me in and made me feel like I was a part of something. They were mostly inked and pierced like Kedi, and they wore torn jeans and faded band tees. They partied hard, which always seemed to result in someone—or allof them—getting naked. Not like an orgy or anything; I suspected they were naturists or something like that. They were always going for runs in the woods, communing with nature. And they were always very touchy-feely, rubbing themselves all over me. I didn’t mind, though. I’d never had friends as accepting and loyal as them.
I could still see Kedi watching me from the corner of my eye. “This isn’t because of what Perry said, is it?” he asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said with a sniff. Neither of us were buying it. My ex had said I was—ahem—"boring.” I might’ve been able to brush past it if I hadn’t heard some variation on the theme from no less than three of my exes. They all said I worked too much, but what did they expect? I had bills to pay. It wasn’t like I could drop everything to cater to their every whim.
Kedi hooked an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “You are not boring, I promise. You are perfect just the way you are, and one day, you’re going to find someone who appreciates you for you. There’s no need to get a tattoo just to impress some random Chad who doesn’t even deserve you. You can still cancel your appointment. Nobody will think less of you.”
I buried into him for a minute, appreciating the insane amount of heat his body seemed to produce, before I shoved him away. “I’m not canceling,” I said firmly. “Thishas nothing to do with Perry… or any other hypothetical guy, for that matter. I’m getting this for me. I want it. Okay?”
He took in a long, slow breath, before he must’ve seen the truth behind the words. He nodded. “Fine, I’ll let you get a tattoo.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I teased.
“Okaaaaay,” he drawled, ruffling my curls. “Since you’re determined to go through with this, we need to go over some ground rules for you to follow if you’re set on North doing it.” This was not the first time he’d gone over this, so I was already nodding. Not like that would stop him. It was like he was trying to scare me out of getting this tattoo. “First rule: you don’t get to pick what he puts on you. You walk in, he takes one look at you, and then he’ll work his magic. But don’t worry, the man is a legend. I’ve never known a single person unhappy with their ink. Second rule: No talking. He’s like a monk who’s taken a vow of silence. You’ll be tempted to flirt with him because the guy is uber hot, but resist the urge. I heard he once kicked someone out with a half-finished tat because they did. Trust me, half-done art is not a good look.”
“Uh-huh.” I was barely listening, my eyes focused on the Karma Katz sign looming ahead. My heart had started to thrum in my chest, my palms slick with sweat. I’d heardhorror stories about how much this would hurt. A few of the guys in “the pack” had made bets on whether I would bail before it was finished, so I’d put $50 on myself. Now I had plenty of incentive to stick it out, because my monthly snack budget depended on that money.
I stopped on the sidewalk outside the shop, swallowing repeatedly, my mouth too dry to produce a single drop of spit. “Show me your North tattoo again?” I asked, as if I hadn’t seen it a hundred times already.
Kedi pulled up his shirt, exposing the side of his ribcage. Nestled in among his other tattoos was a full moon, draped in mist and shadows. The detail was stunning, and I had to admit, it fit Kedi’s vibe to a T.
“Sure. Yeah. Nice.” I just kept nodding, eyes unseeing, as I stalled.
His nose wrinkled, and he leaned in, taking a big whiff. “Seriously, bro, you reek like fear.”
“I do not,” I snapped, swatting at him, but he darted away with quick reflexes before I could make contact. “You’re making that up.”
“I’m not. It’s scientific fact that some species can pick up the subtle shift in hormones.” Although I thought it unlikely that humans made that list. His expression softened. “Look, if you’re that stressed about it, maybe youshould—”
Before he could try to talk me out of this again, I turned and walked straight into the shop, head held high. I wanted this. It seemed silly to think a little tattoo would change anything about me, but I had the strangest feeling like my life would never be the same.
Chapter 2
