“We met when I moved to Louisiana,” I say. “Lived together for a while.”
I keep it vague on purpose. He doesn’t need to know I was homeless. Doesn’t need to know Eric saved me from doing a lot worse than crashing on a stranger’s couch.
“Were you ever…” Aksel hesitates, words slurring just slightly. “Together? Like a couple?”
I laugh. Loudly. There’s probably a snort in there, too, but I’m choosing to ignore that. “No. Never. We’d kill each other.”
I take another sip of my drink. “He helped me through a couple of heats when I couldn’t afford suppressants, but that’s it. Strictly platonic.”
A low growl rumbles out of Aksel before he can stop it.
We both freeze.
Heclearshisthroat,cheeksfaintlypink.“Sorry. Didn’t mean to…”
I’m already grinning. His embarrassment makes a tiny dimple appear in his cheek, and before I can stop myself, I reach out and poke it with my finger.
“There it is,” I say lightly. “Still cute.”
His skin is even softer than it looks, no stubble at all, and his teal eyes are wide with shock, like he’s still bracing for me to slap him instead of touch him.
The realization hits me harder than I expect.
I’m tired. Tired of being angry at him. I know, logically, that none of what happened to me was his fault. He was just the easiest place to dump all that rage when my life went to shit. A convenient target. And now that the anger has burned itself out, all that’s left is this quiet, unsettling curiosity about the man who absorbed my wrath for years without ever really fighting back.
Aksel clears his throat, the sound pulling me out of my spiral. “I’m glad you found a friend like him,” he says softly. “He’s… pretty great.”
“Hey,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him in a faux glare. “Find your own best friend. That one’s mine.”
He laughs, and we both look back at Eric, who is currently giving a pixie a very enthusiastic lap dance in nothingbutrubberduckyboxers.Helookscompletely unhinged. The pixie, however, is eating it up like this is the highlight of their week.
“Fine,” Aksel says with a chuckle. “You can have him.” He glances back at me, something warm and tentative in his expression. “I’ll settle for being your friend instead.”
The wordfriendlands hits me like a truck.
Chapter Four
Aksel
“What made you want to become a tattoo artist?”
“Well, I’ve always loved art. I studied several different mediums before landing on tattooing. Now, don’t judge me, Cammie, but I had a crush on a guy who was an extremely talented artist. I mainly started tattooing so I could get his attention, but I ended up falling in love with that art.”
He pauses for a moment, his face pensive as he thinksthrough the rest of his answer. “I apprenticed under someone who was great at tattooing, but a terrible person. I almost quit so many times, but I’m glad I stuck with it so I could be here today.”
“Do you mind if I ask the name of the man you apprenticed under?
“Amond Calder from Arcane Artistry.” Aksel’s upper lip curls in the beginnings of a snarl.
“The same Armond Calder who was arrested for assaulting his omega employees?”
Yes.”Aksel’stoneisclipped,leavingnoroomfor more questions on that topic.
Chapter Five
Hale
Arelentless knocking drags me out of the warm cocoon of pillows and blankets I’ve built around myself. I surface slowly, like a diver who stayed under too long, blinking against the light and the pounding behind my eyes.
