Parker leaned back, crossing his arms with a skeptical look. “Famous last words. You sure you don’t want one of us to?—”
“Nah,” I cut him off, snapping on new gloves. “I’ve got this. Besides, if I screw it up, it’s on me. Literally.”
Jace hopped up and circled around like a hype man at a boxing match. “Okay, but if you pass out or start bleeding everywhere, I’m here for you.”
“Thanks, Thatcher,” I muttered, opening the bottle again, and dipping the needle into the ink. I pressed the pedal, testing the buzz against the air one last time. My hand hovered over my skin, steady...ish.
Deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Jace’s pregnancy breathing might’ve been onto something.
The needle touched down on my forearm, and—holy shit—that sting was sharper than I expected. Like a cat scratching with fire claws. I gritted my teeth, forcing my wrist to move in a straight line.N...D... L.
It wasn’t pretty. The lines wobbled a bit, like Jace’s had, and theLcame out a little thicker than planned. But there it was:NDLetched into my skin forever.
I lifted the machine, wiping away the excess ink. “Done.”
Jace whistled, leaning in close. “Not bad, Adler. Kinda crooked, but in a charming, ‘I did this while lovesick’ way.”
Parker nodded approvingly. “Solid effort. Now, wrap it up before we all get infections.”
I glanced down at my own tattoo, hoping it wasn’t already too late for that. The skin was red around the edges, and the crookedNDLlooked like it had been done by a sleep-deprived caveman. Which, to be fair, wasn’t far off.
“Are you thinking about the fact that we’re blood brothers now since we just shared a needle?” Jace asked, far too casually for someone who should’ve been panicking.
I looked up slowly. “Iwasn’tthinking about that, actually.”
Parker looked a little green as he tipped his head back against the couch. “Fantastic. Can’t wait to explain to the trainer why we are showing up with matching infections and a team name that sounds like a preschool craft circle.”
Jace just grinned, admiring his arm like it was a masterpiece. “No Drama Llamas, baby. We suffer together.”
I smiled weakly at that thought. I felt like I was suffering already.
The adrenaline was wearing off fast, leaving behind the itchiness that I’d had the second Ophelia had run away lastnight. I guess for at least a few minutes the noise in my head had gone still.
But as the buzz of the machine faded, the ache crept back in. The wanting. The restlessness.
Now, all I had to do was survive the night and pray she wouldn’t think it was weird if she saw me “accidentally” lingering outside her dorm at six a.m.
Because honestly? I wasn’t sure I could make it that long.
I glanced at Jace. “Want to let me do another one?”
CHAPTER 16
OPHELIA
Iwasn’t supposed to be here.
I’d reminded myself that at least twenty times since leaving my dorm, but my feet clearly didn’t care about logic or dignity…or the hundred other promises I’d made to stop doing this.
The street was quiet, an early morning stillness that made every sound feel amplified: thecrunchof gravel under my shoes, the whisper of wind brushing past the mailboxes, the occasional car door slamming somewhere blocks away.
And there I was, standing across fromhishouse.
Matty’s, of course.
The porch was dark, only the faint spill of light from one window breaking through the shadows. It wasn’t hard to spot which one was his; it was the third from the left, blinds half drawn, a narrow band of warm light cutting across the glass.
I shouldn’t know that. I shouldn’t know what time his car usually pulled in after practice, or that he always turned off the porch light a little after midnight, or that when that single window still glowed against the dark, it meant he was awake, probably sitting on the couch with his legs sprawled, watching film or replay highlights until his eyes went heavy.
