“It’s hard to tattoo shifters.”
I tried not to feel rattled by the rapid change in conversation. “Why?”
“We heal too quickly. Takes more sessions for the design to stick.”
I hummed over the side of my mug. “I never considered that. But if you heal that fast, your sessions can be closer together.”
“There’s no one between here and Fairbanks that does tattoos for shifters. Dustin’s not the only one who would pay for your work.”
What was he getting at?
I sipped my coffee, not sure how to respond. Tyler had spoken barely two words to me last night. Now, he was suddenly interested in tattoos.
“This isn’t a good idea.”
I quirked one eyebrow at him. “What’s not a good idea?”
“Returning that ring. It was bad enough that you dragged him to the cantina last night.”
I bristled. “I didn’t drag him anywhere. We were invited to go, and he accepted the invitation.”
“And you saw what it did to him, being around random unmated males.”
I mean, Rhettwason edge last night, but I assumed it was more about the conflict with Dustin than anything else. How would he even know if the men—um, males—at the cantina were unmated?
“The possessiveness will only get worse until you’re marked. Bringing him to meet a male that you’ve been intimate with is as good as killing him.”
I slurped more coffee because I was still stunned by this confrontational version of Tyler.
“Don't do that to my brother.”
I set my mug on the table, staring into the liquid. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”
Because I’m not really his mate, and he doesn’t care who I’ve been with.
Tyler set his mug down too. The quality of his movement felt predatory. I swallowed, the urge to avert my gaze growing heavier by the second.
A door slammed, and Rhett’s hand landed on the back of my neck.
I exhaled, leaning into the warmth and looking up with a smile. That was when I realized he was shirtless, wearing only boxer briefs. Did he sleep next to me like that?
I needed to avert my gaze again, or else I might start drooling.
“I didn’t hear you get up.” Rhett was speaking to me, but his eyes never left his brother. There was pressure in the air that felt like a storm coming on, except the sun was shining through the kitchen window.
There was thunder too, rolling off Rhett and vibrating me in my seat.
Was this what Tyler was talking about? I didn’t have a baseline for shifter behavior. This could be a normal level of aggression.
I stood, using my momentum to direct Rhett back. When I angled myself toward his bedroom, he mirrored me.
“We should get going,” I told him, briefly slipping my fingers through his.
Rhett relaxed, looking down at our interlocked hands with an unreadable expression.
“Let me get dressed. I’ll make you some breakfast while you pack your things.”
“Oh, okay.” I started down the hallway, pausing to say, “Thank you.”
