Jacob closes the door and locks it. He flips the little sign from Open to Closed, and then gestures for us to follow him. Damien stands with a little jump and strolls after him, leaving me on my seat, munching on whatever horrible emotion is coursing through me.
I’m not fucking jealous. I’m not.
I take a deep breath, wasting some time checking out my surroundings, as if I could avoid going after them. My eyes settle one the purple neon sign that hangs behind the counter. It reads Eternal Tattoo in a delicate cursive font and casts its light over everything around it, making that area of the shop seem cooler than the rest.
After tapping my fingers for a few seconds on the glass that protects the black surface of the counter, I make my way towards the back. There’s nothing else for me to do than approach the small room where Jacob does the piercings. A more private setting, since the tattoos are done where anyone walking by can see through the glazed front of the shop. I understand why, of course. The needles used for piercing are terrifying, nobody wants to see that. I don’t like them one bit.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, honey,” Jacob says.
Honey? Ugh . . . Fucking hell.
“It’s fine. She was kinda clingy, huh?” Damien laughs as he flops onto the plush black tattoo chair in the center of the room. The walls are all white and the lights are brighter in here, quite a contrast to the other part of the shop.
“Yeah—she doesn’t wanna give up.” Jacob cringes and pretends to shudder, which only makes Damien laugh louder.
I really don’t want to be here. I would rather wait elsewhere. Between the needles and whatever is up with these two, I couldn’t possibly be more uncomfortable.
This sucks.
Jacob is taller and bigger than me. He’s definitely very handsome, with his olive skin tone and silky long hair tied in a messy bun, which looks black until the sunlight reveals it’s actually a warm ebony color. His dark brown eyes are gentle, but he looks pretty intimidating, given his size and all the tattoos that basically cover his neck, arms, and hands. I think his torso and back are also full of ink, but I’ve never seen those parts of him. I’m slightly curious about it, but I’ll never say.
He’s been a lifesaver for us, honestly. Ever since our maker took off, he became our only guide. They used to be friends, Ledger and him. We were all shocked when he stopped showing up at home. He took most of the money we had and his car, and vanished into thin air.
“Are you ready, Damien?” Jacob’s voice is soft, comforting.
My stepbrother is almost melting for him. He nods while taking off his mesh shirt, then sinks into the chair and looks up at Jacob with his characteristic devilish grin. My blood boils, but I keep my cool. I’m not going to react. Because I’m not jealous.
I. Am. Not. Jealous.
He’s my brother, for fuck’s sake.
Jacob grabs one of those awful needles and removes all the plastic packages that protect it. I squirm, wishing I could just not be in the room. This is going to hurt me more than it will hurt Damien.
“Killi?” Damien reaches out for my hand, so I take it.
I stand beside him and try my best to keep my eyes up. Looking anywhere but down will do, I guess.
“You guys are really cute,” Jacob says, before leaning over Damien.
Cute, my ass. I’ll show you cute.
Why am I so . . . angry?
I don’t realize I’m squeezing Damien’s fingers until I feel my nails digging into the palm of my empty hand. I’m curling them into fists, suppressing the undeniable rage. I really want to punch Jacob and push him away from my brother, but I won’t. I’ll behave. I’ll stay calm. This has nothing to do with me. Aside from the few naughty messages before our last hunt, Jacob is usually very gentle and caring with Damien.
“This will hurt a little. I’m sorry,” Jacob says.
I can hear Damien’s breaths hastening as he anticipates the sting. His hand squeezes mine, and his legs wiggle a little bit. I can’t understand why he puts himself through this shit. I would never. Jeez, I’m sweating, and it’s not even me who’s getting it done.
“Oh—fucking hell—” Damien gasps. The noise he makes is too sexual. It sounds like a whole other thing I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about.
Fuck. Is my dick responding to that?
“There you go,” Jacob laughs softly as he unpacks another needle. “You’re doing great, honey.”
I’m fine.
I’m not raging and panicking at the same time. No, I’m not. Why would I? There’s no logical reason for such a thing. And I’m not remembering Damien’s moans and groans when he was finger-deep inside Clara the other night. Nope. Not at all.
