Following his instructions, I barely manage not to spew it back out the second it hits my tongue. It’s harsher than I anticipated, and I can see why people dilute it with mixed drinks. Still, I take another swig, knowing that I’m going to need it if I want to have any hope of staying still. Having Stone hovering above me, holding me down while he pierces my flesh... I’ve no doubt it’s going to dredge up some particularly shitty flashbacks. I was serious, though, about wanting to balance out the bad with some good. So I take an extra long pull from the bottle before handing it back, hoping that it’ll be enough to keep the memories at bay until tonight so I can be present in the moment.
This is a bigger deal for Stone than he’s letting on, and I don’t want to give him a single reason to think that he’s repeating history and making a mistake by trusting me.
If thoughts of world domination or anything involving the words ‘for the greater good’ creep in, I’ll chuck the rock back in his face and confess my sins. Maybe it’s because I have no interest in sacrificing myself for a world that left me to suffer, or maybe it’s because I don’t want to be the thing that breaks the man that’s survived millenia of various evils, only to fall prey to a defective, disappointment of a mate. Whatever the reason, I intend to prove that trusting me with the power to destroy him wasn’t a mistake.
“Go ahead, doc. Pop my piercing cherry.”
The sharp snap of latex gloves is followed by the cool rush of rubbing alcohol on my skin. “Why do you have to make everything sound dirty?”
“It’s a talent. One born of a curious dragon that was left with far too much time on her lonely hands, and unsupervised access to the internet.”
Shaking his head, his lips quirk as he works swiftly and efficiently, sanitizing the area. “Would you rather I count down so you can brace yourself, or do it when you aren’t expecting it?”
“Your seduction game needs some work.”
“When I’m seducing you, you’ll know it.” His thumb strokes a slow path over my skin, sliding lower until teasing the waistband of my pajama pants. “But we should really get this done first.”
Slowly, I blow out a shaky breath, the alcohol finally spreading warmth throughout my body. “Maybe you should take a shot to steady your nerves too.”
He follows my gaze to his slightly trembling hands. “You want an inebriated man working on you?”
“I’d prefer a confident one. If that courage comes from a bottle, but keeps you from botching the job, I’ll take it.”
To my surprise, he takes me up on it, taking a hearty swig from the bottle. Setting it back on the nightstand, he adjusts his position, looming over me. “Breath in,” he coaxes, prepping the needle.
––––––––
Halfway through myinhale, he strikes. With a hiss, I suck down the rest of my air while he makes swift work of sliding the jewelry into place, screwing on the ball as I bite the inside of my cheek. With a little more rubbing alcohol, he cleans the area, the sharp sting making me silently curse his name.
“It looks good on you,” he praises quietly, staring intently at the jewel set over my belly button and ignoring the mutilated mess of skin around it.
“Got to admit, that wasn’t nearly as much fun as I thought it would be.” Rising up on my elbows, I inspect the damage, tilting my head appreciatively. “I like it. Something pretty to distract attention away from everything else.”
“You’resomething pretty distracting. Beautiful, you think we don’t have scars of our own?” He slips off his gloves, disposing of them in the small trash can beside the bed. Yanking off his shirt, he points to his chest. “A few inches to the side, the dagger would have pierced my heart.” He twists so I can see the side opposite his tattoo. “Three separate occasions of taking a knife between different ribs.” He gives me his back, showcasing a vast array of pearly white slashes. “These? After my part in Aurelia’s betrayal came to light, I was chained down and flogged daily for two weeks before I broke free.”
One hand settles on my side, the other beside my head on the mattress. “It took decades for the demonic energy to begin twisting us into shifters, and millennia after that before my healing became what it is today. And still, these marks remain. Kodiak and Raiden have plenty of scars of their own, and I’m sure they’ll gather another dozen each before the turn of the century.”
His lips ghost over mine. “They’re stories, Amara. Each scar is a tally mark of a time you’ve endured something, and lived to tell the tale. Don’t ever let anyone convince you they’re something ugly that needs to be hidden, even yourself. Show them off with pride.”
My eyes close with a heavy exhale that leaves me feeling lighter than ever before. Threading my fingers through his hair, I arch up to close the distance between us, pressing my lips against his and knowing he’ll understand everything I lack the words for. Neither of us push for it to go any deeper than that, content with stretching out the moment and staving off the world for a little while longer.
Eventually, he whispers, “How do you feel?”
Blocking everything else out, I focus my attention inward. Beyond the warm glow spreading throughout my limbs is... a whole lot of nothing. Eyes popping open, I give it to him straight, hoping he won’t be disappointed. “Honestly? The same.”
He rises to his feet, looking years younger with the sudden rush of relief. “Good. We’ll keep an eye on things to monitor the progression, so make sure to let me know the moment anything changes, no matter how insignificant it may seem, alright?”
––––––––
Cautiously, I sit up, wincing at the sting. “I’ll do you one better. If I get any fun ideas like smiting people or shopping for evil empress armor, I’ll take it outbeforeI fill you in.”
His gaze is locked onto my stomach, even after I tug my shirt back down. “Promise that you’ll tell me before you do anything drastic? Even if you think it’s in my best interest, or whatever else is going through your head that inspires you to keep it a secret in a misguided attempt to protect one of us?”
He sounds so goddamn vulnerable right now, I wish I could go back in time and punch his supposed best friend in the tit.
“Promise. You’re a better person than me, for sure. I swear, you were meant to save people, Stone. And I’m lucky to be one of them.”
A shuddering sigh escapes him, but when he finally meets my eye again, the smile on his face may as well be the first I’ve ever seen on him, it’s so different. Almost as if until now, he’s never truly allowed himself to shed the guilt he wears like a shroud.
