Blood & Ink (Ink Born Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Thirty-Five

  Thirty-Six

  Thirty-Seven

  Thirty-Eight

  Thirty-Nine

  Forty

  Forty-One

  Forty-Two

  Forty-Three

  Forty-Four

  Forty-Five

  Forty-Six

  Forty-Seven

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Twenty-Three

  Twenty-Four

  Twenty-Five

  Twenty-Six

  Twenty-Seven

  Twenty-Eight

  Twenty-Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-One

  Thirty-Two

  Thirty-Three

  Thirty-Four

  Thirty-Five

  Thirty-Six

  Thirty-Seven

  Thirty-Eight

  Thirty-Nine

  Forty

  Forty-One

  Forty-Two

  Forty-Three

  Forty-Four

  Forty-Five

  Forty-Six

  Forty-Seven

  Forty-Eight

  End Note

  Blood & Ink

  Ink Born 2

  By

  Holly Evans

  Copyright Holly Evans (2017) ©. All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogue are purely from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is fictionalised and coincidental.

  Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

  Dedication.

  First and foremost, I have to thank my dear husband. None of this could have happened without his support. My twin, Mollie, has been an absolute godsend through everything. I’d be lost without her. And of course, this wouldn’t have come into existence without my very own gay elf, my best friend Matty. A final quick note goes to my cheerleading team on Twitter. You’ve all kept me sane, and for that I’m eternally grateful!

  One

  I ran until my heart pounded in my chest and the sky bled red from the rising sun. My body ached and cried out for rest as I turned the last corner bringing home into sight. The idea of it as home still didn’t quite sit right with me. Wildrun had been the first place that ever felt like home. Prague was a collection of microcosms stitched together by cobbled roads and pastel-coloured buildings where ever-watchful angels perched. We’d been in Prague for three weeks, and it simultaneously felt like a mere moment and years. My heart ached being away from Isa, but Keirn had gifted us with a pair of viewing mirrors, enabling us to talk most days without the extortionate international phone bills.

  Keirn had truly been a godsend throughout the entire thing. It was his contact (unsurprisingly another elf) that had secured us a nice apartment on the edge of the magical part of the city. He had also arranged a job as a sigil artist and freelance tattoo artist for me and spread word of Keirn and Vyx being artists around the city. I didn’t want to know what we owed Fein. I suspected that ignorance truly was bliss. I pushed such thoughts from my mind and slowed to a walk for the final short stretch. The time difference between Prague and Wildrun had thrown off my sleep pattern, and Vyx and Keirn painting at all hours hadn’t helped things. They were excited to be putting together an art show, and I was proud of them. Still, I missed my bed and the bliss of restful sleep.

  The city, though it never really slept, began to buzz and take on the bustling energy of the day. The small shop two doors down from our building rolled up its shutters, and commuters started appearing on the pavement. I slipped into our building before I could be pulled into all of it. I wanted peace and quiet. Isa had already put his move to Prague off by two weeks. That information sat in the back of my mind like a lead weight, niggling at me. It was making me antisocial. It wasn’t his fault his contract was taking longer than expected. It was worth a lot of money, after all. I sighed and pushed all of the thoughts aside as I stepped into the elevator. We had the entire top floor to ourselves. Well, almost to ourselves.

  Fein had given us a very reasonable rent package on the apartment, complete with art studio and balconies, in return for us sharing it with two of his bounty hunters. They were nice guys, but I had to admit I had no idea how they were bounty hunters. I stepped out of the elevator to see the cougar shifters in question curled up together in their cougar forms. Shadow was as black as his name suggested. He was firmly entangled with his husband, Luka. They were both purring in their sleep, which they had chosen to do in the middle of the living area. The blue pawprints covering the wooden floors suggested they had been having fun with Kyra and the foxes. I sighed. It would no doubt be down to me to clean the floors. Again.

  Kyra was sprawled out along the back of the sofa, paint coating her paws and ears. Vyx and Keirn’s spirit fox were curled up on Vyx’s armchair, both also covered in paint. I hoped that none of Keirn’s paintings had been ruined that time. The small furries, as they had come to be called (mostly affectionately) had gotten into the habit of playing around the paint when Vyx finished up for the day. Sometimes that resulted in Vyx being very happy as a stray pawprint or paint splatter from someone’s tail gave one of her pieces the perfect final stroke. Other times it resulted in Keirn wailing where they had undone days of work. I’d given up trying to convince them not to tear around like lunatics. Shadow and Luka only encouraged them, meaning I was very much outnumbered.

  I approached the cougars as quietly as I could, but Shadow stirred. I took the opportunity to look pointedly between him and the bright blue pawprints covering the hardwood floors. He had the decency to look abashed. I hoped that meant they’d do the cleaning for a change. Taking a deep breath, I pushed aside the frustration that was building and headed to bed. It wasn’t their fault I was missing Isa. I had been allowing my mind to run away with all of the worst scenarios with Isa, all of which resulted in my being single again. My room was opposite Keirn’s, down a short hallway off the living space and on the far side of the apartment from the art studio. I’d given Keirn the room with the balcony, with the thinking that he’d appreciate it more. I closed the door behind me and t
ried to push aside the gnawing feeling that I was trying to convince myself that I missed Isa more than I did. A glance at my clock told me I had four hours before I needed to get back up and head into the magical part of the city to tattoo some rich businessman. I worked alone these days. Fein spread the word that I was the very best, and no one asked any questions. It wasn’t perfect, but it was an income that allowed me to do what I loved.

  I sighed and closed my eyes. I needed to grab what little sleep I could. The moment I closed my eyes, the darkness dripped into my consciousness. The ink network had another job for me. I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head. Being the ambassador to the network wasn’t something I’d signed up for. The network had been reasonably quiet for the weeks I’d been in Prague, since I’d killed the tattoo thief. I’d been enjoying the peace and taking the time to do some more research into the entire concept. No one really knew the ins and outs. Ink magicians were valuable and hunted, and that meant they weren’t too prone to writing out guides for their fellows. The darkness tugged at my senses with an eerie sensuality.

  I had no choice but to obey its call.

  Two

  I woke up feeling more refreshed than I’d expected after almost four hours of trying to wrangle the ink network into making some semblance of sense. My dreams were full of pitch black and abstract splashes of colour. There was an art to communicating with tattoos, one that I had cracked within a week. The ink network, however, was confusing and felt as though it were as frustrated with me as I was with it. I opened one eye and peered into the darkness, feeling around to turn off my alarm. It was too soon. I needed real sleep. Kyra yowled out in the living area. Keirn shouted something back at her in elvish that made her push pissy images down the bond she shared with me. It seemed that Keirn was giving her a bath. He normally left that unpleasant task to me, but I suspected she’d ruined one of his art pieces, and that was his revenge.

  A soft thudding came from my door followed by a gruff grunting sound. I opened the door a crack, enough to see what was going on without exposing my nakedness. Keirn’s black bear was standing there looking quite pitiful. The living area exploded into cursing and movement. Kyra had made a break for it. I opened the door and let the bear in. He looked like he needed the sanctuary. He rubbed his head against my hand. I obliged him and rubbed behind his ears, soothing away some of his tension before I closed the door.

  Fein had given me clear instructions to ‘dress up’ when visiting the tattooing clients. They were all part of the upper echelon of society, which meant they didn’t want someone in jeans in their home. I didn’t see a problem with jeans, myself, but they were paying three times my usual rate, so I couldn’t complain. Too much. I refused to put on a full suit. I was going to be tattooing. The pair of dark chinos and crisp pale-blue shirt was as good as I was going to give them. I even put on a nice wool overcoat instead of my preferred leather jacket.

  The noise in the living room began to escalate right after something crashed. I sighed and shared a frustrated look with Keirn’s bear. He walked at my side as we walked down the hallway into the chaos. Kyra was doing her best gryphon impression as she ran at top speed around the walls, along the tops of the cabinets and over the curtain poles. Keirn was performing acrobatics trying to catch her, and the cougar shifters were laughing in the middle of it. Aris had curled up with Vyx, who was in her armchair reading a book and ignoring everything around her.

  Kyra stop. I pushed down the bond. She paused long enough to lose momentum and fall to the floor. The bear saw his opportunity and moved quicker than you’d expect for such a bulky creature. He took Kyra in his mouth and proceeded to carry her down the hallway on the opposite side of the living space. Kyra flailed and hissed while pushing a mix of begging and pissed-off thoughts down the bond. I smiled and ignored her. Keirn followed behind his bear, looking quite triumphant. Kyra positively screamed when the bear dropped her in the water.

  Dying. Drowning. Melting, she pushed down the bond.

  Shouldn’t play in paint, I pushed back.

  She went quiet.

  I picked up my tattooing bag, complete with my brushes, paints, inks, and so forth. It was a little rough around the edges, the leather was pale and scuffed on the corners, but it was mine. This was only my second client since I’d arrived in Prague. Butterflies formed in the pit of my stomach. I ignored them as I headed out into the city and made my way into the magical section where the buildings glittered gold and the gargoyles watched you as you walked by.

  The shift between the human-built city and the magic city was quick and painless. One moment the buildings were elegant stone with spindly trees growing along the sidewalk. The next everything glittered and swam with magic. Unlike Wildrun, with its subtle and elegant magic, the neighbourhood I’d walked into was ostentatious and tacky. It wore its magic in every fibre and grain for all to see. I shook my head and strode down the path, ignoring the incubi who looked down their narrow noses at me. I knew it wasn’t any different to the elves that knocked their shoulders against mine in Wildrun, but Wildrun had been home.

  The buildings along the border between the magical section and the mundane section were particularly ostentatious. Small copper bars protruded from the corners of the silver and gold rooves. I had no doubt that the bars had been carved with sigils and had alchemy applied to them in the hopes they would attract the wild magic. The wild magic in question lazily fluttered just above the trees in broad ribbons of pastel shades. Some people considered a house that was visited by the wild magic to be more important. I didn’t understand their reasoning; it was wild, it did as it saw fit. In my mind, those people were too focused on desperate and petty little social games.

  Slowly, the neighbourhood took on a little dignity. I had paused and was looking in the window of an overpriced tattoo supply store when Fein appeared at my side. Elves were always light-footed, particularly wood elves, but he made me jump. I was too focused on the brushes with harpy feathers instead of the traditional bristles. A smirk tugged at his narrow lips and lit his leaf-green eyes.

  My distaste at my surroundings must have been clearly written on my face, as I had no doubt my surprise at his appearance was.

  “The rest of the neighbourhoods are far more restrained,” Fein said.

  His eyes held mine, a quiet threat. I was in his home, his territory, and I was looking at it with incredible disdain. He was understandably upset. The part of my brain that acknowledged predators was quietly screaming at me. All elves were hunters to some extent, but he had a look that would have made Caiden think for a moment. I looked down and away, not wanting to trigger his prey drive. It wasn’t a good idea to get into a fight with the man who had given me just about everything.

  “It’s a five-minute walk from here. Drake is prone to fits of drama and territorial instincts. I’d feel if better if I introduced you to him myself.”

  Fits of drama sounded like a lot of effort. I smiled politely and noted the Cait Sidhe sitting at the corner of the shop watching us. It was unusual to see them in the cities. I made a mental note to ask Keirn about it.

  “Thanks,” I said to Fein.

  I was getting the sinking feeling it was going to be one of those days.

  Three

  Unfortunately, I’d been absolutely correct about the type of day it was going to be. Drake turned out to be a hot-tempered air elemental. He’d been quiet and restrained as I painted the small bright yellow parrot onto his upper arm. I thought it was a rather striking bird with the dark-orange smudges around its eyes and bright green-tipped wings. It had a look of fun intelligence about it. I had a long moment of wondering if I could trade Kyra for one as I painted the final strokes. Of course, I wouldn’t do that to the furry little wretch, but it was amusing to play with the idea.

  I stepped back and admired my work. The colours really popped against the man’s pale skin. He turned and looked in the mirror to examine it. His face twisted from one of displeasure to pure fury. His dark
eyes sparked with silver, his mouth puckered into a small circle.

  “What is this?” he demanded.

  I gave a small shrug and washed my brushes in the copper bowl he had provided.

  “I’m afraid I’m not very good at identifying birds. I believe it’s some type of parrot,” I said calmly.

  “Change it,” he snapped.

  I gave him a polite smile and carefully placed my brushes down. They were a family heirloom from my grandmother. I wasn’t going to risk them being damaged.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but the tattoo is decided. I can’t change it. If I were to try and tattoo something else, there is a great risk of deformity or death,” I said.

  “Do you know who I am?” he demanded.

  He began pacing around the simple room, his footsteps echoed around the marble floors and walls.

  “I am the second chair in the air house,” he snarled. “Donovan had a phoenix tattooed! Tattoo something befitting of my station,” he said, pushing into my personal space.

  I refused to back down. The houses were a big deal, and they had a lot of political clout. Drake clearly had money, but that position also meant he had power. Still, power or not, I was not going to risk his life. That wasn’t who I was.

  “I’m afraid the ink network doesn’t care about your social standing. I can tattoo the parrot, or nothing at all. I am not willing to risk killing you,” I said.

  He waved his hand in a broad sweeping motion. I was hit with a wall of air that sent me flying across the room. My head smacked against the marble, my back jarred, and everything went black for a split second.

  “You will do as you’re told,” he shouted.

  I stood up as calmly as I could. I didn’t know where things stood with Fein. I couldn’t lose my job.

  “I will not put your life at risk,” I said.

  He raised his hand and went to use his air magic again.

  “If you hurt him again, I will make sure no one finds your body,” Fein said icily from the doorway.