Blood & Ink (Ink Born Book 2) Read online

Shadow watched me very closely as I walked past him and Luka to the living area.

  You were bad. You should have a bath. Kyra pushed.

  I couldn’t help myself, I had to laugh.

  “You hit on him,” Keirn said.

  I sighed, stole his coffee, and slumped down on the sofa.

  “I didn’t get the chance. Fein has demoted me. I have to design and create fucking sigils.”

  I looked at the papers for the first time. Vyx sat next to me and stole one of the papers.

  “These are complicated. It could be a fun challenge. Embrace the challenge, Dacian,” she said.

  I glanced at her. She had a paintbrush behind her ear and flecks of red paint on her cheek. Her hair had been pulled back and pinned with two more paint brushes. The little parrot was on her shoulder. It seemed content to remain there.

  “How’s the art going, little vixen?”

  She beamed at me. “I’m almost finished on my final piece!”

  I saw Keirn tense out the corner of my eye.

  “Is your art not going as well, old friend?”

  He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

  “I need to produce two more pieces,” he said quietly.

  “Is your muse in hiding?”

  He didn’t look at me.

  “Keirn...?”

  He gave me a weak smile. “It’s nothing.”

  He walked off to the art studio before I could press further.

  “He won’t tell me either,” Vyx said as she looked through the rest of my papers. “You should add some flare to your sigils. Make them beautiful.”

  I snorted. “They’re one use only. They’ll be burnt.”

  “Flowers are beautiful, and they don’t last long,” she said.

  She handed me the papers and sauntered off to the art studio, leaving me with the cougars who had curled up in their armchair. Shadow was stroking Luka’s hair idly while they watched the TV.

  I skimmed Fein’s little note about making sure I put my all into the sigils, that I would regret it if I screwed up again. I’d never done well with threats, but to threaten Keirn was something else. Luka looked at me when I muttered about how Fein could go fuck himself. I calmed myself. Vyx was right. A challenge would get my mind back in the game. Maybe it would help me with the ink network, too.

  My bedroom doubled as my meditation space. I piled up the books I’d gathered on the ink network at one end of the desk and pulled out my own sheaves of paper. The ink network was still tugging at me in the back of my mind, demanding attention. I placed my hands flat on the desk and grounded myself in the physical sensation. Things were going to be done on my terms.

  The ink network attempted to jump me and drag me in. I dug my fingernails down into the solid wood and refused to be pulled into the darkness.

  “No. You are going to learn some manners,” I said mentally.

  The network pulled back a little. Tendrils of darkness flickered around my vision. Splashes of colour pushed into my thoughts. Curling shapes wound around each other lazily.

  “That makes no sense,” I said.

  The colour turned pitch black, the sense of frustration pulsed through my thoughts.

  Abuse.

  A single word. Progress. It was more a feeling than a word, but it was a big step. I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the connection.

  “Someone’s abusing you?”

  The colours flickered and pulsed again. I took that as a yes. Well, I’d figured that much, given it was bugging me, but it was something.

  “More murder?”

  The colours flattened and the network tugged at me again, trying to pull me deeper.

  “No. This is being done on my terms.”

  Mine.

  “No. I am not yours.”

  Mine. It pushed harder.

  I drove it out. I was not going to bow down and allow it to ride me.

  Ten

  By some miracle, the ink network settled down and allowed me to ink a grand total of two sigils. They should have taken me no more than ten minutes each. They actually took almost three hours of intense fighting, and that was without trying to make them pretty for Vyx. The little feral meant well. The decoration wouldn’t add anything to them magically, but I hoped that maybe they’d help focus my mind a little more. The ink network took every ounce of my focus and left me starving and exhausted. Only thirty more sigils to do. By the end of the week.

  I headed out to the living area in the vain hope that someone had started cooking dinner. I’d cooked dinner once and had promptly been removed from service. My cooking was perfectly reasonable. I’d cooked for Keirn many times. The cougars, however, disagreed. Whatever, it saved me from doing it. I walked out into the living space to see Vyx staring down the Cait Sidhe, Tyn. I could only see Vyx’s back, which was ramrod straight. The Cait Sidhe had a smirk on his face and was glaring down at her. My protective instincts kicked in.

  “Everything ok, little vixen?” I said as I approached cautiously.

  She suddenly relaxed and Tyn grinned, the tension broken. She turned to face me with a grin.

  “It’s great. How’re the sigils going?”

  “Yes. How are the sigils going?” Tyn asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “How did you get that white paw?” I shot back.

  “Dacian!” Vyx yelped.

  I ignored her and stared down the Cait Sidhe. He had come into my home and been a little shit. I had asked a perfectly reasonable question.

  “You will never voice that question again, Mr. Corbeaux,” Fein growled.

  The damn elf had snuck up on me. Again. Tyn smirked when I jumped.

  I looked away from Tyn and didn’t dare look at Fein. I could feel his eyes boring into the side of my face.

  “Understood,” I said.

  “Keirn, you wanted to discuss something?” Fein asked.

  Keirn looked pointedly between Tyn and me before he gestured to his art studio.

  “Yes,” he said tightly.

  I frowned and watched the elves walk to the studio. Vyx’s canvases were leaning up against the white wall on either side of the black door.

  Vyx shrugged when I looked at her. The cougars ignored me entirely and greeted Tyn with hugs and grins. Even Kyra wound herself around his legs. It seemed that cats stuck together.

  My mood was foul enough without that little display. I walked away from the group, which was chatting about something I didn’t understand, and began looking for food in the kitchen.

  “Did you make the sigils pretty?” Vyx asked as she hopped up onto the kitchen counter.

  I smiled. “No, I had enough trouble forming them in their pure form.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “You can’t let the network push you around, Dacian.”

  I laughed despite myself.

  “How about you try it sometime, little vixen.”

  She grinned at me. “Challenge accepted.”

  The little parrot cawed and tried to bury itself in Vyx’s hair. She ran her fingers down its yellow feathers with a frown on her face. The familiar tingling of the ink network began in my fingertips as the parrot tried harder to hide.

  “That bird looks strikingly similar to the one you painted on Mr. Drake. Did you know he was found dead this morning?” Fein asked.

  I spun around to face him.

  “Are you accusing me of murder, Mr. Thyrin?”

  The corner of his mouth quirked up. Tyn had walked over to join his owner.

  “He died after someone tried to bring through a tattoo that wasn’t his,” Fein said slowly, and clearly.

  His eyes never left mine.

  “I would never do such a thing,” I said.

  Anger bubbled up through me. The asshole was suggesting that I had no morals, that I would torture someone for a bit of money. The elemental must have died an agonising death. Flashes of Wildrun came to mind. Images of screaming shifters as the murderer stole their tattoos. I leaned back agai
nst the kitchen counter when the sensation of his life ending, thanks to me, filled my mind.

  Fein nodded to himself. “Make sure it stays that way.”

  With that, he was done. He gave the cougars a friendly smile and nod as he passed them on his way out. I turned my attention to Keirn, who was as white as a sheet.

  “What was that about?” I asked.

  Keirn bared his teeth and waved me off before he stalked back to the art studio.

  I jogged after him and cut him off before he could vanish into his sanctuary. I took his hands in mine and tried to meet his eye.

  “Talk to me, old friend,” I said gently.

  His face slipped from a mask of fury to one of absolute despair. His bottom lip wobbled and tears formed in the corners of his silver eyes. I pulled him to me and wrapped my arms around him.

  “You’re safe. I’ll always keep you safe,” I said.

  Once he had caught his breath and calmed himself a little, I put my arm around his shoulder and led him to my room. I was going to get to the bottom of his odd behaviour. I’d already lost Isa, I wasn’t going to lose Keirn too.

  Eleven

  I brushed his hair out of Keirn’s face. “Talk to me, old friend.”

  “You have plenty of your own problems,” Keirn said, forcing a smile.

  I hooked my finger under Keirn’s chin, making him look at me.

  “Talk to me,” I pressed.

  He scooted a little closer to me and leaned against my shoulder. I held him close and ignored the guilt that came with doing so. I was single. He was my oldest friend. It didn’t mean anything. Frustration began to bubble up. I wanted to comfort Keirn. I wanted the comfort of Isa’s small body curled up with mine, easing away my worries and grounding me.

  “My brother is dying. I’m returning home to help him pass over,” Keirn said in barely more than a whisper.

  Elves lived particularly long lives. Keirn’s brother was still in his teens. For him to die was a very unusual tragedy. I pulled Keirn into my arms and felt him sobbing against my shoulder. Keirn hadn’t spoken to his family since he’d made the decision to pursue his dream as an artist. He had tried to speak to them, but they had wanted nothing to do with him since he’d left their home. I stroked Keirn’s hair and down his back, holding him until he was ready to talk again.

  “How can I help?” I asked when he pulled away.

  He sighed softly.

  “I can’t ask you that.”

  I placed my hand on his cheek and rubbed along the cheekbone with my thumb.

  “You’re my oldest and closest friend. Ask.”

  A flicker of a smile formed on his lips.

  “Come with me?”

  “How long do I have to pack? Do I have time to get some snow-worthy clothing?” I replied without pause.

  “I’m leaving tomorrow morning; the shops close in four hours,” he said.

  I kissed his forehead without thinking.

  “You won’t be alone. I’ll eat something and then go and get some appropriate clothing,” I said.

  “Thank you, Dacian,” he said, the creases around his eyes finally leaving.

  I drank the coffee down in one gulp and ate the pastries as quickly as I could while getting changed. I didn’t think twice about being naked around Keirn. We’d been lovers through college, and I was entirely comfortable around him. Isa crept into my mind, whispers of the comments he would make when I got dressed in front of him. I pushed them aside. That time of my life was over. I didn’t want to forget Isa, or what we had, but the wound was too fresh to confront.

  Keirn followed me out into the living area, where his bear fussed over him. The bear had been given much more freedom in Prague. I assumed it was where we had far more open space for the large animal. The bear had made the most of it and enjoyed all the attention everyone gave it. Kyra used him as a throne and curled up on top of him when opportunity presented itself. The little wretch did the same to the cougars when she thought she could get away with it.

  Vyx had placed some of her canvases outside of the art area. She and Keirn were supposed to be doing their first small show on the weekend. My fingertips itched as I looked at the art. She was a truly talented artist. Even I, someone with no understanding of art, found myself pulled into her work. They were somehow intricate and simple at the same time. She used tiny patterns to form the details and fill in the larger images. Flocks of wheeling birds were formed from intertwined spirals and sweeping curves with tiny thorn-like protrusions. I pulled myself away from them and ignored the increasingly irritating itching in my fingers. The ink network could wait. I wasn’t going to encourage it to have little pissy fits or try and control my time and energy.

  Fein had been unsurprised about my joining Keirn for his journey home. I’d half-expected him to fire me, given I’d been on the job for all of a few days. Shame washed over me as I realised I was glad to deal with him over the phone rather than in person. I was aware of the predatory nature of elves, wood elves being more predatory than others. There was something more about him, though. I pushed the thoughts aside and walked into the living space of our home to find Keirn throwing clothing out of a bag with tears running down his face.

  “It won’t fit. I don’t even know what I need,” he shouted.

  I put my own bags down and walked over to him.

  “Calm, old friend. Making a mess will only encourage the cougars to hide things.”

  I didn’t know if it was true, but it made him smile.

  I took his hands in mine and gave him a moment to steady his breath and recover.

  “I am the spirit walker. They’re expecting me to prepare him for the Cait Sidhe. I... I’ve never done it before. I’m terrified, Dacian.”

  I pulled him into a hug and gave him the time he needed to work through the wall of emotions he was facing. Platitudes and careful assurances wouldn’t have done him any good. They were no better than lies. I had no idea if he could do it, or even what it was. No, he needed someone to lean on. When he pulled back, I changed the topic over to something that I hoped was a little safer.

  “Why does Fein’s Cait Sidhe have a white paw?” I asked as I began picking up the heavy coats and magically imbued shirts.

  Keirn frowned and looked at me as he put a small bag of stones in a side pocket of his large bag.

  “Fein is very protective over him,” Keirn warned me.

  I handed him the shirts and kept my comment about how I’d noticed to myself.

  “Why does he have a white paw? I thought they were all pitch black bar the white patch on their chest.”

  Keirn sighed softly and squeezed my shoulder.

  “It marks him. Cait Sidhe guide our,” he swallowed hard, “our deceased to the afterlife. The white paw means that he went against the life network and no longer has the ability to do his work.”

  I stroked Keirn’s hair. “I’m sorry, old friend.”

  He nodded and smiled faintly.

  “I think it best we remain sober. This is going to be a difficult meeting.”

  We continued to pack the rest of his bag in silence. Vyx crept into the room and hugged Keirn without a word. He smiled and leaned his head against hers for a moment before she wandered into the kitchen and began cooking.

  The cougars were out in the city somewhere, perhaps tracking down a bounty for Fein. They didn’t return for dinner. Keirn’s bear lay on his bag and huffed.

  “He doesn’t like the cold. He doesn’t want to go,” Keirn explained.

  Kyra proceeded to curl up on the bear. She blended into his fur when she closed her eyes. Aris had retreated into his tattoo. Snakes didn’t do well in the snow. He wasn’t taking any risks.

  Vyx tried to occupy Keirn through the evening with excited art talk. Keirn barely paid attention and only gave her one-syllable replies. Eventually, she gave in and curled up with his spirit fox near his feet. I fought against my instincts to soothe him, to run my thumb over the worry lines on his face and hold
him close. It felt like a betrayal of Isa. The conversation with him, the moment I knew it was over warred against my need to help my friend.

  Keirn won. He was there, he needed me.

  “I’ll be there with you every step of the way,” I said quietly.

  I didn’t want to wake the small furries. It would take them a good while to stop grumbling at me if I dared.

  Keirn leaned against me his body relaxing into mine. I’d missed him, the ease and comfort of our friendship.

  “Thank you, Dacian.”

  Slowly, his breathing became slower and his body relaxed more. He nuzzled his head against my shoulder and his hand came to rest on mine as he fell asleep. Even in sleep, his face remained tight. Creases crinkled around his eyes, and his mouth pinched. I carefully pulled a blanket from the back of the sofa around us. Keirn needed me.

  Twelve

  We woke up to the sun filtering through the large window near the kitchen area. Shadow and Luka paused their walk past the sofa Keirn and I were sleeping on to give us sly smiles. I shook my head and tried to signal, ‘it wasn’t like that’, but they only grinned in response. Kyra woke Keirn up a moment later. She walked along the back of the sofa and began rubbing her face against his, purring. I wondered why the little wretch didn’t wake me up as nicely. Keirn woke up peacefully, his body pressed against mine as he stretched. His lips brushed behind my ear, sending a familiar thrill through me. I looked away. He wasn’t awake enough to have realised what he’d done.

  Kyra slipped into her tattoo without any arguments. Keirn’s bear stepped up onto his lap and returned to his tattoo as I headed into the kitchen in search of breakfast. The journey out to Keirn’s clan was a long one, we were going to need a good breakfast to keep us going. I glanced over my shoulder as I made the coffee to see Vyx having a conversation with Keirn’s fox. As they were both in fox form, it came across as growls, yips, and such.

  “You’re not doing this alone, old friend,” I said to Keirn.

  He smiled at me, his silver eyes glinting with unshed tears.

  I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. I was an only child. I knew that Keirn had been close to his younger brother, though. He didn’t say a word as I cooked a large breakfast and heaped up plates with pastries. Who knew when we’d be eating again. Keirn was curled up staring unseeing at the TV when I handed him the plate full of sausages, bacon, and more. We ate breakfast in painful silence before I hurriedly packed my bag and we headed out into the morning.