Blood & Ink (Ink Born Book 2) Read online

  “I wasn’t asking about your sex life, Dacian. Have you been to a bar? Or a good run? Something to relax and burn off that energy?”

  His eyes still danced with amusement. I thought I’d remained quite composed, but my reaction had clearly tickled him.

  I shrugged. “I went for a run a couple of days ago.”

  He canted his head slightly to one side. “But it didn’t help.”

  I sighed. “No. My head was on Isa.”

  “Come and spar with me,” he said, pushing himself off the doorway.

  “No Shadow?”

  He barked out a laugh. “We can exist separately from each other.”

  “You could have fooled me,” I teased.

  His jaw tightened but his eyes remained bright with merriment.

  “I’ll get changed and leave the parrot with Vyx. Give me five minutes,” I said.

  I dug my gym bag out of the mess that was my wardrobe. I hadn’t unpacked everything nicely, as I’d been expecting Isa to move in and I wanted to arrange our stuff in a way that worked for both of us. I bit my bottom lip and pushed the unpleasant emotion aside. He was happy and doing incredibly well in Wildrun, that was what mattered. I changed into loose training trousers and pulled on a warm hoodie to make sure I didn’t get frostbite on the trip to wherever Luka sparred. I was a little anxious about sparring with Luka. On one hand, I knew he was a bounty hunter, but he seemed far too slender and quiet to provide much of an opponent. I’d sparred against big wolf shifters in Wildrun. The cougar shifter looked like Jake would snap him in two.

  Vyx was directing people as they carried canvases out into the elevator. She had a huge grin plastered on her face and Keirn’s hand in hers. She’d made it quite clear early on that she didn’t much like being touched, and we had all respected that. As far as we were aware, there was no tragic backstory, she just didn’t like being touched. She was making a huge effort for Keirn, and I appreciated it. Judging from the smile on Keirn’s face, I got the impression he did, too. Shadow ran his hand over the back of Keirn’s shoulders as he walked behind him to pick up another canvas. Had they all known about the importance of touch, or had Fein told them? It didn’t matter. Keirn was with his family, and he was smiling.

  The little parrot flew over to the closest canvas and hopped along the edge of it, where it proceeded to squark. Vyx scooped it up and placed it on her shoulder, where she fussed it. The ink network sank its claws into me. My fingertips felt like they were on fire.

  “Have you heard about those art thefts?” Shadow asked.

  Vyx curled her lip.

  “They’d better not touch my art,” she growled.

  The ink network dug deeper into my mind. I drove it back and smiled at Luka. A good sparring session sounded like exactly what I needed.

  Nineteen

  The place Luka took me to do some sparring wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The run-down warehouse on the edge of the rougher part of the city was barren bar a collection of soft mats set up over one third of the concrete floor. The windows were half broken and entirely covered in filth. The roof sprawled somewhere far overhead, where pigeons and what I suspected was a family of pygmy corvid gryphons roosted. It stood in complete contrast to the nice, well fitted-out gym I’d gone to with Jake. I smiled as I took in the large expanse of space. Somehow, it felt homey.

  We stripped down to just our trousers and took our shoes off at the edge of the mat. I found myself admiring the sleek lines of Luka’s tanned torso a second longer than was appropriate. Shadow was a lucky guy. Luka smirked at me and sank down into an easy fighting stance.

  “No broken bones, no groin shots, and no long-lasting injuries,” he said.

  I nodded in acknowledgement and allowed my instincts to take over.

  “So, when did you last get laid?” Luka asked.

  It came out of nowhere, much like his foot that landed in my stomach. I was knocked back, but kept my balance. He danced around me, grinning.

  “Come on, Dacian, you’re going to have to do better than that.”

  His attacks were fast and fluid. I struggled to hold my own against him. The grin on his face only taunted me and pushed me on harder, but still I barely landed any hits. I was gaining respect for him by the minute.

  He depended on his speed, as he didn’t have the bulk that Jake had. I bided my time and saw my opening to use that against him. I shifted my weight and used his own momentum against him, throwing him over my shoulder. He landed on his feet, the grin fixed firmly in place, and rewarded me with a sharp blow to the lower back that sent me stumbling forward. Damn cats.

  “You need to approach the ink network as an equal and an ally,” he said between rapid punches.

  “It keeps trying to take me over,” I growled as I tried for an abdomen shot.

  I was getting better at blocking him, but we were both tiring.

  “You keep pushing back against it. It’s a magical network, Dacian, you’re going to have to explain some things to it. Give it a chance to understand.”

  I glared at him and ducked under one fist only to get the other in my upper arm.

  “I’ve tried,” I growled.

  Luka stepped back and held his hands up. I was pleased that he was panting. I hadn’t landed many blows, but at least I’d made him work a bit.

  “Try going in with the thought of understanding, rather than trying to defend yourself. It’s escalating.”

  I shook his hand and smiled.

  “I’ll try, and thanks for the sparring match.”

  I had to admit that I did feel much better. The familiar adrenaline high was coursing through my veins and my muscles had the pleasant burn of having been used.

  “You brought him here without me?” Shadow asked as he walked to the edge of the mats.

  His voice had been pitched to show pain, but he couldn’t keep his face straight for it to be real. Luka strode over to him and bit his bottom lip.

  “You were busy,” he said.

  I pulled on my clothing quickly. I could see where this was going. It wasn’t uncommon for a fight or sparring match to result in the libido kicking in. Isa and I had enjoyed that high on more than one occasion.

  Luka pushed Shadow back against the wall and kissed him hard. I’d had Shadow down as the dominant party. It seemed the quiet cougar had hidden strength. I left before they gave me a free show.

  The flat was surprisingly calm. It seemed that I’d managed to avoid the worst of the chaos. The canvases had been removed from the living area, and Keirn was sprawled out on the sofa looking exhausted.

  “Do you want coffee or something stiffer?” I asked him.

  He smiled up at me. “Coffee. I have to salvage what I can from this art show. Fein has been very understanding, but he has his limits.”

  “Am I supposed to be there?” I asked.

  “Yes! Yes, you are,” Vyx shouted.

  She came over to Keirn and me, her hair half-styled with the left side in sleek waves and the other half in her more usual mane state.

  “This show wouldn’t happen without you two. You gave me a home. You helped me with my art,” she said.

  I smiled and tucked my hands in the pockets of my trousers.

  “It was Kyra and Keirn, really,” I said.

  She huffed and poked me in the chest. “Take the thanks, Dacian. You changed my life for the better, and Kyra’s an extension of you.”

  I looked at Keirn who laughed and smiled up at me.

  “You’ve enriched our lives, Vyx. We’re glad to have you,” he said.

  She beamed at him.

  “Make sure you both look pretty tonight. If I have to do this,” she gestured at the styled half of her hair, “then so do you,” she said.

  I bowed low.

  “Yes, Mistress Vyx,” I said.

  She laughed and returned to her room, where I assume she continued with her preparations.

  “Are you ok with this, old friend?” I asked Keirn.

  He took a deep breath and stood. “This is her night, she deserves it.”

  I let his response slide. He hadn’t answered my question, but there was a time and a place to push.

  “How long do we have to make ourselves pretty?”

  “Two hours or so until Fein’s cars come for us,” Keirn said.

  I squeezed Keirn’s shoulder, “I’ll be right there with you. Every step of the way.”

  He smiled. It almost reached his eyes. “Thank you.”

  Twenty

  “Fein told me that I had to look pretty and feminine tonight. He bought me this dress and gave me make-up,” Vyx called out.

  I stood in the living room with Keirn and the cougars, all of us in our best suits while we waited for Vyx to make her entrance. Keirn’s fox and bear had gone to her room along with Kyra and were trying to shepherd her out and get this moving. Fein’s cars were sitting outside waiting for us, and I didn’t know how long we had until he sent someone in.

  Finally, Vyx emerged. Her usual mane of red hair had been tamed into smooth waves that framed her face and brought out the gold in her amber eyes. Her make-up drew attention to her eyes and made the most of her expressive mouth and thin lips. The pale-green dress with soft silver decorations that Fein had picked out for her was certainly feminine. It flowed around her delicate figure without clinging too tightly. The emerald green heels finished the entire picture. In short, she was a vision.

  “You look beautiful,” I said.

  She grinned at me, the others chimed in with their own compliments, and she began to relax.

  “This is your night, little vixen, how do you feel?” I asked.

  “Terrified and ecstatic,” she said.

  “We’re all very proud of you,” Keirn said.

  I trailed my fingers over the palm of his hand. He must have been hurting. It was supposed to have been his night, too. He’d been working towards an art show for years.

  An art show was not my idea of fun. It was right at the bottom of the list of things that might possibly be fun with enough alcohol. I was entirely sober.

  Vyx was the centre of attention, as she should have been. Fein showed her off and introduced her to the key players of the evening. The small gallery was full of pretentious people in expensive clothing sipping on expensive wine that Fein had explicitly told me not to touch. He hadn’t forgiven me for showing up to the elf’s house half-drunk. I smiled politely as a pair of ceremonials droned on about their political sway and plans for a new villa in some suitably expensive place. I split my attention between Keirn, who was talking to a Sidhe about his art, and Vyx, who was preening over a group of alchemists complimenting her paintings. Keirn was trying to form connections in the hope of making the most of the evening. I was trying not to screw it up for my friends.

  The ink network had other plans. It began as an itching in my fingers as I admired one of Vyx’s more colourful pieces. Something about the use of colour pulled me in. I stepped away and listened as a high elf explained the fascinating use of shadow and depth in the piece. It meant nothing to me, but I was trying to be polite. I made my way past the alchemists and squeezed in next to an incubus that was standing in front of my favourite piece. It was an explosion of red that was somehow delicate and coarse in one elegant sweeping motion. It was Vyx’s most abstract painting, her others being air focused with flocks of birds and stormy sunsets over oceans. That one, however, spoke of passion and blood. The intricate patterns that were her signature were so tightly entwined.

  I stood in front of that painting for a good while, drinking in every detail while I wondered if I could purchase it for myself. I’d never owned art before, but that particular painting called to me.

  “It’s quite something, isn’t it?” Fein asked.

  I wished the damn elf would stop sneaking up on me.

  “It is,” I said.

  I knew nothing about art. I didn’t have words to express my feelings and didn’t want to look a complete fool.

  “Keep her safe, Mr. Corbeaux, she’s a very talented artist and a rare gem,”

  “Do you know something I don’t?” I asked reflexively.

  “I know many things you don’t, Mr. Corbeaux. Behave yourself this evening,”

  With that he left, leaving me feeling like a scolded schoolboy.

  Twenty-One

  The rest of the art show was uneventful and painfully dull. I’d slipped away at the earliest possible opportunity with talk of how I needed to finish the sigils. Vyx was wrapped up in the moment and not at all concerned by my leaving, which eased the guilt I felt.

  I’d managed to get my tie and shoes off before the ink network began creeping into the back of my mind.

  Wait I pushed.

  Shards of black erupted around my vision before vanishing just as quickly. Why couldn’t I be connected to the calm, comprehensible magical network? Kyra woke up suddenly. Her fur rippled and she hissed. Her panic flooded the bond between us. She took on the same buzzing sensation that came with a new tattoo trying to push through. The ink network was trying to control her.

  “Don’t you fucking dare!” I shouted as I ran to Kyra.

  It pulled back from Kyra, but I felt it hovering in the back of my mind. Kyra shivered and trembled. I stroked her fur and whispered meaningless soothing phrases to her until she calmed.

  I gritted my teeth and remembered what Luka had said. Things were escalating. I needed to stop them from going further.

  “I am not your property. I am your equal,” I said to the dark void in my mind.

  I could feel it contemplating my words.

  “You help,” a quiet voice said.

  I smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Yes. I will help, but you must consider me and my life.”

  Tendrils of darkness stretched out to my mental vision of myself. The tendrils formed a spider web floating in front of me. One of the nodes on the web turned blood red and cracked down the middle. Tiny thin threads of red crept down the black tendrils and tainted some of the nodes near it.

  “There’s a problem here in the city?”

  Colour exploded around me and a feeling of glee filled my mind. Ok, we were making progress. It wasn’t new information, but it was something.

  “The nodes are tattoo magicians?”

  It made sense to me. There couldn’t have been that many ink magicians, and only tattoo magicians connected to the ink network.

  Again the colours exploded around me. I took a deep breath and tried to think. The colours slowly swirled around and around me. Reds blurred and smudged before, slowly, they took on the form of Vyx’s painting.

  “They’re affecting passion? Blood?” I tried.

  The colours bled away. That wasn’t it.

  The little parrot began chirping and hopping, pulling me back to the real world, the physical world. I could feel the ink network’s tendrils digging into its body, pushing the bird to do its bidding. The parrot fluttered around a stray tube of paint that Vyx had abandoned on the shelf just outside of the art studio.

  “They’re affecting paint?”

  The colours formed in my vision, dull echoes of themselves. I was getting there. I dragged my fingers through my hair. This was ridiculous.

  Suddenly I realised, “They’re behind the art thefts?”

  The colours exploded in my vision. Everything took on vivid neon hues and tones. I laughed. I’d done it.

  “I will speak to Fein tomorrow,” I told the network.

  It slipped away and released the little parrot, apparently finally satisfied. I picked up the parrot and rubbed the soft feathers behind its head, hoping to calm and reassure it after its experience. I wasn’t entirely sure what it must have felt like to the bird, but Kyra certainly hadn’t enjoyed the experience.

  Once the parrot was calm, I sat down on the sofa where Kyra had returned to sleep. Keirn’s fox and bear both came and curled up with me while I tried to figure out how the sweet fuck tattoo magicians could be tied into art thefts. It made no sense at all to me. I supposed they could use sigils to give themselves stealth and such, but that wasn’t going against the nature of the ink magic. Sigils were designed that way. What little I had been able to dig up on ink magicians as ambassadors said that they stopped people who used ink magic for something other than it was designed.

  I don’t know how long I sat there trying to figure it all out. The elevator came up and the apartment was quickly filled with excited voices. Vyx danced a lap around the living room before she threw her arms around me,

  “Thank you, Dacian! Tonight was a dream, and it would never have happened without you and Keirn!”

  I smiled. “You’re welcome, little vixen, you bring brightness to our world.”

  She grinned at me before she declared she was exhausted and tired of trying to look pretty. The cougars said something about attending a new club opening and vanished before I could really acknowledge them. Keirn’s bear slowly made his way off the sofa and went to his favourite sleeping spot in front of the doors to the balcony at the far end of the living space. Keirn stood and looked at me, the moonlight catching his white hair but failing to hide the frown on his face. I stood and put my hands on his upper arms.

  “I tried so hard to be happy for her,” he said softly.

  I wrapped my arms around him.

  “She’s earnt her success, but I dreamt of having my own art show for years. Fein is confident that we can arrange one in a month or two, but...”

  He sighed and I kissed his temple. “I’m sorry, old friend.”

  He caressed my bottom lip with his thumb. His mouth was dangerously close to mine.

  “I’d be lost without you,” he said in barely more than a whisper.

  It was so easy.

  His lips brushed over mine, a delicate touch of affection. My hands slid down his back and grasped his hips. He pressed his lips to mine, kissing me with surprising ferocity. His fingers dug into my hair and pulled me closer to him. Lips and teeth grazed sensitive skin as we undressed each other with increasing urgency. We knew each other’s body intimately. He was familiar. It was so easy. We were soon lost in each other.