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He makes a thoughtful humming sound when he sees my tattoo for the first time. I jump when his fingers touch the mark.
“Sorry. I wanted to see how badly it messed up your skin underneath. Looks like they were surprisingly gentle while putting an ownership mark on a person’s body.” Anger simmers in Ezra’s words and there’s an animalistic edge to the sound.
I look over my shoulder as best I can, trying to see his face. There’s an energy coming from him that makes me wonder what kind of magic he has. He hasn’t done Miri’s test yet, but I have a sneaking suspicion I know what it is. Does Ruby know?
“I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I’ve done some tattoos for Davis that are protective runes. Lena found them in some of her books. When she found out you were getting this done, she sent over some other pictures she found. Thought you might want to take a look at them.” Ezra wheels over to a chest of drawers and grabs a stack of papers from the top.
He holds them out for me to take. They’re a collection of different things. Some are runes that I recognize. There’s nothing wrong with them, but I don’t want any of them on my body. Even if it’s just to cover up a mark that I loathe. Then there are some more intricate designs. One jumps out at me, and I trace the lines of the intricate knot. The circular pattern isn’t large, but neither is the old tattoo. It’s smaller than the palm of my hand.
“I can use color to cover most of the old ink. This design actually incorporates some of the same lines, which will make it easier to mask the old tattoo.”
“What does it mean?” I stare at the symbol, feeling like I should know. It looks so familiar and yet I know I’ve never seen it before.
Ezra rubs a hand over his closely shorn hair, his mouth pulling to the side. “Lena said it represents the Axis and the four seasons coming together. It’s supposed to be a symbol of hope.”
I nod because, despite its Fae origins, it’s not bad. The Axis that stood up to the Queen of Fairy all those years ago fought for humans, even when many Fae thought them to be beneath their kind. At least, that’s the story as I know it. Even here, the stories talk of Fae that formed the Axis helping humans.
“Yes. That’s what I want. You can do it?” I meet Ezra’s gaze, suddenly wanting desperately to get rid of the ties to my past and to forge my future with this tangible thing. Ezra smiles at me and it might be the first genuine smile I’ve seen from him. He’s quick with a smirk or a half a grin, but not this true emotion. It’s like someone pulled a curtain back to reveal the sun and I think I understand why Ruby has such a thing for him. Regardless of what she says.
“This is something you can trust me with. Watering your plants, no. Not at all. But I can do this for you.”
I hand him back the papers with my own smile. “Good thing I don’t have any plants. You’d just be killing Ruby’s garden.”
“Yeah, if I was tending Ruby’s garden, it would be dead. Flat on its back, gasping for air, never having been tilled and hoed so good in its entire life.”
“As if I’d ever let your tool anywhere near my garden. Dream on, Ezzie.” Ruby lazily replies from her chair.
Rhys is still standing by my side. “You can sit,” I say, nodding toward the chair near Ruby. There’s indecision on his face. He doesn’t want to hover over us, but he also doesn’t want to sit across the room.
“There’s another stool.” Ezra rolls his eyes and points behind the door. Rhys quickly retrieves the seat and sits on the side opposite as Ezra. Honestly, I’m glad he’s sticking close. Not that I think anything is going to happen, but his presence is a comfort.
“Just relax. I’ve been told I have a gentle hand.” Ezra winks at me. Ruby and Rhys both groan.
Ezra takes a few minutes to get everything set up and then I hear the snap of gloves and the buzz of a machine. It’s not like how the tattoo on my back was placed, but there are many modern conveniences that exist in this realm that don’t in Fairy.
A warm hand presses gently on my back, just below my current tattoo. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, ready for the bite of discomfort. It will be nothing compared to pain I’ve felt in the past.
The needle touches my back, and I scream. Agony like I’ve never experienced before shoots out from the mark and singes every inch of my insides. It’s as if I’m burning up from the inside out. A fire roars through my veins, turning my insides to ash. My body spasms and jerks, trying to get away from the agony, but it’s inside me. There’s no running from this.
The buzz stops immediately, but I can barely comprehend what’s going on around me. There’s yelling, the clatter of a chair falling over, and a gentle voice near my ear, but I can’t focus. Aftershocks of sharp pain throb through me with each heartbeat.
A hand smooths over my forehead, pushing my hair back. “Zara. Zara, can you take a breath? Sweetheart, please open your eyes.”
At the mention of breathing, I inhale sharply, unaware of the fact that I’d been holding my breath. Tears track down my cheeks and drip to the ground below. I’m crying?
Rhys kneels in front of me, cupping my cheeks, his panicked face level with mine. His eyes are so vivid right now, taking on a purple hue. I focus on their unique color and my breathing, while he keeps stroking my hair.
“That’s right. Just breathe.”
The pain is starting to fade. There are only a few lingering jolts when I shift in the chair. “I’m okay.” My voice is raw and raspy. Ezra is right there with a glass of water and a stricken look on his face. Rhys takes the water from him and helps me sit upright enough to take a drink. Ruby is standing behind Rhys, looking just as awful as Ezra.
“What happened?” She turns to Ezra and smacks his arm. “What did you do?”
Ezra shakes his head, horror shining in his eyes.
“It wasn’t him, Ruby. Don’t be a dick.”
Ruby snickers at me, but the smile disappears quickly. She loves when I curse at her, but that’s not enough to distract her.
