Chuckling to himself, Tanner left.
Khlo? patted Devon’s arm, the image of sympathy. “Just so you know… your nipples are hard. Hey! Keep them claws to yourself!”
Harper threw an exasperated look at her shit-stirring cousin. Like all imps, Khlo? found an immense delight in fucking with people. “Does anyone want to know what happened yesterday?” Everyone’s attention immediately snapped to her.
Eyes glinting with the typical hellcat curiosity, Devon sidled up to Harper – Tanner forgotten. “Do tell.”
Harper crossed to her tattoo station and settled in her black leather chair. “Quick warning: you’re not gonna like it.”
Once Harper had finished recounting what happened, Raini slumped against the glass checkered partition between their stations, amber eyes dull. “I’m sorry.”
Harper frowned. “For what?”
“I should have waited with you. We could have locked up together.”
“Why would you have waited for me? You never do it any other time. You hold no blame whatsoever for what happened.”
“From now on, we all leave at the same time,” declared Devon. The others nodded.
“There’s no need,” Harper assured them, but the words fell on deaf ears.
Khlo? folded her arms. “Who do you think sent the hunters after you?”
Harper let her head fall back and took a moment to admire the tattoo flash on the ceiling. “No idea. Apparently, the hunters didn’t know their identity either.”
Disgusted, Devon shook her head. “I can’t believe there are people out there who actually want to hang people’s wings on their wall. It’s twisted.”
“You’re fully healed now?” asked Raini.
“Yes, so you don’t need to worry or fuss.” But Harper suspected they still would.
The doorbell chimed, and Harper’s first client for the day entered. Just like that, the girls switched into “work” mode and ushered the client over to Harper’s station.
Since they kept the name “Urban Ink” when they relocated the business, they also kept its rock/art/Harley Davidson vibe. In addition, they hung their old metal art on the bright white walls – each of which was an enlarged copy of a tattoo, like the tribal swirls, flock of ravens, and the Chinese dragons. Pretty much everything else, including the lighted tracing tables and vending machine, were new.
She figured she didn’t fit a person’s idea of what someone who co-owned a tattoo studio would look like. She wasn’t covered in tattoos and didn’t have dozens of piercings. One of her nipples were pierced, though, and she did have three tattoos, but all three were in white ink and hidden beneath her clothes. Why? Well, Harper didn’t have tattoos done for the hell of it. She only did it if the tattoo meant something to her and, as a private person, she didn’t want people asking what hers meant.
Later, as Harper was cleaning her equipment after doing a floral tattoo, the door once again opened. Tanner strolled in, bringing with him the scents of freshly baked bread, smoky meat, hot peppers, and mayonnaise.
“I come bearing gifts,” he said, holding up a deli takeout bag. He gave Harper a pointed look. “Knox wants to make sure you eat.”
Raini took the bag from Tanner. “Aw, that’s sweet of him.”
Harper snorted. “He just doesn’t want me leaving the studio to buy food.” Still, she telepathically thanked Knox and received a soft brush of his mind in response.
“Who can blame him?” asked Devon, sweeping the hardwood floor.
Rather than poking at the hellcat, Tanner turned to Harper, his expression somber. “I just saw Carla walking past here. I think she was about to come inside, but then she saw me.”
Great. “Maybe she was coming to say her goodbyes.”
“She’s leaving your lair?” The hope in Khlo?’s voice made Tanner smile.
Harper nodded. “It’s probably best for all concerned.” She tipped her chin toward the breakroom. “Let’s go eat, I’m starving.”
After Tanner said his goodbyes and left, Khlo? locked the door and flipped the sign to “Closed for Lunch”. With that, they then settled at the table in the breakroom.
Raini handed Harper one of the deli sandwiches. “I take it Kellen’s leaving with Carla and Bray.”
Unwrapping her sandwich, Harper nodded, “Yep.”
Devon put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I know you hoped to have a real relationship with him.”
“It would have been nice.” But Harper was done letting it get to her.
As she grabbed some bottles of water from the fridge and handed them out, Khlo? said, “Kellen might be young and grieving, but it doesn’t give him the right to mess you around.” As if to punctuate that, Khlo? bit hard into her sandwich. “You didn’t go looking for him. He came looking for you.”
“I got the distinct feeling that he didn’t like Roan much anyway,” said Devon. “It could be that he’s feeling guilty about it now that Roan’s dead. Still, it’s not an excuse to be a dick.”
Harper was about to say something else, but then the door swung open and several members of her family waltzed in: Jolene, Martina, Beck, and Ciaran. Harper guessed that Ciaran, who was Khlo?’s twin, had teleported them all into the studio.
As Harper stood, Jolene forced a smile as she studied her from head to toe. “You’re really okay?”
“I told you I was fine.”
“Yes, but you’re a very good liar – I know, because I taught you well.” She gently pulled Harper into a one-armed hug. Wearing her usual smart getup of blouse, skirt and high heels, Jolene possessed an effortless veneer of elegance that many would envy. Strong, powerful, and fearless, she was the kind of demon who fit the role of Prime perfectly.
She was also the kind of woman you’d find at the center of a riot – a riot that she’d also quite possibly instigated.
Beck, Jolene’s anchor, cast Harper a gentle smile. “Good to see that you’re okay. I knew you would be.”
Pulling back, Jolene stroked Harper’s hair. “It’s really a shame those bastards are dead. Snapping their necks would have made me feel a whole lot better.”
Martina, her aunt, cupped Harper’s cheek. “Tell me Knox made them hurt,” she growled.
“Oh, they hurt,” Harper assured her.
Martina nodded, satisfied. The outgoing, softhearted, entrancingly beautiful imp was a total sweetheart. She also had a bad habit of setting shit on fire.
Ciaran frowned at Harper. “You sure you’re okay? You look like cra —”
Harper held up a hand. “Heard it several times, don’t need to hear it again.”
“Fine, fine.” Ciaran ruffled Khlo?’s hair and said, “Hey, bitch.”
“Eat shit, asshole,” Khlo? shot back. No one outside their lair would ever suspect the twins were very close, since they persisted in antagonizing each other.
Jolene placed her hands on Harper’s upper arms. “Tell me everything that happened.”
“I called you this morning and told you the story, even though you already knew most of it from Knox.”