I lie on my belly with bent knees and twist my feet in the air as I inspect my fingernails. "I say New England where I grew up. The forest in my dreams makes me think of Vermont." I look down inside my shirt at my nicely healed tattoo and add, "Besides, if this sign is calling us we'll know if we've gone too far."
"I guess." Carly shudders. "That old woman at the restaurant freaked me out. What do you think she meant when she said our bravery would be tested?"
"Your bravery will be tested, not mine. She told me something else when you were in the bathroom."
"What? You're just telling me now?" She yanks off her sneakers, and they fall to the floor with a thud.
I wave my hand at her. "It doesn't make any sense. She said something about my nurturing nature and how it will serve me well." I grin at her. "I think I'm supposed to take care of you."
Carly snorts and falls back on the bed to look at the ceiling. "Great, you can start by mapping out our driving route. Vermont, huh?"
"You are courageous, you know." I reach over and tweak her knee. "The way you deal with the douche canoes that come into Tattoo Junkies is awesome. Some of those guys scare me, and you treat them like little kids."
"I'm not sure that's brave. I've just never been afraid since I've been around guys like that all my life."
"Well, whatever it is, I'm glad you have my back." I sit up and twist around to look down at her. "Carly, I know this is beyond strange, but in my heart I know we're meant to do it."
“I'm just worried. What if we get all the way to New England and there's nothing to find? Nobody knows I'm Al Cutler's daughter. Who will give me a job? Tattoos are my life, and I can't imagine giving that up. What if leaving Ray was a big mistake?"
"First off, I'm a walking testament to your mad skills." I raise my arms and twist them around to show off my full sleeves she tattooed. They're amazing, and I get compliments on them all the time. She should be thanking me for the number of clients I've sent her way.
"And secondly, we'll be just fine. We're young and able to work at all sorts of jobs. This is going to be a good thing for us. You'll see." I get off the bed and walk over to my bag.
"You're right. We're on an adventure to find our bear lovers."
She makes me chuckle when she adds a growl. "Maybe, but don't be cuddling me tonight. I don't swing that way." I grin at her and grab my pajamas.
Her eyes dance with laughter as she says, "Ha! You're the one that cuddles."
"I think you secretly like it." I slam the door to the bathroom before she can reply.
I strip down and glance at my reflection in the mirror. The black ink of my paw print is stark against my white breast, and it's sexy as shit. I rub my hand over it, and desire pools between my legs. Fuck. I could get off right now, but I'm not doing that with Carly in the next room.
I pull on my cat-print pajama pants and plain cotton tee instead. When I emerge from the bathroom Carly says, "Wrong animal."
I smirk. "I know. We'll have to look for bear ones."
A knock on the door makes us both stop talking. I go to answer it and find the blond girl standing on the stoop.
"Hi." She's swaying from foot to foot and throws me a furtive glace before returning her gaze to the ground. "I'm Lily. Can I ask you some questions?"
"Sure, come on in."
Carly is on the bed. She smiles and gives her a nod. Lily forces a smile back. I walk over and pull out the desk chair and motion with my hand for her to sit.
She shuts the door with a small click and takes the seat. She looks at Carly. "Where did you get your tattoo?"
Carly takes a deep breath before she speaks. “I drew it. From a dream.”
I pipe up as I sit next to Carly. "The thing is nobody can see it, but the two of us and now you. We're pretty sure it's a sign and calling us."
"When you got the tattoo, did the weird dreams stop?"
A flame-like flicker glows in Carly’s eyes. Whoa. That’s so not right. She says, "No. They get more intense."
Lily's eyes widen. "I dreamt about you two, and in the dream you give me that tattoo. Is that what you do?"
Carly says, "Yes, I'm a tattoo artist from California."
I interject. "She's famous. Look at these." I hold out her arms for Lily to look. Lily glances at the sleeves of bright color but returns her gaze to Carly. I guess tattoos make her uncomfortable.
Lily bites her lip and gets up to walk to the window. Her back is to us when she speaks. "I'm not really into tattoos." She turns back to look at us. "Can you give it to me somewhere nobody would see?"
"Sure, we could do it on your hip, your butt, or even your breast."
"Does it hurt?"
I smile at her because the fear of pain is probably her biggest hurdle. "Yeah, but you can do it. I'll be right here to hold your hand." I get up and go to Carly’s luggage.
Lily leans against the windowsill and bites her lower lip. She says, "This is going to sound strange, but a few months ago this old Indian woman I know told me I was destined to save a clan. I think she might mean a clan of bears."
"Catori at the diner?" I ask. Cotton from clothes is soft against my skin as I rummage through Carly's bag for the car keys to get the tattoo equipment. Cold metal indicates I've found them, and I squeeze them tight in my hand.