Only Skin Deep: Paranormal MMM Romance, page 10
“Hey, Daniel?” Ash asked.
Daniel looked up from his controller. “Yeah?”
“I think it’s time we all got some rest, okay?”
“I don’t have my jammies… or my toothbrush.”
Oracio waved a hand and pjs, a toothbrush, and toothpaste appeared in one arm. “These should fit you, Daniel.”
“Okay. Let me turn my game off.”
Cassius appeared in the doorway to Colby’s bedroom. “How’s Luc?”
“Still exhausted. I think it helped a little, but not as much as it usually does.”
Cassius frowned.
“Should I be as concerned as I am?”
Cassius shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll see as time passes.”
Daniel took the items from Oracio and headed for the bathroom. Ash squeezed his shoulder as he passed. Daniel paused. “Will Colby be better when we wake up?”
“Maybe,” Ash said, hating that he wasn’t being fully honest with the man.
Daniel searched his face, as if he wasn’t sure to believe him. Ash held his breath.
“Okay.”
As soon as Daniel left the room, Ash turned to Cassius. “I don’t want to leave either of them alone tonight. I can’t be in two places at once. Maybe I should move Luca in here.”
Cassius stepped back and projected a portal on the wall between the bedrooms. “There. Now you can.”
Ash glanced at the swirling magic on the wall.
“You can see into this bedroom from the other side and walk through the wall, if necessary,” Cassius said. “You can check in with either of them whenever you want.”
No way I’m sleeping tonight. “Thanks.”
“I’m going to head to bed myself,” Cassius said, yawning. “I gave a lot of power to Luca. I need a recharge myself.”
“Headed to see Switch?”
Cassius shook his head. His familiar, Switch, lived in Hollywood. They did a long-distance thing that no one understood, but it seemed to work for Cassius and Switch. “I don’t want to be away from the coven tonight.”
“Maybe you can bring him through to you this time.”
“Maybe,” Cassius replied.
Daniel appeared, the pajamas Oracio conjured a perfect fit.
“I like these.” Daniel pointed at a character on the fabric. “That’s Finn from Adventure Time. He’s my favorite.”
“Is that a game?” Ash asked, leading Daniel toward the bedroom.
“A game? No. It’s a television show. It’s funny.”
“We can watch it some time,” Ash whispered, peeling back the covers on the rollaway. “I know this isn’t home, but hopefully it’ll be comfortable for you.”
“It’s okay. Coby’s here,” Daniel slid under the covers. “Can you tuck me in?”
Ash grinned. “Sure.” He had never tucked anyone in before, so he made sure Daniel approved his work before sitting down. “Luca and I are going to be right next door. I’ll monitor Colby, but if anything happens, just knock on the wall and I’ll be right here, okay?”
“Okay.”
Ash glanced at where Colby lay in the enormous bed before eyeing their other charge. “Night, Daniel.”
“Night-night.”
Ash headed for the door, pulling it closed.
“Leave it open a little bit, please,” Daniel called.
“You got it.”
The lounge was empty when Ash turned around. Worry filled him. He knew they’d be there in an instant if he called, but he had two mates down and that filled him with dread. He crossed to the other bedroom and slipped inside. Luca still slept, lightly snoring. He spun to face the wall—and it was as if there were no wall at all. He could see Colby and Daniel as if he was in the same room with them.
He sat on the bed beside Luca, his back against the headboard, watching them sleep.
Knowing he wouldn’t rest all night.
Chapter
Seven
Colby’s eyes fluttered open. He gazed about the room, not understanding where he was. He rose on an elbow, the pain along his right side enough to take his breath. After slowly lifting his right arm, he gasped at the unfamiliar sight of scarred and puckered flesh. Something moved to his left, and he startled. The same tall, purple-haired tattoo artist who’d given him his tattoo days prior lay beside him. Why was he in pain, in bed, in only his briefs… with Luca? “What the fuck?”
Luca stirred, lifting his head and eyeing Colby. “It’s okay,” Luca said. “You’re safe.”
Colby scrambled off the bed, not sensing safety at all. Pain lanced his inner arm. His body wouldn’t do quite what he commanded, either. His skin stretched tight and painful. Simple actions hurt. He fell to one knee, the agony of movement nearly causing him to retch. What the hell happened?
He searched his memory, struggling to breathe. Hyperventilating, he scrambled back again as Luca neared him. His heart slammed against the inside of his ribcage.
What was the last thing I remember? He’d been in his studio, prepping the last packages from the auction to be shipped. The mailman picked them up. Then he’d covered a few new pieces in slip when there had been a knock at the door.
His memory struggled to come up with the rest. Pain slammed into his mind. Lifting a hand to cup his forehead, he forced himself to remember. A handsome man had been there… and as soon as he’d spoken to Colby, the tattoo Luca had given him had glowed and… burned? He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he knew… it had been the tattoo which had wreaked havoc.
His stomach roiled, nausea hitting. “What in the hell did you do to me?”
Luca frowned, silent for a couple of seconds. “I didn’t cause this, Colby.”
As soon as Luca spoke, Colby fought a sudden and inappropriate wave of need. He shoved the unwanted thought from his mind.
“Yes, you did! It's your tattoo!” Every move—even speaking—grew evermore excruciating. But there were too many unanswered questions in his mind to not continue. Like why he was suddenly growing lusty for the man across from him, a man who may have harmed him. “Where am I?”
“Above Enchanted Ink.”
“Get me out of here!”
Luca lifted his palms. “You’re safe here.”
“This is where you gave me this tattoo…” Luca did this. I know he did.
The man frowned. “I didn’t give you that…”
“No! You caused…” What the fuck had even happened? Where the beautiful tattoo of his parents had been, a weird symbol had appeared and started sizzling with heat and pain. He lifted his hand and glanced down at his body. Half of his body appeared covered in thick scars. “You caused this.”
“I did nothing but stop the demon’s curse.”
“Demons?” Colby sputtered laughter. He already seemed as if he was tumbling over the edge into madness. He didn’t need someone else’s crazy to push him further. “What the hell have you been smoking?”
“We’ve deduced that you went to Dark Arts Tattoo.”
“No! Enchanted Ink. You gave me the tattoo!”
“The demons gave you the tattoo.” Luca frowned again. “I counteracted the curse, but before that… no. I didn’t give you that curse.”
“I need to get the hell out of here.” Colby scanned the room. “Where are my clothes?”
“We had to cut them from you to save you.”
“Fuck!” He needed out, even if he had to walk out into the world in his underwear. He spun and yanked open the door—to find a stranger and his brother standing there.
“Daniel!” He hugged his brother close with his working arm, wincing in pain. Lifting his gaze, he observed the other man with Daniel. The same man who’d been at his studio—the one who’d set off the burning.
The cop. He remembered noticing the badge first thing.
“You brought me here, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Take us home,” Colby commanded the cop. “Now!”
The man frowned. “You’re in no shape to leave yet, Colby.”
“Look what he did to me!”
“Luca saved you,” the cop said, frowning.
“Ash, he seems to think he went to Enchanted Ink when he got the curse,” Luca said. “Cassius sensed the place had a glamour, but we couldn’t see it.”
The cop took a step closer. “Look, Colby, you’re confused—which is normal after a traumatic event. You weren't here when you were harmed. I brought you here so Luca could stop the curse from killing you.”
Colby stared at the cop like he’d grown a second head. “You’re insane, too.”
“This isn’t the bad place,” Daniel said.
Colby’s head flicked to his brother. Daniel rocked back and forth, clearly agitated. A meltdown could be on the heels of it. “We need to get out of here, Daniel. It’s going to be okay.” It was far from okay, but he needed to stay calm, or his brother would freak out. Colby was already freaking out and couldn’t handle his brother losing it, too.
“This isn’t the bad place,” Daniel repeated, his voice growing louder. “This isn’t the bad place. This isn’t the bad place. This isn’t the bad place.”
“Ash, can you see if Gideon can come up and help?” Luca asked the cop as he ran a gentle hand over Daniel’s shoulder.
“If he’s back from the last errand I sent him on,” Ash murmured before disappearing.
Colby glared at Luca, pulling his brother away from Luca’s touch. “You can’t force us to stay here.”
“We’re not forcing you to do anything,” Luca said, his voice calm and even. The tone plucked at something in Colby’s chest. “You were gravely injured, and you’re recovering. You need rest. You’re going to require more help, but you need to get stronger first.”
“Weak… from a curse?” Colby spat. “I’m not buying this bullshit. Curses don’t exist.”
“Coby!” Daniel yelled. “Listen to me.”
“Daniel, we don’t have time. We need to go.”
The cop soon returned with another man—another wild-looking tattoo artist he’d seen in Enchanted Ink when he’d been there before. “He was just coming up to check on us,” Ash said.
The other man walked toward Colby. He backed away, but the man moved quicker. He floated six inches off the floor, bringing them eye-to-eye, before he placed a palm over Colby’s forehead and whispered something in a strange language. Images flared in his brain. What he’d seen faded away. It became another tattoo parlor and different men—no, demons with black eyes and horns and claws—who tattooed wicked figures on people.
Him included.
Colby screamed at the vision of what they’d done to him. Their clawed hands covered in black ooze. That ooze had absorbed into his skin… inside him. His legs went out from under him. Ash and the other man caught him.
The three men crowded above him, with Daniel out of sight. He wasn't able to breathe… he couldn’t speak… tears stung his eyes.
“Breathe,” Ash murmured, pushing the other two men aside. Ash held Colby’s gaze and pressed a gentle hand to his chest. “Up and out… come on.”
Colby held Ash’s gaze, another wave of lust hitting him when it should’ve been the last thing on his mind. Yet, he found it impossible to drag his gaze from Ash’s—and something calmed him from within. He struggled to drag air in, but finally did. The stars that had floated in his vision disappeared. After a few strangled gasps, his lungs stopped burning. A few more, and he breathed easier.
“What did they do to him, Gideon?” Luca asked, as if Colby wasn’t sitting right there.
“Besides the obvious curse, there's a glamour. Someone cast an illusion spell, but I can’t see who—only a shadowy figure,” Gideon said. “Colby truly thought he went to Enchanted Ink to get his tattoo. From you, Luca.”
Ash recaptured Colby’s gaze, smiling softly. “Another deep breath. You’re okay. You’re safe.”
He believed those words. Bone deep. Something about Ash calmed him.
Colby didn’t want to be calmed. He lifted his scarred arm. “You call this okay?”
“You’re still alive,” Ash said. “And they’re going to fix that.”
“How?”
“They just are,” Ash murmured. “Don’t you worry about how just yet.”
The evil visions inside Colby’s mind faded and were soon replaced with new, disturbing ones. He saw himself in bed with Ash… and Luca. Their bodies intertwined. He dragged in a shuddering breath and flicked a gaze to Luca.
There, he saw the same lust circling in the blue depths. Refocusing on Ash, he saw it there, too. The cop’s eyes grew hungry, but he rose to his feet and put space between them. Colby nearly moaned with disappointment.
Ash offered Colby both hands to help him up. Colby hesitated to touch the man, but he wasn’t sure he'd get off the floor without help. As soon as he touched Ash, a fresh wave of need slammed into him, and he fought the whimper rising in his throat. There might be a chance he lost the battle because Luca’s head swiveled, his eyes glittering with need as well.
Colby’s cock thickened, throbbing like a toothache. In the middle of the chaos, he was obsessed with the thought of fucking Luca and Ash?
What. The. Fuck?
“How can I be sure you didn’t just put those thoughts in my head?” Colby asked, struggling to look at the two men he fantasized about.
“You don’t believe in demons—but you believe we have the power to put thoughts in your head?” Luca asked, one brow arching.
“W-well…” Colby didn’t know how to answer that.
Luca walked closer and lifted his hand. A ball of light formed in his palm. Entranced by the light dancing around Luca’s hand. Colby was sure he had to be seeing things. Yet that light calmed him. Instead of wanting to flee, he leaned closer, mesmerized by the flickering glow.
Drawn, he lifted his hand, fingers just at the edge. The magic brushed against his fingertips, the warmth inviting, luring him. It coiled around his hand like a tentacle. Luca thrust the mass of light into Colby’s chest, and he gasped, expecting pain—yet he only sensed warmth.
Connection.
A moan tore from his lips. Colby lifted his hand and noticed some of the scarring fade—but it instantly returned, reclaiming his flesh.
Luca collapsed in front of him. Ash rushed close and helped the man up.
“The curse is strong,” Ash said, leading Luca to the couch as Colby leaned on his brother. “He spent all his energy saving your life. He’s barely back to himself.” Ash held Luca’s stare, caressing the man’s cheeks lovingly. “You need to stop using your magic for a bit, my love.”
Seeing the two men staring at one another with adoration in their eyes caused a chunk of envy to spiral in Colby’s belly. He had no reason to, but he felt it all the same.
He wanted to be held by them like that. No, I don’t. This is insanity.
“Those demons wanted to hurt you for a reason,” Luca said, his voice weak and thready. He gazed at Colby. “If you and your brother leave, you’ll be in danger. We haven’t broken this curse yet—if they get ahold of you again, there’s no telling what they might do.”
Colby stared between them, his mind a jumble of emotions. The erotic visions persisted, making it harder to think. He needed space away from the pair… but what if he and Daniel really would be in danger if they left? His world was upside down, and he was drowning.
“This isn’t the bad place,” Daniel repeated. “I told you not to go to the bad place. You wouldn’t listen to me.”
He turned to eye his earnest, artless brother. Daniel didn’t lie. It wasn’t in his nature—but he could be easily swayed. What had they told him? Promised him?
Or was he telling the truth?
“This isn’t the bad place, Coby. The light shines white like home.”
Colby frowned. “What light?”
“Demons have come to Salem,” Ash said, drawing his focus from Daniel. “I understand this might be too much for you to believe. You’ve already been through a lot, but you’re in the thick of things now. The demons cast their evil magic on you, and you didn't see what they were.” He glanced at Daniel. “But your brother did. He told me about the demons with black eyes and horns. He saw what you didn't.”
Colby recalled Daniel telling him wild stories after that first visit. What he’d thought wild stories. Daniel didn’t like needles, and Colby had chalked it up to that and a vivid imagination. Had his brother seen what that place had truly been? He’d laughed off the warnings. Demons with black eyes? It was impossible.
Only, maybe, it wasn’t.
Fuck, I’ve gone over the deep end.
“When you and I went there—did you see Luca drawing that image for me?”
Daniel frowned. “No. Luca wasn’t there.”
Colby’s gaze whipped to Luca and sensed his brother was right. It hadn’t been Luca. Being near this Luca… it felt… different.
“I wish I’d listened to you,” he murmured to Daniel.
“I don’t want to go home if the bad men might hurt us,” Daniel said. “Ash will keep us safe.”
Colby searched the cop’s face.
Daniel grinned. “I got to ride in his police car. He turned on the sirens and it was badass.”
Badass. Colby fought tears, wrapping an arm around his brother. He had no clue what to think, what to feel, other than physical pain. He scrutinized his brother’s face as Daniel happily went on and on about the trip there in the police car. For the moment, he’d have to trust his brother’s instincts because he clearly couldn’t trust his own.
Why didn’t I listen to him when it mattered?
Colby glanced at Ash. “Are you really a cop?”
Ash nodded. “A detective for the Salem PD.”
Colby eyed Luca. “And what, he’s a magician?”
“A witch, thank you,” Luca spat. “And one hell of an enchanted tattoo artist. My work is covering your left shoulder blade and side, fighting the curse as we speak.”
Colby approached a large mirror along one wall. His heart and stomach slid to his throat the minute he saw his body. His face—half of it as scarred as his hands. A sob tore from him as he stared at the damage.
