Only Skin Deep: Paranormal MMM Romance, page 5
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Not a babysitter. Just someone you can go to in an emergency.” And check in every so often to make sure you’re good.
“I call nine-one-one in an emergency, and I tell them my name and that I live at four-five-nine-six Parkland Avenue and to send help.”
Colby smiled. “Yes, Daniel, that’s exactly what you do.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Daniel added with emphasis. “No pizza. I want cheese fries.”
“Then I’ll order you cheese fries. Just don’t get your cheesy fingers all over your Legos.”
“Not even,” Daniel said.
“Minecraft tonight?”
“WWE 2K Battlegrounds.”
“Practicing so you can kick my butt?”
“I don’t need practice to do that,” Daniel said flippantly, a smile on his lips.
“Rude,” he declared, fighting to keep the smile from his.
Daniel feigned irritation. “Not rude. It’s the truth, Coby. You suck.”
“Yeah, I suck at that game.”
“Maybe one day you can beat me. Today is not that day.”
“Keep talking smack,” Colby said, play-glaring at his brother. “Payback’s a b—” He paused before finishing the sentiment. His brother repeated things like that, often at the most inopportune time. As noted with the recent additions to his vocabulary.
“You said it wrong. Payback’s a bitch.”
“Where’d you learn that?”
“Work,” Daniel replied before flipping on the television. Daniel’s job gave him a chance to interact with his friends there as well as give them both the much-needed break from one another. He loved his brother, but the stress of caring for his elder sibling was stressful for them both. Daniel also seemed to get frustrated when he didn’t get the chance to get away here and there. A bus came to pick his brother up in the morning and didn’t bring him back for a solid six hours or more two to three days a week. It kept them both sane.
“Well, why don’t we not repeat it?”
“I’m an adult. I can say bitch whenever I want. Or fuck. Or shit. Or damn.”
Colby realized he’d likely opened a font of curse words he’d still be hearing days later. “You know Mom didn’t like talk like that.”
His brother’s expression grew sad.
Why the fuck did I have to say that? “But what the fuck do I know?” Colby said.
Daniel giggled. “Fuck, yeah.”
“Okay, I’m going to order your cheese fries and then call Mrs. Martinez.”
“And a cheeseburger,” Daniel said, adding another Lego to his nearly complete masterpiece.
“And a cheeseburger.”
A solid hour later, Daniel was on his way to get his tattoo. Mrs. Martinez had agreed to covertly keep tabs on his brother, who had devoured his cheese fries and burger in a frenzy between kicking ass on screen. Colby jumped off the tram and walked toward Enchanted Ink, excited to see what the finished product would look like.
Chapter
Four
The next day…
Luca ambled out of the elevator and nearly bumped into their newest tattoo master—Nix. Nix snarled at him in passing. Luca hissed right back, not intimidated in the least. He’d wondered if Cassius had lost a few marbles bringing in a witch who had no coven to join them. They’d always opened their doors to others, but a rogue witch? Cassius had reminded Luca that the power of seven was important. They’d been six for far too long.
Still, Luca didn’t trust the witch.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw the mystery man glaring at him from the elevator. It had been weeks, and they still knew little of Nix, other than he laid down a damned fine tattoo and his power of body modification was legit. Of course, Luca wouldn’t admit that. Not yet.
The elevator doors closed, and Luca headed toward the front desk, curious about where his scheduled client was. “Yo, Atlas! Have you heard from my one o’clock?”
Atlas spun, an ancient tome clutched between his fingers and a pair of reading glasses perched at the end of his nose. “Shit, man, I forgot. They called to reschedule. Something about a family emergency.”
Luca sighed with disgust. “A head’s up would’ve been nice.”
“Look, I’m trying to research that drawing Ash gave you—all while dealing with clients walking in, the phone ringing off the hook, and the apprentices asking me twenty million questions as if I’m one of the tattoo masters, which I keep telling them I am not.”
The last bit was yelled over Luca’s shoulder at the half dozen apprentices working the first floor.
Luca lifted his hands in mock surrender. “My bad. Sheesh.” He glanced over his shoulder and noted the newbies looked sufficiently sheepish. All but Doyle, who focused on the line art he was laying on a human’s back. Most of the apprentices were talented tattoo artists in their own right and needed no handholding when it came to traditional human tattooing. They were magical apprentices, still learning how to add enchantments into the mix.
Atlas collapsed onto his seat with a huff. “It’s been a day.”
“Sounds like it.” He leaned his elbows on the high counter. Behind it, Atlas had at least eight ancient tomes scattered over the surface, most open, with languages most had long forgotten. Luca knew a bit here and there, but not enough to do what Atlas did. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Find a new receptionist?”
Atlas had been asking that for some time, but Cassius kept saying there wasn’t enough work for him to do outside of his primary duties. Luca wasn’t overriding Cas. “Maybe we train the newbies to jump in and help here and there?”
Atlas glared at him over his glasses. “We? You mean me. As if I have the time to deal with them.” A wicked grin formed over his face. “Actually, if you want to help, you can go spend some time with the apprentices. You have put little face time in with them in a while.”
Luca groaned. “Isn’t someone supposed to be supervising them?”
“Cassius. But he had to run out for an errand.”
“We have a schedule,” Luca snapped. “Why is Cas doing it again?”
“The schedule got mixed up, so Cas was covering here and there.”
Cassius burst through the front door, waves of irritation flowing from the witch. Speak of the devil. From the looks of the guy, Luca sensed there was big trouble. “You can leave your storm cloud outside, Cas. We don’t need it in here.”
“My storm cloud is gonna rain down on us all, I fear,” he spat, inching up to the front desk. “I heard a new tattoo parlor opened in town.”
“So what? There are plenty of parlors between here and Boston. None can do what we do,” Luca murmured.
“Oh, but this one can.”
Luca stiffened. “Another coven?” Were they trying to move in on their business?
“I’ve been sensing something wicked in the air, and it was confirmed this morning when I got a call mentioning seeing a demon departing from the front door of Enchanted Ink,” Cassius said, his voice low.
“Here?” Luca whispered hotly. “They can’t get past our runes.”
“Nope, and the person who called said they were nowhere near Enchanted Ink, but the building appeared just like ours on the outside.” Cassius gazed between them. “I think we need to go peek around.” He glanced at Luca. “When was your last tattoo?”
“My one o’clock never showed—so I’m good to go,” Luca said, flexing his magical muscle.
Atlas cleared his throat. “What about me? I know more about demons than anyone here. I should go.”
“Shhh…” Cassius murmured, looking about at the handful of humans on the first floor. Most of them were getting tattoos, and the guns would drown out the sound of their conversation—but they needed to be careful.
One of Atlas’ brows rose. “Sorry.”
“We need you to run the front desk,” Cassius said. “And I need you to monitor the apprentices.”
“I’m not a tattoo artist,” Atlas seethed.
“But you are a powerful witch who can correct any mistakes if they make them,” Cassius bit back quietly. “Plus, no one else knows how to use the appointment program you set up. I think you cursed it.”
“It’s not cursed, and if any of you came to sit with me for a day, like I’ve been begging, you’d see that. I cannot be locked to this desk every damned day, Cas! I need help.”
Cassius sighed. “Fine—I’ll hire a new receptionist. Are you happy?”
A triumphant smile crossed Atlas’ face. “Yes.”
Cassius gazed at Luca and cocked his head toward the door.
Luca matched step with Cassius.
“Do either of you know what demonic runes even look like?” Atlas shouted from the desk.
Cassius spun, walking backward. He scowled at Atlas. “Demonic runes? Is that a new band?”
Atlas’ eyes went wide, realizing what he’d yelled. He glanced about, sheepish.
“I knew a few,” Cassius murmured when Atlas lifted his gaze again.
“A few…” Atlas grumbled as Luca opened the door.
Cassius followed him out, cutting off any further complaining from Atlas. He waved a hand, gathering magic, and reached for a car door. He walked through the portal he’d created, hidden from human eyes. Luca followed, stepping through, and was immediately outside another vehicle’s door, standing in front of a dark, eerie building.
“Atlas thought we wouldn’t be able to tell if it was demonic or not,” Cassius said, coughing and waving in front of his nose. There was a powerful scent of sulphur in the air, leaving little doubt.
Luca scanned the old building, seeing the black aura radiating around it. “I sense old evil here.”
“This building has been here since the early days of Salem. It’s seen witch trials, hangings, and too many horrific events over the centuries. Places absorb dark energy. Demons would be drawn to that, and their energy would amplify the evil here.” Cassius cocked his head to the side. “Do you see that?”
Luca searched, not sure what it was Cassius was pointing out. “The two peeking out at us from inside or the witch binding spell?”
“I hadn’t even noticed the prying eyes.” Cassius smiled without mirth and waved. “That binding spell means we can’t step foot inside.” He inhaled. “There’s also a glamour protecting it.”
“A glamour? They want it to look creepy as fuck?”
“We’re seeing what lies beneath the glamour,” Cassius said, frowning. He tilted his head, gathering magic in one hand. “We can’t see what others see—they’ve hidden the glamour from us. I’ve experienced nothing like it.”
“I didn’t think demons could do a glamour spell. Isn’t that the reason they inhabit human bodies?”
“You’re correct. They might have a witch working for them.”
“Fuck,” Luca muttered.
“Exactly,” Cassius said. “And one capable of masking a glamour? That’s big magic.”
“Which coven would be stupid enough to start a war with us and break the accords?” Many years before, rival covens in the area had signed an agreement to stop the infighting. As human populations grew denser and technologies improved, their chances of being caught elevated. Waging war increased those chances even more. Their magic could hide small incursions, but larger ones? They’d have to bring in the Celestial Council.
And no one wanted the Celestial Council to come to town.
Ever.
“Whoever it is might not have a coven,” Cassius murmured.
Luca’s mind went to Nix. He’d sensed something off with the guy from the start.
“But if they are, we’ll ensure they’re held accountable.”
A customer—a human—walked out of the front door, escorted by a demon, who pointedly glared at them. He helped the human into a car and waved goodbye. Luca pulled out his phone and took a few photos of the building and the demon to show Atlas.
The demon comically posed for him—before walking back inside, laughing hysterically.
“Nervy fucker,” Luca said. He opened the photos to get a closer look.
Only all the images were black. He scanned through the seven or eight he took. All black. He elbowed Cassius and showed them off. “No wonder he posed. He likely knew I wouldn’t get a damned thing on camera.” Wait… could it be linked? “Ash was telling me about a situation he’d stumbled upon a few days ago—a guy who had a weird mark. Ash said it looked like a tattoo, like ours, but it glowed like fire.”
“What happened to the guy?”
“He melted. Ash called him a pile of goo.”
“And you’re just now telling me this?” Cassius growled, anger in his expression.
“I handed a drawing of the mark to Atlas to research, see what he could come up with. I wanted to investigate.” He motioned to his phone. “The reason Ash only provided a drawing is that the pictures he took, they all went black. As did the video other humans had taken. It could be connected.”
“Sound like it is,” Cassius said. “Tattooing curses. Taking a page right out of our book and turning it upside down.” Cassius narrowed his eyes, staring at the building. “I sense we’re about to get really busy breaking curses.” He whipped his head to eye Luca. “Are the police involved with Goo Man? Should we be worried?”
“That’s the baffling part. Not long after the guy melted, the remaining goo and clothes disappeared. And then the humans all got this blank look on their faces and walked away as if nothing had just happened—cops included. Some of them witnessed a man melt into nothing and… then nothing. Ash seems to be the only one who remembers it.”
“These demons are powerful if they can manage that,” Cassius said.
“Should we have Ash call the Council?” Ash was the Salem Liaison to the Celestial Council, who governed all paranormal creatures—but specifically witches. While Ash wasn’t a witch, he was a witch’s familiar, on the Salem PD, and very familiar with governmental bureaucracy, so he’d been involuntarily volunteered, much to his chagrin.
“Let’s see what information we can ferret out before we call them. They’ll have questions, and I want to have as many answers as possible.”
“Oh, so when you wait to tell people until you have more details, it’s okay. When I do it, I get yelled at?” Luca asked, grinning.
“You better be glad I like you,” Cassius muttered. He waved a hand—and a piece of parchment and a quill floated in the air beside him, the pen moving frantically over the surface.
Luca inched closer and noted it drawing an image of the building, runes and spells included. “Smart.”
“When technology fails, we go old school.”
“Well, you are old, so makes sense you’d remember the days before cell phones… computers, telephones, electricity, indoor plumbing, and, well, pretty much the entire Industrial Age.” Luca flashed a smile Cassius’ way.
Cassius waved his fingers, and another parchment and quill appeared, which quickly drew a hand holding up a middle finger, along with the words ‘Fuck Yew’ arching below it. Luca chuckled before snagging the piece of art, rolling it, and slipping it into his personal dimensional portal—which served him like the cloud did for computers. Only it worked with physical items. There was only so much storage, but Luca could tuck small items away for safekeeping until he could take them wherever they were needed.
The first quill finished the job right on time—just as three demons marched through the front door. Cassius snapped his fingers, and the parchment and quill were gone. Luca summoned strength, whispering his favorite incantation. A swell of magic bolstered him. Power swirled around his fingertips.
Battle magic wasn’t his strongest skill, but he could hold his own.
“Slow down, Luca,” Cassius whispered. “Let’s not start a war here in the street where humans might witness it. Not only that, we need to know what we’re facing.”
One demon stood at the head of the pack, and he stopped a foot away, the others seething behind. “You two are loitering outside our establishment. We kindly request that you leave.”
“We’re on the other side of the street,” Cassius said, grinning. “That’s not loitering.”
“Nice human suit,” Luca added, smiling.
The demon flashed his black eyes at Luca. “Thanks. Yours might do nicely if this one wears out, pretty boy.”
“I’d like to see you try it,” Luca spat.
Cassius slammed an arm over his chest, holding him back. “Now, now… there’s no reason for animosity. We just came to welcome the new tattoo parlor to the neighborhood. I’m Cassius, by the way. And you are?”
The demon appeared confused for a moment. “Nice try, witch. Names hold power. Ya ain’t getting mine.”
“You tell him, Azazel,” one of the other demons said before his eyes went wide with realization.
“Coyote!” Azazel seethed. He rolled his eyes, jaw clenching.
The loud-mouthed demon cringed. Luca couldn’t stifle his laughter.
“Nice to meet you, Azazel,” Cassius murmured. He looked past their leader and nodded toward the pack. “And you, too, Coyote.”
“Oh, we know all of your names over at your place, so don’t think you’ve won a battle here, Cassius,” Azazel said. “Now… if you would kindly leave.”
“Some welcome wagon,” Cassius said. “We came to say hello, only to be told to leave. Your hospitality needs work.”
“We shall make note of that,” Azazel murmured, narrowing his eyes.
Cassius urged Luca down the street. “Until next time.”
Luca stiffened. He wasn’t ready to leave, not without bashing a few demonic heads.
“Come, Luca. Save that ire for later.” Cassius pulled him along.
He left, sensing it was a mistake. Staring at the building, something called out to him from inside, pleading with him to stay. “Cas…”
