Page 44 of Supernova

I shook my head as I huffed a laugh, dropping my eyes back to my book. I dared a peak at him and saw his lips twitch upwards ever so slightly as he continued to read. I smiled to myself, picking my book up from where I left it. We sat there for a good thirty minutes, quietly immersed in our own worlds, together, on the daybed, and it was pretty damn perfect.

Until I ruined it. Again.

“Sooo … Sienna really hates me.” I was hoping to gauge his reaction on the subject.

“Who cares what Sienna thinks.” Again, a statement, not a question. “You did well. Held your ground.”

I blushed at the compliment. It was as good as I’d get with him and I’d take it. I’d lap up every last drop.

“I don’t like when people don’t like me,” I admitted.

“I can tell.”

I put my book down and turned to face him. He continued reading. “She seems to think there’s something going on between us,” I fished.

“I wonder where she got that idea,” he said flatly. He was tenacious when he wanted to be, holding his cards right to his chest.

“I wonder the same thing,” I said pointedly before trailing off into my own thoughts. After a few quiet moments I continued, “It does seem like a very girlfriend-like move … being jealous and taking it out on unsuspecting innocents.” When he didn’t respond, I kept talking. “You’ve said that she was a past fling or whatever, but does she know that?”

He side-eyed me. “I think I’ve made it pretty clear. Everyone here knows I don’t date. And she knew it would never be more with her. Plus, it ended a while ago.”

“Interesting,” I replied.

He turned to me now. “That’s my word,” he claimed as his eyes captured mine. He rested his book between us now. “Do you think it needs to be made more clear? To her?” He asked. Tingles ran through me as he traced circles down my arm. “Would that make you feel more comfortable, Cosmo? Make you let go a little?” I swallowed, ripping my gaze away from his and turning back so I was no longer facing him. I stared out the window instead, watching the clouds roll above the buildings outside.

“I think that would help me not have to watch my back all the time,” I managed to respond. “And maybe not feel like I’m going to be ripped to pieces in training.”

“Mmm, I guess I could arrange to have another chat with her. Personally, I don’t think she deserves it. I’ve made it clear she was just a form of entertainment. But for you … anything.” His tone mimicked a gentleman but his eyes twinkled silver with mischief.

“You’re an ass. But thank you.”

Amusement laced his smile. “Can I continue reading now?”

I laughed. “Sure thing, Lightning. I’m sure the mission can’t be completed without its hero,” I cooed.

He glared at me but snuggled in closer, making himself comfortable as he laid his head on my shoulder and sprawled his body across the rest of the daybed before he picked his book back up and continued from where he left off. I smiled down at my book as I inhaled the intoxicating smell of amber, cinnamon and pepper that encompassed me, the warmth of his body enveloping me.

We stayed like that until the sun went down and our stomachs rumbled.

CHAPTER 26

Tattoos were the topic of conversation at dinner on Friday.

We were heading out after to their favourite tattoo parlour in the city. Tonight, it was my turn to join the inked-up club. I was well and truly assimilating into their culture.

Apparently, in celebration of this being my first one, they were showing their support by getting tattooed with me.

It was no secret the guys had their fair share of tattoos but the girls were no strangers to ink either. In fact, most of the warriors had some sort of marking. It was basically a rite of passage at the Knights.

Kitana had an array of dainty fineline pieces adorning her body but mostly on her back, including but not limited to, a crescent moon, three lines running down the bottom half of her spine, a cluster of cherry blossoms and this super cool linework dragon that ran along the side. She also had a tiny heart on her hip, ‘karma’ on her wrist and I was lucky enough to be shown the cheeky little cherry tattoo she had on her inner pelvic hip. Billie’s were more detailed than Kit’s but she only had a few. Her most simple tattoo was a tiny crescent moon behind her ear, similar to her friend’s, but the other half of the moon was outlined with tiny dots and a centred star broke the dotted semicircle. But as for the more intricate designs, she had this incredible shaded flower vine trailing down her back and a beautiful leaf wreath wrapped around her ankle.

They all took turns telling me about their first experiences as we ate in the Diner.

“Does it hurt?” I asked. I was so ready to get tattooed, I had seen and admired Xari’s ones my whole life. She had a beautifully curated sleeve that I would spend hours staring at as a kid. It was only a matter of time before I did it, and given this new version of me that had been reborn, the timing finally felt right. I was where I needed to be and becoming the woman I wanted to be. But this woman still didn’t love needles.

My mind drifted to the beautiful tribal eagle my mum had on her upper back. All the pieces were starting to fit together now and I could imagine my mother being in the same position as me all those years ago, before she met dad.

Carter replied first. “Not at all.”

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