Page 105 of Deadmen's Queen

He fell silent, his hold around me tightening a little. “You're right,” he murmured after a while.

Turning to face him, I reached up to brush a stray lock from his forehead. “You're here now,” I said softly, meeting his gaze. “That's all that matters.”

His eyes searched mine for a moment before he pressed his lips to my forehead. “I would do anything for you, Paige. You know that, right?”

“I do.”

The sound of footsteps came from behind us, and we turned together as Bast and Nate came out onto the deck wearing nothing but swim shorts. My eyes drifted over them, enjoying the sight of their lean, muscular bodies, and I smiled at the sight of Nate’s tattoos twisting over his skin. I turned back to Tristan, running my fingers over the raised scars on his bare chest.

“I have a surprise for you,” I said, looking up at him coyly. “And Bast too.”

His hold tightened just a little and heat blazed in his eyes.

“Oh really? And what’s that?”

“Nate and I have been working on a little art project together.”

“Nate? Art? No… Nate and art don’t mix well. I still remember the design lessons at school and the crying teacher.”

“She did not cry,” grumbled Nate.

“She did,” whispered Tristan and I grinned.

“Well, he was pretty helpful with this one.” I stepped back out of Tristan’s arms, and untied the sash around my waist. Slowly, I slid off my robe, letting it fall to the ground in a pool of satin, and Tristan’s mouth fell open as he saw my naked body underneath.

“Do you like it?” I asked, turning to see Bast’s reaction too. He looked just as stunned as Tristan, moving closer to get a better look.

Tristan reached out, trailing his fingertips ever so gently over the climbing rose tattoo that now covered a good deal of my body. Vines climbed up one leg from my ankle, spreading out to wrap around my back and stomach and reaching up over my breasts. Pale pink roses lay between mint green leaves, and though Nate’s roses had thorns, mine didn’t.

“Sunshine, you look so… different…” breathed Tristan. I glanced over at Nate, my nerves growing.

“Different, bad?” I asked, my voice small.

“Different, wow. You look stunning. What made you do this?”

I glanced back at Nate, who nodded.

“I wanted to cover the scars he left. Not because I’m ashamed of them, because I’m not. I survived something horrific, and I’m proud of that, but I survived because of you, and Bast, and Nate. You saved me in that dark room. I knew I couldn’t give up, because of you three. The scars are still there and what happened to me both at home and with him will always be there in my past, but that doesn’t mean my life can’t become something beautiful.”

“You look incredible, sunshine,” Tristan said softly, and I smiled, then turned around to Bast. When Nate had offered to take me, I’d wanted to ask Bast first, but Nate had insisted I needed to make the decision myself. It was my body, and my choice, and he had been right, but I was still nervous how Bast would take it.

“What do you think?” I asked.

His gaze was fixed on the roses over my breasts and he looked up as I spoke.

“I didn’t think you could be any more beautiful than you already were, but then again, you always manage to surprise me, princess.”

He smiled, and I let out my breath as he came forward and brushed his lips over mine.

“God, I love you, woman.”

I blinked.

“What?”

“I said, I love you. Or do only Tris and Nate get to be sappy?” He grinned down at me, and I shook my head, tears in my eyes.

“I like you sappy.”

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