Page 13 of Underworld

He sighs and lowers his arm back over his face with a shrug. “Maybe I do.”

“Can I see?” I ask in excitement.

He lifts his arm again. “Seriously?”

I roll my eyes. “Duh! Of course, I’m serious! I got to see Alec’s and Howe’s in the shower, but I know you and Jace have tattoos, too. I want to see!” Alec and Howe each have several tattoos, but their code name tats are easy to spot.

Alec has an obol coin on each hand. The front of the coin is inked on the top of his right hand, with the back on top of his left hand. He had explained that lore said the obol coin was a form of payment for the Ferryman. He also has a large tattoo of the Ferryman on his back. I have to admit; it looks dark and scary.

Howe has a large tattoo of Cerberus on his back. The three-headed dog has large fangs and drooling maws. They are poised as if ready to attack their enemies. The tattoo on his chest is a serpent winding through a skull. I had asked how that had anything to do with his name, but he just said, “I am Hades’ dog of war. I will fight to protect my family.”

Zane huffs out a sigh and sits up. He pushes himself up off the floor and pulls his shirt over his head, revealing his deliciously-toned body. I have to bite my lip to make sure my mouth doesn’t drop open, and I don’t start drooling. The first thing I notice isn’t the tattoo on his chest, though. No, my eyes are drawn to his black nipple bars with spikes on either end. Well damn! That’s sexy as fuck. Shaking myself, I focus on the art on his chest. It’s a black and white tattoo that looks like a butterfly, but there’s an outline of a skull within its body. He turns around, and I see that he has the typical symbol of death on his back. It’s a cloaked figure with a curved scythe.

I hum in approval. “Beautiful.”

He grunts as he pulls his shirt back down and resumes his position on the floor. “Should be considering how much the fucker cost,” he grumbles.

I look over at Jace and raise a brow. He returns the look. Rolling my eyes, I say, “Your turn.”

He rolls his eyes in response as if I’m exhausting but grins. Setting his paperwork beside him, he stands from the floor. He turns, giving me a wink, before doing one of those sexy, one-armed moves that have women everywhere drooling. You know the move I’m talking about. The one where the guy takes off his shirt using one arm and looks sexy as fuck doing it.

I gasp in surprise when I see just how much of his skin is covered in tattoos. On his chest is a large screech owl with its wings spread wide. The detail in the linework and shading makes the owl look like it’s about to fly right off his skin.

Jace twists his forearm to reveal a snake wrapped in a figure eight with its jaws open wide. Where the snake's tail would normally be, there is a skull. That’s when I realize the snake is coming out of the skull's open jaw. He turns his other forearm, and on it, I see the scepter of Hades.

He turns around so I can see the large Hades piece on his back. It’s of a bearded male wearing a skull on the top of his head like a headdress. There are cypress leaves surrounding the male as well.

Well damn. All my males are tatted up. Hum . . . I wonder. Jace seems to have the most tattoos and piercings out of all my guys. Putting his shirt back on, he turns around.

“How many piercings do you have?” I ask.

He raises a brow but answers, “Seven.”

I try to remember the piercings I’ve seen so far. He has one in his eyebrow and one in his ear that are easy to spot, but where are the others? “I’ve only seen two.”

He sticks his tongue out so I can see a black barbell with a skull on top of it. But I’m still confused. That only makes three.

“That’s only three.”

He smirks and briefly looks down at his crotch. When he looks back up, he gives me a wink and turns back to his paperwork.

I choke on my spit. He has four piercings on his dick!? Well, fuck, now I’m all hot and bothered. And SEVERELY intrigued. I turn to Zane, trying to distract myself. “How many piercings do you have, Thanatos?”

He holds up three fingers. So those would be his snake bite and both nipples. From my spot on the bed, I shout, “How many piercings do you have, Charon?”

When we got home, Alec and Howe decided to put my stuff away. Considering the amount of shit they bought, it doesn’t surprise me that it’s taking so long. Alec pops out of the bathroom with a bag of bath salts and says, “I have three. You should know that.” He laughs as he pops back into the bathroom.

“Just wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any.”

Before I can ask Howe, I hear him yell, “I don’t have any piercings, Seph.”

“How are things going in there?” I call back, changing the subject.

“Almost finished,” Alec hollers.

With a shrug, I fall back onto the bed. I can’t stop myself from snuggling into the blankets. Patting the bed next to me, I say, “Come snuggle with me, Thanatos. I’m sure it’s more comfortable up here than on the ground.”

“I’m not really a snuggler,” he replies from his spot on the floor.

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