Page 6 of Fool's Bargain

With the first clear note of her voice, I froze, my hand paused halfway to the drawer of my toolbox, a collection of ink cups forgotten in my grasp. Goose bumps broke out across my skin and my pulse rate skyrocketed. I knew that voice. Somehow it was as familiar to me as my own breath, and I stared through the small gaps in the carved wooden screen.Howwas this woman so familiar? I didn’t knowher, of that I was sure, but I sure as shit knew her voice.

When I leaned forward and peered closer at her face, I caught glimpses of the man’s bare arms hanging down in front of him, fingers linked with hers. His forearms were tattooed with designs I still saw in my dreams more often than not.

I went hot and cold at the same time, the ink cups falling out of my grasp and clattering into the open drawer in a messy pile. Several thoughts barreled through my head at once. Bodhi was here, as if conjured from my dark musings, and I wasn’t sure whether to be angry or happy to see him. But he was with a woman... a woman he was obviously close to, judging from the way they stood with barely any space between them and their fingers entwined. A woman whose voice made me doubt everything I believed to be true in the world, yet I still wasn’t sure why.

I wasn’t jealous, though a small pang of something close shot through my belly. It was more like envy for something I’d given up on pursuing the day Bodhi had walked out the door. It wasn’t for him, but theideaof him. Of love and partnership with someone who could be my true match. But once he’d left, I’d realized if Bodhi wasn’t that person, then whoever that person was probably didn’t exist.

Blinking and shaking off the shock, I took a breath and stepped out from behind the screen.

“Bodhi Dylan, get your hot ass over here and give me a hug, you fucker.”

Bodhi hesitated for a second, his gaze darting to the woman beside him. She lifted an eyebrow and the small gesture seemed to melt any hesitance. With a smile both relieved and affectionate, he closed the distance, and before I could blink, he had me wrapped in a tight hug.

My heart fluttered at the familiar feel of his strong arms and the sage scent that surrounded him. I swallowed back tears of longing, bit down on the misplaced anger and regret. We’d never been exactly right for each other, but I couldn’t deny that my life had felt empty without him.

“Where the fuck have you been?” I murmured into his shoulder. “I missed you.” The words escaped in a moment of weakness before I could stop them, and my eyes flew open, shooting to the woman who still stood back a few feet from us. I pushed out of his arms with a sniffle, blinking and avoiding his gaze, but I didn’t miss his whispered apology.

“I’m so sorry, Zar. So sorry.”

“Bygones, yeah?” I was too happy to see him to do anything but forgive him and move on. But the crease down the center of his forehead told me that wasn’t enough for him. Ignoring it for now, I nodded toward the woman. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”

His eyes lit up with so much joy I was practically blinded. He stepped back to his companion’s side. She was a curvy, exotic woman with long, shining black hair and burnished brown skin. She rocked a pair of leather pants and a tight tank top under a leather jacket. Her top rode up as Bodhi slipped his arm around her waist and I found it difficult to tear my gaze away.

“Zar, this is Deva Rainsong. I’m her mate.”

My mouth went a little dry at the name and I stared into her eyes. “You’re the one who keeps popping into my dreams.” Dreams I had forgotten until now and were still more haze than memory. Only part of my brain registered the way Bodhi had described their relationship. Somehow I knew he didn’t mean they were best buds, and I wasn’t prepared to unpack that just yet. I was too baffled by the fact that sheexistedto begin with and wasn’t actually a figment of my imagination. “You’re real. Which means the bloodline... all of it from the equinox... from my dreams...”

“The higher races are real.” She shot a glance behind her at the door to my shop. With a flick of her finger the lock engaged and a flash of light in the shape of some strange glyph appeared atop the glass before fading away again.

“Did I break some law by hugging him?” I was starting to feel a little defensive. But her cheeks reddened and she offered me a disarming shrug.

“Sorry,” she said. “It’s an aversion glyph to keep humans out, not to keep you in. I imagine you’ll have questions and I want to be able to answer them in as much detail as possible without anyone overhearing who shouldn’t. If anyone passes by, they’ll just have the urge to come back later instead.”

“You seriously didn’t just come here to fill me in, did you?” I asked, staring at Bodhi. “You stayed away for two fucking years. Not a word, not an apology, not even a trace of you for me to get pissed off about. You’d better not have decided to stop by out of the blue just because you wanted to share these secrets.”

Deva gave Bodhi an amused look and I was gratified by the discomfort that crossed his face. He raked a hand through his black hair and smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t want to come. But when Deva said you might be bloodline like me, I knew we had to. I still care about you, Zar. If I didn’t come and you got hurt, I’d never forgive myself.”

The way his voice cracked set off alarm bells. He’d never been one to balk at risks. The man was a thrill seeker through and through, which had been one of the reasons I’d loved him, but something had spooked him, and it was something recent. I pursed my lips and looked at Deva. Talking to her would be easier. “So, I take it being initiated into this world isn’t without its risks?”

She ignored Bodhi’s soft snort and held out a hand to me. “Let’s sit and talk,” she said, taking my hand and squeezing it. Warmth and well-being seemed to flood through me from her touch. I eased my hand out of her grip. Whatwasthat? Had she just drugged me? But my mind still felt clear. Clearer than before, if that were possible. My emotions had settled and while I was still aware of Bodhi’s discomfort, I didn’t feel indignant about it.

I grabbed three bottles of water from the fridge and gestured for the pair to make themselves comfortable among the cushions. Deva sank atop one big pillow and crossed her legs. She nodded her thanks when I passed her a bottle. Bodhi settled at her side, a gaze of utter adoration on his face that made me think he’d prostrate himself if he could. Strange behavior for a man as irreverent as they came, but then he’d always been attentive and deferential to the women in his life. This just took it to an unusual extreme.

“I actually came here for a tattoo,” Deva said, cracking open the lid on her water before taking a sip. “Bodhi’s are quite mesmerizing. You’re an amazing artist.”

“I know. But I also know that Bodhi’s tattoos are a bit of a sore spot between us. You could’ve spared him the visit and gone somewhere else. There are plenty of talented tattoo artists in Los Angeles.”

“Not who are also bloodline. Your skill is only half the reason I needed to meet you, Zarya. The fact that you are bloodline puts you at risk from a supernatural being beyond my control. The good news is that I have an understanding with this creature and have accepted the responsibility of protecting the bloodline. I’m here to talk to you about how I can protect you, and you are also uniquely capable of giving me a tattoo thanks to your nature.”

“My nature... as bloodline? Or as a tattoo artist with mad skills?” My poor brain wasn’t prepared to deal with the first part of her announcement. I was a single woman living in a big city—there were risks, but the biggest dangers I’d ever faced had been my own self-destructive urges. The tattoo part was something Icouldcontrol, so I latched on to that instead.

She turned to Bodhi and gave him a small nod, then looked back at me. “Both, I think. Bodhi’s tattoos are more special than you realize. The combination of your magic and his blood created a masterpiece I don’t think you knew you were inking into his skin at the time.”

Bodhi ran his hand over the inked skin of one forearm. A flash of red light flared at his wrist and I stared at his tattoo, blinking as my brain struggled to process what I was seeing.

One of the last tattoos I’d given him was a red dragon coiled around his arm. When the scales rippled and moved, it looked like an actual reptile was coiled there, twisting and alive. But as I stared, it was as if an optical illusion snapped into place. The familiar lines made sense; the scales weren’t above his skin, theywerehis skin. The tattoo of the dragon I’d spent hours on was moving, and a moment later, the head slipped to the underside of his wrist, the eyes blinked open to peer at me, and the fringed mouth opened and exhaled a puff of red smoke.

Bodhi cursed and slapped his other hand down over the dragon’s mouth. “Shit, don’t breathe that.” He swiped his hand through the smoke.

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