Page 60 of Destined for Dreams
“Just give me half an hour.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I need a short break.”
“Don’t take too long,” the alpha said.
She scowled at him and headed for the bathroom. After using the toilet, she washed her hands and splashed cold water on her face. Cori noted dark circles under her eyes. She hadn’t been sleeping well this past week and last night was the worst of all. Worrying about Bartol, as well as how things would go with the tattoos, had kept her from getting much rest. It was silly and maybe weak of her, but she wished her mate was here. Whenever she was near him she felt more relaxed and secure, like she could face anything. She had no doubt he had her back, which helped most of all. The others out there might claim the same, but she couldn’t be sure of them. There were few people in her life she’d ever found to truly be reliable.
Cori returned to her booth and started cleaning up. Once finished, she washed her hands again and called in her final customer. A glance at the clock told her it was almost seven in the evening. At least they were making good time and she could close up shop before it got too late.
Derrick led in a blond woman who was probably pushing forty. Once again, she had a glazed look in her eyes that gave away she was under compulsion. It was awkward working on people this way, but at least they didn’t flinch or feel pain as long as they remained in their dazed states. Cori supposed it did have that advantage.
After prepping the woman, she started on the final tattoo. She was so tired that it didn’t take much effort to avoid thinking about compulsion or anything else. Cori just focused on the tattoo and making it look its best. Occasionally, she glanced up to check her customer’s eyes, but they remained unfocused.
At the end, she cleaned up the woman’s arm and bandaged it. “That’s it.”
“You owe Melena a hundred dollars now,” Lucas said to the alpha, holding out his hand. “I’ll give it to her.”
Derrick begrudgingly got his wallet out once more. “We’ll see how it goes when we move on to werewolves next.”
So he was actually considering her tattooing his pack? The fact the full moon had passed during the weekend and he hadn’t had anything negative to report, was a good sign. She’d been so nervous about their test today she’d forgotten about the other issue until now.
“How are things going with your guy?” Cori asked.
“He didn’t feel the pull of the moon like the rest of us, but he was able to shift,” the alpha replied.
She hesitated. “Is that a good or bad thing?”
“Depends on who you ask. Some like the call of the moon and don’t wanna lose that, but others think shifting durin’ the day might be worth the price.” He paused. “Assumin’ you can repeat what you did before.”
“And when would that be?”
“Give me a few days, and I’ll let you know,” he said.
“So do I get your endorsement to work on humans again?” That was really the most important thing since regular people were ninety percent of her business.
Derrick glanced at Lucas, who glowered at him. He couldn’t back out now without raising the nephilim’s ire. “Yeah, I’ll put the word out and tell my people they gotta let humans come here again. But there are two conditions.”
Cori stiffened. “And they are…?”
“For one, you mess up even once and give someone resistance who didn’t want it or vice versa, I’ll withdraw my support. For two, you can’t advertise it, and either Lucas, your mate, or another nephilim strong enough to push through the compulsion has to make sure the human isn’t able to tell anyone about the uniqueness of their tattoo. They’ll know, but they can’t talk about it.”
Her jaw dropped. “Then how is anyone supposed to find out?”
Never mind how much of a pain in the ass it was going to be if every time she did one of the special tattoos she had to call a nephilim in afterward. Cori hadn’t seen that rule coming, though she probably should have. Derrick didn’t appear too fond of her new ability, especially since he wasn’t strong enough to get around it. The alpha had quite a lot of power, but not nearly as much as Bartol, Lucas, or Micah, who were far older.
“I’ll send them your way whenever we find victims who need your special brand of tattoos,” he said, tone brooking no argument.
Lucas crossed his arms. “Myself and the nerou—after they become enforcers—will also reserve the right to direct customers Cori’s way.”
Derrick worked his jaw while Ivan stared at the alpha with a hard expression. The nerou already had the look of an enforcer and would probably be rather good at the job. Cori sure as hell wouldn’t want to get on his bad side.
“Fine,” Derrick said, less than pleased at being usurped in his own territory.
Cori didn’t know how Melena could call the alpha a friend, but she doubted she herself would ever consider him that. How could he not see what a big deal this was to human safety?
“Some people might like to avoid becoming victims before something bad happens,” she argued.
“That’s one way to look at it,” he agreed. “But if too many people get your tattoos, vampires and other passing visitors who might need to wipe human memories—for whatever reason—might just start killin’ them instead of just takin’ their blood and lettin’ them go. I can’t control everyone all the time. There will always be people who break the rules or just don’t know them yet.”
She let out a frustrated breath. Derrick sort of had a point, but she didn’t have to like it. “Fine, but at least don’t hesitate to send the people who do deserve the tattoo. I…” she swallowed, hating to show weakness, and glanced between the alpha and Lucas. “I need the business.”
