Page 73 of Destined for Dreams
“If I want a design from you,” Derrick growled at Asher. “I’ll ask for one.”
Cori felt bad for her employee and moved to stand between him and the alpha. “He’s really good at what he does, so give him a break. And is it really necessary to intimidate people weaker than you, especially if they’re human?”
The master of Fairbanks worked his jaw. “You’re right. I apologize.”
She looked at him in surprise. She didn’t think strong immortals like Derrick were capable of being sorry or backing down. “Thank you.”
He nodded.
“So how about we go test that tattoo?” she asked the younger werewolf.
Unlike with her human customers, she didn’t have to bandage supernaturals. They healed too fast for it to be worth the trouble. Cori didn’t even bother to give them any ointment other than a small amount right after she finished to help give the design a shiny appearance. This werewolf was already halfway through the healing process, and he wasn’t even that strong compared to some others she’d worked on.
“Yeah, let’s do it,” he replied, standing up and stretching his body.
She led everyone to the reception area where there would be more room. Glancing at the large windows in the front, she decided it would be best to close the shades and secure the entrance. As soon as she reached up to turn the lock, the door flew open, and she had to jump back. A familiar female troll entered, her putrid scent stronger than usual. Cori’s already weakened stomach clenched.
“Bambi, what are you doing here?” Cori asked, barely getting out the words as she covered her mouth and nose. Trolls weren’t that big on hygiene, and this one was particularly ripe.
Bambi scowled at her. “I just showered a few days ago, ya ninny. I ain’t that bad!”
Cori backed away a few steps, disagreeing with that assessment heavily. A pig sty would have smelled cleaner. “I’m closed right now.”
In fact, the shop wouldn’t be open for almost an hour. They would have started even earlier, but in this part of December, the sun didn’t rise until almost 10:40 a.m. She had to time it so that she wouldn’t finish the first tattoo until it was full light, or else they would have had to sit around waiting to test the experiment.
“I heard what yer up to.” The troll looked around the shop at the others surreptitiously moving away from her. “I wanna watch.”
“But…”
“It’s alright,” Derrick said, taking a reluctant step forward.
Cori gave him a pleading look. Sure, Bambi had protected her in the past when her ex-husband was after her, but she really couldn’t handle the smell today. Her nerves were shot, and her stomach was barely holding down breakfast. “Um, are you sure?”
He nodded, not appearing all that pleased about the matter himself. “I got a call from her last night askin’ about it. According to her, you owe her a favor, and she’s callin’ it in now. Better this than somethin’ else.”
That was great, just great. Cori had known the troll would want something from her eventually, but she’d hoped that maybe it would be a long time from now. As far as favors went, though, it wasn’t that bad. She only wished it could have been some other time.
“Okay, fine, but stay out of the way so the werewolf can shift,” she said, waving Bambi toward the corner of the room.
The troll huffed. “I wasn’t born yesterday, ya fool. Course, I’ll stay back.”
She moved to stand by the counter and bared her razor sharp teeth. It was a reminder to them all she was a predator as well, and she wasn’t picky about her meat. If a werewolf attacked her, she might actually win and happily make a meal out of him. One could never underestimate a troll, and according to Melena, Bambi was deadly even without a weapon.
In situations like this, Cori often wondered how her life could have changed so much in less than two years. She’d only thought her problems were bad before, but entering the supernatural world was sometimes like living in a constant horror show.
“Go ahead,” Derrick instructed his pack member.
The werewolf hadn’t bothered to put his shirt back on. He kneeled to remove his shoes and then take off his pants. Cori averted her gaze. The man might not feel any shame, but it felt like cheating on Bartol to look at another guy while he was naked. Instead, she watched from the periphery as he began the shift.
Bones contorted and crunched as they popped into new positions. The sound of it made bile rise in Cori’s throat as she thought of the pain it must cause. As hair started to sprout, she finally looked at the man fully. He was bent over, standing on all four limbs as his spine rolled into its new shape. His muzzle lengthened, and his ears sprouted upward. She wasn’t normally that squeamish, but seeing his body change and contort bothered her today.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, barely above a whisper, and hurried to the bathroom in the back.
The mostly-formed wolf growled.
“Stay,” Derrick commanded.
“What’s a matter with her?” Bambi asked.
