Page 52 of Omega Inked

"You're tough as nails, princess," Mercer says. "You've got this."

"Okay," she says with a nod. "Let's do this."

I wipe her skin with an alcohol wipe and then stand back, just watching her for a moment. Liam kisses her, and she reaches out, reaching for me as well, her eyes pleading with me to make this good for her.

I lean forward, taking her lips and kissing her deeply before pulling back to get to work. Liam and Mercer take her hands in theirs, and I work the gun across her skin. The buzz of the gun is loud in the silence, and Olivia winces, her body tensing. There's a moment where I wonder if I should stop, but then she shakes her head.

"It's okay," she whispers. "It's okay...keep going. It feels good."

I work on a sensitive area--right over her heart--and she shivers, but doesn't seem to mind.

It all feels like it's going well, like I'm actually an artist.

I'm just hitting a spot that's more sensitive than the rest when Olivia sucks in a breath, her whole body tensing. "You okay?" I ask.

"Hurts..." she whispers.

"Hold on," I say. "I'm almost done."

She nods, her body still tense.

When I'm done, I put the gun down and wipe off the excess ink. Then I take a cotton swab and rub in some specially concocted salve. It sucks up all the excess blood and ink, and Olivia sighs softly, her face relaxing.

I put the swab away and drop a kiss on her cheek. "All done," I say.

"Really?" she asks, then her eyes dart down. "I can't see it from this angle...will you help me up?"

I move backward to get to my feet, then I help her get out of bed. My hand is wrapped around hers as she goes to look in the mirror in the corner, and her eyes widen at the sight of it.

I think she hates it. "Fuck...Olivia, I'm sorry," I start.

But she turns around.

"I love it, Phoenix," she says, tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

I don't know what to say, so I just pull her in for another kiss. And then another. And another.

Until she's breathless.

"It'll take a few weeks to heal," Mercer says, rubbing lotion into her skin. "It'll hurt for a bit, but you can put a shirt on over it in the morning."

"How's your pain level?" Liam asks. "You want some of this?"

He hands her a glass of water, and she smiles. "Yeah," she says. "That sounds good."

"Talk to us, princess," Liam says. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine," she says. "Just...fine."

"Maybe a little light-headed?" I ask. "That's normal. I'd be surprised if you weren't."

"Yeah..." she says, taking a drink of the liquid. "I feel...I feel like I've finally found a place where I belong. With all three of you."

I exchange a look with the guys, and they both smile along with me.

"That's because we're pack," I say. "Fate had a funny way of bringing us together...but I'm glad it did. And soon, we'll rescue your friends, and we'll be free to live as we choose."

She laughs softly. "You'd better come home safe," she says.

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