Dropping the papers he closed his eyes and breathed through the rage that threatened to black everything out. He needed to find more proof, but things he never did understand were finally starting to make sense.
* * * *
Amethyst walked into Fallon’s room at Inktastic and climbed into the tattoo chair. “So, Hayden wants to know if you want to spar tonight.”
“Sure, but won’t you be bored out of your mind?”
She shrugged. “I figured I would watch. Maybe even join in.” She sneered. “Hayden is convinced I can do a few things I’m not so sure about.”
Fallon paused, and then turned around slowly. Her eyes were wide. “I knew your magic was mingling, but like what?”
“It’s kind of creepy.” Amethyst shuddered. “It’s like plants respond to me. Hayden can’t do anything with them, and it’s not like I can actually control them, but they twist toward me.”
“Cool. That can actually come in handy in certain situations. I might even be able to help you learn to control it.”
“That’s what Hayden said.” She still wasn’t sure what she thought of these new powers. The extra healing was nice, but all the rest was weird.
“Look at it this way, if you ever run into trouble, you’ll have a new talent to help get you out of it without resorting to things you hate doing.”
Amethyst glared back, but Fallon had a good point. “Yeah, all right. You can help me.” She groaned and laid her head back on the seat. “But it’s not like Hayden will ever let me get into trouble.”
Fallon snorted. “Trust me, Ame, a time may come when Hayden can’t keep you out of it. It’s not like he’s breathing down your neck every second.”
She smirked. “I kind of like it when he does though.”
* * * *
Liz pulled up in front of Inktastic. Her request was sounding dumber by the second. She hoped Fallon wasn’t busy and that she wouldn’t look at her like she had grown a second head. Didn’t matter though, she had to ask because she’d feel a fuck load better if she knew for sure that she could never mistake James for Robert or vice versa.
Tomahawk looked up. His normal smile didn’t reach his eyes. He hadn’t been the same since Darla left. She knew that feeling, and asking wouldn’t help. She wore that same look for a long time after she walked out of Robert’s life.
“Hey, Liz. What’s up?” Tom asked.
She winced. “Is Fallon available? I need to talk to her about a piece. Just a small one, but I need her input.
“Sure, sure. Special work,” he teased. “I wish I could do half the shit she can do, but she is the best.”
Trying to lighten the mood she teased, “You only want to get me undressed, you perv.” Liz winked as Fallon walked out with a raised brow.
Fallon shot Tom a smirk. “He wants to get every woman into some stage of undressed. He should know better with you. Hell, you only ever wear a one piece when swimming, and you certainly have the body to pull off a two piece.”
Liz shook her head, feeling really self-conscious. “Sure, I’m in good shape, but I have scars I don’t show off. You’ll see them if you can do the piece, but I really don’t want anyone to be able to come back.”
“Why’s that, Liz?” Adam asked as he walked out from his office with Brody beside him.
“Shit. Maybe I should come back later, when it’s not crazy in here.” She started to back toward the door.
Fallon must have caught on, because she grabbed Liz’s wrist and dragged her into her room. She called into the hall, “We’ll need a little privacy for this, boys.”
“Sure thing, sugar,” Brody leaned down to drop a kiss on Fallon’s lips before he ducked down the hall. “See you later, Liz.”
No one else said a word. People knew that once Fallon set her mind to something, you didn’t bother to argue. Not if you valued they nose or limbs.
As soon as the door was shut, Liz put a soundproofing spell up to lock the sound into the room. “Sorry, I’m a little self-conscious, but I know I told you one drunken night, forever ago, about why I left Robert.”
“Yeah. James tried to force himself on you while wearing Robert’s face. He nearly killed you. That’s why Robert still wears your handprints, because he woke you up and you freaked.”
Liz looked down at the ground, pulling in deep breaths.
Fallon reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “You know that’s not your fault, Liz. He knows that, probably better than you do.”
Liz blinked back tears as she pulled her shirt and sweater over her head to show the scars that disappeared into her pants. There were four jagged lines.
Fallon gasped. “Shit, Liz. I see why you won’t wear a two piece. Not that any of us would ever say a word about it.”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah, well, I need to know if you can cast a spell.”
“Let me guess. One to strip illusion. At least for you.”
“Please tell me you can.” She knew she was pleading, but she didn’t care. “The design doesn’t have to be fancy, doesn’t even have to be big. Fuck, I’ll take an “X” across my forehead. I never want to mistake Robert for James again. Not ever, not even under the worst situation.”
“Slow down.” Fallon told her. “I get it. I take it you and Robert are doing all right? Minus this little hold up?”
Liz blushed. “Uh… um… We’re all doing fine?”
Fallon’s head tipped to the side. “We’re?”
Liz squeezed her eyes shut. She really wasn’t sure what to expect from Fallon after the hell she had been put through with Robert and Tremaine. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she tossed it out there.
“I drank myself into a stupor last night. Robert was in the room, and I panicked, running to the bathroom to lock myself in. They heard me retching, and next thing I know, we’re all three in the shower, and things were getting heated. Everything sort of fell into place and we wound up in bed. It’s more than just fucking. We’re all connected.”
“Good. I can’t see you without Robert, and I can’t see you without Tremaine. So, if you three are all happy, then that’s what counts.”
“Really? You aren’t disgusted by me with the two of them when they…,” Liz couldn’t even finish that sentence. A vampire had mindfucked them into raping Fallon. Liz refused to imagine that scene because it wasn’t the same, but fuck, it messed with her head if she stopped to think about it.
“Look, Liz, what happened at Malachi’s hands had nothing to do with Tremaine or Robert. Neither of them would have ever done that. I know that, they know that. It only gets awkward when someone else brings it up. You work well with Robert, you work well with Tremaine, and they work well together even if I assumed it was in a purely platonic way. In some strange way, the three of you make sense. That’s the only part that matters.”
Liz let out a breath and smiled weakly. “Thank you. I feel a little better knowing it doesn’t cause any bad feelings.”
“Don’t worry about that. Now, if I do this spell, there is something you should know. It will prevent you from seeing any illusion or glamour. Once it’s done, it’s done. You might not always like seeing a fae’s true form, or even a demon’s, but in this case, I doubt you’ll mind.”
“Please, I don’t care about that. I can handle anything’s true form. Especially if I can never mistake either Robert or James again. Or anyone James might try to impersonate.” Liz bit her lip and stared into Fallon’s eyes. “I’ll pay whatever, but please, tell me you have time to do it now.”
“Where do you want it?” Fallon asked thoughtfully as she inspected her abdomen, probably staring at the scars.
“I honestly don’t care. I need to have this done though.”
“You might want to let your men know you will be gone a few hours. That is, if you want me to camouflage the scars. No one will know unless they know about them and are searching for them.”
“Really? You can do that?” Liz whispered as her hands drifted over her flat tummy. “I mean, Tremain
e knows about the scars, and last night Robert found them, and sort of made me feel okay about them when he….” She clamped her hands over her mouth with wide eyes. “Shit, sorry, I need a drink, and I need to shut up.”
“For the record, I’m over what happened. If you need to share, I’m all ears. Robert was always yours, and after the last twenty years I always wondered why you weren’t with Tremaine. Besides, it’s good to see a genuine smile on your face.”
“Yeah, well you’re smiling a whole lot more now than you used to. All thanks to Brody.” Liz grinned.
Fallon laughed. “So, a drink? I won’t let you get shitfaced, but you can have a shot or two.”
“I don’t need to be drunk. Just need the edge off,” Liz shrugged. “If not, I’ll deal.”
“We don’t have your rum, but I believe Adam has a bottle of Jamison and Hennessey. I’m sure he’d give you a shot or two.”
Liz yanked her t-shirt back on and stepped into the hall. The guys were all sitting at the front tables. They looked up.
“So,” Liz said before anyone could open their mouths, “I need a shot or two before we get started. I’m getting a bigger piece than I thought, and if Fallon’s right, I’ll even let you all see it.” She pulled her phone out.
Adam glanced at Fallon, who nodded. He hopped up. “I’ll be right back. Oh, one more thing, Hennessey or Jamison?”
“Hennessey, please,” Liz said before speed-dialing Tremaine.
He answered before the first ring ended. “Hey doll, you okay?”
“Yeah, maybe better than okay. Fallon says it might be a few hours. I don’t want you two to worry.”
“Mind if we come to you when you’re done?” he murmured.
She couldn’t help smiling. “Sure. You’ll be seeing it sooner or later anyway. I’ll call, all right.”
“No problem, but Robert wants to say something to you.”
With a sigh, she agreed. “Sure.” She dreaded what would come out of his mouth.
“Baby, don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with. I trust you completely.”
“I’m doing what I want. Please, I need to do this. I’ll call when I’m done. Okay?”
“All right. I love you, Liz.”
“Me too,” Tremaine called before she hung up.
Thank God she was right by the table, because she plopped down on it with a stunned look on her face.
“Here you are, Liz.” Adam handed her a double and she gulped it down.
“Thank you.” She knew she wore a stupid grin, but they both said they loved her. She knew they meant it. “One more please. I need to not think too much.”
“You have other tattoos. It won’t hurt that bad,” Adam teased.
“It’s not that. I’m happy, really happy. I’m terrified of it all falling apart and it will be my fault. I’m a serious pain in the ass, and Robert’s going to remember that sooner or later. Tremaine won’t care, but Robert….” Liz took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Anyway, he swears he won’t leave, so I need to simply accept it, but that’s a lot harder than it sounds.”
She felt a big, warm hand squeeze her shoulder and looked over to find Brody smiling back at her.
“Stop questioning it. It was pretty obvious last night that they both love you. I can’t see either of them leaving you.”
“They keep saying that.” She managed a smile and tried to let go of the doubt. She set her glass down and stood up. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Boys,” Fallon interrupted, “leave her alone. Liz will be fine in a few. We’re just going to lock the door and seal in the sound so you can’t snoop.” She winked. “We need a little girl talk.” Fallon turned and Liz followed her back.
Once the door was shut and the sound spell in place, Fallon handed over a piece of paper. There was a beautiful phoenix drawn on the sheet, and Liz knew that was the sketch, what would be tattooed across her skin would be phenomenal.
“Really? Where?” Liz whispered as she stared.
Fallon grinned, “If it’s too much, tell me, but here’s what I’m thinking.” She put her fingers on Liz’s hip. “The tail would start here, and the bird would sort of drape across to here.” Her fingers touched higher on the other side of her waist. “To about here. Considering everything you’ve overcome, I thought a phoenix was sort of perfect for you.”
Liz nodded slowly. “It is. I love it. And you know I trust you to do whatever and make it stunning. So tell me how naked I need to be.”
Fallon laughed out loud. “Well, you can pull your shirt up, but considering it’s your hips, your pants have to go. Sorry.”
Liz didn’t mind Fallon seeing her. Fallon had her own share of shitty past to deal with so Liz stripped down and hopped onto the chair. “I leave the rest up to you.”
* * * *
“What’s taking her so long?” Robert demanded as he rounded the corner, pushing his hands through his hair. He came face to face with Tremaine who stepped into his path. “Do you think she’s okay?” Robert asked, a little too desperately.
Tremaine took him by the shoulders, moving into his space. “Seriously, Robert, chill the fuck out. She’s fine. She’s at Inktastic. Fallon is probably giving her some hot tattoo for us to explore.”
Robert did grin a little at that, but he couldn’t get a million horrible thoughts out of his head. “It’s been two hours. We haven’t heard from her.” Robert shook his head. “What if James made it here?”
Tremaine sighed heavily, one brow arching. “Then take us to the shop if it will calm your ass down. You’re giving me a headache with all of your worrying.”
“Twenty-one years and I finally have her back. Of course I’m going to worry, especially after what she went through.” Robert turned away, pulling out of Tremaine’s grasp.
Tremaine pulled him right back and caught his chin in a rough grasp. “Don’t do that. I took care of her. She’s tougher than anyone I know. Liz pulled through, and she is stronger for it.”
“I should never have let her go.” Roberts’s chest heaved as he fought back a wave of emotion so strong it wanted to bring him to his knees. “Why didn’t I listen?”
“Fuck if I know,” Tremaine whispered as he brushed his thumb over Robert’s cheek, his warm brown eyes delving into his own. “She has us. She’ll be fine. So stop stressing.”
“Maybe we should go there now.”
Tremaine’s mouth quirked and he nodded slightly. “Sure. I want to see what new ink Liz has.”
Robert’s chin dipped and they were standing in the lobby of Inktastic.
“Shit, I hate it when you do that,” Brody griped.
Amethyst giggled, her eyes sparkling. “I don’t know. I’m sort of jealous. I can think of plenty of times popping out of one place and to another would be so very handy.”
Robert naturally relaxed in her presence. She had a calming effect on most people. He took a deep breath and smiled back at her. “If I could teach you, I would.”
Tremaine stepped back and tried to hide a smirk. “Hey, Brody. Think Fallon will take much longer?”
Brody shook his head. “Doubt it. She works fast, and Liz strikes me as the type who won’t cry at a little pain.”
Robert’s breath caught, but he shook his head.
Tremaine laughed. “Yeah, she’s tough all right.”
Tomahawk walked out. “I don’t understand why Liz insisted on locking us out. She’s insecure about something, probably some silly girl thing that makes no sense to us guys.”
Tremaine shot a dirty look Tom’s way. “She’s worried about her scars. They don’t detract from her, but she doesn’t see it that way.”
“Scars?” Brody frowned. “Hell, I’ve seen your scars. What could she possibly be worried about?”
And Tremaine did have scars on his hands and up his forearms. Robert had his own set of scars. It made sense that Liz had her own. She was beautifully flawed, but she was a part of Robert, and a part of Tremaine.
The doo
r opened and Robert and Tremaine’s heads snapped in the direction of the hall. Liz came out with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. And then lit up when she saw them there. “I was getting ready to call in a second.”
“Doofus over there got impatient and couldn’t wait,” Tremaine cast Robert a sideways glance. “And really, I was getting there too.”
Robert’s brow arched. “How is it?”
“Perfect,” Liz grinned and lifted up her t-shirt and pushed her pants lower.
Tremaine dropped to his knees in front of her and ran his fingers over the vibrant phoenix that hid her scars, but he still knew just where they were.
“Now that is sexy, doll,” Trem murmured.
Robert came over and picked her up. She squealed until he sat her down on the table to take a closer look. “That’s beautiful, but shouldn’t it still be raw?”
Fallon shook her head. “Nope. Dakota helped me tweak the ointment. I figured you all would appreciate that.” She winked.
Robert ducked his head.
Tremaine laughed. “Damned right about that. I don’t want to hurt her when we get carried away.”
Liz pushed Robert back, and stood. She turned to Fallon. “Thank you. I love it. Now that I’ve taken up half your day, I think we’ll take off.
“It looks good,” Brody said.
Amethyst and Tom both nodded.
“Thanks, and Fallon, really, thank you. We’ll see you later,” Liz said before she hurried to the door. Her guys followed her.
* * * *
Liz was a little nervous. Robert seemed to like the ink, but there was something in his expression she couldn’t figure out. Guilt maybe, but why?
She climbed into her Land Cruiser and Robert popped in beside her. Tremaine let out a chuckle and climbed into the back. She looked over at Robert and took his hand.
“Were you really worried, baby?” She asked tenderly.
He stared at her for a moment before his eyes slid shut and he nodded. “Even when Tremaine dragged me out to do some shopping for dinner, I was worried. I kept wondering if maybe James would show up early.”
Falling Into Place Page 19