Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27964 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
“They weren’t in my life much,” I quickly add, my voice a little breathless as I try to ease whatever tension I just created. “My brothers, I mean. We had different moms. Mine moved away when I was still little and took me with her. She kept me kind of sheltered from them. I didn’t even see them that often growing up.”
Magnus hums something low under his breath, like a sound of acknowledgment, but it doesn’t ease the tension in his shoulders.
“They were… scary,” I admit, hoping to lighten the air. “My mom never trusted them. I never brought friends around them. Never really knew how to be with them. How I fit into the family.”
He doesn’t say a thing. He just keeps working.
“I don’t really know what happened at the end,” I continue, “but… it didn’t surprise me when the call came.”
More silence.
Won’t someone say something?
Victoria is listening to my every word. I can tell that she’s eavesdropping.
“I feel like I shouldn’t miss them,” I whisper, more to myself than to him. “But I still do.”
“You can miss someone even though they were broken,” he says, voice low, and for a second, I swear I hear something heavy behind it. “The two things don’t cancel each other out.”
I close my eyes, letting that truth settle into my bones.
I wish I could see Magnus’ face, just to read his expression. But I don’t want to make this any weirder than it already is. He’s already being kind by listening to my rambling. Maybe I should just shut up, but it keeps coming out. I haven’t really talked to anyone about this yet. But why the hell is it pouring out now?
“I’ve had a… complicated relationship with my brothers,” I say softly. “It’s been hard.”
He keeps working, but his strokes are now slower. More reverent. Like he’s not just tattooing skin—but he’s honoring a memory. Giving it form.
My heart does this funny flip in my chest, and I suddenly want to cry. Not because of the pain, but because I feel understood. By a stranger.
A very hot stranger.
“Even challenging relationships are still meaningful,” he whispers. “They still change us and make us who we are. We can still love someone even if we don’t agree with their actions.”
My head drops as my eyes fill with tears. “I didn’t think anyone would get that,” I say, my voice small.
He clears his throat. “I get it.”
This time I do glance over my shoulder at him and for a second, our eyes meet. I know he means it. There’s something real and deep in that look. Something that reaches straight into my chest and makes it ache.
Maybe this tattoo is about more than my brothers now.
Maybe it’s the start of something I never expected.
Or, maybe this guy is just being nice and I’m in a weird freaking place.
I have no idea.
Why is life so hard?
CHAPTER FIVE
Magnus
“Victoria,” I say as I head into the back. “Can you help me find the charcoal ink? I’m all out.”
My sister practically leaps out of her chair and races to follow me into the back storage room.
It’s been about an hour since I started work on my mate and I’ve been in awe for every minute of it. I still can’t believe she’s here. That she’s real. That she’s even more perfect than I thought she’d be.
But it’s not so simple.
In fact, I’m totally fucked.
“Dude,” Victoria says, slapping my arm in the back. “She’s here! Congratulations! Your mate. Fuck yeah!”
I drop my head into my hands and groan. “I’m so screwed.”
“Yeah,” she says, cringing as her excitement melts away. “That’s a total bummer.”
“A bummer?” I say, staring at her in shock. “That’s a fucking understatement, now isn’t it? I killed her fucking brother!”
“Keep your voice down,” she says, closing the door. “She’s going to hear.”
I sit down on a box of computer paper, feeling like the room is spinning. “How can this be happening, Victoria? She’s finally here and… fuck.”
She crouches beside me and rubs my back. “It might not be so bad,” she says, trying to put a positive spin on the worst thing to ever happen to me. “Maybe she’ll understand.”
“Understand?” I say, staring at her in shock. “I can’t tell her!”
“You have to tell her,” she says. “She’s your mate.”
“She won’t be for long if I tell her!”
“Yes, she will be,” she says in a calm, soothing tone. “She’ll always be your mate, Magnus. And you can’t have secrets between mates.”
I think about it a few different ways, but every scenario ends with her slapping me, rushing to her car, and driving out of my life.
“Fuck,” I whisper, shaking my head. “I’m so fucked.”
Victoria bites her bottom lip as she looks at me. “What are you going to do?”
“I can’t keep a secret from my mate,” I finally tell her. “It will eat me alive.”