Kingdoms of Gold

27 | Double Headed Snake

"So I hear you want a tattoo." Gen sat across from me in one of the many meeting rooms of the town house.

I stopped mid-sentence with Valentino and turned to Gen. "Maybe."

Alistar raised both his eyebrows at me in question. Only Brynjar knew I'd thought of getting a tattoo. This was a surprise to everyone else.

"A snake, I've been told." Gen tapped a stylus against the screen of his tablet. "What if I told you, you could get it done today?"

Valentino cringed. "Really? A snake? Those suckers are creepy as hell."

I ignored Valentino. "Depends on if I like the design."

His face lit up and he turned his tablet on, flipping it to face me. "I have one in mind."

A mannequin like drawing popped up. The only details were ink designs down the body.

Gen twisted the drawing around, the body doing a full 360. The curved head of the snake rested right above the knee, a forked tongue peaking out. It was soft, calming. 

My eyes traced up the length of the snake, wrapping around the thigh and up the side of the body.

 As he rotated the image, the snake continued to stretch across the back. Curved scales sharpened into chevrons the higher the body climbed.

I expected to find the tail coiled around the ribs. Another snake head rested beneath the breasts. The snake was mid-strike, eyes and face cold and sharp. The mouth opened wide enough for two fangs to proudly stick out. Strong, deadly.

A double headed snake.

"I hope you don't mind, but my brother told me about you having a scar there. It's not meant to cover your scars. It's meant to show your strength for surviving what you've been through." Gen rotated the image again. "I can make adjustments if you're not happy with it."

I swallowed, my throat tight. My voice was still a little raspy. "No. It's perfect."

I glanced around the room, looking for Brynjar. His eyes were already on me from across the foyer. The smile on my face was enough confirmation for him. He nodded at me, an acceptance of my thanks.

"When?" I glanced at the image again, the details on the snake were perfected down to every scale.

"We can do it now. There's a studio down the street and this is a perfect excuse to get out of the rest of my meetings." Gen turned off the tablet, tucking it away.

"Won't you get in trouble?" I'd been wandering the village with one of the boys or Mirai the past few days, stopping by when the meetings were on breaks. Brynjar decided to sit in most of them and I wanted to visit occasionally.

"Nah. Rune is here now, they can yell at him instead. My wife can handle the rest." He tugged me up and out of the room.

"Hold up. I'm coming too." Valentino scrambled to my side, entwining our fingers. "I would be a shit boyfriend to leave you naked and alone with another man."

I snorted, still thankful he decided to come. "It wouldn't be the first time." I didn't want to be naked or alone with Gen. Not that I minded him, I was still a little intimidated by . . . anyone other than my mates.

Valentino scoffed. "Are you trying to tell me I'm a horrible boyfriend? Do I need to beat up these other men and steal you away?"

"You'll have a fae kingdom, a city of dragons, and a ghoul ready to skin you alive the next time they see you." I teased.

"I already deal with one of those on a daily basis. I swear, somedays I think Malachi is waiting for the perfect opportunity to eat me and steal my charm. He's just jealous he isn't as pretty as me of course." Valentino grinned, a dimple appearing on one of his cheeks.