A Court of Stars and Memories

75. Well Meant Lectures

    Lysander drew a measured breath and managed to suppress a wince at the short bursts of pain left behind by the needle pricking his skin. Corbin lingered close by, having returned from the Dawn Court just last night.

    He claimed the storm that had previously passed through the Night Court was now heading for the Dawn Court, and he hadn't wanted to wait it out, so Estelle brought him back using her shadows.

    She was present too, and watched with a grin while Lysander gritted his teeth. "Maybe you shouldn't have made the design so complex," she teased.

    "I had a lot of details to work into it," Lysander replied.

    "And you still won't tell us what those details are," Corbin snickered. "I think it's something embarrassing."

    Lysander rolled his eyes while Estelle nudged Corbin with an elbow. "Oh no, it's sentimental. He wouldn't put just any tattoo over his heart. He's been saving that space for years."

    Lysander fought back a blush as the Illyrian bending over him chuffed his amusement. He was grateful the male didn't know how to read the runic language his tattoos were written in. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, but Estelle was right.

    This tattoo was sentimental, and deeply personal. It spoke of how his Mating Bond had formed and when it was fully completed. And, it spoke of Mitsi. He'd written about her beauty and kindness. The way she loved and cared for him. The way she understood him.

    Lysander had also patterned the tattoo off of the silvery veins that cut through her irises like hoarfrost. The tattoo resembled the shape of a spiky snowflake, or perhaps a star, spanning over his heart.

    Lysander flinched at a particularly sharp pinprick before the Illyrian backed away. "All right. It's finished." Lysander straightened and took the small hand mirror the male offered him. "Any spots you want touched up?"

    He eyed the tattoo briefly, then shook his head. It looked exactly like he'd envisioned. The male took the mirror and crossed over to the door. "You can leave if you want, or you can sit here while you wait for it to heal. That should only be about an hour."

    Lysander slid off his seat and stuck Toothpick back into its sheath on his thigh. "We'll go." The male nodded and ducked out the door. Lysander took his shirt from Corbin and turned to Estelle. "Can you take us back to my house?"

    Estelle gripped him and Corbin by the shoulders with a nod. Shadows folded over them and carried them out of the hut, all the way back to Velaris. When the shadows retreated to Estelle, they were standing just beyond the gates of Lysander's home.

    A frozen wind whipped past his bare shoulders and Lysander let out a hiss. "Shit that's cold."

    "It might help to put your shirt on," Estelle said.

    "Not with my tattoo still tender. I'll wait until it's healed. But not out here." Lysander allowed magic to warm his skin and opened the gates.

    He closed them once Corbin and Estelle had passed through and followed them into the house. As soon as they were inside, Corbin darted into the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets. He snatched up a bottle of whiskey with a triumphant cry.

    "You're sharing that," Lysander called, turning into a sitting room. A fire already blazed on the hearth and the room was soon filled with warmth.

    "Get your own," Corbin grumbled.

    "That is my own. I paid for it," Lysander laughed.

    He dropped onto a sofa and let his wings fall slack over the back of it. Corbin joined him shortly and uncorked the whiskey, then took a long draught. Lysander swiped it from him the moment he lowered the bottle.