Unbound

Chapter 36

The tattoo artist's name was Isla. When she met us at her front door, she was wearing shorts that showed off her own handiwork that ran down both legs from thigh to mid-calf. I couldn't keep from admiring the tribal designs and patterns she'd created on herself: the way they shifted on her skin with the muscles underneath as she moved made them seem fluid, almost alive.

Isla had built a studio in the basement of her home, dim but warmly lit with lamps and candles, save for the task light that stood beside her workstation. It was a simple set-up, no frills or extras. Just her chair, a stool, the light, and a rolling tray that held her equipment. I stayed awkwardly at the foot of the stairs, not quite sure where to put myself while she moved around the room, collecting what she needed from cabinets against the wall. Gabriel came back for me, taking my hand and leading me further into the space.

Once she had everything ready and sterilized, Gabriel sat on the stool in front of her and stripped his shirt off over his head. I stood by and let my eyes play over his muscular chest the way I knew he liked for a moment before scanning the room for a chair. As I moved to pull one over, Gabriel caught my wrist and shook his head. He pulled me back towards him and down to sit on his lap.

"You'll sit here," he said, arms snaking around my waist. His public display of affection, as always, brought heat to my cheeks and he grinned mischievously as he hooked a few of his fingers into one of the beltloops of my jeans. I sat sideways on his thigh, my legs between his, and he held me close to his body.

I watched her work over his shoulder in the mirror on the far wall. Freehand and with innate confidence, Isla was creating a section of forest, all deep blacks and shadows, a thick band of needles etching each tree into his back with a sketchbook-like effect.

"How is it?" Isla asked over the loud buzz of the machine, hand moving deftly in short strokes.

"Great." The sarcasm in his growl was impossible to miss. She smirked.

When Gabriel's hands twitched where they rested on my waist, I slid one of mine up his body and pressed my palm flat against the hot skin of his chest. I felt a low rumble there.

"Squeeze," I told him. He did, digging his fingers into my hip. I was certain I'd bruise.

Gabriel lowered his head to press his face into my neck, his jaw clenching and unclenching as Isla continued to push ink into his skin. I kept one hand on his chest and stroked his hair gently with the other.

Isla was quiet while she worked, singularly focused on creating her art. It was as though she was in her own world separate from the two of us. It was the way I used to feel when I worked in the clinic. After two hours of work, when she'd completed just under a third of the piece, Isla stood and stretched and said she needed a short break. Gabriel sat up gingerly. My neck was damp from where his forehead had been resting.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked. "Water?" He shook his head tightly. I rubbed my hand back and forth across his chest.

"Kiss me," Gabriel said low. I looked up and saw his eyes were growing dark as the pain was beginning to draw out his wolf. I moved my hand up quickly to cup his cheek and he crushed his lips against mine hungrily. Our tongues tangled together and I pushed back into him, matching his pressure. By the way his body responded, I thought he'd take me right there on the floor if I'd let him. Tempting.

Distantly, I heard the sound of a door closing, then Isla's footsteps descending from upstairs. I ended the kiss reluctantly. The dissatisfied growl that slipped from between Gabriel's gritted teeth was louder than he'd likely intended it to be.

"Just breathe," I whispered against his lips. "You're in control." He nodded and returned to his position with his face buried in the crook of my neck. I put my hand back on his chest and he gripped it tightly with one of his own. He remained there, still and stoic, for the rest of the session.

"He should bring you 'round more often," Isla commented. "He's usually much worse than this."

By the end of the hours-long session, I could tell how much the constant, stinging pain was wearing on him. Gabriel's body trembled just slightly against mine and his breathing was shallow and forced. Isla wiped away the excess ink and blood and bandaged it up before reminding him to follow the aftercare instructions. She explained them to me in depth, figuring I'd be the one helping him with the spots he couldn't reach. He seemed pleased by this, chest puffing slightly with pride seeing another pack member accepting the two of us together. His reaction filled me with a rush of happiness, warm and tingling.

With some convincing, I managed to get the keys away from Gabriel and drove us home. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees to keep his back off the seat. I repeated Isla's instructions over and over in my head, irrationally afraid I'd forget a step and mess it up.

"How are you feeling?" I parked the car in his driveway and helped him with his seatbelt when I noticed him struggling to maneuver out of it.

"Sore. Exhausted. But really good." Still shirtless, Gabriel made his way slowly into the house and I filled him a tall glass of water. Isla had instructed me to keep him hydrated, and I hadn't forgotten how much he'd made me drink when I was recovering from the injury to my stomach.

"For something so cathartic, you didn't seem to enjoy it much," I pointed out. I marked the time on the clock: five more hours until we could remove the bandages. Then wash, air dry, moisturize. I was looking forward to that last part, rubbing lotion across the muscles of his back. I could get used to being his nurse.

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "The pain is part of it. I wasn't that bad."

"You didn't even flinch when I did your chest," I teased. "How could a tattoo possibly be worse than stitches without any sort of numbing medicine?"

He finished the glass and handed it back to me to refill. "Of course I didn't. You were a stranger; I wasn't about to let you see any weakness."

"And now?"

"Now," Gabriel said simply, "I want you to see everything."

For the second time in as many hours, my heart expanded in my chest as it filled with euphoria. At this point, I wasn't even sure it would fit inside my ribcage anymore.