Mystic Ink (3 page)

Chapter 3

Nix cursed the idiot who invented cell phones. Then she swore at herself for not checking caller ID before answering. If she had, she wouldn’t be stuck on the phone with Nate Adonis. Former lover and super dickhead.

“Come on, Nix. No hard feelings. Things were said in the heat of the moment. I didn’t mean them.”

“Just like it was a slip of the tongue to blab the intimate details of our
short
relationship to the world.”

“See, you understand.”

The nitwit wouldn’t recognize sarcasm if it crawled up his ass. Nix tuned him out for a moment, her eyes riveted on Cal. He had only arrived moments before, coffees in a tray and two boxes that probably held doughnuts. Or pastries. Cookies would have been good, too. Her stomach rumbled. She had skipped breakfast in order to open the shop in time.

“So what do you say, Nix? I’ll be in town tomorrow night. How about a night of fun? I know I could use a good rub and a tug.”

Nix pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it in disbelief. The motion caught Cal’s attention. He unloaded the coffees and boxes at the reception desk. Mary and Jason lunged at the treats in a twist of elbows. Mary was the ultimate victor, pulling out the first powdered jelly donut.

Nate droned on and on. When Nix held the phone back up to her ear, he was still rambling on about how much fun they could have. Something about the artful ministrations of Dr. Love.

Cal held out his palm. “May I?”

Nix shrugged and handed the phone over. This could be good. Cal listened for a moment or two, agreeing occasionally with high-pitched girlie sounding agreement. Nix stifled a laugh. To think she was even heartbroken for a moment over such a pompous jerkwad.

Nix still didn’t understand what had driven her to even accept Nate’s attentions, let alone allow him to have sex with her. She must have been out of her right mind.

Cal’s face darkened. His jaw clenched. “Don’t call Nix again,” he barked in his deep baritone voice. “She’s not one of your gutter whores.” He quieted for a moment, listening. Smoke curled from his fingertips. Nix hoped he didn’t melt her phone. “It is my business, you arrogant prick. If you want me to hand you your ass again, come on down to the shop tomorrow. I’ll be happy to oblige.”

Nate said something, probably idiotic.

Cal waited, a dark glint in his amber eyes. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. You don’t want to start shit with me.” Cal ended the call and handed Nix the phone back with a sly smile.

He coolly walked back to the desk and helped himself to a chocolate cake donut. All the vim and fire had evaporated. Yet, the passion . . . had seemed so real. Could it have been an act?

For a brief moment, the thought of Cal fighting for her warmed her soul. And other private places. The fantasy popped like a bubble. Not gonna happen. No more romantic entanglements for her. They caused more pain than happiness as far as she was concerned.

Nix joined the others at the desk and half listened to Cal telling Jason that the bakery shop owner was retiring. Mortals got to do that. Retire and enjoy their final years. Nix knew exactly what she would do if retirement was an option. Run the shop, bask in the sun.

Except, for Destroyers there was no retirement plan. It was an eternal job. This was one of those times having an immortal lifespan really sucked. Nix looked over at Cal again. His warm, relaxed smile made her happy. It made no sense, but there it was.

She was an idiot for desiring a life she could never have. Turning on her heel, Nix mumbled some lame excuse about needing supplies at her station and hid in the backroom until her first customer arrived.

Some warrior she was.

Later that afternoon, their customers were a pair of Chinese Fu Dogs—supernatural guardians from the Asian Pantheon. They weren’t actually in dog form. Instead, they were in their mortal guises: two well-muscled young men of Asian descent. The shop attracted all kinds of beings, not just mortals wanting tattoos that said “I heart Mom,” or whatever the latest craze of the decade was.

Calder sat on the couch in the customer waiting area, flipping through folders. He had received a phone call an hour earlier and had been intent on the task—an added bonus—since it didn’t leave him any time to check on her every five minutes. Yet, she was curious to know the cause behind his furrowed brow. While it didn’t mar his gorgeous face any, it did make him appear more masculine, if that was possible.

Ugh! She really needed to stop ogling him. Even worse, his presence had become less bothersome to her. And she’d never admit to it, but his habit of bringing her favorite coffee was endearing rather than annoying.

“Yeah, she’s been like this since Cal showed up.” Jason’s conspiratorial whisper grabbed her attention. The Fu Dog, Chen, laughed.

“What did you say, Jason?” Nix’s face turned hot. Her client, Lin, was face down, but Jason and Chen had a ringside seat to her embarrassing episode of gawking at Cal.

“Nothing, boss. Chen says there’s new Titan gossip making the rounds.” Jason’s eyes sparkled, his face the model of innocence. The shit. She would have to drop a water bomb on his head when he least expected it.

“Do tell. What’s the latest one?” She had stopped giving credence to those rumors centuries ago. A new variation of the
Titans are stirring
theme appeared every generation or so.

As if on cue, Lin said, “The Titans are awakening.”

“That’s it?” Nix stopped the needle. She couldn’t stand rumors, let alone vague ones. “No details?”

“The latest buzz is that someone has located one of the Titan’s prison cells,” Chen said. Contrary to popular belief, the Titans were not all locked together in Tartarus. Before Zeus left the mortal world, with most of the major Gods and Goddesses, he made sure the Titans were separated in individual prisons around the world.

“Even if that were true, the Destroyers would prevent anyone from actually freeing the Titans.” Nix pushed the foot pedal and resumed the black work on Lin’s design—a camellia. Once the outline was complete, she would clean it up and then add color. “Sounds like the same old bullshit.” Nix glanced at Cal. His frown had deepened. She released her foot, stopping the needle. Was his normally tan skin . . . paler? Nah. She was projecting her own doubts onto him. She quickly looked down, before Jason could accuse her of mooning over Cal again, and resumed the tattoo.

By day’s end, the Titan rumor had been forgotten. With the approaching holiday, business had picked up. Not that Nix was complaining. Most of the day’s customers were sailors from the nearby naval base in Groton or college students. These young mortals flowed into the shop all day and kept Nix and Jason busy for the rest of the afternoon.

At three o’clock, the UPS man arrived with the latest delivery. While Mary signed for the box, Jason rushed over to take it off her hands.

“It’s here. This has got be it.” Jason pulled out a pocketknife and swiftly swiped through the tape.

“Why’s he so excited?” Cal asked Nix, his paperwork momentarily forgotten.

“Blacklight tattoo ink. Jason’s been waiting for the newest colors.” Nix’s customer had just departed, so she disinfected and properly disposed of the used materials. There were special biohazard boxes for the single use items, such as needles, gloves, and ink cups. The multi-use equipment, like the needle bar and tubing, went into an autoclave.

“And this is exciting, why?” The wrinkle on Cal’s brow returned.

“Dude, you’ve got to see this stuff.” Jason joined Cal on the couch with the open box, flourishing one of the new shades of orange. “It works like normal tattoo ink, but it can only be seen under a UV light. Come to the break room. I’ll show you.”

With the men in the back, only Nix, Mary, and Basil remained in the shop proper. Nix didn’t bother trying to chat with Mary. She had made it crystal clear on Nix’s first day that she wasn’t interested in socializing. Nix couldn’t understand what her uncle saw in Mary. Although she was a great receptionist, approachable and personable to customers, when there weren’t any clients she was another person—cold and silent as a block of granite. Nix had more animated conversations with Basil.

“Uh, oh. Look at the time.” Basil often randomly threw out phrases that meant nothing. He also specialized in giving the daily tide report. How he got the information was a mystery. Nix didn’t watch the news in the morning or listen to the radio in her apartment. The shop usually played 95.7 FM, the local top 40 station, and they definitely didn’t give out tidal information.

This time, Basil was onto something. Mary abruptly hauled her purse out from under the counter. “Taking a break.” She was in the backroom before Nix could say anything.

A thirty something man in a crisp polo shirt and khaki shorts stepped inside the shop. A golden, bronzed God, beautiful to behold. If she had been a mortal woman, Nix was sure she would be attracted to him. Instead, she rolled her eyes and sighed.

Basil whistled, “Hail to the Chief.”

“Hello, Father,” Nix said, shooting Basil a dirty look. The presidential theme song smacked of Jason’s handiwork. He obviously had way too much free time on his hands. “What brings you to Mystic today?”

Nereus pulled her into a big bear hug. Nix breathed in the scent of salty ocean water. “Oh, doing a little sailing this weekend. And I wanted to see how my favorite daughter was faring.” Her father told all her sisters that they were his favorite. They just played along and let him believe none of them knew it. Her father nodded toward the perch. “Good day to you, Basil.”

Basil made a series of high-pitched squeaks and sharp beak clicks. Her father nodded his head with understanding. Nix had no idea Basil had such a vast repertoire of sounds at his disposal.

“I see, so there was another body. Who is Officer Dickface?” Nereus’ perplexed stare fell on her.

How embarrassing. First chance, she was buying a muzzle for the bird and possibly one for Jason, too. Her father continued listening and translating. “Charon was here. Looks like I’ve been missing all the fun.”

“Dad, I have no idea why random mortals keep dying in the alley.” What if her father was there to drag her off? “I swear I have nothing to do with it.”

“I believe you, Nix. I really am just here to say hello.” Nereus touched her wrist, his ocean blue eyes capturing hers. “I’ll call around and see what I can find out. If there is anything to find out.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” For the first time in weeks, she felt a sense of calm. Of course, Nereus could help. She should have called him when it first started. He would fix everything . . . She started. “Dad, are you trying to influence me?”

Nereus smiled. “I was only trying to help you. You seem so tense. I should’ve known it wouldn’t work on you. You’re too stubborn. Must come from your mother’s side of the family.” They both knew that wasn’t true. Nix’s mother was so laid back it was surprising she could stand up at all.

“Well, my dear, I must be off. The ocean is calling my name.” Nereus gave her a peck on the cheek. “Don’t worry about the body thing. Enjoy your leave instead.”

Easy for you to say, Dad. You’re not dealing with corpses and Officer Dickface,
she thought, watching Nereus leave. Since there was still time before her next client, she restocked the workstation. A strong gust of wind rattled the door. Nix smiled and turned around.

“Hello, Nix.” Zephyr, the West Wind, stood tall and resplendent in the doorway. His long, pale hair hung loosely split down his back and across his broad shoulders. He was her friend and a very distant cousin. He always emphasized the distant part.

“Hey. Come for some ink?” Nix patted the tattoo chair. “I’ve got time before my next appointment.”

“Sadly, no. Now that you’re back in town, I hoped to persuade you to reconsider my offer.” Zephyr glided over to the chair and leaned in close enough for their noses to touch. “We would be so good together.”

“Zeph, you know how I feel. We’re too good of friends to become more.” The offer was tempting. Zephyr was gorgeous and reportedly, a very good lover. But she just didn’t feel the heat for him, like she did for...

“Zephyr. Don’t you ever give up?” Cal said, emerging from the backroom. Jason made a beeline back to the break room.

“This is none of your concern, Son of Ares.”

Crap. Nix circled around the tattoo chair, ready to intervene. Cal’s possessiveness excited and concerned her at the same time. Zephyr was a giant flirt. He couldn’t help his nature. While it was flattering to have the attention of two desirable males, she didn’t want either of them to fight, let alone over her.

“When are you going to figure out that Nix isn’t a Maenad? If you want an orgy, go find one of them to satisfy you.” Cal stepped forward.

Zephyr closed the distance. “You don’t know anything about my needs, Fire Boy.”

“Listen, Windy, I know what happens to the women you court. You’ve got a terrible track record with lovers.” Cal ticked names off. “There was Lena, Cassandra, Astrid. And who could forget Flora?”

Nix sighed. Cal really shouldn’t have said that. Flora was a huge sore spot for Zephyr.

“I’ve changed since those days. What happened to Flora wasn’t entirely my fault.” The air pressure in the shop suddenly dropped, making Nix’s ears pop.

Zephyr shot back, “And you’re one to talk. Remember Princess Halcyon? You nearly started an international incident.”

The room’s temperature rose. White smoke trailed from Cal’s hands. Small flames appeared in his eyes. In response, Zephyr’s eyes went silver. Wind whipped the hair off his shoulders.

“Stop it! Right now. Both of you,” Nix fumed. “You’re not destroying my shop! If you two want to fight like cavemen, take it someplace else.”

“Customer coming!” Basil screeched.

Jason came up front, along with Mary.

“Nix, think about my offer.” Zephyr held the door open to let in Nix’s last appointment of the day. Mary had returned to the desk in time to receive the customer, and to flash a small finger wave at Zephyr, before he left the shop.

Cal tried and failed to summon up remorse for losing his temper with Zephyr. Gods, that guy bugged him. Bringing up the whole Amazon court incident . . . was so low. Of course, he did bring up Zephyr’s sordid past first. Regardless, Cal didn’t have a mile-long line of jilted lovers in his past.

There was only one female he had truly loved. And at the moment, Nix couldn’t remember him. Of course, it wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t mixed duty with pleasure. They were very discreet and no one knew about their love except him and Nix. If he had courted Nix in between assignments, events might have turned out differently. After Nereus wiped Nix’s memory, she left for break and fell in love with Nate Adonis. Cal was still away on assignment. By the time he returned and realized what had happened, it was too late.

And Cal, like an idiot, tried to bury his heartbreak with a foolish rebound relationship—with an Amazon Princess. Halcyon lost her virginity to Cal to ruin a marriage alliance she didn’t favor. After he had served his purpose, she dumped him and cruelly took it a step further. She publicly declared the relationship, exposing him to the Queen’s wrath. It was the one time he had regretted not listening to Ares’ advice. His father had been right—Amazons were ball-busting bitches. If Ares hadn’t intervened, Cal would probably be a eunuch.

Past aside, Cal did feel bad about upsetting Nix. He could see the strain in her shoulders as she inked the young mortal. He would have loved to rub those shoulders, erasing all that tension. She was strung so tight, he was amazed she kept such a steady hand. Hands he knew from experience. Hands that would feel soft and smooth, rubbing his . . .

Whoa. He shook his head. This line of thinking would get him into trouble. If he rushed things, he could ruin any future chances with her. Nix was different—he would only get one shot. She was straightforward, with no secret agendas and she didn’t put up with bullshit. He believed her when she had said two weeks earlier, “All I want to do is run the shop in peace.”