Blood Slave: A Realm Walker Novel by Kathleen Collins Read Free Book Online Page B

throat and James joined him. “Take a look around now, little sister.”
    Her eyes widened as she did as she was told. The decrepit, run-down tattoo parlor had faded away to be replaced with a pristine, state of the art shop. Four new chairs, including the one she was on, sat two on each side of the room. Gleaming chrome and black vinyl pervaded the space. Everything was new, or so clean it might as well have been. She blinked in disbelief and James laughed again.
    “Told you.”
    “But how?”
    “It’s in the ink, love,” Jack said as he rolled back and eyed the tattoo, wiping away the excess ink before going back to work.
    “This place runs on word of mouth. If he doesn’t know you, or you aren’t brought in by someone he does, you get the old shop and a non-magical tattoo. On the other hand, if you meet one of those qualifications, well you can see how that works.” He waved a hand to indicate the shop around them.
    “If I’d known it was going to be like this, I might have let you talk me into this a long time ago.”
    Shaking his head, he gestured to her wrist. “That has nothing to do with me. I want you to get a protection ward. Or twelve. The risks you take, you need all the help you can get.”
    “There’s a bit of protection mixed into the ink. Not much, it’s a small tattoo, but it may help.” Jack said as he wiped her wrist again. He turned his head and eyed his work. “I believe that will do it.”
    Juliana looked at the perfectly executed symbol and was surprised to see it shimmer under the light. Pulling her arm closer to her face, she turned the wrist to get a better view. A purple so deep it was almost black shimmered like the night sky on her wrist. “It’s gorgeous.”
    “Got some healing magic in there, too. Give it an hour and it will be completely healed.”
    She paid Jack, not even blinking at the exorbitant rate, and tipped generously, brushing off the offer of a half priced second tattoo to go with the first. His work was so exquisite she might have taken him up on it if she could decide what to get. She assured him she’d be back and walked out into the sun with James.
    “Well, Thomas will be thrilled to see that,” James said with a frown.
    “I think we’ll delay the reveal for a bit.” She slid the bracelet back on, the thick leather band covering the ink perfectly. Holding out her hand, she waited for James to tie it.
    “It’s not as if he won’t see it eventually,” he reasoned.
    “True. But he’ll wonder why I didn’t discuss it with him first and why I’m doing it now, right before I go out of town. That is not a discussion I wish to have at the moment.”
    “And why are you doing it now?” James asked as they slid back into his car.
    “Maybe I’ll just really miss him?”
    James snorted a laugh. “Nice try, little sister. I’m not buying it. I need to stop by the Apocryphan and pick something up. Is that all right or do you want me to run you home first?”
    Going home meant Thomas and more lies. “I’ll go with. I haven’t been by in a while.”
    “Neither have I.” Sorrow colored his words and she turned to look out her window to give him privacy with his grief.
    The Apocryphan was the headquarters for the Gathering and James’s office. The truth was she’d missed it, and the people that worked there. When her caseload would allow, she’d made a habit of swinging by to see James a couple of times a week and they’d go out to lunch, sometimes with Sara, sometimes without. He’d been on an extended leave since Sara’s death. It was more for Rachel than himself. Without his daughter he would have buried himself in work and have to be dragged out kicking and screaming. Juliana knew her training was really for both of their benefits.
    They pulled up in front of the building and someone was at the side of the car opening her door immediately. Moving around to the other side, they took James’s keys and the car was on its way to be parked before