they got married. No, it was more because he had high hopes for my twin Luke to take over.
So when I discovered Tori had been called by the Le Roux, I wasn’t sure who to tell. I don’t want to reveal that I’m a werebear before she’s ready to know, and I sure don’t want to tell Tori she’s part shifter and freak her out. Since I finally decided to let my stepsister, Carly, train me as a tattoo artist, I figure she’s my best bet. I push open the door to Ink It, where she works, and Sierra glances up from a laptop. Her eyes are big in her face, and they’re accentuated by her super-short jet-black bangs cut in a straight line.
“Hey. I’m glad you’re here. I have a proposition for you.”
Uh-oh. Sierra has triplet boys, and I’m afraid she wants me to help. “I’d make a terrible babysitter.” My coat peels away from my sweater and crackles with static electricity.
“That’s not what I was going to ask. Carly and I would like to hire you to work the front desk.” She holds up her hand as if I’m going to object. “It’s not usually busy between clients, and it would give you plenty of time to practice. Plus we’ll work around your class schedule.”
I wouldn’t mind hanging around the tattoo parlor, so I say, “Sounds good to me. When do I start?”
Sierra shakes her head as she grins. “Well, that was easy.” The laptop clunks on the counter, and she types a bit before turning it toward me. “Just fill in the hours you can work, and I’ll let you know what we can do.”
The keys click as I type my name into the right slots on the calendar before me. When I’m done, I ask, “Where’s Carly? I need to talk to her.” I reach for my bag and lift out my sketch pad.
“She’s at Kick It watching a new warrior, but she’ll be back soon. Can I see what you’ve got?”
I glance at the notebook in my hand and realize Sierra probably thinks I want to show Carly my latest designs. “Oh. Sure.” I pass it to her. Sierra’s a talented tattoo artist, and I value her opinion as much as my stepsister’s.
It makes me nervous to watch someone look at my work, so I ask, “Mind if I go over and find her?”
A page of my sketch pad flips, and Sierra speaks without glancing at me. “Sure. Go ahead.”
I wander toward the sound of shouts and grunts. Ian notices me and smiles. He’s totally hot, and my cheeks heat up a bit, because I definitely have a crush on him. Carly set me up with him as a personal trainer a while back, and I look forward to our weekly sessions. Right now he’s working with the tallest woman I’ve ever seen. She’s also a damn good fighter—she beats up a punching bag as if it were a feather pillow.
When she turns, I notice the white-blond ponytail is attached to a stunning girl. Jealousy tweaks at me, but there isn’t much I can do, so I approach Carly instead.
She notices me and says, “Hey.” She nods her head toward the blonde. “Pretty amazing, huh?”
I nod. “Who is she?”
“A polar bear from the Arctic.” Carly turns away, and we walk toward Ink It. She says, “I’ve got some pig skin for you to practice on.”
“Cool. I need to ask you something.”
“Sure. What is it?” We’ve turned the corner, and the noise of the gym fades. We stop at the drink station, where Carly grabs a plastic cup.
I take a mug instead, and the ceramic handle is smooth in my fingers. “You know Tori who came in for a bear-paw tattoo?”
“Yeah. I remember her.” Water splashes in Carly’s cup.
“Well, she’s my roommate, and that mark is because she was called, right?” I fill my mug with coffee and pour creamer in. I swirl the contents instead of dirtying a spoon to mix it.
“It is. Did she ask you about it?”
I shake my head quickly. “I haven’t told her anything. But she saw the guy she dreams about the other day, and now she’s kind of stalking him.”
Carly gulps her mouthful of water. “How so?”
“She went to where he works and somehow
So when I discovered Tori had been called by the Le Roux, I wasn’t sure who to tell. I don’t want to reveal that I’m a werebear before she’s ready to know, and I sure don’t want to tell Tori she’s part shifter and freak her out. Since I finally decided to let my stepsister, Carly, train me as a tattoo artist, I figure she’s my best bet. I push open the door to Ink It, where she works, and Sierra glances up from a laptop. Her eyes are big in her face, and they’re accentuated by her super-short jet-black bangs cut in a straight line.
“Hey. I’m glad you’re here. I have a proposition for you.”
Uh-oh. Sierra has triplet boys, and I’m afraid she wants me to help. “I’d make a terrible babysitter.” My coat peels away from my sweater and crackles with static electricity.
“That’s not what I was going to ask. Carly and I would like to hire you to work the front desk.” She holds up her hand as if I’m going to object. “It’s not usually busy between clients, and it would give you plenty of time to practice. Plus we’ll work around your class schedule.”
I wouldn’t mind hanging around the tattoo parlor, so I say, “Sounds good to me. When do I start?”
Sierra shakes her head as she grins. “Well, that was easy.” The laptop clunks on the counter, and she types a bit before turning it toward me. “Just fill in the hours you can work, and I’ll let you know what we can do.”
The keys click as I type my name into the right slots on the calendar before me. When I’m done, I ask, “Where’s Carly? I need to talk to her.” I reach for my bag and lift out my sketch pad.
“She’s at Kick It watching a new warrior, but she’ll be back soon. Can I see what you’ve got?”
I glance at the notebook in my hand and realize Sierra probably thinks I want to show Carly my latest designs. “Oh. Sure.” I pass it to her. Sierra’s a talented tattoo artist, and I value her opinion as much as my stepsister’s.
It makes me nervous to watch someone look at my work, so I ask, “Mind if I go over and find her?”
A page of my sketch pad flips, and Sierra speaks without glancing at me. “Sure. Go ahead.”
I wander toward the sound of shouts and grunts. Ian notices me and smiles. He’s totally hot, and my cheeks heat up a bit, because I definitely have a crush on him. Carly set me up with him as a personal trainer a while back, and I look forward to our weekly sessions. Right now he’s working with the tallest woman I’ve ever seen. She’s also a damn good fighter—she beats up a punching bag as if it were a feather pillow.
When she turns, I notice the white-blond ponytail is attached to a stunning girl. Jealousy tweaks at me, but there isn’t much I can do, so I approach Carly instead.
She notices me and says, “Hey.” She nods her head toward the blonde. “Pretty amazing, huh?”
I nod. “Who is she?”
“A polar bear from the Arctic.” Carly turns away, and we walk toward Ink It. She says, “I’ve got some pig skin for you to practice on.”
“Cool. I need to ask you something.”
“Sure. What is it?” We’ve turned the corner, and the noise of the gym fades. We stop at the drink station, where Carly grabs a plastic cup.
I take a mug instead, and the ceramic handle is smooth in my fingers. “You know Tori who came in for a bear-paw tattoo?”
“Yeah. I remember her.” Water splashes in Carly’s cup.
“Well, she’s my roommate, and that mark is because she was called, right?” I fill my mug with coffee and pour creamer in. I swirl the contents instead of dirtying a spoon to mix it.
“It is. Did she ask you about it?”
I shake my head quickly. “I haven’t told her anything. But she saw the guy she dreams about the other day, and now she’s kind of stalking him.”
Carly gulps her mouthful of water. “How so?”
“She went to where he works and somehow
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