Page 110 of Cold-Blooded Creatures

Ava raised onto her elbows. “You really have no clue?”

“No.” Two lines appeared between Kali’s eyebrows. “What is this celebration?”

“We’ll have sooo much fun.” Jayla snickered deviously, and Tarri kicked her with her boot. “Oh, stop it, you’ve already been rehearsing for it. I saw you in the hall that night.”

Ava elbowed Jayla. “Don’t be jealous.”

“Rehearsing?” Kali asked.

I nipped at her neck, and she tilted her head so I could lick the hollow of her throat—she liked that spot. “We’ll show you.”

37

ZION

My jaw fell to the floor.

“She’s all yours.” Jayla pushed Kali inside and closed the door, retreating to the currently vacant hall.

“You look beautiful.” Gedeon came up from behind me in the small adjoining room. Large windows peppered the long wall, a small table set up in the center with a bunch of organized items on top, surrounded by two chairs, everything ready for her to get inked. “More than that. Striking.”

“This all is… I don’t know. Weird.” She pinched the fabric of the dress I wanted to rip into pieces.

Two thin straps held the black material barely covering her and revealing the valley of her breasts down to her navel, the rest of the dress flowing freely to the floor with two high slits up each of her thighs. The black fabric sliding along with her movements made her look so innocent.

Made me want to ruin her.

She lifted the skirt higher and beamed at us. “At least I’ve got my boots.”

The pair of which I was taking off the moment this celebration was done, because Ineededto explore every inch of her. Including her toes.

Maneuvering her to walk in front of me so I could admire her swaying hips, and how the thin fabric clung to the curvature of her ass, I led her to the table where our acquaintance was preparing his instruments.

“This is Dorrian. He’ll do your tattoo.” Gedeon introduced them and pulled the chair out for her to sit. “Do you want to see the design before he begins?”

She smiled softly at me. “No. I agreed it would be a surprise.”

That softness spread a spiderweb of warmth throughout my body.

“Have you ever had a tattoo done before?” Dorrian asked.

“This is my first. Does it make a difference?”

“Not really. I will explain everything.” He began outlining the process, answering Kali’s questions, and shaving the hair off her forearm.

As she shifted in her seat, her dress rode up, the slits reaching high on her upper thighs, exposing her long legs. So fair, so outright perfect to paint in red.

“Calm down,” Gedeon warned from behind me, and I turned around to find him leaning against the wall, dressed in black jeans and a matching shirt, as usual. “A couple of hours are all that is left.”

I adjusted my weight. Starvation had set a permanent residence in me. I’d had plenty of opportunities to satisfy my hunger, but merely thinking about the list of my playthings made something yell and claw at the inside of my chest in protest. So, day by day, my thirst had intensified. Spiraled toward the loss of control.

I was about to leap out of my skin.

Dorrian started the needle, and Kali giggled. “It tickles. Like a tingle, it hurts but—” She inhaled sharply and fixated on the scratched up by a thousand-feet floor.

“You were saying?” Gedeon arched an eyebrow, his knee bent and his foot resting on the wall, his relaxed stance a contrast to my jumpiness.

“Nothing,” she scoffed, returning to her inspection of the swirls in the floorboards.