Children of Night and Snow

20. Duskfall

"Is she okay?" Demi looked at Devan, slightly concerned. Noticing all eyes were on him, Devan just nodded his head. They all took that as a reason to run to me and started hugging me in celebration.

"Are you okay?" Devan asked me as he kept his distance, watching others squish me. I wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, but it was still quite a strange experience.

"Yeah. Sorry," was my response.

"Okay, can we all just chill and let her shift back?" Devan suddenly spoke out loud, all human again. A very naked human to be precise. I turned away, suddenly really happy nobody could see me and how red I would have likely been if I were in my human form.

"I think she's a bit shy," Nolan noted with amusement, when he noticed how I was trying to disappear.

"And you're being a jerk," Lucia told him, punching his arm. She then left only to come back a few seconds later with a new set of clothes for me as well as one of the blankets which she threw over me, allowing me a little privacy to shift back. Devan in the meantime walked away, still naked and with very little care for the fact. I shifted back under the blanket, the pain of the reverse shift significantly smaller for some reason, and changed into the new set of clothes just as he returned, all dressed up.

"How are you feeling?" Nolan asked me, his tone now much more serious than mere seconds ago. There was what looked like concern in his eyes, too. How did I feel? I was exhausted, in a lot of pain, very emotional and... hot? I looked around at the people in front of me. My vision was much sharper now, even in the dim light of the house, I could see things clear as a bright day. I could hear fire cracking in the fireplace upstairs and I felt like if I kept my shirt on for much longer, I would boil.

"Exhausted. And hot," I admitted bluntly as I took my shirt off, leaving me only in a sports bra. This made Nolan laugh. I stood there, watching him and I couldn't help but smile. Then chuckle. Then laugh as well. This was a sign for Lucia and Demi to excuse themselves that they needed to go to town to get me some outside clothes, since I shifted and therefore Devan had to keep his promise.

"Well, I think it's time then," there was a devilish smirk on Nolan's lips, when the laughing was over and I was left in the room with three boys.

"Time for what?" I asked, confused.

"Come, you'll see," Devan gave me a wink and motioned for me to follow. So I did. There was another room in the basement I was up until now unaware of. The entrance was hidden in the darkness of an unlit corner. Connor left us as well and so it was just me, Nolan and Devan as we walked inside. There was a large recliner chair and a bunch of tools on the table next to it. One of them I vaguely recognized. A tattoo gun. 

"I-I don't think..." I was about to protest, even more so upon seeing the sheer excitement in Nolan's eyes.

"Nonsense, you want to go outside?" he asked me as I pretty much backed into Devan, who grabbed my shoulders and led me towards that chair whether I wanted to or not.

"I do, but..." I tried to say as they basically forced me into that chair.

"Okay, so if you want to go outside and walk around the town, you must look like you belong here. Do you think that people will just assume and believe you're one of them because you got a proper shower? Especially with looks like yours," Nolan said in a voice that left little room for an argument. I was confused. And scared. What was going on? What did he mean by looks like mine?

"I don't understand," I said finally, looking at Devan for some explanation. After our little moment just minutes ago, I was hoping he'd save me. Or at least give me a reason why was he now holding me against my will. I didn't want a tattoo. And even if I did, I wanted to do it on my own terms. What was all this?

"Every resident has a mark. There are many towns and cities all over the mountains, each has their own unique brand. It's how Alphas can tell their own people from rogues and potential enemies. It's not a choice, Freya, it's a rule," he explained as he rolled up his right sleeve to show an intricate design with ancient runes on it.

"It's not exactly legal for me to do either. In reality you'd have gotten one of these when you turned fifteen and there is a bunch of paperwork proving your parents came from here and so on," Nolan added, showing me his own tattoo as well.

"What does it say?" I asked, tracing the rune's on Nolan's forearm. The tattoo itself wasn't ugly. Not necessarily my style, but then again, no tattoo was. I've seen some boys get them back in Moonvalley, but my mom was so heavily against them, I never even considered it. She'd always say tattoo's were for criminals and brutes. But then again. I was now a criminal, wasn't I? Exiled from my homeland for treason and trained by a group of strangers to be the thief they needed for who knows what.

"Duskfall. It's the name of this town," Nolan replied, his stormy grey eyes captivating mine. I was hypnotized by them. There was so much within. Unlike Devan, who rarely showed any emotion in his, Nolan's eyes were full of so many of them. There was a whole life story within them, chaotic and dangerous like a storm.

"Tattoos are part of our culture, Freya. The fact you have none is just another thing that makes you stand out and not in a good or safe way," Devan broke the tension in the room and brought my attention back to him.

"Devan's right. They are more than just a decoration, even though many of us use them as such. Tattoos show where we belong, who we are," Nolan added. I looked between the two of them, still unsure of what to think. It felt like such an important decision to make about my body and yet I had no real say in it if I wanted to have a life here.

"Okay," I said, earning a wide grin from Nolan, who looked all too happy to put that tattoo gun to use. I lied down on the chair and let him explain that it may hurt a bit, but will likely just be uncomfortable for the most part. I nodded through all of it, wishing I could have just slept through it since I was so exhausted. But once he was done sketching it all out and began to work, I understood why they both laughed when I asked if it was okay to fall asleep. There was absolutely no way I could have slept through that.

"I could tattoo over those too, you know. Something nice. Something you'd like. Maybe something to help you remember your home," Nolan suggested when he was done, his fingers gently tracing the scar silver handcuffs left behind on my right wrist. Lucia's words from months ago returned to me.

"Maybe one day," I said, giving him a small smile.

***

I was gone for ages and so here are not two, but three new chapters! I also have a great news, the first book (Northern Lights) is now finished. There are 73 chapters in total, so we still have quite a few of them ahead. And I am working on book two also! If you're reading right now, please let me know your thoughts in the comments! I would really appreciate feedback! 

(I'd also like to point out that my viewpoint on tattoos is very different to the one Freya has. I'm in fact trying to point out that tattoos carry a strange stigma in our society still, when they can be a cultural thing. Or simply a choice. And they are beautiful)