Twisted Souls (Edited) 3rd Edition

Chapter 2

Ian cursed his older sister as his future wife left the parlor. The colorless beanie making him frown as it disappeared. What a strange girl . . .

"What do ya mean, sis?" He murmured, leaning against the glass top counters. His sister smacked his arm and he removed it, scowling in defense.

A finger wag and a warning to lay off the counters later, Jazzy and Ian relaxed on a couch in the back. The back was covered in paper tattoo designs, ranging from simplistic designs to the ridiculous. The black cushioned chair that patrons rested on was placed in the middle of a cubie, where a metal tray laden with various tools of the trade rested between the chair and wall. A small window, that opened an inch at all times, no matter who pushed or pulled, lit up the place with an eerie grey light.

"Kaya is human, so ya got that against ya already, bro." Jazzy whistled through her teeth. "But that ain't all that is gonna make you getting her all the harder." She cut off as footsteps from the backdoor alerted them to someone coming up. They sniffed the air and relaxed into their seats.

"Ian!" Ramone grinned before jumping on the couch, landing on both of his cousins. His head rested on Jazzy's lap while his feet hung over the other end, crushing Ian's abdomen.

"Hey Ray," Jazzy said to her grease monkey cousin. "You ain't gonna believe who Ian's mate is." Ray stared at the pierced-up cousin of his before turning his frank gaze on the male portion of the duo. "No shit? Who?"

"No way, guess cuz." Jazzy tsked, pushing his head off her lap. The rest of the body followed, crashing onto the floor with a thump. Ian rolled his eyes before sucking in a breath through his white teeth. Ray looked imploringly at the two as he lifted his body up from the spray-painted ground. "Lemme guess, my sexy mama Kaya?"

Ian growled, making Jazzy punch him in the arm and Ramone grin wolfishly. "No shit!" He exclaimed, standing now. "That's great, man. She's a spitfire, but pure as fuck."

Jazzy rubbed her arms, uncomfortable. How was she supposed to tell her brother about what she'd done? How was she supposed to even bring the topic up? Ian, knowing his sister's every anxiety riddled movement, furrowed his brow. "You okay Jazbel?"

The scorn in her glare would have fouled a weaker soul, but Ian was used to it. "Don't call me that stupid name. Jaz, Jazzy, ain't nothing else I'm accepting, no matter what mama named me." She spat but her heart wasn't in it. The horror of what she had to tell her brother made their playful banter dull.

Ian frowned.

"What ya hidin'?" Ray questioned, but the look she gave him had him cowering next to the older man.

Jaz heaved a sighed, rubbed her arms again, and shrugged. "Might as well. You'll find out later." The men shared a look with an etched eyebrow frown. "Like I said, Ian, you got a lot riding against ya with this mate. Kaya has some dark shit in her past. I don't know anything!" She explained as his features darkened.

"I just know," Jaz sat at the stool she used when tattooing, "that them scars on her back weren't self-inflicted. And they were a bitch to cover. You don't know how many fuck-ups I went through before I found the right ink and the right mixture."

"Scars?" Her brother growled. Jaz shrank backwards.

Ray noticed this and smacked his cousin on the backside of his head. "Don't scare your sister, man. Ain't cool."

Ian smoothed a hand over his face. "Go on, sis."

The tattoo artist smiled slightly, knowing it wasn't his fault. Their other brother was way worse when he found his mate. The poor girl broke her arm after falling from a tree and Miguel looked ready to set fire to the poor plant. It took Ameli hours to calm him down. "Look, all I know is that she has got scars decorating her back like an etch-a-sketch. A nasty one riding her spine. I think it even goes further, not like she would have showed me or told me."