Chapter 8 #4
“Fuck me, you outdid yourself,” she said, then turned to me with a sultry grin. “Are you single? Because I’d be down.”
I blinked. “Down what?”
Lee sighed beside me. “He’s married.”
Lisa pouted, her glossy pink lips pursing. “Pity.” She ran her eyes over me one last time, then added, “Well, give me a shout if your wife ever leaves you.”
She winked.
I frowned. “A shout?”
Why would I need to shout at her?
Sebastian smothered a chuckle. “Roman’s from a tiny village in Europe. He doesn’t know our vernacular.”
Lisa’s lips twitched. “I see. You know what I mean.”
She lifted her hand, thumb and pinky outstretched, and held it next to her face. “Call me.”
Lee groaned and stepped in. “He’s happily married, Lisa. There’s no chance he and his wife will ever part. They’ve already endured more than most couples could ever imagine.”
Lisa swayed her hips as she turned away. “The good ones are always taken.”
She spun on her heel and sashayed back to the counter.
Sebastian dusted off my neck and shoulders, removing the last remnants of hair. Then, he unfastened the cape and flicked it aside. “Well, damn. You do look hot, my man.”
I touched my flushed face. “I am a bit warm, yes.”
Sebastian snorted. “No, man. I mean, you look fantastic. You’re a handsome dude.”
I hesitated. I didn’t know what a dude was… and wasn’t sure I wanted to.
Sebastian’s gaze settled on my branding mark. “Hey, who did your tattoo?”
Before I could answer, Lee cut in smoothly. “Roman was a POW for a time. He served under a brutal warlord.”
Sebastian’s eyes darkened. “Oh, man… That’s harsh.”
He grabbed his broom, swept the pile of my fallen hair into a flat tool, and then unceremoniously dumped it into the trash.
I glanced at the discarded hair—a piece of my past, swept away so quickly.
“Yeah,” I murmured. “It was.”
Sebastian tilted his head, eyeing my right arm. “You want any other ink? That arm’s looking a little… bare.”
I frowned. “Ink?”
Lee smirked. “He means a tattoo.”
Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, man. I don’t have any more hair appointments today. If you’re up, I’d be honored to inscribe something meaningful on your skin. Badass to badass.”
His usual easy demeanor shifted, growing somber.
I glanced at Lee, who gave me a slight nod of approval.
Turning back to Sebastian, I pulled my dagger from the sheath at my belt. The blade glinted under the shop’s bright lighting.
“Could you replicate this on my forearm?”
Sebastian let out a low whistle. “Holy fuck, dude.” He leaned in, eyes wide with awe, tracing the details with his finger without touching the metal. “This looks fucking ancient.”
“It is,” I said simply.
Sebastian’s grin widened. “I’d be honored.”
With that, we headed back to the tattooing area.
Sebastian led me to his station, where he retrieved a sketchpad and pencil.
He worked quickly, his brow furrowed in concentration.
I watched as he rendered my dagger onto paper, every intricate detail perfectly captured.
I had to admit—he was, as he put it, a badass artist.
Finally, he turned the drawing to me.
“This looks good?”
I studied it. The hilt, the engravings, the balance—it was all spot on.
I nodded. “Yes.”
Sebastian grinned, rolling up his sleeves. “All right, let’s do this.”
He gathered his tools, poured ink into tiny cups, and prepped the tattoo machine.
Before starting, he looked up. “Just a heads up—I prefer not to chit-chat while I work. Helps me get in the zone.”
I blinked at him.
Chitty-chat?
The zone?
Lee chuckled. “He means he focuses better in silence. He might put on headphones, but will check in with you occasionally.”
Sebastian nodded in thanks. “Yeah, man. That cool?”
Cool?
I still didn’t quite understand half the words used in this century, but I trusted Lee.
“That is… acceptable,” I said, folding my arms. “I have something to ask Lee while you are working.”
Lee arched a brow but said nothing.
Sebastian motioned to the tattoo chair, covered in crinkling paper.
I lay back, my muscles tensing. This felt eerily similar to when I was branded in Rome. But this—this was by choice.
Sebastian pressed the paper transfer against my forearm. When he peeled it away, the faint outline of a dagger remained, inked lightly onto my skin.
He picked up the tattoo machine, meeting my gaze. “You ready?”
I held his stare, solemn. “Yes.”
The machine buzzed to life, and the first sting of ink cut into my skin.
“I’m right here with you,” he murmured, slipping something over his ears.
The pain was a dull hum against my skin, insignificant compared to a tiger’s fangs tearing through flesh or a scimitar slicing across my chest.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” Lee’s voice broke the silence. He sat perched on a nearby stool, watching me.
I hesitated, glancing at Sebastian.
“He can’t hear us.” Lee tapped his ears. “Headphones.”
I exhaled. “After you time traveled me to find my brother, I always wondered what happened to my mother. Did anyone tell her what happened to me? She must have been worried. I thought you might know.”
Lee’s expression darkened. “Ah. Elizabeth. I wondered when you’d ask.”
“I never saw her again after I left England,” I said.
Lee let out a breath. “When you disappeared, I wanted to return to her. I was ready to leave everything behind. The day I was supposed to board the ship, Alina showed up at the tribe, begging for my help to defeat Balthazar. My father, the Great Chief, told me I had to follow my destiny—stand against the darkness. So instead of leaving, I wrote your mother a letter. I told her everything.” His voice softened.
“I loved your mother. She was my light in a dark world. But she never wrote back. I always intended to return to her one day to explain everything in person.”
A wistful light gleamed in his eyes, reflecting a long-lost love.
My throat tightened. “What about my father? Balthazar told me he was the darkness.” I shuddered. “Is it true?”
“Yes,” Lee admitted, his cheeks reddening. He sighed, his gaze heavy with something old, something haunted.
“When Olivia was born, I told Alina we had to lay low and stay away from time traveling completely. I told Jack and Alina I needed to spend time with my people, but the truth?” His voice dropped. “I time traveled back to your mother. Back to the 1700s.”
I stilled.
“I was with her for eight years,” he continued, a wistful note in his voice. “I was so in love with her. We got married, and I was truly happy for the first time in my life. Those years… they were the best I ever had. Just being with her. Having her by my side.”
Lee exhaled before continuing.
“She told me about your father; he was the darkness.” His jaw tightened. “Balthazar wouldn’t allow your father to be with her. So, she stayed away from it all. That’s why she didn’t want the blades when you were born. She didn’t want you connected to them. To him.”
His eyes drifted, lost in the past. “Elizabeth was funny. She was smart. Beautiful. She tried to be strong when I told her you had time traveled to Rome and reunited with your brother. She smiled and said she was proud. But I knew. I knew she ached to see you both again.”
He puffed out his cheeks and blew out a breath. “Yet, when she died, she was at peace. Safe. Unharmed.” His voice softened. “I buried her myself. And then I returned.”
Lee paused as if shaking himself free from the past. “I had been gone eight years. When I came back, I knew Alina was up to something. She had betrayed me—time traveled on her own, again and again. And she made it easier for Balthazar to find us each time.”
The constant hum of the tattoo machine filled the silence. Machines clattered around us, the scent of ink and antiseptic thick.
Sebastian worked without pause—needles to skin, ink to flesh.
And I sat there, absorbing everything.
I watched his artistry for a moment before turning back to Lee. “Why do you think this Malik fellow saved me? And if he’s with Olivia… will he try to seduce her?”
Lee blinked, surprised. “You don’t have to worry about Olivia being seduced by Malik. The blood you carry is dark, too.”
That was far from reassuring. My jaw tensed. “What do you mean?”
Lee leveled with me. “You were born of darkness, Roman. And even if Olivia were to fall for Malik, she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between you two. The blood is the same. The darkness is the same.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t comfort me. It makes me feel expendable. Like, ‘Oh, Olivia could be with me or with Malik—it wouldn’t make a difference.’”
Lee exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m probably not explaining it right. You’re not a demon. Malik is. You’re a Timeborne. But you share the same blood. And Malik—” his voice dropped slightly, thoughtful—“Malik stays away from love. He won’t seduce Olivia.”
That still didn’t reassure me, but I let it be for now.
“Then why does he need Tristan?” I asked.
Lee’s expression darkened. “That… I don’t know.”
Silence settled between us, not uncomfortable, but solid.
Finally, Sebastian pulled off his headphones and grinned. “I’m done. She’s a beauty, don’t you think?”
I looked down at my arm, at the striking image inked into my skin. I flexed my fingers into a fist, turning my arm from side to side, studying the craftsmanship.
“It’s incredible,” I said. “You did an excellent job.”
Sebastian grinned. “That’s why they call me Sebastian the Great.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m honored, man. I can tell this means something to you. And don’t worry—I get it. Top secret and all that.”
He carefully taped a transparent film over my tattoo and followed with the usual aftercare instructions.
Once Lee paid, we stepped outside into the cool evening air.