Page 8 of Burn of Obsidian

They were smaller than his hands, which made them the perfect size for his mouth.

A small bandage wrapped around her arm, surrounded by black and white floral tattoos that decorated both her arms, fine lines not too dissimilar to his own glyphs, but different to the bright colours and shapes that stamped her legs.

Groaning, she scratched her nose, drawing his eyes to the scar on her upper arm, where a bullet had exited. He wanted to touch it, to feel the roughness compared to the rest of her skin. Except he couldn’t.

Reaching over, he clicked off the light, and immediately her frown relaxed. Unable to stop himself, he moved a piece of hair, the colour no longer her usual pink, but a pale silver that seemed to glisten even in the darkness. He wanted to entangle the rest in his fingers, to pull her until she draped her warmth across him until both their pulses matched the same rhythm. The urge was so strong, he released the single strand and stepped back.

Thea’s cat lifted his head, his yellow eyes slitted as he slept by her shoulder. Before he could wake her with a yowl, Jax lifted and brought him to the sofa. The cat immediately settled on his lap, eyes closing in contentment. Jax had never been so jealous of a fucking cat.

Fur brushed beneath tight skin, and Jax gave the beast his sight. Not enough control to shift, but enough beast could fulfil his own need for her.

MINE, his beast growled, claws pricking at his fingertips.

Jax stretched back, surrounding himself in her scent as he closed his eyes, and prayed for sleep he knew wouldn’t come.

But at least he was near his mate.

Chapter 4

Thea

Thea jerked awake, her hair falling into her eyes when she sat up. Frowning, she pulled the strands to her nose, confused why it didn’t smell like her usual shampoo, but instead of leather and spices.

Reaper grumbled at her from his pillow, seemingly just as pissed off at being woken up so abruptly.

“Swiper!” came a familiar voice, followed by another bang at her front door. “Come on, open up!”

Thea scrambled from her bed, yanking her sleep shirt down before peering through the peephole. Roach stood there, smirking and holding two takeaway cups as well as a random sunflower. She liked to joke that nobody could take her down, like a cockroach, which was where the name had come from. It wasn’t her given name, but Thea found out pretty quickly that secrecy was preferred amongst thieves. It was harder to fuck someone over if you didn’t know their real name.

“Don’t worry, yours is chocolate, and the sunflower was just randomly left on your doorstep.” Thrusting the left cup as well as the flower at Thea, Roach walked inside as if she owned the place. “Come on, you don’t have long before the security change.”

Thea groaned, sipping on the drink before placing it and the sunflower on the side table. Two flowers in two days; that was a new record. Stretching her arms, she realised she felt great – refreshed, even. Turning, she found the bedside lamp was off, which was probably the reason she’d slept so well.

“Give me ten,” she said, heading toward the bathroom.

Roach reached under the coffee table for the plans they’d been prepping for the last week. “You have five.”

Knowing she didn’t have enough time to shower, Thea ran a brush through her hair, quickly braiding it before brushing her teeth. “You have the enhancements?” she shouted with a mouth full of toothpaste. She was able to spit and rinse before Roach replied.

“Nose and eyes.”

“No hair?” Thea searched for the T-shirt and jeans she’d left on the floor, only to find them in her wash basket.

I’m losing my fucking mind.

“Nah, just wear a subtle shade. Not pink.”

Once dressed, Thea opened the vanity mirror above the sink and grabbed one of her rings, only to frown when the mirror didn’t squeak. She closed it, quickly opening it once more as if the swift attack would suddenly make it squeak again. The mirror had one hinge that was broken, causing part of it to rub against the side every time it moved. It was one of the things she hated about it and had planned to fix eventually. Yet the hinge seemed fine, the edges lining up without rubbing.

“Ro, am I going crazy?” Reaching down, Thea placed her ring on her second to biggest toe, her silver hair immediately transforming into a dull brown. It was made from ash wood, and every time she wore it, the charm slowly depleted until she’d have to save up for another.

“What?”

“I think I’m… Never mind.” Eyeing the mirror one last time, Thea walked back in to find Roach had already set up the paperwork on the coffee table.

“Swiper, tell me you’ve memorised this?” She barely looked up from the plans in front of her. “You promised me you’d study the layout, so you’d be ready for today.”

“Of course I memorised it.” That was a lie, but she’d figure it out. She worked best under stress.