Page 18 of 3013: Wonderland

She lifted her chin stubbornly. “I don’t care. I want it to be visible on my arm. It doesn’t have to cover the entire thing, but I would like something that sort of winds down my arm from shoulder to wrist. Can we do something like that?”

“Of course.”

If she wanted a tattoo as part of reclaiming her independence, he would create something she would love.

He couldn’t help worrying a little because she didn’t like needles. He used a new marking device the Artanes had created that would make the whole process easier, but she would still feel a sting as the ink was injected into her skin. People normally started with something smaller for their first tattoo, but she seemed pretty adamant about the placement.

“Give me a few minutes to work something up.”

“Take your time.”

Juliet smiled as she got to her feet and slowly began walking around the room. She would use the time he was drawing to explore his space. She was nervous so she could use a distraction.

Since Fenris’ office was located in one of the castle’s turrets, there was a good view of the grounds from the open window. If she was more adventurous, she could have gone out to the balcony, but she wasn’t particularly fond of heights.

One side of the large room was his office space, with a long desk and shelves that held a variety of objects. The other side of the room was his tattoo parlor. There was a large reclining chair his clients would sit on while he worked on them. Metal canisters and jars of ink were lined up on the counter next to several devices she didn’t recognize.

Quickly glancing away, she focused on the framed images on the wall. Each frame was a picture of a tattoo Fenris had created for a client. From mythical creatures to abstract designs, his talent was obvious in every image. There were dozens of frames on the wall, but she knew those were only a fraction of the tattoos he’d done over the years.

As she turned, another image caught her eye. There was a painting hanging over a plush leather sofa that was pushed up against the wall between two of the open windows. Surprise flickered through her when she recognized herself in the large painting. She was posed in the purple costume she’d worn during her first performance as a principal dancer.

She was raised up on her toes en pointe with her hands over her head, a crown on her hair, and sparkly wings spread out wide behind her. She knew without asking that it was Fenris’ work. He didn’t paint much, but when he did, his skills could rival a master’s.

“When did you paint this?”

“I started it the day after I saw that performance.”

Spinning around, she jerked back a step when she found him standing right behind her. Despite the cool breeze blowing in through the window, he was only wearing a white tank and jeans with a pair of scarred and battered combat boots. A male his size shouldn’t have been able to move so silently.

“I need to put a bell on you or something,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“I’ll try to stomp around more.”

She gasped when he held up a drawing for her to see. The tattoo he’d created was beautiful. It was a combination of different flowers all done in black and gray. Some were familiar while others she had never seen before. Rather than dark and depressive, he had somehow made the blooms look light and fanciful. The flowers were attached to braided vines that hadclusters of different leaves. He’d also added tiny pink, blue, and purple butterflies here and there for vibrant pops of color.

Fenris knew she loved butterflies. As a young girl, she’d hung crystal butterflies all over her small room at the group home. When her first role as principal dancer with the company had been that of the butterfly queen from a classic ballet, she’d thought it had been fate. That was the same role from the painting Fenris had done. Butterflies had always symbolized her hopes and dreams, and now, they also represented freedom.

“Fenris,” she breathed out. “It’s so beautiful. I love it.”

“I have to confess, I didn’t draw all of it right now. I made several of these drawings of the different flowers with butterflies for you over the years. I just merged some of them together and added a few final touches to it now.”

Hearing that he had been making drawings for her for years touched her heart. “I really love it.”

“If you approve, we can put the stencil on and see how it will look.”

“I approve.” Grinning, she held her arm out to him.

Once the design was on her arm, he made several adjustments so it twisted around her arm instead of lying flat. When he was satisfied with it, he moved her in front of the full-length mirror on the wall. She studied her arm from several angles, then nodded.

“This is it. It’s absolutely perfect.”

“Okay. Have a seat in the chair, and we’ll get started.”

She took a seat, and he tilted the chair back a little to make her more comfortable. She’d been a little chilled earlier, but was glad the windows were open since she felt a little flushed now.

She glanced over at his back and swallowed hard. “You locked the door, right? I don’t want someone walking in and surprising you when you are in the middle of—”

“The door is locked. No one is coming in. And there is a blue light that turns on in the hallway outside that tells people I am busy with a client.”