Shadow’s Heart (Devil’s Inferno MC #3)

Chapter Forty

Wreck

D evil’s Ink has and always will be my baby. I put blood sweat and tears into making it what it is today. I’ve hated being away because of my injuries; many people may not understand it and think I’m just a tattoo artist, but to me it’s more than that. It’s more than just a job; I bring things to life for people and use their bodies as a canvas. No matter what I’m tattooing on someone, I always put my heart and soul into it, and I’ve made sure each of my artists is the same way. People are trusting us with their bodies, and we should never take that for granted or not put in the effort they deserve.

After parking up outside, I make my way towards the front entrance with Shadow by my side. The minute I open the door and step through, Jackie spots me from where she’s standing behind the reception desk, and her eyes immediately fill with relief at the sight of me. I can just imagine how worried she’s been since I was hurt. She’s more than just an employee; in some ways she’s like a surrogate parent. She treats me just like one of her kids, and I couldn’t love her more for it. Having her in my life is certainly an improvement on my own parents and the way they treated me when they were alive.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” She says as she walks around the reception desk to approach me. I can see her eyes scanning over my body, checking to see if I still have any visible injuries.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been in sooner.” I reply as I open my arms to hug her. She steps into my embrace, giving me one of her tight mom hugs that I love so much.

Pulling back from the hug, she shakes her head at me before saying, “None of that. All I care about is that you’re okay and on the mend. That’s all that matters. You know this place is in good hands, even if it’s probably killed you being away for this long.”

“I’m good, I promise. And I know you could run this place in your sleep; I was never worried about that.”

“That’s all I need to hear. Now before you start fretting, I contacted all your clients and explained you were injured and recovering. Each one of them understood and asked for me to get back in touch when you’re ready to start working again.”

“Damn. I don’t know what I thought would have happened, but fuck if it’s not good to know there were no issues.”

“Of course there wasn’t. You have stellar clients, Wreck.”

“How’s everyone been getting on with being one artist down without warning?”

“Fine. Obviously we were taking fewer walk-ins, but you have the best staff, Wreck, and they’ve all pulled together to keep things running smoothly. They’ve even all taken it on themselves to help Sera with you not being here. So even your apprentice is still getting the experiences she needs.”

“That’s a relief, and fucking hell, I owe them all for doing that. It’s earlier than I wanted to have her shadowing different artists, but I’m relieved she wasn’t just left floundering. I should have thought to put something in place while I was out of action, but fuck if I haven’t been all over the place.”

Jackie smiles at me before her eyes catch my hand in Shadow’s. The gleam in her eyes is one I’ve become very accustomed to recently.

“Now. Now. What do we have here?” She asks, voice knowing.

“Hmmm… I don’t know. What do you think?” I ask teasingly.

“I think you pair of numbskulls finally pulled your heads out of your asses.”

“You got it in one,” Shadow says, speaking up for the first time since we arrived.

“Well, it’s about fucking time.” Jackie says with a laugh, which causes us both to laugh along with her.

I think we’ve both accepted that this is going to be the reaction we get off nearly everyone we know when it comes to the fact we’re together now. Everyone clearly saw what we didn’t. I don’t mind all the teasing though; if I were in their shoes, I’d probably be the same way.

After telling Jackie we’ll see her when we leave, I walk Shadow to my workspace, where I have a design I’ve kept hidden since I accepted my feelings for him. I didn’t think he’d ever see what I designed, and I certainly never thought I’d be in the position to actually have it put on my body, but as soon as I know one of my artists has a free slot, I’ll be having it put on the spot over my heart. Where else would I put a tattoo dedicated to him?

Closing the door behind us, I release Shadow’s hand and walk towards the locked drawer at the bottom of my workstation. I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous to show someone a piece of my art before. I know it’s because of the meaning behind it and the fact I’m showing it to the person who inspired it.

“So, I should probably admit I never thought this would see the light of day, but when I accepted how I truly felt about you, I couldn’t not draw this.” I say, blowing out a massive breath as I pull the design out and place it on the desk in front of me.

Shadow slowly walks towards me, not taking his eyes off me until he’s close enough to see what I’ve drawn. I can’t look away from him, wanting to know what he thinks of what I designed. Well, not only that, my eyes are always drawn to him when he’s in a room. They always have been and always will be.

The minute his eyes lock onto the design, his eyes fill with tears, and his beautiful smile lights up his face. I didn’t know how he’d react, but surely this means he likes it. That he understands it. He’s radiating happiness.

“Fucking hell, Wreck.” He says, voice choked up.

I don’t say anything. Just let him take in what is drawn on the page. It’s a simple drawing compared to some of the things I’ve drawn in the past, but it’s probably the one that means the most. The drawing itself is a scene of clouds, and in the center is a ball of light with beams coming out of it, passing through the clouds. In each beam is something important to me when it comes to Shadow. From the date we met to his name—both his legal and road names—to the date I realized my true feelings for him. Some of the beams don’t contain anything, but that just means I have space to add more important things, things that have only just happened or are yet to come, like the date we became a couple. Hopefully one day I’ll be adding the date we get married and grow our family.

“You drew this about me?” He asks, looking up from the image and into my eyes.

“Yeah. You are and always have been my ray of sunshine. You’ve brightened up my life from the day we met. I’ve always known you were special, but I never realized just how special. When I realized just how much you really meant to me, my muse went crazy, and I couldn’t not draw this. Even if at the time I thought it would live in that desk hidden away forever.”

“It’s beautiful. Like everything you draw, but I can tell even by the placement of the letters and numbers how much care you took when doing this. Are you going to have it tattooed on you now that things have changed between us?”

“Yeah. I want it over my heart.”

“If you’re having that over your heart, I want something over mine too. I’ve always kept that one place blank, and now I know why. It was always meant for you. I just need to figure out something just as meaningful and beautiful as what you’ve drawn.”

Fucking hell. I didn’t expect this to be quite as emotional as it has turned out to be. I shouldn’t be as surprised as I am. This is me and Shadow after all. We don’t do anything by halves.

We’re interrupted by a knock on the door, and Sera pops her head around the door. We haven’t really seen her since the day our relationship was made common knowledge; she looks good. She has a glow about her, which I’m assuming is from her pregnancy. I know she was struggling with morning sickness for a while, but from the looks of her right now, she seems to have come out on the other side of it.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but this is the first chance I’ve had to talk to you both alone.”

“It’s fine, Sera. Come in.” I say.

Sera enters, closing the door behind her, and walks over to us. Her gaze immediately zeroes in on the design on the desk.

“Holy shit, that’s beautiful.” She gushes as she stares at it.

“Thank you.” I reply with a small smile.

As I watch the way she appreciates my art—a piece that may be the most meaningful I’ve ever designed—an idea pops into my head.

“Hey Sera, do you think you could tattoo this?” I ask her, wanting to know how confident she is in her abilities. Personally, I believe she’d do an amazing job, but I’d never force her to do the work if she isn’t comfortable and confident.

“Are you fucking serious right now? I’d fucking love to tattoo something like that. I can tell it’s a meaningful piece. Wait, are there things written in those rays?”

“Yeah, there is. It’s all important things about your brother and me. I want it over my heart. Do you think you’d want to be the one to do it?”

“I can’t even put it into words just how honored I’d be to do it, but wouldn’t you prefer someone with more experience to do it?”

“No, because if anyone is going to do it justice and know what it really means, it’s you.”

“Then yes. I’ll do it. Just tell me when, and I’m there.”

“We’ll figure it out. There’s no rush. Anyway, was there something you needed?”

“Shit yeah. Wrath and Flame are announcing the pregnancy next week, and I wanted to make sure you’d both be there.”

“Of course we will. With everything that’s been going on, we haven’t had a chance to celebrate yet. I can’t wait to see people’s reactions. Are they telling Dad and Cam beforehand?” Shadow asks.

“I think so. They haven’t said.”

“I’ll ask Wrath later when I see him.” Shadow says.

Sera nods her head, says her goodbyes, and leaves to go back to work, but not before asking if she can take the design with her so she can practice. I have no issues with her taking it; I know it’s in good hands. I tell her just that too. I can’t wait until I finally have it on my body. It’s going to look stunning, if I do say so myself.