Free Tattooed Moon by Tiana Laveen Page A

spirits can ever be destroyed once they are created. I believe that whole-heartedly. The death of this ,” he pinched his flesh wrapped around his wrist, “is just our shell, you know? All this ink, I can’t take it with me. But I have it now, while I am walkin’ around in this temple, in this human form. Later, I’ll have something else, or maybe a new human form, I don’t know. But, I do know that death isn’t it. For many, it’s just the beginning.” He sighed. “Sorry to go off on a tangent there.” He grinned. “Just explaining my philosophy about it is all.”
    “No, I appreciate that, I really do.” And then, she cut it short, but her lips were still parted, as if she wanted to speak a bit more. He decided to break the silence, let her off the hook.
    “Hey, would you like a cup of tea?”
    “I think I need to be awake for this, Julian,” she quipped.
    “Not chamomile.” He grinned. “How about some white tea? It relaxes a bit, not to the point of sleepiness though, and has great antioxidants that would help infection.”
    “Oh well, sure, yeah. That sounds just fine.”
    “Okay, I’ll be right back. Um, before I go, I’ll need you to remove your shirt.” He winked, then turned and headed out the door to fix a hot, relaxing elixir to help soothe the woman’s wound up nerves…
    ‡

Chapter Four

    M ilan found herself clearing her throat over and over in the most grotesque way. She hated when that happened, a feeling usually brought on by stress and anxiety.
    He’s bringing tea…good. He keeps winking at me, too.
    She bit her inner lower lip, stifling a smile at the revelation, but just as fast as that smile was born, it went away to live its life somewhere else.
    Poor man lost his child. That had to have been horrible. Then lost his father to a motorcycle accident, and friends, as well. My father is gone, too…
    She suddenly realized that she’d been wasting time, sitting there in contemplation. He’d told her to undress, yet, her shirt was still on, and a cold chill ran down her spine.
    Of course I have to take it off…but I only have my sports bra under here. I don’t want to be in front of him with only my bra on! Why didn’t I wear the tank top? That’s what I get for dressing flirty, instead of thinking this through. I must be desperate… This man isn’t even my type. I couldn’t keep a relationship after Mom got sick, and here I am, jumping on the first man I see, just silly.
    She snatched at the buttons of her red, sheer shirt, angrily tearing them apart from the holes. She loved that blouse, but now, it took a beating as she took out her angst and worries against it. She flung the shirt on the nearby table, slumped back down and ran her hand through her hair as she waited, smoldering in her own thoughts. Soon, the door opened, and there the man was, holding the cup of tea and a silvery-blue bag.
    “The crowd will be thinning out some, but you are safe back here. No one will see you or walk in, or anything.” He re-locked the door.
    What she found so amazing was, the man didn’t size her up. He didn’t try to get an eyeful; he simply went on about his way as if nothing out of the ordinary were taking place. And why wouldn’t he? She smirked a bit. Surely he’d seen his share of half nude bodies in his place of employment. Hell, probably even completely nude. She was small potatoes. He handed her the warm cup.
    “Thank you.” She took a hearty sip, regretting it once she realized it was a wee bit hotter than she’d anticipated.
    “You’re welcome. Now, are you still getting it on your upper right shoulder?”
    “Yes, that way I can cover it if need be, you know, but not need long sleeved shirts necessarily.”
    He nodded in understanding as he grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a bag of cotton balls.
    “Finish your tea if you wish, then when you’re ready, lie across the table on your stomach.”
    She took a couple more sips, nervously set the cup down, then