Chapter Ten

“You have the perfect spot for a two seater couch right against that wall. It would make things a lot more comfortable for people who were waiting, or visiting your business just to see how you were, and how things were going in your life.”

Zac looked up from the skin he was marking, remembering just in time to smile at the old dear who was looking at him expectantly. “Do you happen to know where there’s one to be had at a good price in town? I’m sure it’s a good idea, the shop is a bit sparse in terms of furniture. But as you can see, I’m quite busy at the moment.” He swiped at the skin under his fingers with an alcohol wipe and bent back to his work.

“Well, if you don’t mind me offering a helpful suggestion, Robin over at the Furniture Barn is having a sale. His blue two-seater in the window is only a hundred and fifty dollars, marked down from three hundred. I might be able to get him to drop it another ten percent, seeing as he’s my brother’s son-in-law.”

That was a good price, and as this was the third “helpful” suggestion he’d received since opening his shop Monday morning, Zac was learning to just “go with it,” as Locryn would say. That big rubber plant in the corner by the door did look good, as did the welcome mat to protect his floors from his client’s muddy boots.

“Rat, please escort this helpful lady to the Furniture Barn so she can pick out the couch. You can pay for it, and return with it, thank you.”

“Oh, you’ll just love it. We’ll have a look at some more plants and maybe a few cushions while we’re there. It’ll be fun. Come along, little man. Tell me, what sort of a name is Rat? Did you have one as a pet when you were young?” The woman, Zac thought her name was Mabel, clutched at Rat’s arm as they left, making Zac smile for real. Rat looked like he wanted to sink through the floor into the Underworld and never come back.

“There’s a surprising number of older persons wandering in and out of your business, today.” Conrad, the wolf shifter Zac was tattooing, wiggled around and then settled. “Not the sort of thing I expected to see in this tiny town, or in one of your businesses.”

“It’s Appleton. I’ve been told to run with it, so I am.” Zac switched out his needle and reached for the next ink color. Conrad loved vibrant designs and was back for a coloring session on his sleeve. “Locryn, he’s my new Fated Mate. He’s lived in this place five years, so he knows how the non-paranormals think in this town. It’s a bit different, but the ideas have been helpful so far, and those older people have a lot of sway among the locals.”

Zac loved the idea of being able to say, “new Fated Mate” even if he could only mention it to his paranormal clients. He was fast loving the idea of being mated full stop. For the first time in his long-ass life, he fit with his person, and Locryn was so easy to be with. Their weekend had been a mix of sexy times and being out and about, letting Zac learn more about the small town he’d originally wanted to just hide in. Locryn’s cheerful nature made Zac want to be a friendlier person.

“Never thought you’d be the one who got mated. Sure changes the tone of our meetings.” Conrad lay back, his free arm raised above his head. He was shirtless and had an impressive range of muscles. There had been a few times in the past… alright, every time Conrad had come in for an appointment before, Zac had gotten his dick serviced, too. He didn’t miss being a walking hardon, though. It was easier to focus on his art when his cock was curled up, quietly satisfied until he got back to his Fae.

Conrad flexed again. “My throat’s going to miss your dick.”

“And yet, strangely, because I’m now happily mated, my dick doesn’t miss your lips.” Zac smirked. “Now, show some respect. My mate is a gorgeous person inside and out. No trash talking.”

“Yeah. Fair enough.” Conrad nodded, taking care not to move the arm Zac was working on. “So why did you move here, anyway? I mean, clearly, you made the right move since you met your mate here, but I thought you were happy in Vegas.”

“It was time.” Zac shrugged. Conrad deserved some explanation seeing as he was happy enough to travel from New York, just to lay on Zac’s table. He’d barely grumbled at all when Zac had told him of the change of address for his appointment, even though he’d had the appointment booked for three months.

“I’ve lived in big cities ever since leaving the Underworld – you first started seeing me when I was in New York, remember?”

Conrad nodded. “And then Washington D.C. and then Detroit, and our last appointment was in Vegas. You must have itchy feet, or is that a demon thing?”

“I don’t know about other demons. Very few of them live on earth at all. As for me, I guess I was always looking for something I could never find. Seems I needed a small town to find my place and my person.”

“I did wonder about you living on earth in the first place,” Conrad said. “But then, you’re not like any demon I’ve met.”

Looking up, Zac glared. Conrad lifted the hand on the arm not being worked on. “I don’t mean anything bad by it. Don’t go poking me with that needle. I’m just saying, you’re different. You’re an amazing artist. You’ve always given your clients fair service. Hell, you went to the trouble of sourcing the ink that actually stays in my skin. I’m grateful, man. It makes me stand out when I go on pack runs. But you have to admit none of what you do is typical demon behavior.”

“If you want typical demons, you should meet my brothers, and as a group, they’re a damn good reason for me living on earth.” Zac bent back to what he was doing.

“So how did you meet your mate? Did he come in for a tattoo?”

“No, actually. I have my brothers to thank for that. It’s hilarious because they’ve never done a damn thing for me before. I got a visit from Taric…”

The couch really did look good against the bare wall, and the cushions worked as well. Rat left before closing time, making Zac laugh out loud as he went.