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Obsidian
“Uncle Sid, where are you?” Iver yelled from the shop office. I rolled out from beneath the car I was currently working on and grinned up at my nephew staring down at me.
“Iver boy, is it already two?” I asked. I sat up, pulled the rag from my back pocket, and wiped it over my face.
Iver nodded his head before he giggled. “You just made it worse, Sid,” he said before taking the rag from me and wiping my brow where I had a smear of grease.
“Thanks, kid. Papa in the office, is he?” I asked.
“Yep. McKenna didn’t come; she wanted to stay with Daffodil and Royal.”
I placed my hand to my chest and gasped in pretend hurt. “I’m wounded. My niece would rather spend time with her cousins than her favorite uncle.”
Iver giggled and reached out a hand to help me stand from the trolley I was sitting on. “So what tatt are we getting today?” he asked.
I’d promised Iver that I would take him to Shifter Ink when I got my next lot of art from Burgess. Iver was going to get a tattoo also. A fake one, but until his Papa finally convinced him to wash it off his back, Iver had a tattoo.
“Well, I’m getting more work down on my back. What have you got planned?” I asked.
“I’m going to get a kraken on my back.”
“Nice. Your Dad will love that,” I said. My brother Bacchus was a kraken shifter. Iver grinned and nodded his head. “Who have you convinced to do your work for you?”
“Sloane,” he answered. “She’s the best at doing old school.”
I chuckled. All my nephews and nieces loved going into Shifter Ink to get their tattoos drawn on with sharpies. Burgess adored all of them, as did the other tattoo artists.
“Well, then let’s get going,” I said as I walked over to the sink and looked in the mirror to ensure I’d got all the grease off my face. I quickly scrubbed my hands. Not that it was getting rid of all the motor oil that stained my fingers and fingernails. That would take months of manicures to fix that mess. It was part of being a mechanic. I remembered that about Papa growing up; he always had grease-stained fingers. Unlike Asher, whose fingers always looked manicured and soft.
I walked with Iver into the office where Anghus was sitting with Alena and Donte, one of my mechanics and a member of the Devil’s Advocates. He was also Asher’s brother-in-law. I swear that the way my family interweaved with everyone in town was getting more complicated.
“Tattoo time?” Donte asked.
I grinned and nodded my head. I had a regular appointment with Iver every fortnight. We all took turns in having the kids with us during the weeks. It was our way of giving our brothers and their mates a break but also a chance for us to spend time with our nephews and nieces. I loved it. Even though I was an alpha, and the stereotype was that alphas weren’t paternal, that was different for me. I would give anything to have kids of my own. One day. Hopefully.
“Be good for Sid,” Anghus said, pointing at Iver, who grinned at his father. The kid looked just like my brother Bacchus. His eyes sparked the same with mischief. But he was so much like Anghus in his personality. Iver could be so serious that sometimes it was easy to forget that he was still just a little boy.
“Iver’s always good. What are you talking about? He isn’t like you, Anghus; he is good,” I said.
Iver threw his head back and barked out a laugh. Anghus smirked and held his hand out to shake mine.
“Don’t teach him anymore swear words,” Anghus warned, causing me to chuckle.
So, I may have a bad habit of swearing when things went wrong in the shop, and I may or may not have inadvertently taught my nephews and nieces some bad words that they went on to use in front of their parents. Thankfully my brothers loved me and hadn’t killed me yet.
“Can’t make any promises,” I said with a laugh as I led Iver out of the office and towards my car. “Let’s get us some tatts, and then I reckon we deserve a burger.”
“Yes,” Iver said with a cheer as he climbed into the passenger side of my car and buckled his seat belt.
I chuckled and brought the car to life with a roar. My Mustang was my baby. I’d got her from an old guy that had left her in his shed for years. After replacing the engine and the interior, I was in love. She was my pride and joy; I’d be lost without her.