AFTER PHILLIP CLEANED UP the table and reset his tools, he looked at me expectantly. I was a bit more modest than Judy, leaving my bathrobe on as I climbed up on the table, only hiking up the back to reveal my ass. And I faced the living room so I could see Robby and Judy.

Phillip didn’t say a word, but he cleaned my butt cheek with what looked a little like distaste. When he started the ink machine, he put his hand on me and paused, cocking his head. He glanced at the photo and then at Robby before starting. After a few minutes of inking my ass, he stopped and wiped.

“Look, I usually don’t ask any questions of my customers, but you have triggered my curiosity.” He met my gaze. “You’re warm and you bleed. Those are two things that a vampire usually doesn’t have going for them. At least when I’ve tattooed them, they have never bled.” He looked between us all.

“I’m a hybrid.” It’s all I was willing to concede. No one but my closest friends needed to know what I really was.

The way his eyebrow rose left me smirking. He sighed and continued the tattoo.

“Anyone want food?” Judy asked. “I can make some eggs or pancakes or something.” She stood, waiting for Robby and Phillip to pipe in.

My mouth watered at the thought. A pancake sounded truly divine. “I’ll try a pancake with strawberries and whipped cream, please.” A platter piled with pancakes, dripping with strawberry sauce and a healthy application of whipped cream, appeared at the end of the tattoo table as if I had consciously wished for it. There was enough for all four of us, with extra to spare.

I blinked at the plate and then up at Robby, as if he had been the one to conjure the food. Even my statement took them by surprise. Just like the steak last night, the pancakes smelled like heaven, and I went to reach for them.

“Don’t move.” Phillip’s stern warning halted any motion from me. “If you want to eat, he will need to feed you.” He nodded at Robby.

My stomach made an ungodly noise. “There’s enough for all of us. Just grab some forks,” I said to Judy as she stared at the pancakes with the same hungry interest that Robby did. “Hon, do you mind feeding me?” I asked Robby.

His gaze shot to my face as Judy went into the kitchen. “Will it be all right?”

I started to shrug but thought twice about that; it would move my muscles and I couldn’t move from the position I had chosen on my elbows, facing them in some half-modified upward dog. “I think so. It smells as good as you all do.”

Judy came back with four forks. “Let me know if you’d like some,” she said to Phillip.

The tattoo gun paused and then restarted. “It does look good,” he said. “But I need to concentrate.”

“I can conjure you up a plate after you finish,” I said.

“That would be nice.” The tattoo gun resumed.

Robby and Judy pulled up chairs to the end of the padded table I laid on. They dug in, and with the first bite, Robby closed his eyes.

“Damn, these are good.” He cut a small piece, dipped it in sauce and cream, and then offered it to me.

Of course, it was half the size of his bite, but his cautiousness was appreciated. It had been over six months since I ate anything, and I had no clue how my body would react. But I wanted the sweet confection.

The moment I closed my mouth on the bite, my taste buds sighed. Sweet and tangy syrup played along my tongue, mixed with the milkiness of the whipped cream. Sinfully delicious. I swallowed and it slid down easily. My stomach made another horrid noise, but it accepted the gift without much strife. I wanted more but I closed my eyes, savoring the strawberry aftertaste. Hell, I could devour the entire plate, but I held back.

“Are you okay?” Robby asked through another mouthful.

I nodded, opening my eyes to meet his gaze, and my mouth for another bite.

He gave me a little larger portion and smiled as I slowly chewed it and swallowed. Two bites were enough to make me feel full, and I waved him and the plate away. He took it to the couch, where Judy and he devoured it completely within a matter of seconds.

I sent the plate back to wherever I had retrieved it from before I put my head on my folded arms and closed my eyes. Lulled by the hum of the tattoo gun—the sting of the needle barely registered—I slipped off into a hypnotized stupor, trusting that Robby would keep me safe.

After a couple of hours, Phillip stopped. “I have everything but the accents.” He started mixing colors until he had what looked like liquid gold.

I conjured a mirror large enough for me to see the tattoo. To say I was impressed was an understatement. I waved the mirror away. “The gold should only be on the tips of the fur, so it doesn’t lose the black component.”

“Conjure that mirror again. I may need some direction.” He filled the gun with the new color and rolled his neck before he leaned over.

I did as he asked and watched in my mirror as he added a tiny bit of gold to a few hairs of fur on the drawing.

“Like that?”

It was enough to see the gold, but not enough to make it really stand out like it did when Robby shifted.

“Just a little more. Like an additional half of what you just did.”

He leaned in and adjusted the gold to cover more of the tip of the fur.

“Perfect!” I waved the mirror away.

Another hour passed before Phillip pulled away and wiped the tattoo again. “How’s that?”

I conjured the mirror and just stared at the masterpiece on my left cheek. It was almost an exact replica of what Robby looked like in wolf form. I sighed, waving the mirror away before I turned to look at Phillip. “You are extremely talented. It is beyond perfect.”

He grinned, waved me back down, and washed and covered the area like he did with Robby and Judy.

“Do you mind if I take a picture of this?” he asked.

“Yes. I mind.” I did not want anyone else in the world to have this tattoo. “Please don’t.”

He blinked and nodded, but the disappointment was clear. After all, it was a work of art. He cleared his throat. “You’re not a werewolf, so I would suggest you leave this on for the five days. If it seeps, I’ll leave a couple of protective films for you to use to recover the tattoo after you clean it. And I’ll leave you some antibacterial soap to wash the area before covering it again.”

“Thanks.” I hopped off the table and took the items from him, putting them on the side table as I stretched my back to get the ache out. “Did you want those pancakes?” I didn’t wait for an answer. I conjured another plate similar to the first, along with a fork, and handed it to him.

He finished wiping the table and then took the pancakes before he packed up the rest of the items. With a grin, he nearly inhaled the ample breakfast and then burped. His face reddened.

“Sorry.” He covered his mouth a little too late for a second satisfied belch. “That is almost as good as the essence of a soul.”

“Thank you,” I said when he handed me back the plate. With a wave of my hand, it went back into the ether.

“That really is a handy talent,” he said as he packed his tattoo guns and paints. “Do you have a garbage?” He held out a plastic bag full of bloody rags.

I stared at the offered garbage and took it, stanching the need to put it to my lips and suck the blood from the material. I turned and handed it to Robby as quickly as possible, so I didn’t give in to the need for blood that suddenly welled.

I shifted my stance and gave Phillip a tight smile as Robby headed for the kitchen.

Phillip studied me. “I still don’t understand what exactly you are. Most vampires, whether they were witches before or not, become vampires when they are turned.”

I willed my fangs to come out and smiled. “Who said I’m not afflicted with the vampire’s curse?”

He laughed. “You’re not normal.”

I willed my teeth away. “I’ve never been normal. And that’s a good thing.”

“Man, I’d give anything for a taste of you,” he muttered as Robby walked back into the room.

“Don’t even think about it,” he growled.

Phillip stiffened, and the poor man’s face paled.

“I am hungry.” I put my hand up for Robby to chill, but that didn’t make Phillip’s pallor any better. “If I can have a taste of you, I’ll allow you a small taste of my essence like you take from your clients.”

Phillip laughed. “News flash. Vampires kill.”

“I don’t. It’s part of that not normal thing I have going on.”

“Sarah,” Robby warned. “He takes time away from you,” he said, explaining exactly what a soul eater does. But unlike vampires, soul eaters rarely kill.

I still had lives left. Not many, but enough so I could sacrifice a little time. “How much time do you take?”

Phillip took a breath. “Days, weeks, months, depending on how much energy I expend. But I try not to drain more than a couple months at the most. Anything more and that seems to ping the MDA’s radar, which is how Johnson found me.”

Johnson had used his discretion where Phillip was concerned. I’m sure the MDA had no clue because there wouldn’t be any way he would do work for free if he was forced to be an informant. Which meant, Johnson wasn’t operating at one-hundred percent loyalty to the agency, and he had seen something in this guy that made him skirt the rules.

Interesting.

“A pint for a week,” I blurted, needing something to smooth out the craving, and real food did nothing to deter my growing hunger for blood. I would gladly give up a week of time, so I didn’t end up biting Robby. “And I go first.” I smiled.

He shifted the bag on his shoulder and folded up his table before he looked at me again as if weighing some of the same things I had before I blurted out the deal. He set the bag and the table down. “My curiosity has gotten the best of me.” He stepped forward and lifted his chin, offering me his throat.

“Don’t, Sarah.” Robby grabbed my arm. “It’s a trick.”

I studied Phillip. The fact he offered me his throat was a large wager on his part. “I don’t think so. And I need to feed. I don’t see Judy or Johnson offering up their blood.”

Robby offered me his wrist.

“I intend to keep that promise.” I pushed his hand down and met his gaze. “Trust me, and trust that he won’t screw me over. If he does, I’ll let you tear him to pieces.”

Phillip’s eyes widened at that, but he remained still with his head up, offering me his neck.

I wasn’t going to feed from his throat. That was reserved for intimacy and for enemies. “Not your neck.” I took his hand and pushed back his sleeve. Without warning, I dug my teeth into his flesh and was rewarded with a flow of blood. He winced but didn’t try to pull away. The soul eater’s blood tasted like strong, smoky bourbon, almost like the combination of thousands of souls. I pulled swallow after swallow, satiating my need, keeping my mind in the present instead of getting lost in his life essence.

When I guessed I had taken a pint’s worth of blood, I pulled away and swiped my finger across the punctures, sealing the cuts before I lifted up and stared him in the eye. A hazy smoke that looked like spun sunshine surrounded us, leaving a satisfied smile on his face. His eyes glazed over as if he had taken some hard-core drugs.

He blinked and the smoke around us pulled into his mouth as he took a deep inhale. His eyes cleared up, and he stared at me with awe.

“I still don’t know what you are, but that small infusion felt like swallowing the sun. I don’t think I’ll need to eat again for a very long time.”

“You already fed?” I hadn’t felt anything. No siphoning of energy or life force. It was as if nothing had happened at all. That made me wonder how his feeding triggered MDA at all.

He grinned. “I had no guarantee that you would stop or follow through on your end when you finished.”

I stepped back, staring at him. His trust wavered, and I really couldn’t blame him; that was why I insisted on going first. “How much did you take?”

“I stopped at a week, as we agreed.” He stared at his wrist. “How did you...cauterize the wounds?”

“I conjured fire,” I lied. I wasn’t going to tell him that was part of my makeup. He had seen me conjure things today, so it wasn’t that far-fetched.

He seemed satisfied with my lie and picked up his things. Before he left, he pulled out his card. “If you need any more tattoos, please contact me. I’d be happy to help you, for a fair trade.” He grinned and handed me the card.

“Thank you.” I looked at the card in my hand. “Now, do not forget—not a word, and as soon as you enter your shop, you will forget Robby and I were here.” I pushed my influence out and that faraway look appeared.

Phillip nodded and left without another word. After he was out of sight, I closed the front door.

“He won’t remember us.” I handed the card to Judy. “So, if you want his card, be my guest.”

I lifted my bathrobe. “Do you like it?” I asked Robby.

He nodded. “It’s as exquisite as the ass it’s on.”

“It is stunning,” Judy said from behind us. “Is that what he looks like?” She met my gaze.

I nodded and dropped the hem of the robe. “Yes. And honestly, I hope you never have to see him like that here. If you do, it means all hell has broken loose.”