Dead Man's Deal The Asylum Tales - By Jocelynn Drake Page 0,139

my gut screamed that these were the locations of the Towers, the thing that could bring destruction down on all our heads.

I stood, staring at the paper, fighting the urge to blast this information out across the world just like Reave wanted. After the threats to me, the threats to Trixie, and Alice’s death, I was ready to see the Towers fall. If I thought for a second that this information could free the world without causing it to burn first, I would have let Reave proceed with his plan. But the world couldn’t beat the Towers. At least not yet.

I put the paper down on the table with a grunt and walked over to the counter before the cabinet of supplies. I poured some weak tea from the little kettle into a mug and offered it to him. “It’s going to take a few hours to tattoo these on you. Drink this. It will help dull the pain.”

Robert stepped back from the mug. “I don’t need it.”

I frowned and took a step toward him. “The tattoo is going on your side along your ribs. It’s going to hurt like hell, I promise. Drink it. The painkiller is as much for me as you. The more pain you’re in, the harder it’s going to be to tattoo you because you’re going to squirm. Let’s get this done.”

“I don’t trust you.” The words sliced through me, cutting deep. It must have shown because he cursed. “I don’t trust you not to try to save me. You have to do this.”

“I know. We’re trapped. If I don’t tattoo you, Reave will have you killed,” I said, anger rising in my voice. “Fine. I’ll tattoo you, but I can at least reduce the pain. That’s all this is.”

Robert grimaced, but took the mug and drained its contents. My brother had been right not to trust me. I had been lying through my teeth since he walked through the door. Reave wasn’t going to kill him if he wasn’t tattooed because I was going to take care of Reave. Unfortunately, Robert was still a target for the Towers and that was why I was going to tattoo him.

“Take off your shirt and lie on your side on the table,” I said as I took the mug back from him. He nodded, following my directions while I grabbed the paper with the coordinates and settled on the little stool beside the table as he got comfortable. There was no outline to put on his body. I was working purely from memory. But I wasn’t worried. I wouldn’t screw this up. If I wanted to save my brother’s life, the tattoo would be perfect.

I prepped the area where I would be working, shaving away the little hairs while slathering some petroleum jelly on his side. Snapping on a pair of gloves, I took up the tattooing gun in my right hand while positioning the pedal under my toe.

“I was thinking of stopping by to see Mom and Dad soon,” I said, holding the needle poised over his skin.

“I think they’d like that.” Each word was slow and slurred as he started to drift off to sleep.

“Good. I’ll tell them you said hi.”

“Thanks,” he murmured, the word nearly lost in an expelled breath. “Don’t try to save me, Gage. I’m the older brother. It’s my job . . . to save . . . you.”

A couple seconds later, a soft snoring tumbled from him as the sleeping potion took effect. Keeping Robert asleep throughout this process would make it easier for me to work the various spells and potions I was attempting.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I stepped on the pedal and drew my first line. The world slipped away from me so that I was no longer aware of the shop or Robert’s snoring. There was only the steady buzz of the tattooing machine and the stretch of living canvas spread before me.

Six hours later, I sat back against the wall, staring at the man on the table. It had taken me nearly three hours to complete the tattoo and another three to finish all the other spells. I was exhausted, drained to the bone, but I expected my plan to work. Robert had walked in with brown hair and eyes. The tattoo had changed that, giving him blond hair and green eyes. Pushing away from the wall, I walked over and leaned down to take a closer look at him. The stubble on