She knew he’d gone through his first shift already. Tabby had been kind enough to walk him through it, and Alex had been there as well. Tabby was so far along in her pregnancy that she could no longer shift herself, so while she’d talked, Alex had done the actual shift.

She should have asked Tabby to take a picture of Jim’s Wolf for her, but at the time she hadn’t even thought about it. It was too bad. She really wanted him inked into her skin along with her Fox, especially now that they were mated.

The buzz of the tattoo gun was almost soothing, unlike the current topic of conversation. “You bit him, and now he wants you safe in his den, especially since he and his Wolf know you’re threatened. They won’t be able to rest until you’re there where they can keep an eye on you.” Tabby’s response was way too cheerful for Chloe’s peace of mind. “All that’s left is a little cub or two.”

Chloe held still despite the fact that her heart was going a mile a minute. “Cubs?” Just the thought of tiny little Jimmys and Chloes running around sent her heart racing in fear.

“Or kits.” Tabby’s tone was far too innocent. “Want me to add one or two to your tattoo?”

“Gurk.” Chloe banged her head on the headrest. She was so not ready to think about kits. She could barely think about living with her mate, let alone having children with him. They’d just mated, and while the pull to be near him was stronger than ever, he’d denied her for four years. Could she take that huge a step without making him grovel more?

“You know you’re going to do it.”

“Have kits?” Gods, Chloe was going to hyperventilate if Tabby didn’t drop it. She could barely take care of herself right now. She had no business bringing a kid into this world until she was certain her issues wouldn’t impact his or her tiny little life.

“Move in with him.” The buzz paused as Tabby wiped away some of the blood and ink on Chloe’s shoulder.

“Of source I am. I’m just…” Chloe blew out a breath. “Nervous.”

“You think I wasn’t scared when Alex mated me?” Tabby sighed. “My Bear might be cuddly, but I was terrified my problems would rub off on him and taint him.”

“Bunny adores you.” Chloe could see the love her cousin had for the green-haired tattoo artist. You only had to mention Tabby’s name to see it. Everything about her big cousin went soft and sweet. Tabby was right too. Out of all her cousins, Alex was the most cuddly.

He was also the most deadly. He worked hard to keep his Bear’s instincts under control, using yoga and tai chi, meditation techniques and humor. But if he got his hands on the person who’d ordered the attack on Chloe, nothing would stop him from ripping the guy to shreds.

“Speaking of cubs, when are you spawning again?” Chloe grimaced as Tabby ran the gun over bone. God damn that hurt like hell.

“Soon,” Tabby growled. “And we’re not changing the subject. When are you moving in with Dr. Delicious?”

“Spoon.” Chloe blew out a breath as Tabby moved the gun away from the bone. While it still hurt, the thinner skin over the bone was particularly sensitive. “I’m blinking he’s not going to wait.”

“He’s probably packing up your apartment right now.”

She wouldn’t put it past him. “He’s at work, but he could have called in the cavalry.”

Tabby lifted the gun as she laughed. “The cavalry being Alex, Julian and Eric?”

“Yup.” It might be a Saturday, but vets didn’t get Saturdays off automatically. Now that Jim had a partner he’d assured her he’d only have to work every other weekend. She hadn’t realized how much he’d been doing without a partner; his time away from the practice, helping his brother Spencer, must have done some damage to his business, but he hadn’t said a word about it.

“I bet Eric is bossing everyone else around.” Tabby giggled. “How quick do you think Julian will put a stop to that?”

“Pretty damn quick.” Ryan’s voice cut through the buzz of the tattoo gun. Since Glory was working today he’d stayed at the shop, keeping an eye on his mate as always. It also meant that Jim had felt comfortable dropping Chloe off at the tattoo parlor. She’d assured him that between him and her family she was being watched twenty-four/seven. “I’m pretty sure he’ll shut that shit down faster than you can say pig humper.”

The gun stopped dead as both Chloe and Tabby looked over at Ryan. “Pig humper?”

Ryan shrugged. “Alex asked us not to curse in front of his kid, so we have to be creative, right?”

Chloe and Tabby exchanged a quick, amused glance before Chloe lay back down again, putting her face against the headrest. “That’s one way to put it.”

“The best you could come up with was pig humper?” Tabby shook her head and got back to working on Chloe’s tattoo. “Did your mama drop you on your head when you were a baby?”

“She says no, but I have my suspicions.”

Chloe bit her lip to keep from laughing, but that didn’t last long as Tabby began going over bone once more. “Owie owie ow ow.”

“I want to do some more work on this. What do you think about some color in the background? It would make the fox stand out more.”

Chloe debated that for all of two seconds. So far she loved the work Tabby was doing. Seeing what Tabby could do with free reign would be interesting. “Go for it.”

“Yes!” The cheery yell was accompanied by what Chloe assumed was supposed to be a dance of happiness. Instead, Tabby looked like a hippo wiggling on an uncomfortable rock. “You’re gonna love this, sugar.”

“I like it already.”

Chloe gasped. She had the strangest urge to cover up Tabby’s work, but her mate had already seen it. “Jim?”

“Hey, pretty girl.” Jim’s scent overwhelmed her, overcoming the smell of ink and blood. His lips brushed the top of her head gently.

“Why aren’t you at twerk?” He’d dropped her off with orders to stay close to Ryan.

Ryan choked on a laugh. “Yeah, why aren’t you at twerk?”

Ugh. Of all the words to get wrong, it would have to be that one. And in front of Ryan, no less.

Luckily Jim ignored her brother, focusing instead on Chloe’s emerging tattoo. “I’m done for the day. I heard you back here, so I thought I’d see what was going on.”