20. Vessa
20
Vessa
T here was no way in hell I could have slept after that. I went back to my room, slipped on the sleeve that hid my scars, put on my gloves, secured my hat, and threw on my holster before I slipped out the door to have a drink downstairs.
As the bubbles churned in the fancy wine glass, I realized I was going to need a whole lot more. I waved down one of the two boys behind the bar, who looked like they could be brothers. The oldest one came over this time. He was maybe around fifteen, if I was taking a wild guess.
“Whatever is left in that bottle of wine, I’ll take it all.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said in haste, sounding like a little perfectly-trained fae. This place was molding him to grow up too fast.
“That will be five nara coins, please.” He held out his hand with a bright smile that didn’t quite look right.
I leaned in. “Do you ever get a cut of what you sell, kid?” I asked casually.
“Pardon?”
I huffed out a laugh. His manners were too cute. “You know, selling all this booze and wine, do you earn a keep from it?”
His eyebrows rose in shock as he looked from side to side. I hadn’t known asking questions was a sin. He immediately shook his head.
“Here,” I said, giving him five pieces of nara coins and another small pouch just for him, enough to bring him happiness for weeks. “This pouch is special,” I whispered, drawing his attention back toward me.
“You mean, special like you?” The boy’s professionalism melted away as he leaned in to take a closer look at my face. He closely examined my sparkling freckles beneath the brim of my hat. He gasped, eyes widening as if he saw something else. “You’re fae, just like I was, but there’s something different about you,” he observed, studying me as if he might see it if he squinted hard enough.
Such a smart little boy. The back of my throat burned as tears stung my eyes. I looked at the tops of his ears where his tips used to be, and I knew he was using a glamor to hide the jagged scars, but somehow, I could see them. Something inside me broke. I lifted my sleeve to expose the scars on my forearm. His eyes widened again when he saw how bad they were.
“No matter what they try to take from us, we are still fae. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
“Why do you hide them?” he asked. The question took me back.
“Well, it’s not that I’m ashamed. People just ask too many questions. I’m not one to draw attention to myself. I prefer to be?—”
“Like a shadow?” he guessed.
I smiled faintly. “Yeah, kind of like that.”
He nodded.
“And don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” I said, my eyes flashing to his ears. He shyly brushed a few golden locks away from his face.
“I know. That’s why I told you.” He smiled with more confidence this time.
I didn’t want to draw out this conversation in fear someone might notice. “This pouch has enough for you to buy anything you like. A man like you has to start somewhere. You know, establish yourself. Who knows, maybe one day, you’ll own this damn joint.”
His chest puffed out a little with pride as the pouch disappeared inside his pocket. “Thank you.”
I watched him walk off.
“Well look at you being all sensitive and shit.”
I spun on my stool to meet the eyes of Ryder, who was casually leaning against the bar.
“Not exactly, it’s just?—”
“It’s okay, I won’t tell a living soul you’re a softy on the inside.” He half grinned and cupped his hand over mine, stroking the scars up my wrist with the pad of his thumb, rekindling that heat. That spark fluttered up my arms, across my chest, and up my face.
“Are you blushing, Desert Storm?”
My head tilted back as I laughed, holding my hat in the process.
I leaned an elbow onto the weathered wood of the bar and slightly side-eyed him, reaching out the only way I knew how, through darkness. A rope-like shadow wove in my hand. With a devious thought, it slipped behind his leather belt, sliding through each loop until it was completely wrapped around his waist. I manipulated his power of Nai , weaving it to my whim because his mind was being driven by his cock. I reined him in so quickly, with an effortless tug, he was wedged between my thighs so that only the two of us could see the magic I held over him.
An invisible tether wrapped around his neck, forcing him to lean down until my gloved hand was also wrapped around his throat. A faint tendril of darkness followed as it curled around him.
He took it as an invitation, grip tightening on the ledge of the bar, hanging over me as desire churned in his eyes. With a long, claiming lick, my tongue slid from his chin to the seam of his lips, finishing with a lustrous gaze, satisfied when his face turned red against his sun-kissed skin.
“Look who’s blushing now,” I whispered.
The crowd blurred around us the moment a song began to play. The sound of a guitar and piano pushed me to my feet. I never got to dance the way I wanted, in the middle of a room where nothing else seemed to matter. I wanted him to follow me, wanted to know how far he’d go, to see if he would chase and try to finish what had barely begun. I released him from my grip, the faint mist of shadows dissipating in my wake as I slipped into the crowd, leaving him where he stood. I didn’t look back. I weaved through swaying arms and hips, moving past dancing bodies damp with sweat and clusters of smells. I felt the rise of freedom within every gentle push off the ground, closing my eyes as my head swayed to the beat. I glanced over at the bar to find an empty seat where Ryder had been.
His loss , I thought as I continued to move.
Suddenly, there was a second set of strings adding to the beat. The crowd parted at the right moment for me to see that Ryder was the second guitarist, watching me dance. His strumming became a siren’s call to my darkness. I succumbed to every note, to the brush of his nails chiming against every string as my hips moved from side to side. Time itself vanished as I closed my eyes, losing myself to the song.
Just when I thought I couldn’t feel any freer, a familiar arm wrapped around the cinch of my waist. A spark that could ignite any waning flame. I opened my eyes to find Ryder, leaning in as he gently moved me into his embrace. My breathing stilled, betraying my own heart in the way I was looking at him. It could match the fire churning in his eyes. He was enough to ruin me, careen me off a cliff, and in this moment, I didn’t mind. I forgot where I was, in a world full of hatred, where people died every day. It all seemed to fade into the ash we were all destined to become. He was here for now. The hollowness inside my chest began to swell, the ghost of who I had been tapping on the inside to be let out, reminding me she was still here.
I felt less of a vessel in his presence, more alive than I’d ever allowed myself to be. I brought my palm to his chest, feeling his pulse thrum beneath my fingertips as he caressed the column of my neck. Time stilled as we moved to the beat, both our hearts racing. I sucked in a shuddered breath, removing my glove and exposing my hand. I didn’t feel like the curse I was known to be. Shadows curled around us as I released them, blocking out the candle-lit room and those around us. I saw the threads of his power. The power of Nai.
“What are you doing?” He leaned down, whispering against my ear.
“I’m living.”
I moved my lips against his as we danced. Glowing orbs returned as if summoned by my touch alone, weaving around the parts of me others saw as evil. It was his power latching on to mine for as long as this song lasted. He combed his fingers through my hair. His lips were supple and soft, the scruff of his beard an aching reminder of our time in the desert, and I found myself considering where else I’d like him to explore.
“This is dangerous,” he exhaled in a heated breath. “So fucking dangerous.” A strong, calloused hand slid down my waist as he leaned down, kissing along the column of my neck while our hips moved in synchronized motions.
I smiled, eyes closed as I danced on the edges, pushing to see how far I could take this. I would run to Earth’s Fall if I could. That hidden space at the end of Blightstone Hollow that was only told in stories, a place I often hoped existed come the day I was done with this place.
“We are still here,” I softly whispered into the shell of his ear. He turned his head ever so slightly, causing the scruff of his beard to rub against me. He dragged his lips to mine, hard and claiming—demanding in how he pulled me against his chest. I held my breath as the world slipped away, opening my mouth to his. We moved together as the darkness enveloped us until the song was over.
I opened my eyes in a soft flutter, caught beneath his penetrating stare. And I was still alive. Our magic waned as I looked around.
“I don’t know how, but no one noticed,” I said quietly into his ear, shocked that the room remained moving to the next song. But something caught the corner of my eye as another type of magic sent a vibration down my spine.
I turned to find Raven, hand extended, the remnants of his shadow receding back into his palm as sweat broke out across his face. He paled, fingertips shaking, and blood dripped from his nose. My jaw fell open. Shock and anger fused together as I rushed through the crowd.
“What the hell are you doing?” My voice shook, my mind still reeling to understand how he could have done that .
“Don’t,” is all he said.
He’d somehow strengthened his power of illusion, all so I could dan?—
When the realization struck me, I brought a hand to my mouth. “Why?” My voice unexpectedly cracked. I was not worthy of such a thing.
He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped the blood off his nose with a rendering force.
“Why do you think?” His eyes flashed with nothing but pain and frustration. “You mean more to me than a… forced bond. I—” He waved his hand, gritting his teeth with his jaw set in place. Whatever he had been about to say died on his tongue. “Seeing your smile is better than flying. I know where we stand, but it doesn’t mean I won’t go through great lengths to see you’re still alive somewhere deep inside…”
He never looked at me; his gaze was far away.
“Good night, moon,” he said, dissipating into the dark just as he always did when he was done. I watched him disappear into a shroud of nothing; only the stool remained where he’d just been.
Ryder came up behind me, secretly slipping me my glove. He was still confused.
“Are you okay?”
“I will be.”