27. Vessa
27
Vessa
T here was a distant hum in the air, a slight shift in the breeze that had sent an awareness down my back the moment we’d entered this room. All at once, the center of my chest burned where the mark of the moon carved my path, a call to my very own power. Though I stood in the entrance of a place that held so much greed, by some inclination, I knew I was destined to be here. I felt it beneath my footsteps, and as I pressed my palm onto one of the stacked metal crates, the vibration grew. There was a small basket with a handful of blightstone in such strange shapes. I picked one up and held it in my palm. Raven’s arm brushed against mine, his body heat dragging my glare away for him and I to share a look. I opened the bond.
He reached out, examining the stone closely before saying, “What the fuck have we walked into?”
“I don’t know, but something isn’t right,” I replied through the bond. These stones had been melted down only to be hardened once more. As I looked at some above a low-lit candle, I realized they were being melted…again.
Now I knew the city was not humming, it was wailing—the Eternal was hidden somewhere in the city walls. Stones were known for having energy, and somehow, I was able to hear it.
At the end of the room, a man stood behind a table with his sleeves rolled up and shirt slightly untucked. He looked to be in his sixties, but his rich, tan skin had a glow—no doubt using the power of longevity from these stones.
“Ah, there you are,” the man said, moving his attention to Ryder.
Within a few strides, Ryder sauntered over to the table, dragging a hand along the metal crates in examination as we trailed slowly behind. “I’m always on time, Sergil.”
Now getting a closer look, I studied the artificial firmness of Sergil’s face. It was unnatural for humans to use this; the sheer wanton effects of the tonic had made every fading line and wrinkle look like a waning facade.
“My, my, she has the brightest of curious eyes,” Sergil drawled as he slightly tipped his glasses for another look. His almond-shaped eyes roamed over my face, as if he was piecing something together, observing me like I was another specimen to be pulled apart in his shit-festering lair. While he had me under his glare, I had a feeling he wasn’t fully human nor was he the main maker. He was trained, because there was no fucking way he could have learned this on his own.
“Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll drain every ounce of that tonic from your veins.” I smirked, leaning into the table until I was inches from his face. “And I promise you’ll feel every ounce of it leaving your body.” He was part of the problem as to why this shit kept being sold on the black market. “This whole fucking place should be burned to the ground,” I said, glancing over at Pa, who had resumed his poker face.
Ryder pressed a firm hand over the top of my stomach, gently nudging me back. “This is all just a transaction. We are only here to get what you need,” he warned before turning to Sergil. “Then we will be on our way.” Ryder’s stilted conversation had me on edge as something unsettling raked down my spine.
I gritted my teeth, turning to look at Pa for some sort of response, maybe fucking backup? He returned my daggered stare with a warning as he walked up to Sergil. “Business is business until you cross this table. Count your blessings—this transaction is the only reason I haven’t slit your fucking throat.” He tossed a bag of nara coins onto the table, slowly pulling out another.
One, two, three… My eyes went wide. I knew each pouch had over a thousand. He was giving away almost everything we had.
“I am not worth any of this,” I stated. Four, five… I couldn’t stay here any longer.
“I’m out of here.” I couldn’t stop my heart from pounding, feeling the betrayal as I realized we were only feeding into the problem. We could have stormed this place and took what we wanted, but I knew Pa. He never shared all the details of his plans. I could only assume he was complying because we were in the enemy’s territory. There would be more nara coins to come, but it still didn’t make this transaction any easier.
I hadn’t realized I had left the connection open until Raven called my name.
“Vessa, wait.”
“Don’t follow me.”
Raven’s cursed growl echoed throughout the room.
Before I reached the stairs, the final bag thumped onto the table, causing my next step to seize. “She only gets the best.”
I shuddered at the words before ascending the stairs.
Walking out the tavern doors was all I could do for now. I had an idea of how to get back to my room, but if my assumptions were right, Ryder’s stallion would guide me the rest of the way. I approached his horse too abruptly, sending him to stomp his hooves as I reached to untie the reins, stirring the human male in the process.
“Hey, where are your other frien?—”
A thick tendril of darkness unfurled and went for his throat. “I’d shut the fuck up if I were you.” I mounted the horse and shot him a seething glare.
He choked on his next words before I released him.
“Gods-damn. You’re just as violent as your lover,” he said, rubbing his throat.
I scoffed.
Lover?
I spat in his direction. Those words held too many obligations and responsibilities that I had no time to consider. Raven was already up my ass, and to have another male tied to me?
“I belong to no one,” I snapped before riding away.
Raven’s call came through faint threads of magic, scratching at the edges of our bond. I knew he was being careful where he shifted. I was surprised he had followed my order to remain with Pa and Ryder to finish off the transaction, but I knew as soon as he was able to, he’d be in his raven form to come find me. But none of that mattered. Things would always be tense between us as long as this bond was forced. Pa had paved our path to hell, and I was tired being a part of it.
Riding through the streets of Donia felt like a betrayal of the very values and peace our lands once had. No matter where I looked, I couldn’t help this numbing feeling that I didn’t belong here, no matter how easy this place made life seem with its cozy bookshops and places to eat. The merchants outside some of these small businesses were thriving, but I knew most of their success was made from the working hands of fae. I knew what lay beyond their accomplishments. Fae would never be welcomed in their true forms, having to glamor their ears, scarred or pointed. Some were still being sold and enslaved. Not every fae who hid among the humans had a choice. This entire place was a prison.
It wasn’t long before I found our building, as if Ryder’s stallion had been here many times before. I rode up to the stables and dismounted once I saw one of the boys walking my way from the barn doors.
Without saying much, I handed him the reins and went back to my room.
I plopped down onto the bed, warring over the complexities of this situation as the weight of it all pushed against my chest. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm myself before it got out of hand. The muscles in my body ached. A tear slipped free as I finally gave in to the tonic’s call, popping the top off and swallowing the contents in the last vial Ryder had given Pa for this journey. It wasn’t long until I succumbed to the effects, overcome by fatigue, and with it, my sorrows drifted me to sleep.
I must have slept for an hour before I was awakened by a clamor of boots and the deep bass of Pa’s voice in the hall. I got out of bed and placed my ear to the door. I heard Pa invite Ryder into his room, and I peeked out to catch a glimpse of Ryder entering before the door closed behind them. Raven was nowhere in sight, which told me he was already roaming the skies. In haste, I removed my boots and quietly tiptoed down the hall to eavesdrop.
“Well, looks like your job is done here, cowboy,” Pa said. A few heavy bags of nara coins thudded on top of the table. Ryder’s last payment.
“Keep it,” Ryder said as the coins made a slight ring—what I assumed was him pushing the bags back toward Pa. My next breath stalled as confusion fell across my face.
What is he doing?
“I don’t want any more of your money. I think what you and Vessa have gone through is enough.”
My heart pounded against my chest as my cheeks heated.
“She struck you that bad, huh?” Pa’s gruff voice ended in a sigh as he drummed his fingers against the wood. “I don’t blame you a damn bit, but you need to understand what you’re getting into. She might be pretty to look at, but she loves just like gold, hard or cold. You cross her the wrong way once, and your fate is sealed.”
There was a long pause before either of them spoke again. A chair grated against the floor. Someone sat down. I could only assume it was Ryder in the way he groaned when he leaned back.
“This is just a job, End’s Wrath. One where people die every day where I’m from.”
“Does she know this was just a job for you? Or is that what you keep telling yourself because you’re just that stupid?”
Ryder laughed as I heard his hand drag across the scruff of his face. “Heaven’s hell, you are bold, old man.”
“Ain’t nothing funny, boy. You’ll walk away, expecting her to chase you down. Let me tell you right now, Vessa doesn’t chase. She hunts. You leave this city tonight, and she won’t ever go looking for you.”
“I beg to differ,” Ryder drawled in challenge. “You’ll see.”
My pulse pounded in my ears. I’d known Ryder was arrogant, but I couldn’t help the stone dropping into the pit of my stomach at the thought of him just up and leaving.
This is his job, Vessa. Rein your shit in.
With bated breath, I waited to hear what they would say next.
Suddenly, I heard the chair grate across the floor again. I took that as my sign to leave as I spun on my heels and slipped back into my room just as the door opened. Ryder’s boots thudded against the ground, the sound of his spurs clanking until he stopped right outside my door. I held my breath, hearing him exhale faintly on the other side. The hesitation clung to the air as a simple piece of wood stood between us. I could somehow sense the strain of thoughts that brushed against his mind; they came in a blazing heat whenever he was near me. As I waited for a knock, seconds went by, and my pulse throbbed in my ears as heat flushed across my face and chest. But then I heard the sound of his door closing.
I exhaled as a swell of emotions bled through me. I didn’t know how to feel about that. My thoughts were reeling. I started to feel the confinement of the city’s walls as they barreled toward me, straining every muscle in my body until the thoughts consumed me. My heart pounded against my chest, drowning out all sounds until there was a knock at my door. I paused, allowing myself to take a deep breath before I opened it to find Ryder leaning against the frame, already scouring my face as the tension in his brows lifted.
“Are you surprised to find me here?” I asked, looking up at him as a ghost of a smile appeared.
He tossed his head from side to side, weighing the options, and shrugged.
“Hmm, maybe.”
Though my heart was fluttering, my mind was reeling. This place was so loud, and I didn’t mean to share inner thoughts, but it slipped out. “Are you just going to stare me in the face, or ask me for some company in your room?”
He bit out a laugh as he combed a hand through his hair. His gaze lowered to my lips briefly, calculatingly, before he leaned down, curling an arm around my waist. With one forceful tug, as if he were roping me into his body, he leaned into the shell of my ear. “Desert Storm, I thought you’d never ask.”