29. Vessa
29
Vessa
I ’d spent enough time out in the wild to know the sound of a single-action revolver cocking back. A magnum holds a powerful sound for a human, but it was nothing more than a mild inconvenience for someone like me. Waking up to it pissed me off outright.
I knew as soon as I opened my eyes I would be staring down the barrel of a gun. As heavy as it sounded, no bullet was powerful enough to stop me. Still, its familiarity didn’t cease the wave of cold sweat sweeping down my spine.
My eyes flicked open. My vision remained obscured as I struggled to get ahold of my whiskey-drenched senses. The muzzle of the gun blurred into two as I felt the world spinning.
I followed the slick lines of steel, trailing up the barrel to a pair of icy-gray eyes peeking out above a thick, gritty, rusted beard—I wasn’t sure if the rust was the natural color or days’ worth of filth. A smile crept over his mouth as his eyes darted to the sheet barely covering the swells of my breasts.
A pungent, acrid scent filled my nose when he opened his mouth. “Damn, what a fine-looking treat.”
I growled. It didn’t register that he had his other hand wrapped around my throat until I felt a growing heat emanating from his palm.
Fucking Fire Fae.
Shadows unfurled in the wake of the threat as I gritted my teeth. A darkness solidified into sharp claws as my nails dug deeper into his flesh, causing his grip to loosen and his gun to fall to the floor. A round fired off, whizzing by my face. Someone had surely heard the sound.
I silently thanked the gods for sparing someone like me, because all hell was about to break loose.
I gripped his forearms, grimacing beneath him as his burning hold intensified. The two of us elevated our power, engaged in a struggle of who would take the lead. This asshole was about to meet his end. Did he know who the fuck I was?
Apparently not.
Fire held no bounds with me. I felt the power of Lam , finding that thread of fire as my claws became a wielded heat.
My nails seared into his flesh, feeling every layer of his skin burning at the seams. A growl ruptured in his throat, and he released me.
He stumbled back with a heavy thud, and I moved off the bed in haste.
The sheets fell away, exposing my naked body.
Fuck modesty; what was mine was mine, and he was in my room .
I’d slept without my boots for the first time in forever, and now I fully regretted it as I slammed my heel into his face. I did not want any part of my flesh touching him.
He quickly rose to his feet, taking a heavy swing at my face. I pivoted beneath his arm and kicked him in the kidney. He flew headfirst toward the wall, but a tendril of shadow whipped into a lasso and roped around his neck, contorting his body into an unnatural position.
“Huh, well, that’s interesting,” I murmured, observing my handiwork as I effortlessly wielded a sliver of Ryder’s onyx lasso.
I wrangled the Fire Fae and flipped him onto his back to find panic in his eyes. His desperate call upon the power of Lam was laughable.
“Aw, looks like you’re coming up empty,” I mocked, pouting my lips as I studied his bloodshot eyes and desperate attempts to try to loosen the rope.
I tied the lasso around his wrists and then to the edge of the bed before casually sauntering over to Ryder’s discarded shirt. The ivory fabric hung over my frame just enough to cover my ass.
I searched the Fire Fae’s pockets for anything—ammo, nara coins, clues—ignoring the sounds of him choking.
Just then, Pa and Raven burst through the door.
“What in the gods-damn name of hells is going on here?” Pa said.
I ignored him, too distracted as I pulled out a newer version of a WANTED sign, one that portrayed my eyes a little too far apart. I scoffed.
“See, asshole? It says, ‘VERY DANGEROUS,’” I said, but the Fire Fae only appeared to be half listening.
A shudder swept down my back as Raven stood behind me, his anger sending a tremor through our frayed and forced bond. I clenched my teeth and lifted my chin, eyes still on the fire bastard on the floor.
Don’t fuck with me today, bird.
I handed Raven the WANTED sign over my shoulder. When I turned to face him, his eyes were full of weighted thoughts. Its gravity hung in the silence between us. He smirked, flashing a dimple before his gaze fell to the paper.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” He slapped the corner and leaned against the wall before passing it to Pa. “I’m not a fucking blue jay.”
Pa sighed and removed his hat, combing a gloved hand through his hair.
The Fire Fae tried to speak. To ease the tension in the room, I decided to loosen the lasso.
“Tell me who sent you.” I grabbed a fistful of his shirt.
He gurgled a nervous laugh that rumbled in his chest. “You have more than a WANTED sign on your head, pretty little Umbra Fae. You don’t think Ryder is after the same thing as the rest of us?”
My breath stilled. “How do you know Ryder?” My voice fluctuated in confusion.
He laughed again. “How does anyone not know who the land’s best bounty hunter is? Where is he now?”
A chill swept down my spine. From behind me, Pa’s leather gloves creased.
I blinked back as a stone dunked into the pit of my stomach, registering that Ryder’s things were missing.
“You’re worried about these measly little WANTED signs when you should be worried about why Fang hired Ryder to bring you to his palace. Word on the street is you’re kind of special…worth more nara coins than any heist I’ve ever seen. Looks like Ryder’s done his biggest one yet.” The Fire Fae smiled, inhaling the smell of sex and Ryder’s licorice and spice coating my skin. His eyes roamed over my body as if he could still see the flesh beneath the shirt.
I grabbed him by the throat. “You’re lying,” I growled, nostrils flaring as tears stung my eyes.
“You got that all wrong, sugar. It’s the pretty boys who always lie,” he drawled.
I hadn’t realized how hard I’d gritted down on my teeth until copper tinged my mouth. I bit my cheek as anger consumed my hold. My grasp crushed his muscles, bones, and trachea, cutting short his gasps and pleas. This fae just fed my inner beast by sending my thoughts brimming. I watched life leave his body. I released the shadowed lasso around his neck upon a final breath he would never feel as his body slumped down into a quiet, endless sleep.
No words formed, only menacing thoughts as I grabbed my belongings and stepped into the washroom.
I felt Raven’s looming presence moments after as he stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, likely catching a side view of my breasts as I pulled a clean top over my chest. I tugged my riding pants up my hips and geared up.
“So, you belong to no one, huh?” he mocked. I slipped my leather vest on as my head whipped in his direction. Bloodshot anger swelled in our eyes.
Forcing a half smile, I grabbed him by the chin, pulling his head down until he met my seething glare, seeing the effect my simple touch had over him.
“He said pretty boys lie…You’re kind of pretty yourself, bird. So where does that leave us?”
“Us?” He grinned, that dimple reappearing. His hand curled around mine, the size difference evident as he placed it over my heart. I took one step back as he moved into my space. I took in the slant of his nose, knit brows, chiseled face…He was tugging at the thread of our bond as his rich brown eyes narrowed in on me. The fucker knew what he was doing. I felt his presence with more force than before. My back hit the wall as he placed two heavy palms on each side of my head and leaned forward, caging me within. I pressed my palms against his firm chest as the dark linen clung to his muscular form, but it didn’t stop him from getting closer.
“He might be on your lips for now, Vessa, but when the day is gone and all is still, remember my touch along the chain you think is around your neck,” he said, leaning into the shell of my ear and stroking the thread that bound us together. As frayed as it was, I felt the flutter along the edges. I sucked in a shuddered breath. He smiled in satisfaction as his warmth enveloped me. “And I haven’t even touched you. Imagine how flustered you’ll be then.”
His jaw tensed in strangled silence, enough to hear me swallow the lump in my throat.
I found my bearings as I lifted my chin, gaze hardening into something fierce as I shoved past him. “I don’t have time for this. I have a cowboy to hunt.”
Pa said nothing as I stormed out of the room and descended the stairs. He knew there was no turning back once I had my mind set. He could either stay behind or join me. Of course, he chose the latter.
I tossed two hefty pouches of nara coins onto the desk downstairs. The older woman’s eyes widened as they bounced between me and the sacks.
“A stupid cowboy once told me nara coins talk in this shithole of a city, so I’ll cut to the chase. Tell me where Fang’s hideout is, and you will get to keep your life and some coins.”
The woman leaned in, eyes skimming over my face as if she were analyzing how I knew Ryder, and smirked. “You cannot be serious?” She leaned back into her chair, tending to her nails as if they were more important. I stood in silence and clenched my jaw. Her gaze flicked up as she mulled over the bag of coins and then me.
“Fang owns this city like he does the Eternal stone. That greedy fuck lives in the palace north. If the three of you can manage to sneak past his gang of bandits and lawmen, then good luck .”
Anger coursed through me as I ground my teeth.
“Two birds, one stone,” Pa said, slowly turning for the door as he cracked his neck. Raven’s eyes darkened as if this was the fuel he’d been waiting for.
“Oh, and you’ll want to enter through the eastern cliffs so you aren’t spotted,” she said, reaching for the bags and tucking them somewhere beneath the desk. Her glare skimmed my face, studying the strain in my jaw.
I smirked, flicking my hat with my middle finger in farewell. “Oh, no need for sneaking around. We know how to make an entrance.”