26. Ryder
26
Ryder
A sharp, searing pain in my side pulled me away from a dream that was forgotten the moment I opened my eyes. I nearly shot up before I jerked back, peering into a beady black eye. The raven canted his head before cawing in my face.
Vessa’s rich laughter rang in my ears as she seemed to say something through their bond before lazily rising up onto her elbows. Her hair was tousled, and her top was slightly misaligned—another slight shift and her breast would pop out. She caught my stare as I hoped to the heavens for it to happen, and she smirked, setting her top back in place.
A crimson blotch caught my sight, and I looked down to see the remnants of blood. “Did this asshole just clean his beak on my shirt?”
“It’s far better than what he was about to do.” Vessa smirked.
My lips curled in disgust before Raven beat his wings and flew off my chest. He perched on the ledge of the balcony and did his morning business.
Fucking gross.
I dragged my legs over my side of the bed. In one swift motion, I reached back and pulled my shirt over my head, tossing it into a corner. I felt Vessa’s lavender eyes roam over the corded muscles of my back. By the time I turned around, she was watching every move I made while the silhouette of her raven watched hers.
“I want to say I owe you a shirt,” she mocked, “but I kind of like this view.”
I scoffed. “Thank your bird for that.” I shot a daggered glare in his direction.
I had a feeling he would stay in that form for as long as possible, but as the sun crept out from the depths of its dark, there was a whole new day ahead of us. I felt the weight of today already making jagged roots atop my chest.
“I’m going to change and then I’ll see you downstairs,” was all I said before I left Vessa’s room.
Time was pressing as I quietly sat on the edge of my bed, my mind pulling into a thousand places at once. Fang already knew we were here. I’d seen a few of his henchmen strapped as lawmen, stalking our arrival on the rise. One of them had thrown me a silent nod as we’d entered the city. His stone-cold glare had sent a warning down my spine the moment I’d seen his eyes linger on my arms wrapped around Vessa’s waist. The small notion told me he might have done more than tell Fang we’d arrived. Fire Fae were untrustworthy fucking pricks. Yet here I was, fighting myself off because I was no better than them.
In the same stroke of power, my yearning for Vessa beckoned at her door, wanting to be let in. I was supposed to ravage her body, mind, and soul, pull on the edges of her mind and see what made her so special, but every time my heart was near her, all I wanted to do was kiss her smooth, bronze skin and bask in the aura of her light that she allowed me to be in. She was a killer, a legend, and a call to every fiber that made me who I was. As rotten as my heart pulsed with tainted dark blood, it wanted to beat for her.
This was my only fucking job, and I was slipping. This was what I was supposed to do, but every time I needed to lie about who I was, I couldn’t. Lies came easier when not in her presence.
“Fuck.” I grunted, hunched over on the side of the bed, forearms resting on my thighs as I leaned my forehead into my palm. Looking away, I waved a hand in the air with my two pointer fingers and summoned Fang. Sighing, I ran it through my hair and waited for the apparition of his disgusting face to appear.
“Seems like your hands have been quite busy.” Fang’s words caused my jaw to clench. As expected, the Fire Fae were nefarious fuckers. As much as I wanted to punch through the apparition and grab Fang by the throat, my clenching fists remained out of sight, digging crescent moons into my palms, allowing the pain to keep me focused.
“It’s what you paid me to do, right? A handsome bastard like myself had an easy way in.”
Fang curved a thick brow and ever so slightly held a speculative grin. “I was told she’s a beauty, a rarity indeed.”
There was a long pause as we stared at one another. The hard lines in my face hid the malice burning in my fingers at the way he spoke of her. He searched for any cracks, anything that might indicate things might have changed, but when he found none, he nodded.
“You know what to do. If she isn’t delivered at my feet by the time the sun sets tomorrow, it’ll be your head on a pike.” His lips curved into a wicked grin. “I’m sure it will make a lovely new display at the Scarlet Gallows.”
I waved away the apparition. Fang’s face disappeared, unearthing a rage inside me that had my blood boiling. I pressed my chin into my balled fist and took a deep breath. My next thought was interrupted by a heavy knock on my door. It wasn’t an angry pound nor a light tap. There could only be one person who would make a knock sound so heavy and calm at the same time.
End’s Wrath stood in the doorway. Cowboy hat tipped forward, clad in a black trench coat, hands gloved. The old man was strapped more than usual today, which struck me as odd, being he did not need bullets to end a life. I had witnessed what he’d done in the Desert of Miera—removing the flesh off the bones of bandits through the power of Ama . He was a man with plans, always keeping an extra ace up his sleeve, and I knew he had many.
“Time is ticking, cowboy,” End’s Wrath said. The creases in his eyes held a hardened glare as a toothpick hung from the corner of his mouth.
“Don’t worry, old man. You’ll be back in time to enjoy a quiet game of cards before you know it. Your rooms are paid in full for the next few days.”
He said nothing as he stood in the doorway, watching me from beneath the brim of his hat as he picked at his teeth. I finished gathering my things and stepped into his space as he blocked the door. He sized me up even though I still had a few inches over him. Being six-three had advantages, as my attention suddenly shifted over his shoulder to the beauty standing in the hallway. Vessa waited with the strap of her satchel pressed firmly between her breasts. And gods-damn, she could quench any hunger I’d ever felt. Words evaded me as she stared into my eyes. The looming presence of Raven came into view, wearing a dark, slim-brimmed hat, a beige, rolled-up long-sleeve shirt with suspenders, and a pair of black trousers. He looked like a bodyguard for hire, only, he was dragged by the strings of his heart. I despised the bond they shared with every muscle in my body.
Drawing another breath, I tipped my hat in greeting, staring into Vessa’s eyes. That drew out a mischievous little smirk that made her nose scrunch up, and another stone plunked into the pit of my stomach.
We headed to the east side of Donia. The light that illuminated the city waned the further away we went from the capital of Fang’s palace. We were entering a poorer side of town, where it was normal for the alleyways to reek of copper and be full of questionable slumped-over bodies. This was a nesting ground for the lost, in-between spaces where taverns filled every crevice with heinous acts. This was a place where bandits did their business and where those with guilt went to hide. I’d never forget the way those cries had echoed throughout the night, the way it’d made my skin crawl as fights broke out in the alleyways below until the last sounds had been of a fading life. I’d spent most of my mine in this shithole, bouncing between here and the library until I’d become a bounty hunter. I’d never wanted to step into this area of my past again, but here I was, greed snuffing out most of the memories, because the more money that lined my pockets, the closer I was to never thinking about this place again.
We tied our horses to a post outside a slim, three-story building. A human male leaned up against the wall with his hat tipped down, as if he were resting his mind. I nudged him out of his thoughts, and he jolted back as if we’d appeared from a shroud of smoke. I saw the desperation in his eyes and hunger brushing against the hollow of his cheeks. I handed him a small pouch of nara coins.
With a seething glare, I whispered in his ear, “You better count every breath as a blessing while I’m away, because if anything happens to our rides, those will be the last ones you ever take.” My words were laced with warning.
“Yes, sir.” With a fear-stricken expression, he nodded, dusting himself off as if he had been magically turned into a businessman, and straightened his spine along with his hat. His eyes wandered to Vessa, and I could tell before the scumbag even moved that his gaze would linger on the swells of her breasts. I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him up against the wall. He gasped as his eyes went wide.
“Look her way, and I will snap your neck where you stand,” I growled.
He nodded best he could within my grip.
I didn’t notice how bright his eyes were until they were emeralds drowning in a sea of a sprawling, bloodshot gaze. When I felt satisfied, I released him.
We entered a tavern, where patrons were scattered in their own private booths; dim blue light filled each space. It was half empty, showing we’d come at the perfect time.
End’s Wrath arched a brow, already surveying and most likely planning.
When the bartender saw who strode in beside me, he gave me a quick nod and jerked his chin to the staircase on his right. We went down a dingy flight of stairs made of stone. Every few feet were oil-filled lanterns. There was no evidence of using the blightstone to light the way, which struck me as odd, considering what went on down here.
It was the main source of light for most of the city. The stones were melted down into the same liquid as Vessa’s tonic, only, they made a portion of it into candles so they’d burn longer.
As we descended, the air became thin, stagnant, and I wondered how anyone could live or do business in a place that smelled like this, but I already knew how deep desperation could run.
We made it to the end of the stairs, entering a large basement that was set up like a lair. To the naked eye, it looked like a bunch of metal crates, but the contents were valuable and stacked by size, depending on how many nara coins one had to offer.
As the last Umbra Fae stepped into the space, I felt the shock course through them both, invoking a power that caused the hair on the back of my neck to rise. The only one who was hard to read was Raven, which was a shocker, given End’s Wrath always held a poker face. As he plucked the toothpick from the corner of his mouth and surveyed the vast room, a look of relief and worry etched his face. I would have given a left nut to know what he was thinking.
“The contents of those boxes are the fuel behind the motives of every greedy villain lurking within the shadows of this city,” I said as we walked past them.
I’m a bastard, knowing I’m one of them.
Vials upon vials filled wooden tables. Half-made constructs and some mid-experiments littered the space as the honey-amber glow of the blightstone rested on top of several small candles.
This was the largest stash of tonic one could ever dream of getting their hands on. I looked over my shoulder, watching Vessa’s eyes widen, an angry, grief-stricken expression crossing her face as her eyes trailed over the room. This whole operation went against fae nature and beliefs, especially the Umbra’s. It seemed like seeing the Eternal being used, melted down, and sold did something deeper to her. The flutter in her jaw was enough for me to want to say End’s Wrath warned her, but I reached back and squeezed her hand. She blinked, tears stinging her eyes, as if I had snapped her into the now, as if she somehow needed to place the blame somewhere. Here I was, in her range. Her brows slammed together as she locked eyes on me.
“I wish I could unsee all this.” Her faint whisper echoed throughout the space, striking another pang of guilt inside me.
“This is what’s needed,” End’s Wrath reminded her. I could tell she was indifferent, as if she had somehow changed how she felt about the tonics.
“It’s what you paid me for, End’s Wrath. You’re finally here,” I said. Vessa shot me a look that could have ended me, but I turned as the hair rose on the back of my neck.
At the end of the room was a man who was like me—half man, half fae—a being who could walk both worlds yet didn’t belong, and he was staring straight at us.