Chapter 19 #2
She stopped a few feet from Kieran’s throne, eyeing the bloody head at his feet.
“I seek the wolf in charge. Is this a bad time?”
Her voice was crisp, sharpened by a British accent. Everything about her was cold, from her pale skin to her silver-white hair to her dark blue suit and skirt.
Her age was indeterminable, her ethereal features untouched by time, but her eyes were old. The kind of old that had forgotten more deaths than most people would experience.
Kieran wiped blood off his mouth. “Your kind aren’t welcome here.”
The woman looked over her shoulder, icy-blue eyes scanning the crowd. It snarled in response. Other than disgust flashing over her features, she didn’t react.
“I do not need to be welcomed,” she said. “This is strictly business. You’ve recently taken hold of a city. A city that was a useful tool to my faction. A loss, in other words. Most Regents do not take those well.”
“Are you a Regent?”
“I speak for one.” The woman stepped closer, kicking aside the severed head.
A layer of hoarfrost formed on the floor.
“My Queen prefers to be well-informed about the actions of her enemies. The city you stole neighbors one such enemy and was vital for keeping her updated. Your presence has brought blindness, so I come bearing an offer.” Her lips tensed.
In a smirk? Or a sneer? “A deal, if you will.”
A wave of growls echoed through the warehouse. A few people stripped off their jackets, muscles bulging and breaths panting.
Kieran almost joined in. Instead, he narrowed his eyes.
“Your deals are something to be wary of.”
“And yet people take them anyway. They just can’t help themselves.
” She gave him a cool scan. “While unrefined, you could still be useful. That is to your benefit. If you relinquish control of St. Louis now and return it to its neutral state, I will help you settle elsewhere. Get you uncontested territory where you can do… whatever it is that you do.”
She made a vague gesture at the severed head.
“And what will that cost me?” Kieran asked. Snow danced around the woman’s body.
“A favor.”
Silence followed, broken only by rumbling breathing and feet scraping over concrete. Violence was in the air.
“Boss,” Booker whispered. “Ask her what she wants.”
“Why would I do that?” Kieran said, not lowering his voice.
“Her kind don’t spend time on anything unless there’s a gain involved. You have something she wants.”
Kieran let out a quiet growl. He had a point.
Kieran stood from his throne and walked over to stand only a foot from the woman.
“What kind of favor?”
“Its nature will become apparent when the time is right.” The woman’s eyes hardened. “You are not in a prime position, Alpha. The season isn’t on your side, your previous pack still outnumbers you, and the Chains are gathering a force at the border as we speak.”
“The Chains are no threat to us.”
“The Chains are a threat to everyone. When St. Louis falls, which it will, your pack of mutts will scatter to the winds. In bloody pieces, most likely. To avoid that fate, you’ll need aid.”
There was something hidden between the lines. Something laced between her pointed words and cold tone.
It was meaningless here. Words held little power when put against claws. Whatever he had that this woman wanted, he wasn’t about to hand it over.
“I need no aid,” Kieran growled. “Especially not from you. I know your type. How weak you are when cornered. Without your fancy words, you aren’t worth much.” He bared his teeth in a grin. “You can’t even run fast.”
Kieran pulled his gun from his belt and fired at a nearby support beam. It broke the rope tied to it, a loud creak sounded from above, and then a corpse crashed to the floor.
St. Louis had teemed with feral trash, and his pack had been busy cleaning it up. The fruits of their labor now dangled as decorations from the rafters. Fae, especially, were easy to hunt.
“Friend of yours?” Kieran gestured at the corpse. When the woman didn’t speak, staring at the body, his grin widened. “No? What about this one, then?”
He fired again. Another body fell, face contorted in a frightened grimace. A series of thuds followed as ropes were cut throughout the warehouse, producing a rain of mutilated corpses.
“I don’t care who you are. Or who you serve,” Kieran snarled, glaring at the woman.
“The city is ours. Anyone who trespasses will suffer the consequences, including scum like you. You Courtly bastards are all the same. You spend so long talking that you forget the fastest results are summoned by fangs.”
A chorus of snarls rose. The crowd rushed towards the woman, teeth bared, when a violent wind whipped through the building.
Snow whirled around the woman, biting into flesh like needles. Everyone staggered back, a few clawing at their faces, as though that could remove the ice crystals embedded in their skin.
The woman never took her eyes off Kieran.
“You do not know who you’re dealing with,” the woman said, voice clear despite the roaring wind. “To my line, deals and threats have one thing in common. They are not repeated. If you, or anyone among your pack of dogs, get between me and the exit, your last living act will be to scream.”
No one moved. Instead, dozens of eyes darted towards Kieran. Watching. Waiting.
The wind died. The woman brushed snow off her suit jacket.
“Savor your throne, Alpha of St. Louis. You won’t hold it for long.”
Her eyes caught on one of the fae corpses. Her jaw clenched before she turned on her heel and walked towards the door. The crowd split for her, and the moment she stepped outside, she vanished in a flurry of snow.
“Should we follow her?” Booker said. Kieran spat on one of the corpses.
“No. She’s seen what happens when you fuck with us. When she talks about it, it will be a warning that no one should test our borders. She won’t be able to lie about it either.”
Laughter started in the crowd. Their leader wasn’t afraid. Why should they be?
Kieran grabbed Booker’s arm, lowering his voice. “You want a chance to prove yourself?”
Booker nodded quickly. “Yes, Alpha.”
“Go to the Chains border and figure out what they’re up to. Do not get spotted. I want to know what the fuck they’re doing and who they have doing it.” He pulled Booker closer. “Keep this quiet. If you tell anyone what you’re doing, I’ll take a set of pliers to your teeth. Understood?”
When Booker nodded again, Kieran shoved him towards the door, watching as he hurried out of the warehouse.
Maybe nothing would come of it. If he was as useless at sneaking around as he was everything else, the Chains might find him and snap his neck.
Not a terrible loss. But if he succeeded… it would be valuable intel. Not that it was needed, since the Chains weren’t a concern. Spying on them wasn’t necessary.
It was just a precaution.