Chapter 17
THE POISONER
The shop bell rang as I gathered some bottles into my basket for home delivery.
“We are closed this morning; come back at midday,” I called out.
“Alina?” Edith spoke ever so softly.
I glanced up at her, my eyes narrowed. She shifted in the doorway, looking like she might cry.
“What is it?”
“I wanted to explain, to apologize.”
“I have very few rules, Edith. Could you not manage to follow just one?” I pulled on my coat before hooking my arm through the basket handle.
“I know, I know!” she whimpered, rushing to the counter as if eager to convince me.
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing! A little about the union, the landscape—but I never told him where the Nest was!” She followed at my heel as we approached the door.
“What did he tell you?”
“He said he was looking for a woman—I would not have spoken with him if I knew it was you they were looking for.” Her eyes were welling up with tears. “I felt so terrible for him. He said he was looking for his lost love and I . . . I . . .”
“I understand.” I stopped at the doorway.
Her brows shot up in relief. “You do?”
“Yes, he is rather manipulative and violent; I do not blame you for believing his lies.” I pulled on my gloves and took a quick glance outside.
“But—” I paused and turned to her, “this is why I have a rule about not talking to men about the Nest. It’s easy to be fooled by those who promise good intentions. You cannot trust words alone.”
“It won’t happen again.” She was pitiful, so weak as she pleaded with me. I could barely stand to look at her.
“I know; I trust you learned.” I placed my hand on her shoulder to reassure her. “We must solve this problem first. Do not let them on the grounds.”
“Yes, I heard about last night.”
The muscle in my jaw twitched from the tension. “Oh, did you now?”
“Will you take his deal?”
“No.”
She averted her gaze quickly to the floor.
“Go rest. You have a long shift tonight,” I told her, my hand falling from her face before leaving the shop. “Maybe pick up extra hours, just in case.”
Girls like her irritated me at times, but I must remember that not every woman is as strong or as experienced in the dealings of men.
She would learn once she outgrew that Christian hope that everyone was good at their core.
It was paramount that she realize that not everyone was there for her benefit.
Midday errands were my favorite. They were the most relaxing, even though it was becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy the simple things. It was like trying to eat an apple that kept turning to ash in my mouth.
My mind was still reeling from the night before. I wished so badly that it was a dream. The girls were tiptoeing around me, unsure of what they witnessed. His words had frightened them successfully.
He was ruining everything.
In my mindless state, my shoulder collided with someone in the walkway, and I dropped my basket.
“Oh, apologies—” I muttered as we crouched down to gather the small bottles from the snow. My hand came in contact with a hand clad in black leather.
Speak of the devil.
“Watch where you are going,” I growled.
“Good morning, my lethal flower. What happened to pleasant greetings?” Silas laughed.
“That is reserved for decent people, not animals.” I immediately turned back on my path along the walkway.
“What have you saved for an animal like me then?” He hooked his arm with mine. “Hopefully something involving less clothing?”
“Get off me.”
“Have you thought about my deal?” His arm tightened around mine.
“Absolutely not. I wouldn’t entertain such a joke.”
“What happened to the art of bartering?” He frowned.
“It’s called strong-arming.”
“Well, a barter usually starts with an offer, then you counteroffer, then I counter—”
“You don’t have to explain bartering to me.”
“Oh, I wasn’t sure, since you haven’t countered yet.”
“All right.” I stopped in my path to face him. “New terms. No marriage, you adopt the rules of my Nest, and you fund everything.”
“Marriage is back on the table, and I will accept all of the latter.”
“Do not insult me.”
“It should be flattering, as you are quite unpleasant. You’re lucky I find it endearing.”
“I am happy being a spinster, thank you very much.”
“What are the rules of your Nest?” he asked as we continued along the path into the heart of town.
“Autonomy, sustainability, utilitarianism,” I droned.
“I would like to know a bit more about your little terms before I add them to our barter.”
“You are a smart man, Mr. Forbes. I know you understand those words quite well,” I started. “All that matters is the Nest’s well-being.”
“The community?”
“Yes, like making distasteful men disappear.”
“Ah, still on that same old grift?”
“It has changed.”
“How so?”
“Turns out I can squeeze a small amount of good out of things like you. Medicine and poison.”
“I would love to dig inside that mind of yours someday.” Silas gave me a look that might be something like amusement. “I can accept those additions. But my initial term stays intact.”
“Well, I have a week to say no.”
“Which means you have a week to decide whether you prefer diamonds, rubies, or emeralds.”
“Whichever strains your wallet more,” I murmured. “The answer is still no, even if you brought me a jewel the size of my head.”
We stopped by the butcher’s. It was my turn to pick up fresh ingredients for dinner, as we had run out of meat. We still had more than enough potatoes and jarred items for a stew.
“Alina!” The stout man from behind the counter called, though he eyed Silas as if he were surprised at the company. I did not blame him; usually, my errands were my only alone time. Unfortunately for me, today I had company. “What will it be? The usual?”
“Yes, eight pounds,” I replied.
The butcher acknowledged my request with a simple nod, though he was already reaching for the cuts I usually chose. My usual was always an economic cut of beef so that we could make three days’ worth of leftovers for the girls.
“Why do you get such cheap cuts?” Silas furrowed his brows.
“How else do you feed a large group?”
“Hopefully with something higher quality. Has the poison business been slow?” He teased me.
“Hush,” I muttered as the butcher returned with the neatly wrapped cuts in a brown paper secured with twine.
“I have not kept up with the current market for pharmaceuticals; has it been treating you well since arriving?” Silas asked as I finished paying and receiving my change.
“Booming, actually. For my shop, at least,” I said as we departed.
“Is there such a demand for your miracle elixirs?”
“Of course.”
“Is that your only income?”
“None of your business.”
“Do you collect dues from those in the house? Are there others outside of the house?”
“Yes, all Hosts of the town are part of our union. Don’t go getting any ideas, I’ve already warned them about you.”
“How does that work? Are they really desperate enough to pay loose Hosts?”
“They have to respect our autonomy, as the Host chooses who feeds. The Host gets paid for each feeding. There must be no damage to our bodies, they have to provide food for Hosts, and lastly, they must have a doctor on site,” I explained.
“Seems like a lot of regulation.”
“It is no longer a free-for-all. We are adding civility and decency.”
“And do you get paid to be the madam?” He smirked.
“No, I do not take any commission.”
“Does this mean you’ve taken other feeding partners?”
“Occasionally,” I answered, adding, “You ask too many questions.”
“I am simply protecting my investment.”
My stride was interrupted when he dragged me off the pavement into the alley between shops. His chest pressed against mine as my back met the hard brick wall. The heat emanating from him would make me believe he was hiding hot coals under his coat.
“I am not property,” I scolded.
“That is not what I said.”
“You might as well have.”
“You are just as bitter as I remember, like grapefruit.” He cupped my face in his gloved hand, our noses a mere inch from each other.
“You are stubborn, like a coffin nail.” I shifted in his grasp, turning my face from him to look toward the walkway. People passed the alley, unaware of us in the shadows.
“So macabre this early in the day?” He tugged my face toward him again.
The light from the alleyway entrance barely crept through, making it especially cold with the snowdrift padding the ground. It was difficult to look at him. So many memories of these eyes were tainted.
His pupils constricted when I did not speak. Many words could have been traded between us that were surely thought, but none dared manifest into even the slightest utterance.
We were still for several moments, all of which felt stolen. The only evidence that we were alive was the frozen vapors, indicating that we were breathing.
He lowered his lips to mine. They were as warm as I remembered, possibly hotter now that we were in the cold.
His hand slipped to my lower back to hold me.
His thumb smoothed along my cheek. Between the wall and him, I think I had a better chance of falling through the brick. He did not seem keen on letting me go.
His lips braced against mine, deeper, like he was finally feasting after a famine.
“Stop,” I breathed.
“I cannot bring myself to.” He trailed kisses from the corner of my mouth to my ear, nipping at the skin where my neck met my jawline.
“I haven’t forgiven you yet.” My hand reached up to grasp a fistful of his hair to pull him away, but it was an effort in vain.
“Yet,” he repeated, slowly running his hot, wet tongue across my neck.
“You cannot just make what you did better by being temporarily pleasant.”
“You think I am pleasant?” He gasped; I could feel his breath fan across my neck. He placed a knee between my legs, moving it to the side while lifting my leg.
“You are anything but.” I squirmed.
“Such flattery makes me want to be generous.” He hiked up my dress and took off his glove.