Chapter 11
11
I thought about my plan as I walked. My watch wouldn’t be ready for another few hours, and I really should let Braxton know where I was going just in case I didn’t come back.
The thought gave me pause. If I ended up finding those two angelics again, they might try to kill me. And if I was in the Silver Quarter, Sebastian wouldn’t be around to come to my rescue.
Not that I was counting on him rescuing me regardless.
I stopped at a coffee stand with a few outdoor tables. Maybe I needed to gather my thoughts before moving forward. At the very least, I could wait for my watch to be ready.
Flimsy coffee cup in hand, I picked an empty table, then sat with my goblin containing bag in my lap. I moved the flap so Ringo could peek out at me.
His round eyes reflected the soft sunlight. “That woman was a troll,” he whispered conspiratorially over the whir of traffic.
I set my coffee on the table. “Only part troll. And I wouldn’t have let her eat you. I’m not even sure if she eats goblins.”
I thought about it. I had never seen Dawn eat anything that hadn’t been cooked by a gourmet chef, but who knew what she did when she was at home?
I jumped as someone appeared in the seat next to mine, and it was the last person I wanted to see.
I lifted my coffee cup as I glared at Sebastian. “What do you want?”
He glanced at the goblin in my bag, then lifted his dark eyes to my face. “I have your next assignment for you.”
“I have a delivery to the Silver Quarter,” I lied. “I can’t do it today.”
He lifted a finely arched brow, and I caught a flicker of flame in his eyes. “You would go to the Silver Quarter after those angelics tried to kill you?”
I calmly sipped my coffee. It was good, if a little weak. “You mean, after you stood idly by watching them try to kill me?”
He gave me a small smile. “Well, I did save you.”
I snorted. “Don’t pretend like you did me a favor. Either way, I can’t do your job today.”
He smoothed his hands across the metal table. “If they catch you again, they will kill you. I can offer you protection in the city, but not if you go into the Silver Quarter.”
I absorbed his words, wondering if he was actually protecting me, or if he was just saying that. More importantly, why did he care? “You know until now, I was actually wondering if you sent those two to kill me.” I hadn’t entirely dismissed the idea. He might even have something to do with the death of the other messenger.
“I would never work with those vermin.” He lifted his nose. “Their interest in you has nothing to do with me.“
“It was your interest in me that made them try to kill me. That’s what they asked me about before they broke the fire escape. So you obviously know them.” Maybe if I could get their names, I could look more into it.
“I will pay you double for your time.”
My skin prickled with suspicion. He did know them. And he didn’t want me to know any more about them. Ringo was dead silent in my messenger bag. “Why me? Surely another night runner would be easier to work with. Most of them would gladly take your cash.“
“You can go places others cannot.”
I set down my coffee cup and crossed my arms, leaning back against my plastic chair. “Yeah, but the only place you’ve sent me is the Bogs. Plenty of other messengers can go there.”
He leaned his upper body toward me with his palms still pressed against the table. “Plenty of other messengers would not have gained any information from Mistral.”
I squirmed in discomfort, wondering if he knew about the bargain. He sure seemed to know about everything else. I didn’t trust him, but unlike the angelics, he at least didn’t want me dead. And I did need the extra cash if I wanted to continue looking for my mom.
I slumped in my seat. “What’s the job?”
He smiled. “I need you to question a woman who works at Crimson Kisses.”
My eyebrows shot up. Crimson Kisses was a vampire bar in the Dark District. “You don’t need a night runner to go there. There’s no boundaries around the Dark District. It’s just part of the city.”
“No, but you are already my employee. Why would I send someone else?”
“Why not go yourself?”
He flashed me another smile. That smile would be pretty damn charming if I wasn’t getting to know the man behind it. “Lilith will be much more forthcoming to someone she can potentially bite.”
My jaw fell open. “Hey, no one said anything about biting.”
A couple walking by stopped to look at me. I gave them a dirty look in return and they continued on their way.
Sebastian leaned in closer. “I said that she will appreciate the potential of a donation. I hear celestial blood is quite divine.”
“I’m only half celestial,” I muttered. But he had given me another thought. Did celestial blood have something to do with it all? I wasn’t sure how much the other messenger had. Maybe I would have to ask Dawn.
“And you want me to ask this vampire about Celeste?” I questioned.
He watched a pair of werewolves walking past. You couldn’t tell it from looking at them, but the smell made it obvious. It wasn’t a bad smell, just a little bit like wet dog.
“No,” he said once they were past us. “I would like you to ask her about the two angelics who tried to kill you.”
And here I’d thought he was interrupting my investigation. Was he actually going to help me?
I doubted it. He had some other reason for investigating the angelics. They obviously had a vendetta against him.
“Why do those two care about the dealings of a devil?” I asked.
He shrugged, looking suddenly bored. “I haven’t the slightest.” His innocent smile was anything but.
“Fine,” I huffed. “Have it your way.” At least I could get information from this. And I could even get paid to do it. “How much?”
“How much what? ”
I smirked. “How much are you going to pay me to talk to the vampire?
“As I’ve already told you, I will pay double your usual rate.”
“I want triple.” I examined my nail beds like it didn’t matter either way. “For the danger factor.”
His voice lowered an octave. “You are in no position to bargain.”
I smiled and lifted my eyes to his face. “Aren’t I? I may have made a deal to collect your debt, but we never spoke about a timeline. Maybe I’ll speak to Lilith tomorrow, or maybe next week.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Fine. Triple. And there will be no more discussion of timelines. Ever .”
I held out my hand and he took it, meeting my eyes. Another flash of flames made heat flare through me, that damn dream rearing its ugly head again.
He lifted a brow and I quickly tugged my hand away.
“I suggest you bring your roommate.” He stood. “Keep the other clientele from getting too… bitey.”
For once instead of disappearing, he just turned and walked away into the crowd.
I looked down at the silent goblin in my bag. “Ever go to a vampire bar?”
He simply shivered. I would give him the option of staying home—in fact I would prefer it so he didn’t need any protection—but I had a feeling the little guy had more bravery than he let on .
Plus, everyone’s first experience in a vampire bar leaves them with a lifelong tale to tell. How long that life is after the visit though, is always up for debate.