I lifted a warning finger. ‘Don’t.’
Gideon puffed his chest out, swaying, and tried to hide the bottle behind his back. ‘Get out of my way, Lora.’
‘I know what you’re up to,’ I said. ‘You’re intending to tell the Mayor about the exorcism on his daughter. You’re going to cause huge trouble for us if you say anything.’
Gideon’s expression turned crafty. ‘The bill was never paid. I have a right to seek settlement, and acknowledgement of our good work.’
‘Think, Gideon. We performed what he would consider blasphemy. Who knows what he’ll do when he discovers his wife hired us?’
‘Surely you would not betray a lady you gave your word to?’ Roman spoke from behind me. ‘That is not honourable.’
‘What are you, a fucking shining knight of propriety?’ Gideon parried Roman’s accusation with a snarl. ‘That would be a first, Regulator. Thought your kind only murdered women. Both of you get out of my way.’ He shoved the empty bottle into my hands, and barrelled past me.
Roman gave me a helpless shrug. It was clear nothing short of physical restraint would stop Gideon, which would just get us more attention. I watched with horrified fascination as Gideon elbowed his way through the small crowd around the Mayor. The group’s conversation withered to silence as Gideon gave the Mayor a bow and nearly lost his balance. He straightened with a haughty look. ‘Well met, Lord Mayor Corelli. Allow me to introduce myself.’
The Mayor gave Gideon a beady look. ‘Do I know you?’
‘You have not yet had the pleasure, Lord Mayor,’ Gideon said. ‘But your wife has, and your daughter.’
‘Excuse me?’ The Mayor frowned. ‘What are you talking about?’
Sensing he’d caught the Mayor’s attention, Gideon’s voice rose, and he twirled a hand theatrically, lace flapping. ‘I wanted to convey to you how pleased I am that Blackgoat Watch was able to assist you with your little problem a while back. Even though there was significant misunderstanding of the bill in the end.’
‘What bill? What problem?’ The Mayor eyed Gideon’s peculiarly bent legs.
I debated tackling the old goat where he stood, but the Mayor’s personal guards had already appeared. They eyed Gideon blandly, hands resting on their wheellock pistols at their hips.
Gideon’s voice dropped to a stage whisper. ‘Why, it is your daughter’s terrible affliction I speak of. Possession is much more common than people would think.’
‘Is this man drunk?’ The Mayor looked bewildered at those around him.
I cringed as someone quipped, ‘I don’t think it’s human.’
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, casting curious looks at the satyr. I caught the word otherkin being tossed around and looked for a clear path to pull Gideon away.
‘I was so pleased when we were approached for the exorcism.’ Gideon paused to cover his mouth with a fist and burp delicately. He blinked a few times at the Mayor, as if trying to remember what he was saying. Unfortunately, he remembered, and went on. ‘Perhaps this is an opportunity to show all of Harken the usefulness of those of us who are considered different. An opportunity to address the grave injustice done to Harken’s full-bloods.’
‘This is insanity,’ the Mayor spluttered.
‘Insanity?’ Gideon’s bushy eyebrows rose. ‘I've long thought so myself.’
‘Enough,’ the Mayor yelled. ‘Get this abomination out of my sight!’
The Mayor’s indignation finally got through to Gideon, and he began bowing again. ‘I can assure you, sir, I am no abomination. My breed is honourable. I come from a long distinguished line of satyrs who —’ But he was cut off, this time by the Mayor’s guards, who grabbed and frog-marched him out of the ballroom.
People gathered around us whispered in small groups as Gideon was ejected from the ballroom. Roman pulled me away. ‘Don’t get involved,’ he whispered. ‘Or you’ll be keeping him company in a cell tonight.’
I opened my mouth to tell him I needed to leave, when someone touched my arm. Turning, I met Seth’s tawny eyes through a red leather mask. His gaze flickered to Roman, then he took my hand and pressed his lips firmly against my knuckles.
‘Lady Blackgoat,’ he said, eyes twinkling. ‘What a ravishing dress you’re wearing.’
‘I don’t think ravishing is the word you’re looking for,’ I said.
‘Take your hands off her.’ Roman moved closer to me, voice low.
Seth’s grip on my hand tightened. ‘Not a tone to take with me, Regulator.’
I tried to pull away. ‘Don’t cause a scene, Seth. There’s been enough of that tonight.’
Seth’s eyes remained locked on Roman. The Regulator had stilled, his breathing deep and measured. Seth made a disgusted sound and dropped my hand. ‘Lora, if you could forego your gentleman friend for just a moment, I would request a conversation with you in private.’
‘No.’ The word was a low rumble in Roman’s chest, laced with warning.
Seth took a swaggering step towards Roman. ‘Press your luck no further, Regulator. Last time I checked, she didn’t take too kindly to people telling her what to do.’
Roman’s eyes moved to me, suddenly unsure. ‘Don’t go.’
‘Don’t tell me what to do,’ I said as gently as I could, but let him see I meant it. Whatever was happening between us, it would die a quick death if he started trying to order me around. Roman frowned, but said nothing more. Seth offered me the crook of his arm. ‘Allow me escort you, Lady Blackgoat.’
I rolled my eyes, gave a haughty sniff, and took it.
Chapter 13
Seth guided me through a doorway and out into the cool night air. We walked to a deserted courtyard, hemmed with an evergreen hedge. Honeysuckle flowers laced the greenery, and sweetly perfumed the air. I let go of Seth’s arm and half tripped over to the far side of the courtyard, taking in the property that lay beyond. The estate gardens stretched out before me on a gentle downwards slope, covered in a beautiful tapestry of lawns, rose gardens and a sprawling hedge maze, all lit by elegant gas lamps. I caught glimpses of patrolling guards, some with crossbows slung on their backs, others with holstered flintlocks at their waist.
‘Gideon looked a little worse for wear,’ Seth commented.
‘He was drunk. Sparkling wine does it to him every time. I'll bail him out in the morning after he’s slept it off.’
‘You’d best keep an eye on the Mayor,’ Seth said. ‘Whatever Gideon was talking to him about, he didn’t look too pleased.’
‘Tell me something I don’t know.’
I peered into the darkness, tracing the hedge maze’s shadowed twists and turns. Seth was silent for long enough that I wondered why we’d come out in the first place. Then he cleared his throat and I turned from my scrutiny of the gardens, my hat sliding forward. I shoved it back with an impatient hand.
‘Spit it out, Seth. Something’s obviously bothering you.’
‘Are you sleeping with the Regulator?’ Seth’s voice was cold.
‘That’s none of your business.’
‘He can’t offer you anything, Lora, and you can’t trust him.’
‘And I can trust you?’ I bit out. ‘Don’t make me laugh.’
‘What do I have to do to convince you?’ Seth asked. ‘I've always been there for you, always looked out for you.’
‘You’ve always looked out for yourself,’ I shot back, then paused as footsteps approached. A guard entered the courtyard, looking at Seth expectantly. Seth made a small motion with his hand and the guard nodded, then retreated quickly.
‘Don’t tell me you’re moonlighting for Grogan.’ I raised my eyebrows.
‘That arrogant prick?’ Seth barked a laugh. ‘I'd rather gnaw my own fingers off.’
‘Then what was that about?’
I wondered if Seth was spying on Grogan. Or possibly working with him. If Grogan wanted the seat of power within the Reapers, he probably needed all the help he could get. Promising his daughter to th
e old boss was a pretty damned good start though.
Seth wagged a finger at me. ‘Don’t look at me like that. Just drop it. Nothing’s going on here that you need to be concerned about.’ He walked over to the hedge and plucked a honeysuckle flower between two fingers.
‘Why are we out here? Or did you just come here to warn me off Roman?’ It wouldn’t be the first time Seth tried to scare off any potential love interest I had.
‘Hardly.’ Seth crushed the flower between his fingertips. ‘I've set up a meeting with the collector in the Outlands, the one who has a copy of the Aldebaran.’
I felt relief he wasn’t going to bang on about Roman. ‘When and where?’
‘Tomorrow night. Around the east coast of Australia. You still interested?’
I suppose I could have said no. After all, I still wasn’t sure what kind of favour Seth was going to ask in return. On the other hand, what choice did I have? He was offering something I wanted badly: to return my life to normal. No threats of prophecies to be fulfilled. No Dreadwitch, or Howling Kings.
‘I'm interested,’ I said. ‘I want that book.’
Seth dropped the flower. ‘I know.’
‘Why are you still helping me?’ I demanded.
‘That’s what friends do, don’t they?’ Seth’s smile was sad. ‘You say you don’t love me. But you did once. You say you don’t trust me. Maybe I can change that. Maybe I can’t.’ He gave a low laugh. ‘What kind of man would I be if I just stopped trying?’
With my better judgement screaming in my ear, I nodded like I understood, which I guess, in a way, I did. Seth was one of the most stubborn men I'd ever met. I opened my mouth to tell him so, when a scream split the night, coming from the ballroom.
Our eyes met, then Seth was sprinting back inside. I rushed after him. I couldn’t see Roman, and Seth was soon swallowed in the crowd. Then a commotion in the far corner of the room sent people scattering. Something tall, dark and hairy was moving fast, long arms slashing the air. I could hear cloth tearing and a low growl vibrating through the air. When I finally got a view, I stopped short, not believing what I was seeing.
‘What is it?’ Roman appeared beside me like a phantom, his solid presence reassuring. Guards rushed around the ballroom, pulling their weapons on the raging beast.
I pulled the salt pouch from my cleavage. ‘I think it’s a griorwolf. But it looks…wrong.’
The beast had a humped back of mutated muscle, its fur knotted in rough patches. Knuckles brushed the floor and one leg was shorter than the other. Blood-clotted eyes swept the ballroom, and jaws full of jagged teeth snapped at anything that moved. I pushed through the panicked crowd, trying to get closer. To Roman’s credit, he didn’t try to stop me, though he kept close.
My mind raced, trying to understand. How had a griorwolf got in here? Was it one of the guests? Some guards appeared and began attacking the beast with swords. Some idiot fired a wheellock, missing the beast and wounding another guard directly opposite.
‘We need to leave.’ Roman’s eyes were trained on the beast. Seth appeared, wheellock in his hand.
‘You’d have to drag her out, Regulator.’ Seth winked at me. ‘Wild, rampaging beasts are her specialty.’
A group of guards rushed the griorwolf, trying to drag it to the ground. The beast gave a howl and shook them off. With a thrust of mismatched legs, it leapt high, long arms grabbing one of the crystal chandeliers overhead.
‘Look out.’ Roman leant over me, protecting me against the shower of broken crystal. I pulled away, pinched salt and scribbled a hex in the air, hurling it towards the beast. The spell shot out, smacking against its flank and the griorwolf yelped, losing its grip on the chandelier. It fell, landing heavily on its feet, loops of saliva swinging from its jaw. With another massive leap, it cleared the guards' heads and smashed through a door leading outside. The guards shouted and took pursuit. I moved to follow, but Roman pulled me back.
‘This isn’t our problem,’ he said.
‘Still trying to convince her to stay in the kitchen, Regulator?’ Seth grinned. ‘You don’t learn too fast.’
‘Why don’t you shut up?’ Roman grabbed the front of Seth’s coat, yanking his face up to his. Seth swung a fist, but Roman ducked, then the two men were grappling with each other, grunting and cursing.
‘This is ridiculous.’ I ducked around them, following the swarm of guards as they rushed outside. Pursing my lips, I checked out the surroundings. Guards fanned out in the gardens, weapons in hand, most heading towards the rose garden. A flicker in the hedge maze caught my eye, and I rushed towards it, the tight corset biting into my waist. I lifted my skirts and pulled one of my blades from the leg-brace. Keeping the skirts up, I hesitated at the entrance of the maze and glanced over my shoulder. Some guards had spied me and were running my way, waving wheellocks and yelling for me to go back inside. I slipped into the maze and hurried down a passage. I tried to remember if there were rules for navigating mazes, so you didn’t keep hitting dead ends. Was it always turn left? Or right?
Trying to keep the rustle of my skirts as quiet as possible, my ears strained for noises that didn’t belong. A growl from the darkness stopped me dead and I turned to face the long corridor I'd just come down. Red eyes glowed in the gloom and a misshapen bulk shuffled forward.
‘Easy now.’ I dropped my skirts. One hand inched towards my cleavage for my salt pouch. ‘Good doggy-doggy.’
The griorwolf growled and my hand froze. ‘I won’t hurt you,’ I murmured. ‘I need you to change back into a man. Maybe we could have a talk then. Can you do that for me?’
The beast ambled towards me on uneven legs, in a rolling, clumsy walk. Its muscles bunched, then it rushed me in a flash of teeth and fur. I tried to pinch salt, but the beast slammed into me before I could. We crashed into the ground and I ducked my head, keeping clear of its snapping teeth. The griorwolf smelled of greasy hair and fresh blood, and its claws tore at my dress, seeking flesh. I wanted to scream, but fear choked the noise in my throat.
A roar thundered around us and then the griorwolf was pulled off me. Scrambling to my feet, I saw Roman fighting the beast, the Regulator’s face twisted with a raging fury, his eyes wild. He moved with a feral grace that matched the griorwolf, as if it was beast against beast and a sliver of fear ran through me. For a moment, I forgot who I was more afraid of. I pinched salt and cast a stunning hex. It wasn’t the most eloquent one, acting like a scattergun, spitting sparks in a wide fan, but I didn’t want to chance missing my target. It wouldn’t kill Roman, though it’d sure stun the hell out of him. But Roman slammed the griorwolf to the ground at the last moment, and the hex fizzled into the hedge behind them, singing the greenery.
I pinched more salt as the griorwolf rolled to its feet. Claws slashed across Roman’s chest, slicing through his coat. Roman snarled, and the furious sound crawled over my skin. It pulled at the shadows, and darkness closed on Roman like a sweeping cloak. The air around his head pulsed into an inky blot, and his features rippled. The sweet, rotten taste of darkcraft spilled over my tongue, and I opened my mouth to warn Roman to stop whatever he was doing. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. But I was too late. Roman leapt into the griorwolf’s embrace, his hands wrapping around the beast’s head, thumbs thrust deep in its eye sockets. The griorwolf screamed. Then Roman drew back a fist, and shot it forward, the powerful blow cleaving the griorwolf’s chest. His fist burrowed deep into the beast’s ribcage with a crack, bursting out the back in an explosion of blood and gore.
A strangled cry of horror welled up inside me, but my lips were too stiff with shock to move. The beast’s misshapen body gave a violent shudder as Roman yanked his fist free, then the griorwolf collapsed. Swollen muscles contracted, fur retreated and bones shifted with a clicking sound, until just a man lay on the grass, with ruined eyes and a gaping hole in his chest.
Roman stared down at his dripping red hand. His face was slack, as if he wasn’t sure what had just happened.
/>
‘Lora?’ He sounded confused, fear in his eyes.
I rushed over to him. ‘You have to run. You can’t be caught here.’
‘I'm not sure what happened,’ Roman whispered. ‘It was like I was looking through someone else’s eyes.’
‘Everything’s fine, it’s over.’ I tried to sound soothing and reasonable. I could hear voices approaching us in the maze. ‘But you need to run. Get back to the Order and lay low.’
‘I can’t leave.’ Roman’s shoulders hunched in. ‘This is my responsibility.’
‘You will be killed for this,’ I hissed. ‘Do you understand? The Order will see that you just ripped a man’s heart out. They’ll call it a berserker rage and have you put away, or killed. Do you want that?’
‘If that is what happened,’ Roman’s head bowed, ‘then I must throw myself on the mercy of the Order. Fowler will help me.’
‘Fowler will see you dead.’ I talked faster, knowing we were out of time. ‘If you have any feelings for me, then you will run. Get out of here. We can deal with this later, together. I can’t help you if you’re locked up and on death row.’
‘I won’t leave you here.’ His voice was torn, raw.
‘I can handle this situation. This isn’t the first dead body I've had to explain. But for now, for me, please go.’
‘I won’t.’
‘Please.’ I stood on tiptoe, brushing my lips against his, trying to remind him what was at stake. The connection between us flared hot, shaking Roman out of his daze.
He retreated from me, stepping around the dead man on the ground. With an anguished look at me, he disappeared into the shadows, as if he had never been there.
Chapter 14
As far as jail cells went, the one I got thrown in was pretty standard. It was a four by five room with a stone floor, iron bars and big, nifty locks. Located out the back of the City Watch station on Beaker Street, the cell joined four others, hemmed by a corridor that led to the main station area. A piss-pot squatted in one corner, and a cot sat flush against one wall.
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