by RJ Blain
“I’d forgotten what it’s like to live with a deadened nose.” Blossom frowned, clasping her hands in front of her, and the gesture and way she held her body made me think it was the polite equivalent of crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re right. We have a few mystics who can use their sight to find things amiss. Come. We’ll discuss it with Father. It won’t take the mystics more than a few minutes to check everything over.”
“And put guards in the room monitoring the tables throughout the masquerade,” I suggested.
“Father mentioned something about acquiring your help for security. No offense meant, but aren’t you a bit young?”
I laughed, a bitter sound unable to mask the burden of my chosen profession. “A bit.”
“I thought you’d be older—at least several years older than me, rather than younger. But that’s how you kept anyone from finding you, isn’t it? Most think you’re a man—an older man, well experienced.”
“It helped,” I conceded. Then I had messed up, telling someone my identity where others might hear. I regretted every moment with Nate as well as the challenge I’d made for him. “I made too many mistakes.”
“Not as many as you think. Now, jumping into the water while sedated? That was definitely a mistake.”
I winced. “When will people forget about that?”
“Give it a week. Then you’ll be running from the bounty again, won’t you?”
“Faster than a bat out of hell.”
“Once you’ve disappeared to your satisfaction, look me up. You can get work through me, then you won’t have to take as many risks.”
Todd’s warning about Blossom and Gabriel fighting over who could handle me and my illicit work rang in my head. Swallowing, I fell into step with the tigress, uncertain of what to say. Refusing seemed wise. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Would you want to work with someone like me?”
“Simple. You do an important job, and you do it ethically. Well, mostly. That’s better than most of your colleagues, and that’s saying something right there. Ethics are important. You use humane methods on inhumane people. That’s important, too. You’re good, and you’re only going to get better. Me? I benefit from a cut of the bounty, I get first look at the important kill requests, and that puts me in a position of power, too. I won’t lie, I’ll be using you as much as you’ll be using me. It’s a fair trade.”
“Huh.” With a lack of something intelligent or dignified to say, I rested my hand on my katana’s hilt. The red wrapping matched my gown, and instead of the promised resin to disguise the guard, someone had braided thin red-leather strips through the gaps in the metal, disguising and decorating at the same time. I had no idea where someone had found a red sheath matching the blade, but it too matched my dress, and I appreciated the leather’s gleam in the mystic lights.
While the mayor’s suite wasn’t far, it took us several long, annoying minutes to reach. Guards, banquet attendees in masquerade attire, and servants clogged the hallways, noisy enough I wished for some way to silence them all. Blossom cast me a few knowing looks before tapping at the double doors leading into her father’s rooms.
“Enter.” The door muffled the mayor’s voice.
In many ways, the mayor’s suite reminded me of the one I shared with Todd’s herd except larger. Gold leafing decorated the moulding near the ceiling, and bright red, orange, and yellow rugs added a splash of color to the otherwise oppressively white room. Standing in front of a full-length mirror, the mayor adjusted his black tie, which matched his black suit and stood out against his pristine white shirt.
“Father, Jesse suggested we should have mystics go over the food in the banquet hall for any… alterations. It was left unattended.”
I admired how Blossom packed so much scorn into so few words. Her father glanced towards us, his eyebrows twitching up. With a final tug and smoothing, he finished toying with his tie. “If you see an opportunity, then it’s possible others did, too?”
Straightening, I met the mayor’s eyes and nodded. “Not all poisons have a scent or taste, and some of them look as innocent as confectioner’s sugar. Give an assassin a few minutes alone in the room, and a lot of people could get sick or die.”
“What would poisoning random people accomplish?”
I shrugged. “Chaos. There are those who don’t care how many they kill as long as they eliminate their target. Revenge. Politics. Personal grudge. Could be one of many reasons. Someone who wants to make you look bad—or disrupt the upcoming wedding between a lion and a tigress—would have an easy time of it. It is one thing to trust, but another to purposefully put yourself and others in harm’s way.”
The mayor’s expression turned neutral. After several long, silent moments, his eyes widened, and he spat a curse. Sidestepping his daughter and me, he yanked open the door and snapped his fingers. He murmured something to someone in the hallway. When he retreated, closing the door behind him, he met my gaze.
“Protect my daughter,” he ordered.
Serving as Blossom’s bodyguard fell within the parameters of my contract with Todd, but I’d have to sacrifice other elements of my duty. I considered it a moment.
Todd would either forgive me or he wouldn’t. Even if he didn’t, he’d understand.
“Yes, sir.”
The mayor nodded once, a curt gesture of acceptance. “Don’t take any unnecessary risks, Blossom.”
“I won’t.”
Something about their quiet exchange worried me, as though there was far more to their words than a father’s love for his daughter—something I’d regret later if I didn’t figure out the secret message passed between the pair. I swallowed so I wouldn’t sigh.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Seventeen
Mayor Longfellow delayed the masquerade ball by ten minutes, and I couldn’t help but admire his tactics. By making a spectacle of himself at the main doorway leading into the banquet hall, he drew a great deal of amused attention. The subject of his affections glowered at him, balling her hands into fists.
If I allowed the father and daughter to brawl, would it violate the terms of my contract with Todd? If they did fight, would separating them cause more harm than good?
“Father, you have your own party to attend. Don’t ruin mine!” Blossom drew a deep breath and hissed at her father, who growled back.
Cats and dogs. Put them in the same room together, even bound by blood as they were, and trouble started.
“You need someone supervising you.”
“Like hell I do.”
A tall figure in a classic black tuxedo sidled up to me, leaning over to whisper in my ear. “Was this your idea?”
The laughter in Gabriel’s voice put me at ease. Keeping one eye on the arguing pair, I took a discreet step back so I could converse with the groom-to-be. “It seems your future father-in-law has dependency issues.”
“Well, he is a wolf. Don’t they all have issues?”
“I can’t argue with that. At least he’s a tolerable wolf.”
“As far as they go. I’m so glad his daughter isn’t a wolf. I would have to wed a wolf, and I’m not sure my dignity could handle such a thing.”
I underestimated Blossom’s hearing and her flexibility. She kicked a heel out, connecting with Gabriel’s shin. The lion yelped and hopped back a step.
“That was dumb,” I informed him.
“Any other words of wisdom?”
I thought about it for a moment. “Apparently, laughter is the best medicine is terrible advice; it really isn’t the best medicine.”
“I heard something about that from Todd. His little mystic seemed pretty upset with you over it.”
“It’s not my fault your tigress acts so damned so-phee-stee-cay-ted.”
Blossom aimed her heel for my shin, and I pivoted, my stiletto squeaking on the marble floor so I could parry her jab. The spikes on our shoes clacked together. Whipping her head around,
the tigress growled and took another stab at me. We dueled with our high heels, requiring us both to grab our skirts to keep from tangling the fabric around our legs.
Gabriel sighed. “Ladies, please.”
Disengaging took a little effort, as the tigress pursued me several steps. When she gave up the chase, she made a soft huff, a blend of amusement and annoyance. “I am so so-phee-stee-cay-ted you’re jealous.”
It took every scrap of my willpower to keep from bursting into another fit of giggles. “In your dreams maybe.”
“Ladies, please,” Gabriel begged in a strained voice.
We glared at him, and he lifted his hands in surrender.
Blossom’s father cleared his throat to catch his daughter’s attention. “You’re going to be obstinate about this, aren’t you?”
With narrowed eyes and hands on her hips, she turned away from me. I took a step forward, and Gabriel caught my elbow, holding me back so I couldn’t kick at her shin. My mask hid my wrinkled nose, though it did nothing to cover my scowl.
Blossom lifted her hand and prodded her father’s chest. “Go away, Father. You’re late to your own pity party.”
The mayor grunted, sighed, and threw his arms in the air. “I should be grateful there’s a man on this Earth who is willing to take you.”
The crowd parted, and a wave of ill-concealed laughter followed in his wake. Without the mayor and his daughter preventing entry, people flooded into the banquet hall. I kept close to Blossom, my entire body tensing as so many strangers in masks moved around me.
Any one of them could be a friend.
Any one of them could be an enemy.
With most of the men wearing classic tuxedos and similar feathered masks, it took less than half a minute to lose track of Gabriel among them. I prayed my thanks for Blossom’s gown and its distinctive stripes; even when eager partygoers jostled me and knocked me away from her, it didn’t take more than a few seconds to spot her and work my way to her side.
“This is insanity,” I hissed, kicking at the hem of my gown and cursing its length.
“Just wait until every single man in the room tries to hit on you. I’ll give you a tip: if you like a man, remember the mask he’s wearing. Everyone has a different mask. After the masquerade, everyone will carry their masks on a sash around their waist so they can be found.”
“Great. It’s a game of concentration. What happens now? We just talk our heads off for the rest of the night and hope someone proposes?”
Blossom laughed. “Essentially.” Leaning towards me, she whispered, “Make sure you get something to eat. I ate already, so I’ll avoid everything for now. I know you didn’t have time for dinner earlier. I’ll go with you and have a sniff for anything suspicious if you’re still worried.”
If something did go awry with the food and drinks, I’d rather I take the fall than Blossom. I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Just do me a favor and don’t get a hold of anything toxic. Please. There’s been enough excitement already for the entire week.”
“No kidding.”
I sampled something from every table, checking for the poisons I knew, nibbling, chewing, and waiting for any reaction before swallowing. My methods amused Blossom, who grinned at me when she wasn’t playing hostess to all her guests. Few paid me any attention, which I didn’t mind in the slightest.
In one of the rare lulls, Blossom dragged me to one of the drink tables, her expression souring. “It’s always the same. Every gathering, the first two or three hours are wasted on politics. They come to me, exchange pleasantries hoping for favor with my father or Gabriel. Once they do their first round, they’re going to start coming at you to earn your favor, believing you can influence me.”
“They’re idiots, then.”
“That’s how the game is played.” Blossom stared at one of the colorful cocktails. “It’s tempting to drink myself under the table. Think anyone would notice?”
“I’m pretty sure someone would notice if you crawled under the table.”
Yet another man in a black tuxedo and colorful mask approached. Gold, green, and red feathers striped with bars of silver crested his head and fell down his back and shoulders, disguising his hair. “Blossom, you are as lovely as always.” He dipped into a bow, one far shallower than I’d learned to expect from those greeting the bride-to-be. “It seems you have found a favored companion?”
The man spoke in a murmur, barely loud enough to hear over the other conversations in the room. The trick intrigued me. If I wanted to find him later, it wouldn’t be by the sound of his voice, a tenor as far as I could tell.
“She’s nice, quiet, and doesn’t run her mouth like a ten year old having a temper tantrum. You should follow her example.”
The acidic tone of Blossom’s voice put me on alert, and I tensed, my hand dropping to my sword’s hilt, although I rested my palm on the pommel rather than the grip. It wouldn’t take much to get positioned to draw the blade if needed.
“Should I?”
“You’d be doing the entire world a favor if you did.”
“You’re so mean to me.”
“You deserve it.” Blossom relaxed and favored him with a smile. “You’d get bored if I didn’t point out all your flaws. Without me, you’d be destined to be lonely for the rest of your long, miserable life.”
I furrowed my brows, grateful the mask hid most of my expression. Whoever the man was, Blossom recognized him enough to engage in verbal sparring, and I couldn’t tell if they had a love-hate relationship, simply hated each other, or were teasing.
When I escaped the banquet and Charlotte, I’d enjoy returning to a quiet life where appearances matched reality, and men and women weren’t so complicated. Maybe I’d put away my tattoo box, slip into retirement, and drop off the radar, living off small jobs until no one remembered the Water Viper existed.
“Well, I suppose I should be grateful you’re not threatening to kill me this time.”
“I’m feeling benevolent. It’d make such a mess of my evening if I got my dress dirty killing you.” Blossom grinned, and her tone lightened with amusement. “Someone has to put you in your place. You’d become egotistical otherwise.”
While I had pegged the man as a tenor, his laughter rumbled in his chest. “I’m not sure if your friend wants to protect you from me or protect me from you.”
“If you ask her very nicely, maybe she’ll take pity on you and protect you.”
“I’m not sure I want to protect a peacock, Blossom.” Shifting my hand away from my sword, I returned to watching the crowd, searching for the sudden movements of someone doing something nefarious. “I can recommend a few places to hide the body if he annoys you.”
“He is a bit of a peacock, isn’t he?”
“A bit?” I wanted to smile, but I kept my expression neutral. Their banter, without the edge of true maliciousness, reminded me of some partnerships I’d seen among mercenaries. As a freelancer, I spent most of my time watching from the outside, and it startled me how easy it was to join in their verbal sparring.
“It’s the green feathers, isn’t it? I knew I should have used blue instead.”
The mask didn’t obscure the man’s dark eyes, which focused on me and me alone. Canting my head to the side, I met his gaze. “Yes. It’s definitely the green feathers. When you wear them, women develop an overwhelming need to eviscerate you.”
“It seems you’ve found someone who knows her way around a dictionary, Blossom.”
“I’m the so-phee-stee-cay-ted one. She’s the ed-ju-mah-cay-ted one. I bring the looks, she brings the smarts, and together, we’ll rule the world.”
The man shuddered, lifted his hand, and gestured against evil. “I’d beg you to never subject me to such horrors ever again.”
Turning to me, Blossom pouted. “He doesn’t like how so-phee-stee-cay-ted I am.”
I stared at her, I stared at him, and I burst into laughter so intense Blossom’s friend threw his hand
s in the air, rolled his eyes, and stomped away, muttering curses.
I waited until the party died down to a handful of people to drink myself under the table. Well, I tried to; one or two more of the girly cocktails would’ve finished me off, but Blossom intervened, taking the filled glass out of my hand and setting it back on the table.
“What are you doing?”
I was testing my luck and trying to put myself out of my misery, but if there was substance to Cleo’s warning about avoiding alcohol, I hadn’t found it at the bottom of my cocktail glass. “Finding out how many of these sissy drinks it takes to black out.” Most of the words made it out of my mouth intact, though a few slurred out of me as my tongue forgot what it was supposed to do.
“And why would you do that?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Blossom snorted. “Since when is getting that drunk ever a good idea?”
Sometimes ignoring a problem made it go away, and I spotted the peacock talking to several men, one of whom I thought was Gabriel. “Peacock at two o’clock.”
“He’s more like a parrot, really. The feathers aren’t long enough for a peacock, plus they’re the wrong colors.”
“So?”
“You’re an interesting woman.”
I found that funny coming from a tigress marrying a lion with a full pride. Choking back a laugh, I turned my attention away from him to the stragglers in the huge room. “First to arrive, last to leave?”
“Each and every night until the wedding. Then we’ll be last to arrive and first to leave.”
It sounded miserable to me. I wrinkled my nose, once again grateful for the mask obscuring my face. “Is this what you wanted? This pomp and circumstance?”
“Hopes, expectations, and reality rarely align,” the mayor’s daughter mumbled. “I look forward to living with Gabriel and his pride. I’ve hardly left the palace since my father was elected. I met Gabriel through him—negotiations for something dealing with his pride. I was adopted into the Steel Claws the same way. I’ll still be in Charlotte, but I won’t be here.”