Gesturing down the street, she said, “Take this street to the end and then turn left. The tavern will be at the end of the road. You should be able to find it without much trouble. I’d take you there myself, but it would be better for me to stay away for now.”
Malek placed his hand over hers, his touch searing her like a brand. “When can I see you again?”
She smiled, unable to hide her pleasure at the question. Before she could respond, he tensed and looked at something over her shoulder. His hand flew to the hilt of his knife, but Sabine took a step toward him. Placing her hand against his chest, she urged, “It’s all right. He’s a friend.”
He paused and arched his brow. “Are you sure? I’m not getting particularly friendly vibes.”
Her smile deepened, and she glanced behind her. Bane was hidden in the shadows, but she knew he was there and waiting for her. It was curious Malek had also sensed his presence and one more indicator the enigmatic ship captain had magical inclinations.
“Yes, but I should go before he gets impatient. I need to tell him about Terrance.”
Malek frowned. “Very well, but I would like to see you again.”
She bit her lip, feeling the steady beat of his heart underneath her fingertips. It wasn’t smart, but she wanted to see him again too. “A friend of mine is an herbalist with a shop not far from here. I use her workshop to create the poisons I use for my weapons.”
“Esmelle?”
Sabine tilted her head, regarding him with surprise. “You know her?”
“We met earlier tonight. She helped create an antidote for Dax.”
“Ah,” she murmured, making a mental to note to ask Esmelle what she’d thought about Malek. “Her shop is called Witch’s Brew. I’ll be there in the afternoon, if you’d like to meet me.”
Malek reached down and captured her hand. Raising it, he brushed a soft kiss against it. “Until tomorrow.”
Charmed by the gesture, she smiled. “May peace walk with you even in your dreams, Malek.”
Turning away, she headed toward the demon waiting in the shadows. Bane stepped into the light as she approached. He smirked and nodded toward Malek. “New conquest? The kiss on your hand was a nice touch.”
“Behave,” she said, continuing to walk down the street.
Bane chuckled and fell into step beside her. “I’m surprised my brother hasn’t killed him yet. We both know how Dax feels about competition.”
She made a noncommittal noise. Dax was probably counting down the minutes until she lost interest in Malek. “I’ve marked him. Dax will leave him alone for now.”
“Or try to find a way around your mark,” Bane muttered with a hint of a growl in his tone, indicating he wasn’t pleased she’d marked Malek either. “What do you know about this stranger? And why the hell would you mark him?”
She gave him a sharp look. “I’m not discussing him with you.”
“Very well. I’m assuming you’re on your way to Esme’s shop. We need to discuss a few other things, like the people hunting you.”
She nodded and continued heading in that direction, more than a little weary. She needed to get some rest before she collapsed. “Yes, but we can talk inside. Dax has people watching the outside of Esme’s shop, and I’d rather they not hear what we discuss. If you go around back, I’ll lower the wards for you so you can slip over the wall.”
“That won’t be necessary. My men chased Dax’s people away from Esme’s shop earlier. After I got your message, I assumed you’d be heading here tonight.” Bane gestured toward an alley where he had someone standing watch. She didn’t recognize the person, but she wasn’t as familiar with Bane’s people.
Sabine blew out a breath and muttered, “Great. More trouble. Dax is going to love that.”
“I can handle my brother.” Bane put his hand on her lower back to lead her toward Esmelle’s front door.
Sabine traced a pattern on the door and infused it with her magic. The warding shimmered with a bluish light before falling away. Witch magic typically flared blue when it was triggered or deactivated. She didn’t quite understand why various colors were associated with different types of magic, but most people couldn’t see them. They might catch a trace of light or a shimmer in the air, but not much else.
Pushing open the door, she led Bane inside the warm and inviting shop. It didn’t matter what time she showed up; Esmelle always seemed to know when to expect her.
The fire had been banked, but it provided enough warmth in the shop to eliminate the worst of the night’s chill. Sabine pulled off her cloak and hung it on the hook. Esmelle had left a pot of tea on the counter with a note.
Sabine picked up the message and smiled at the handwritten script.
Don’t argue. Just drink the damn tea.
It figured. Esmelle might be human, but she was also a rather talented witch who enjoyed dabbling in charms and elixirs. Unfortunately, that meant Sabine was frequently volunteered to be a test subject in Esmelle’s creations. Her friend meant well, but Sabine tried to escape from Esmelle’s experiments whenever possible. Her magic was much better than her cooking and brewing abilities, which could be quite harrowing at times.
Lifting the top of the teapot, Sabine inhaled and then wrinkled her nose at the pungent aroma. Apparently, Esmelle was worried about the effects of Dax stealing her magic earlier. In addition to a magical enhancement herb, she also caught a faint whiff of another plant that encouraged relaxation. The two herbs were in direct contrast to each other, not only with their intent but also with their flavors.
Sabine motioned for Bane to carry the pot while she picked up a jar of mint and two cups. If she had to drink the foul concoction, Bane could suffer too.
“I’m not drinking that,” Bane said, warily eyeing the two cups she’d grabbed.
She headed up the stairs toward her room, trusting he’d follow her. “I’m going to add some mint.”
“I’ve tasted Esme’s brews. You don’t have enough mint in that little jar to cover up the taste. Maybe not even in her entire garden.”
She grinned and pushed open one of the doors at the top of the stairs. “Don’t be a baby. You’ll hurt Esme’s feelings.”
“At least I won’t be hurling my guts out,” Bane muttered, walking into the bedroom Sabine used on occasion. She didn’t stay at the shop all the time, but often enough Esmelle had offered her a private bedroom. Sabine suspected Esmelle would prefer if she moved in permanently, but she wasn’t willing to endanger her friend. Too many people might be inclined to hurt Esmelle if they knew how much Sabine adored the human witch.
“That happened once, and she’s gotten a lot better.” Sabine motioned for him to place the teapot on the dresser. She opened the jar of mint and doctored the tea to mask the worst of the taste. Leaving it to steep, she put her loose hairpins on the dresser and then sat on the edge of the bed to pull off her boots.
Bane wandered over, picked up one of Sabine’s hairpins, and studied it. “Are you going to tell me why you’re not wearing these tonight? You don’t normally keep your hair down.”
“I do when your brother’s being a pain in the ass,” she muttered and started pulling off the rest of her weapons.
He arched his brow. “What did Dax do now?”
“The bastard drugged me.”
Bane’s mouth twitched in a smile, and she glared at him. He chuckled and held up his hands in surrender. “Dax has never been the most tactful. Did you hurt him?”
She snorted. “I got to test out a new poison made from sewer rats. Even with Esme’s antidote, he’s going to be uncomfortable for a few days.”
Bane laughed. “You’re good for him, I’ll give you that much. He’ll think twice about doing that again.”
She made a noise of agreement and placed her throwing knives on the small table beside her bed. “He knows I went to see you last night.”
“Is that so?”
Sabine stood and walked back over to the teapot. She poured ea
ch of them a cup and then walked over to Bane. Offering it to him, she said, “You need to talk to him, Bane. I’m getting tired of being caught in the middle of your argument. The more time passes, the harder it will be to resolve.”
Bane took the cup and sniffed it but made no move to drink it. He placed it back on the dresser. “What did you learn about the attack?”
She narrowed her eyes at his refusal to discuss Dax. It was tempting to throw one of her poisoned blades at the brother standing in front of her. They needed to fix this mess before she strangled both of them.
Perhaps part of their argument was her fault, but she’d made her decision out of necessity. Unlike Dax, Bane had the ability to manipulate someone’s lifeforce. He typically used that ability to steal someone’s life, making him a very effective assassin. But they’d found his magic could also be used in reverse. It was much more difficult to heal using demonic magic, but they’d found it worked better if he carried her mark and was sworn to protect her.
Dax hadn’t been pleased when he’d learned about it, and it was still a point of contention between them. The knowledge his brother could live aboveground due to her protection mark chafed. If she had known it would cause so many problems between the brothers, she might have reconsidered her decision. Bane didn’t seem to have the same controlling tendencies as Dax, which was the main reason she’d agreed in the first place. Although, she suspected Bane was simply better at hiding the worst of his demonic traits. May the gods save her from volatile demons and the headaches they created.
Irritated by the whole mess, she snapped, “Don’t push me tonight, Bane. I’m exhausted, and I’ve had a rough few days. Drink your damn tea or get the hell out of my room.”
His amber eyes flashed silver for a second before they faded. He wasn’t as quick to temper as Dax, but she’d had it with both of them. She waited, tapping her foot impatiently, and arched her brow at him.
He held her gaze and picked up the tea, took a drink, and grimaced. Placing the cup back on the dresser, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her, as though daring her to challenge him further.
She wouldn’t. Someone could only push a demon so far, even one as even-tempered as Bane.
Sabine took a sip from her cup and wrinkled her nose. It wasn’t horrible, but Bane was right; it was barely palatable. She’d have to talk to Esme again about masking some of the more offensive herbs.
Placing her cup on the dresser, she pulled open one of the drawers to find an oversized shirt to wear to sleep.
“Last week, Dax asked me to reach out to some of my contacts to see if I could get any information for him. He was interested in some strange happenings with the local politicians over the past two months. Money has been changing hands, and there’s been a heavier presence of armed guards in certain key areas around the city.”
Bane arched his brow. “I’ve heard similar complaints from some of my men. It’s made moving unseen a bit more difficult. Do you know why?”
She hesitated. “Not exactly. I’ve only begun putting bits and pieces together, but most of this is supposition. Some of Edvar’s street kids heard rumors about a cache of ancient artifacts that was recently discovered in one of the catacombs under the city.”
Bane snorted. “Let me guess, my brother wants to steal them?”
She smiled and nodded. “Most likely. At the very least, he wants to know what they found. Dax believes they’ve hired mercenaries to help guard the items, but they keep moving them around. So far, everyone’s been tight-lipped about it. His contacts in the city guard don’t even know what they’re hiding.”
“How is this related to the attack on you?”
Sabine picked up her tea and took another sip. “I contacted Thomas, the owner of a nearby general store, and asked him to arrange a meeting with an informant in the city council’s office.”
Bane frowned. “Thomas? Dax’s fence? What does he know about the city council?”
She shrugged. “Nothing, but his cousin works as a clerk for the city council. When I stopped at the general store, I didn’t realize one of Dax’s men was in the backroom unloading some merchandise that had arrived by ship. Riven overheard my conversation about the planned meet. He told someone named Terrance where I was going to be. I believe Terrance orchestrated the attack, but I don’t know if he was ultimately responsible.”
Bane scowled. “I’ve met Terrance. Dax allowed him to set up a gambling hall not far from the docks. If he’s the one responsible for this, I’ll handle him.”
Sabine frowned and started unfastening the laces of her shirt. It seemed as though everyone else knew about Terrance, except for her. She’d wanted to put some space between her and Dax, so she’d decided to take a step back from some of Dax’s dealings. Now she wondered if that had been a mistake.
“Terrance is missing, and Dax has people searching for him. How much contact did you have with him?”
Bane leaned against the wall, watching as she pulled off her shirt. Nudity was common enough amongst her people and his, but Bane had already slipped once the other day by kissing her. She arched her brow at him, and he grinned.
“You can’t blame me for looking, little one. A beautiful woman should always be admired. But to answer your question, I had very little interaction with Terrance. He hired us to kill someone a few weeks ago, and it’s possible that’s how he came into contact with one of my men. Naphor was assigned to the task.”
Sabine frowned and pulled on her nightshirt. Naphor had been the man from the alley with the tattoo, indicating his allegiance to Bane and the assassin’s guild. Everyone who wore one celebrated the dark masters, those gods who were responsible for death, revenge, and chaos. Bane had his own version of the tattoo on one of his arms, and it was an easy way to identify others who followed their credo.
“You don’t normally talk to me about your assassination contracts.”
“No, and I’m not giving you details. But in this case, you need to know the connection between my people and Terrance.”
She nodded and reached down to unfasten and slip off her pants. “Do I need to know who the target was?”
“Not right now. I’m investigating any connection to you, but I don’t believe there is one. It wasn’t a difficult target, which was why one of my newer recruits was tasked with killing the mark.”
Sabine tucked her loose hair behind her ear. “There might be another possibility. Your feud with Dax isn’t a secret, and most people believe I’m the reason for it. I think it’s interesting Terrance hired one of Dax’s men for information about me, and then he hired one of your men to kill me.”
Bane straightened. “You believe someone’s trying to play us against each other?”
Walking back over to the bed, she opened the drawer of the nightstand and withdrew the iron dagger she’d collected from Naphor. Even through the leather sheath, the cold iron warmed her skin enough to make it uncomfortable. Direct contact would burn her; not even water would quench the flames. “It’s a possibility, but he had this.”
She offered the knife to Bane, and his eyes flashed silver once again. This time, they stayed that way for almost a full minute while he tried to get himself under control. She waited, knowing his anger wasn’t directed at her, but it wasn’t a good idea to push him too far in this state. Dax’s temper was explosive and immediate, but Bane’s could be much more dangerous when it was fully unleashed.
Bane exhaled slowly and gripped the knife. “Someone knows who you are.”
“Or suspects, yes.” She folded down the blankets in the bed. “Many people believe I’m more Fae than human, so this may be a coincidence. It could even have been part of the payment. Iron weapons are rare, even here in a city where the metal can be more easily tolerated.”
“Did you tell Dax about this?”
She climbed into bed and looked up at Bane. His eyes had returned to normal, but it wouldn’t take much to set him off again. “Not yet. I planned on telling him tonig
ht before he decided to be an ass. If someone is hoping to take advantage of your disagreement, it’s up to both of you to resolve it.”
Bane’s jaw clenched, and she sighed. It was too late at night to deal with a brooding over-protective demon. The sun was going to rise soon, and she needed to get some rest before Esmelle’s clients started showing up.
“I’m going to bed. Are you staying or leaving?”
He was quiet for a long time. “I’d like to stay for a bit.”
“All right,” she said and listened to him remove some of his weapons.
Bane wouldn’t fall asleep, but he’d stay with her long enough until she did. Demons didn’t love the same way as humans or other magical races, but she knew he cared about her. Bane was worried about what she’d shared, but the real reason he would remain was a little more practical: he simply needed access to her magic. It fueled him enough to enhance his senses and allow him more mobility aboveground, but he didn’t like being dependent upon it.
Any form of intimacy, even small touches and caresses, helped strengthen their connection through the mark on his wrist. It allowed him to go longer periods of time without having direct access to her. Part of the reason Dax wanted Bane to stay away from her was because Dax wanted Bane’s mark to fade. Stupid, jealous demons. If Dax would quit trying to control and manipulate every situation involving her, Sabine might consider marking him too. Instead, she was the equivalent of a shiny toy both demons wanted to possess.
Bane slid into bed beside her, and she scooted over next to him. He was always so warm, like a giant heater. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her closer. “I’m putting guards on you around the clock, little one. I have a handful of people who are loyal and beyond reproach. They’ll be the ones to watch over you.”
Resting her head on his chest, she said, “Just don’t get angry when I lose them. You know how I feel about people tracking me.”
Bane ran his hand down her back and murmured, “Fair enough. Will you tell me about the man from earlier?”
Sabine yawned. “His name’s Malek. And no, you’re not allowed to kill him either.”
To Kill a Fae Page 10