by Jayne Hawke
“I know that you’re the best bounty hunter in the North, which is very odd given you don’t have any magic.”
My breath caught in my throat. I suddenly felt like I was stuck in a trap.
FOUR
I turned to face him and saw the predatory smile on his face.
“You’re stalking me?” I growled.
“Nothing so awful. My kind are good at knowing these things.”
My mind kicked into overdrive as I tried to figure out what his kind was. He was obviously a fae. His bone structure wasn’t delicate enough to be an elf or sidhe, and he was too tall to be a pixie. They shed pixie dust everywhere, too, which was a pretty big tell. He didn’t have the cat ears and tail of a puka, or the lean feline build of a cait sidhe. My heart threatened to stop in my chest.
Cu sith. He was a black dog, the greatest hunters and assassins to walk the Earth. Once they had a scent, they could track their victim anywhere in the world, and they wouldn’t stop until that victim was handed to the one who began the hunt, or dead. They were nearly impossible to kill, lived very long lives, and had the strength, speed, and healing ability of the strongest shifters.
I fought to look calm and nonchalant as my mind whirred with all of the worst possible outcomes. If he found out who and what I was, I’d be screwed. At best, he’d kill me on the spot. At worst, he’d auction me off to the highest bidder and I’d live the rest of my life out in a cage.
“You clearly know all about me, so tell me about yourself, Ethan. Shouldn’t you be in an expensive bar or something somewhere?” I said brightly.
The predatory edge shone through every inch of him as he watched me like prey. If I called upon my full magic, which I’d never done before, I might be able to wound him and give myself a head start. That was all I could hope for.
“I enjoy this quiet time of night away from the bustle of the bars. It helps me clear my mind. I’ve begun a difficult and delicate investigation. I felt as though a little peace would be a good idea.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that. My usual sarcasm had run for the hills, which was what I should have done.
“That sounds exhausting. I’m much more of a hack-and-slash girl myself,” I said wryly.
“That isn’t what I’ve heard. You don’t earn your reputation by being a dumb brute,” he said with a soft purr.
It was wrong that he could purr and make heat pool in my abdomen. I knew that I shouldn’t be anywhere near him, but there was something about him that made me want to claw his back and make him shout my name.
“Well, as fun as this is, I should head home,” I said as I got down off the wall.
“We’ll do this another time,” he said with absolute certainty.
“You’re sure you want to risk your legs being turned into toothpicks?” I teased.
What was I doing? I should have walked off, and yet there I was barely inches away from him watching the way his mouth moved when he smiled.
“There’s nothing in there that could beat me in a fight,” he said smoothly.
Of course there wasn’t. He was the apex predator, and he knew it.
As I walked home, I wondered if someone like Ethan had taken my father. We had no idea what had happened to him. One day he was there, the next he was gone. His clothes and belongings were still in the house. It had been difficult trying to raise Matt by myself. He was a strong and caring guy, but being half cait sidhe made life very different. Mongrels had no place in society. They were despised by all sides, which left them with very few places to go.
Matt had never let that beat him down, though, and I’d done my damndest to ensure he had every possible opportunity. Dad had adopted him not long after Mom had died. He’d just shown up with a mewling kitten one day and declared that he was my baby brother. Even now, when he got stressed Matt shifted into his cat form and hid somewhere.
The lights were on at home. Matt had come home from his shift at the bar. I’d have to break it to him that we weren’t having dinner that night. It wasn’t the first time, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last. I’d do my best to stock up the cupboards in the morning before work. There was a small chance that a big job would come in and I’d be able to get a new pair of boots before winter set in. Maybe things would go my way.
“Hey Matt!” I called as I walked inside.
He was sitting on the ratty old couch in the living room with his legs tucked under him as he watched a show on our ancient laptop. It was the one luxury we had in our lives, and it was worth every penny.
“Hey Kit, sorry about the ice cream but I was starving.”
“Don’t worry about it, scooch over,” I said.
He moved up and I sat next to him and leaned over to see what he was watching. It was our favourite show about a fox shifter detective and his human partner.
“Did I miss anything?” I asked.
“Only the opening credits,” he said as he hit play on the show again.
We sat in a comfortable silence watching the show, ignoring our growling stomachs. We had each other, and that was what really mattered.
FIVE
I got up at the crack of dawn, having tossed and turned attempting to sleep for a couple of hours. The stores would be open in fifteen minutes, and I wanted to make sure that Matt had a good breakfast. I counted the cash that I had. It wasn’t much, especially after I put half of it in the college fund. It would be enough for some basics to get us through, though. If I was lucky, there might even be some bacon on sale.
My jacket didn’t look too bad in the daylight. I’d have to buy some more of that witch-made cleaner when I got my next paycheque. My line of work had me covered in blood and other vile things far too frequently to risk being without a good cleaner. Matt was still fast asleep when I slipped out the door with my backpack. A smile spread across my face at the thought of him waking up to stocked cupboards.
The streets were still quiet where sensible people were tucked up in their beds. I enjoyed that time of day, when the sun rising over the city gave it a pale pastel blush. Today’s sunrise gave the cream city a peach glow that made it seem bright and friendly. A scrawny witch snorting something off a bus stop bench really killed the warm morning feeling I’d been having. He looked at me with violet glitter coating his upper lip. It was probably some drug he’d made himself.
I ignored him. It was best to keep to yourself with situations like that. There was no point in starting a fight if you didn’t have to. There weren’t many pure-blooded humans in my neighbourhood. They had enough money to be somewhere a little nicer. I was in the outcast neighbourhood with the rundown witches and fae that no one wanted. Not many people wanted any of the witches, but there were some who weren’t very skilled or who just had shitty luck. Then there were the dark witches, those who played with things no one wanted to think about.
The hounds often hunted down the dark witches, though. They hunted down anything the gods didn’t much approve of, anything that ruined their bright pristine view of the world. That led to trouble with the fae, but I did my best to keep out of all of that. I brought in who I was told to, killed those I was told to, and kept my head down.
The grocery store was on the border between my neighbourhood and the nicer human neighbourhood that was unfortunate enough to be next to ours. It was cheap enough that I could afford to shop there, and it was safe enough that it lacked the heavy iron shutters that the store in the heart of our neighbourhood wore.
There were a few sleepy humans stumbling out of their cars and crossing the car park on their way to the coffee machine within the store. I ignored them, tucked my hands in my pockets, and headed into the store. The interior wasn’t much to look at. The floors could have been better swept, the ceiling was bare rafters and beams, but it did what I needed it to do.
Picking up a basket I looked at the fresh fruit in the closest aisle. The garnet red apples made my mouth water, but they weren’t within my price range. I strolled past them and the freshly m
ade pastries and headed towards my section of the store, the discount aisle.
I grabbed a loaf of bread that still had two days left on it, a large block of cheese, and some eggs. To my delight there was a bar of very nice dark chocolate with little bits of raspberries in it. To top off a very successful grocery run, I found a pack of bacon and some sausages. Matt would be over the moon with my haul. We’d still be having pasta and red sauce for dinner for a couple of nights, but those sausages would be worth it.
Everything was packed neatly in my backpack, and I paid. It left me with two pounds to my name, but at least we’d be able to eat. I hoped that it would only be a couple of days until I picked up my next job. It stung to live from pay cheque to pay cheque, but there were worse things. I still had some chocolate to enjoy, and there should be time to watch an episode of our favourite show together over breakfast. It was those moments that made all the difference.
SIX
I heard the footsteps behind me as I turned the corner two blocks away from home. The way they picked up the pace and spread as though to surround me made their intent clear. I shrugged my backpack off and tucked it behind a short gate where I could protect it. No one was stealing my precious food.
Unsheathing my daggers, I turned to face the trio of fae mongrels who were almost within stabbing distance now.
“Just hand over your money.”
I snorted.
“Like I have any money,” I said.
The one closest to me, with white spiked hair and a gaunt appearance took a step closer. His wiry frame looked as though it had been muscular once, and he moved as though he was intimidating. He was taller than me, but there was only sinew and bad thoughts holding him together.
“Hand it over,” he growled.
The other two weren’t quite as far gone. They still had the sallow cheeks and a gaze that never stopped moving. I got it. Life was hard as a fae mongrel, I’d seen first-hand what people tried to put Matt through. That didn’t mean I had enough sympathy to hand over those damn sausages.
A spark of fire flickered over the leader’s palm. My own magic reacted within me, desperate to feel the sweet release of bringing about death.
“I said, hand it over,” he said as he stepped closer.
“And I said no,” I said as I swiped my dagger at his stomach.
He snarled at me, revealing sharp yellow and brown teeth. His claws began to extend. Fantastic, he was part red cap. They were usually big brawny beings. I could see why they didn’t want him. The other two flashed their long curling yellow nails and I groaned, not wanting those to come into contact with my skin. There wasn’t enough soap in the world to get that feeling of grime off.
I remained close to the small wall at my back guarding my backpack. The leader lunged forward. His nails were aiming for my stomach. I moved quickly, hacking at his wrists to remove the threat. The stench of unwashed skin and rancid breath almost cost me. I gagged and lost my focus for a second. His claws scraped against my jacket. One caught on my pocket. I took the opportunity to slash up his wrist. Brilliant ruby-red blood streamed down his arm and dripped onto my boots.
The white-haired guy stumbled backwards as he clutched at his arms while he became increasingly pale.
“You’ll pay for that!” the blue haired guy shouted.
I heard the snick of locks behind me. The owner of the house we were fighting in front of was putting the extra security in place in case this got any closer to them. I didn’t blame them.
Blue hair was broader and stockier than the leader had been. I grunted when his fist collided with my upper arm. He had a bit of strength to him. Unfortunately for him, I had more experience. He tried to get in close and batter my torso, but I thrust my dagger into his throat. His eyes went wide as he gurgled his final breath. I kicked him hard away from me.
The third one could be seen running down the street as fast as his scrawny legs would carry him. That left me with two bodies to deal with.
Sighing, I debated what to do about that. The company I worked for had a clean-up crew, but they’d charge me to use the service as it wasn’t connected to a job they were involved in. I really couldn’t afford that.
A small group of wild-eyed witches began edging across the road. Their eyes were fixed on the bodies as they moved with an odd fluidity. I grabbed my backpack and left the scene. The witches would claim the death magic while it still lingered on them. The bodies would go into various spells and potions. Such was the circle of life.
“You have death lingering on you,” Matt said as I walked in the front door.
“You know it’s creepy when you do that, right?” I asked.
He emerged from the living room in a t-shirt with a ragged hem and a pair of shorts that had seen better days. I handed him the backpack.
“Make yourself useful and cook us breakfast,” I said.
I watched as he set the backpack on the small kitchen table and looked into the backpack. His face lit up with pure delight as he pulled out the sausages, bacon, and eggs. It had been months since we’d been able to afford a good breakfast like that.
“You didn’t shank someone for these, did you...?” he asked.
“No, some junkies tried to jump me on the way home. No big deal. Hurry up and cook, I’m starving,” I said.
He grinned at me and pulled out the frying pans before he carefully set everything out on the tiny kitchen countertop. There was a look of love on his face as he touched each pack of food as though checking they were real.
I pulled my boots off and cleaned them off with a dirty rag. A small patch of red refused to budge, but they were wearable. Matt cooked us a feast. None of the meat would last past the evening, so it made sense to cook it all while we could. We’d eat cold sausage sandwiches for lunch, and it would be amazing.
I was drooling when Matt set the plate full of perfectly cooked food in front of me. We savoured every bite in silence. Who knew when we’d be able to eat like that next? It was worth taking our time and really enjoying it.
SEVEN
I felt weird having a full stomach, but it was a good weird that came with a happiness. Matt had returned to bed. He didn’t need to be in work until eight p.m., so it was best he slept while he could. I, on the other hand, had to head into the bounty hunter headquarters. There was a chance that there was a job on the board that I could pick up. As I was at the bottom of the pay scale due to everyone thinking I was just a human, I got the crappy jobs no one else wanted. I could earn a lot more if I admitted to having magic, but that would bring a whole heap of questions with it.
The day was bright and clear, so I decided to take the long route to work down alongside the river. There was a risk to walking by the river, especially in the areas I frequented. Thankfully, we didn’t have any mermaids. They were all out at sea. We did, however, have hags, dobhar chu, kelpies, selkies, and some other vicious fae that were tied into water. It was the hags that concerned me the most. The kelpies were pretty easy to spot, given they were large black horses. Some people were still taken in by the kelpies and selkies, usually those who’d come from the European mainland where fae weren’t as common. They died horrible deaths as they were slowly drowned and devoured by the fae.
The path down by the river was narrow but well-worn. Not many people dared walk that close to the water, not since the fae had declared it to be their land. There were supposed to be some rivers and lakes in the country that had been assigned to the non-fae, but this wasn’t one of them. I saw the familiar ripple of water revealing a dobhar chu to be just beneath the surface. The otter-like creature was the size of a Shetland pony with thick waterproof fur. Its broad head emerged from the surface and looked at me with intelligent yellow eyes. I knew that the heavy muzzle contained razor-sharp teeth that would cut straight through my flesh and go into my bones before I even knew it had happened.
I watched the water as I walked. The dobhar chu carried on about its way, knowing better than to try and hunt me. I w
as just starting to relax and enjoy the view down the clear blue river with the cream buildings lining it on either side when I saw her. A hag. They all appeared to be frail old women; I wasn’t sure if they were born that way, and I hadn’t dared ask one. This one had long fine white hair that hung down her hunched back. She looked at me with watery blue eyes that shone with psychopathic intent. Her wrinkly face and faded clothes would have made her look like a typical old lady, but I knew better.
She stood up from having been kneeling on the short grass at the edge of the river. I cursed under my breath. I really didn’t want to deal with a hag that morning. Pausing, I looked to my right. There was a small path leading back to the city. It irked me to have to change my route, but the hag was watching me with a sharpness that betrayed her feelings on my presence. I was walking into her territory, and that would lead to a big fight. They were far more powerful than they had any right to be. She’d form muddy water in my lungs and force me to use my magic to survive.
Sighing, I turned and walked through the spindly trees onto the broader, more well-trodden path skirting around her territory. Damn fae.
EIGHT
The bounty hunter headquarters were a rundown old building with crumbling corners and a roof that sagged near the east corner. The heavy-set windows hadn’t seen a clean cloth in years, and Elise Larcen, the woman who ran it all, didn’t give a damn. She was there to try and earn political points in the local fae court and some money whilst she was at it.
I opened the front door, which required a kick to the right corner to help it scrape over the hallway floor. Old blood stained the wooden floor, along with various dropped potions, a healthy layer of pixie dust, and I didn’t want to know about the rest. The steel-grey walls looked old and dingy. None of that mattered. I made my way along the short hallway and turned left to get a coffee from the coffee machine.