by Amelia Shaw
Fin shook his head even though Hawk couldn’t see it. I squashed the smile, remembering that I was still mad at him.
Fin cleared his throat. “No, I don’t have anything else to go off. I haven’t seen her since she was young, and I don’t know what has changed for her after she was held captive for so long.”
“She’s a captive?” Hawk asked, confusion in his voice.
“She used to be a guest of Esteban, the Black Mage, but from what I can tell she hasn’t been his captive in a while. Despite his desire to make it seem like she was.”
Hawk shuffled some papers and then cleared his throat. “Then, I might need to try a different angle, but I think my lead might still give you something to go off. Is there anything else you can tell me?”
I looked at Fin, but he shook his head again. “Nothing about her in particular but check for any noted patterns of magic. Something used to hide from others. Or a way to hide in plain sight like strong glamour. You can even hunt those down in conjunction with metal-based magic in any variety. She may be hiding but I don’t think she’d be able to resist using her power. Not all these years.”
In the silence, I stood and paced next to the bed, holding the phone out beside me in case Fin wanted to add something. Hawk typed furiously, which made me smile since I knew how much he hated using his computer. He was more of a go beat down doors kind of man. But, if he wanted the Chief to take more breaks, it meant more housework on his side.
“Yeah, as I said, I think my lead can work for you, but it will be tricky. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll email you the details I have and some possible covers you can use to infiltrate. I don’t know what would work best, but your friend might.”
The way he said friend earned the phone a glare from Fin. My smile widened as I paced. No doubt the Chief and Hawk have been gossiping since I’d left the cabin. If I knew the Chief, he’d been on the phone within the hour to update Hawk on my status and to have him dig a hole in Fin’s past. Or update it if he already kept a file.
“Thanks, Hawk. I’ll let you know if we get anything. If you find something else we might be able to use, shoot it my way.”
“Be safe, kid,” he said and hung up before I could respond.
I sat the phone on the bedside table. “We are going to need to talk about the whole ‘mate’ thing, but I don’t think it should be right now. At the very least, let’s call a truce, and we can figure out the rest later.”
His answering scowl didn’t fill me with confidence, but he didn’t argue either.
“Let’s see what sort of lead he sent.” I spun to exit the bedroom, needing more distance, and located my laptop where I’d left it on the coffee table.
True to his word, Hawk sent a full report.
I scanned the details, and then read it one more time. “Fin, do you know anything about the Night Market?”
He seized my computer straight from my lap and read the email himself. “He thinks she might be in the Night Market?”
“But what is it?” I asked.
He handed me the computer back and I resumed reading while he spoke. “It’s an underground market, like the black market, except it’s magical contraband and seedy characters.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Sounds like my kind of place.”
“It’s definitely not mine,” Fin said.
A laugh bubbled up and escaped me before I could stop it. The sheer incredulity on his princely features told me exactly what he thought of the Night Market and the people who frequented it.
“I guess it’s a good thing I’ll be going with you. I wouldn’t want anyone to try and scar that pretty face. Not when I’m attached to it from now until apparently forever.”
He winced at my mention of our bond. There was a lot of that going around right now.
I finished reading the email, closed my laptop, and nodded. “Okay, so give me a run down. What do people wear to the Night Market? What sort of environment are we talking about?”
Fin frowned and crossed his arms. “Well, a lot of weapons to start and the environment is sort of a circus meets street brawl meets magic.”
I didn’t want to tell him, but that sounded super enticing to me. As someone who only recently discovered their abilities, I had yet to see the fun side of magic. It all felt very doom and gloom from Fin and the Captain’s perspective. This seemed like my chance to witness magic from a different point of view.
“Well, let’s see what the Chief’s contact provided us by way of weapons and clothing and get ready to go.”
Fin waved at the window. “Night Market means Night Market. We still have a couple of hours until sundown.”
“I’ll need time to survey and to get into the place. The email gave me the coordinates, but I highly doubt there’s not some sort of magical barrier that will try to keep us out.” I raised my eyebrows and waited.
“There is,” he said, begrudgingly, then followed me into the bedroom. “Wear black. It’s the easiest to glamour with magic into the shadows, and it hides the blood.”
I almost wanted to laugh. What the hell kind of place was this?
We got ready quickly and jumped in the black SUV. But the drive took longer than I thought it would. By the time we arrived, the first bright glimmers of sunset coated the empty field we found ourselves in. There weren’t any other cars, nor people, and yet I could sense the magic in the air like a heavy spice flung on the breeze.
“What do you think?” I asked Fin, as I shoved my daggers into their sheaths.
He eyed the field with a look of disgust. “This is such a bad idea.”
His hair was pulled back into a low bun, and his black hoodie made him look my age, especially paired with black jeans and combat boots. He looked like he was about to go to a Fall Out Boy concert, not a magical underground market.
Not that I wore much different. My jeans were blue, but only because they felt better under my dagger sheaths.
“So?” I waved at the field. “What do we do?”
He took my hands in his much warmer ones. “Breathe and focus on your magic.”
“Which one?” I asked, closing my eyes.
“Any of it. The Night Market is open to anyone who has magic.”
I popped an eye open to study him. “So, humans would walk across the field as if it were nothing?”
“Yes, shush.”
I glared at him shushing me, then closed my eyes and breathed steadily along with him. Magic washed down my spine like a wayward breeze, and then, it was as if a bubble popped and sound descended. I opened my eyes, hands still in Fin’s.
A huge red circus tent flapped in the wind.
My mouth dropped open. Now that’s cool.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Sure, but why do you look like you’re about to throw up?”
His chin tuck and side eye gave me pause. I cupped his cheek and dragged his face back so he would meet my eyes. “Just tell me. It’ll be so much easier this way.”
He released a long sigh. “Back before, a long time ago, and leading up to your parents’ death, I was sort of like a cop of the fae world. Many here might remember and resent me.”
It was my turn to match his scowling frown. “I thought fae governed themselves.”
“They do now.”
“But then?”
“There used to be a council. They called them The Three. And there were a few higher ranking fae who served as sort of unofficial law enforcement.”
I super needed to start boning up on my fae history. “What happened to them?”
He captured my hands under his, still holding his face. “I’ll give you one guess.”
“Esteban,” I breathed.
There was no need to confirm. I could see the truth of it in his haunted eyes. I nodded. “Let’s go. I’ve got your back. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Even though I’m still mad at you, no one gets to throw you around except me.”
I got a chuckle for my comment and a cute little grin.
“Let’s get this over with then.”
He grasped my hand in his and turned me toward the waving tent flap.
Since there was no way of Hawk seeing the inside of the Night Market, we had to wander the stalls and booths, all laid out in somewhat of a grid. The inside of the tent had expanded when we entered.
Stalls of goods, magical and otherwise, crowded narrow walkways already packed full of people. Magical people. I found myself watching them more than the stalls.
Fin leaned down to whisper in my ear. “What exactly are we looking for?”
“Metalsmithing of any kind, we’re looking for sign of Sol, remember? Weapons, jewelry, the like. Magical of course.”
We reached a stall lined with daggers and swords. I stopped to admire, but then remembered we were on a mission.
I made a show of looking at the knives until a rough vendor poked his head out from behind the display. “Can I help you, bounty hunter?’
Interesting that he knew about my hunting abilities, but I didn’t have time to go into that right now. I held up a small set of throwing knives singing sweetly in my hand. “How much for these?”
The vendor turned his attention to Fin and I smoothly stepped in front of him. “You’re not here for weapons, girl. What do you want?”
I smiled. “I’m always in the market for weapons.” I handed Fin the knives and closed the distance between the vendor and myself.
The vendor didn’t so much as flinch. He must be decent at defense, or he didn’t expect a fight from little ol’ me.
I tugged the necklace from my shirt and held it up. “Do you know anyone who might make jewelry similar to this?”
He didn’t reach out to take the necklace, simply scanned it and shook his head. “No.”
“What if I can offer a reward for information? I’m just looking for the artist to talk. Only talk.”
He narrowed his eyes. “That’s what all mages say.”
Fin shoved out from behind me, his muscles tense.
I held out my arm to block him across the chest. “I may be part mage, but if you can see my magic, you know that’s not all I am.”
When he didn’t respond, only stood there staring me down, I dug one of my old business cards from my back pocket and handed it to him. We stood in a stalemate, until he snatched the card from my fingers with a nod.
I turned to walk away, and he called back. “Where are you going with my knives?”
Fin stopped, between me and the stall, staring between us.
I jerked my thumb at Fin and kept walking. “They’re on him.”
With a curse, and a shuffle I barely caught through the crowd, Fin took care of my purchase.
He came up beside me and wrapped an arm around my waist. “Why was I buying you knives?”
I took my new set of throwing knives and carefully placed them in the front pocket of my zip up hoodie. “Because you have a lot of groveling to do if you ever want back in my bed again.”
We continued around the tent but didn’t find another vendor that fit what we needed. Several of them were jewelry sellers, but none that appeared magical. I didn’t know if they were trying to scam folks, or maybe the goods they sold didn’t have to be magical. Either way, it didn’t matter.
When we exited the tent, it was full dark—but not dark enough to obscure the five hulking men standing around our black SUV.
Chapter Seven
I SURVEYED THE GROUP around the car and met them in between where I parked and the tent. Somehow, I could feel the magic behind me receding until the field lay dark and empty.
Good, I didn’t need the distraction.
Fin crowded my side, and I could almost feel his temper and worry inside my chest. Another thing to ask about later.
“Hello, boys,” I called. “Can we help you with something?”
They didn’t even glance my way. All their eyes were locked on Fin, who’d unsheathed a short sword I didn’t even realize he’d worn.
Fuck, that was hot.
“You know these guys?” I whispered.
“Yeah, a long time ago they were some of the criminals I brought before the council.”
I studied the group again “Let me guess, they didn’t get off and now they want revenge. Does this happen often?”
He dragged his gaze to mine. “Why do you think I keep to myself in my house out in the middle of nowhere?”
Fair point. I unsheathed one of my knives and let it hang in my palm. “If it’s all the same to you fellas, we want to get home. It’s dark and the monsters might come out.”
“Sweetheart, we are the monsters,” one of the hulking men growled.
I laughed, which finally drew all their attention toward me. “You obviously don’t know anything about me then. But I’m happy to go about my business if you boys head on home and leave us in peace.”
They stepped closer, surrounding us. I nudged Fin with my elbow. “You know that nasty mind control magic you have? Might be a good time to pull it out.”
“Why don’t you use your magic?” he asked.
I waved at the pack. “Um, because mine is unreliable and unpredictable. Also, I can’t actually control other creatures. Seems pretty obvious to me.”
We were really going to stand here and argue about this right now?
Well, fucking fine. I shoved my knife back in the sheath and faced him. “It seems pretty simple here. You use your magic to get them to walk away and we all go home without any violence.”
His hands clenched on his blade and his tone dipped. “What if I want violence?”
I jabbed my hand into his still healing side.
He skittered back a few paces. “What the fuck, Zoey?”
“I’m just reminding you why we want less violence in our lives and probably more negotiation.”
He waved his knife at the collective. “You think they guys want to negotiate? No, they want to take my head and mount it on a spike in someone’s back garden. They don’t care about negotiation.”
No, the truth was he itched for a fight ever since this afternoon when we put a halt on the whole ‘mate’ discussion. Which would have turned into a fight. Maybe not a knockout punching fight but definitely a yelling throwing things one.
“If you want to jump into this and get injured, go for it. I’ll stand by the car and let you boys figure it out,” I told him, heading toward the vehicle.
One of the guys, a foot taller than me, and twice as wide with a shaved head, grabbed my arm. “Where do you think you’re going? If you’re with him, then you’ll be our prize when we’ve finished with him.”
I laughed. These guys. He scowled as I jerked my arm from his grip.
“Touch me again and you won’t have balls when I’m done.”
“I’m not afraid of you, bounty hunter,” he said.
I turned to face Fin. “Can you guys smell it on me or what? How does everyone recognize I’m a bounty hunter? I’m pretty decent at blending in.”
Fin shrugged. “Can you take something seriously for once in your life?”
Okay, so we’re going there, right now. Sure.
I took a step toward the overgrown thug. “He’s just mad that I found out we’re mates before he got to tell me.”
He sucked in a breath and took a full two huge paces back from me. “You’re his mate?”
The tone was all disgust.
Oops. Guess I should have kept that to myself in front of Fin’s enemies.
Fin had his hands on his hips, one knife in each fist, as he shook his head. “Really? We haven’t even discussed it and you’re telling people?”
I closed the distance between us and shoved his chest. “Really? You’ve known for how long and you didn’t deign to tell me?”
“Not the fucking time,” he said between his clenched teeth.
“Why not? If these assholes were going to attack, they would have done so by now. They’re gathering information to report to someone, or maybe a little of both. Us chatting, arg
uing, fighting, only gives them more fodder, at least until we kill them.”
He met my eyes, something like surprise written there. I would try not to be offended by that.
“How do you know?”
I lowered my voice. “If they wanted us dead they saw us, they would have been waiting at the tent flap to grab us the second we exited. They would have also tailed us through the market to alert one of them when we’re coming out. An easy snatch, grab, beheading, and done in minutes.”
“I don’t like how easily you can talk about our potential beheading.”
I took my place at his side again. “Perspective, Fin. Try it.”
The guy who grabbed me resumed his place in the circle.
“Are you going to fight or argue with your mate all night?” he asked Fin.
I whispered to Fin, “What don’t I know about mates that I should?”
“They won’t touch you,” Fin said. “Mates are off limits to other fae.”
I reared back, not bothering to lower my voice this time. “What the fuck? You’re as much my mate as I am yours! Why aren’t you off limits in that case?”
Fucking patriarchy shit.
I glared at the men around us. “You can say I’m off limits. It won’t stop me from kicking your ass.”
Fin gave me a side eye as I unsheathed my blades again. I felt his magic in the air a split second before all the men seized up under his hold.
“How long do we have?” I asked.
“A few minutes max. Humans are easy. Fae are a lot harder to control, especially in a group.”
I nodded and walked up to the big guy I pegged as the leader. “Listen here. If he releases you, you take your men and you go. Otherwise, I’m going to walk around the pretty little circle you made for us and cut everyone’s Achilles so you can’t walk and then—”
My voice cut off the same time my air supply did. Someone was using their magic on me. Fin could immobilize and control them, but maybe not the will of their magic.
I reached inside myself, grasping for whatever magic I could find. The dark abyss of mage magic flung up from somewhere and I washed it over the group in an arc.
Everyone hit the ground hard, bouncing even on the rough patch of grass we stood on. Except Fin, who thankfully my magic recognized as mine.