Page 49

Wind whirled around me, rattling my hood and pebbling my skin, but I remained. I’d been here for over an hour already, simply sitting. Waiting. Watching any movement along the waterfront with predatory eyes. Nothing but tall grasses swayed in the breeze, the smell of salt seasoning the air.

Not one soul had wandered the lower market since I’d arrived. Part of me worried I might have missed all the action tonight, had there been any. I’d waited until the house sat in silence for quite some time before sneaking out. Eucinda had questioned me this morning about why I’d been up and around the night prior, scolding me for ruining her sleep.

Oh, I don’t know, Eucinda. Maybe I was bursting with adrenaline over a successful ambush against the kidnapping ring while simultaneously rescuing my new friends. Sorry if my utter elation and pride made my steps a little heavier than usual.

I sighed, daydreaming about how that conversation would go where she’d realize how incredible I was and that she was nothing but an aging troll.

Still, in order to avoid suspicion regarding my nighttime activities, I’d made sure the house was dead asleep, and was extra cautious during my leave.

Maybe coming out tonight had been pointless, anyway. With Chol and me kicking ass and foiling their attempt, there was a chance their group would lay low for a while.

What would it mean if that were the case? I couldn’t imagine returning to a life where I never donned this outfit, where I stopped doing something that mattered. I’d had my first taste of feeling like my life meant something, like I could make a real difference. With however many days I had left to live, I didn’t want to give this up.

Movement within the shadows pinned my swirling thoughts. I stilled, blending in with the darkness of the stall around me, quieting my breath. Whoever it was followed a similar path I’d taken, making me lose sight of their approach when they took cover from the exposing moon.

I wondered if it was Chol, but wouldn’t dare reveal my position until I confirmed it. My hand fixed over the hilt of my hip-side dagger. The shop we’d tussled in last time bordered Odion’s, where I currently lurked—intentional placement on my part. Repeating the same patterns would surely get me caught at some point.

A minute or two passed, but I steadied my heartbeat, listening intently for signs that someone was near. On my left, the wind spoke with a dull roar over the ocean, but to my right arose the faint shuffling of footsteps. Even through my gloves, the ridges and grooves of the hilt pressed into my soft palms, as familiar as a second skin.

They were close now. Mere steps away. I silently withdrew and anchored the blade above my head, ready to bring it down in one swift strike should this person present a danger.

They passed in front of me in a black blur, completely bypassing my still form in the shadows, and moved until they ducked under a worktable on the edge of this shop that bordered the next stall’s open storefront. They crouched, peering around the few remaining work stations to overlook the docks. With their back to me, I had every advantage. So I stayed quiet, observing.

From the build of his body, and the calculated movements, I knew it was Chol. My heart swelled.

“You shouldn’t be out by yourself without a strong lady to protect you.”

He whirled around, on his feet within an instant, in a fighter’s stance. The precision with which he moved identified years of disciplined training in a way I’d seen Odion move. As if battle were a song, and they played the notes effortlessly. I could tell the moment he realized it was me. His muscles lost their tension before he closed the distance between us. He crammed himself into the alcove that was barely big enough to fit us both, pressing himself flat against the wall, essentially fusing his side to mine.

“You took off last night. Are you okay? Were you hurt?” His deep whisper sent a trail of goosebumps peppering my skin.

And his concern struck a tender part of my heart. I didn’t like how bare I felt, despite being cloaked head-to-toe. “I obviously don’t come out at night wearing this because I want people to notice me. After they were safe, I didn’t want any questions.” He didn’t need to know it was because they might have recognized me.

“Don’t do that to me next time. I was worried you’d been burned or injured.”

All enjoyment I had from his body close to mine, from his familiar presence, melted away under the heat of my rising anger. “What? You think I can’t take care of myself? Is that why you swooped in last night?”

“No, I...it wasn’t. I just—”

I adjusted to face him head on. “I told you I don’t need you, yet you came barging in as if I couldn’t handle myself.” Keeping my voice to a whisper grew more difficult. “If that’s how you view my abilities, then maybe this partnership—”

“I’m sorry, Ella,” he snapped. “It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you to hold your own. I’ve seen your skills. I know you’re capable. But that fight was sprung on us, and we were outnumbered. And yes, I couldn’t stand the idea of you getting hurt, okay?” He sighed, and when he spoke again, his frustration had waned. “You’re the only person I have in this.”

The vulnerability in his voice doused my fire. If I pushed aside the irritation it caused, feeling like he thought I was weak, and was left to confront the truth that he didn’t hesitate to put himself in harm’s way for me, I feared what parts of me would be affected. I swallowed and placed my back against the wall again. “As long as we’re clear that I can handle myself.”

“From the moment you punched me in the jaw, I’ve been well aware.” He dropped his tone into something playful.

I couldn’t fight my breaking smile. Luckily, he couldn’t see it. A moment passed, the tension in the air passing with it.

“Do you think we sent them running with their tails between their legs?” I couldn’t help adding a cocky flair to my statement.

“There was a kidnapping yesterday, I didn’t get a chance to tell you about it last night,” he said.

“What?!” I hissed in a whisper, astonished that the kidnappers were being so active lately. “Where? Who?”

“Clemmons Braht, a local leather shop assistant. His mother and father reported it to the royal guard. I’ve yet to hear of a kidnapping reported during the day. It doesn’t fall in line with the others.”

“But they still attempted to steal that couple last night. Why would they risk doing it in daylight hours if they were still doing it in their usual evening fashion? How do you know it was during the day?”