Page 11 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“I need some more drops,” I interrupt, hoping to end this torturous conversation.

“Absolutely not. Do you know how hard that stuff is to come by?”

I almost laugh.

“Yes, I do. I’m your supplier, remember.”

“You’reoneof my suppliers.” He holds up a finger in front of me, and I slap it out of the way.

“That hurt.”

“Good. And just to be clear, I’m your best supplier. You get double the amount of venom from me than anyone else, and I’m good at keeping things discreet.” So discreet that not even he knows how I obtain it.

Good because I don’t trust him,Athriel says.

For once, we agree on something.

“True, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m not giving you anymore. I made it clear when you took this job; I don’t sell to my suppliers.”

“Well, that’s great because I’m not here to buy any, I’m just taking it. Call it commission.”

He lets out a laugh.

“Yeah, I don’t think so, I’m already breaking my own rules by letting you take any at all, but you’re pushing it, Barron. Lastmonth you took twice as much as usual, and you still won’t tell me why.”

“What I do with it is none of your business.”

I forgot how annoying he can be when he has a point to make.

“It is when you’re taking that much, the last thing I need is heat from the guards, who need I remind you have doubled their patrols in the past two weeks. Wouldn’t happen to be anything to do with you now, would it?”

Why the hell is everyone asking me that tonight?

I hope that’s a rhetorical question. And before you use your limited vocabulary to tell me to shut up, I’ve said all that I need to.

Good.

“I told you already, I’m discreet.”

He raises his eyebrows, and then a strange look of recognition fills his face. He spins around dramatically before facing me again.

“By the lost Gods, how did I miss it? You’re addicted to it, aren’t you?” He studies my face as though he might find something there.

I roll my eyes at his stupidity.

“You’re an even bigger idiot than I thought. Just tell me where the hell it is.”

“No, I’ve seen that look before. You’re desperate, and the last person that came in here looking like that almost died and blew my entire operation.”

I don’t have time for this. I slip the dagger from my belt and have it pressed against his throat in seconds. A couple of vials crash to the ground, and he curses under his breath.

“Why do we always find ourselves in this situation?” he grunts. I dig the blade deeper into his flesh, drawing a little blood.

“Because you can never just give me what I want.”

“Oh, believe me when I say I would love to give you what you want, this is just a little different from how I imagined it.”

“Where are they?”