Page 12 of By the Horns (Royal Artifactual Guild #2)

I shrug, feigning casualness. If I’m being honest with myself, she’s a lot of fun to tease, and I’m curious about the little slitherskin.

Both of them bear watching, and Rooster did tell me to find repeaters who could likely be thieves.

A former maid could have a plethora of reasons as to why she’d take to stealing from the guild.

Slitherskins tend to be secretive, and they can get anywhere.

It’s worth cozying up to them. “Figured that I can probably get onto any team I want, if I’m being honest. Repeater or no, everyone wants a Taurian on their team. ”

“Then you don’t need us.” That pointy little chin of hers goes up.

Is everything she says a challenge? Why do I love that so? “Thought it might be nice to be with some others who don’t fit the mold. Hard to blend with all the merchants’ sons and farm boys when you don’t have anything in common. Know what I mean?”

Her gaze flicks to my muzzle, and her jaw clamps. She looks as if she’s about to protest—or give me a tongue-lashing.

Kipp taps on her leg, which is probably the slitherskin version of a throat clearing. She eyes him and takes a step back. “We need to talk in private for a moment.”

“You’re leaving?” I tease, gesturing at the crowded hall we stand in. “You’ll lose your place in line.”

“Just give us a moment,” she all but barks at me, and I can’t help but grin.

I don’t know how I’m managing to get under her skin so easily, but by the gods, it’s entertaining.

With a huffy little look at me, she turns to Kipp and he moves deeper into the room.

I’m impressed when she drops into a squat to talk on level with the much smaller slitherskin, treating him like an equal. Few would do such a thing.

I also notice that several of the men in the room are checking out the tight fit of her trousers across her very plump arse.

It’s a nice one, for sure. Reminds me of Sarya…

which makes a stab of bitterness shoot through me.

Am I so terrible to be around that she’s made it a point to avoid me?

That’s the only reason I can think of that I can’t find the woman in any brothel in all of Vastwarren.

The human woman and the slitherskin put their heads together. She’s doing all the talking, and the lizard seems to communicate entirely with hand gestures and facial expressions. After a while, she nods and gets to her feet again, straightening. Her gaze meets mine.

I give her a languid smile, toying with my repeater sash.

She marches the short distance to stand in front of me again. “Tell me your name,” she demands. “And why you’re a repeater.”

Hmm. It’s not a question I’d thought to answer, actually.

More fool me. I thought for certain that any master with a lick of sense would take one look at my tall, muscular form and jump to have me.

Explaining myself never came into the picture.

I stroke my chin, pretending to consider her words. “I’ll give you my name—it’s Raptor.”

“I know who you are. What’s your real name?” she says irritably. “You can’t take a bird name until you’ve passed.”

Some of my amusement dims. “I’m not changing names. I’ve been Raptor for a decade. They’re going to let me keep it.”

“Oh, are you so certain, then?”

“I am, aye.” And I’m going to make sure everyone mucking knows that my name is not up for grabs. “And if anyone asks, I’ll tell them that I’m Raptor, and that it’s bad luck to say my old name.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

That’s because I’ve just decided it. “It’s a Taurian belief.”

Her eyes narrow at me. “Just give me your name.”

“I promise you, it’s Raptor. I’m from the Southwind Plains, but I’ve been here for fifteen years. What’s your name?”

“Gwenna. From Honori Hold.” She thumbs a gesture at her companion. “This is Kipp.”

Kipp lifts his chin at me, the only acknowledgment I get.

“And why are you repeating, my fine Taurian?” Gwenna says the word like it’s an insult, but the bristly part of me still laps it up like wine. “If you’re such a catch?”

“My Five disbanded after they got caught stealing,” I say, deciding that most of the truth is probably a good idea. “Since I’m such a catch , they just demoted me instead of getting rid of me entirely.”

The answer surprises her. “Thieving?”

“Nothing big or I’d be in the tower waiting to be hanged.

” My grin is cocky and full of reassurance.

I wouldn’t normally volunteer that I’ve been caught thieving, but since I’m trying to find a thief, maybe this’ll help build camaraderie.

“It happens, even in the best-run Fives. But I’ve apologized properly and they’ve accepted it, and so here I am. ”

Gwenna blinks at me, as if quietly digesting this. Then she nods. “If you’ve been forgiven, all is well.”

My senses sound a warning. She thinks thieving is all right, then?

Perhaps she’s the one I’m looking for after all.

That’s disappointing. Then again, why am I judging?

We all do what we can to get ahead. I nod at her and Kipp both, and Kipp seems less convinced than her.

He’s still scowling at me. “Shall we work together, then? See if we can find a master who will take on three unexpected students?”

Gwenna moves closer to me, and her expression is full of doubt as she glances around the crowded room, eyeing the potential students around us. “No one’s going to take us on, are they? A woman, a slitherskin, and a thief?”

It’s an odd collection, and I don’t point out that even as a thief, I’m still far more desirable than either of them.

I want to reach out and put an arm around her shoulders again, tuck her against my side where she’d fit perfectly, but the slitherskin is eyeing me as if I’m dung beneath his tiny boots.

I give them both my most reassuring smile.

“Of course someone will take us on. We just look for the most obvious candidate.”

She casts another glance around the room. “Most obvious candidate? What do you mean? You make it sound like we’re the ones picking.”

“We are, in a way.” I put a hand on the small of her back, testing the waters.

For some reason, I’m dying to touch her.

Put my hand on her in some small way to claim her.

She doesn’t move away from my touch this time, and I gently steer her toward the far end of the room.

“It’s all about finding the right master for the job. ”

“And who might that be?” Gwenna asks.

I lean in to whisper to her, even though Kipp is nearby and deserves attention, too. “We hunt for the master who looks the most pained at this gathering. He’s going to want to get out of here quickly. Three good students in one fell swoop is a dream come true.”

Kipp flips his hand over and moves it back and forth in a dismissive gesture. There’s a look of doubt on his triangular face, as if he doesn’t believe what I’m saying.

“We are good students,” I point out. “Three repeaters means we know exactly what we’re doing. They can skip all the basics and go straight to the training. We’re a safe bet.”

“But we failed.”

“A lot of good people fail. You didn’t give up, which is all that matters.” I point to the back of the room, where a few men in guild uniforms and the bright red sashes of masters are clustered together. “Come on. I know just the person.”

“You do?”

“Aye, I’m thinking we head for Master Jay.”

Gwenna stops in her tracks and gazes up at me. Her eyes are big and soulful…and full of skepticism. “Why him? Are you friends?”

That makes me snort. “By all the tunnels underground, no. We’re not friends in the slightest. He’s a pain in the arse and makes all his students crazy.”

“Then why would we want to be on his team?” She looks at me as if I’m mad.

Because once you’re done for the day, he doesn’t give an arse hair about what his students do, which helps my plans.

Because he was on the list of masters that Hawk suggested I’d be able to work around.

“Because he’ll just be glad to get his team filled.

He’s got a reputation for being fussy, hence the name Jay. ”

“Sounds delightful,” she says dryly. “And he’s going to want a slitherskin and a woman?”

“No, but he’s going to assume that I’ll carry you both through the tests.”

Kipp makes a huffy sound. Gwenna doesn’t seem offended at this. She gives me a thoughtful stare. “And will you? If we need help?”

“I can be persuaded.”

Her face flames bright red again, and she marches forward, avoiding my hand, and I wonder what it is I said.

Master Jay is an older human man with a head of gray hair and a stern look on his face.

He frowns as our motley little group approaches, glancing over at a doughy young man at his side.

The younger man has a repeater sash on his shoulder, which is perfect.

I put on my broadest smile as our group descends. “Jay. Just the man I was looking for.”

“Why?” the master asks warily.

“Because I’m about to offer you an excellent deal to fill out your team.

You need students, and unless I miss my guess, you need four of them, yes?

” My tone is my most charming, despite all the suspicious glances I’m getting from both Jay and Kipp.

It’s fine. I’m used to dazzling those who aren’t wanting to be dazzled.

Master Jay looks at the soft man at his side with a downright sour expression. “This is Hemmen, who was on Master Tiercel’s team last year. I…owe Tiercel a favor, and his team is already full, so he’ll be joining me.” And he looks quite unhappy about it, too.

“Where’ve you been working while repeating?” I ask Hemmen cheerfully.

“Kitchens,” he says, slicking his hair back with a palm. “Last year it was sweeping. Year before that it was scribing.”

I can feel my brows crawling up. The fact that he’s been tossed around between different departments means he’s terrible at all of them. “You’ve repeated three times?”

“Four,” Hemmen says, his tone slow and dull.