Page 25 of City of Promise and Light (Mates of Gods and Fae #1)
The barkeep slid the pints of beer to me, and my gaze cut to his.
His eyes widened, recognition blooming across his face before he jerked his chin to the male near the window.
Grabbing the pints, I walked to his table, scowling at the overcoat he wore to hide his body and face.
He wasn’t the one I was supposed to meet today, and he certainly wasn’t supposed to be in the city.
I sat opposite of him, passing one of the pints over to him, and looked out the window toward a patisserie across the street. Inhaling sharply, I watched as Ambrose took Sybil’s hand, her face turning pink from a soft blush.
“She’s new,” the male said coolly, his eyes never leaving Sybil. My hand tightened around my drink at the darkened tone of his voice. I watched his crimson eyes narrow in the reflection of the window when Sybil smiled sweetly at Ambrose. I snarled, looking away .
“Ambrose and I brought her here a few days ago,” I grumbled, shifting my focus to the foam of my beer, watching it slowly dissolve. I couldn’t bear to watch her give him her smiles.
“And?” he grunted, quickly annoyed by my hesitance.
“And her name is Sybil,” I shared warily. “She’s the child I watched over after I bound her magic years ago in Mide.”
His head whipped to me, our eyes meeting.
Those dark crimson eyes bored into mine and I slightly winced.
He knew how protective I was of her. Though he never understood why, he never questioned it—never questioned me when I would slip into Mide to make sure she was okay.
I glanced back to Sybil, snarling quietly when I caught Ambrose kissing her hand.
My throat tightened when her blush grew darker.
“Ambrose found her, somehow, without my knowledge. He is planning something regarding her, though I do not know what that is. My informant is keeping a close eye on it, but I have a feeling he is going to trick her into a bargain. He already tried it once, when she lost control of her magic in front of her fiancé and father.”
My eyes never left Ambrose as he pulled Sybil from her seat into his chest. I watched her linger in his arms before they made their way out of the patisserie.
A silent growl left me, hot anger lacing through my veins.
Vines began to curl from the table, making the male raise an eyebrow.
When Ambrose and Sybil cut around the corner, I finally looked away, exhaling.
I felt his eyes on me, and when I met them, they were filled with an amused interest, which only grew when I noticed the vines blooming along the table.
Cursing, I flattened my hand against the table, making the vines disappear back into the worn wood.
Running a hand down my face, I leaned back into the chair before I quietly explained everything that had happened since finding Sybil.
From her loss of control, the odd blood cells that pulsed or morphed, the raw power of her magic, to the queen’s memories that she shared.
By the end of my telling, the glint in his eyes had turned dangerous.
“Is she going to be a threat?” he asked flatly. His eyes were sharp, almost lethal, tracking every move I made, every expression.
Not wanting to answer, I took a long pull of beer, letting the taste of bitter hops soothe my nerves.
“Yes, and no,” I finally answered, my stomach twisting with the words.
“Like I said, she doesn’t know how to use her magic, and she can be a bit hot-headed, which will make her dangerous to anyone that provokes her.
But watching her over the years, I know she will be on our side once she understands more about this world—about Ambrose.
She’s kind and has a good head on her shoulders; she just needs to learn how to control her magic.
My informant and I will do our best to protect her from whatever Ambrose is planning.
However, you should prepare yourself in case his plan succeeds. ”
Grunting, the male looked to the rebel closest to us, her short black hair bobbing when she jumped from her seat, quickly leaving the tavern through the kitchen.
“Thanks for the information,” he said gruffly, pulling out a coin and tossing it to me.
“Have another one on me,” he said teasingly before leaving through the kitchen.
I scoffed, watching the rest of the rebels drain their cups before they stood and walked through those doors, following him out of the tavern.
Waving to the barkeep for another pint, I relaxed into the chair, watching while the fae of Volmire made their way to different shops.
The barkeep placed another pint on the table, picking up the coin that I had left at the edge.
Feeling him linger, I gave him a sidelong glance, noticing a folded paper in his hand.
My eyes narrowed at him, and I hesitantly took the note, watching as he walked back to the bar.
Opening the note, I barked a laugh at the messy handwriting telling me to get my sorry ass home before anyone noticed my absence and to visit the camp later this week. Tucking the note in my jacket, I quickly finished my beer and made my way back to the palace.