Page 10

If it was the Fae blocking the supply of silver, the question was why?

Why they wanted Demesia was obvious enough—not just because they coveted anything the Vampires had out of pride—but because of the magic thrumming through the heart of the city.

Ley lines ran across the continent of Mazyr, converging in Demesia and stretching across it like a spider’s web.

The Liberalists had even begun to spread their propaganda to the Fae living in the city, and everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the scales tipped entirely. Rae rubbed at her temples, pulling her wayward thoughts back to the conversation.

“Just be careful with him, Nim,” she said softly, resuming her position at the polisher with another cuff. Asshole-mode averted.

“Yes, boss!”

Rae didn’t need to turn around to know the Witch had saluted her.

This batch of cuffs needed to be finished by tonight.

These ones afforded a small amount of protection from weak Provident abilities.

Rae’s most popular piece, in fact. Factions usually wore them under their uniform, curled around a bicep or forearm, some around an ankle, always hidden out of sight.

Necklaces could be pulled off, piercings too.

Rings could get hooked on something and ripping the skin off your finger was less than ideal.

So Rae’s most popular items were the cuffs, and between her and Nim, they turned out dozens of them a day, murmuring their market-bought spells, as Aidan had called them, into the metal as they worked.

It might have been enough to trick the Vampires, but once the Fae soldiers breached the city—and it was only a matter of time before they did—Rae’s little trinkets wouldn’t be enough to make a difference to the safety of a few humans.

The Fae had been poor rulers once, in a time when the Royalist court held more power than it had possessed in years, but the Vampires had made Demesia a cesspool since, and Aidan was the worst of them.

Watching him tear through those humans and Fae.

.. and the Witch. He was as much of a bastard as the rumours said he was, every whisper marking him as someone who had no regard for anything other than himself.

But that didn’t matter to Rae. All that mattered was getting what she wanted. Needed. For Seylan.

The machine hummed before her as the mop spun, and Rae lightly touched a bar of polish to the wool before moving on to the next cuff.

She had no intention of reuniting Aidan with his abilities, even though she knew precisely where to find them.

By the time he found out, it would be of no consequence to her.

It didn’t matter if he suspected her—he was desperate.

And she’d witnessed desperate men do stupid, foolish things too many times to count.

Aidan would be no different. It had been the truth when she’d told him what she needed from him: His money.

His resources. His protection. All of it essential to helping her achieve her goal.

She finished her cuff in quiet contemplation, sending Nim home early for the day to prep for her date, despite Rae’s reservations.

Nim’s safety was always a concern, but Rae wouldn’t allow herself to interfere with her friend’s personal life, no matter how much she wanted to keep tabs on the little Witch.

How much every intrusive thought screamed at her to do it anyway.

Rae loosed a stuttering breath. Her busy mind had always been an issue.

So many thoughts layered over each other, always fighting for attention.

Thankfully, there was plenty of time to kill before she met Ezekias at the Drunken Ram later, and an Aera representative was coming at seven to collect the day’s work.

So she let herself sink into the task, keeping her hands busy, her thoughts in one place.

Arming humans with weapons was difficult, but charming them to the teeth was easy.

But as the day stretched on, the setting sun casting long shadows into her workshop, a quiet sense of dread started to leak into Rae’s thoughts.

The cases full of vials in the facility.

The two she’d pocketed. Transferring magic was unheard of.

Either the Fae were trying to drain Orders of their power or they were trying to harness it.

Neither were options she wanted to see explored.

A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. Baxter, right on time as usual.

“There’s my ray of sunshine,” Baxter said with as much enthusiasm as he did every time he stopped by for a collection, one shoulder resting against the doorframe.

Rae took in his damp hair, the dark brown ends curling under his ears where he’d been letting it grow.

She knew precisely what that hair felt like between her fingertips, and for one sleep-deprived moment, considered inviting him to the back room.

Then he winked at her, and she remembered why that had been such a monumentally bad idea the last time.

Too in love with his looks, he’d probably just wet his hair before he’d left, hoping to catch Rae off-guard again.

She’d always had a weakness for a certain kind of smile, but Bax, like most of the men she’d met in Demesia, had about as little to offer between the sheets as he did when he opened his mouth.

Goddess knew how he’d secured his position as Tripp’s right-hand man.

Or why he couldn’t send one of his lackeys to come and collect their order.

A frown creased his brow as his cerulean gaze swept over Rae.

“You were there last night, weren’t you?

” He reached out, knuckles grazing her cheek as she inched away from his touch.

That was why he didn’t send a lackey. He likely thought he could get some information out of her, and maybe a free fuck if he was lucky. Asshole.

Not for the first time in the last twenty-four hours, Rae silently scolded herself for her life decisions.

“Early in the night. I was done long before everything went down.” She handed him his order, the ka-ching she’d set up on her PAD to alert her whenever anyone made a payment chiming in the background as Bax tapped on his own device.

“You’re a shit liar.”

“You’re a shit flirt. The wet hair? Totally transparent. Now get out of my workshop, I’ve got places to be.” She smiled at him, ushering him back to the door.

He paused mid-step and tilted his head to one side to consider her. “I can never tell if you’re just playing hard to get or if you truly mean it.”

Rae heard the hint of vulnerability in his voice, and though she sometimes wished she’d held onto a little of the softness she’d once possessed, Baxter’s ego could take the hit just this once.

He’d be no doubt finding another woman to warm his bed as soon as his shift was over.

Besides, she’d gotten what she needed from the exchange.

Her money and the knowledge that he hadn’t been part of the attack on Rush.

“Good night, Bax.” Rae pushed gently on his chest, and he took the final step back, the door falling shut after him.

For a minute there, she’d almost given in to him. Something to take the edge off the anxiety that had settled under her skin, to quiet the too-loud thoughts, but her meeting at the Drunken Ram was a far more interesting prospect for the evening.

Rae made swift work of tidying up the shop for the night, dusting down the equipment and putting the tools back in their racks on the wall.

Her gaze snagged on a picture of her and her mentor, Cillian.

She’d been alone until he’d found her, taught her how to work with metal, how to bend it to her will with a few simple tools.

Had shown her that some things were worth being patient for, no matter how much time it took, and she’d waited this long.

She could be patient a little while longer.

She traced her fingers over her open sketchbook, small metal sculptures and pieces laid out across the pages, wishing the world were different; that she could make the art she wanted to rather than the pieces she had to.

That something she truly loved doing didn’t have to be a front for something she needed.

With a heavy sigh, Rae flicked off the light, all thoughts turning to Ezekias and hoping to find some answers.