Page 49 of The King’s Man (The Kingdom of the Krow #3)

‘I agree that this is the most likely place to find the kind of men who’d know of a plot, but do you really think they’ll talk to you about it? You’re obviously not one of them.’

‘I don’t expect to hear from an Arbiter directly,’ I sent back, scanning the room for what I was looking for. ‘I expect to find one of the rats who shadow them and collect their secrets for sale.’

Diadre’s brows popped up, but she didn’t say anything, just looked around the room.

After our drinks were served, I paid the wench and sat back to drink knowing that the kind of man I needed would find me only if I was patient. Diadre seemed far more uncomfortable, keeping her shoulders hunched and her drink gripped in both hands on the table in front of her.

I frowned. Was she still struggling with her nerves? She hadn’t seemed nervous about coming into the city, and she’d told me she felt far safer around human men than Neph, but sometimes fear was irrational—

‘I’m acting Jann,’ she sent with a twist of derision in her voice.

‘My missions are usually far more… covert. I could take any of these men in a dark street without their companion even realizing I’d been there before he dropped to the cobbles.

But when I do have to show myself, I’m a broken woman.

The kind of woman that arrogant men think is no challenge to them at all. ’

‘Oh, I can’t wait to see this,’ I sent back, coughing slightly on my ale.

When I met her eyes, her gaze was flat and unimpressed, but her posture didn’t change, and sure enough, the bustle and conversation around us returned to the bright cacophony that we’d been greeted by when we entered.

And it was a good thing, because the music was the only thing keeping me sane as we sat there for hours without luck.

No street rats. No thieves. Not a single sly eye so much as turned my way.

By the wee hours of the morning, I was frowning at the bar where the owner slumped on one elbow, listening to the music while the drunks swayed and sang at their tables.

News of my presence should have at least inspired curiosity. Even if the secret keepers weren’t brave enough to approach yet, they should have been watching. But I’d seen no new movement—except to leave—since we arrived, and caught no covert eyes.

I considered approaching the bar for food to see if I could stir up something interesting, when a small, warm hand appeared on my inner thigh, sliding up to cup me without warning so that I jerked and my knee clunked on the underside of the tabletop that was a little too short for me.

Diadre caught her wobbling wine-goblet and buried her smile in it as I grabbed for my ale glass and glared at her from the side.

‘You think you’re clever? I’m supposed to look imposing and nefarious so they’ll tell their friends and someone will come to find out why I’m here.’

An image flashed in my head—a picture of me… pouting?

‘If you want to look imposing you should consider telling your face so. Right now you more resemble a disappointed child.’

I turned my head to scowl at Diadre. Surely she was exaggerating to get a response from me? But she shrank under my gaze.

“Look me in the eye,” I growled, reaching for her chin, intending to make her face me and admit her tease—but at that moment, a shadow appeared on my other side and a male voice rasped.

“Are you well, my girl? They’re all brutes, but God gave them more muscle than brains so they aren’t quite so much of a threat on their own.”

I whipped my head around to snarl at the man who’d had the presumption to speak to my mate, only to find an older human male, narrow shoulders hunched, back withered, and his face hidden in the shadow of a broad-brimmed hat.

“Move along, old man,” I growled. “She’s in no danger from me.”

“But you said the alcohol was needed to grease my wheels otherwise you’d cleave me in half…” Diadre murmured.

My eyes widened and I turned back to her, sending urgently. ‘Are you trying to get us noticed?’

‘I have good instincts. He’s come to us for a reason. Play along.’ And to my surprise she didn’t look back at me—she smiled at the old man.

Frustrated, I looked at him once more and that hat brim tipped up enough to reveal a bright, clear gaze meeting mine over a knowing smile.

I frowned, but he didn’t drop the hat brim again until I spoke. “Perhaps you’d like to join us and be reassured that I won’t actually throttle her with my bare hands?” I said gruffly.

The man coughed, a raw, hacking sound, but nodded his head and shuffled to the seat to my right. “Thank you, Sir,” he croaked. “Though in truth, it’s likely no one would blame you if you did.”

Diadre stiffened and then I had to hide my smile in my half-full cup of ale.

“You two know each other?” I asked as soon as I could without grinning.

‘No, I don’t know him!’

“No, we haven’t met. You can call me Keenen. But I know a woman who’s trouble the moment I see one…” the man said hoarsely.

Diadre’s leg stiffened next to mine under the table. “Shall we drink to old friends and new friends, then?” I murmured with a glance at her, but she had returned her eyes to the tabletop and was hunching again.

“I don’t drink anymore.” The man, Keenen, cleared his throat, hocked, then spat on the floor, wiping his face with his sleeve before turning to me and tipping that hat brim up again.

“I only came to tell you, come the noon meal, you will be recognized here. Unless that is part of your plan, I’d suggest you leave as soon as possible. ”

“I don’t know who you think I am—”

But the man interrupted me. “I know precisely who you are, Jannus the Halfling,” he muttered below the level of the music.

The hair on my arms stood up. “I would never have interrupted you, only you bring with you a woman. I know what that means for her. So, I’m putting aside my dislike for your kind and warning you for her sake: Those who made you are here.

They have fingers in every pocket and their hands up the asses of every man of wealth or power in this city.

News of your presence is probably already on its way to them.

But if not, even if you eluded them so far, your luck will not continue.

By the noon meal you will be recognized and your presence…

alerted.” Then he reached up and tipped the hat back, revealing his face to me, but hiding it from the rest of the tavern with the hat.

He was young—Diadre’s age, and his eyes flickered to meet hers, a worried question in them.

I growled at the protective look in that gaze, but my heart pounded as well.

He was saying the Fallen were in the city?

To what purpose?

Had Melek already known this before he sent me here?

As the man returned his hat to his head and returned his face to shadow, I turned to Diadre whose expression was wary as she looked back and forth between us.

“Sounds like we need to hire a room,” I said firmly.

Diadre blinked and locked on me. ‘What? But isn’t he saying—’

‘Don’t argue. Trust me.’

I turned back to the man. “If my brothers are on their way, I need to rest and eat. Immortals are fiendishly hard to keep up with when they’re drinking.”

The man went very still, the pinpoints of light under his hat brim snapping to Diadre. I turned to look at her as well, with the proprietary look of a man who expected to get what he wanted. Diadre blinked twice, then cleared her throat.

“I’ll speak with the owner about a room,” she murmured, then stood up to leave.

Her friend watched her progress across the tavern, something I yearned to do with this many drunk men nearby. But this fucker muttered something about it being late and pushed to his feet.

I slapped a hand down over his on the table, pinning his fist there, and leaned across the table to murmur in his ear.

“I can have any of my blades to your throat faster than you can blink,” I growled. “And no matter what they may think of the Nephilim in this city, none of them will challenge me. If you know the Fallen enough to warn me of them, then you know that.”

The man’s throat bobbed, but he didn’t respond.

“Now. Who told you I was here, and what instructions did they give you? The real instructions—not the ones you were told to pass on.”

The man’s breath rushed out of him. “The King told me. The King of your people.”

I stiffened. “And what did he say?”

His throat bobbed. “He said you’re one of his and to help you if I saw you. To tell you anything you needed to know.”

“And the Fallen?” I muttered.

He swallowed audibly this time. “They’re watching. Waiting to see what you’ll do.”

I nodded and dropped back into my seat, head spinning.

Why the fuck didn’t you talk to me, Mel! Why all the subterfuge? Why leave me scrambling?

“If you’re staying, I need to go,” the man said after a moment.

I glared. “You remind my brothers that I’m here fulfilling orders. I don’t need to be warned.” Then I released his hand.

He was gone in a flicker of cloak and a dip of that hat, moving so quickly I wondered if he had some kind of magik of his own.

But it didn’t matter.

Diadre was on her way back from the bar.

She followed him with her eyes, licking her lips nervously as she walked back to my side.

I put a possessive arm around her waist and pulled her into my lap, pretending it was a show for the other patrons, but really, I needed to touch her and remind every male eye in this place who she belonged to.

“They have a room for us,” she said, trailing her hands up my arms, then lacing her fingers behind my neck and meeting my eyes. “They even have a bed big enough for you.”

“Really?”

She nodded, but didn’t smile. “When other Neph come, they stay here. Luckily… luckily no one else is here right now.”

I nodded and stood, holding her to my side, ignoring the eyes that inevitably darted to us when I stood. I was tempted to manifest my wings, really give them something to stare at, but I didn’t.

“Well, let’s go,” I muttered, and took her hand, clamping mine around it so there was no chance anyone would question that we were together. “Sounds like I have some friends to meet tomorrow.”

Then I drew her across to the doorway where stairs led to the rooms above, my heart pounding.