Page 5

Both men were large and muscular, and both were handsome, although their looks were a study in contrasts.

One was dark-haired, with tan skin and deep brown eyes that scanned the crowd.

His shoulders were wide, his arms packed with muscle under a simple linen shirt.

His leather pants were the same shade as his hair.

A slight smile touched his lips, as if he found the crowd and his predicament amusing.

The other man was even more broad-shouldered.

He wore his hair longer than his companion, the golden-blond locks pulled back from his face and secured in a knot at his nape.

Scruff a shade darker than the hair on his head covered his square jaw.

He glowered at the bearded man with narrowed blue eyes.

“We’ve waited long enough,” the bearded man said.

A woman at the front of the crowd cupped her hands around her mouth. “Aye! Let’s see ‘em swing!”

My stomach twisted. I stopped behind a tree, one hand on the rough bark.

The bearded man gave the woman an impatient look.

“Patience, Mistress Melina. I have to follow protocol.” Moving his hand from the lever, he dug a piece of parchment from his jacket.

Clearing his throat, he raised his voice.

“Here stand before you two criminals, Dain Zostas and Nikolas Taniak…” The man squinted at the parchment. “Taniakuss.”

The dark-haired man on the platform sighed. “Taniak— ees ,” he corrected in a long-suffering tone. “It’s so easy.” He turned to the blond man. “I don’t know why everyone struggles with this.”

The bearded man grunted. “Nikolas Taniakes.”

“Thank you,” the dark-haired man said.

The bearded man continued reading. “Both charged with theft, fraud, and public mischief. Since no one has come forward to buy their bond, justice will be served by the noose!”

The dark-haired man, who was apparently called Nikolas, displayed even, white teeth as he smiled at the man with the parchment. “It was hardly theft, Sheriff.” He gazed over the crowd, a dimple appearing in his cheek. “Surely, some of you fine villagers have heard of a loan?”

The sheriff’s expression darkened as he rolled up the parchment and stuffed it back into his coat. “Taking out a loan comes with the understanding that you’ll pay it back. Something you and Zostas had no intention of doing.”

The blond man—Dain—spoke in a low rumble. “We were framed.”

This brought jeers from the crowd. “That’s what they all say!” someone shouted.

“Not true,” Nikolas said. His dimple deepened as he met the gaze of the woman in the front. “Tell me, madam, does this look like the face of a thief?” He tsked as if he’d just remembered something, and his voice went silky. “Well, that’s not exactly true. I’ve stolen a few hearts.”

The woman’s lips parted. Her throat worked as she swallowed.

Nikolas winked at her.

Ugh.

Dain stared over the crowd. Without warning, he flicked his gaze to mine.

The Dokimasi tugged hard, and I muffled a gasp as I clung to the tree.

The invisible tether yanked, and it was like a lead spooled between us, the other end lodging at his feet.

The thread throbbed like a second heartbeat, sinking into my skin and burrowing under my ribs. It didn’t just pull. It pulsed.

Dain’s eyes widened. He felt it too.

The sunstone.

Somehow, he was connected to it. Except that couldn’t be. He was human. A thief, of all things, ready to hang for his crimes.

“That’s enough, Taniakes,” the sheriff growled. He moved his hand back to the lever. “You and Zostas have been tried and judged. No one is willing to pay your bond. This is the end of the road for you both.”

My heart thrashed like a trapped animal. I couldn’t let the men die—not until I figured out how Dain Zostas was connected to the sunstone.

Tugging my hood more securely over my head, I stepped from behind the tree. “I will pay the bond!”

Gasps echoed around the clearing, and humans turned as I withdrew the bag of coins I’d packed for the journey.

The small leather bag was heavy with gold, and the coins jingled as I pushed through the crowd.

A man with dull eyes and a dirt-streaked face grabbed at my cloak like he meant to feel the fabric.

I yanked it free and moved faster. Villagers parted, their curiosity a weight on my skin as I made my way to the sheriff.

His eyebrows shot up, and he gave me a skeptical look. “You want both of them?” he asked, eyeing the bag I held aloft. “These men don’t come cheap, miss. And you’re a small thing to take on two unrepentant thieves.”

“Both,” I said firmly even as my heart tried to pound from my chest. “I have ample coin.”

Silence fell over the clearing. The humans’ stares were like fingers brushing against my skin. Murmurs raced among the crowd, the words clear to my sensitive ears.

Who is she?

Why would she want them?

A noblewoman?

Probably a madam from the brothels.

The last made my cheeks heat, although I couldn’t fault the humans’ speculation.

Saldu Kuum was famous for its brothels, which were known for their extravagance—and willingness to fulfill even the most elaborate fantasies.

The Summer Court boasted its share of brothels, too, but the pleasure houses of the human realm were legendary.

An idea formed in my head. Maybe I could use the humans’ speculation to my advantage.

“I work for a brothel in the city,” I said. “My…employer has tasked me with finding handsome men to entertain our clients.”

The sheriff narrowed his eyes. “Which brothel?”

Shit. My heart beat faster as I scrambled for a believable response.

I lifted my chin, careful not to tip my head too far back and dislodge my hood.

“My employer wishes to remain anonymous.” As the sheriff drew a breath to speak, I jingled the purse.

“I have more than enough gold. How much to settle the bond?”

The sheriff dropped his gaze to the bag. He darted his tongue out, wetting his lips. “Fifty gold pieces.”

Relief swept me. That wasn’t so?—

“Each,” the sheriff added.

Dain’s rumble cut through the murmurs of the crowd. “Our bonds were twenty apiece.”

The sheriff held my stare. “Inflation. The price of goods is going up everywhere.”

Anger pumped hot in my veins, but I nodded. “It’s a deal. One hundred gold pieces.”

Turning to a man near the front of the crowd, the sheriff jerked his thumb toward the platform. “Cut them down.”

Ten minutes later, my purse was considerably lighter, and I strode from the clearing with my new…acquisitions.

Nikolas stole glances at me as he rubbed his wrists. “So, which brothel do you work for? The Salty Siren? Mount and Merriment?” He lowered his voice to a suggestive purr. “The Rear Admiral?”

I tugged my hood more snugly around my face. “It’s none of your concern.” And I’d probably made a big mistake paying the men’s bond. What was I going to do with two humans? Two thieves ? Doubts nibbled at me as I walked faster, skirting fallen branches and tangled underbrush.

Even as my misgivings swirled, the Dokimasi tugged in my chest. When I risked a look at Dain, he watched me from the corner of his eye.

He was even bigger than he’d appeared on the platform, his shoulders broader than a doorway.

Several strands of blond hair had escaped the knot at his nape.

His lips were pink and well-formed in their frame of dark blond scruff.

If he scraped the hair away, his jaw would probably be even harder.

But it was already so hard. Sharp like the edge of a?—

I jerked my gaze away. The tug in my chest faded. Alarm spiked, and I turned my head and looked at Dain again.

The Dokimasi surged back. Dain’s nostrils flared.

Stopping, I faced him. “Who—?” The snap of a branch made me swallow the question.

As the men and I swung around, half a dozen villagers emerged from behind the trees.

Several were familiar, including the man with dull eyes and a dirt-streaked face.

They’d followed us from the gallows. One man reached into his grubby-looking coat and slowly withdrew a dagger.

Another looked between Dain and Nikolas as if sizing them up.

Leaves crunched, and a seventh man stepped into view. Like the others, he was unkempt with a shrewd, assessing expression. As a breeze stirred the trees around us, he produced a knife.

My body went hot and then cold, my heart thundering.

The sheriff was probably out of shouting range, not that he would have responded if I called for him.

For all I knew, he’d sent the villagers after me.

I had a dagger in my boot, but Nikolas and Dain had come from the gallows.

Most likely, they didn’t possess any weapons.

We were outnumbered. I didn’t have my magic. And now I was going to die in Andulum.

Nikolas kept his gaze on the villagers as he leaned close and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. “Not to sound ungrateful, but it probably wasn’t the wisest move to wave your coin purse around and tell everyone about your ample gold.”

The ragtag group of villagers eased forward.

Dain and Nikolas exchanged a look. Something unspoken passed between them as they stood straighter. In a lightning-fast move, Nikolas grabbed my arm and spun me around. Gripping my hand, he pulled me almost as hard as the Dokimasi. Dain grabbed my other elbow, and the men propelled us forward.

“Run!”