Page 29 of To Scale the Emerald Mountain

“I must say, I was quite surprised to get a summons from you.” She says nothing. “You know, if you wanted to see me you could have just told me. Or is this some new game? You haven’t mentioned any such kinks before, but it has been awhile.” Placing my hand on her shoulder, I squeeze lightly. “We always did have a lot of fun together.”

I slowly walk my fingers down her arm, eliciting a slight shiver when I get to the crook of her elbow. My movements are slow and delicate.

Deliberate.

When I get to her wrist, I move faster than a blink. Grabbing the wrist with my left hand, I hold it up and remove the black glove in one swift movement. Before she can react, I bring her palm to my mouth, licking from the bottom all the way up her middle finger. The small gold ball of my tongue ring flicks softly over the tip of the digit.

“Don’t.” Her rasp is nearly gone and replaced with a lusty whisper.

“Mmmm,” I lick my lower lip, tasting the sweet saltiness of her skin. “After all these years, it’s still there. I can taste it. That sting. But there’s something new there, too.” The amusement I’m experiencing at the taste of the new emotion embedded in her skin has my face lit up. “What is that? The disappointment of the next best thing?” I ask, enunciating the last three words, the little gold ball clicking against my two front teeth.

My words come out crueler than I’d intended, but sometimes the truth does hurt.

The energy swiftly changes, and I get nothing but iciness from her. I throw my head back and laugh.

“Ceivise, I asked to meet you for a reason.” Her breathiness of desire is gone, and the ridiculous rasp is back.

“Oh, there you are, love. But what happened to the secrecy? I thought you wanted no names? Should I call you by adifferent name? Better yet, you can call me by a different one, too,” I grin at her mischievously. “I already have one in mind that you might find pleasure in.”

“Everyone knows who you are, Ceivise,” she says, replacing the black glove I had thrown on the counter—ignoring my remarks. “You were put on retainer years ago. You knew a job would be called in at an undetermined time. You’re needed. Now. Get your crew ready tonight. We leave at dawn.”

Head thrown back, I let out a chiming laugh. “Oh, come on.” I grasp a long yarn like lock the color of burnished silver, twisting it between my perfectly manicured fingers.

People are more likely to underestimate your claws when they’re shined to perfection.

“You cannot be serious. It’s been many years since I made that deal. I can’t be expected to just drop everything to do some royal errand," I tell her sharply.

“You were paid—handsomely and in advance—to do a job. You knew the terms when you accepted.”

“The terms I agreed to were possible short notice. Not absolutely no fucking notice. And this was a long time ago. No. I will need at least a week to get my affairs in order.” My patience is suddenly wearing thin. I pour another healthy drink and throw it back. “Or you can tell him to fuck right off.”

“Oh, I don’t think you want to do that.” She nearly turns to face me, then thinks better of it, pulling her hood further down.

“What is with the secrecy? The weird voice, not showing me your face? I know who you are. Intimately.” I stare at her with intensity, waiting for an answer

“You never know who is watching, or when,” she says cryptically.

“Oh, Mother, do I even want to know what that means?” I rub a finger against my brow in exasperation.

“I will be at the docks at dawn, Ceivise. You will be ready with your crew. And we will set sail. If not, I hope you are prepared to watch all the money you took in advance be taken back, your crew killed, and your ship commandeered before you then pay for your treachery with your life. You know all those things will happen. This is happening. The board has already been set. You may pretend to be a skeptic, but we both know your curiosity is the reason you agreed in the first place, to see for yourself what is real and what is myth.”

Her voice is filled with such conviction it gives me pause before I make up my mind, far too quickly. Especially given the odd energy of static warning vibrating in the air.

I give her my signature saccharine smile. “There’s no need to pull out all the threats at once, love. I am a woman of my word. My reputation proves that. I will gather the crew, we will set out at dawn, and we will sail into the daylight to make history!” I raise my glass in mock salute and throw it back with exaggeration.

There is a vibrant streak of lightning just outside the door of the tavern, followed by a rumble of thunder that shakes my bones. Wind catches the sad screen door and pushes it against the outside wall of the building. The rain is now coming down in droves.

“You may act like this is all just funny and means nothing. This is everything. You will see.”

“What’s funny is to hear you, of all people, speak of treachery like it is unacceptable.” I point a finger at her, the rest of my hand curled around my glass of rum. I take another drink, feeling well and truly buzzed at this point, but not quite drunk enough to accept what I agreed to years ago that has finally come to call.

“And what do you know of my experiences with treachery?” she asks darkly.

“You said it yourself, everyone knows who I am. Which makes it possible for me to know a little bit about everyone.”

CHAPTER TEN

“Ugh,” I groan, trying to keep from retching at the tangy, metallic taste in my parched mouth. My head pounds and blood is crusted from my nose onto my parted lips.