Orelia readied her mind for the night. She relaxed her body, pictured Teegan and Rae and the other girls from Beron’s and slipped into the role of pleasure girl as she stepped out of the cabin with Vade on her heels.
twenty-seven
An outrageously large batalinchecked them both for weapons outside the back door of a building on the far side of town. In the lone, dim trulight, the batalin’s blue eyes practically glowed with skepticism. He was missing one horn, and the other curled into a point so sharp it looked like it could cut through bone.
Orelia tried not to stare at the diagonal scar crossing the entirety of his face. When his massive hand traveled too far up her thigh as he checked for hidden blades, Vade grabbed the guard’s arm.
The batalin stared down at Vade who didn’t so much as flinch. He even raised his chin as the heaviness of his power seeped into the night air.
A deep, undeterred rumble bellowed from the batalin’s throat.
Orelia stayed perfectly still, unsure what to do.
After a few more tense seconds of staring, Vade handed over three large gold pieces. The batalin snorted as he took the money and slapped a large black coin in Vade’s palm harder than necessary.
Piercing eyes slid to her, but the guard didn’t attempt to put a hand on her again as Orelia and Vade stepped inside.
Vade led her down a dark hall with a hand on the small of her bare back. Orelia swished her hips as she walked, letting the confidence a pleasure girl would have settle into every fiber of her being. She’d seen confident women in her years at the brothel, and it was time she became one herself.
They approached a velvet curtain of deep red, and Vade stopped her. “Remember, nothing that happens here will be real. Stick to your role, and I’ll stick to mine. Got it?”
She nodded.
He stared at her for a few seconds longer than necessary before offering her his arm. Orelia slid her hand in the crook of his elbow, delighting in how much the simple act made her feel all the more powerful. To accompany a fae in a place like this? Her body thrummed as they entered the room.
Sweet smelling pipe smoke hit her first. A haze drifted toward the trulight fixture hanging from the ceiling showcasing a large, circular table below it, casting the rest of the space in shadows. She could faintly make out women moving in the darkness beyond the table carrying trays of drinks, dressed in scanty clothing. Music came from above and she guessed they were beneath a tavern.
Vade approached the dealer sitting at the far end of the table and handed the stiv the black coin the batalin had given him, signifying he’d paid for a seat at the table.
The man nodded his approval. The light caught the white, rectangular tattoo below his eye identifying him as a stiv. The buttons strained on his shirt as he handed the coin to a batalin who collected it, then disappeared back into the shadows. The dealer puffed on anoversized pipe hanging out of the corner of his mouth and gestured to the open seat directly across from him.
A woman appearing to be in her early fifties with cherry-red lips matching the shade of her low-cut dress exhaled a breath of thick smoke, laughing as one of the shirtless human men behind her handed the ren a glass of clear liquid. Another bare-chested human man cooled her with a fan made of white swan feathers. The men had the same vacant look she’d seen on pleasure girls’ faces before, and there was a pinch in her heart knowing they’d probably rather be anywhere than here.
The ren lifted her glass in Vade’s direction, dipping her chin in acknowledgement. “Finally, someone good to look at.” She winked, and Orelia found herself tightening her grip on his arm.
Vade ignored the woman’s comment and didn’t address the other two men already seated at the table. He sat down in the wide leather chair he’d been directed to, then pulled Orelia onto his lap.
She crossed her legs, the slit on her dress exposing her right leg up to her hip. He rested a hand on her waist, and she draped an arm over his shoulders, letting her other hand fall to her lap. With how muscular his frame was, Vade was a surprisingly comfortable seat. Her skin flushed being so close to his warm body.
Vade snapped his fingers and summoned a waitress. “Two wines. Red.”
The woman looked him over appreciatively and sauntered off in a dress so short and sheer that Orelia could see everything.
The two men at the table were dressed in simple tunics, both with slightly unkempt beards, looking more like common taverngoers than rens rich enough to be here. They talked quietly amongst themselves, each with at least twenty years on Orelia, with beautiful women on their laps. Vade hadn’t told her what Rivgarr looked like, and she wondered if one of the men was him.
The mahogany card table shone so pristinely she could see her reflection on its surface. Even distorted, Orelia admired how beautiful she looked.
The dealer worked the deck, the cards blurring as he moved them from one hand to the other with expert precision. Smoke came out of his pipe in short bursts.
The waitress returned with two glasses of wine. Vade laid payment on the tray, then handed Orelia a glass and took one for himself. The wine they had in Minro was nothing compared to the liquid in her cup. The raspberry flavor coated her tongue, and she had to stop herself from moaning at its delicious flavor.
Vade sat still as stone, assessing the room. He acted like she wasn’t even sitting on him and looked right past her as he scanned their surroundings. His hand stayed on her hip, palm resting on the silky fabric.
Booming laughter rang out from the hall. A jovial man shoved the curtain aside and entered the room. Gold jewelry lined his ears, fingers, wrists, and neck so much so that the sight of him nearly blinded her. A white tunic clung to his toned, golden body, trimmed and stitched in the same color. His dark brown pants had gilded stitching, the thread the same shade as the hair lying in waves on his head, stopping just above his ears.
Round ears. Human. Orelia tried to hide her shock. Most humans in cities had the jobs no one wanted and lived in the slums, but this man exuded wealth and carried himself in the manner of someone important.
Aqua eyes sparkled as he took in the other players, the gleam of greed clear as day.
