I step out of my dress, and I swear the crow’s gaze drops to my bare ankles and rises slowly up the length of my body. I almost want to hide but crows are birds, not men. Even males.
Is it a male? Probably not. Nothing protrudes between his legs. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen anything protrude between the legs of cranes or ducks or any other winged animal. Why am I contemplating bird genitalia? Oh, right . . . because this creeper is staring.
Using the crow’s distraction against him, I raise my arm along the side of the armoire and snatch him.
The animal freezes beneath my fingers. And then . . .
And then it dematerializes into black smoke.
Twenty-Five
Isnatch my hand back so fast, I smack myself in the boob.
Dark smoke smears my pale ceiling as thethingI’ve freed streaks around my room before perching on my headboard. The fumes condense back into razor-sharp down that gleams an inky blue in the yellowed light filtering through my curtain.
Although the air is balmy, a chill sinks into my pores and coaxes out goosebumps. I hug my arms around myself. “What the Cauldron are you?” I murmur. “First metal, then feathers, nowsmoke? What’s your next party trick, Crow? You’ll morph into a man?”
The crow glares at me. I glare right back.
“And for your information, I wasn’t trying to hurt you. Just to hide you. That man in the boat below my window, he’s the commander of the King’s army. If he finds you in here, he’ll pin you back up.” I gesture to the black spikes on my bed. “May pin me up in turn, too.”
Not only have I robbed a Tarecuorin household, but I’ve stolen a mythical, murderous creature. I shudder as the depth of what I’ve done folds over me like dark water.
Through the thin glass of my window, I catch my name on the lips of one of the soldiers but not what he says about me. I do catch some ensuing laughter, and since I’m not known for my comedic repartee, I fathom it wasn’t a compliment.
“Fallon Rossi, I’m a busy man!” The commander’s voice snaps me back into action. The man isn’t known for his patience. In fact, he detests waiting—for his food, his wine, his men, his courtesans.
To think Catriona suggested I sleep with him. Revulsion creeps over my distress, and makes me shudder as I pluck the blue dress back off the hanger and step into the fluid silk.
“Just stay in my bedroom,” I whisper, “and if you hear my grandmother, hide, or she’ll report you.” As I button up the dress, I stare squarely at my new tenant. “Donothurt her or I won’t bring your friends back.”
That makes him stiffen.
“Understood?”
The lines of his body turn sharper still, and his eyes, a cooler shade of gold that rivals the coins I transfer from my discarded dress into my new one.
The crow dips his head, and my jaw slackens. It truly does understand me.
I’m still patting my blue gown to locate pockets when Silvius bellows, “You don’t want me to start charging you for my time, Fallon Rossi. You wouldn’t be able to afford me.”
I jump, then grumble. “Feces fly.”
After another thorough perusal of the soft leaves of silk, I come to the conclusion that my borrowed gown has no pockets, which sheds light on why Tarecuorins tote around little bags and clutches. Pockets are for people who cannot afford extra accoutrements.
I heft up the corner of my mattress, nestle the coin on a wooden slat, then grab the black spikes and toss them back into the bag, which I shove underneath my bed. Bedroom spotless, I stand up and smooth out my dress, which needs no smoothing. The material is too fine to crease.
In the speckled mirror over my desk, I catch sight of my gnarled locks and swipe the brush from my desk. “Please don’t steal my coin.”
One of the crow’s eyes grows squinty as though my suggestion peeves him.
As I force the short bristles through my hair, I turn back toward my reflection. The skin beneath my eyes is painted gray with exhaustion, and my skin is wan from stress. I set down the brush and pinch my cheeks, then glide crimson lipstick over my mouth to distract from my enfeebled appearance.
On my way to my bedroom door, I glance at my newest lodger. I cannot believe I’m about to leave a wild and potentially rabid animal with iron extremities inside my house.Caldrone, protect Mamma and Nonna. And protect me from Nonna’s wrath in case she uncovers what I’ve freed.
It’s only when I’m rounding the blue walls of my house that something awful dawns on me—the crow can morph into smoke, and smoke can pass beneath doors.
“Finally.” Silvius’s amber gaze slithers up my body as he holds out his hand. “Planning on reducing your sentence through seduction, I see.”
