“Be ready, princess.”His voice was flat and void of emotion.“Have your gun out.”
Snatching two handguns from the back of my pants, my gaze rolled over every dark corner and alley we passed. Fires in barrels burned dimly in occasional places, people’s empty eyes looking at us while we rolled by. The heavy misery weighted the air, the desperation for a moment of reprieve, an opportunity to escape their life, made me feel like we were being hunted. Tracked. A shiver skated over my spine, like a warning.
“Warwick,” I muttered, my knees clasping tighter on his thighs so I could look all the way around and up into windows. I couldn’t shake the prickly sensation of being watched.
“Yeah,” he rumbled, sensing the same alarm, his shoulders tensing. His fingers on his left hand, where Ash was, made a sign I didn’t understand, but I saw Ash instantly react, his eyes moving up to the tops of the buildings and around, understanding their code. “Don’t hesitate to shoot, Kovacs. Anything that moves in our direction.”
“I won’t.” I kept my guns up, my fingers on the triggers, glaring at anyone who gave us a double look. The girl before Halálház would have hesitated. I had pretended to be fierce, but I had no clue what true fear or depravity was. To actually fight for your life. To kill.
Anyone coming now for those I cared about, I would shoot on sight.
We crept farther into the city, the destitution growing along with the stench burning my nostrils. People huddled near fires or tried to sleep under rags in the cold temperatures. It was past midnight, but time wasn’t a factor here. They had no jobs to get up for, nothing to doexcept wonder how they would feed their kids or themselves. The crying babies, the low murmur of voices, and fire crackling were the only sounds.
Tension roped around my muscles, ready for something to come for us, but we continued on without incident. My anxiety heightened because I could feel the palpable prickle of eyes on me, pursuing us relentlessly through the city like a wild animal hunting its prey, staying far enough back in the dark to stay hidden.
Warwick stopped right at the green ironwork of the Liberty Bridge. The fae lord’s palace glowed brightly on the hill, a god far above his disciples.
Across the water, I could almost feel Killian’s presence there, on the balcony, looking out into the night, feeling I was somewhere out there as well. The connection to him wasn’t like what I had with Warwick or even Scorpion, but I couldn’t deny Killian had left a mark on me.
Ash’s bike came to a stop next to Warwick, his feet hitting the pavement. “The main entrance has been boarded up, no longer used for the old human religion. It would be well guarded and locked up.” Ash nodded at the structure built into the side of the mountain on the other side of the bridge.
The two neo-gothic turrets and pale stone church blended in with the terrain, appearing like part of the mountain. Unobtrusive. Hidden. And very much protected and restricted from the public. Any enemy descending on this city would probably miss it. Like Halálház, had the nectar been hidden in plain sight this whole time?
Luk, Kek, Tracker, and Ava stopped around us.
“We cause too much attention. You guys should stay here.” Warwick snarled at our new companions.
“Fuck off,” Tracker barked, his eyes flashing. “You are not leaving us out now. Kaptain wants us here the whole way until it is put in his hands.”
“Who the fuck said he would be the one to get it?” I felt a muscle in Warwick’s back flex, his jaw clenching. “You may do his bidding, but I certainly don’t. It is not his to have.”
“It’s not yours either, Farkas.” Tracker puffed up, fury straining his frame.
“You may be hot stuff at Povstat, human, but you’re in the big boy’s game now. You are going to get us caught.” Warwick sneered. “Or killed.”
Tracker started to climb off the bike, challenging Warwick. “Why don’t you come over here and I can show?—”
“Track! Stop it!” Ava grabbed for him.
“Come on,legend... you all talk? Nothing behind the name?”
“Shit,” I hissed as Warwick started to get off his bike. I knew this would be bad. Tracker, an egotistical human, had no clue who he was challenging.
“Hey, hey!” I held my hands between them. “Everyone, calm down.”
“Damn, this is so hot. You get in there, pretty boy.” She poked at Luk. “You too.” She flung her hand at Ash. “And all you start wrestling, and then it turns into hate-fucking each other.” Kek grinned deviously, her demon eyes darkening, devouring the abhorrence and ego that was swimming between the two men, making Ash snort.
“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t want to see all this testosterone go at it?” Kek wiggled her blue eyebrows at Luk.
“Track.” Luk pointed at his comrade, ignoring Kek. “Take a breath. This is their terrain. In ours, they’d follow our lead. Here, we follow them. We can’t fight amongst ourselves and be able to battle our true enemies.”
“Wow, someone actually using logic.” Ash winked playfully at Luk.
For a moment, I swore I saw Luk’s cheeks heat, but he quickly turned to Tracker.
“Get back on your bike.”
Tracker’s chest rose, his glower on Luk now. I didn’t think many, besides my uncle, told Tracker what to do.
