A smirk formed, and I softened my footsteps, ensuring that the weapons I’d adorned myself with didn’t provide an audible cue of where I was coming from. With the gap closing, I wrapped my palm around one of the intricately patterned hilts, tearing it from its sheath with every intention of using it. Leaning against the wall, various textures nipped at my back, prodding the countless scars littering my skin.
Broken exhales greeted me, the rhythm of someone struggling to catch their breath. Humming, I leaned forward, my body brushing against the side of the tavern she’d chosen to hide behind. Carried by the wind, her near-intoxicating scent greeted me, threatening to drive me mad, as if the gods crafted her to be the poison that would ultimately lead to my downfall.
Maybe Arthur had been onto something.
The burning inferno that churned within her contained something I couldn’t decipher. When I’d spotted her in Seirdra’s Veil, I’d been able to tell she was different.
Enjoying a drink with Syoran and planning to end up in a room with one of the other escorts—one who would’ve willingly let me have my way with her—she’d been easy to spot with her vibrant hair, but it was the power behind her aura that drew me in. Where the other women walked with a pep in their step, eager to suck a man of his seed, she stalked, watching people with an analytical eye. And, as the well-off prick spoke to her, she solidified my assumption: someone else had her attention.
Not just anyone, but a man of high caliber.
The king’s advisor.
Between that and her reaction to the Overseer of Assassins, it became far too easy to uncover her truth. She’d had no choice but to reveal her hand if she wished to stand a chance against me, but I was just as deranged.
If not worse.
The countdown to her explosion began when she perceptibly shifted, her body tensing in acknowledgment of my presence and the borrowed time she was running on. She sank into the gut-churningrealization that she wouldn’t be getting away, no matter how hard she tried. And with that recognition, her arm swung around the corner as I’d anticipated, the moonlight glinting against the blade’s tip.
Perfectly timed, I dove forward, the space between us vanishing. Avoiding the sharpened edges of the steel, I wrapped my arms around her, sending both of us tumbling onto the street. Our bodies met the unforgiving stone, a searing agony shooting up my back as she fought against me for the upper hand. Moving quickly, nearly faster than any other opponent, her hands explored every inch of my lower extremities.
With a swift tug, she freed yet another dagger from its home, flipping it in her hand with ease. The crystal hilt danced between her fingers as she handled it with familiarity, wielding the blade as if it were her own. Lightning cut through the sky behind her as she lifted her arm, driving the frigid metal into my side with expertise that could only belong to one—an assassin.
A roar of agony erupted from my chest, and I reached up, grabbing hold of her throat. Tossing her off me, her barely clothed frame slid across the rough concrete, its granules shredding through her skin with ease. Crimson bloomed, macabre flowers coating every inch of porcelain, marking the start of many blemishes I knew my crew would leave behind as a note of their touch.
Biting my bottom lip with enough force to detect an iron tang, I pushed myself to my hands and knees, ignoring the pulsing throb that threatened to rob me of my vision. Coming to stand, I growled deeply as I wrapped a shaking hand around the dagger and ripped it from flesh and muscle. The blade tore free with a suctioned squelch, crimson spewing to coat the rain-soaked stone. Without wasting time on the potential damage or blood loss, I wiped its length on my trousers and returned it to its rightful place.
Glaring down at her beneath hooded brows, the syllables I spoke came out laced with venom. “I havekilledpeople for less,” I spat, palming the gaping hole in my side. “And I have beenfartoo generous with you. At this point, I should string you up by your intestines and leave you for the crows.”
“Sounds far more appealing than being anywhere nearyou,” she hissed, disgust coating her features.
I laughed, tipping my chin skyward and shaking some of the water from my hair. “Here’s the ironic thing about that claim,little siren. I am not foolish enough to believe you are anything close to a whore willing to sell her body for gold. I knew that themomentI sniffed you out, and every interaction since then has confirmed it.” My tongue swept across my lips with a hunger I knew became further illuminated by my glower, a hunger that felt ancient. “So, enlighten me, since you are one of Malrik’s preferred cunts, and I amsounbearable to be around, why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance?”
Shock briefly flashed in her gaze, her jaw clenching as she sneered up at me from her knees.
There was no denying it; she was breathtaking in an unorthodox way.
The near-pastel hues of her seafoam irises suggested a softness I imagined she may have had if Ravelle hadn’t molded her into a killer like me. Freckles lightly kissed her cheeks, an attribute I couldn’t see beneath the gloomy night sky, but when she had been close enough to me in the brothel, I could spot each dusting. Her copper hair perfectly fit her personality: stubborn and fervent with a yearning for control—something she’d never experienced.
Nor would she.
She wasmine,and gods, it was such a fucking shame she was so violent because taking her…
“So what,Caspian?” she crooned, batting her eyelashes in a way that made me contemplate exploring my temptations. “Do you want me to suck your cock as a reward for you putting the pieces together? I hate to say it, but I don’t enjoy climbing into bed with men who could never trigger my gag reflex.”
Matching her fire, I stepped forward, parting my legs to stand over her. “Is that what Malrik did? Stimulated your gag reflex?”
Wrath consumed her senses, and she swung. Catching her fist with my own, I held her hate-filled gaze, refusing to be the first to look away.Her nose wrinkled with revulsion, answering the question for me without her having to utter a single word. The story in her gaze walked too close to mine, and it was one of the most influential reasons I’d elected not to indulge in her, but that didn’t mean I was a man who broke promises.
“I’m glad to hear that yourownerdid an immaculate job of throat fucking you, but I can promise you,little siren, the pleasure and time I take with women would far surpass anything any other man has even considered exploring with you.” Wrapping my fingers around her wrist, I yanked her forward until our noses touched. “I’d fill you until I consumed your mind and soul, becoming theonlyone you ever thought about, but it’s a shame I didn’t buy you for myself. Isn’t it?”
“I will kill every single one?—”
The back of my hand met the side of her face before she could continue, the impact enough to knock her unconscious. Slumping forward in my grasp, blood trickled from her nose, trailing down to snake between her slightly parted lips. With a quick heave, I pulled her from the ground and tossed her over my shoulder, grunting with the spike of agony that came with the sudden movement.
Blinking through the stars, I inhaled deeply, letting the rainfall draw me back to consciousness. With a deep exhale, I took the first step toward the docks, muttering, “I’d love to see you try, little siren, because I would have no issue submerging you in the depths of my indignation until my essence consumed your lungs.”
CHAPTER 6
