“The Crown of the Council was away on a beast hunt, so the rest of them held a sentencing and determined my fate. They let me live, but they released my name to the world—Leena Edenfrell, exiled Charmer, unfit for society. Finding work after that was next to impossible, so I did the only thing I could. I sold my beasts to survive.”
I sat still, horrified by her words. To be betrayed by the people she loved, the man she devoted herself to? My mind raced back to Cruor, to the loyal comrades flanking my sides and living beneath the same roof. I would do anything to keep that sanctuary, to provide for them. It was all any of us had left. But Leena had been ripped away from the only community she’d ever known, exiled like a criminal so the man she loved could hide his own crimes.
And now he was paying me to murder her.
Slowly, I reached up and brushed Leena’s tears away with my thumb. “I’m so sorry, Leena.”
It had to be the same man. No wonder he’d been so adamant about the bounty. It was his transgression, his previous act that could come to light if Leena ever tried to speak up. But the woman who placed the hit? The real person behind Leena’s bounty? What did she have to do with any of this?
Leena’s eyes fluttered closed. “Don’t be. This was several years ago.” She moved away from my touch. Her bow-like lips formed a genuine smile, and then she loosed an arrow I couldn’t have prepared for. “I learned long ago not to trust people or promises—only beasts. So when you tell me you’re dangerous, it’s not a question of believing you. It’s simply a universal truth.”
I nodded my understanding. “Why come after you now, though? Why not leave you in exile?”
A bitter smile touched her lips. “Iamselling beasts, even if it’s my only means of survival. First attempting to charm a human, and now this? There are no second chances when it comes to ensuring the safety of our beasts.”
My hand moved before I could think. All I wanted was to provide her with some comfort. Something to show her that I understood. We all did what was necessary to survive. More than that, I knew what it meant to sacrifice something I loved. But when my fingers were inches from her cheek, I stilled. I couldn’t keep doing this. If she caved beneath my touch… If she reciprocated my dangerously growing feelings…
I drew my hand back. Her eyes tracked the motion before she turned away.
She composed herself, burying her head in the soft bellies of her beasts and whispering quiet words of love directly into their ears. Tongues licked away her tears. They gave her what I couldn’t: Love. Devotion. Compassion. They held nothing back, and neither did she. It was a bond I could never experience.
It must have pained her beyond measure to give them away.
By my feet, the blades of grass shifted, and a small woman wearing a leaf dress peered up at me. Pointed ears poked out of mossy hair and she smiled, revealing endless rows of dagger-sharp teeth. Where her legs should have been, a trail of smoke billowed beneath her.
A Gyss.
Time itself stopped when she arched her brows.Hello.A feminine drawl sounded in my mind.
She was the answer. The beast who could possibly remove my curse. A chance at connection, at feeling, without condemning anyone to death. My limbs tingled, and I forced myself to remain calm. Steady.
Hello. What’s your name?I thought back, lacing my fingers together.
Fable.Her wide smile stretched further, splitting her face in half.I know what you want.
What I want?I glanced at Leena, but she was absorbed in the comfort her beasts could give her.
The woman hovered above my lap and folded her arms beneath her bust.Yes. It’s obvious, really.
I raised a careful brow.Tell me what I want, then.
Fable giggled.Are you sure you want to hear it?
Absolutely.
She cupped her chin in her hands and gave me her biggest smile.Beg for it.
It was impossible not to roll my eyes.Please, oh magical Gyss, tell me my deepest desire.
That’ll do.She winked.You’re cursed. One of my kind can lift it.
The world slipped out from beneath me, and a dull ringing obscured all sounds.How do you know about that?
She cackled, and Leena’s head snapped to me. Hard expression set, she was impossible to read. “Ignore Fable. Mischievous little thing.” Reaching over, Leena poked Fable right in the tummy. A soft peal of laughter fell from her lips, and she floated out of reach.
“She’s a Gyss, right?”
Leena stiffened. “Yes.”
