I scanned the crowd in search of something that would justify the need to track her.
Then I saw it. Or rather, him.
A scrawny, young man moved in the same direction as the woman now did, his body definitely angled at hers.
I waited a few seconds, watching them both disperse before trailing.
The fading sunlight spilled atop the woman’s brown hair, casting her locks in a dark, crimson glow. Heads turned wherever she walked. She remained utterly oblivious to her surroundings, fretting over the contents of her bag and unaware that she had not one buttwofollowers.
Reason told me to ignore her and carry on with my mission.
Follow.
So I did. She must have been connected to my mission somehow.
An hour later, I hovered outside a two-story building nestled in the foothills of a small town attached to the royal city by a wide, albeit rickety, suspended bridge. Night blanketed the gardens I hid in. Given all the herbs and plants I smelled, I gathered this place to be an apothecary.
The other man chose a less covert method and snuggled right up against the window overlooking the living space within. The woman sat with an elderly couple at a table lit by a few taper candles. A fire roared behind them. The picture appeared almost wholesome if not for the fact that they had lurkers unbeknownst to them.
There had to be a reason I’d been compelled here. My instincts had never led me astray before.
I prowled quietly until I stood behind the leering stranger and said, “Anyone ever told you it’s impolite to stare?”
The man jumped. I covered his mouth before he could scream in surprise and pushed him against the home’s exterior.
“The woman you followed.” I removed my hand and dug my elbow into his neck. I had little patience for creeps preying on women. “Who is she to you?”
He scrambled for air. “She’s my… betrothed.”
“Betrothed,” I repeated doubtfully. “If that were the case, you wouldn’t need to stalk her, would you?” He choked something in response. “Shall we go inside and confirm your betrothal?” When his eyes widened at that, I hummed. “Thought so.”
“If any harm comes to me?—”
“It would be because of your own stupid choices.”
“I was just making sure she got home safe!”
I noted the flattened shrubs beneath the window. “Seems you do that a lot. Safe from where?”
“She’s been involved with a… dangerous crowd of late.”
Perhaps my intuition wanted me to follow her in order to find this man who’d take me where I needed to go. “The apostai?” When he didn’t answer, I pressed into his throat. His eyes bulged.
“Serpentine,” he choked out.
I loosened my hold on his neck. “Elaborate.”
“It’s a whorehouse. Beneath her.”
I tilted my head. “Judging from your hesitancy, it’s more than a whorehouse, though, isn’t it?”
His lips flattened. “It’s… an elite pleasure and entertainment hall.”
“Is there dancing?”
“Yes.”
My pulse kicked up. “Is there a black rose?”
