“You know you don’t have to prove anything to anyone here.” Voice low, he let his gaze wander from head to head. “Hell, you’re easily the best person in this establishment.”
“In your eyes.” My people would rather welcome a flesh-eating Tormalac into their homes than allow me back into our sacred grounds. “Charmers are only as strong as the beasts they keep. I have to be prepared.”
“Prepared for what?” Dez asked. I knew what he wanted. A little bit of honesty. An ounce of trust. I just couldn’t cave. There was a reason I was the only Charmer for miles around, and telling him the truth meant he could be used to find me. The Charmers Council had worse rulings than exile.
“I’ll come back. You know I love this place.”
“You know you love me.” Another glimmer of hope.
“And you know I don’t do love.” I leaned in, a slow smile claiming my face. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy your company.”
His eyes shone. “I’ll take that. For now.”
Heat ignited in my stomach. Maybe a few more hours wouldn’t hurt. “Can Belinda watch the bar?” All thumbs with her head in the clouds, the bar maiden skipped across the floor, sloshing frothy beers and ales as she went. She couldn’t handle a serving tray to save her life, but her tits raked in money Dez couldn’t ignore.
He didn’t bother to look away and check. “She’ll manage.”
“Good.” As I made a move to stand, a high-pitched whine sliced through my mind, and my feet cemented to the floor. Iky—my camouflaged beast I kept on hand during all black-market dealings. With senses sharper than a Sentinel’s blade, he would’ve been able to discern any shift in the tavern’s close quarters. We’d had a few brushes with two-bit murderers and thieves before. Nothing he couldn’t handle. It looked like my unseen stalker was going to make his move after all. “Actually, we’ll have to revisit that idea.”
I scoured the tables. By all appearances, everything was fine. No one jumped. No one made a move to block the bar’s only door. The regulars I’d grown to know over the years were neck-deep in their own worlds and not the least bit interested in my dealings. But with the weighted stare abruptly gone and the body count the same, something was definitely off.
“What? Why?” Dez shifted uncomfortably in the booth.
“Any shady characters in recently?”
He raised a brow. “Seriously?”
“Shadier than usual.”
All humor wiped from his voice. “What’s going on?”
“I’m being watched. Or I was. Iky noticed a shift.”
Dez’s hardened gaze spied the lopsided coatrack tucked against the wall. Forgotten threadbare coats clung to the hooks like leaves that wouldn’t die. It was Iky’s favorite place to lurk. Dez discovered Iky once when he most unceremoniously tossed another left-behind cloak and missed. A floating red garment gave even the regulars a scare.
“All right. Promise me you’ll take care?”
“Of course.” I rested my hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Sure.” Dez stood, spreading his hands wide and gesturing to the crowd. “I just came up with a new special, folks! Cured pig with red flakes.” A signal only local outlaws would truly understand: danger, potential spy.
For a moment, everyone stiffened. Eyes darted in erratic patterns before the slow murmuring of mundane conversation—weather, the royal family’s upcoming ball, anything other than what we were all here for—flitted through the air. With his coded warning in effect, Dez took up his place behind the counter, polishing glasses with one eye on the door and the other on his patrons.
Always assume they’re snitches. Dez’s previous warning rattled through my brain as I reached for the busted iron doorknob, a still-invisible Iky right on my heels. How long had my deal with the businessman taken? I’d stationed Iky behind me before that, which meant his hours in our plane were waning. I’d have to send him back to the beast sanctuary soon. With no time for delay, I pushed through the door and met the evening air with guarded eyes.
Staying in the tavern wasn’t an option. What if the Charmers Council had finally caught on to my crimes? I couldn’t jeopardize Dez or his establishment. This place was a haven for those who had nowhere else to go. Myself included.
I glanced east in the direction of Wilheim, our capital city. I’d never had the opportunity to pass through those gleaming white walls of marble and diamond. Stretching tall to kiss the underside of the clouds,