Vicious Villains

Ruthless Villains

Book Four

Marion Blackwood

Contents

Content warnings

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Bonus scene

Acknowledgments

Copyright © 2023 by Marion Blackwood

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review. For more information, contact info@marionblackwood.com

First edition

ISBN 978-91-988023-9-9 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-91-988024-1-2 (paperback)

ISBN 978-91-988024-0-5 (ebook)

Editing by Julia Gibbs

Cover design by Claire Holt with

Luminescence Covers (www.luminescencecovers.com)

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

www.marionblackwood.com

Content warnings

The Ruthless Villains series is intended for mature readers. It contains graphic violence and sexual content. Not to mention that the two main characters are villains who do immoral things both to others and to each other. If you have specific triggers, you can find the full list of content warnings at www.marionblackwood.com/content-warnings

To everyone who buys or borrows my books, everyone who sends me kind messages telling me how much you enjoyed the book, everyone who posts about my books on social media or who privately yells at their friends and loved ones and the occasional grumpy neighbor that they really should read these morally questionable books of mine.

Thank you.

It’s for you that I write.

Chapter 1

Memories crashed over me like a tidal wave. Some good. Some bad. But all of them drenched in Malgrave’s signature scent of rich perfume, alcohol, and blood.

I tried to force down the tangle of emotions that twisted inside my chest when I studied the street before us. Oil lamps hung from wires above the road. They crisscrossed the air in no particular pattern, and the glass domes around the small flames were each made of a different color. It painted the whole street in an enticing glow that shifted in hue depending on where you were.

People bustled up and down the street. Some heading into one of the shops or establishments, and other staggering out of them. It was still only early evening, but the Entertainment District in Malgrave was always open for anyone desperate for their preferred form of escapism.

My heart squeezed painfully as the scent of fried street food wafted towards us. How many times had Henry and I sat on some random steps, covered in blood and wolfing down that kind of food after we finished a job?

“So this is Malgrave, huh?”

The sound of Audrey’s voice pulled me out of my tangled thoughts. Glancing down at her, I arched an eyebrow. “You’ve never been?”

She didn’t meet my gaze. Instead, she continued studying the area while replying, “No.”

“Why didn’t you say that?”

At last, she shifted her attention to me. A mischievous smile played over her lips as she shrugged. “Oh, you know… Never let your enemy know your weaknesses.”

“Enemy, huh?” I drew my fingers along her jaw and brushed my lips over hers. “I thought we were past that.”

“Hmm. Are we? I just remember you trying to order me not to go to Malgrave with you.”

“Really? I only remember you telling me that you love me.”

A hint of red crept into her cheeks as she muttered, “You said it first, bastard.”

“I sure did, sweetheart.” I leaned forward and whispered my next words against her lips. “And I meant every word.”

She smiled against my mouth before pulling back and giving my chest a slap with the back of her hand. “Then let’s get this done so that we can finally get to the fun part of our new… arrangement.”

I answered her sly smirk with one of my own before jerking my chin and starting down the street. She fell in beside me.

We had stabled our horses outside one of the gates, and then I had led us to the edge of the Entertainment District where we rented a room at an inn. We needed to be close enough to Levi that we could accomplish our mission, but not so close as to draw his attention before we were ready. Just like Sam had said at the foot of the dark mage mountain in Castlebourne, one did not simply walk up to Levi Arden and ask him for a favor. We needed something to trade first.

The street we followed split into three more. I picked the one on the left and kept walking. A group of young men poured out of a doorway on our right. The metal bell above the door tinkled furiously as they pushed the slab of wood open again and again while they exited, but it was almost drowned out by their boisterous laughter. I raked my gaze over them. Based on their outfits, they were from Levi’s half of Malgrave. Probably some kind of administrative job, if their clean hands and clothes were anything to go on. I watched as they made their way across the street and into a gambling den. The smell of alcohol drifted behind them when they walked.

Amusement blew across my lips. Oh, the house was going to bleed those fools dry tonight.

“So…” Audrey began. “Where to?”

I moved us towards the next cross street. “Like I said, we can’t show up to Levi’s Court empty-handed. If you want a favor from the King of Metal, you gotta give him something in return. So first, we have to find out what he wants.”

“Or we could just ask him what he wants.”

“Yeah, that would work for other people. But Levi hates my guts, remember? And I like my head where it’s currently located, so we need to already have something before we approach him.”

Audrey chuckled.

Frowning, I glanced down at her as we rounded another corner. “What?”

“You pissing off another powerful and deadly person.” She flashed me a wicked grin. “What a shocker.”

I arched an eyebrow at her. “Another?”

With that smirk still on her lips, she flicked her long black hair behind her shoulder. “Besides me.”

A huff of amusement escaped my lips, and I shook my head at her. “Is it my imagination, or have you gotten even more cocky since I got to know you better?”

“It’s not really cocky if it’s true, darling.”

“Oh we’ve definitely gotta work on your manners when this is all over.” Before she could retort, I put a hand on her arm and redirected her towards a wooden building with a green door. “In here.”

The sounds of cards being shuffled and wooden markers hitting tables enveloped us as we stepped into a fairly small gambling hall. There were only five tables, all of them clad in green, but the polished wooden chairs around them were all occupied. A smooth bar made of dark wood was positioned by the back wall, and behind it was a doorway leading farther into the building. I quickly scanned the patrons as well as the dealers, but none of them looked familiar.

Given that a tavern had been located in this spot when I lived in Malgrave, this gambling den had to be relatively new. Which was exactly why I had picked it. We couldn’t risk going to any of the grander ones, because even though it had been ten years since I last worked for Levi, I was pretty sure that there was a number of people who would still recognize me on sight. I had also done some work for him five years ago in order to settle some of those old scores, which had drawn people’s attention too. And if they didn’t know my face, they would still know my name and the reputation that came with it.

“Remember what I said?” I asked softly while guiding Audrey towards the bar area.

“Yeah,” she replied, not taking her eyes off the people around us. “Don’t mention your name.”

“Good. Follow my lead.”

I could feel her sharp glare in reply, but I ignored it. We were on my old territory now, and if she was going to survive, she would have to learn how to follow my orders for once in her damn life.

Once we reached the bar, I rapped my knuckles on the dark wood and said, “Two whiskey.”

“Coming right up,” the blond woman behind the counter replied before turning around and reaching for two glasses.

While pretending to hook her hair behind her ear, Audrey leaned closer to me and hissed, “Do I look like I drink whiskey?”

I just shot her a pointed look to remind her that she needed to do as I said. The promise of revenge swirled in her intelligent green eyes, but she blew out a silent breath and sat down on the high stool without further argument. Thank hell for small mercies.

Glass clinked as the bartender set one down in front of each of us before pouring two fingers of amber liquid.

“As you can see, the tables are all full at the moment,” she said, and gestured towards the room behind us. “But you are of course welcome to wait.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

While picking up my glass, I turned towards Audrey and gave her an expectant look. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but she thankfully just lifted her own glass and clinked it against mine. I knocked back some of the whiskey before setting the glass down with a thump.

On the stool next to me, Audrey scrunched up her nose a little as she swallowed and then set her glass down as well. Once more, that ridiculous urge returned that made me want to place my hand on her cheek and draw my thumb over her features to smoothen them out. It made my stomach flip when I realized that I could actually do that now. Because Audrey knew that I loved her, and she felt the same way.

Before that thought could make me dizzy, I pushed it aside and focused on the mission at hand. While we drank, I struck up a casual conversation with the blond bartender. She replied politely while Audrey made an admirable effort to pretend that she was sipping at her own whiskey.

Once enough time had passed that it wouldn’t raise suspicion, I steered the conversation towards what I really wanted to know.

Spinning the now half-empty glass on the counter, I glanced up at the bartender. “You know the boss, right?”

She flinched. It was an almost imperceptible stiffening of her posture, and if I hadn’t been looking for it, I would have missed it.

“I don’t know him personally, if that’s what you’re asking,” she replied carefully.

The fact that she didn’t need to ask who I was talking about was to be expected. Everyone knew who the boss was.

“No, I just meant, you know the current lay of the land, right?” I nodded towards Audrey. “My wife and I have been away for a while, and we just got back.”

Amusement ghosted across Audrey’s lips, probably at the wife comment, but she leaned forward and placed a hand on my arm before saying, “Indeed.”

“Oh.” The woman glanced between the two of us. “I see.”

“So?” I gave her my most innocent look, which wasn’t much in the way of innocence, to be honest, but it was better than my normal expression at least. “What news?”

“No news.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“How can there be no news?” I spread my arms to indicate the city around us. “This is Malgrave. There’s always news.”

She flicked a nervous glance towards the patrons around the tables before meeting my gaze again. “It looks like it will be a while before they finish up. Perhaps you should see if there are any tables at another establishment?”

Suspicion rose inside me. People were always careful not to badmouth Levi, but this was something else. Why was she so scared of sharing even the tiniest bit of information about current events?

“Look, we’re not trying to stir up any trouble. We just wanna know what’s going on.”

Her pale eyes shifted between the two of us, as if she was trying to determine the sincerity of our claims. For a second, it looked like she believed us. But then her gaze darted towards the door and her expression shut down again.

“There really is nothing to know,” she said. “Please, I think you should leave.”

“We just—”

The sound of a small bell echoed through the room. It took me a moment to realize that she must have rung it from somewhere behind the bar.

Boots pounded against the floorboards as five burly men poured out of the doorway behind the bartender.

The woman backed away while jerking her chin towards us. “Please escort them out.”

I heaved a sigh and shot her an exasperated look. “Really?”

Instead of replying, she just moved aside while the guards rounded the bar. My stool scraped against the floor as I pushed to my feet. Next to me, Audrey did the same.

Shaking my head, I blew out another annoyed breath.

We had visited one establishment. One. And it was already about to turn into a fight.

Hell, I really hadn’t missed Malgrave at all.

Chapter 2

With the sound of the bell still ringing in my ears, I shifted my attention to the five muscular men who suddenly strode through the door. Levi Arden had destroyed Malgrave’s Blade of Equilibrium, which meant that the younger generation could no longer be given access to the Great Current. But all of these men looked old enough to have completed the ceremony before the blade was destroyed, so they were either normal magic users or dark mages.

My gaze darted to Callan as the two of us rose from our stools. I wasn’t sure what our move was, but letting someone forcibly escort me out went against every single one of my principles.

As if he could hear my thoughts, Callan slid his gaze to me and gave me a small nod.

Good. My hands drifted closer together. There were five of them, but they didn’t know that I was a poisoner. And they were already well within my range.

Before I could call up my magic, Callan went on, speaking in a voice soft enough that only I could hear. “Use force, but don’t kill anyone.”

“Seriously?” I whispered back while frowning at him. “Since when did you grow a conscience?”

“I didn’t. But we need to stay on Levi’s good side.”

Rolling my eyes, I blew out a sigh. “Fine.”

“This way,” the closest man said while raising his arm to motion towards the door.

While pretending to move in the indicated direction, I waited until the final guard had reached the spot I wanted him in. Then I touched my palms together.

Glittering green mist exploded across the bar.

The bartender sucked in a shocked gasp as the five guards she had called crashed down on their knees. A moment later, my poison forced its way down her throat as well. Choked gurgling came from her mouth as her knees buckled, and she dropped to the floor too.

Glancing behind me, I found Callan watching the scene with an approving smirk on his lips. The bastard did nothing to help, though.

Behind him, the rest of the room had gone dead silent. The players and the dealers all stared at me with wide eyes, but none of them moved a muscle. I shifted my attention back to the poison cloud ahead.

Dull thuds sounded as I increased the strength of the mist around the guards, which knocked them unconscious and sent their bodies toppling sideways to rest on the smooth wooden floorboards. I kept the bartender conscious and started towards her.

“And here we were, having such a civil conversation.” Clicking my tongue, I shook my head at the blond woman. “Why did you have to turn this into such an unpleasant thing?”

Her pale eyes were worried as she looked up at me. But with the poison in her throat, she of course couldn’t reply.

“Now, would you like to amend your previous answer about there being no news?” I asked.

For a few seconds, it looked like she was going to do just that. Then her gaze once more darted towards the other people in the gambling hall, and she vehemently shook her head.

“Really?” I prompted while raising my eyebrows at her. “Last chance.”

She only shook her head again.

Annoyance rippled through me. She clearly knew something, but she was apparently more afraid of Levi Arden than she was of me.

Blowing out an irritated sigh, I let the poison cloud dissipate. “Pity.”

She sucked in a deep breath and coughed while I whirled around and met Callan’s gaze. Disappointment swirled in his eyes as well, but he lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug.

“Let’s go,” I said as I strode towards the door.

The other people in the room watched us warily as we made our way to the door, but none of them said anything or did anything to stop us.

Warm night air that smelled of perfume, fried food, and spilled alcohol hit us as we stepped back onto the busy street. The multi-colored glass domes above us swayed in the breeze, making the shifting hues dance across the stones. Callan placed a gentle hand on my back, steering us towards the other end of the road.

“Well, that went splendidly.” Sarcasm dripped from my lips as I spoke. Glancing up, I arched an eyebrow at the force mage next to me. “And for someone who constantly brags about how skilled you are, you sure were helpful back there.”

His lips curled into a smug smile. “I seem to recall you not wanting my help with anything. And besides, you were doing fine on your own.”

“Yes, I was. But that still doesn’t explain why you were just standing there like some kind of normal person.”

“I, uhm…” A hint of hesitation flickered in his eyes before he slid his gaze back to the road ahead and shrugged. “I have something of a reputation in Malgrave. Let’s just say that it’s best if I don’t draw too much unnecessary attention to myself.”

“Made a lot of enemies, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“What a surprise.”

He snorted. “Like you’re one to talk.”

I chuckled and then shot him a sly look. “At least I don’t leave my enemies in any state where they can come back and kill me later.”

“That right?” He made a show of patting his hands over his chest. “I seem to be in perfect health.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I thought you just said that we weren’t enemies anymore.”

“Did I? Can’t remember.”

Amusement pulled at his lips, and I huffed out a laugh too. But the truth was that he still hadn’t told me anything about his past in Malgrave or what had gone down between him and Levi Arden. And even though we were supposed to be in this together now, I couldn’t help but feel as though neither one of us was truly comfortable with sharing secrets just yet. Though, given our history, it was understandable. So I didn’t push the matter.

“Alright, let’s try in here,” Callan said, and jerked his chin towards another building.

This one had a yellow door, and as far as I could see through the windows, it looked like some kind of tavern rather than a gambling den. A bell tinkled above the door when Callan pulled it open and started across the threshold. I half expected him to let the door swing shut right onto me, and a flicker of surprise shot through me when he actually held it open for me instead.

Wry amusement blew through my chest. This new partnership of ours really was going to take some getting used to.

“Let’s split up for this one,” Callan said while I let the door click shut behind my back. He glanced over his shoulder at me. “Try to find out anything about what’s going on in the city. But be sneaky.”

I gave him a flat stare. “The irony of you telling me to be sneaky…”

“Just do it.” Before I could walk away, he grabbed my arm and turned me back around so that he could lock eyes with me. “And be careful.”

I patted his hand and flashed him a quick grin. “Careful is for the weak, darling.”

When I only continued looking up at him with that smug smile on my lips, he released my arm and shook his head while stalking away. Even through the noise of the tavern, I could hear him muttering curses about how keeping vicious little poisoners alive in Malgrave was going to be a pain in the ass. I let out a silent chuckle while drifting over to the table I had already picked out.

Three men were sitting at one of the pale wooden tables by the windows. Mugs of what looked like ale littered the tabletop, and a round metal pan with some kind of food took up the space in the middle. I had no idea what it was, but it smelled like spiced meat and herbs.

“Mind if I join?” I said as I strolled up to their table.

Before they could reply, I pulled out the fourth chair and plopped down on it. The three of them exchanged a look that suggested that they did in fact mind. I knew what I looked like. After riding all the way here from Castlebourne, I was exhausted. And since the packs we had brought were all we now had, I didn’t exactly have any beautiful dresses that I could use. So I sat there in my riding clothes, looking very out of place among the three men in their fine dress shirts. Remedying our supply shortage was the second item on our list. But first, we had to figure out what we were dealing with.

“We weren’t really looking for company,” the dark-haired one said gently.

All three of them cast nervous glances towards a table to my left. Three women had been eyeing them from that table, but as soon as I walked up and sat down, they pulled back a little and exchanged confused looks instead. Which was of course exactly why I had done it.

“Ah, got it,” I replied. Placing my palms on the tabletop, I made as if to push myself to my feet. “I’ll make sure to let the other girls know too.”

Panic flashed across their faces.

“Wait!” The gray-eyed man on my right quickly waved me back down in my seat while he shot worried glances towards the ladies that they had been checking out.

I raised my eyebrows in silent question but sank back into the chair again.

“Was… uhm… Was there something you wanted?”

“Me?” I shrugged innocently. “I just got back to Malgrave after a few months in Castlebourne, so I was just looking for news.”

All of them tore their eyes from the women and instead focused on me. Suspicion blew across their faces.

The dark-haired guy cleared his throat. “What kind of news?”

“Anything, really. Any important events happen? Or anything else that I should watch out for?”

They shared a long look.

The third man, who had a well-trimmed beard, leaned back and lifted his shoulders in a shrug that was supposed to look casual. “Nope. Nothing like that.”

“Really? Nothing has happened in the past six months? This is Malgrave. How is that even possible?”

“Mr. Arden is keeping the city completely at peace.”

I furrowed my brows. I recognized that kind of answer. It was the kind that people gave when they thought that they were being tested. But for what?

Another couple of prompts only led to the same vague answers. I considered whether I could get away with torturing these people for information, but I decided that it was too much of a hassle since we were in such a public place. So once it became apparent that they weren’t going to give me what I wanted willingly, I simply pushed to my feet and walked away. And I swore I could hear sighs of relief when I left.

With my brows still furrowed, I scanned the tavern for Callan. He looked to have just finished up a conversation at the bar, and he started towards me when he met my gaze. I moved towards the door.

What was it that all of these people were too scared to talk about? I understood that this Levi Arden was lethal and that no one wanted to get on his bad side, but it was very strange to have people shut down in this way when all we did was to ask if something had happened.

“Any luck?” Callan asked in a low voice as he reached me.

“No. You?”

He shook his head and then motioned for us to step outside.

The small bell plinked merrily as I pushed the door open and walked back out onto the street. The faint chatter and clinking of glasses died as the door swung shut behind us.

For a while, Callan and I only watched each other.

“Let’s try another one,” he said at last.

I nodded.

We made our way to two more taverns, and three more gambling houses, but the results were always the same. As soon as we started asking questions about the current state of affairs, people shut down and refused to share anything. Suspicion and worry shone in their eyes every time. Yet again, I got the feeling that they believed that they were being tested.

“Something is definitely going on,” I said as Callan and I made our way down another street.

His dark brown eyes stayed on the road before us as he replied, “Agreed.”

A sizzling sound came from a food stall on our left where an old man was frying vegetables omelets in a large flat pan. I breathed in the intoxicating scent before returning my attention to Callan. Pink and orange light from the glass domes above cast splashes of color over the slight scowl on his face.

“Maybe we should start by buying some better clothes,” I said while we continued towards the next cross street. “Before we try to interrogate more people.”

He looked down at his dark leather armor. “My clothes are fine.”

“Alright, let me rephrase. I am going to buy some clothes better suited for blending in before I try to interrogate someone else.”

At last, he dragged his gaze to me. Amusement swirled in his eyes. “Fine. But those kinds of shops won’t open until morning.”

I was just about to reply when we rounded the corner.

And came face to face with a mass of people blocking the road.

Slapping my palms together, I called up a cloud of poison. But before I could throw it at the very suspicious-looking group, Callan placed a hand on my arm and pushed it downwards. I flicked a quick glance at him in silent question. He kept his eyes on our ambushers but gave me an almost imperceptible shake of the head.

I let my magic fade out.

For a few seconds, the wall of people only watched us. Then a tall man at the front stepped forward. His brown eyes were fixed on Callan’s face when he at last spoke up.

“The boss would like a word.”

Chapter 3

My heart thumped in my chest as we stopped before the large doors to the building that had become known as Levi’s Court. The King of Metal owned a number of buildings around here, but the Court was where he met with allies, enemies, and everyone who wanted something from him. Or had something to answer for. I had no illusions about which category I belonged to.

From the corner of my eye, I could feel Audrey casting a quick glance at me, but I didn’t turn to meet her gaze because I had no idea what to say. I hated how just the sight of this building made my heart start pounding. As if I was still the teenager I had been back when I first met Levi.

Clenching my jaw, I scowled at the building as if I could make those emotions disappear by sheer force of will.

Two wide metal doors stared back at me. They were painted in a blood red color that served as a warning to anyone who might be foolish enough to challenge Levi. From experience, I knew that those two doors had certainly seen their fair share of real blood. And I should know. I had helped put it there more than once.

There were no windows, but I knew what awaited us inside. Even though from the outside, it looked like the building was made up of three stories, I knew that it was really only one. One story with an incredibly high ceiling. It was meant to humble. To make people feel as though they had entered a real throne room. Just like the grand palaces from the legends of old. Except for one thing. Every single part of this building was made of metal.

Someone gave my shoulder a shove. “Move.”

Turning slowly, I locked hard eyes on the man who had spoken. I didn’t recognize him. Or half of the other people who had brought us here either, for that matter. But it wasn’t surprising, given the death rate of this particular profession.

“Put that hand on me again, and I’ll cut it off,” I warned.

He glared back at me but made no move to shove me again. I snorted and turned back to the doors that two of his companions had just pulled open. That nervous thumping in my chest started back up. While keeping a blank expression on my face, I drew in a soft breath to steady myself.

And then I stepped across the threshold.

Audrey moved with me, falling into step beside me as we walked into Levi’s Court. None of the guards followed. As soon as we had cleared the threshold, they simply pushed the doors shut behind us. It was a statement. And a challenge. Levi didn’t need any other guards to protect himself from the likes of us.

The boom that the doors made when they closed echoed throughout the cavernous space. Chains hung between the metal beams high up in the ceiling, some of them drooping down the walls. And oil lamps and torches had been fastened to walls and wires to illuminate the windowless building. But other than that, Levi’s throne room was mostly bare. Apart from the massive throne set in front of the back wall, of course.

Sheets of metal had been bent into a series of steps that led up to the actual chair, and sharp spikes lined every one of them like some kind of lethal railing. The throne itself wasn’t much better. Made from thick metal, it was shaped like a wingback chair with a tall and wide backrest that had been crowned with even more spikes. A true reminder of Levi’s power. And his ego.

Audrey discreetly brushed the back of her hand against mine. The brief touch brought me back from my own spinning mind and fully into the present. When I flicked a quick glance down at her, I found her walking with her spine straight and chin raised, and that wickedly gorgeous look of complete and utter arrogance on her face. There was nothing to suggest that the brief touch had been intentional, but by now I understood her well enough to know that it had. And I appreciated it more than I could express.

A steady sense of calm spread through me as I rolled my shoulders back. I was a lot more powerful now than I had been last time I was in Malgrave. And now, I had Audrey by my side too. There really was nothing to worry about.

“Well, well, well.” A dark voice full of mockery split the heavy silence like a battle axe. “If it isn’t Callan Blackwell. The traitor.”

My heart jerked and ice skittered across my skin at just the sound of that voice.

But I kept a mask of smug arrogance on my face as I dragged my gaze to the man atop the throne while we came to a halt a short distance from the steps.

Levi Arden, the King of Metal, looked exactly the same as last time I had seen him. Power and confidence dripped from his entire being as he lounged on his throne, arms draped along the metal armrests and legs spread wide. It made me want to throw a force lance to crush his balls, and I barely managed to suppress the impulse.

His black hair, longer on top and shorter on the sides, was casually swept back. But regardless of how it looked, I knew that there was nothing casual about this dark mage. Sharp gray eyes tracked everything in the room, and his tall and muscular body could do incredible damage to an opponent if he was ever pushed that far.

As I briefly shifted my attention from that face full of sharp cheekbones and the promise of violence, I noticed that he was only wearing a simple black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to expose the corded muscles of his forearms, and a pair of dark pants tucked into his boots. Not one piece of the metal shoulder plates and bracers he favored. No armor at all. Which was, of course, another statement. Another challenge.

Letting a vicious smile stretch my lips, I locked eyes with the bastard on the throne.

“Levi,” I said in greeting.

He raised his dark brows at me while an equally mocking smile curled his own lips. “Oh it’s Levi now, is it?”

“The time when I called you sir is long past now.”

“Really? I wouldn’t be so sure.” Before I could retort, he jerked his chin towards Audrey. “And who’s this?”

Sweet poison laced Audrey’s words as she replied, “Ask me politely and I might tell you.”

He slid his gaze to her, and I could almost see the tension crackling through the air. People didn’t normally talk back to Levi Arden. Audrey just cocked her head in a look of bored arrogance and arched an eyebrow at him.

Hell damn it, I wanted to grin like an idiot and tell her to be careful all at the same time.

For a few seconds, I wondered if Levi would throw an attack at her.

But after another couple of tension-filled moments, he simply shifted his attention back to me and said, “You traded Henry for someone with a sharper tongue, I see.”

“I haven’t traded anyone.”

“Ah. So Henry is here too?”

Since I didn’t want to confirm or deny anything, in case this meeting went to hell, I just looked back at him in silence.

A lethal spark flickered in Levi’s gray eyes. “You would do well to answer when I ask you a question.”

“I already told you. I don’t take orders from you anymore, Levi.”

“Oh you really have gotten cocky.”

“I’m not fifteen years old anymore.”

“And I’m still five years older than you.”

“Age is irrelevant. It’s skills and power that count.”

Levi sat up straighter. Spreading his arms, he leveled a stare brimming with challenge on me. “Then try to beat me.”

I said nothing.

The grin on his mouth grew. “You clearly came back to Malgrave because you need something. So, go ahead. Try to beat me. And if you win, I’ll hear you out.”

Part of me knew that this was a really bad idea. But the other part of me was itching to prove to both myself and Levi that he had no power over me anymore. I could feel Audrey’s eyes on me, but I kept mine on the King of Metal as I said, “Fine.”

His laugh echoed through the high-ceilinged hall as he pushed himself up from the throne and sauntered down the steps.

“Callan,” Audrey said in a quiet voice.

While taking a few steps to the side, I glanced down at her and said gently, “Don’t interfere.”

For a moment, it looked like she was going to argue. But she must have sensed that this was something that I needed to do on my own, so she closed her mouth again and instead gave me a nod.

She moved over to stand next to the side of the throne while Levi swaggered onto the floor and squared up against me. My pulse thrummed in my ears. I drew in a breath as I tried to force myself to calm down. There was no need to worry. I had gotten a lot stronger these past five years.

A half smirk pulled at Levi’s lips as he nonchalantly twitched his fingers at me, telling me to get on with it.

I threw a force wall at him.

It crashed into a block of metal. The sound of the collision reverberated through the warm air loudly enough to rattle my teeth.

Diving to the side, I narrowly managed to escape the bands of metal that shot up from the ground underneath me. While rolling to my feet, I hurled a spinning arc at them, cutting the front ones in half.

A whistling sound made me snap my head back to Levi just in time to spot the glinting spear shooting towards me. I threw up a force wall and redirected it to the side. Metallic clanking filled the room as it slammed into the floor a short distance to my left instead.

Right after dropping the force wall, I called up another spinning arc and flung it at Levi. He blocked it with a thick slab of metal. I threw another one.

Booms echoed as he shielded against that one as well before more snaking bands shot up from the ground. I leaped sideways while shoving them away with a blast of force.

Adrenaline pumped in my veins as the battle wore on. My gaze darted between Levi, the floor, and the air around me, trying to predict where the next attack would come from. All while also bombarding him with spinning arcs and vibrating lances of my own.

But the longer we fought, the more I realized that I hadn’t closed the gap between us as much as I had thought. While I had certainly gotten better these past five years, so had Levi. And he was already powerful to begin with.

My heart slammed against my ribs as I ducked a sheet of metal that would have taken my head clean off my shoulders, right before spikes shot up from the ground. I barely managed to leap into the air in time not to get impaled.

Touching my palms together, I hurled a blast at them that cut the sharp points off so that I could land. They retracted into the floor, but when my feet at last touched the ground again, Levi had already launched his next attack.

Two metal ropes snaked around my ankles, locking them to the floor before I could jump again, while a sharp spear shot straight for my throat.

From across the room, I could hear Audrey call out in warning.

But it was already too late.

My chest heaved as I stared down at the sharpened point that was now pressed against my windpipe. One more flick of power from Levi, and it would punch through my neck. While staying perfectly still, I slowly lifted my gaze to meet Levi’s eyes.

A wolfish grin split his face.

“Well then,” he said, and his gray eyes glinted in the light from the torches throughout the room. “I think the time when you call me sir has come again.”

Chapter 4

Rage crackled through my veins like lightning. I wanted to wipe that vicious grin right off Levi Arden’s face and then make him grovel for mercy at my feet. Callan was mine. The only one who was allowed to threaten him was me.

Touching my palms together, I threw a cloud of poison towards the smirking King of Metal.

Callan had told me not to get involved, but I had never really been one for following orders.

Unfortunately, I was standing to Levi’s right rather than behind him, so he noticed my glittering green mist before it had even crossed half of the distance. Metal flashed in the bright firelight. One massive sheet rose up from the ground and shoved my attack towards the wall while the spear and the bands around Callan disappeared. But before he could so much as twitch his fingers, two flat metal poles shot up and struck him. One in his solar plexus. The other in his balls.

A strangled gasp of agony ripped from Callan’s throat as he collapsed down on the floor. Pain clouded his eyes as he tried to suck in desperate breaths.

The fury inside me burned hotter.

Levi slowly turned towards me while my poisonous attack faded out against the dark wall to his left. A lethal glint crept into his gaze as he leveled those sharp gray eyes on me. The cold smile on his lips made ice crawl down my spine.

“Oh now I really am intrigued,” he said, and cocked his head. The gesture was pure predator.

I threw another cloud at him.

He slapped his hands together, and another sheet of metal appeared from the ground to knock my attack aside. Before it had even made contact, I had sent a snapping whip towards him as well. It slammed into a shield that rose up right next to him. Then a third one shot up too. The three walls moved up and down at the same time to block the next series of poison tendrils I hurled at him. I stared in utter confusion while all three of them sank back into the ground again when my attacks had been dealt with.

How was that even possible? I had seen the same thing when he fought Callan, but I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.

Everyone else could only use one attack at a time. We all had to call up one attack and then we had to release it before we could summon another one. I was luckier than most because my power was so fluid, which meant that I could call up a cloud of poison and then regulate the size as well as the strength in various parts of it so that it could work in a multitude of ways. But I couldn’t manipulate two separate poison clouds at the same time. It just wasn’t possible. Once I had released an attack, by for example throwing it, I could no longer change it.

While my power over poison clouds might muddy the waters a bit, the limitations were clear on someone like Callan. He could call up a force blade. But then if he wanted a force shield, he had to release his blade first and then summon the shield. The same principle should be true for someone like Levi Arden. He shouldn’t have been able to move all three walls up and down at the same time. But he had. How was that possible?

As if he could read the thoughts in my eyes, the King of Metal gave me a slow smile.

Dread twisted in my stomach.

Apparently, Callan hadn’t been exaggerating when he said that Levi was one of the most dangerous people he had ever met.

Bands of metal shot up from the ground around me. My survival instincts kicked in and I was leaping backwards before I even knew what I was doing.

While still airborne, I touched my palms together and threw a large cloud straight at Levi. I landed back on the ground with a thud while he summoned a wide wall to push the cloud sideways before it could hit. Keeping one eye on the ground and the other on the mage before me, I shot small tendrils one after the other.

Levi smacked them away with more sheets of metal. Amusement glittered in his eyes. The bastard didn’t even look worried at all.

Spikes flashed up around my feet. I jumped sideways to escape them while hurling another cloud towards Levi.

If only I could throw that pain manipulation move. It was an incredibly lethal attack, and it made even the strongest people gasp in agony. But I could still only use it while touching someone directly. And the biggest problem with that, apart from the fact that it didn’t even work every time, was that if I ever got close enough to an opponent to use it, I had already lost. Range was my biggest advantage in any battle. If an opponent was close enough for me to touch, they could easily use their physical strength to overpower me before I could touch my hands together.

Hell damn it all. It would probably take years of practice before I got to a point where I could use it from a distance. But I needed it now. I needed something, or I would lose.

After dodging another attack from below, I rolled to my feet and threw three curving whips to mess with his ability to estimate trajectories. And then I slapped my palms together and called up one of my strongest moves.

Glittering green mist exploded across the room. The attack was both fast and large, and most people didn’t have either the time or the capacity to counter something like it.

For the first time since we walked into this throne room, a hint of surprise and wariness flickered in Levi’s eyes. And no wall of metal shot up to shove my attack aside.

Victory sparkled inside me.

The moment that poison reached him, I would win.

Intense pain crackled through my body.

I sucked in a gasp as waves of agony pulsed from my stomach. The green mist dissipated as I lost the grip on my magic and doubled over. Through the haze of pain, I realized that Levi hadn’t bothered blocking the attack. Instead, he had tricked me with a hint of worry and then gone straight for the source instead. Me.

The flat metal pole that had slammed into my solar plexus slid back into the floor while I tried to keep my knees from buckling.

Before I could collapse, three more poles rose around me. Two of them snaked around my wrists, keeping my arms spread wide. The third one brushed against my spine, as if to support me, before the top part twisted to slither around my neck. Pain still washed through me as the cold metal tightened, rendering me immobile.

“Do you know what I do to people who attack me in my own court?” Levi asked, a cruel smile on his lips, as he started towards me.

“No,” Callan pressed out before I could respond. Not an answer to the question. A plea.

His eyes were still swimming with pain as he tried to push himself off the floor a few strides away. Each movement had him wincing, and he was gritting his teeth so hard that I could almost hear them beginning to crack.

Levi cast a lazy glance towards him. “I’d stay down, if I were you.”

After forcing out a breath between his teeth, Callan climbed to his feet. He swayed a little at first, but then he managed to draw himself up to his full height. His jaw was still clenched tightly against the lingering pain that looked to be wreaking havoc on his body.

For a moment, the two of them only watched each other in silence. I tried to focus on drawing in deep breaths to combat the pain in my own stomach.

Then Callan took a step forward.

A cry tore from my lips as the metal around my wrists tightened until I thought my bones were going to snap like twigs.

Panic flashed across Callan’s face. It was followed by rage. His gaze darted to me before he shifted it back to Levi while slowly spreading his arms. The King of Metal raised his eyebrows in surprise.

While keeping his hands wide, Callan staggered over until he was standing in front of me.

“Don’t,” I hissed in a low voice.

Callan ignored me and instead kept his attention on Levi as he said, “Don’t hurt her.”

“Oh, Callan.” A mocking laugh spilled from his lips as he shook his head. “You of all people know that I don’t tolerate this kind of behavior. She attacked me unprovoked. She must pay for that.”

“Unprovoked?” I spat. “You—”

My words were cut off by another cry of pain as the metal around my wrists tightened once more.

“Please,” Callan blurted out while I sucked in a breath between my teeth.

The band around my throat squeezed harder until my next breath turned into a strangled gurgling noise.

A few steps in front of me, Callan dropped to his knees. Even with the threat of imminent and painful death hanging over me, the sight of Callan kneeling sent shock pulsing through my body.

I couldn’t see his face, but he held up his hands in a pleading gesture. “Please, Levi, she…”

The King of Metal arched a dark brow, causing Callan to trail off.

“Please, sir,” Callan amended. “Let her go. I roped her into this. I made her do it, so if you wanna take it out on someone, take it out on me.”

“Oh, I will. After I’ve finished with her.”

“Look, I know you hate me. And with good reason. But she’s not part of any of that.”

“She still attacked me.”

“I will take her punishment too.” Callan sat back on his heels, bowed his head, and placed his palms flat on the ground before his knees. The ultimate show of surrender. “Please, sir. I’m begging you.”

If I’d had any air to spare, I would have gasped. Or cursed Levi to the depths of hell. Or both. But most of all, I couldn’t believe the humiliation Callan was actually willing to endure. For me.

Surprise drifted across Levi’s face as well. Shaking his head, he let out a disbelieving laugh. “Well, isn’t this something for the history books. Coldblooded Callan begging for someone else’s life. That wasn’t something I thought I would ever see.”

Callan said nothing. Only kept his head bowed. But the metal around my throat eased up a bit until I could fight down strained breaths. I sucked air back into my lungs while staring at the insane scene before me.

A smirk played over Levi’s mouth as he ran his gaze over Callan’s kneeling form. “Oh this must be so humiliating for you.” His expression turned thoughtful as he cocked his head. “Why do it? Why come back here at all?”

“To make a deal.”

“A deal? I thought I was very clear about the future of our relationship after you bought your life back from me five years ago.”

At last, Callan raised his head to look at the metal mage. “Trust me, if there was any other way, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Intriguing. But utterly pointless, because I will not be making any deals with you.”

“Come on, Le—” Callan cut himself off and cleared his throat. “There must be something that you want, sir.”

“Other than to paint the city with your blood?” His smile was a slash of white. “Nothing.”

Before Callan could reply, Levi flicked his wrist.

The metal holding me trapped disappeared back into the floor. I wasn’t at all prepared for it, so the sudden lack of support had me crashing down to the ground. Dull pain pulsed from my wrists, and my breath rasped in my throat as I inhaled deeply.

Callan whirled around at the thudding sound my knees made when they hit the floor, and Levi used that opportunity to walk around him and towards me. Panic flashed in Callan’s dark brown eyes as he scrambled to his feet. However, before he could say or do anything else, Levi spoke up again.

“I will give you one chance to leave Malgrave with your bodies intact.” He threw a sharp smile at Callan over his shoulder. “Since you begged so nicely.”

“We—” Callan began, but the metal mage cut him off.

“One chance.” Leaning down, he grabbed the front of my dark riding outfit and hauled me to my feet. Cold power gleamed in his eyes as he locked them on mine. “I suggest you take it.”

By all hell, I knew that it was stupid as fuck. I knew that I should have just done as he said and left before he decided to make good on his previous threats. But I really hated looking weak. And I had hated the sight of Callan on his knees, begging someone else for my life, even more than I hated looking weak. And that really was saying something. So instead of behaving like a sensible person, I discreetly brushed my palms together and then placed one hand on Levi’s forearm, flooding his pain receptors with poison.

A gasp tore from his throat. Releasing my collar, he snatched his hand back and stumbled a step backwards while pain flashed across his lethally handsome face. It was followed by disbelief as he stared at me while rubbing a hand over his forearm.

I gave him a smile sharp enough to draw blood. “Put that hand on me again, and I’ll stop your heart.”

A wicked laugh rumbled from his chest. Behind his shoulder, Callan tensed. I could see his hands drifting closer together, getting ready to fight again if Levi decided to retaliate. But the King of Metal ignored him completely, and instead closed the distance between us again.

“Didn’t Callan tell you?” He flicked his eyes up and down my body while a wolfish smile spread across his lips. “I don’t have one.”

I didn’t back down. Holding his gaze, I just continued staring up at him in silence.

His eyes once more drifted up and down my body. Slower this time. A calculating expression settled on his face as he sucked his teeth and ran a hand over his chiseled jaw.

“You’re a poison mage,” he said at last.

My voice dripped with sarcasm as I replied, “Excellent observation skills.”

He huffed out a short laugh. “I bet that sharp tongue of yours has gotten you into a lot of trouble over the years.”

“And yet I’m still here.”

“Indeed you are.”

He ran his hand over his jaw again and then looked back at Callan. I barely dared to breathe. I wasn’t sure what was going through Levi’s head, but we needed him to destroy the Blade of Equilibrium, so we couldn’t just leave. We had to find a way to convince him, and whatever he was thinking right now might be the opening we needed.

Callan remained motionless while Levi looked him over appraisingly. Then the metal mage clicked his tongue and huffed out another laugh as he turned back to me. A smile full of challenge curled his lips before he spoke up again.

“Maybe there is something you can do for me after all.”

Chapter 5

Icould feel Audrey’s eyes burning holes in the side of my head. We had a lot to talk about, I knew that. But now was neither the time nor the place.

My entire body was tense and ready to counter an attack the second it happened. If it happened. I scanned the room around us.

Levi had led us to a medium-sized dining room that was located close to his throne room, and then left. The floor and walls were made of metal in here as well, but there was a thick red carpet covering most of the cold floor. Oil lamps burned brightly overhead and cast yellow light across the shining furniture. Both the table and the chairs were also made of metal, of course, but there were cushions in red and gold waiting on the seats.

I dragged my gaze over every inch of the room while memories swirled through my chest. How many times had I been in this room? Standing behind Levi’s shoulder while he conducted a business meeting that always contained a fair bit of threats. My presence certainly helped with that.

The door was yanked open.

It took all of my self-control not to call up any magic. I knew that Levi had done it on purpose to startle us. He knew how tightly wound I was right now, and was doing everything in his power to mess with me. Flexing my fingers, I just watched impassively as Levi strode back into the dining room after having been gone for a few minutes.

Amusement shone in his eyes when he found us still standing in the same spots as when he had left.

He jerked his chin towards the table. “Sit down.”

Not waiting for us to reply, he simply moved over to the lone chair at the head of the table and pulled it out. While he sat down, I finally slid my gaze to Audrey. She seemed to understand the position we were currently in, because she just brushed her hand discreetly against my arm before rounding the table and claiming the chair opposite mine. I suppressed the urge to give her a grateful nod while I lowered myself into my seat as well.

“So,” Levi began. Slouching back into his chair, he raised his eyebrows in a lazy expression. “You’ve come to beg for my help. To do what?”

Since I knew him well enough to understand that the word choice was very much intentional, I ignored his bait and instead said, “To destroy Eldar’s Blade of Equilibrium.”

“And to lend us some manpower for a fight,” Audrey added.

Levi let out a low whistle and shifted his gaze between the two of us. “That’s not a small favor.”

“No, it’s not,” I simply said.

Before Levi could reply, there was a knock on the door. Without taking his eyes off us, he called, “Come.”

The door was immediately pulled open to reveal a young man dressed in a crisp white shirt. There was a metal tray with three wine glasses and a pitcher balanced on it. The young man moved inside and silently set down a glass in front of each of us. Once he had filled them all, he inclined his head towards Levi and then disappeared back out the door.

“Why?” Levi asked, picking up the thread of conversation as soon as we were alone again.

“Because Eldar has a Binder,” I replied.

“So I heard. I also heard that someone managed to kidnap him.”

Audrey and I exchanged a glance. “We did. But we also ran into some unexpected issues.”

“I see.” Levi chuckled. “And now the whole city is about to rain hell down on you in retribution again, except with the Binder at their side this time.”

“Yes.”

“At least this explains why you were desperate enough to come crawling back to me and beg for my help. There aren’t a lot of you left in Eldar, are there?”

Neither Audrey nor I said anything.

Levi let out an amused breath, as if our silence confirmed it, and then picked up his glass before holding it out towards us. “Well, then. To desperate begging.”

Rage shot through me. Hell, what I wouldn’t give for a chance to bash that bastard’s face in. Or to watch Audrey torture him with that special move of hers. But we really needed the asshole’s help to destroy that blade, so instead of doing what I really wanted to do, I raised my own glass.

Across the table, Audrey did the same. The promise of vengeance danced over her beautiful features, but she followed Levi’s lead and dutifully moved the glass to her lips and drank some of the rich red wine. It didn’t taste very good, but I swallowed it anyway and then set the glass down with a thump.

“So that’s what we want,” I said as I dragged my gaze back to Levi. “Now, you brought us in here, which means that there is something that you—”

My words got cut off as my throat swelled shut. Alarm clanged through my head, and I snapped my gaze to the glass of wine in front of me. Don’t tell me he…?

A strange coldness was spreading quickly through my body, making my limbs numb. I gripped the edge of the table hard to keep myself upright as my gaze darted towards Audrey.

But she wasn’t looking at me.

Her piercing green eyes were locked on Levi. An imperious fury that could have leveled the whole city laced her cheekbones. Keeping her gaze on the King of Metal, she slowly touched her palms together.

Levi arched a nonchalant brow, but remained leaning back in his chair, the epitome of lazy arrogance.

Nothing happened. No green mist appeared. Which meant that either her magic didn’t work, or she had directed it inside her own body.

I choked as I fought to draw breath while the numbness spread down towards my fingers.

Without taking her eyes off Levi, Audrey touched her hands together again.

That time, a tendril of glittering green appeared and shot straight down into my throat. The cool silken feeling of Audrey’s poison swept through my body a second later. It chased away the numbness and opened up my airways again. I gasped in a breath as the final remnants disappeared.

Audrey didn’t even look winded.

A patronizing smile decorated her lips as she continued watching Levi. “Did no one ever tell you that you can’t poison a poisoner?”

His mouth twisted into a sharp smile. “I just wanted to see how good you really are.”

“If you would like a more thorough demonstration, I would be more than happy to oblige.”

“I’m sure you would.”

“Enough games, Levi,” I interrupted before this turned into another battle. “You brought us here because you’re open to making a deal. So, what do you want?”

For a few more seconds, he only continued holding Audrey’s stare. Then he let out a breath of amusement and turned to face me. “A stone mage called Trevor Gale has set up a rival house and is trying to take parts of my territory. Has taken parts of my territory. And wants to take it all eventually.”

Confusion blew through me. “So? Why don’t you just crush him like you do with everyone else who tries to challenge you?”

“Because large parts of my forces are otherwise occupied at the moment. And there are circumstances that make this a bad time for open war.”

“What circumstances?”

Levi swirled the wine in his glass before drinking from it again. Clearly his wasn’t poisoned like ours had been. After setting the glass down again, he lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

“Let’s just say that I can’t risk any large-scale battles being waged in the city for a few months.”

“Look, if we’re going to help you with this, we’ll need to know all the details. Otherwise, our ignorance will come back to bite us when we can least afford it, and then this whole mission will go to hell and you won’t get what you want either. So just tell us. What the hell is going on, Levi?”

Light from the oil lamps shifted over his face. For a while, he just studied us as if weighing the risks and potential gains in his head. He traced the bottom of the glass with his finger before drinking again. Audrey and I only watched him in silence.

Raking a hand through his hair, he heaved a sigh and then clicked his tongue.

“My wife is pregnant, and Trevor Gale has been trying to abduct her for a while now.”

Shock clanged through me like giant bells. For a few seconds, I could only stare at him in silence.

“You have a wife?” I managed to press out eventually.

Levi raised his eyebrows. “You sound surprised.”

“I am.”

“Why?”

“I, uhm…”

“That’s why no one is talking,” Audrey mercifully interrupted. “We tried to ask people if something interesting had happened in Malgrave in the past few months, but everyone refused to talk.”

A satisfied grin slid across Levi’s lips. “Good.”

“So, this Trevor Gale is trying to find your wife, but as long as no one shares information about her, it will be really difficult for him to do that.”

Leaning back in his chair, he shrugged again as if to confirm her words. “I put out a gag order. Anyone talks about my wife, doesn’t matter if it’s to discuss her last known location or simply to mention the color of her hair, and I’ll cut out their tongue.”

That didn’t surprise me at all. Though the fact that Levi had a wife at all ranked among the top five strangest things I’d heard this decade. It was right below that world-altering realization that I had also fallen in love.

“So that’s why so many of your people are occupied,” I said, trying to force my mind back on track. “They’re protecting your wife.”

“Correct.”

“It still doesn’t explain why you haven’t crushed this guy yet, Levi. You’re the fucking King of Metal. No one goes up against you and lives.”

A sharp glint crept into his eyes as he locked them on me. “Apart from you, apparently.”

“I never challenged your authority,” I said carefully.

He was silent for a while, those intelligent gray eyes boring into me. Then he let a sharp smile curl his lips. “No, you did not. One of the few smart decisions you made.”

“But this Trevor Gale apparently did,” Audrey said. “So why is he still alive?”

Gratitude washed over me. Hell, no one could read a room like Audrey Sable. With a few choice words, she had expertly pulled Levi’s attention away from me and our bloody history together, and instead redirected his rage back to the target we wanted him to focus on.

“Because he’s from Malgrave,” Levi began. A muscle ticked in his jaw. “He recognizes the faces of all of my people, so he never falls for any of the traps I’ve set. And I need a bloody trap to catch him because he never leaves his damn fortress. Unless it’s to personally abduct my wife, that is. I’ve tried to leak fake locations to him, but he has never fallen for it. And I can’t launch an all-out assault on his house because I can’t risk the conflict spilling into the city and endangering my wife.”

“So you need someone else,” I said.

“Some people whose faces Gale won’t recognize,” Audrey filled in.

Levi nodded, and then shifted his gaze back to me. “Our mutually… murderous feelings are well known, so no one would ever suspect that we were working together. And you’re very skilled and very lethal.”

I hated that his praise still made a small part of my soul soar.

“And you,” Levi continued as he turned to Audrey. “You’re a poisoner. I haven’t seen one of those in a while. And based on our battle back there, and the way you reacted to the poisoned wine, you are also incredibly skilled. A poison mage is difficult to deal with, because you don’t need to get very close in order to kill someone, which means that you might stand a chance at taking out Trevor.”

“Indeed.”

Anticipation thrummed through me. Even though she kept her face carefully neutral, I knew that Audrey was feeling the same thing. We were so close now. Killing one guy in exchange for Levi’s help with the ritual dagger, and the war would be a fucking piece of cake. How many assassinations did I already have under my belt? And with Audrey’s help, we really should have no trouble getting this done.

If only he would agree to the deal.

While making sure that none of those emotions showed on my features, I slid my gaze back to Levi. He drummed his fingers against the tabletop while considering.

My heart beat in tune with it.

Then he sat up straighter and clicked his tongue. “Alright.”

Since I didn’t want to ruin anything, I only raised my eyebrows in silent question. From across the table, Audrey did the same.

The King of Metal gave us a nod while a confident grin spread across his mouth.

“It’s a deal. Bring me Trevor Gale’s head, and I will lend you manpower and destroy the Blade of Equilibrium for you.”

Chapter 6

There was a strange tension in the air when Callan and I walked back into the room we rented at the inn. What had happened in Levi’s Court still hung silently between us. Like a curtain that both of us were reluctant to pull back, fearful of what we might find on the other side.

“So,” I began as I came to a halt next to the dresser. “We got our deal with the King of Metal.”

Callan closed the door behind him with a click, but he didn’t move farther into the room. Instead, he crossed his arms over his muscled chest and leaned back against the worn slab of wood.

I studied him. Studied the way he seemed to be clenching his jaw, as if bracing himself for something.

But all he said was, “Yeah.”

“Will he hold up his end of the bargain?”

“Yeah. Levi is many things, but… Yes, he’ll hold up his end of this bargain.”

Leaning my hip against the pale wooden dresser, I crossed my arms too before giving Callan a nod. “Good. Then we just need to figure out a way to kill this Trevor Gale guy.”

“We should start by scouting out his territory. See if we can find a way in.”

“I agree. But first, we need to visit one of those shops you mentioned that will open in the morning.” Uncrossing my arms, I gestured down to the riding clothes full of road dust that I was still wearing. “Because I’ll draw attention in these. And not the right kind.”

“You always draw the right kind of attention.”

A smile drifted across my lips at the way he had said it. Stated it so plainly, so immediately, as if it was a universal truth.

His lips quirked up as well when he noticed my smile.

It dispelled some of the tension around us, and I blew out a breath as I bent down to unlace my boots. Soft footfalls sounded, informing me that Callan at last moved away from the door and towards where his own pack waited by the desk and chair.

Once I was done, I used my now bare foot to push my boots aside while I straightened again. Over by the desk, Callan was unlacing his as well. I rolled my ankles and then grabbed the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head. After shaking it out, I folded it up and placed it on top of the dresser.

My eyes drifted back to Callan. He had finished with his boots and was now removing his dark leather armor. I watched the way his muscles shifted when he draped it over the chair and then yanked his shirt over his head too, leaving him standing there in only his pants. Light from the oil lamp danced over his lethal body. It made the image of him kneeling in front of Levi flash before my eyes again.

“You got down on your knees and begged Levi not to hurt me,” I said into the thick silence.

Callan stiffened. For a few seconds, he remained frozen with his hands halfway between his body and the shirt he had placed on top of the desk. Then he slowly turned to face me. I was only wearing a pair of pants and a brassiere, but his eyes stayed firmly on mine when he finally looked at me.

“Yes,” was all he said.

“Why?”

“Because you don’t know Levi like I do.”

“You groveled—”

“It was the only way to stop him,” Callan interrupted before I could finish what I had been about to say. Once again, he clenched his jaw as if he was bracing himself for something. “You heard him when I called him Levi instead of sir. Just like any dark mage, he feeds on power and control. So doing… what I did… was the best way to give him what he wanted without…” He trailed off.

“You didn’t have to—”

“Look, I know that it’s not exactly the standard dark mage response, but you have to trust me when I say that it really was the only way.”

“I…” I trailed off as a sudden realization shot through me. Raising my eyebrows, I stared back at Callan. “Wait… Did you think that I lost respect for you because of that?”

Guarded hesitation blew across his features, and a frown creased his brows. “Didn’t you?”

“No!”

He drew back slightly and blinked at me in surprise.

Hell damn it, I wanted to hurl my boot at him. Was that why he had been so tense this whole time? I mean, I understood where he was coming from. All we had was our reputation, and power was our currency, so any dark mage who groveled at someone else’s feet normally lost the respect of everyone else. But how could Callan possibly think that those sentiments in any way applied to this situation?

“Then why have you been acting so tense?” he asked, confusion still marring his brow.

That time, I did almost pick up my boot and throw it at him.

“Why do you think?” I snapped. Shaking my head, I stared at him in disbelief. “You used to work for Levi, and now you’re a powerful dark mage in your own right. And instead of being able to come back and show him that, you were forced to humiliate yourself by begging on your knees. For me! For my sake. Hell damn it, Callan, don’t you resent me for that?”

A baffled laugh erupted from his throat. “What?”

My restraint snapped. Snatching up one of my boots, I hurled it straight at his bare chest. He caught it easily in one hand before it could hit. Amusement joined the confusion on his face as he arched an eyebrow at me.

“You didn’t have to grovel for my sake.” I shook my head at him again. “Not before him.”

“As if I would ever let anyone hurt you.”

His words yanked painfully at my heart, and I swallowed thickly. Callan dropped my boot on the wooden floor with a thud while I drifted over to stand right in front of him. For a moment, we only watched each other.

“I could have handled it,” I said softly after a few more seconds of silence.

“I know you could. But that still doesn’t mean that I am going to let anyone hurt you if I can do something to stop it.”

To be honest, there had been a part of me that had doubted if Callan actually loved me. Love wasn’t really for people like us. But after this… After he had endured the humiliation of groveling in front of his former boss for my sake, there wasn’t a shred of doubt left in me.

Clearing my throat, I tried to push down the emotions in my chest that were suddenly just too much for me to handle. “Yeah, well… Ditto.”

He let out a soft laugh. “You were so fucking hot, though.”

“Right,” I said, my voice dripping with irony, and glanced away. “I must have looked so cool trapped in his damn metal bands.”

“No.” He traced his fingers along my collarbone before drawing his hand upwards and taking my chin in a firm grip, making me turn my gaze back to his. “I only like you tied up and helpless when I’m the one controlling the chains.”

That drew a laugh from my chest.

“What I meant was that the way you handled Levi was so fucking hot.” His warm breath caressed my cheeks as he chuckled and then mimicked, “Ask me politely and I might tell you. Put that hand on me again, and I’ll stop your heart. Do you know how few people have talked to Levi like that and lived to see the end of the day?”

“Well, he was an asshole.”

Callan leaned down and breathed his next words against my lips. “And you were a fucking queen.”

A pleasant shudder coursed through my body. Reaching up, I locked my fingers behind Callan’s neck and pulled his mouth the final bit towards mine. He released his grip on my chin and instead wrapped his hands around my back, pressing me harder against his firm chest.

I kissed him deeply. Thoroughly. Trying to tell him all the things that I didn’t know how to say. All the things I felt. What his sacrifice today meant to me.

He held me tightly, answering every kiss as if he understood.

When we at last broke apart, we remained holding each other and just rested our foreheads together. I savored the feeling of his body against mine and his breath dancing over my skin.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Thank you for having my back too. For stepping in and attacking when I lost.”

“Yes, well, I wasn’t about to let anyone hurt you either.” I chuckled against his lips. “Anyone other than me, that is.”

He laughed and then stole one final kiss from my mouth before releasing me. Raking a hand through his dark hair, he took a step back and then nodded towards the bed. “We should probably get some sleep.”

“Yeah, we should.”

Very reluctantly, I tore my gaze from that annoyingly handsome face and the enticing abs on display and then drifted back to the dresser. After stripping out of the rest of my clothes, I pulled out that large white shirt that I had gotten in the habit of sleeping in. At least during the times when we were staying at an inn and not out on the road where people could ambush us. It still smelled faintly of sandalwood and leather.

I pulled it on and then fluffed out my hair again before turning back towards Callan.

The look on his face made me freeze in place with my hands halfway down from my hair. His eyes burned with dark desire and a hint of possessiveness as he stared at me. I glanced from side to side while lowering my arms again.

“What?” I asked.

Shaking his head, he seemed to snap himself out of whatever had been going on in his head. “Nothing.”

“No.” I planted my hands on my hips and raised my eyebrows at him in challenge. “Why do you always look at me like that when I wear this shirt?”

For a few moments, he only looked back at me in silence. That burning lust was back in his eyes, and amusement played over his lips as he flicked his gaze up and down my body. Heat pooled in my stomach, but I kept watching him expectantly.

“Because it’s my shirt,” he said at last.

I blinked at him. Oh. Ohh.

Damn, I really should have figured that out earlier. It explained so many of his strange reactions.

Callan gave me a wicked grin and then dragged his possessive gaze over my body once again. I bit my lip, which immediately made him snap his eyes back up to my face.

With a sly smile on my mouth, I flicked my hair over my shoulder and then turned and sauntered over to the bed while swishing my hips far more than necessary. “Well, it’s mine now.”

His dark laugh rumbled from behind me. I could feel his eyes drinking me in when he at last replied.

“Yes, you are.”

Chapter 7

“This is the outer ring,” Audrey said.

It had been a half statement, half question, so I nodded and said, “Yes.”

Both of us kept our eyes on the street ahead so as to not look suspicious, but I knew that she was stealing quick glances towards the buildings that ran along the left side. Just like I was.

There were no shops located on that side. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought that they were simply residential houses. However, I did know better. Levi had drawn us a map of Trevor Gale’s stolen territory. The row of buildings on our left belonged to a larger shape and made up one side of a square. Four rows of buildings that formed a defensive barrier. And within that barrier was yet another square-shaped area of buildings. In the middle lay a grand structure that had been a holy site at some point in Malgrave’s long history. Now, it was home to Trevor Gale. The man we needed to kill.

I flicked a glance towards the shops that filled the buildings on our right. “See anything that will work?”

Audrey was silent for a few seconds while she scanned the shops up ahead. Then she nodded towards one with a sign painted in pale pink. The name on it read Ylva’s, and a dress had been drawn next to it.

“That one,” she said.

The outer wall was mostly made up of large windows. But as opposed to most of the other clothing shops we had passed, this one didn’t have dresses or suits hanging straight in front of the window. Instead, two white couches had been positioned there. A man was already seated on one of them, his elbow braced on the armrest and his chin resting in his hand, while he looked towards the changing room his partner was presumably in.

“That’ll work,” I said.

She nodded. “I also like the style of the clothes in there.”

“Then let’s go.”

We walked the final distance to the pale wooden door while being mindful not to get caught studying the buildings on the other side of the street. Reaching out, I pulled open the door for Audrey. She shot me a surprised look, which quickly turned into a sly smile.

“Don’t get used to it,” I muttered, trying and failing to hide my own amusement. “It’s just because we’re in public, and because we’re pretending to be married again.”

A mischievous glint glittered in her eyes as she said, “Uh-huh.”

I shook my head at her. “Just get in.”

She threw me one last smirk before sauntering across the threshold, her hips swaying more than usual. I resisted the urge to let go of the door early and watch it smack into that perfect ass of hers. Shaking my head, at her and myself, I followed her into the clothing store.

“Welcome,” said the woman behind the counter. She was tall and slender, with blond hair and pale eyes, and looked to be in her forties. Ylva, presumably. “Are you looking for anything in particular or would you just like to browse?”

“Oh, I would love some help,” Audrey replied. “I’m on quite the mission today.” Turning slightly, she spoke casually over her shoulder to me. “Darling, why don’t you sit down. This will take a while, I’m afraid.”

I gave her a nod. “Of course, sweetheart.”

While she and Ylva began chatting about the clothes she wanted to buy, I moved over to the corner of the unoccupied couch and sat down to do what we had really come here to do. Scout out Trevor Gale’s security. Since we couldn’t very well stand outside on the street and stare without attracting attention, this gave me the perfect excuse to discreetly watch the buildings and the people who moved around out there.

The plush white couch creaked faintly as I sat down. After positioning myself at an angle, so that it looked like I was simply leaning my elbow against the backrest, I let a bored expression drift over my features. I wasn’t wearing my leather armor either. Just a regular shirt. From the outside, I would look like just another ordinary person who had been dragged into a clothing store against their will. But my eyes tracked everything that happened outside the window.

Morning sunlight slanted over the buildings and filled the street with warm light. There were no colored glass domes crisscrossing the road since we were outside the Entertainment District now, so the sunlight only reflected against plain windows. People strolled up and down the cobblestones. Some in groups, some in pairs, and some alone. I studied their faces while they walked.

“What about this one?”

The sound of Audrey’s voice snapped me out of my assessment, and I turned towards where the changing rooms were located on the other side.

A plummeting sensation rippled through me.

Audrey had pushed open the floor-length white drape that had blocked the view of her inside the changing room, and had now taken a few steps out into the store. She was wearing a dark green dress with gold details that hugged her chest and waist. The flowing skirt fluttered outwards slightly when she turned in a slow circle.

“You’re gorgeous,” I said, not being able to take my eyes off her. Then I remembered that she had been asking about the dress, and I cleared my throat. “It’s gorgeous.”

A slight blush crept into her cheeks, but she just gave me a smile and then winked before disappearing back into the changing room. Ylva gave me an approving nod from where she stood in front of the two closed drapes, as if I had passed some sort of test. Then she slid a pale pink dress into the changing room located next to Audrey’s.

“Honey, how’s it going?” the man called from the other couch.

I had almost forgotten that he was there, and I assessed him to reconfirm that he wasn’t a threat before I went back to watching the street.

“Fine,” a woman’s voice snapped back.

“Do you need any help deciding?”

“No.”

The man blew out a dejected sigh and, based on the faintly groaning couch, leaned back in his seat.

Outside, more people strolled past. A few of them were men and women I had seen before. They moved in such an unnatural pattern that, even though they were dressed as civilians, they had to be guards. I marked their faces.

“And these underneath,” Audrey’s voice said after a while.

I turned back towards her.

And my heart almost stopped.

She was standing there on the pale wooden floorboards, wearing nothing but a set of dark green and gold lingerie that perfectly matched that dress she had tried on earlier. They clung to her body, enhancing all of her already perfect assets.

Blood rushed to my cock, and I had to adjust the way I was sitting. Fucking hell, was she trying to kill me or what?

It took all of my self-control to remain seated on the couch instead of doing what I really wanted to do. Which was to stalk across the floor, push her back into the changing room, and show her exactly how much I liked her in those clothes. And not in them too.

“Yes, definitely those underneath,” I managed to press out while adjusting my position again.

The wicked smile on her lips informed me that she knew exactly what else had been going on inside my head. But all she said was, “Good.”

I blew out a long breath and was just about to resume my investigation of the buildings when my gaze snagged on something else. The man on the couch next to mine was staring at Audrey with eyes as wide as fucking frying pans. I could almost see the drool about to drip from his open mouth.

Rage roared up inside me.

White fabric fluttered as Audrey at last made it back into the changing room and pulled the drape shut again.

“Hey,” I said, my voice low enough that none of the others could hear it from across the room.

The man gave his head a couple of quick shakes, as if snapping out of the stupor. Then his gaze darted to me, and red crept up his neck when he realized that he had been openly ogling my wife. Well, not my wife. My, uhm… That he had been ogling Audrey.

“The color really matched the dress,” he said, as if that would somehow fool me.

Remaining perfectly still, I let the silence stretch for a couple of seconds. He swallowed.

“Keep your eyes on the floor.” I cocked my head. “Or I will carve them out and put them there for you.”

His face drained completely of color. I held his stare for another few moments before shifting my attention back to the street.

Those same people I had already marked continued to move around as if they were civilians. Other than that, there were no visible guards. Though, I could have sworn that I also saw someone move past a few of the upstairs windows. It was hard to tell from this angle, with the sun reflecting against the glass, and it could also just be normal people who lived in there, but I was fairly certain that the inside of the building was guarded too.

“And what about this one?” Audrey’s voice once more filled the store.

How she managed to take my breath away every time was beyond me, but that was exactly what she did. Lost for words, I simply stared at her in the regal black and gold dress she now wore.

Satisfaction glittered in her eyes when she met my gaze. Then she flicked a quick glance at the man on the other couch, and her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion instead. I followed her gaze.

The man was staring pointedly at the floor a couple of strides in front of the couch instead of looking at her.

Suspicion replaced the confusion on Audrey’s face as she shifted her gaze back to me. I gave her my best attempt at an innocent shrug. She narrowed her eyes at me, and then a smile that I knew meant trouble slid across her lips while she retreated into the changing room once more.

I went back to studying the street until I realized that the next time Audrey stepped out, she would do something that would make it impossible for the man next to me to keep his eyes averted. And I had meant what I said. If he ogled her like that again, I was going to carve his eyes out. However, we really couldn’t afford to have any bloody eyeballs on the floor here today, so I forced out a long sigh and pushed up from the couch.

The man flinched when I stood up, but I wasn’t aiming for him.

Instead, I strode across the pale wooden floorboards with powerful steps and unceremoniously pulled the drape open and slipped inside. Ylva gave me a knowing look before I disappeared, since she probably knew what Audrey had been about to do as well.

Fabric rustled behind me as the white drape fluttered shut.

Audrey, who looked like she had just been about to yank it open and walk out, blinked at me in surprise.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I said before she could get a word out.

Raising her dark brows, she gave me an expectant look. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re supposed to be watching the street.”

“How am I supposed to watch the street when you’re in here, looking like this?”

At last, I let my gaze wander down her body. Fucking hell. She was wearing lingerie in black and gold. The sheer fabric alone would have been enough to drive me insane, but then there were also perfectly placed straps that crisscrossed her skin in several places. I curled my hand into a fist and blew out a steadying breath before dragging my gaze back up to her face.

She was grinning like a fiend.

“Oh you really are an evil one, aren’t you?” I said.

A soft, but very wicked, laugh drifted from her mouth. “What did you tell that poor guy on the couch?”

I took a couple of steps forward, making her back up against the wall. “That I would carve out his eyes if he so much as looked in your direction again.”

The answering smile on her lips was pure villain. Placing her hands against my chest, she twisted my body sideways and then shoved me down on the stool that was positioned by the wall. I raised my eyebrows at her in silent question as I shifted my weight so that I sat on it properly.

She drew a hand along my jaw, making a tremor course through my body. Leaning down, she stole a kiss from my lips before whispering, “You knelt for me yesterday. Now, I’m returning the favor.”

My heart stuttered as she took a firm grip on my thighs and spread my legs wider before lowering herself to her knees between them. I flicked a glance towards the white drape, but it was firmly shut. When I returned my gaze to her, I found a smirk on her lips.

“You’re going to have to stay really quiet for this,” she said, echoing the words that I had challenged her with several times, while her fingers worked to unbutton my pants.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I reached out and took her chin in a firm grip. Her smirk only grew more wicked. I held her mischievous stare while she pushed the fabric of my pants aside. Then I huffed out a silent laugh and released her before giving her a look that informed her that I very much accepted the challenge.

She wrapped her slender fingers around my cock and pulled it out from my underwear. My breath caught as she drew her hand up and down the shaft in lazy movements. I exhaled slowly.

Light from candles set into a clear glass dome above our heads glittered in the gold details of Audrey’s brassiere when she moved. I couldn’t stop looking at her. In that enticing black and gold lingerie, on her knees between my legs, with a wicked glint in her eyes and a sly smile on her lips… She was intoxicating.

She leaned forward and traced the tip of her tongue along my cock. I had to clench my jaw to stop a groan from escaping my throat. A soft laugh made her warm breath caress my skin. I forced out another measured breath.

Pleasure crackled through my veins as she swirled her tongue over my tip before wrapping those luscious lips around my cock and taking me into her mouth. She looked up and held my gaze as she slowly took me deeper.

A shudder coursed through my body.

Drawing her hands up my thighs, she took a firm grip on my hips and then shifted herself into a better position. Her lips slid across my skin as she pulled back slightly before taking my cock deeper into her mouth again.

My heart thumped in my chest.

While her hands slid back down to my thighs, she dropped her eyes and focused on working her lips and tongue along my shaft. Pleasure built inside me. I had to resist the urge to reach out and grab her hair when she lightly scraped her teeth against my already throbbing cock. Instead, I curled my hands into fists and blew out another silent breath.

Audrey drew back and flicked her tongue over my tip before taking me all the way into her throat. Lights flickered in my brain, and a moan almost slipped from my lips. Looking up, she held my gaze while she remained in that position for a few more seconds. And hell damn it if watching her choke on my cock didn’t almost make me come right then.

“How is it going?” Ylva called from the other side of the white drape. “Anything I can help you with?”

Audrey slid my cock out of her mouth but made no move to answer. Instead, she licked her way up the side of my shaft again while arching an eyebrow and shooting me a pointed look. As if she expected me to answer.

“It’s…” I began.

Right then, Audrey teased my tip with her tongue and then wrapped her lips around my cock again, and I had to snap my mouth shut to suppress a groan as pleasure pulsed through my whole body.

Clearing my throat, I tried again. “Everything’s fine. We’re just…”

Her teeth grazed my skin and a violent tremor course through me.

Hell fucking damn it, this vicious little poisoner was going to be the death of me.

“Everything is fine,” I repeated in a hoarse voice.

“Alright,” Ylva replied. “Let me know if you need anything.”

How about a bucket of ice water the size of a small building?

“Thanks,” I managed to press out instead.

Audrey’s eyes were practically dancing with wicked glee as she worked her lips and tongue until I was having trouble seeing straight. My whole body felt as though it was going to explode.

She scraped her teeth against my skin again.

Pleasure shot through my limbs as release washed over me and I came down her throat. Gritting my teeth, I fought with everything I had to stop from moaning Audrey’s name. My hands shook from how hard I was clenching my fingers.

Audrey held my gaze as she swallowed everything. Smug satisfaction shone on her features as she watched me struggle to keep from making a sound.

When she at last slid my cock out of her mouth, I heaved a deep sigh while flexing my now aching fingers. By all hell, I was going to get back at her for this. And I was going to get her good. Sweet, torturous revenge.

A smug laugh filled the small space.

Blinking my eyes back into focus, I found Audrey using my thighs for support as she slowly climbed to her feet again. The gold details in her lingerie glinted in the candlelight.

When she was back on her feet, she leaned down and drew her hand under my chin, tipping my head back, before she smirked at me.

“Well, would you look at that.” Her eyes glittered as she held my gaze. “Looks like I won’t have to gag you either.”

Chapter 8

Gentle summer winds caressed my already sun-warmed cheeks. Along the road, people chatted merrily as they meandered up and down while the faint scent of flowery perfume flowed in their wake. I stopped scanning the buildings and instead glanced down at the muscular arm that was linked with mine while we walked. As if Callan could feel my gaze, he tightened his hold on me a little.

Pretending to be a couple like this, strolling along a sunlit street with our arms linked, made me feel oddly normal. If it weren’t for the fact that we were actually looking for a way to sneak into a dark mage’s stronghold and assassinate the leader of a rival house in order to win the approval of the King of Metal so that we could have him destroy a mythical blade and wage a war against our own city state. And I supposed that we weren’t really pretending to be a couple either.

I still didn’t really know how to navigate this change in our relationship. Having sex while also trying to kill each other had been so much easier than trying to figure out how to be… an us. I didn’t exactly play well with others. And neither did Callan. So this was going to take some getting used to.

“Not a single shop or storefront,” I said as we at last reached the building that marked the starting point of our strategic stroll.

Callan steered us away from the guards we had marked earlier. “I’ll bet my fortune that this whole outer square is just empty buildings.”

“With guards patrolling them.”

“Exactly.”

We had seen movements in the windows when we had pretended to take a casual walk around the whole perimeter, and the flow of those movements was so unnatural that it couldn’t be anything other than guards.

I studied the red-painted building on our left while we continued walking. “We could try to force our way in. Or poison our way in. But with this amount of security, I doubt it would work.”

“Yeah, a frontal assault is out of the question.”

“So we sneak in.”

“But where?”

Not a single one of the doors around the four rows of buildings had housed any kind of public place. Or been opened at all, for that matter. We had discreetly checked every door we could, and they had all been locked. And since neither of us knew how to scale the side of a building unassisted, we needed to find some other way that would let us walk inside instead.

“Do you know how to pick locks?” I asked.

He glanced down at me. “I know how to break locks.”

“We’re supposed to be sneaky.”

Amusement pulled at his lips as he arched an eyebrow at me. “I thought you liked to make an entrance.”

“I do, but…” I trailed off as I spotted a loose stone on the street up ahead. “Wait, I have an idea.”

“How to get in?”

“No. How to check if there are guards in there. And how to test their response time.”

“I’m listening.”

I nodded towards the loose stone we were quickly coming up on. “Grab that stone. And throw it at the window.”

Disbelief washed over his features as he raised his eyebrows at me. “You can’t be serious.”

“Not while we’re still here, obviously.”

While pretending to bend down and adjust his pant leg, Callan scooped up the small stone. I scanned the closest windows while he straightened again. Once he was back on his feet, I slid my arm through his and started us towards a flower stall on the other side.

“Can you do it discreetly?” I asked.

Callan assessed the distance in silence for a while. “If you can give me some cover.”

“I’ll handle it.”

A round-cheeked woman with curly gray hair was selling flowers of all shapes and sizes from the large wooden buckets in her stall. Poppies and sunflowers and wild summer flowers were mixed together, creating an explosion of color. I pointed towards a smaller glass container full of lilacs.

“Look how pretty those are,” I said in a cheerful voice that made Callan start a little. After shooting him a pointed look, I continued. “Wouldn’t they look lovely on the kitchen table?”

He recovered quickly and then pulled his eyebrows down in a very convincing scowl. “Lilacs? Are you sure? I thought you said that your mother was a stickler for proper fancy flowers.”

“If it’s fancy flowers you’re after,” the owner began with a smile on her face, “then I have just the ones for you.”

“Oh?” I said as I maneuvered myself into a position that would give Callan an excuse to stand half-turned towards the building. “Which did you have in mind?”

While the round-cheeked woman began pointing out several different flowers, mostly in white colors, Callan brushed his palms together and shifted the hand that was holding the stone. Then he flicked me a glance that meant that it was time to look busy.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said to the woman. “I’m not really a fan of too much white. Do you have anything that—”

A crash echoed across the street.

Since I hadn’t seen the exact moment that Callan used his force magic to propel the stone through the air, I didn’t know when it would hit the glass, so my surprise was sincere. I whirled around and pressed a hand to my mouth in a show of shock. Most of the people on the street did the same.

The small stone had slammed into one of the windows on the ground floor, leaving a jagged hole behind. It was a window located at an impossible angle from where we stood so there was nothing to indicate that it had come from us. Unless a wind mage had been involved, but then it could have come from any direction. Or a force mage, of course. But they didn’t know that.

Barely a few seconds after the stone had smashed through the glass, the closest door was yanked open and a sharp-eyed man appeared. His dark eyes scanned the whole street. Callan had turned back as if he was comforting me, which meant that his face was hidden from view. I kept the shocked expression on my features as the man’s assessing gaze slid across my face. It didn’t stop, so he must not have found anything out of the ordinary.

After another minute of studying the street, he disappeared back into the building and pulled the door shut. The whole street heaved a deep sigh.

Slowly, the merry chatter resumed as everyone continued walking again.

I turned back to the flower lady and said that I needed some time to think, and then we excused ourselves and drifted away from the row of buildings.

“Pretty good response time,” I said once we had put a few streets between us and them.

“Yeah. How much you wanna bet that every door is guarded like that?”

I just muttered in agreement before saying, “So how the hell do we get through then?”

The scent of someone frying garlic and some kind of meat drifted out from one of the open windows we passed. My stomach rumbled in response. Glancing up, I waited for Callan to answer.

For a moment, he just tipped his head back and stared up at the pale blue sky visible above the buildings. Raking a hand through his hair, he blew out a sigh before meeting my gaze again. He shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

Chapter 9

Iscowled down at the plate that Audrey placed in front of me. It was some kind of pale fluffy cake with swirls of whipped cream, and sliced strawberries positioned together like flowers. The whole three-layered pastry was also topped with something that looked like melted chocolate drizzle.

With my scowl still in place, I looked back up at Audrey. “What the hell did you order?”

“I don’t know,” she replied as she slid into the seat across the small table while setting down a similarly ridiculous-looking cake in front of herself too. “It was called summer delight.” Raising her eyebrows, she shot me an expectant look and stabbed a hand towards the sunny day outside the windows. “It’s summer.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

“Just shut up and eat.” She leaned forward and abruptly reached for my plate. “Or I’ll eat yours too.”

My hand shot out. Pinning her wrist to the smooth wooden tabletop, I stopped her hand halfway to my plate and narrowed my eyes at her. “Over my dead body.”

She grinned at me. “That could be arranged.”

But after throwing me a smug look, she pulled her hand back. I let her. Shaking my head at the troublesome poisoner, I huffed out a short laugh and then picked up the small spoon that waited on the white and blue ceramic plate. She did the same.

The whipped cream wobbled as I stabbed the spoon down right in the middle of one of those strawberry flowers, ruining the careful arrangement. From across the table, Audrey watched me with poorly hidden amusement. I ignored her and just put the spoonful of that ridiculous cake in my mouth.

Surprise flitted through me. There was a pleasant vanilla flavor to the whipped cream, and it complemented the strawberries and the chocolate drizzle well. The cake part of it was light and fluffy, and there was some kind of spice in it that made the whole pastry a lot tastier than I had anticipated.

I knew that Audrey had read all of that on my face, and I could feel her getting ready to use that sharp tongue of hers for something taunting.

“I would choose my next words carefully, if I were you,” I said without even looking up at her. “We won’t always be in such a public place.”

Her laughter rippled through the air. “I think the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you for picking such a delicious pastry for me, sweetheart’. Or you could go for…”

She trailed off as I at last lifted my gaze to hers. Wicked satisfaction glittered in her eyes as she watched me slowly raise my spoon and eat some more of the cake, all while my gaze stayed locked on her face.

“Well, I have a few ideas,” she finished. Lifting her own spoon, she licked some of the whipped cream off it in a move that almost made me snap my spoon in half. “But I think I’ll wait to share them until we’re… not in such a public place.”

Hell damn it, she really was going to be the death of me.

Swallowing the bite of cake, I cleared my throat and tried to force a very interesting image out of my head so that I could focus on what we really needed to discuss. The job.

“So, there was no easy way in,” I said.

Audrey chewed on a strawberry slice while she discreetly swept her gaze around the bakery. We had picked one of the less busy streets, so only about half of the tables were occupied. Two people stood behind the counter, helping new customers with their orders, while the patrons who were already seated chatted softly at their own tables. All of them were too far away to hear our conversation.

While Audrey had ordered for us, I had secured the table at the far end. It was placed in a small nook, so the pale pink walls provided a bit of extra protection against eavesdroppers.

“No, there wasn’t,” Audrey replied at last. “Can we pretend to be some kind of delivery people to get in?”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “You really think they’d fall for that?”

“I meant blackmail the real delivery people and take their places. Not just show up and hope for the best.”

“I know what you meant. But I still doubt that they would let anyone in that they haven’t seen before. I’d suggest hiding in the delivery cart, but they probably search those too.”

“Yeah. And we also need to get all the way to this Gale guy. Not just through the first ring of buildings.”

“True.”

A faint clinking sounded as I tapped my spoon against the plate while thinking. Audrey ate another bite of cake. Outside the window, a man in a yellow shirt strolled down the otherwise empty street. I tracked him until the pale pink wall hid him from view again.

“And we can’t use the doors or the windows,” Audrey said. “At least not without immediately alerting the guards stationed right next to them.”

“Except they can’t have guards stationed everywhere. There are far too many buildings to cover.”

“So we need to figure out which doors and which windows have people watching them.”

“And how do we do that?”

She spun her empty spoon between her fingers and then looked up to meet my gaze while lifting her shoulders in a shrug. “Grab more stones?”

I knew that she was joking so I didn’t bother arguing.

An idea flashed through my mind.

Blinking, I sat up straighter and then glanced out at the deserted cobblestone street.

“What?” Audrey prompted.

“Do you remember that part of the building, on the north side, where there was a long stretch of buildings with no windows or doors?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I have an idea.”

Her eyebrows rose as I explained what I wanted to do. Once I was done, she set her spoon down and leaned back in her chair to study me. Surprise, and something else, swirled in those perceptive green eyes of hers.

“You know people like that?” she asked.

“Yeah, I, uhm… We have history. They’ll follow my orders.”

For a moment, it looked like she was going to ask something. But then she just nodded and said, “Good.”

Utensils clinked as the other people in the bakery continued eating. I watched as a young man held out a spoon full of pink mousse to the woman sitting opposite him. She giggled and then leaned forward to eat the mousse from the spoon. Joy glittered in her blue eyes. It was such an absolutely absurd thing to do. If I ever did something like that to Audrey, she would probably slap the spoon away and poison me. And then the whole bakery.

When I returned my attention to the poison mage, I started slightly as I found her studying me. A hint of alarm shot through me. Had she figured out what I had been thinking about?

“What happened between you and Levi?”

The sudden change of topic made me stare at her in silence for a few seconds while my brain finished shoving aside the absurd image of Audrey eating pink mousse from my spoon and then poisoning the whole bakery.

Guarded hesitation blew across her features. “It’s just… It might be important. For the mission, I mean.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I said, pulling myself together.

Sharing information wasn’t exactly a common activity for me. And especially not when that information included my own personal history. History that I normally didn’t want anyone to know. But Audrey and I were… I wasn’t even sure what we were, exactly, but we were supposed to be in this together. So I smothered the instincts that were screaming that it was incredibly dangerous to share something like this with another dark mage, and instead drew in a deep breath.

“After I left the academy in Eldar, I went to Malgrave,” I began, holding her gaze. “I was about fourteen at the time. I survived here on my own for a while, but then I attracted the attention of this guy who was five years older than me and who ran a gang. Or a house, as it’s often referred to here. And that was of course Levi Arden. I was infringing on his territory…” I waved a hand in front of my face. “Long story short, he realized that I was a force mage and offered me a job.”

Audrey only watched me in silence as I paused for a few seconds. Condensing my history with Levi into a manageable story was pretty hard.

“While I worked for him,” I continued at last, “he also helped me hone my magic. Helped me learn how to think like a dark mage. Helped me learn how to not only survive, but how to become the most dangerous guy in the room. It went on for about two years. This was also when I met Henry.”

“He worked for Levi too?”

“Yes. Anyway, after two years, I had become both very skilled and very knowledgeable about the dark mage world. Levi had taught me a lot but…” I heaved a deep sigh and shrugged. “When I left Eldar, I did it because I swore that I was done doing other people’s bidding. And I had no plans to spend the rest of my life bowing to Levi’s authority. So… I stole some money from Levi, faked mine and Henry’s deaths, and pinned it on a rival house.”

Surprise, and approval, flickered in her eyes as she raised her eyebrows.

I chuckled. “Yeah. My little stunt led to a pretty bloody war, and it took Levi two years to figure out that I wasn’t actually dead.”

“I’m guessing he didn’t take that very well.”

“No, he did not.” Shaking my head, I blew out another breath while remembering the very exhausting period of my life that had followed. “He started sending people to take me out. I made it three years of dealing with both the dark mages in Eldar and Levi’s assassins before I realized that I couldn’t keep splitting my focus like that. So I went back to Malgrave. I paid off the financial debt, with interest, and then Henry and I spent a few months working for Levi to pay off the blood debt. After that, he pulled his kill-on-sight order on me. But yeah, our relationship is still a bit… strained.”

“No wonder.” She laughed, and then blinked as if she had just realized something. “Wait… When you went back to pay off the debts… When was that?”

I leveled a pointed stare at her. “About five and a half years ago.”

“So that’s where you were!” She laughed again. “That’s what you were doing while I built my mansion. You were here. Working for Levi.”

“Yes. So you can imagine how I felt back then. I had just spent months calling Levi sir and practically licking his damn boots to buy my life back, and then after enduring all of that, I come home to find that a fucking poison mage has had the bloody nerve to build a house on my lands. By all hell, I was ready to torture you to death when I found out.”

Her lips curled into an evil grin. “So that’s why you overreacted so much.”

“I didn’t overreact.”

Crossing her arms, she gave me a flat look. “You didn’t even say hello. You just shot a force wall straight at my chest, which sent me flying into an actual wall, and then you put your boot on the back of my neck and told me to grovel for your forgiveness.

“Alright, fine. Maybe I was a bit… irritable when I went up to confront you.”

“A bit?”

“But if I remember correctly, you almost severed my ankle tendons too.”

“Well, I had to get your boot off my neck.”

“And you killed five of my men.”

“You killed two of mine.”

For a few seconds, we just held each other’s gaze. Amusement fought against the mock scowls we had on our faces. At last, a laugh spilled from her mouth.

“So, the one who’s really responsible for starting the war between the two of us is actually Levi,” she said, mirth dancing in her eyes.

I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I’m sure we would’ve found something else to fight about eventually.”

“True. I don’t think I would have been able to stand such an arrogant and domineering neighbor for long even if you hadn’t thrown that first temper tantrum.”

Raising my eyebrows, I shook my head at her in mock disbelief. “Oh, do be careful with that sharp tongue of yours.”

Her smile was villainous, and full of challenge. “Or what?”

“You know exactly what, sweetheart.”

My chair scraped lightly against the floor as I pushed to my feet and jerked my chin towards the door.

“Come on,” I said. “We need to find out if those people I mentioned are still where I left them.”

She popped the final strawberry slice into her mouth and then rose as well. “I’ll interpret your change of topic as an unconditional surrender.”

I snorted. “As if.”

Placing a hand on her lower back, I steered her towards the door. The other patrons were thoroughly engrossed in their own conversations and pastries, so none of them looked up when we weaved through the pale wooden tables. The two people behind the counter, however, lifted a hand in farewell. I gave them a nod back as I followed Audrey out the door.

A breeze swirled between the buildings and hit me in the face as I stepped across the threshold. Behind me, the small bell tinkled as the door fell shut again.

I was just about to open my mouth when I noticed that Audrey’s back had gone ramrod straight.

One second too late, I realized why.

Two guys had been hiding by the wall right next to the door. One of them had leveled a sword across Audrey’s throat from the side.

My gaze darted between the young man beside him and the group of people who had materialized on the other side.

A lightning bolt was aimed straight at the side of my neck.

Chapter 10

“Seriously?” I snapped. “It’s broad daylight. And in the middle of a damn road.”

“And this is Malgrave,” Callan answered from a step behind me.

I couldn’t see him from this angle, but based on the exasperated note in his voice, he also had some kind of weapon pointed at him.

In addition to the two young men on our right, an entire group of people had now also materialized on our left. It baffled me that they were bold enough to ambush us like this right outside a bakery. Something like this would never have happened in Eldar or Castlebourne. But I supposed that Callan was right. This was indeed Malgrave, and Malgrave played by a different set of rules.

“Coldblooded Callan,” a man’s voice said from the group on our left.

The guy holding a sword to my neck moved slightly, allowing me to turn so that I faced the group. When I did, I noticed that the blond young man beside my ambusher was holding a white bolt of lightning aimed at Callan’s neck. However, he had also been allowed to turn so that he fully faced the others. Callan’s dark eyes met mine, then dipped to the sword across my throat, before he finally shifted his attention to the person who had spoken.

It was another young man. Medium height and build, with brown hair and gray eyes. My gaze drifted across the rest of the group, and I realized that they were in fact all younger than me. All of them looked to be somewhere between twenty and twenty-five. Three women and three men. Plus the two men standing behind us. Eight to two wasn’t bad odds for people like me and Callan, but the problem was the sword and the lightning that was already aimed at us at point blank range. Not to mention that every single member of this group looked absolutely furious.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw you walk into this bakery earlier,” the brown-haired man said when it became apparent that neither Callan nor I was going to reply. “But here you are. Coldblooded Callan, back in Malgrave at last.”

It wasn’t the first time someone had called him that. Coldblooded Callan. It didn’t make sense for these to be Levi’s people, and it didn’t sound like they were Gale’s guards from our stunt with the window either. Which meant that Callan had more history in Malgrave that was about to complicate things for us.

All of them leveled stares full of rage and hatred on Callan as the brown-haired man continued.

“You ruined our lives.” He squeezed his hand into a fist as he held Callan’s stare. “And before we kill you, you are going to apologize to each and every one of us.”

Callan frowned.

Thick silence fell over the street as he said nothing for a few seconds.

Then he squinted at them. “Who are you?”

I almost burst out laughing.

The sheer indignation that flashed across their faces was so perfect that I had to smother the impulse to turn around and grin at Callan for that excellent comeback.

“You know exactly who we are,” the guy spluttered. “You ruined our lives!”

Callan lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug. “That doesn’t really narrow it down much.”

The man growled something unintelligible in response, but then the dark-haired woman beside him nudged him with her elbow, and he snapped out of his rage. Drawing himself up to his full height, he nodded towards the ground before our feet.

“Kneel,” he ordered.

Callan arched an eyebrow at him. “Not gonna happen.”

The guy behind him kicked at the back of his knees, but it accomplished nothing. Callan only continued staring at the group before him expectantly. I had to once again suppress the urge to laugh.

“Then take her,” one of the women snapped, and jerked her chin towards me.

The boot to the back of my knees did more damage. My legs buckled and I hit the cobblestones hard. Before I could recover, a hand grabbed my hair and forced my head back while the sword pressed tighter against my skin.

“That was a mistake,” Callan said, his voice low and deadly.

“Get on your knees,” the guy in charge said. “Or she gets hurt.”

Callan’s eyes slid to me, and I could tell from the look in them that both of us were trying to estimate if we could touch our palms together before the sword and the lightning bolt could finish us off.

“Now!” the leader snapped.

Slowly, Callan shifted his attention back to him.

Right at that moment, the door to the bakery was opened.

Two older women with decorated hats stepped across the threshold, and then screeched to a halt when they noticed us. Wide eyes blinked at us in shock.

“Uhm…” the ladies said in unison.

A wham echoed across the street as Callan used the moment of inattention to throw a force wall at the group before us. Someone blocked it partly with wind magic, but it was enough to send a few of them flying backwards. The two people behind us leaped back in surprise. I slammed my palms together and blindly threw a poison cloud over my shoulder.

Cries of alarm rang out, but they apparently managed to evade it because a lightning bolt crackled through the air. I rolled to the side as it zapped into the stones where I had been kneeling.

Callan had called up a spinning force arc and thrown it at the group. It cracked into the bakery wall instead as someone shoved it off course.

The two old ladies yelped in surprise and scurried back into the building while the patrons inside yelled in shock and fear as the wall shook.

“Retreat!” the leader of the group called as all eight of them sprinted towards the nearest side streets.

I hurled a poison cloud after the two men fleeing on my side, but they managed to round the corner before it could hit them. Annoyance rippled through me. I didn’t like getting ambushed right after eating, and I would have felt a lot better if we could have killed at least one of them.

Shaking my head, I pushed to my feet and brushed my hands down my dress. I had only bought it this morning, and now it was already rumpled. If I had known that we were going to be engaged in yet another fight, I would have kept my riding outfit on instead of having it sent back to the inn with the rest of the clothes I bought at Ylva’s earlier this morning.

“Friends of yours?” I asked, and shot Callan a sideways glance.

The force mage glared towards the corner where the group had disappeared. “Right.”

“Who are they?”

“Not sure. But I think I can guess why they’re pissed at me.” He turned towards me and ran scrutinizing eyes up and down my body. “You okay?”

I drew a hand over my throat to check for blood before replying, “Yes.”

He kept studying me for another few seconds, as if to make sure that I really was okay. It looked like he was going to say something else, but then he just nodded.

“Alright, then let’s go find those people we need.”

Finding those people ended up taking most of the day. And required us to head back to our inn and get those forged papers of citizenship from Castlebourne that Paige had made for us back in Eldar. When we at last reached the river that split Malgrave in half, darkness had fallen over the city.

I painted a pleasant smile on my face as the guards on the bridge studied our documents.

“Go ahead,” the female guard said, and handed us our papers back while her male counterpart waved us through.

“Thanks,” Callan said as he took them and slid them back into his pocket.

It was starting to grate on my nerves to have him take the lead like that all the time. This whole afternoon while we had searched for those two people Callan had mentioned, I had just been following along and doing what he told me to do. And now when we were heading over to the fancy side of Malgrave to pay them a visit, I was once more just tagging along on his mission. It annoyed me. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure what the alternative was since I didn’t have any connection to Malgrave or the people here.

Worry swirled inside me. Was this what it was like to be an us? If that was the case, I wasn’t sure I liked it all that much.

“The first one is just a few streets up from here,” Callan said, interrupting my confused thoughts.

Shaking off the strange feeling that had been trying to take root inside me, I instead turned my attention to the city at the end of the bridge while giving Callan a nod. “Alright.”

The city of Malgrave was split right down the middle by a river called the River of Souls. Nowadays, there was only one bridge across the wide body of water. The Bridge of Life was always guarded by constables from the north side of Malgrave, so that the proper and law-abiding citizens could make sure that none of Levi’s morally reprehensible people made their way across to cause trouble.

Because of the dividing river, Malgrave had always had an interesting history. But for now at least, the north side seemed to have accepted Levi’s rule over the south side. People from the north side still regularly crossed the bridge in order to drink and dance and gamble and escape their boring lives in any way they could by visiting the Entertainment District. But the people who lived on the sinful side rarely ventured to the other one. And as we made our way down yet another street, I could venture a guess as to why.

Almost all the buildings we passed were made of white stone. Everything was clean and modest and proper. Or in another word… boring.

“In here,” Callan said, and nodded towards a plain wooden door.

I flicked a glance up and down the road as we moved towards the indicated house. Oil lamps burned on top of evenly spaced metal poles that illuminated the pale stone street, but apart from the flickering flames, nothing moved. There were lights spilling out from some of the windows, including our target building, but I couldn’t see anyone inside. High above, stars glittered in the dark blue evening sky.

When we reached the door, Callan moved so that he was standing right in front of it while I was left standing behind him. Once again, I couldn’t help but be annoyed by the fact that I felt like some kind of employee. But since I didn’t know what we were about to walk into, I said nothing.

Callan raised his fist and thumped it against the door.

The thudding sound echoed down the street.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then the door was pulled open and a man with light brown hair and brown eyes became visible in the small gap. “Yes?”

“Hello, Winston,” Callan said.

Panic flashed on Winston’s face as he stared up at Callan. “No,” he blurted out as he tried to shove the door shut again.

Before he could get it fully closed, Callan raised his boot and kicked the door in. Winston leaped backwards as the door flew open again. The move made him slam into a side table that had been placed against the wall inside the hall, and the small ceramic bowl on top of it wobbled precariously.

Callan strode into the hall. I followed him and then shut the door gently behind me. No need to alert the neighbors more than necessary.

Winston raised his hands and backed away while Callan advanced on him. It took him into a living room. A steaming cup of tea waited on a small table next to a large green armchair, and a book lay open beside it. Winston walked into the side of the couch before he managed to make his way into the middle of the room. I took up position in the doorway while Callan came to a halt a couple of steps in front of the now terrified-looking man.

From my position, I could see both of their faces from the side. Lethal power rolled off Callan’s muscular frame as he leveled a commanding stare on his target.

“Sit,” Callan ordered.

Winston promptly dropped to his knees right there on the carpet.

Heat pooled at my core just watching the absolute power and control Callan wielded in that moment.

On the floor, Winston swallowed audibly before looking up at Callan with fearful eyes. “Are you here to finish the job?”

For a while, Callan said nothing. Another wave of terror washed over the man’s face, and he shifted nervously on his knees.

“No,” Callan replied at last.

Relief crashed over Winston’s features, and he sucked in a shuddering breath. “Thank you.”

“I’m here because you owe me a life debt. Which means that whenever I come knocking, you do what I want.”

Lowering his chin, he dropped his gaze to the floor. “Yes, sir.”

“I need you to get us through a series of walls.”

He nodded.

“Answer,” Callan said, even though it had been an order and not a question.

“I will get you through the walls.”

“Good. I’ll let you know when and where. Be ready.”

“Yes, sir.”

Fuck, he was so hot when he did shit like this. I wanted to shove him up against the wall right there and claim that commanding tongue for myself.

But then Callan turned around and jerked his chin at me, telling me that it was time to leave, and that annoying sense of just being an employee started creeping back over my skin.

Pushing myself off the doorjamb, I left the still kneeling Winston behind and stalked back towards the door. The heavy footsteps behind me informed me that Callan was following.

As I pushed down the handle and pulled the door open, I tried to dispel those strange feelings inside me again but I didn’t fully succeed.

I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to fit into Callan’s life. Or how he was supposed to fit into mine.

But there was one thing I knew for certain.

I would never make myself less for him.

Or anyone.

Chapter 11

The door clicked shut behind me. I glanced down at Audrey as we left Winston’s house behind and started down the silent street again. Firelight from the streetlamps flickered over her beautiful features, but I couldn’t read the expression on her face. Damn, what I wouldn’t have given to know what she was thinking at that moment.

Uncertainty wormed its way through my chest as we walked. I didn’t really know how to act around Audrey anymore. This whole afternoon, I had practically just been deciding where to go and what to do on my own. It made sense since Malgrave was my old city where I knew my way around while she didn’t, but I also knew how much she hated it when anyone told her what to do.

Normally, pissing Audrey off was my main goal, so I always used to give her orders just because I knew that she hated it. But now… Now, I didn’t want to piss her off anymore. Well, not all the time, anyway. And because of that, because I had spent so many years acting in ways that I knew made her furious, I suddenly wasn’t sure how to just behave normally around her.

A couple came strolling down the street from the other direction. They chatted softly but gave us a friendly nod when we passed. I nodded back, and then steered us towards a road that would take us farther into the city. The starlit sky watched us impassively as we walked.

Once again, I cast a quick glance down at Audrey. She also looked like she was deep in thought. And even though she was walking beside me, she always kept herself a fraction of a step behind since she didn’t know the way. It made those uncomfortable feelings inside my chest rise up again.

I wasn’t used to sharing. Or compromising. I gave someone an order and they executed it. End of story. But now, Audrey and I were supposed to be equals. Except that here, in Malgrave, I was the one with all the knowledge and all the connections which meant that I had to be the one to take the lead most of the time. But every time I did, I just felt like I was creating a strain on our relationship.

Fuck. I really wished I knew what she was thinking.

“That was unnecessarily hot, by the way.”

I started and blinked at her in surprise. “I… what?”

She slowly turned her head and looked up at me while we made our way towards the busy street up ahead. “You kicking the door in. And telling him to sit down.” A sly smile played over her lips as she raised her eyebrows. “Did you do it on purpose?”

My stomach did a ridiculous little flip at the way she was looking at me. Sliding my hands into my pockets, I lifted my shoulders in a not-so-innocent shrug and said, “Maybe.”

Oh I had most definitely done it on purpose. I might be uncertain about how to act around Audrey at the moment, but I knew exactly how she felt about my power plays against other people. While I had always planned on reminding Winston of my authority over his life, I might have laid it on a bit thicker than strictly necessary simply because I knew the effect it would have on Audrey.

She let out a soft laugh and shook her head. “Of course you did.”

“As if you wouldn’t have done the same thing.”

For a few seconds, she just tilted her head to the side as if considering. Then a wicked grin spread across her mouth. “Yeah, I would.”

Before I could reply, we reached the busy street we had been aiming for.

Lots of people were walking up and down the wide boulevard. Some of them looked to be heading home from a long day of work, their steps quick and sure, while others strolled along seemingly without a clear destination in mind. Oil lamps set onto swirling metal poles filled the whole street with light and illuminated the grand buildings that lined it. I steered us towards a place halfway between this cross street and the next one.

Wide windows had been set into the pale stone façade, and bright light spilled out from them. I quickly scanned the people seated at the tables inside while I held the door open for Audrey. None of them were people I recognized. Or who would recognize me.

Clinking of glasses and murmuring voices enveloped us as we stepped across the threshold.

To call this place a bar was a bit misleading. Compared to the Entertainment District, this was a bar in the same way that a fancy cheese knife could be described as a weapon. Technically true, but not very accurate. This establishment was a place where rich people came to socialize while having a drink. It was very neat and clean and orderly.

In my fairly ordinary clothes, I would probably have stood out if I had arrived alone. But thankfully, Audrey in her gorgeous green dress was stunning and fancy enough for the both of us. A few men tracked her movements as she glided towards the table I had nodded at, her silken dress whispering against the shining wooden floor behind her. I narrowed my eyes but managed to stop myself from throwing a force wall at them.

Audrey, who hadn’t even bothered to glance in their direction, simply slid onto one of the high stools at the empty table I had picked out. I sat down on the one opposite her.

Before I could so much as open my mouth, a waiter in a crisp white shirt arrived and asked what we would like to drink.

I flicked a quick glance at the closest tables before replying, “Two sparkling wine.”

“Excellent,” he said with a nod. “I will be right back.”

From across the table, Audrey arched an amused eyebrow. “Sparkling wine?”

“Well…” I cleared my throat. “We’re on the north side now, and we need to blend in.”

“Sure.” She chuckled and then shot me a knowing look. “Admit it, you actually like sparkling wine.”

“I prefer whiskey.”

“Uh-huh.”

Before I could retort, the waiter returned. Two tall glasses were balanced on a silver tray, and pale pink liquid full of tiny bubbles fizzled within. He set them down before each of us and then inclined his head before retreating.

“To, uhm…” I began, picking up my glass, before I realized that I wasn’t sure what to toast.

Audrey raised her own glass and threw me a sly smile. “To being unnecessarily hot.”

I laughed. Holding my glass out, I clinked it against hers before echoing, “To being unnecessarily hot.”

She brought the glass to her lips and took a sip. I watched her for a second before doing the same. The bubbles sparkled on my tongue before I swallowed a mouthful of that pink drink. It wasn’t overly sweet, but it had a fruity flavor to it. I quite liked it. Though I would die before I ever admitted that to Audrey.

Amusement glittered in her eyes when I looked up to meet her gaze, as if she had been able to read everything on my face. Before she could start mocking me about it, I changed the topic.

“What did you do?” I asked abruptly. “After you left Eldar?”

She paused with her glass halfway to the table, as if surprised by the question.

“As I said, I came here,” I elaborated, and motioned with my free hand to indicate the city of Malgrave around us. “What did you do?”

After setting down her glass, she leaned back a little from the table and scanned the faces around us. Then she shifted her gaze back to me. “Since Paige helped me fabricate a story that I moved to the academy in Castlebourne, I had to go there first to make sure people believed the lie. I obviously never went to the academy there, but I did go to the city.”

“For how long?”

“Just a few weeks. Enough to make sure that no one ever questioned my little ruse. And to find people who could build me a mansion.” She traced her finger along the delicate stem of the glass. Then she looked back up at me and shrugged. “Then I went back to the hills around Eldar to find a location.” A mischievous glint crept into her eyes. “And I did. A short distance from where some absent force mage had his mansion.”

“Absent, huh?”

“Yes. And since the guards you had left behind couldn’t stop me, I sent for those people I had contacted and then had them build my mansion there.”

“I punished my guards quite thoroughly for that, you know.”

“I can imagine.”

Silence fell over our table as Audrey picked up her glass and drank some more of the sparkling wine. I swept another glance around the bar, looking for our target again, but she still hadn’t shown up. A faint thud sounded as Audrey set her glass down. I slid my attention back to her, waiting for her to go on. She didn’t.

“That’s it?” I asked when Audrey only looked back at me in silence.

“Yes, well, you know the rest. You came back a few months later and made the incredibly ill-advised decision to throw a force wall at me before saying hello, and then our war started.”

“Yeah, I mean, before that.” I frowned at her. “You didn’t reach out to any of the others?”

“Why would I?”

“To figure out how things worked out in the hills.”

“Defend your mansion. Kill people who try to kill you. Stay alive. I thought it was pretty straightforward.”

“You didn’t make any deals? Form any temporary alliances in exchange for information or protection while you got your shit together?”

“No.”

“So no one helped teach you how to be a dark mage?”

“No.” A hint of vulnerability drifted across her face, and she shrugged a bit self-consciously. “I spent nine years at the academy trying to prove to everyone that I was just as good as my sister. I’m pretty used to independently figuring out how to become the smartest, most powerful person in any room. And I’m used to doing things… on my own.”

Silence fell for a few seconds as I looked back at her.

“I don’t know how to be an us,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Audrey drew back a little and blinked at me in surprise.

I wanted to kick myself. That was not at all how I had planned to bring up my confused feelings about our new relationship status. She would probably take that as an insult. Fuck. I should have worded it better.

A smile drifted over her lips. Not a mocking one, I realized with a start. A relieved one.

“Me neither,” she said, and let out a breathy laugh while shaking her head at me. “I’ve been thinking about it all day. I don’t know how to share and compromise, and how to do things normally with you without focusing on doing everything I know that you hate just because I want to piss you off.”

The exact echoing of my own thoughts, almost word for word, made my mouth drop open slightly. She had also been worried about this?

“I’ve felt like shit all day because I’ve been basically ordering you around, and I know that you hate that.” I stared at her. “And I wasn’t trying to piss you off but I also didn’t know what to do because… Well, because I have no idea how to act like one part of a couple.”

“I don’t know either. I’m used to people obeying me. I’m not used to sharing command.” She laughed again and drew a hand through her hair. “Hell, what a relief that you feel the same. I didn’t even know how to bring up the subject without sounding petty and childish.”

Raising my glass, I threw her a smirk across the sparkling rim. “Well, to be fair, you can be pretty damn petty when you want to.”

“Shut up.” She shot me a mock glare. “But I’m glad we’re on the same page about not knowing how to be an us.”

“Me too. So let’s figure it out together, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Glass shattered from halfway across the room. Every single person in the bar spun towards the crashing noise to find a slim woman with shoulder-length black hair standing above a mess of broken glasses and spilled wine. Based on the angle of her hands, she had accidentally tipped her silver tray, and everything on it had slid right off and hit the polished floor.

Everyone was staring at her, but her dark eyes were focused on someone else.

Me.

Audrey shifted her gaze between the waitress and me. “Who’s that?”

I gave the dark-eyed woman a sharp smile. She flinched.

“That is our next target.”

Chapter 12

Fear hung over the alley behind the fancy bar. The slim, dark-haired woman, whose name Callan had told me was Mi-ri, stood with her back pressed against the pale stone wall. She had clasped her slender hands in front of her, presumably to stop them from shaking, and was staring at the ground in front of Callan’s boots.

“If you have come to finish the job, could you please give me until midnight?” she asked, her voice soft. “My shift ends at eleven, and I need to find someone to look after my cats.”

“I’m not here to finish the job.”

Her dark eyes shot up to his face, and hope bloomed behind them. “You’re not?”

“No. But you owe me a life debt, which means that whenever I come calling, you answer.”

Hope still clung to her features as she nodded. “I know.”

“Good. So as long as you keep holding up your end of the bargain, I will hold up mine.”

“I will.” Her shoulders relaxed a little, and she blew out a long breath before looking up to meet Callan’s gaze again. “What do you need me to do?”

“I need your particular skills for a job. It shouldn’t take more than a night. I’ll let you know when and where later.”

She nodded. “I’ll be ready.”

“Good.” He jerked his chin towards the back door. “Then you can go back to your shift.”

Relief shone on her face as she bowed her head and then slipped back into the kitchen. Callan hadn’t told me exactly what history he had with these people, but based on the interactions tonight, it wasn’t hard to guess. I wondered what they had done, though. As we started back towards the busy boulevard on the other side of the building, I made a mental note to ask him about that at some point. Now that we were making an effort to share information.

I couldn’t even describe how relieved I had been when Callan had blurted out the exact thing that had been going through my own head earlier. It was very comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one having difficulty adjusting to our new relationship. It helped a lot to hear that he was struggling too, and I was very glad that we had decided to figure it out together, because that meant that I could keep calling him out on his bullshit without feeling like I was messing us up.

It felt as though a great weight had at last disappeared from my chest, and I drew in a deep breath as we joined the flow of people on the wide street.

“Come on,” Callan said as he started back towards the bridge. “I’ve had enough of the stiff upper side. Let me show you what Malgrave is really all about.”

Warm night winds played in my hair as we made our way through Malgrave’s north side and towards the river. It surprised me to realize that quite a lot of people from that side were moving in the same direction as us, as if they were also heading down to Levi’s south side for the evening. And they were. The Bridge of Life was teeming with people when we crossed it.

I looked out across the short stone wall that served as a railing. Stars glittered in the flowing dark water below. But the crowd was moving quickly since none of the guards were checking papers for any of the people heading to Levi’s side, so I tore my gaze from the River of Souls and followed Callan as he led us across the bridge and then back into the Entertainment District at the heart of the south side.

Music washed over me as Callan pulled open a red door deep in our target district and motioned for me to step inside. The warm night wind was replaced by even warmer air that smelled of flowery perfume, but I couldn’t see anything beyond the cramped hallway and a stairwell leading downwards.

I glanced back at Callan. He gave me a nod and placed a gentle hand on the small of my back, nudging me towards the stairwell. I started down the steps.

The music grew louder with every step downwards. I couldn’t isolate all the instruments because it was such a jumble of notes, but strangely enough it wasn’t unpleasant. Piano and string instruments and something like flutes mixed together to create a cheerful yet at the same time highly seductive tune. I breathed in the fragrant air as I reached the final step and looked out across the room we had ended up in.

It was massive. The floor spanned what had to be the buildings next door too, but walls had been erected randomly throughout the space. It created small nooks and private areas where people…

My eyebrows rose as I cataloged what people were actually doing.

About half of the men and women here were dancing on the open patches of the floor. In pairs, groups, or alone. And they danced with such wild abandon that I couldn’t help but smile. It was as if they truly didn’t care what other people thought, as long as they were having fun.

The other half were engaged in other… fun activities. From what I could see in a few of the closest nooks, they were making out or even outright fucking there behind the semi cover of walls and fluttering red curtains.

“This is what Malgrave is all about, huh?” I asked as Callan came to stand beside me.

A half smile curled his lips. “Yeah. Malgrave, or at least Levi’s half, is the place where people come to live. To dance and laugh and drink and fuck without having to worry about what is proper and acceptable.” He swept a hand towards the people all across the room. “Look at them. Do you see anyone here who looks embarrassed?”

I studied their faces. Only radiant joy shone there.

“No,” I admitted.

“Then let’s join them. We’ve been fighting nonstop for weeks, Audrey. Let’s take a fucking breath.”

“Alright.” I let out a long exhale and then nodded. “Alright.”

The crowd shifted around us as we made our way deeper into the room. There were a couple of bar areas spread out between some of the walls where people laughed loudly while toasting to anything and everything.

“I don’t know how to dance to this,” I said as I turned to face Callan.

“Me neither.”

I laughed. But then that strange music washed over me again and started pulling at my body, urging it to just move. Throwing my annoying sense of perfectionism to the wind, I just raised my arms above my head, tilted my head back, and started swaying my hips.

My dress swished around my legs as I moved. It wasn’t at all in tune with the music, but I wasn’t sure if it was even possible to be in tune with this kind of music, so I just danced.

Oil lamps with glass domes in red, orange, and pink hung from wires across the ceiling, painting the whole room in those hues. I smiled up at them as I let the music flow through me, and that tightness in my chest loosened even more. When was the last time that I had just taken a break like this?

A laugh bubbled from my throat. Tipping my head back down, I met Callan’s gaze. He wasn’t dancing. In fact, he was barely moving at all. Instead, he was staring at me as if I was the most magnificent thing he had ever seen.

Heat flared into my cheeks.

“What?” I asked, a smile tugging at my lips.

“You’re stunning,” he simply said.

Locking my hands around the back of his neck, I pulled his mouth down to mine. He tasted as intoxicating as ever, but with a slight added hint of that pink sparkling wine we had drunk earlier. I laughed against his lips and then released him. My hair rippled down my back as I threw my head back and danced as if no one was looking.

It was an incredible feeling. A room full of people, and yet no one was really paying attention. Everyone just had fun in their own little bubbles while adding to the wonderful atmosphere. Callan didn’t really dance, but he moved a little at least. Mostly he just watched me. And when those dark eyes of his drank up every swish of my hips, I realized that he had probably done this for my sake. He knew that I had been feeling tense and uncertain and annoyed earlier, and this was his way of trying to remedy the situation. And damn if I didn’t love him even more for that.

Reaching up, I was just about to wrap my arms around him again when someone bumped into me from behind. I stumbled a step forward and had to brace myself on Callan’s muscled chest to keep my balance. After straightening, I made another attempt to pull Callan’s mouth down to mine.

Someone knocked into me again.

Anger shot through me. While brushing my palms together, I whirled around. A very drunk-looking guy was dancing far too close to me, and he bumped into me a third time as he jumped. I placed a hand on his back and gave him a shove while discharging my magic.

He stumbled forward while letting out a cry.

The people around us didn’t think much of it and just kept dancing, but I could read the agony on the guy’s face as he stumbled away. It wasn’t that much of a surprise, though, given that I had just sent poison into his pain receptors.

Callan chuckled behind my back. Grabbing me by the wrist, he pulled me away before the guy could turn around and start looking for the source of his pain. I let an evil laugh roll off my tongue as we disappeared into a shadowy alcove before he could spot us.

Red curtains fluttered as Callan pulled them shut behind us. With that, and the three solid walls on the other sides, we were completely hidden from view in the small space.

“You vicious little poisoner,” Callan said, his voice full of wicked approval, as he backed me up against the wall. After hooking a few loose strands of hair behind my ear, he leaned forward and stole a kiss from my lips before that smug chuckle danced over my skin again. “Are you ever going to tell me what that move does?”

He had drawn back so that I could meet his gaze, but he was still standing close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. Resting my head against the wall behind me, I locked eyes with him while I considered for a few seconds. Again, sharing secrets wasn’t something I normally did. But Callan was no longer my enemy.

“I send my poison straight into the skin to manipulate the pain receptors,” I said at last.

Callan let out a low whistle while raising his eyebrows. “Damn. That really must hurt like hell.”

“So I’ve been told.” A sly smile spread across my lips, and I gave him a quick rise and fall of my eyebrows. “Wanna feel?”

Hesitation flickered in his eyes.

I chuckled and shot him a look full of challenge. “Don’t tell me you’re scared?”

“Of you?” He drew his hand along my jaw before grabbing my chin and leaning closer. “Never.”

“Oh, you should be.”

“Then go ahead. I doubt you could make me even take a step back.”

An answering grin brimming with challenge slid home on his lips as he released me and instead spread his arms. I raised my eyebrows at him. When he only continued staring me down, I chuckled and shook my head at him.

“Alright.” I shrugged and then brushed my palms together. “It’s your funeral.”

I knew that he was expecting me to reach up and place my hand on his arm, so I moved one of them as if I was planning on doing just that. And while he was distracted, I placed my other hand against his thigh. Poison poured into his body.

He sucked in a shocked gasp of pain, and his leg buckled. Stunned surprise pulsed in his eyes and mingled with the lingering pain as he crashed down on one knee.

“Fuck,” he swore. Glancing down, he rubbed the side of his leg where I had touched him. “Damn, that move was fucking lethal.”

“I know.” I drew my hand along his jaw before placing it under his chin, tilting his head back so that he met my gaze again. A victorious smirk curled my lips. “Now, while you’re already on your knees, why don’t you use that arrogant mouth of yours for something better than empty boasting.”

His eyes glinted in the red and orange candlelight from above. “Oh, the things I could do to you.”

I tightened my grip on his chin and raised my eyebrows expectantly. “I’m waiting.”

He let out a dark laugh and shook his head at me. But then his fingers skimmed my ankle.

A shudder rippled through me as Callan drew his hand up my calf. I released his jaw and leaned back against the wall as he continued pushing my dress upwards.

The moment I let go, he leaned forward and placed that wicked mouth on my skin, kissing his way up my leg. A throbbing sensation started at my core. Closing my eyes, I blew out a trembling breath as Callan hooked his fingers over the edge of my panties and slid them down until they were resting on the floor. My pulse thrummed in my ears.

Grabbing the back of my knee, he lifted my leg and draped it over his shoulder as he shifted forward. His lips brushed against the inside of my thigh. Another pleasant shiver rolled through my body.

“Empty boasting, huh?” he said.

It made his warm breath dance over my exposed pussy, and I drew in a sharp breath. “Yes.”

“We’ll see about that.”

For a few seconds, he did nothing. Every part of my body went on high alert, anticipating his next move. Just when I was about to open my eyes and tell him to fucking start already, he drew his tongue over my sensitive skin.

It sent a jolt through my body, and I had to splay my hand against the wall to keep from losing my balance. I squeezed my other hand hard, holding the skirt of my dress firmly at my waist.

Pleasure pulsed through me as Callan teased his tongue around my clit. I forced out a breath. Every stroke of his tongue sent lightning skittering over my skin.

A moan spilled from my mouth as he took my clit between his lips. Drawing back again, he swirled his tongue around it before going back to teasing in spots right next to where I wanted his mouth.

I tightened my grip on the skirt as something like a whine slipped out of my mouth. My whole pussy throbbed, and I ached with the need for more.

As if in answer, Callan rolled my clit between his lips and then worked his tongue in a way that had me gasping up into the ceiling. He kept going.

A violent shudder coursed through my body as his devilishly talented mouth stimulated just the right spot. I forced out controlled breaths as pleasure built inside me. Callan tightened his grip on my leg, keeping it draped over his shoulder, as he continued his teasing torture until I thought my mind was going to shatter.

Another pitiful noise tore from deep inside my chest.

Callan’s tongue toyed with my clit.

My breathing was coming in fits and starts.

His lips brushed over that perfect spot at the absolute perfect time.

Release exploded through me.

I groaned as my pussy trembled with that sweet pleasure. Callan reached up and braced his other hand on my hip, helping me stay upright as my limbs trembled. His name fell from my lips as I dug my heel into his back for support while the orgasm washed through me and drowned out the rest of the world.

The music started trickling back in as that wonderful bliss slowly faded. My heart slammed against my ribs, and I sucked in a deep breath while keeping my back against the wall to steady myself.

Soft fabric brushed against my legs as Callan pulled my panties back up. After placing a soft kiss on the inside of my thigh, he gently pulled the dress from my clenched hand and smoothened the skirt back down. Then he rose to his feet.

Still leaning against the wall, I at last opened my eyes.

Pure victory and smug arrogance lined his sharp cheekbones as he braced his forearm on the wall next to my head and leaned closer to my face. His other hand slid down my side and wrapped around my hip.

“And how was that move?”

I let a sly smile drift across my lips. “Lethal.”

“Mmm. And the empty boasting?”

“Maybe a bit less empty.”

He laughed, his breath dancing across my flushed cheeks. “I’ll take it.”

Stepping back, he turned around and then pushed the red curtain aside. People danced and laughed and kissed without hesitation or embarrassment there outside our small nook. I let those enticing notes from the multitude of instruments wash over me again and beat in tune with my pounding heart.

Callan flashed me a grin that promised trouble and held out his hand to me.

“Come on. The night is far from over.”

Chapter 13

She was smiling when we walked back out onto the street many hours later. Actually smiling. And her eyes glittered in the multicolored light from the glass domes above. The sight of it eased the tightness in my chest.

All afternoon, I had felt as though I was ruining this new strange thing between us before it could even get started. Not only because I didn’t really know how to act around her anymore, but also because I had dragged her right into the bloody history I had left behind in Malgrave. But now we had talked. We had realized that both of us were unused to this new situation and had decided that we were going to figure it out together.

That was why I had brought her to the Red Maze tonight. So that we could just be us for a few hours. To just take a breath and remember that we were in this together now and that we would figure everything else out.

“I can’t remember the last time I did something like that.” Audrey laughed and drew her fingers through her long black hair, smoothening it back, before she looked up at me. “But I quite liked it.”

“Yeah, I might not have missed a lot about Malgrave, but I have missed that.” I shrugged. “People don’t judge. At least not on this side of the river.”

“I noticed. Did you see that woman in the red dress? Three guys.” She laughed again and shook her head. “And on the table.”

I studied the side of her face as she no doubt replayed that scene in her mind. “Yeah, I saw.”

“It looked like she was enjoying herself.” A possessive glint crept into her eyes as she looked up at me again. “But I don’t like sharing.”

Relief flowed through me. With a satisfied smirk on my face, I draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer to me in an equally possessive move. “Neither do I.”

She let out a dark chuckle.

The street around us was full of life even though it was the middle of the night. Or rather because it was the middle of the night. A group of women poured out of a red door farther down. Joy shone on their faces as they talked and gestured excitedly. On the other side of the road, two men staggered out of the green door of a gambling den. The one with the fancy hat pointed towards a bar across the street, and they started towards it.

With my arm still around Audrey’s shoulders, I led us down the street and towards a small stall that I knew would be waiting there. We weaved expertly through the cheerful throng, but neither of us spoke. I was watching the crowd for old enemies. Audrey, on the other hand, looked like she was just watching. Taking everything in. Everything from how the colored glass lamps swung in the night breeze, to the brightly painted doors, to the way people moved and interacted with each other.

And as I noticed the look on her face, I realized that from this angle, when I didn’t have to bow and scrape to a certain metal mage, Malgrave actually wasn’t half bad.

“Do my eyes deceive me?” an old woman’s voice said, cutting through the pleasant chatter like a blade. “Is that Callan Blackwell I see?”

“Why don’t you shout it a little louder, Maggie?” I replied, but a smile tugged at my lips. “I don’t think those two people walking home on the other side of the city heard you.”

The old lady at the food stall up ahead crossed her arms over her chest and shot me a pointed look. “Bah. You know I’m hard of hearing.”

“You have the sharpest hearing on this entire continent.”

She glared at me for another two seconds before her wrinkled face split into a smug grin. “Well, I’m glad you at least haven’t forgotten how to compliment old ladies in the five years you’ve been gone.”

Audrey and I closed the final distance to the small wooden stall and came to a halt in front of it. A flat metal frying table, complete with flames fed by lamp oil underneath, took up most of the space. The rest of her booth was full of containers with various ingredients in it. I shifted my gaze from the very familiar space to the very familiar woman who owned it.

Maggie was shorter than I remembered. But other than that, she looked almost exactly the same. Her gray hair reached almost to her shoulders, and it curled around her face during normal days, and even more when it was hot. The sweet smile on her face was meant to distract from her wickedly sharp blue eyes that missed nothing. And regardless of what she claimed about her hearing, I knew that it was far better than that of people half her age.

As I looked at her, I couldn’t help but smile. Had it really been five years since last time?

“It’s good to see you, Maggie,” I said.

She waved her ladle in front of her face, but a blush pinked her weathered cheeks. “Bah. You should have come sooner then, if you missed me so much.” Before I could reply, her eyes zeroed in on Audrey. “And who is this?”

I slid my arm off her shoulders and took a half step to the side to give her some space before I turned and motioned towards her. “This is Audrey, my… uhm…” I trailed off a bit awkwardly when I realized that I had no idea what to call her.

“Partner,” Audrey filled in.

“Partner, huh?” Maggie said, and mischief glittered in her eyes as she looked between the two of us. “What a wonderfully ambiguous answer. Is that partner as in business partner or partner as in romantic partner?”

A knowing smile curled Audrey’s lips. “Both.”

“Ha!” Maggie grinned back at her. Then her gaze slid to me, and she gave me a nod. “I like her.” Straightening, she returned her attention to both of us. “So, I’m assuming you haven’t come back here after five years just for the food.”

“No,” I answered. “But we’ll take two of those too.”

“Of course you will. Did you really think I would let you leave here hungry?”

I chuckled.

Pots and buckets clanked as she ducked down and began rooting through her ingredients.

“Have you ever had a stekta?” she called, still doubled over her containers.

When Audrey didn’t reply, I nudged her in the ribs. “She’s talking to you.”

“Oh.” She cleared her throat. “I don’t know what that is, so probably not.”

Maggie let out a satisfied laugh and then straightened, arms full of wooden bowls. “Then you’re in for a real treat.”

After setting them down on the small counter, she turned to her large bucket of batter. A faint hissing sound rose as she scooped up some of the pale batter in her ladle and spread it across the metal frying table. She did the same thing a second time before speaking up again.

“So, what are you looking for this time?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the food.

“A shadow mage,” I replied. “Preferably someone who is easy to… influence.”

Her blue eyes flicked up, and a knowing smile ghosted across her mouth. “Influence, huh? You really haven’t changed one bit, have you?”

“Nope.”

“Hmm.” She rammed her ladle back in the bucket, making a few drops of batter fly up in shock and splatter the ground underneath. Picking up a long flat utensil, she slid it under the first stekta and deftly flipped it over. Then she did the same to the other one. “A shadow mage, you say? Yeah, I think I have someone in mind.”

While she spread a thin layer of sauce over the now fried surface, she explained who it was and where I could find him, and also what kind of influence he would be susceptible to. After she was done, she put some shredded cheese and chopped scallions on the food. Audrey watched with a curious expression on her face as Maggie then moved some of the thin strips of beef that had been waiting in a pile at the corner of the frying table and dumped a generous amount on top of the melting cheese.

Then Maggie grabbed that flat utensil again and expertly folded up the thin bread-like base until two perfect rectangles were sitting there. Picking them up, she wrapped them in a bit of paper and then held them out to us.

I placed a good-sized stack of cash on the narrow counter before taking the stekta. Payment for both the food and the information. It disappeared into her apron before anyone could start wondering why our food was so much more expensive than everyone else’s.

“Thank you,” I said, and lifted the steaming stekta. “For this. And…”

“Always.” A wistful smile drifted over her face as she nodded. “It really was good to see you again, Callan. You’ll say hello to Henry for me too, won’t you?”

The fact that she just assumed that Henry was still alive and well, and was still with me, made a grin spread across my mouth. “Yeah, of course I will.”

“Good. Come back any time.” She gave Audrey a look full of approval. “Both of you.”

We nodded back and thanked her again before starting down the street. I could feel Audrey’s eyes on me, but I waited until we reached some stone steps a short distance away before I looked back at her.

“So…” she began, amusement dancing over her features. “Maggie, huh?”

I sat down on the steps and then huffed out a laugh. “Yeah. She may look like a harmless old lady, but back when I worked for Levi the first time, I realized that she’s probably one of the most dangerous people in this entire city. Everyone passes through this street at some point, and she sees and hears everything. I swear, nothing happens on this side of the river without her knowing about it.”

Audrey adjusted her skirt over her legs as she sat down next to me. Then she looked over at me and tipped her head as if impressed. “And you use her as an informant. Smart.”

“Yeah.”

“Does she ever sell information about you to other people too?”

“You know, I never really figured that out.” I glanced towards where Maggie was now serving three other customers. Then I shrugged. “But I’m still alive, so probably not.”

She glanced down at the wrapped food in her hand. “And this is…?”

“The best stekta in town. Eat it before it gets too cold.”

After peeling back the paper, I bit into the steaming food. The taste of spiced beef, cheese, and scallions, combined with Maggie’s special and very secret sauce, melted on my tongue. There were infinite ways of making stekta, different ingredients and sauces, but this was my favorite. That Maggie remembered that made me secretly happy.

“This is delicious,” Audrey said after swallowing a mouthful of food.

“Right?”

Another pang full of memories hit me in the chest. How many times had Henry and I sat on these steps, eating stekta after a long and bloody night? I shook off the emotions. We had a job to do.

“Alright, we have Winston and Mi-ri,” I said as I looked over at Audrey.

The sheer happiness in her eyes as she bit into the stekta made me momentarily lose track of what I had been about to say. She really looked like she was enjoying the food. And there was a crumb at the corner of her mouth that I really wanted to brush away with my thumb.

I gave my head a short shake. Focus.

“And now we know where to find a shadow mage,” I finished with great effort. “But we need to persuade him to help. Any ideas?”

She looked up from the food, and thankfully brushed away that very distracting crumb, before raising her eyebrows at me. “On how to threaten someone into submission?” She snorted and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Please, have you met me?”

A dark chuckle escaped my throat.

And as I watched her eyes light up again, but this time at the promise of blackmail and torture, I realized just how lucky I was that I failed to kill this vicious little poisoner when I attacked her that first time. And every time in the five years since.

Chapter 14

Steam rose in lazy arcs as I casually stirred the tea. A woman lay passed out in my cloud of poison across the table from me. Her cheek rested against the worn wooden tabletop, and her arms were sprawled out in front of her while her hair lay draped over them, as if she had just toppled forward in the middle of her breakfast. Which was of course exactly what had happened.

I glanced towards the force mage leaning against the windowsill on my other side. Amusement played over his handsome face as he watched me. I kept that corner of the room free of poison so that Callan wouldn’t be affected by it, but the rest of the spacious kitchen was filled with glittering green mist.

The spoon clinked as I stirred the unconscious woman’s tea again. Our target still hadn’t appeared, so it really wasn’t my fault that the tea was growing colder by the second.

“Honey?” a man’s voice came from upstairs. “I think I’ll be home a bit later than usual today. They’re doing some kind of eat in the dark event at the restaurant, so they need me to stay the whole night.”

Only my clinking spoon answered him.

“Honey?” he called again.

Callan raised his eyebrows at me, as if he expected me to imitate the wife’s voice. I just rolled my eyes at him.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs.

“Did you hear me?” the man’s voice came again, closer as he descended the steps. “They’ll need me to use my shadows to keep the restaurant completely dark tonight so I’ll be home a bit late. But if you need to…”

He trailed off as he no doubt spotted the green mist swirling in his kitchen.

“Honey?” he said, and this time there was a very worried note in his voice.

A few seconds passed, then a face appeared in the doorway. The man, who was tall and slender, with dark brown hair and blue eyes, jerked back in shock as he took in the scene.

Raising a hand, I wiggled my fingers at him in a mocking wave.

He slapped his palms together, and dark shadows began forming around his wrists.

“I really wouldn’t, if I were you,” Callan said, and gave him a nonchalant shrug.

The green mist shifted and swirled as I set the spoon back in the teacup and then fully met the man’s gaze. “Your wife is fine right now. But one careless thought from me, and she goes from being blissfully unconscious to being irrevocably dead in less than one second.”

His face drained completely of color. Blue eyes flicked between me, his wife, and Callan, as if he was trying to figure out how serious I was. Whatever he saw in our faces must have convinced him because he swallowed and let his magic fade out.

“Good boy,” I said.

He dragged wary eyes back to me. “Who are you?”

“What in the world gave you the impression that you would be the one asking the questions in this particular situation?”

A hint of panic shot across his features as he flicked another glance towards his wife. Then he swallowed again and returned his attention to me. “Sorry.”

“You’re Dennis, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re a shadow mage?”

“Yes.”

For a while, I said nothing else. Only continued watching him in silence from across the swirling green cloud. His gaze darted down to his wife several times, but he didn’t dare say anything.

When I had let the silence stretch long enough for him to start nervously shifting his weight, I cocked my head and flashed him a sharp smile. “Imagine how easy it would be for me to just fill your whole house with poison at any time I want. I would pick a time when both of you were asleep, so you would be dead before you even knew what had happened.”

Panic shot across his face yet again, and he cast a quick look towards what was probably their bedroom upstairs.

“Unless you slept in shifts so that one of you was always up, of course. But that sounds like a very lonely and exhausting life.”

He swallowed as he met my gaze again. “What do you want?”

“What did I just say about asking questions?”

He dropped his eyes. “Sorry.”

“Uh-huh.” I let the silence stretch for another few seconds again before continuing. “We want you to cover some fireworks for us.”

His eyes shot back up to mine, and confusion blew across his face. “What?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Problem?”

“N-no. Of course not. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Good.”

My borrowed chair rasped against the pale floorboards as I stood up. Dennis seemed caught between wanting to edge away from us and wanting to approach his wife. It led to him taking a step back only to shuffle forward again and then freeze there at the edge of the green mist.

I let the cloud of poison dissipate.

Dennis lurched into motion and ran over to his wife, who was still lying slumped over the tabletop. Brushing back the hair from her face, he shook her gently as if that would wake her up when her entire body was still full of my magic.

“We’ll be in touch about the when and where,” I said into the thick silence.

“Okay.” He shook the woman’s body again, but she didn’t stir. Worried eyes met mine. “And my wife?”

“Will be fine as long as you do as you’re told.”

“I will. Please, I will.”

“I sure hope so.”

Touching my palms together, I pulled the magic back out of the woman’s body. She sucked in a ragged breath and then coughed against the tabletop. I glanced down at the cup of tea. Barely any steam rose above the dark water now.

I lifted one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug and then sauntered towards the front door. “Sorry about the tea.”

Callan chuckled behind me.

While the shadow mage and his unfortunate wife reassured each other that they were fine in the now clear kitchen, Callan and I strode back out into the morning sunlight.

That had been easier than expected.

And now, we had everyone we needed for our little assassination.

Chapter 15

My shoulders were stiff. I rolled them back as we made our way towards the Entertainment District. After our little blackmailing excursion early this morning, Audrey and I had gone back up to Trevor Gale’s territory to scout out the buildings again. While our surveillance had required some casual-looking strolls along the streets, it had mostly consisted of staying quiet and still in cramped locations while we watched the different spots. When we had at last gotten all the information we needed, or at least all that we could get, it was far into the night. And my shoulders were unhappy.

Next to me, Audrey discreetly stretched her arms as well.

“I wish we could…” she blew out a sigh and waved her hand in a frustrated gesture, “prepare more.”

“Me too.”

“We only have a plan for how to get through the first building. We’ll have to improvise the rest. And I don’t like it.”

“Yeah, I know going in blind isn’t exactly ideal.” I shrugged. “But since we can’t see what’s in there without actually going in, we don’t have a lot of options.”

“I know, but I still don’t like it.”

“Noted.”

She tilted her head and looked up at me with narrowed eyes, as if she couldn’t quite tell if I was being flippant or not. I raised my eyebrows, which certainly didn’t help her assessment. Clicking her tongue, she gave my ribs a half-hearted slap and then slid her gaze back to the busy road ahead. A soft chuckle rolled off my tongue.

“So, tomorrow night then?” she said.

“Yeah. We’ll have to get word to Mi-ri, Winston, and Dennis in the morning.”

She nodded. “Can we trust them not to run straight to Trevor Gale and rat us out?”

“I’m pretty sure they’re more scared of Levi than they are of Gale, so I don’t think they’d want to risk pissing off the King of Metal by helping his enemy.”

“Good point.”

We fell silent as we rounded another corner that took us onto one of the most crowded streets in the Entertainment District. It was the middle of the week, but these parts were somehow always filled with people, regardless of what day it was. A group of drunk young women were buying street food at one of the stalls while two middle-aged men strode straight from one gambling den to another. One of the red doors opened a short distance away and a mixed group of men and women poured out onto the road. Their cheeks were flushed, probably from the activities they had either watched or engaged in, but their eyes glittered with joy in the light from the purple and pink oil lamps.

“It’s a system, right?”

I glanced down at Audrey.

She nodded towards the building on our left. “The color of the doors. There’s some kind of system to it, right?”

A small smile pulled at my lips. Observant as always.

“Yes, there is,” I replied.

“Green for gambling.” It was more of a statement than a question. “And yellow for food and or drinks.”

“Yeah. And red for pleasures of the heart or the body. To watch or to engage in.”

“And blue?”

“Recreational drugs.”

She hummed and nodded again. “Everything a person might need to escape a harsh or boring life.”

“Yep. That’s why the Entertainment District never sleeps.”

Before she could reply, a woman with piercing blue eyes moved away from the food stall she had been waiting by and stepped out right in front of us. Exasperation washed over me. I recognized her immediately. She was one of Levi’s people.

“What do you want?” I asked before she could open her mouth.

“He wants a word,” she replied. “The Silver Snake. Right now. He has made a reservation in your name.”

I grumbled a curse under my breath but gave her a nod. She walked away at once as if our conversation had merely been a quick apology for almost bumping into us.

“So…” Audrey began. Both annoyance and a bit of wariness laced her voice when she spoke. “We’ve been summoned?”

“Yeah. And unfortunately, we need to stay on the asshole’s good side, so when he calls, we show.”

She let out a vicious curse. “Damn, I hate taking orders.”

“You and me both.”

But we didn’t have much of a choice so I led us towards another road that would take us to The Silver Snake. It had been years since the last time I had visited that particular establishment, but it looked almost exactly the same as it had back then. A red-painted door, windows with heavy red curtains blocking any view from the outside, and a wooden sign with a twisting snake drawn in silver on it.

I glanced down at Audrey as I held open the door for her. I knew exactly why Levi had picked this location to meet. It wasn’t just because he wanted to make sure that no one saw us together, which would have ruined the secrecy of this mission. It was also to punish me.

Rich perfume enveloped us as we stepped into a nondescript room with dark wooden walls and floor, and only one piece of furniture. A counter made of the same polished wood. Behind it was a woman with flowing hair and an easy smile on her lips.

“Welcome,” she said. “Do you have a reservation or would you like one of the drop-in rooms?”

“We have a reservation,” I replied. “Callan Blackwell.”

Paper rustled faintly as she flipped through the ledger that I knew she had below the edge of the counter. Her eyes ran back and forth a couple of times before she looked up. That pleasant smile stayed on her lips.

“Of course.” Reaching down, she opened one of the small drawers that were set into the back of the counter. When she straightened again, she held out an intricate key towards me. “Here is your key. Enjoy your stay.”

“Thanks,” I muttered as I took the key.

Audrey tracked our movements with sharp eyes but said nothing. I motioned for her to follow as I started towards the doorway to the right of the counter. A hallway awaited us there.

Our shoes thudded against the spotless floorboards as we passed several rooms. Each door had a number set in metal on it. The flowing decorations on our key specified the number fifteen, which I knew was upstairs. It had always been my room of choice, and it both annoyed me and terrified me that Levi knew that.

Tense silence hung over the hallway as Audrey and I made our way towards the wooden staircase at the end of the hall. My heart started up a nervous beat as we reached the corridor upstairs and continued to our room. I knew what Levi was planning, and I wondered how Audrey was going to react.

The lock let out a soft click when I turned the key. After drawing in a bracing breath, I pushed down the handle and stepped into the room with Audrey behind me.

Levi Arden was standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed, as if he had known exactly when we would be stepping across the threshold. His sharp features were set into an unforgiving expression, but a mocking glint crept into his eyes when he met my gaze.

The door clicked shut behind us. A moment later, Audrey moved to stand next to me. Her eyes scanned the room around us. I kept mine on Levi since I knew exactly what it looked like.

There was a bed and a couch, and then some other pieces of furniture that were a bit harder to identify for the untrained eye. And then of course there were the handcuffs and spreader bars and other numerous sets of restraints that hung from the walls or rested on flat surfaces. In short, The Silver Snake was a sex club. You rented a room and then you brought your partner, or casual companion, and spent a few hours enjoying the well-equipped facilities.

When I flicked a quick glance at Audrey, I found a hint of surprise and confusion on her face. But before I could say anything, Levi spoke up.

“Callan,” he said in greeting. “Audrey.”

“Sir,” I replied.

Satisfaction bloomed in his gray eyes. There were only so many times I could push my luck by calling him Levi, at least until the deal was struck, and he was already on a mission tonight so pissing him off further would only be stupid.

Then the satisfaction disappeared, and only lethal power took its place as Levi stared us down. “I received a plea for protection today. Apparently, a shadow mage is being blackmailed by someone matching your descriptions. Anything you want to tell me?”

“By all hell,” Audrey snapped. “What part of ‘do as I say or I will poison your wife’ did Dennis clearly not understand?”

Levi raised his eyebrows as he shifted his attention to her.

“It’s part of the plan,” I amended before he could decide that he didn’t like Audrey’s tone.

He slid his gaze back to me. “The plan?”

“Yes.”

“So you want me to allow you to blackmail my citizens?”

“If you want Gale’s head, then yes.”

“I can’t let things like this go unanswered.”

“You don’t need to,” Audrey cut in. A confident expression laced her cheekbones as she met his stare. “Tell him that you’ll handle it. We only need until tomorrow night, so tell him that you’re tracking us down. He’ll show up and do as he’s told on our mission that night, and then you can miraculously find us the next morning and make us back off so that we won’t blackmail him any further. Which we wouldn’t do anyway because the mission is already done.” She shrugged. “Win, win.”

Silence descended on the room. The oil lamps in the ceiling cast Levi’s face in harsh lines as he studied the poison mage before him. He cocked his head.

“You know, you’re far too intelligent to be working with someone like Callan,” he said, and then flicked a glance towards me before returning his full attention to her. “If you ever decide to leave Eldar, you could always come work for me.”

She gave him a sharp smile. “Thanks, but I don’t work for people. People work for me.”

Levi let out a silent laugh that was barely more than a few expelled breaths through his nose, but a lethal glint crept into his eyes. Audrey only continued watching him. That arrogant expression that she usually wore was firmly on her features.

Fuck, how could something be so hot and so damn reckless at the same time? Acting like this around Levi was not only dangerous, it bordered on stupid. But the fact that Audrey never backed down was also something that I loved about her.

The silence stretched for another few seconds.

I suppressed the urge to shift my hands closer together.

Then Levi clicked his tongue. “Fine. You have my permission to blackmail the shadow mage until morning the day after tomorrow.”

Audrey gave him a nod in acknowledgement. When he shifted his gaze to me, I inclined my head as well.

Relief flowed through me as Levi started towards the door. I had for sure thought that he was going to comment on the use of this room, but maybe me calling him sir had been enough to stop his petty revenge.

As if he had heard my damn thoughts, the bastard paused right before opening the door and looked back at us. The malicious glint in his eyes as he met my gaze told me everything I needed to know. Curling my fingers into a fist, I braced myself.

“You should stay a while,” he began, and shifted his gaze between the two of us. “If you leave straight away, it will look suspicious.” His eyes met mine again, and a vicious smile spread across his lips. “Since you used to come here a lot while you worked for me, no one will think twice about you using it again now. I even picked the room that you always favored. All not to raise any suspicion.”

“How thoughtful of you,” I began before finishing with a slight emphasis, “Levi.”

His eyes flashed. For a moment, I thought he might retaliate for that, but then he flicked a glance towards Audrey. With a smug smile on his lips, he shot me a look that was clearly a mocking good luck, and then he disappeared into the hallway.

The door shut behind him with a click.

Closing my eyes, I blew out a long breath.

I didn’t know if I wanted to open them again and see the expression on Audrey’s face.

Chapter 16

“Damn, he’s one arrogant bastard, isn’t he?” I muttered as the door clicked shut behind Levi Arden.

Callan didn’t answer, so I twisted towards him. But when I turned to meet his gaze, I found him with his eyes closed, blowing out a long sigh. Probably to stop himself from hurling a force wall at his former boss.

“As if I would ever want to work for him,” I finished, and huffed in disgust.

At last, Callan opened his eyes. But there was a strange expression on his face when he met my gaze.

Suspicion rose inside me, and I flicked a glance from side to side. “What?”

It made a hint of confusion drift over his features. “Aren’t you… I don’t know. Going to say something?”

“About what?”

“What Levi just told you. That I used this room a lot back then.”

“Why would I care about that?” I frowned at him. “We weren’t a couple back then. Hell, before we went on the mission to get Lance, I walked into the room while you were in the middle of fucking… what’s-her-face.”

“Tina.”

“Yeah, her. I walked in and watched while you fucked her. And then you had her give you a blowjob back when I was your prisoner too.” I stared at him for a few seconds before shaking my head in confusion. “And guess what? I don’t give a shit, because we weren’t a couple back then.”

Relief washed over his face.

I frowned at him again. “Were you really that worried about this?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Why? You have a past. I have a past. Who cares?”

A grateful smile spread over his lips as he reached out and drew his hand along my jaw. “Have I told you lately how much I fucking love you?”

Tilting my head back, I smirked at him. “Yes. But I want to hear it all the same.”

His hand slid down to cup the back of my neck as he leaned forward and kissed me.

“I love you, Audrey,” he whispered against my lips.

I kissed him again. “I love you too.”

He began to draw back, but before he could get too far, I grabbed the front of his shirt and held him steady so that I could lock eyes with him. He raised his eyebrows in silent question.

“But for the record,” I began. “I might not give a shit about what you did with who or when or why in the past. But if you betray me now that we’re together, I will kill her and then I will kill you. Slowly. And very painfully.”

“I would expect nothing less.” A villainous smile curled his lips. “And likewise.”

“Good.” Releasing his shirt, I spread my arms wide to indicate the room. “Now, are you going to show me why this was your favorite room or do you intend to bore me to death by just standing there?”

With that villainous smile still on his mouth, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. It fluttered as it fell through the air and landed on the floor beside him.

My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him like that.

“Oh don’t worry, sweetheart.” He traced his fingers along my collarbones and shot me a sly smile. “I promise to never let you get bored.”

Sparks danced over my skin at his touch.

With his hand lightly resting over my throat, he backed me towards the wall. I cast a glance over my shoulder and found that metal rings had been bolted into the dark marble. There was a small table close by, and on it were four pairs of handcuffs. The thin metal chain between the cuffs rattled as Callan picked up a pair and then spun it around his finger while he backed me the final bit to the wall.

Taking his hand from my throat, he instead reached up and locked one end of the handcuffs to the metal ring above me on the left. His eyes glittered as he smirked down at me and then moved to grab my wrist.

But I was faster.

While he was distracted by a well-timed lip bite, my hands shot up and snapped the cuff shut around his own wrist instead.

Surprise flashed across his face, and he just blinked back at me. My move stunned him enough that I managed to snatch up another pair of handcuffs, spin him around so that his back was against the wall instead, and then lock the other pair of manacles to his wrist and a second ring above his left shoulder.

That snapped him out of the shock, and he gave his head a few quick shakes as if to clear it.

Taking a step back, I surveyed my handiwork.

Handcuffs circled both his wrists and trapped his hands to the wall slightly above his shoulders. Light from the oil lamp painted his chiseled abs in golden light, and his muscled chest expanded as he drew in a deep breath.

Heat pooled at my core.

Damn, I loved him like that. Half-naked. And mine.

The thin metal chains rattled faintly against the wall as Callan gave them a slight tug while inspecting them. Then he slid his gaze to me and arched a dark brow.

“And what exactly do you think you’re doing?” he asked, his voice a deep rumble.

I flashed him a wicked grin. “I figured it was high time to hear you beg.”

He let out a low chuckle and shook his head at me in disbelief. I sauntered up to him. Placing my hands against his chest, I slowly drew them down his body in a highly possessive manner while keeping my eyes locked on his. When I reached the top of his pants, I shifted my hands to his sides and then trailed my fingers along his skin, right above the edge of the fabric.

A shudder coursed through his body.

While holding his gaze, I undid the buttons on his pants. He clenched his jaw. Instead of continuing to pull them down, I lowered myself to my knees. Callan blew out a measured breath. Since I was now eye level with it, it was impossible to miss the bulge that formed in his pants.

I let out a smug laugh and got to work on removing his shoes.

Once I had gotten them off, I looked up and met Callan’s gaze again. His eyes were dark with desire as he watched me there on my knees before him. I drew my hands up his legs and hooked my fingers over the top of his pants. Another small tremor went through his body as I took my time removing the rest of his clothes.

Just as I expected, his cock was already hard from simply watching me.

Once his pants and underwear had joined his shoes and shirt on the polished wooden floor, I braced my hands on Callan’s hips. He drew in a breath.

Another wave of satisfaction washed over me.

But instead of taking his cock into my mouth, I rose to my feet again. His eyes tracked my every move. I left him standing like that for another few seconds while I studied the expression on his face. A wicked smile curled my lips when I found impatience blowing across his features. Oh, he was not used to being kept waiting like this.

I wrapped my hand around his thick cock.

He sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth as I drew my hand up and down the shaft.

Shifting my position, I moved closer to his body and then rose up on my toes. While I continued drawing my hand slowly along his cock, I brushed a few light kisses over his jaw. He closed his eyes and forced out a long breath.

A shudder rolled over his muscular frame as I tightened my grip on his cock and increased the rhythm while I kissed my way down his throat. When I reached his shoulder, I trailed my tongue along his collarbone. My hand continued its movements.

The handcuffs clanked softly against the wall as Callan let out a groan.

He appeared to be close to coming, so I loosened my grip and stopped moving.

He cracked his eyes open with what looked like immense effort, and when he spoke, there was a dark edge to his voice. “Audrey.”

I drew my fingers under his chin. “Beg me for it.”

The answering look on his face had my pussy throbbing with need. But I refused to give him what he wanted until he begged, so I took a step back and instead started unlacing my dress.

Desire flared up in his eyes as he watched me draw my hands down my body while I pushed the dress downwards. It pooled around my ankles like a silky black sea, leaving me standing there in only a pair of lace underwear.

Callan gritted his teeth.

“I’ll give you one chance to unshackle me,” he ground out, his voice rough. “Or I’m going to make you beg so thoroughly that you’ll come just from your own groveling.”

While undoing the fastening on my brassiere, I flashed him an evil smile. “Oh you have it all wrong, pretty boy. You’re the one who’s going to be begging tonight.”

A muscle ticked in Callan’s jaw as my brassiere fell to the floor and I got started on my panties. While swaying my hips, I pushed them down my legs until I was completely naked, save for my shoes. I toed them off as well before sauntering up to Callan again.

His eyes shuttered as I closed my fingers around his hard cock once more. I started up the rhythm that I knew he liked while I leaned forward and brushed my lips over his muscled chest.

A groan tore from deep within his throat.

I kept going.

Using my tongue, I traced the sharp ridges of his abs while my hand drew another shudder from his powerful body.

“Audrey,” he pressed out again.

“Beg,” I coaxed.

When he looked to be close to coming, I eased up on the rhythm again.

A growl rumbled from his chest. It was transformed into a groan of pleasure as I started up my movements once more. I traced my tongue over his honed muscles and kissed his heated skin.

“Audrey.” His voice was hoarse.

“Yes, darling?”

The chains rattled again as his body shook. He forced out a few deep breaths before finally pressing out a single word between gritted teeth. “Please.”

Satisfaction rolled over me. But I was a vicious villain, so I drew back and said, “That’s a good start. But I want to hear you beg. Beg for my mercy.”

He opened his eyes. They were slightly unfocused with pent-up desire, and he had to blink a couple of times before they cleared. I smirked up at him and raised my eyebrows expectantly.

Challenge suddenly danced over his features.

Curling his hands into fists, he shifted his arms slightly.

Then he yanked outwards.

I stumbled back a step as the thin chains between the manacles snapped like blades of grass. Shock flashed through me.

Oh shit.

A lethal glint shone in his eyes as he picked up a key from the table next to us and unlocked the now ruined handcuffs. They landed on the floor with a clank that seemed to echo through the room.

“Oh, you wicked little thing,” Callan said as he advanced on me. A dangerous smile slid home on his lips. “You really should have just taken the win that I so graciously gave you. But you got greedy.”

“I’m not one to settle for half of a win. I want it all.”

“And now, you’re about to lose it all.”

My heart thrummed with excitement, and my pussy throbbed with the promise of his delicious revenge, as I grinned back at him. “Come try it, pretty boy.”

He backed me towards the opposite wall. There was some kind of strange bench against it. The seat was unusually high, and the back of it was tall and had manacles and chains fastened to it. I stopped before it as we reached it.

For a moment, we only continued staring at each other in silence. Then Callan shot a pointed glance towards the padded bench.

“Sit.”

The power of the command vibrated through my bones.

Placing my palms on the soft surface, I drew myself up on it. It was so high that it left me sitting with my hips at the same height as his cock.

“Hands above your head,” he ordered.

I raised my chin in a cocky gesture but did as he said and lifted my arms. Callan leaned forward and brushed a kiss over my lips.

“Good girl.”

A shudder coursed through me.

Metal clanked through the room once more as Callan lifted the manacles set into the wooden backrest and locked them around my wrists, trapping them together above my head. Then he trailed his fingers down my sides. It tickled and made me squirm against the bench.

With a firm grip on my hips, Callan pulled them forward a little. I raised my eyebrows in silent question when he bent down to wrap his fingers around my ankle, but he only threw me a villainous smile. Grabbing my ankle, he lifted my leg upwards.

I suddenly realized why he had shifted my hips like that when he continued moving the leg up until it was pointing straight up. A moment later, manacles clicked shut around my ankle.

My heart fluttered in my chest.

After trailing his fingers over the back of my thigh, he grabbed my other ankle and did the same. Dark desire pooled at my core when he at last stepped back to admire me.

My hands were locked together above my head. And my legs were spread wide, my ankles above my head and to the side, and trapped in that position by more manacles. It left my pussy open and completely exposed.

Callan’s cock was level with it. I glanced down towards the hard length and licked my lips, but he made no move to do what I wanted. Instead, he touched his hands together.

The half-translucent gray color of his magic wrapped around his left hand.

My eyes shot up to his face.

He cocked his head. “Now, this is how you make someone beg.”

I wanted him to make me beg. He knew it. And I knew it. So I just flashed him a grin dripping with challenge.

His hand brushed over my exposed pussy.

A gasp tore from my lips as the vibrations from his magic pulsed against my sensitive skin. The chains clanked as I pulled against them. Callan skimmed his fingers over my entrance again. My toes curled.

With my legs spread like that, my clit was incredibly vulnerable, and the cruel force mage shifted his fingers straight to it.

I let out a moan as the vibrations hit just the right spot, making pleasure build inside me. Tilting my head back, I closed my eyes as the magic continued pulsing.

“No.” Callan grabbed my chin and tipped my head back down. “You keep your eyes on me.”

It took great effort to open them again and focus on his dangerously handsome face. Power pulsed from his entire body as he slid his hand down to my throat and then kept it there. The pleasure inside me increased with every pulse against my soaked pussy.

Callan shoved his cock inside me.

I sucked in another gasp.

While keeping his fingers against my clit, he pulled out his cock and then slowly slid it in again. My eyes fluttered. Callan tightened his grip on my throat in response. I forced my gaze back to his.

He withdrew and then pushed inside me again. Too slow. Far, far too slow.

I yanked against my handcuffs, but Callan only kept up his torturous pace. And his magic wasn’t strong enough. The bastard knew exactly what I wanted, what I needed, to reach that sweet orgasm but was keeping it from me. While I silently cursed him because he was currently denying me that, it also made me love him even more because it meant that he had gone to the trouble of figuring my body out. Figuring out exactly what I craved. And memorizing it.

His hand slid down from my throat and he traced his fingers down my chest before curving it around my breast. Lightning skittered over my skin. He alternated between kneading my tit and rolling my nipple between his fingers while he continued penetrating me with his cock and teasing my clit with his magic.

Every nerve inside me was on fire from the sheer amount of stimulation.

I pulled against the manacles keeping my legs trapped, but I was firmly locked in place. My heart slammed against my ribs as pleasure thrummed through my whole body, waiting to be released. I wiggled my hips again.

But with my legs spread like that, my clit was defenseless against his wicked fingers. Callan shifted position slightly and increased the strength of the vibrations.

A gasp tore from my lips, and I yanked against my restraints again. But the cruel force mage only continued pushing into me at that unhurried pace while keeping his magic just below the intensity I needed.

My chest was heaving, and it was taking incredible effort to keep my eyes focused on his.

He withdrew and then slid his cock into me again while studying every expression on my face. A sigh rolled off my tongue at the feeling of his thick length filling me. I bit my bottom lip as his magic made a wonderful shiver course through my veins.

Callan upped the strength of the vibrations again.

Blinding pleasure soared inside me, and I drew in a sharp breath between my teeth as it pushed me straight to the edge without letting me fall over it. I tried to lower my legs to relieve the desperate throbbing at my core, but my ankles were locked tight. My heart hammered in my chest.

Callan rolled my nipple between his fingers and pushed his cock into me while his vibrations continued to mercilessly pulse against my clit. Lights flickered in my brain as my body trembled from the amount of stimulation.

The need for release eclipsed everything else inside me, and I squirmed against the bench. Callan only drew back out and then slowly pushed inside me again while his force magic pulsed into my exposed clit with no hope of relief.

A pitiful moan tore from my throat.

“Beg forgiveness,” he ordered.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” I amended while my brain threatened to unravel.

The vibrations increased. A brief wave of relief washed over me, and I sucked in a shuddering breath. But it was over far too quickly, and it still wasn’t enough. Lightning bounced around inside me and my body felt like it was coming apart at the seams.

“Good. Now, beg me for permission to come.”

A desperate groan spilled from my lips as the pent-up pleasure reached unbearable heights. Metal clanked as I pulled hard against my shackles while I threw my head back and forced out shuddering breaths. My brain was going to melt.

“Beg me.” Callan wrapped strong fingers around my jaw and forced my head back down. “For permission to come.”

“Please,” I pressed out between ragged breaths. “Please, sir.”

“Please what?”

“Please let me come.”

His dark eyes were dripping with command and smug victory as he held my gaze. “I warned you that I would make you grovel unless you unshackled me willingly. You refused to obey. So… grovel.”

“Please, sir,” I gasped out. “Please give me permission to come.”

“Better.”

Pleasure crackled inside me like a violent storm, waiting to be released. I wiggled against the bench and pulled at my unyielding restraints while my mind flickered until I thought it was going to shut down. Magic pulsed mercilessly against my clit. I sucked in rapid breaths. Lights danced through my brain. Or over my eyes. It was becoming impossible to keep my thoughts straight.

“Please, sir, I’m begging you to allow me to grovel for your permission to let me come.” I had no idea what was coming out of my mouth at that point. Only that my body was going to combust if I didn’t get that release soon.

Callan let out a dark laugh. “Good girl.”

He dropped his hand from my jaw to my throat while he pulled out his cock slightly. Then he slammed back into me with a force that made my body jolt back on the padded seat. I gasped as he started up the rough pace that I craved while his vibrations at last increased to the intensity I so desperately needed.

I soared towards the edge as Callan pounded into me in tune with his magic. Using the hand around my throat, he kept my body in place on the bench as it rocked back and forth with his thrusts. My vision slid out of focus as the orgasm built.

One more pulse.

Just one more pulse of his magic was all I needed.

Relief shot through my body, and I came so hard that stars flashed before my eyes.

Every one of my limbs shook, making the shackles rattle against the wooden backrest. My mind floated away on that intoxicating sensation, and unintelligible moans spilled from my mouth. Callan continued thrusting his cock into my trembling pussy while sending his magic against my already throbbing clit.

His hand tightened around my throat as he came as well.

I watched as intense pleasure crashed over his features, and it made another wave of satisfaction wash over me. A groan tore from his chest. I gasped in a breath as he relaxed his grip on my throat again before he leaned down to steal that precious air from my lungs with a violent kiss.

Only the restraints locking me to the wood kept me upright when Callan at last withdrew. My heart pounded against my ribs, and my whole body felt light and heavy at the same time.

Callan gently released my legs from the shackles and set my feet back on the ground. Then he claimed my mouth with a soft kiss before unlocking my handcuffs as well. My hands hit the padded bench since I had no strength left to lower them slowly.

It made Callan wince.

Leaning forward, he brushed my hair away from my forehead and then scooped me up into his arms. I rested my cheek against his warm chest as he carried me towards the bed by the other wall.

After placing me down gently on it, he climbed onto the bed as well and then lay down on his side next to me. Draping an arm over my body, he pulled me snug against his chest. I tipped my head to the side so that I could meet his gaze.

“I get it now,” I said.

His brows furrowed slightly. “Get what?”

“Why you favored this room.”

A surprised chuckle escaped his chest, making it shake against my body. “We haven’t even scratched the surface of the possibilities this room offers.”

I wiggled my eyebrows. “Well, then. Good thing I recover quickly.”

His eyes lit up. They practically glittered with the promise of spending another few hours giving me exactly what I wanted. I grinned back at him. He tightened his arm around me in response.

“Anything you want, sweetheart.” Leaning forward, he kissed my forehead. “Anything at all.”

Chapter 17

“You want us to do what?”

Turning slowly, I leveled a hard stare at Winston. “Has your magic affected your hearing?”

His brown eyes were wide with shock and fear. “N-no, but you…” Raising a trembling hand, he pointed towards the dark buildings on the other side of the road. “You want us to break into Trevor Gale’s stronghold. The guy is challenging Levi Arden for control of the city! Going anywhere near him right now sounds like a really terrible idea.”

There were no streetlamps in the dark alley we were hiding in, so only faint silvery moonlight illuminated the faces of the people around me. I studied the expression on Winston’s features as he cast a desperate look towards Mi-ri and Dennis, as if hoping they would agree with him. He looked genuinely terrified. That wasn’t really a surprise, though. Winston had always been a bit of a coward.

I shifted my gaze to Mi-ri and raised my eyebrows expectantly. “And you?”

She lifted her slim shoulders in a shrug. “I figured out what you wanted us to do the moment you specified the location.”

“And?”

“And nothing. My ashes would be floating down the River of Souls if you hadn’t spared my life all those years ago.” Her dark eyes were serious as she held my gaze. “So whenever you need my help, I will help you. Regardless of the danger.”

A satisfied smile ghosted across my lips. “Good answer.”

“I really hope you’re not opening that mouth to agree with Winston,” Audrey suddenly cut in.

Dennis, who looked like he had been about to speak, hesitated while flicking his gaze between me, Audrey, and Winston. “Uhm…”

“I would so hate to have to show you what I do to people who can’t keep their mouth shut and follow orders.”

A hint of panic flickered in his blue eyes. Dennis, of course, knew that he had already disobeyed us and ratted us out to Levi, but he wasn’t aware of the fact that we knew it too. Both Audrey and I flashed him a wolfish grin that made him swallow and edge a step back. His gaze darted towards the mouth of the alley, as if he was hoping that the King of Metal would come striding down it to save him right then.

When no metal mage miraculously appeared, Dennis returned his attention to the poisoner before him. He swallowed again and then cleared his throat. “No, I was just going to say that I’m ready when you are.”

Audrey shot him a knowing smile. “Good.”

“Alright, then let’s get this done,” I said, and jerked my chin towards the silent buildings on the other side of the deserted street. “Winston, get us through that wall. Mi-ri, Dennis, cover him.”

They all cast a quick glance up and down the road, as if to make sure that there really was no one else here, before they snuck forward.

While the three of them discussed angles and blast radius, Audrey moved over to stand next to me. For a while, she just watched the others get ready.

“If we’re wrong about this, it’s going to turn into one hell of a fight,” she said eventually.

“I know,” I replied.

“I’ve already instructed Dennis to make sure no one can see our faces if anything goes wrong, but I still don’t like the sheer number of uncertainties that this plan has.”

“Me neither. But we’ll figure it out. We managed kidnap a Binder from the heart of Eldar, didn’t we?”

“And then we lost him.”

“Insignificant details.”

She snorted.

However, before she could voice whatever retort she had loaded up, Winston spoke up.

“We’re ready.”

Audrey and I exchanged a glance before leaving the cover of the alley and moving towards where the three of them waited. I scanned the street again as we walked. It was at the back of Gale’s compound, and the reason we had picked it was because this particular section was made up of buildings with no windows or doors at all. Only solid stone walls that stretched halfway down the street.

Our long hours of scouting out the best location to enter had revealed that the guards in this first line of defense were stationed as close to the windows and doors as possible. That should in turn mean that this particular part, where there were no points of entry, wasn’t guarded. However, we didn’t know for certain since we couldn’t see into the building. But it was our best bet.

Winston held up a hand. “Wait there.”

We trailed to a halt a short distance from the wall. A moment later, Dennis and Mi-ri joined us. Winston glanced back over his shoulder to make sure that everyone was in position before he brushed his hands together. Then he drew in a deep breath and placed his palm flat on the stone wall.

A glittering web of thin strands in purple and orange spread across the stones while Winston hurried over to us as well. The colorful lines had barely reached halfway down to the ground when that whole section disappeared into a thick cloud of shadows that blocked out every shred of light. I glanced down at Dennis. Dark tendrils snaked around his wrists while he concentrated on keeping the bubble of shadows steady.

On our other side, Mi-ri had touched her palms together too. Another shield of magic wrapped around the twisting darkness. This one was so faint that it was almost difficult to see. Especially since the almost translucent wall had the same silvery color as the soft moonlight that filtered down between the buildings.

Ten seconds passed. Then the mass of twisting shadows bulged outwards in a few places before returning to its original shape.

“Alright,” Winston said. “You can release them now.”

The shadows and the silvery bubble around it faded into the night, allowing us to see the stone wall once more. A wide grin spread across my mouth as it came into view.

Where Winston’s glittering web had been was now a gaping hole. Broken bits of stone lay scattered on the ground before it, and dust still rained down from the top, but apart from that, there was nothing standing in our way.

This was the reason why I had decided to spare Winston and Mi-ri’s lives all those years ago. Their powers were not only rare, but also incredibly useful.

Winston was an explosion mage. He could place one of those glittering webs on any non-living surface and then decide when it would detonate. The explosion itself looked like fireworks going off. In fact, this was the same power that had been used on those fancy invitations to Lance’s ball back in Eldar. There had been so few explosion mages who had added their power to the Great Current in Eldar, so the only thing they could accomplish with that power was that little party trick. But a real explosion mage could set off massive fireworks that could reduce buildings to rubble.

The problem with blasting through a stone wall, though, was that it was very loud and would draw the attention of any guard within at least three blocks. Which was why we needed Mi-ri. That faint silver shield she put up was a sound barrier that muffled any noise inside it.

And that, combined with Dennis and his shadows that covered the light from the explosion and held in the stray rubble, would let us get through the walls undetected.

“Good job,” I said, and gave the three of them a nod as I strode past them and towards the hole. Audrey did the same. “Stay behind us.”

No one had come out to attack us yet, but I still kept my hands close together, ready to summon a force wall at any second, as I ducked down slightly to get through the opening.

Just as we had predicted, only an empty room met us on the other side. I quickly scanned it for potential threats, but apart from a few empty storage baskets, there was nothing in there. It was very dark, though. Since the only light came from the moon outside, I had to squint as I made my way across the dusty floor.

Glittering green light suddenly filled the room.

Glancing up, I found a shifting cloud of poison magic swirling above our heads. I looked back down to meet Audrey’s gaze and gave her an appreciative nod. She smirked back at me.

The soft shuffling of footsteps behind us informed me that the other three had entered the room as well. Without turning to look, I flicked my wrist at them. We had to hurry. The explosion might not have drawn attention, but if someone walked past that wall and saw the hole in it, we would be in trouble.

Audrey reached the door first, and let her magic fade out again before edging it open. For a few seconds, she just peered out. Then she drew back and gave us a nod to signal that it was clear.

Her dark riding outfit blended into the shadows as she pulled the door open wider and slipped through it. I followed her.

The doorway led to a dark corridor that continued towards the opposite side of the building. Since it would take us towards the inner wall, which we needed to get through as well, we started down it.

Faint silver shimmer appeared around us.

I looked back to see Mi-ri giving me a nod as if to confirm that she was indeed muffling our footsteps. On either side of her, the two guys were watching the hallway with a mix of fear and apprehension on their faces. But both of them at least followed her lead as they trailed me and Audrey.

The corridor ended with a sharp turn to the right, which would take us along the length of the building. I drummed my fingers against my thigh. Going that way was risky since it would eventually take us to a section where there were windows and doors to the outer street, and therefore also guards. What we needed was to get through this wall.

“Do you want me to blast through it?” Winston whispered.

“You can speak normally,” Mi-ri said before I could answer. “The barrier I put up around us blocks all sounds.”

“We don’t know what’s on the other side,” I said in response to Winston’s question. “I’d prefer to check the outside before we do that.”

“What about the window?” Dennis asked.

Twisting towards him, I frowned. “What window?”

He raised a hand and pointed down the corridor. We all turned in that direction and squinted towards the spot he was pointing at. In the dark, and from this angle, I could barely make out the slight change in the wall and I sure as hell couldn’t identify it as a window.

After another few seconds of intense staring, my eyes had adjusted enough that I could see the window now that I knew what I was looking for.

I turned back to Dennis and raised my eyebrows. Damn, that shadow mage had better night vision than most people.

He just shrugged as if it was no big deal.

“Alright, let’s go with the window,” I said before starting towards it.

Mi-ri kept her magic up while we all made our way down the hall.

When we reached it, I drew myself up along the wall before leaning forward and peering out.

Moonlight shone down on another dark and deserted street. I swept my gaze up and down it. It was almost identical to the one we had left behind, apart from the fact that the row of buildings opposite it actually had windows and doors on it this time. I let out a silent curse. We didn’t have time to stay here and watch them for guards that may or may not be posted inside that second ring.

“We can’t stay here too long,” Audrey said, echoing my thoughts.

I pulled back from the window. “Agreed.”

“Dennis.” She slid her gaze to the shadow mage. “Cover us from view.”

“You need to open the window first,” he replied.

“Wait,” Mi-ri said. Silver shimmer enveloped the wooden frame. Then she nodded. “Now.”

When the sound barrier was in place around the window, I reached out and edged it open. Since she had moved her magic to it, I couldn’t tell if it creaked or not, but it didn’t open all that easily. Once the glass was resting against the wall on the other side, Mi-ri called up another bubble that wrapped around us instead while Dennis covered the area outside the window with shadows.

Audrey moved up to the windowsill and braced her hands on the worn piece of wood. After hoisting herself up, she tried to get her leg up and over it. Amusement flickered through me and I had to clamp my teeth together to keep from laughing as she tried to navigate her limbs through the narrow space.

“You demonstrated several times last night just how flexible that body of yours really is,” I began, the smirk in my voice clearly audible. “How can you still be this bad at climbing through windows?”

When she finally got both her legs over the ledge, she paused for a couple of seconds before jumping down on the other side. The promise of revenge shone in her green eyes as she turned with predatory slowness and leveled a lethal stare at me.

A wicked smile spread across her lips.

“Careful with that tongue, darling. Or I might show you what I can do to your body.”

Chapter 18

That damn force mage just flashed me a grin as he straightened again, as if challenging me to come try it, while the others followed him out through the window. I let out a silent chuckle. Oh I would definitely get him back for that comment.

Shadows swirled around the five of us as Dennis kept his magic up to shield us from view of potential guards. In the dark, the shadows wouldn’t stand out against the buildings too much. At least not unless someone was looking straight at them.

As soon as everyone was on their feet, Mi-ri erected another sound barrier around us. Callan gave her a nod while I scanned the buildings across the street. There was another section farther down that didn’t have any windows or doors on it, so I motioned towards it. Since we didn’t have time to waste on watching the buildings and learning guard patterns, it was our best shot at getting through the second square of buildings without being spotted.

The others nodded in confirmation and then followed me as I started towards the solid wall. Inside the cloud of shadows, it was slightly difficult to see our surroundings, but it still wasn’t as dark as I had expected it to be. When Malcolm’s shadows hit, everything went pitch black. As we made our way down the road, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was because he was more powerful than Dennis or if it simply meant that they could increase and decrease the density of the shadows the way I could with the strength of my poison. I decided that it was probably the latter right as we reached the spot we had been aiming for.

“I have to drop the sound barrier around us to cover the explosion,” Mi-ri said as we stopped a couple of steps in front of the wall made of pale red stones.

“Same,” Dennis added.

Callan nodded and then shifted his gaze to Winston. “Then be quick about it.”

“What if there are guards on the other side?” Winston protested.

He looked about ready to shit his pants as he flicked terrified eyes between us and the wall.

I suppressed the urge to slap him and instead said, “We’ll handle it. Now, hurry up.”

For a few seconds, he just stared at the wall as if praying to whatever he believed in that there was nothing on the other side. Then he forced out a shaky breath and gave us a nod.

At his signal, we moved a couple of steps back. Purple and orange strands spread across the red stones like a web as Winston placed his palm on the wall. It was only visible for a few seconds before Dennis dropped the shadow wall around us and instead used it to cover the coming explosion. A moment later, Mi-ri’s silver shimmer wrapped around the shadows.

My heart pounded in my chest. We were standing out in the open now. If anyone came walking down the road, they would see us straight away. Whipping my head from side to side, I frantically scanned the street while we waited for the glittering web to detonate.

Light from the moon painted the darkened building with a faint silver color, but no torches had been lit. I flicked my gaze between the windows farther down the street. Panic shot up my spine as I thought I saw something move in one of them. Squinting against the dark, I tried desperately to make out if it had just been my eyes playing a trick on me or if a host of guards were about to descend on us.

Time seemed to crawl by with all the hurry of a limping snail.

I wanted to snap at Winston to hurry the fuck up. Right as I ground my teeth together to stop myself from doing just that, the explosion mage waved a hand around and then pointed towards the wall.

Dennis and Mi-ri let their magic fade out.

My pulse thrummed in my ears as I focused all of my attention on the wall before us. If we had just blasted into a room full of people, we were about to find out very soon.

Red stones lay in shattered pieces on the ground, and a few smaller bits crumbled from the edges of the hole.

I barely dared breathe.

Another few seconds passed, and then the dust cleared.

Nothing.

Relief washed over me.

Callan jerked his chin and then ducked through the hole and into the building. I flicked my wrist, motioning for the others to follow, while I cast a glance up and down the street again. Nothing moved.

The opening led to a storage room. I frowned at the boxes upon boxes filled with candles and lamp oil and metal holders that covered the shelves and half of the floor. While I was busy studying our surroundings, Mi-ri put up her sound bubble again.

“Left or right?” Callan asked.

His voice pulled me out of my assessment, and I looked up from the boxes. Following his gaze, I realized that there were two doors. One at each side wall.

“Left,” I said.

He turned towards me and shot me a curious look. “Why do you always pick the left one? You did the same thing in those tunnels inside the mountain too.”

I hesitated for a few seconds as the years of distrust between us rose up and screamed that I shouldn’t be sharing secrets with the enemy. Pushing it aside, I gave him a quick smile and shrugged. “Because I’m left-handed.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Yes. Have you never noticed that I always stab you with my left hand?”

“What do you mean always?” Crossing his arms, he threw me a highly affronted scowl. “You make it sound like it’s a regular occurrence.”

I smirked back at him. “Because it is.”

Before he could retort, I breezed past him and approached the door on the left. There was no way to know what was on the other side unless we opened it, so I waited for the sound shield to envelop me again before I slowly pushed down the handle and edged the door open.

My own thumping heart was making it difficult to hear anything, but the space outside the door was dark. I waited another few seconds before widening the gap and sticking my head through.

Only a small deserted hallway met me on the other side.

I pulled back and turned to face the others. “It’s clear. We should probably—”

Furious ringing split the night.

“Someone’s blown a hole through the outer wall!” A voice bellowed while the sound of that large metal bell continued echoing through the air. “Sound the alarm!”

“Shit,” I hissed.

Winston let out a whine. “We’re gonna die!”

“Shut up,” Callan and I snapped in unison.

“What do we do?” Mi-ri asked, worry coloring her voice as well.

If we left now, we would never get another chance to break in like this. They would know about the vulnerability in the solid outer wall and would post guards there as well. But if we kept going, we still had to get through this next wall and then somehow get into the third set of buildings in the middle and also find Trevor Gale. All while everyone was looking for us.

Fuck. To keep going now would be suicide, but if we didn’t, we would be back to square one.

“We—” I began right before another voice cut through the blaring alarms.

“There’s another hole here!”

Boots thudded against the stones outside the opening as people ran towards it. I yanked the door open and shoved Callan through it while gesturing for the others to follow as well. They sprinted in after the force mage.

I barely managed to yank the door shut before shapes moved right outside the hole in the wall.

“Out,” I ordered while pushing the handle up as far as it would go, holding the door closed. “We need to get out. Winston, blow a hole through that wall right now.”

The explosion mage looked to be on the verge of tears, but he ran over to the wall on the same side that we had come from and immediately placed a hand on it.

“Dennis,” Callan said. The command in his voice pulsed through the air. “Don’t bother with the explosions. Focus on keeping all of us covered. If they find out who any of us are, they’ll come for all of us.”

Color drained from the shadow mage’s face, but he managed a nod before summoning a thick cloud around us. Mi-ri’s hands were shaking as she threw up a sound barrier around us too.

Orange and purple strands spidered across the stones while Winston darted back inside the shadow cloud. They glowed brighter and brighter with every second.

Someone tried to shove the handle down from the other side of the door.

Gritting my teeth, I put all of my strength into holding it up.

The handle shook as someone tried to rattle it again.

“Why’s this door locked?” a man’s voice snapped. “Get it open!”

Glittering light sped towards the ground as Winston’s magic raced to complete its task.

The door trembled as someone kicked it.

Callan wrapped his hand over mine, helping me hold the handle up as the guy on the other side shoved at it with all his might.

A boom split the air as the wall exploded.

Purple and orange light flashed through the room like fireworks, and pale red stones crumbled. Without the shadows around the explosion, a few stray pieces of debris flew towards us before the twisting dark shield stopped them and they clattered down on the floor.

“Go!” Callan shouted.

Dust sailed through the air and gravel rained down from the opening as we sprinted through it. Shouts rang out from the building we had just left. They were answered a second later by people on our left.

“Make another one!” I called to Winston as we darted across the street.

A group of guards were hurtling down the road towards the hole we had just made, and the ones who had been inside began pouring out. None of them had spotted us inside the shadows yet, but they were so close now that it was only a matter of time.

Grabbing Dennis by the shoulder, I hauled him up next to me. “Make holes to let my magic out.”

Fear shone on his face but he managed a jerky nod.

I touched my palms together.

Glittering green magic snaked down my arms. My gaze darted between the two groups as I tried to estimate which one would spot us first. After deciding on the ones coming from inside the building, I flicked my wrist and threw a snapping tendril. It had barely left my hand before I sent another. And another. Until they barreled towards each person in the group.

“Winston!” I snapped. “Hurry!”

“He’s outside the sound barrier,” Mi-ri replied.

The group that had been coming down the street screeched to a halt as they spotted the green tendrils shooting through the air. But the ones who had poured out of the building had been standing too close, and since they hadn’t seen me shoot them, the attacks hit before they could react.

Thudding sounded as four people crashed down on the ground, dead on impact.

“There’s a shadow mage!” someone from the other group called. “In there!”

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Dennis whined.

“Callan,” I began.

“Got it,” he replied, knowing exactly what I wanted. “Dennis, open holes for my magic too.”

An explosion pulsed through the night, informing us that Winston had gotten through the first wall. But we still had five guards on our tail and we couldn’t run with them chasing us because we would get stuck at the next wall.

“Dennis!” I snapped.

“I know!”

Sweat ran down the shadow mage’s brow as he manipulated his twisting shield.

A massive spinning force arc shot out of the darkness and barreled straight for the group. They screamed and dropped the attacks they had been about to throw at us as they were forced to dive away to avoid getting decapitated.

Two seconds after Callan had released his attack, I shot a massive cloud of poison towards the distracted group. Dennis barely managed to open a hole in time for it to pass through, and I sucked in a sharp breath as the edges of it slammed into his shadows.

But the bulk of the attack flew through the air.

The five guards were just hitting the ground and rolling away from the force arc when my poison hit them.

They died instantly.

Another boom washed through the night.

“It’s open!” Winston yelled from somewhere inside the building.

“Go, go, go,” Callan called as he grabbed me by the shoulder and practically threw me towards the first hole.

Boots thudded against stones as more guards raced towards our location, but everyone around us was thankfully dead so they wouldn’t be able to identify the magic type that had attacked them.

My pulse thrummed in my ears, drowning out the noise of the clanging alarm bells and the shouted orders, as I sprinted across the empty room and towards the final opening in the wall. Winston had already disappeared through it.

I leaped over the pile of broken stones and skidded out onto the moonlit street beyond barely in time to see Winston’s mop of light brown hair round the corner into the alley up ahead. After casting a quick look behind me to make sure that the others were following too, I darted after him.

Callan shoved Mi-ri and Dennis into the street and then jumped over the crumpled remains of the wall.

Giant metal bells echoed into the night.

Pushing myself to go faster, I raced down the darkened alley with the others behind me while the guards tried desperately to figure out what was happening.

Anger crackled through my veins as I ran.

Hell damn it all.

This had gone exactly like I had feared. We had gone in practically blind and it had ended in total fucking failure.

And now, we were back to square one.

Chapter 19

Sullen silence hung around us when we walked back through the city and towards our inn. Audrey glared at the empty street before us as if it had personally offended her. And I wasn’t much better.

When we fled from Gale’s stronghold, we had been pursued by more of his guards, and it had taken half the night to get rid of them. By the time they were finally dead, I was exhausted. I had also taken a lightning bolt to the arm which my fingers still tingled from, and dull pain pulsed through my shoulder blades from when I had been flung into a wall by a wind mage. Audrey hadn’t said anything, but I knew that she was in similar shape.

It bothered me more than I wanted to admit how badly our break-in had failed. The only reason we had even been able to make it back out again was because of the shadow wall that hid us from those first nine guards. Gale no doubt only employed dark mages, and facing down nine of them from two different sides at the same time would have been an incredibly tough win. And we hadn’t even gotten through the second ring of buildings.

Squeezing my hand into a fist, I ground my teeth as another wave of fury rolled over me. The fucking King of Metal hadn’t even been able to kill this guy, so how the hell were we supposed to accomplish it? And in such a short timespan? Chancellor Quill and Lance Carmichael and all of Eldar was getting ready for war, if they hadn’t already started it, so we couldn’t linger in Malgrave too long. We needed Levi’s people and we needed his promise that he would destroy the Blade of Equilibrium. But how the hell were we supposed to get close enough to kill Trevor Gale?

“So…” Audrey blew out a long breath and rolled her shoulders back as we rounded another corner and started down a long narrow alley. “How are we supposed to get in now?”

“I don’t know.”

“We can’t use the same method twice.”

“No.”

We had made sure that Winston and Mi-ri made it to the Bridge of Life before we started back towards our inn. Dennis had run home on his own the moment we gave him permission. And all three of them had been thoroughly threatened before they were allowed to leave. I was confident that Mi-ri and Winston would keep their mouths shut, both because of our history and also because they didn’t want to involve themselves in Levi’s side of Malgrave any more than they absolutely had to. Dennis, on the other hand, might run straight to the King of Metal and spill everything, but since Levi was on our side, it didn’t matter all that much.

“Let’s just go home and get some rest first,” I continued while flexing the still tingling fingers on my left hand. “And then we’ll figure out a new plan in the morning.”

Audrey’s observant gaze dropped straight down to my hand. “How’s your arm? I saw that you got hit with a lightning bolt.”

“It’s fine. How are you? When we—”

White lightning flashed straight towards my chest.

My shoulder slammed into the wall as Audrey shoved me sideways right before the bolt could strike. It zapped through the air between us, close enough for me to taste the ozone in the air. I blindly threw up a force wall as another lightning bolt crackled through the air.

“Behind you!” Audrey snapped.

Green light filled the narrow alley as she shot a cloud of poison towards the other side right at the same time as the second lightning bolt struck my force wall. I whipped around in time to see fire roaring through the air, burning Audrey’s poison away as it sped towards us. Panic shot up my spine.

Slamming my palms together I hurled a force wall to stop the flames. It had barely left my hands when lightning crackled behind me again. I leaped sideways as white light shot through the space I had just been standing in.

As I looked up, my eyes finally focused on our attackers.

Surprise clanged through me.

I had thought that it was some of Gale’s guards who had somehow managed to find us by some sort of insane luck, even though we had left no trace behind to indicate that we were the ones who had tried to break in. But it wasn’t. It was a group of young men and women.

“Aren’t these the idiots who attacked us outside the bakery?” Audrey ground out while she shot a barrage of poison tendrils towards the lightning mage and the three other people with him.

My force wall smacked into a fireball, sending orange sparks flying through the dark night. “Yes.”

“Fantastic.”

Gray eyes burning with hatred stared at me from the other side of the alley where four more people were located. They belonged to a young man of average height and build. His brown hair looked almost red in the light from the flames as he called up another fiery attack and shot it towards me.

I hadn’t cared enough to learn his first name, but after our run-in with them outside the bakery, I had finally remembered that his family name was Johnson. There were two other men and a dark-haired young woman next to him, but I didn’t remember any of their names. The woman threw a blast of wind magic towards us right after Johnson’s flames.

Heat washed over us as the fire crashed into my force wall. As soon as it had left my hands, I threw up another one to stop the wind magic. A wham echoed into the otherwise silent night as the attacks clashed.

Behind my back, Audrey was shooting glittering poison towards the other half of the group who had ambushed us. The blond lightning mage on that side answered them with attacks of his own. I didn’t know his first name either, but I was pretty sure that his last name was Kane. Two women flanked him, and one of them was blocking Audrey’s magic with blasts of water. There was a young man on that side as well, and I remembered him as the guy who had put a sword to Audrey’s neck outside the bakery.

Hell fucking damn it. We were already exhausted and injured after half a night of fighting Gale’s dark mage guards. Why couldn’t these people have attacked us when we were at full power instead? Could we never catch a fucking break?

Anger surged through me. Touching my palms together, I hurled a spinning force arc towards Johnson and his companions. The woman threw a blast of wind to knock it up into the darkened heavens while Johnson shot another fire blast at me. I barely managed to block it before I had to leap sideways to avoid a lightning bolt in my back.

Audrey swore viciously behind me.

Since she didn’t have any real defensive magic, she focused on attacking Kane and the water mage with such ferocity that they would have to spend all of their time blocking her poison instead of trying to take us out. But apparently, they managed to get some attacks off anyway.

I threw a spinning arc at them before fire roared towards me from the other side again. Embers floated into the air as the flames crashed into my wall. Before they could launch another attack, I threw a force spear towards the wind mage.

Panic flashed over her features, and she barely managed to dive forward to escape it.

Something made of metal whizzed through the air. I slammed my palms together and called up a wall right before two throwing knives could sink into my chest. They clattered to the ground at my feet while I snapped my gaze up to the young man who had thrown them. His answering grin was cold and full of rage.

I shot a spinning arc at him, but the wind mage blocked it right before Johnson threw a wave of fire towards us. Green light flashed behind me as Audrey no doubt fought Kane and the water mage, but I couldn’t spare them any attention.

In the cramped alley, we could barely move sideways. And the two groups were blocking our way out. The fact that they were all attacking simultaneously also made it difficult to hit them with any decisive blows. Not to mention that both Audrey and I were already exhausted and hurt.

Hell damn it all. How had these people even managed to ambush us like that? One or all of the three people not currently throwing attacks at us had to possess some kind of stealth magic, like Mi-ri’s sound-blocking powers or something along those lines.

Fire barreled down the alley, lighting up the darkness. It was followed straight away by a hail of throwing knives. I barely managed to block them while also shooting attacks back at the group. We really needed to finish this quickly, or we’d lose.

“Remember Lance’s friends?” I pressed out while hurling a spinning arc towards Johnson.

“Yeah?” Audrey answered behind my back.

“Let’s do that.”

“They’re on two sides.”

“I know.”

“Can you handle that?”

“Can you?”

For a few seconds, only the hissing and booming of magic broke the silence as we continued fighting.

Then Audrey said, “Alright, let’s do it.”

Without having to say anything else, both of us whirled around and shifted our positions so that we were standing opposite each other with our backs to the stone walls. A ripple of surprise went through Kane’s side of the ambush, but Johnson only continued shooting fire.

Taking advantage of the moment of inattention, Audrey shot a massive cloud of poison towards them while I blocked the wave of fire. A water wall stopped her attack a mere inch in front of their faces. But we were already on track.

Translucent gray magic barreled down the alley as I shot wall after wall towards them. First to the left. Then the right. Then left. Right.

At the same time, Audrey fired off her poison attacks.

Alarm flashed across our ambushers’ faces.

Since I could now focus only on blocking, they were having trouble getting any attacks through. Even though they were coming from two sides, I was fast enough to continuously throw force walls one after the other in both directions. And while I was doing that, Audrey was expertly timing her poison attacks around my walls so that they passed right after my magic had faded out and taken their blasts with them.

Glittering green light flashed through the air, getting closer and closer with each attack.

When Johnson came a fraction of a second away from getting a poison tendril shoved down his throat, he finally opened his mouth for the first time and bellowed across the hissing and crackling of magic that was now mostly trying to block Audrey’s attacks.

“Retreat!” he called.

Audrey and I shot merciless attacks after them, but the wind mage and the water mage covered their retreat until they could dart back into the shadows.

My heart thumped in my chest, and I sucked in fast breaths as I whipped my head from side to side, waiting to see if they would come back and try again. Audrey did the same.

We kept our magic up for a couple of minutes, ready for battle at any time.

When it became apparent that they would not be returning to attack us again, at least not right at that moment, we slid down along the wall and sat down on the ground.

Resting my head against the cool stone wall, I looked up at the star-dusted heavens and heaved a deep sigh. “Fuck.”

“Yeah,” Audrey replied.

For a while, we just sat like that. Staring up at the night sky visible between the buildings. Catching our breath. And trying to muster enough strength to get up and walk the rest of the way across town to our inn.

When my heart had stopped beating so hard in my chest, I tilted my head back down and looked over at Audrey where she sat against the opposite wall. She was still resting her head against the dark stones, and silver light from the stars glittered in her eyes as she gazed up at them. A few long strands of her hair had slipped out of the braid she had tied it into earlier, and they fell down to frame her face.

I scanned her features. She looked exhausted, but as far as I could tell, she wasn’t badly injured.

With great effort, I braced myself against the wall and pushed to my feet. Audrey slowly tipped her head back down as I took a step closer and held out my hand. A tired smile drifted across her lips.

“Why do people always attack us at the worst possible time?” she said while reaching out to take my offered hand.

I helped her to her feet. “I don’t know.”

Sliding her hand out of mine, she dusted herself off.

I was just about to do the same when a sudden idea struck me like one of those damn lightning bolts.

A wicked grin stole across my face.

“But this actually gave me an idea for how to get close enough to kill Trevor Gale.”

Chapter 20

Music washed over the room, and the sparkling outfits on the stage glittered in the thousands of candles that hung from the ceiling. I watched in astonishment as the gorgeous woman in the short glittering dress bowed after finishing her dance, and then made way for an equally stunning and equally half-naked man who strode onto the stage. The music shifted, and then he began to dance.

“Why does he always want to meet at…” I waved a hand to indicate the glittering cabaret around us while we made our way across the luxuriously furnished room, “places like this?”

Callan let out a half disgruntled, half amused huff. “I’m pretty sure he does it to mess with me. To create some kind of strain between you and me.”

“Asshole.”

“Agreed.”

After we had returned to the inn late last night, or early this morning, depending on how you looked at it, Callan and I had crashed into bed and slept half of the day. When we had finally recovered enough, we had sent word to Levi Arden that we needed to meet. The asshole had agreed and set up a time and place. Which was in a private room at this cabaret. Again, to make sure that no one saw us together. And apparently also to create a rift between me and Callan.

Though, I wasn’t sure what he thought he could accomplish at this point. Callan had literally stabbed me through the chest, cut me with his force magic, beaten me up, put a boot to my neck and shoved my face into the ground while telling me to grovel, humiliated me, insulted me, bound my magic, kept me prisoner in his dungeon, and just generally tried to kill me in more ways than I could count, over a span of five years. And I still loved the bastard. So I really had no idea how Levi Arden could possibly think that these pathetic attempts to create a strain would actually work on our already highly toxic and insane relationship.

The crowd cheered as the man performed a particularly impressive move with a chair. I studied the position and made a mental note to suggest it to Callan the next time opportunity presented itself.

As if Callan could read those thoughts on my face, he laughed softly and drew his hand down my spine to rest at the small of my back. His touch made sparkles dance over my skin. I brushed my hands down the beautiful black and green dress I was wearing as we at last reached the private rooms on the other side of the building. Callan paused right outside the smooth wooden door and raised his eyebrows at me, as if asking if I was ready. I nodded.

Without bothering to knock, he simply shoved down the handle and pulled the door open.

The room inside had the same dark wooden floor as the rest of the establishment, and the same polished wood panels on the walls as well. A set of couches, armchairs, and divans in a rich dark blue color were positioned in clusters throughout the room, and there was a small stage in one corner. It was barely higher than a single step up from the ground, and it looked like it was only wide enough to fit one person. Light from the decorated oil lamps in the ceiling cast the whole room in a silver glow.

After the quick assessment of the room, my eyes immediately darted to the man lounging in one of the expensive-looking armchairs. A menacing smile curled his lips.

“I don’t think I heard you knock,” Levi Arden said in a dangerous tone, his gray eyes locked on Callan.

“It would’ve looked odd,” Callan replied with an impressive show of a carefree shrug. “Since we’re not supposed to be meeting anyone in here.”

Silence fell across the room while Levi no doubt tried to pick through the truths and lies and insults. Callan and I stopped in the middle of the floor and simply stared back at him. Levi’s eyes remained as cold as the metal he controlled.

“You attacked Gale’s fortress,” he said at last, and the lethal edge to his voice sent alarm flickering through my body.

“We didn’t attack,” Callan replied. “We tried to break in.”

Levi shot up from his seat. Before I could finish blinking in surprise, he was standing in front of Callan with his fist buried in the collar of Callan’s shirt. He hadn’t summoned any magic, but fury flashed in his eyes and he was gripping the shirt so hard that his knuckles were white.

“Don’t mince words with me, you fucking traitor,” Levi growled in Callan’s face. “You’re lucky I’ve let you live this long.”

My palms were hovering an inch apart, ready to poison the whole room at a moment’s notice. But Callan’s hands remained at his sides as he calmly looked back at the King of Metal.

“We have a deal,” Callan said, his voice as steady as his gaze.

“Yes, but that deal is only active as long as you’re competent enough to carry it out. You attacked his fortress, and now he thinks that I did it. And do you know what that will do?”

“I know that it will complicate—”

“It will endanger my wife!”

Callan didn’t reply. Only kept looking back at the furious metal mage while keeping his hands resting at his sides.

“When did you become this fucking incompetent, Callan?” Levi tightened his grip on Callan’s shirt and pulled him even closer. “You used to be my right-hand man. Did you lose every shred of intelligence after you betrayed me or what?”

“We arrived six days ago,” I sniped before Callan could reply. “And you’ve been trying to kill this Trevor Gale for how many months? If you’re so competent yourself, then why haven’t you killed him yet?”

I swore I could feel the temperature in the room plummet. Tension crackled through the air as Levi tore his gaze from Callan and slowly turned towards me. It took all of my self-control not to flinch at the look in his eyes as he locked them on me.

Refusing to back down, I simply raised my eyebrows expectantly. However, in my chest, my heart was beating furiously against my ribs.

Just when I thought he was going to kill me where I stood, he dragged his cold gray eyes back to Callan.

“Do you want this deal with me?” Levi asked, his voice low and dangerous. “Do you want me to lend you manpower? Do you want me to destroy the blade for you?”

For a few seconds, Callan only stared back at him. Then he dropped his eyes. “Yes.”

Levi released his shirt and turned towards me. I stood my ground as he prowled up to me until he was standing just a single step away. He was about the same height as Callan, so he towered over me and I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes.

“And you?” he asked in that same lethal voice. “Do you want to keep this deal with me? Because we can dissolve it right now, if you want.”

Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could feel Callan’s gaze on me. Pleading with me not to spit out the disrespectful comment that was already waiting on my tongue. It took incredible willpower to draw in a breath instead.

“Yes,” I said, keeping my eyes on the arrogant metal mage. “Yes, I want to keep this deal.”

“Then stop being so fucking incompetent.” His gray eyes flashed as he flicked his gaze up and down my body. “And show some damn respect.”

“Look, I’m sorry that our break-in went to shit,” Callan said, saving me from the very rude answer that I had been about to give Levi. “But we called this meeting because we have a new plan. A much better one.”

Levi didn’t turn to face him. Instead, he kept his hard eyes on me as if waiting for me to bow my head. I kept my chin raised and my gaze on his.

“We go in as spies,” Callan said.

That at last drew Levi’s attention away from me. With one final glance up and down my body, he stepped back and positioned himself so that he faced both of us. I resisted the urge to heave a deep breath. Or poison him. Or both.

“Spies?” Levi asked. “Explain.”

“Look, our… history is well known on this side of the river.”

“You mean people know that you’re a worthless traitor.”

“People know that I betrayed you, yes. And they know that you hate my guts and that you used to have a kill-on-sight order out on me.”

A vicious smile slid across his lips. “I could always reinstate that.”

“I cleared that debt.”

He snorted. “Barely.”

“My point is that everyone knows how much bad blood there is between us, which is why no one would bat an eye if I joined Gale’s side to try and take you down.”

Silence fell across the room. The silvery light from the oil lamps flickered over the cluster of dark blue couches behind Levi’s shoulder while he considered Callan’s words. Reaching up, he dragged a hand through his black hair and cocked his head while he watched us.

“What did you have in mind?” Levi asked at last.

I studied the expression on his face while Callan explained the full plan that we had come up with. At first, there was an annoyed scowl on Levi’s face. But by the time Callan reached the end stage of the plan, a slight smirk had replaced the irritation.

“Well,” Levi said, drawing out the word, once Callan was done explaining. Raking his gaze over Callan’s body, he clicked his tongue and then let out a short knowing laugh. “They call you Coldblooded Callan for a reason, after all.”

“So you approve?” Callan asked, his jaw tight.

Another lethal smile stretched Levi’s mouth. “Of course. I approve of anything that involves me beating you up and humiliating you. When are we staging that part?”

“Tomorrow evening. We need to find a good place and make sure that the right people are there to see it.”

“I can take care of that.”

“Good. And…” Callan’s gaze darted towards me before he met Levi’s eyes again. “I’ll take all of it.”

“What?” I interrupted. “Not a chance.”

“I agree,” Levi said, a predatory smile on his lips. “It needs to be believable.”

“And it will be,” Callan protested. “Because I’m the one you hate. Not her.”

“She still needs to have a reason to be pissed off enough to want to take me down.”

“Then just do a little bit, and then I’ll take the worst of it.”

“It’s so strange to see you care about someone else like this, Callan. I still—”

“Please.”

The word seemed to surprise Levi enough that he fell silent for a few seconds. I knew that Callan was doing this for my sake, to protect me, and I loved him for that. But I also wanted to hit him in the head with a hammer because I wasn’t a fucking damsel who needed protecting.

“Do whatever you need to do to make it look believable,” I said before Levi could reply. I shot Callan a sharp glare when he was about to interrupt. “I can take it.”

An approving smile played over Levi’s lips. “I’m sure you could.”

“I—” Callan began.

“But you will still get the worst of it,” Levi interrupted as he slid his gaze to Callan. “Because you’re right. I do hate you the most.”

Relief washed across Callan’s features.

I was just about to protest when Levi suddenly flicked his wrist towards the door.

“Now, get out,” he said.

For a moment, Callan and I just blinked back at him in surprise at the sudden dismissal. His answering smile was pure villain.

“I need to choreograph this for maximum humiliation.”

Chapter 21

Merry chatter hung over the outdoor tavern. I scanned the smiling faces around us while I pretended to drink from a mug of ale. Light from candles with orange-tinted glass domes shone down from the strings that crisscrossed the seating area, casting the whole space in a warm glow. The scent of grilled meat and spices drifted through the warm evening air. Everyone looked to be enjoying themselves. They had no idea that this was about to become a battlefield in about two minutes.

“And we’re sure that’s him?” Audrey asked in a soft voice while her gaze drifted over a man seated a few tables away.

He was eating alone, and he looked relaxed as if he often came to this tavern and knew every inch of it. Which, according to Levi, was exactly the case. His dark brown hair was combed back, and his moustache neatly trimmed. Shrewd brown eyes studied the steak on his plate before he cut off another strip.

“Yeah,” I replied. “According to Levi, he’s one of Gale’s top advisors.”

She nodded. A few seconds of silence passed while she continued stealthily studying the advisor, whose name Levi had told us was David. Then she slid her gaze back to me.

“If this doesn’t work, we’ll just end up hurt and humiliated for nothing,” she said.

“I know. But I’m sure Levi will enjoy it regardless.”

She let out a half disgruntled, half amused huff. “Yeah, I’m sure he will.” Then a serious expression descended on her face. “You shouldn’t have offered to take it all yourself. I’m not some kind of damsel that needs protecting.”

I couldn’t help the slight smile that pulled at my lips. “Oh don’t I know it. Sometimes, I think you might even rival Levi in terms of sheer deadliness.”

“Then why did you make that offer?”

“Because I meant what I said.” I held her gaze. “I’m not going to just stand by and let someone hurt you if I can do something about it.”

“And I meant what I said when I told you that I feel the same way.” There was an unyielding note to her voice when she spoke, informing me that she was fully serious about this. “So I appreciate the gesture, but never forget that we’re equals.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “Equals?”

Her eyes flashed. “You—”

“Didn’t I just tell you that I sometimes think you rival Levi in terms of sheer deadliness?” A sly smile slid home on my mouth as I continued watching her with eyebrows raised. “I’m pretty sure that puts you above me.”

For a couple of seconds, she just blinked at me as if processing what I had just said. Then a smug smile tugged at her lips, and she shot me a satisfied look. “Good answer.”

I smirked back at her for a few seconds before dipping my chin and saying, my tone once again serious, “But your words are noted.”

The smile on her face turned from smug to appreciative as she nodded back.

Murmur from the other guests washed over us as we went back to watching and waiting in comfortable silence.

I was glad that we had talked earlier and decided to figure out together how our new relationship was supposed to work, because it made conversations like these much easier. While I would always try to protect her whenever I could, she was also right. We were equals, so I was going to have to be more mindful not to overstep the boundary she had just pointed out. And besides, she was more than capable of taking care of herself too.

That comment about her deadliness might have sounded like a joke to lighten the mood, but I was only half kidding. After spending all of these weeks working together with Audrey, and watching her fight and kill from right beside her, I sometimes wondered how in all hell I had managed to survive a five-year war against her. She had some obvious weaknesses, of course. Like the lack of defensive magic, and physical strength in hand-to-hand combat. But her poison was so fucking lethal, and she was so damn skilled with it, that it was a bloody miracle that I had managed to stay alive through all of her attacks.

A hush suddenly spread across the outdoor tavern, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I knew without turning to look exactly who had just walked up somewhere behind us. An involuntary spike of dread shot through my chest. Fuck. I was not looking forward to this.

As if she could read those thoughts in my eyes, Audrey discreetly brushed her fingers against mine while reaching towards her wine glass. When she spoke, her voice was a faint whisper. “It’ll be fine. Remember, it can’t be worse than when I stabbed you in the chest.”

A surprised laugh tore from my throat. It dispelled the rising dread inside me in a flash. I gave Audrey a grateful smile right before a powerful voice cut through the warm night air.

“Callan Blackwell,” Levi said in a voice pulsing with the promise of violence.

In my heart, I knew that this was staged. That I was the one who had suggested this plan in the first place and that Levi was only doing what we had agreed. But hearing him direct that voice at me still made it feel as though someone was raking a blade of ice down my spine. I drew in a deep breath to steady myself. Showtime.

The wooden chair clattered down on the stone ground as I shot to my feet and whirled towards him in a show of shock. With a look of alarm on her face, Audrey leaped to her feet as well.

“Did you really think you could just waltz back into my city like this?” Levi continued as I finally faced him.

I didn’t even have to fake the flinch as I met his gaze. He was wearing his signature metal shoulder plates and bracers over a tightfitting black shirt, and his gray eyes were so full of cold fury that I swore I could see frost spidering across the ground. Fuck, I hated how much fear and respect for him was still ingrained in me.

“Levi,” I said in reply.

“Oh it’s Levi now, is it?” he said, echoing the real conversation we’d had in his throne room.

Raising my hands, I held them up in a placating gesture. “Look, we’re not here to cause trouble. Shit’s going down in Eldar right now, so we—”

“I don’t care. Get the fuck out of my city.”

Orange light danced over his sharp features as he took a step forward. It made panic flash across everyone’s faces, and chairs scraped against stone as half of the tavern stood up and backed away while Levi prowled towards us. Audrey and I moved away from the table so that we could stand side by side.

“I’ve settled my debt,” I said, my hands still raised.

“You’ve bought your life back.” Levi cocked his head as he came to a halt a few steps away. “Which is the only reason that you’re not currently bleeding out at my feet. But that still doesn’t mean you’re welcome here.”

“We can’t go back to Eldar right now, so—”

“Again, I don’t care. You have one chance to walk away. Right now.”

Audrey and I only remained standing there. Tension crackled through the tavern, and a few people outright hid behind their tables as the King of Metal continued staring us down. I flicked a quick glance around the area, as if looking for a way out, but what I really did was make sure that David was watching. And he was. Very intently.

A sheet of metal shot towards me.

I barely had time to get my palms together and call up a force wall before it hit. The boom as his attack slammed into my defensive wall echoed over the whole tavern. People screamed from somewhere to my left.

“Please, Levi,” I began.

He just shot another sheet of metal at me. It crashed into my next force wall with another earsplitting boom. To my left, Audrey called up a tendril of poison and shot it towards Levi.

His eyes snapped to Audrey as he shoved her attack aside with another metallic sheet.

“You,” he said, fury lacing his voice. “I was going to show you mercy because you weren’t a part of this. But now, you will share his fate.”

We had needed to give Levi an excuse to be angry with Audrey too, which was why we had agreed that she would attack him. Now that that was done, we were about to enter the really unpleasant part of our scheme.

I kept blocking Levi’s strikes at us with force walls until a slip-up looked believable. When he threw his next sheet of metal at us, I let it go through. Pain shot through me as the flat sheet hit me straight in the chest with enough force to send me flying backwards. Slamming into the table behind, I flipped over it and slid across the surface before crashing down on the ground. Plates and cups went flying as my body knocked them off the tabletop.

While I tried to struggle upright, another metal sheet hit Audrey in the chest as well. I winced as she flew backwards and smacked into a cluster of chairs a short distance from me. This was the part I had wanted to do on my own. I had wanted Levi to only beat me up, and leave Audrey out of it. But as much as I hated to admit it, they were right. Audrey and Levi needed a public reason to hate each other, and this was the only way. Hopefully, Levi would at least keep his word and take the worst of it out on me.

I threw a half-hearted attack towards Levi while I struggled to my feet. He knocked it aside easily. Screams split the night as my force arc hit the side of the building instead. Bits of stone rained down on the terrified people hiding behind an overturned table.

His next attack took me in the shoulder, making me spin around before a metal pole slammed into the back of my knees. I crashed down on the ground. Another strike hit me across the shoulder blades, and I toppled forward, almost smacking my forehead into the ground. Yanking up my hands, I managed to break my fall right before that could happen.

But I was already on the ground, and Levi started up a merciless barrage of strikes. Good. Because it meant that he wasn’t attacking Audrey.

Pain pulsed through my bones as his metal hit me. However, I knew that it looked far worse than it actually felt. It was painful, yes. But it was nothing compared to the beating he had given me when I bought my life back five years ago. He couldn’t go all out this time because we still needed to be in relatively good shape in order to get this mission done and kill Gale.

The pounding stopped abruptly. I sucked in a shaky breath and dragged myself up to my knees in time to see Levi hauling Audrey over to kneel next to me. As soon as he had deposited her on the ground beside me, he called up a long metal pole that twisted around our wrists before it hardened, locking our hands apart.

“You should have stayed in Eldar,” Levi said as Audrey and I raised our heads to look up at him.

Steel sang into the warm evening air as the King of Metal drew the sword that he kept strapped to his spine. Candlelight glinted against the blade as he leveled it at Audrey.

“Now, beg me for your lives,” he ordered.

“Please, sir,” I began. “She’s not a part of this.”

“She became a part of this the moment she attacked me.”

We used a version of our real conversation from back in the Court since it would sound more natural and believable that way.

All around us, people seemed to be holding their breath. Everyone except David, who was watching the scene play out with a mixture of hatred and interest on his face.

“Please, we just want to stay in Malgrave for a while,” I said. “We can pay you for the privilege. Anything you want.”

“Pay me, huh?” Levi shifted the sword to me and arched an eyebrow. “Now that is an interesting suggestion.”

“How much do you want? Just tell me what you want.”

A wolfish smile spread across his lips. “You want to stay in Malgrave? Fine. Then I want the same amount that you bought your life for.”

I let an expression of shock descend on my features. “But… But that’s an insane amount of money.”

“Yes, it is.”

Silence fell across the now messy tavern as I made it look like I was considering my options. Another subtle glance towards David informed me that he was waiting with bated breath.

“Alright,” I said, and blew out a dejected sigh. “I’ll get you the money.”

“Good.” Metal dinged against stone as Levi used the point of the sword to tap the ground before his feet. “Aren’t you going to thank me for my generosity?”

Hell damn it all, I fucking hated this guy. He sure hadn’t mentioned this part of our staged fight when we planned it last night. But it would undermine our entire scheme if I refused now, so I shoved aside the impulse to cut Levi’s head off his shoulders and instead blew out a breath. Bending forward, I placed my palms and my forehead on the ground. Since Audrey and I were locked in the same metal pole, it forced her to bow down too.

“Thank you for your generosity,” I pressed out.

A smug laugh drifted into the air above me.

When I straightened again, Levi shifted his sword to Audrey and placed the tip of it under her chin. She glared up at him but said nothing.

“And you,” Levi began. “Beg my forgiveness for attacking me.”

Audrey ground her teeth. Levi pressed the blade harder against her skin, forcing her to tilt her head farther back. Lightning flashed in her eyes, but she drew in a breath and then spoke up.

“I’m deeply sorry for attacking you. Please forgive me.”

Levi let out that smug laugh again that made me want to kick his teeth down his throat. With a flick of his wrist, the sword disappeared from her neck, and he slid it back into its sheath. After dragging his gaze over our kneeling forms one last time, he dissolved the metal pole that had been keeping our wrists trapped.

“Harry,” he said without taking his eyes off us.

“Y-yes?” the owner of the tavern answered from behind a table at the back.

“Send the bill for everything that got destroyed to my Court.”

“Y-yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

Without bothering to reply, Levi spun on his heel and strode towards the street beyond.

“Get me that money, Callan,” he called over his shoulder. “You have two weeks.”

I pushed myself to my feet while the King of Metal disappeared back into the night. Pain still pulsed through my body when I rolled my shoulders. Raking a hand through my hair, I looked over at Audrey.

Well, that had gone more or less according to plan.

Chapter 22

Dull pain pulsed from my lower back. I shifted my weight on the padded bench of the booth we were occupying. It did nothing to relieve the ache. I had only been flung into a cluster of chairs while Callan had gotten hit with I didn’t even know how many strikes. He had told me that it had looked worse than it felt, but I was pretty sure that he was a lot more hurt than I was, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

“Ready for step two?” Callan asked in a quiet voice so that only I would hear.

After our staged fight at the outdoor tavern, Callan and I had stalked off and made our way to another restaurant. This one was conveniently placed in the part of Malgrave that Gale currently controlled. Just in case David didn’t follow us, we needed the right kind of people to overhear our conversation. Thankfully, though, David had followed us.

When we had arrived here, he had snuck into one of the back rooms. But given how closely our waiter always hovered, we were pretty sure that he was spying for the advisor.

I gave Callan a nod in confirmation.

Since we had barely spoken while we made sure that David’s spy was in place, we kept eating in silence until our plates were empty to make it seem like we had just been too hungry to talk. Once I had put my utensils down on the empty plate, I spoke up in a voice that was just a little bit louder than was strictly necessary.

“How’s your back?”

Callan pushed his empty plate away from the edge of the table and rolled his shoulders. “Honestly? Pretty sore.”

“Hell fucking damn it. Someone should take that asshole out.”

Our utensils clinked as Callan lurched forward, knocking his knee against the table leg in his hurry, and grabbed my wrist. “Keep your voice down!”

“I’m serious.” I yanked my wrist from his grip and leaned back in the chair before crossing my arms. “He’s a fucking bully and the world would be so much better off with him dead.”

His gaze darted around the room in a very convincing show of panic. “Don’t say shit like that.”

“As if you don’t feel the same way.”

“Of course I do. But Levi still controls half of Malgrave. The entire south side. Including this restaurant. So you can’t say things like that.”

“I didn’t take you for a coward.”

“I’m not a coward. But we need to stay in Malgrave, and to be able to do that, we need his permission. So we need to be smart about this.”

Before I could reply, that waiter that we knew had been eavesdropping on this whole conversation walked up to our table and stopped without even trying to pretend that he was coming to pick up our empty plates.

“The boss would like a word,” he said, his face a neutral mask.

Callan’s features transformed into a look of panic as he glanced between the waiter and me. “She was just blowing off steam. She didn’t mean any of that.”

“The boss would like a word,” the waiter just repeated.

“Well,” Audrey began. “You can tell Mr. Arden that we heard him loud and clear the first time and we don’t need another reminder.”

The waiter gave us a knowing look. “It’s not Mr. Arden who controls this restaurant.”

Callan and I exchanged a look of surprise. It took most of my self-control not to grin. He really had gotten better at lying. Or perhaps he had always been good at it, since he had managed to lie about his feelings for me for as long as he had.

“Please,” the waiter continued, and raised an arm to motion towards the back room that David had disappeared into. “This way.”

We slowly pushed to our feet and then followed the waiter across the room. The other guests paid us no mind as we weaved through the tables and approached the plain wooden door set into the back wall.

After knocking once, the waiter opened the door and stepped inside while motioning for us to do the same. We did.

The room beyond it was rather small. Only one table was framed by the dark wooden floorboards and wall panels. It was a table for four, and a rich red tablecloth lay draped over it. A thick candle burned in the middle of it, but other than that, the tabletop was empty. I shifted my attention to the person seated in one of the chairs.

David stroked a hand over his moustache while the waiter hurried over to him and bent down to whisper something in his ear. Probably a summary of what we had said out there in the restaurant. David’s sharp brown eyes stayed locked on us as we came to a halt a couple of steps from the table.

Once the waiter was done speaking, he straightened and disappeared back into the restaurant without another word.

The door shut with a soft snick behind us.

“You’re Callan Blackwell,” David said, his gaze fixed on the force mage’s face. “The only person to ever successfully double-cross Levi Arden.”

Callan narrowed his eyes. “And you are?”

“Someone who works for someone who wants to take Levi down.”

“That’s a very dangerous thing to say.”

“And yet, you share the sentiment.”

Silence fell as the two of them only watched each other for a while.

Then Callan said, “Do you have a name?”

We already knew his name, of course. But we couldn’t let him know that so we had to ask for it before we could use it.

“David.” His brown eyes slid to me. “And I didn’t quite catch your name.”

“Audrey Sable,” I replied.

“I see.”

I had no idea if that meant that he had heard of me or not, but it didn’t really matter. Since he had seen the fight in the tavern, he already knew that I was a poison mage. So there was nothing to hide.

Leaning back in his chair, he surveyed both of us again. “Why are you in Malgrave?”

“Because we can’t be in Eldar right now,” I replied.

“Why not?”

“Haven’t you heard?”

“Spell it out for me.”

“They have a Binder. And they’ve started a war to wipe out all the dark mages in the hills.”

He drew his thumb and forefinger down the sides of his moustache. “So I’ve heard. Must be terribly frustrating for you.”

“Is there a point to this meeting?” Callan cut in.

“Not one for small talk, huh?” A smile ghosted across his lips. “I respect that.” He uncrossed his arms and instead leaned forward on the table. “How would you feel about teaming up?”

“With who?”

“Me. And the person I work for.”

“And who is that?”

“Trevor Gale.”

“That name doesn’t mean anything to me.”

David studied us for a few seconds before replying. “No, I suppose it wouldn’t.” Sitting up straighter, he lifted one arm to gesture around the room. “He is the man who controls this part of Malgrave.”

Callan scrunched up his brows. “Levi has lost control of part of the city?”

“Yes.” Smug satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. “A lot has happened in the five years since you last shed blood on these streets.”

“Apparently.”

“So, how about teaming up?”

“To do what, exactly?”

“You two help us take down Levi, and we will let you stay in Malgrave as long as you like.”

We exchanged a glance as if we were considering it.

I slid my gaze back to David. “That sounds like a ticket to an early grave.”

“Does it? And what do you think Levi would do if word got back to him that you had been overheard saying that someone should, and I quote, take that asshole out.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Not at all. I’m merely pointing out that your stay here is already dangerous. But if you help my boss, you at least have a powerful ally on your side.”

Callan and I shared another look.

“Can we have a moment?” Callan asked.

David waved a hand in the air. “Of course.”

We moved towards the corner of the room and then spent a minute or two pretending to discuss it. David was polite enough not to watch us while we talked. Instead, he studied the painting depicting a bowl of fruit that hung on one of the walls.

Once the appropriate amount of time had passed, we broke apart and turned to face Gale’s advisor again.

A hint of a smirk touched his lips as he turned to meet our eyes. “So, do we have a deal?”

We gave him matching sharp smiles in reply.

“We have a deal.”

Chapter 23

My bones ached by the time Audrey and I trudged up the wooden steps to our room at the inn. Hell damn Levi fucking Arden and his petty need for revenge. While I appreciated the fact that he had at least pulled his punches a little, he had still slammed those metal poles into me so hard that I had to suppress a wince every time I took a step or lifted my arms. And that was not good for our mission.

“We need to get a message to Levi,” Audrey said as we reached our door.

While inserting the key into the lock, I turned and looked over my shoulder at her. “Yeah. In the morning.”

Her brows furrowed slightly as she flicked a quick glance up and down my body. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Damn that poisoner for being so perceptive. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Before she could call me on the lie, I unlocked the door and shoved it open.

I froze.

Seated on the chair at the back of the room was Levi Arden. He lounged on the rickety piece of furniture as if it was the grandest of thrones, and a smug smirk curled his lips as he watched us. The sword he usually carried strapped to his back now lay resting in his lap. His left hand absentmindedly stroked the blade.

Clearing my throat, I recovered enough to continue across the threshold. I could feel the tension rolling off Audrey behind me, but she followed me into the room and shut the door.

Levi gave us a wolfish smile. “Did you really think that I didn’t know where you were staying?” Raising a hand, he spun it lazily in the air. “This is my city.”

With a sharp smile on her lips, Audrey sauntered over to lean against the wall in an incredibly nonchalant move. “If this was truly your city, you wouldn’t have to rely on us for help.”

My blood froze. Fucking hell, did that vicious little poisoner have no sense of self-preservation at all?

Part of me wanted to grin like a moron at the way she treated Levi, as if he was just another dark mage and not the man who ruled half of Malgrave. The other part of me wanted to step in front of her to shield her from whatever Levi was about to do to punish her.

But the King of Metal only smiled wider.

“We were just about to send word to you,” I said before he could change his mind and decide to attack Audrey. “Did something happen? Why are you here?”

For another few seconds, he and Audrey only continued watching each other. Then he at last shifted his attention back to me. I fought the impulse to heave a sigh of relief.

“How did the meeting go?” he asked instead of answering my questions.

“Good.” I moved over to the lone set of drawers and leaned my hip against it while crossing my arms. A pulse of pain shot through my body at the movement, but I stifled it. “He bought the act completely and brought us to a back room to recruit us.”

Levi’s observant gray eyes tracked every move I made, and I was pretty sure that he had seen the slight wince before I had suppressed it. But surprisingly enough, he didn’t smirk with satisfaction. Instead, a considering look briefly crossed his features.

But all he said was, “Good. So, what’s the next step?”

Audrey and I exchanged a glance.

“Yeah, about that…” I began.

His gaze sharpened as he waited for me to go on.

“We need to do some grunt work first. To prove that we can be trusted.”

“And…?”

“And it involves you.”

“Yeah, you know, I actually figured that out too. What does he want you to do?”

I blew out a soft breath. “He wants us to ruin your reputation.”

For a few seconds, Levi said nothing. Then he bit out, “Explain.”

“Okay, so David told us that Gale’s plan is to hit you where it would hurt the most, which is your reputation. People back up and bow down at just the mention of your name because they know that you always follow through on everything. Deals. Promises. Threats. So his, or rather their, plan is to mess with that reputation by having us hit some of the gambling houses under your protection.”

Silence that practically crackled with tension fell across the room. For a few seconds, Levi only stared back at me. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

Then a smile that was pure malice stretched his lips. “I am going to mount Trevor Gale’s fucking head on a spike outside my Court of it’s the last thing I do.”

“Yeah, but to do that, we first need to get close to him. And to get close to him, we need to prove that we’re all in with him, which means that we need to go through with this plan.”

Levi shot to his feet. Fury burned in his eyes as he gripped the sword hard and pointed it in my direction. “Do you seriously expect me to just sit back and let someone ruin my reputation, making it seem like I can’t protect my own businesses?”

“If you want Gale’s head, then yes.”

“Find another way.”

“There is no other way. The only way to get close to Gale is to make him think that we’re on his side. And the only way to convince him of that is to actually do something that hurts you.”

“There’s no guarantee that this plan will even work.”

“No. But you haven’t been able to assassinate him with any of your other plans. And I know that you could crush this bastard if you declared outright war on him, so if you don’t wanna go through with this plan, then do that.”

“I can’t.” Pain flickered in his eyes. “My wife is usually more than capable of taking care of herself and handling any threat thrown against her, but she’s fucking seven months pregnant now. And that bastard is trying to take her.” He flexed his fingers on the hilt of the sword and dragged his other hand through his hair before shaking his head. “Hell knows I’ve done some fucked up shit too, but even I wouldn’t threaten a pregnant woman.”

My heart squeezed tight. Even though neither of us had ever admitted as much, Levi and I hadn’t just been boss and employee. He had taken me under his wing, showing me how to be a dark mage and helping me strengthen my magic when I needed it the most. Like an older brother. Granted, a violent and dictatorial older brother who made me address him as sir and who beat the shit out of me if I failed to obey his orders. But still. We had been as close to friends as people like us could get. Before I betrayed him, at least. And despite our blood-soaked history, I realized that I actually sympathized with him at that moment.

A flash of alarm shot across his features, as if he had just realized that what he had said had sounded pretty vulnerable. Clearing his throat, he let that mask of absolute power and control slide back on his face as he leveled a hard stare at me.

“So no, I won’t be going to war right now.” His voice was laced with steel. “And I won’t let you ruin my reputation either.”

Tilting my head back, I dragged my hands through my hair and blew out a deep sigh before meeting his gaze again. “Look… Do you trust me?”

He let out a mocking laugh. “About as much as I trust a poisonous snake.”

“Venomous.”

Both of us turned to look at Audrey, who had been silent for a while. She was still leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as she watched us with those intelligent green eyes of hers.

“A venomous snake,” she repeated.

Levi raised his eyebrows at her. “What?”

“If you bite it, and you die, it’s poisonous. If it bites you, and you die, it’s venomous.” She lifted her slender shoulders in a shrug. “So, a venomous snake.”

A disbelieving laugh spilled from Levi’s lips. Prowling up to her, he lifted his sword and placed the tip against the base of her throat. She only remained leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as she held his gaze from across the sharp blade.

My heart pounded in my chest, but I remained where I was.

Levi drew the sword up her throat until the flat of the blade was resting under her chin. With a slight push, he tilted her head back. “And what does that make you?”

Audrey flashed him a smile dripping with challenge. “Keep leveling that sword at me and find out.”

Blood rushed to my cock, and I had to adjust my position to keep it from being noticeable. Fucking hell, had she always been this hot while spitting arrogant challenges in dangerous people’s faces? And how had it taken me five bloody years to notice it?

Another disbelieving laugh rolled from Levi’s throat. It immediately defused the danger hanging in the air. With a flick of his wrist, he removed the sword from under her chin and then slid it back into its sheath along his spine. Relief washed over me when he looked her up and down with an expression that seemed like approval.

“If you’ve survived this long with a tongue that sharp, I suppose you really must be skilled as hell.” Amusement played over his lips. “Though, I still don’t understand how you’ve managed to partner up with Callan without him shoving a force blade through your chest.”

She snorted and shot a smug look in my direction. “Trust me, it hasn’t been from a lack of trying on his part.”

Levi let out a short chuckle and stepped back before turning to face me with eyebrows raised. “I can’t believe Coldblooded Callan fell in love.”

“I can’t believe the King of Metal got married,” I replied.

He tipped his head to the side as if conceding the point.

For a while, the three of us just watched each other in silence. The lethal tension in the room had disappeared, and the atmosphere suddenly felt almost like it had before I betrayed Levi.

At last, Levi heaved a deep sigh and then cracked his neck. “Alright, go ahead and sabotage a few of my businesses. I want Trevor dead.”

I nodded. “He told us to hit three. Which ones do you want us to go after?”

Levi considered in silence for a while before rattling off the names of three gambling halls that I knew weren’t too influential.

“Alright,” I said. “We’ll do it tomorrow night.”

“Do what you need to do to get me Gale’s head.” Power rippled off Levi’s broad shoulders as he drew himself up to his full height and leveled a commanding stare on us. That brief moment of friendliness was gone in an instant. This was no longer Levi speaking. This was the King of Metal issuing an order. “But I have one hard rule. And it’s non-negotiable, Callan.”

“What is it?”

“You don’t kill anyone.”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“I mean it. Threats and blackmail and damaged property I can recover from. But I can’t have my people thinking that someone can just go around killing them without facing any consequences.”

“When you say don’t kill anyone…”

“I mean anyone. I don’t care if it’s during a mission or if some random drunk loser attacks you because you bumped into him on the street. You throw him into a wall or something, but you don’t fucking kill him.”

“Or what?” Audrey challenged.

“Or you will repay the blood with some of your own.” His whole being was thrumming with power as he stared us down. “You kill no one without my permission. Understood?”

Irritation crackled through me. I understood where he was coming from, that it would do irreparable damage to his reputation otherwise, but damn, it would make our stay in Malgrave so much harder.

“Yeah,” I ground out in reply.

Levi’s gray eyes hardened. “Answer me properly.”

I had to flex my fingers to stop myself from throwing a force lance at him. After drawing in a steadying breath, I managed to speak in a voice that didn’t betray what I really wanted to do. “I understand, sir.”

“Good.” He shifted his attention to Audrey. “I expect you to answer too.”

It looked like she was fighting the impulse to poison him, but she said, “We won’t kill anyone without your permission.”

“Good.”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two small glass vials. They were filled with some kind of turquoise blue liquid that shimmered slightly. I frowned at him, but he only tossed us one vial each.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“It’s from my healer.”

I raised my eyebrows. “I didn’t think you cared that much about us.”

“I don’t. But I need you in full working order so that you can kill Trevor for me.” He started towards the door. “You need to drink it within ten seconds of pulling out the stopper.”

“Why?”

“Because healing magic can’t usually be transported like this so it will evaporate quickly after you break the magic seal.” He pushed down the handle and pulled open the door. “And it’s not strong enough to fix anything worse than bruises and minor cuts.” Pausing on the threshold, he looked back at me over his shoulder. “I didn’t break any of your bones, did I?”

“No,” I replied.

He clicked his tongue. “Pity.”

Then he disappeared out the door.

It rattled slightly on its hinges as it slammed shut behind him.

I shook my head. Asshole.

Glancing down, I studied the shimmering turquoise potion that was going to heal all of my bruises and save me from wincing every time I moved. And as I pulled out the stopper and downed the liquid, I was forced to admit that maybe Levi Arden wasn’t a complete asshole after all. At least not all the time.

Chapter 24

The ache in my lower back disappeared completely within about half a minute of swallowing the healing liquid. In fact, my whole body felt rejuvenated. After twisting from side to side to test out my newly healed body, I lifted the now empty glass vial and studied it. It was a really neat trick.

“We should tell Sam about this,” I said while I turned the vial over and continued peering at it. “He’s only twenty-four, so imagine what he could accomplish in a few years if he knows that it’s possible to bottle healing magic like this. We could have access to some really powerful potions then.” A soft laugh escaped my lips. “Well, if we survive that long, I mean.”

Callan didn’t reply. When I looked up, I found him standing right in front of me. It took me by surprise since I hadn’t heard him approach, and I started slightly.

“That,” he began, his voice rough, “was unnecessarily hot.”

“What was?”

He reached out and took the empty vial from my hand. It let out a faint clink as he put it down on the side table along with his own. Then he moved back to stand right in front of me and braced a hand on the wooden wall next to my head. A thrill raced through me as he raked his gaze up and down my body.

“You,” he answered. “Everything that you do. Everything that you are.”

Leaning back against the wall, I smirked up at him. “Oh, I know. But would you like to be more specific?”

He traced his fingers over my collarbones before mimicking, “Keep leveling that sword at me and find out.”

I let out a satisfied laugh.

With one hand still braced on the wall next to my head, he drew his other lightly up my throat and then cupped my cheek with his palm. The sudden seriousness in his eyes made my breath hitch.

“You’re so damn fearless. And unapologetic.” The corners of his mouth twitched up in a sly smile. “And it’s so fucking hot.”

A warm sparkling sensation fluttered through my chest. I loved how he always saw me. Always saw the real me and was never intimidated or put off by the fact that I was powerful. He liked it. And I loved him for that.

I answered his sly smile with one of my own while I drew my hands down his muscled chest and then slid my fingers underneath the thin dark fabric of his shirt. A shiver coursed through his body as I traced my fingers along the top of his pants. Curling them around the hem of his shirt, I slid it up his stomach. He brushed his thumb over my cheekbone and closed his eyes while I slowly pushed the shirt upwards.

When I at last reached the top of his chest, he loosened a shaky breath and opened his eyes. I was too short to be able to smoothly pull his shirt over his head and arms, so he grabbed the bunched-up fabric and yanked it over his head in one fluid motion. My eyes dipped down to his bare chest.

Fuck, he was glorious.

Before the shirt had even hit the ground, my hands were already on his warm skin again. I drew them down his firm chest and traced my fingers along the sharp ridges of his abs while I greedily drank in his body.

Mine. This was all mine. He was all mine.

He surged forward, as if he was done waiting. Cupping my cheeks with both his hands, he kissed me deeply. I slid my hands up again and locked them behind his neck before drawing him harder against me. My back hit the wooden wall with a thud.

Callan braced his left forearm against the pale wood panels for support and then slipped the other one around my back, pressing me tighter to his chest. His tongue explored the inside of my mouth while his lips possessively claimed mine.

Heat swirled through my core as the hand that had been resting against my spine started fumbling for the ribbons that laced up my dress. I arched my back to give him better access. He continued stealing desperate kisses from my lips while he tried to get my dress off at the same time.

I moaned into his mouth as his teeth grazed my lower lip.

He let his other arm drop from the wall and instead used both hands to try to untie the ribbons. I released my grip on the back of his neck and slid my hands down his chest before raking my fingers along his ribs. A violent shudder racked his body. And the ribbons on the back of my dress were still in place.

A growl of frustration ripped from deep within his chest.

Tearing his lips from mine, he pulled back enough that he could place his hands on my hips. His eyes were dark with desire when he jerked his chin at me.

“Up against the wall,” he commanded, and used his grip on my hips to roughly spin me around.

My pussy throbbed as I faced the wall and placed my palms against the smooth wood.

He grabbed the back of my dress and started furiously yanking at the ribbons. My body jerked with the movements. Pressing my hands hard against the wall, I tried to ease the desperate need for him that washed over me. Fuck. I wanted the dress off. Now.

At last, the dress was loose enough that Callan could slide it down my chest. I took my hands from the wall and shoved the infuriating garment down impatiently. The black fabric pooled around my ankles. I stepped out of it and toed off my shoes before using my feet to push both them and the dress to the side. The dress was of a design where I didn’t need to wear a brassiere underneath, so the move left me standing there in only a pair of dark panties.

“Hands on the wall,” Callan ordered, his voice rough.

It took incredible effort to stop myself from turning around to face him, and instead place my palms back on the wall. As soon as they were resting against the pale wood, Callan stepped closer. I could feel his powerful form behind me, and the air between us seemed to crackle with anticipation.

A moan rolled off my tongue as he traced gentle fingers down my spine before he slid his hands along the side of my ribs and then down my stomach. I shifted on my feet to relieve the terrible throbbing at my core as he slipped his hands underneath the thin fabric of my panties.

“Callan,” I breathed.

His lips brushed the back of my neck.

My pussy was soaked, begging for his touch, as he kissed his way down my spine while sliding my panties down my legs. I let out another desperate moan and arched my back.

When that final garment at last reached the floor, I whirled around and grabbed Callan’s belt. With a firm yank, I pulled him closer to me.

He tried to distract me with kisses down the side of my neck while I unbuckled his belt and slid it out. A shudder racked my frame as his lips brushed that spot below my ear. Something between a moan and a growl tore from my chest, and I impatiently unbuttoned his pants and practically shoved them and his underwear down his thighs. His hard length sprang free.

But before I could pull him closer to me again, he bent down and yanked off his boots and then the rest of his clothes. They hit the floor in a heap.

The moment they were off, I closed the distance between us. With my fingers interlaced behind his neck, I stole frantic kisses from his mouth while I backed him towards the neatly made bed. His hands roamed across my naked skin, sending lightning dancing in their wake. I took my hands from him only long enough to place them against his chest instead.

The back of his legs hit the wooden frame with a thud. I shoved him backwards. The mattress bounced as his muscular body hit it back first. While he scooted backwards to position himself fully on the bed, I crawled up after him and straddled his thighs.

Mischief glittered in his dark brown eyes as he grabbed me by the hips and flipped us around. I barely had time to react before I found myself lying on my back with him straddling me instead. His cock brushed against my entrance as he repositioned himself above me.

A needy noise came from my throat.

His warm hands slid along my ribs and curved around my breasts. My chest heaved as he traced a finger around my left nipple while he massaged my right tit. I bucked my hips, pressing myself harder against him. He toyed with my nipple until I was panting with the need for him.

Reaching up, I managed to snake a hand around the back of his neck and yank his mouth down to mine. Our lips met in a violent kiss right as he shoved his cock inside me. I gasped into his mouth. My hands slipped down to his muscled arms as he pulled out slightly and then thrust into me again. A satisfied groan tore from my chest.

He leaned down and kissed the side of my neck. I dug my fingers into his arms as he traced the tip of his tongue up the column of my throat before alternating between brushing his lips over the sensitive skin and grazing it lightly with his teeth.

My body jerked against the soft mattress as he slammed into me again. Pleasure washed over me at the feeling of his cock buried inside me all the way to the hilt. I let out a shuddering breath that transformed into a moan halfway through when Callan kissed the corner of my mouth while shoving deep into me.

His lips disappeared from my skin. I tried to blink my eyes back into focus to see why, but Callan’s forceful thrusts were making my brain flicker. The pleasure inside me kept building.

I had just managed to get my vision clear when a strong hand wrapped around my jaw, forcing my head into a position where I looked straight into Callan’s warm brown eyes. He shoved his cock into me again.

“Tell me you’re mine.”

My pussy was throbbing with the building tension, and I only managed to suck in a deep breath as another thrust of Callan’s hips sent me sliding up the sheets.

“Audrey.” His voice was dark and rough, possessive and powerful. “Tell me you’re mine.”

Before I could answer, he slammed into me again. I moaned and tried to toss my head from side to side as the building pleasure inside me reached incredible heights. His fingers tightened on my jaw, keeping my head firmly in place and my gaze locked on his.

“I’m yours,” I gasped out as he shoved inside me again. “I’m yours, Callan.”

He relaxed his grip on my jaw and leaned down to claim my mouth. Lightning crackled through my veins as he thrust his cock into me all the way while growling against my lips, “Yes, you are.”

I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and kept his mouth against mine even as he slid out and then slammed into me once more. The throbbing pressure inside me was so intense that I could barely see straight, but I kept my grip on his neck as I whispered against his lips, “And you’re mine.”

“Always.”

Release exploded through my body. My inner walls trembled around Callan’s thick cock as the orgasm crashed over me. I moaned into his mouth as he stole my breath from my lungs while he rode the wave with me.

A groan tore from deep within his chest as he came as well.

I sucked in breaths that didn’t seem to contain enough oxygen as our bodies thrummed with pleasure. His fingers curled in the soft sheets, gripping them hard. The haze of release was blurring the edges of my vision, but the sight before me was crystal clear.

Dark brown eyes full of pleasure that I had given him.

And full of love.

For me.

All of me.

I pulled his lips back down to mine and kissed him hard.

He was mine.

And I was his.

Chapter 25

Light shone from the windows set into the pale stone building. I studied the cheerful green door before us while Audrey brushed her palms together and called up a tendril of poison magic that curled around her wrist.

“Ready?” I asked as I glanced down at her.

“Yes. I’ll handle the people. You handle the property.”

I nodded in confirmation.

A mixed group of men and women poured out of the cabaret across the street. Their singing filled the night air as they performed an amateur version of whatever show they had just seen. We left them behind as I pulled open the green door to one of Levi’s less influential gambling dens and strode inside. I went first, to make sure that I blocked the view of Audrey’s magic until it was too late.

The singing from outside was cut off as the door swung shut behind Audrey, and it was replaced by a soft murmur of voices. I swept my gaze over the room.

Men and women sat around the spotless tables, but only about half of the chairs were actually taken. Based on the clothes they wore, none of them were particularly rich or influential. Which was of course why Levi had told us to hit this one.

None of the dealers looked up as we entered, but the man behind the bar gave us a nod in welcome. The wall behind him had been painted in the same green color as the door, but the rest of them were made of pale wood panels that matched the furniture. I assessed them all to estimate how much damage I could do without accidentally killing someone in the process.

“Now,” Audrey whispered from behind my shoulder.

Without turning to look, I immediately took a step to the side and then backed up so that I was behind her instead. I had barely gotten into position when a massive poison cloud exploded across the whole room, leaving only the space where I stood behind her clear.

Shocked gasps rang out as the people on the other side snapped their heads up and whirled towards us. A few of them tried to slap their palms together to call up their own magic, but by the time they had identified the threat, the cloud had already reached them too.

Within seconds, the gasps were replaced by choking sounds as Audrey forced poison down everyone’s throats.

Glass shattered as the bartender dropped the bottle he had been holding and instead tried to grab the counter to keep from collapsing to the floor. I studied the glittering green mist that swirled throughout the room. It was strong enough that a few of the players had toppled from their seats and were now bracing their hands on the ground while they dry heaved, but it wasn’t lethal enough to kill.

“All yours,” Audrey said, and cast me a look over her shoulder.

I grinned at her and then moved a little to the side so that I had a clear view of the room. Cocking my head, I considered which part to hit first. Since it would create the most panic, I went with the very middle.

After touching my palms together, I called up a force blast and hurled it at the pale wooden table at the center of the room.

It slammed into the wood with a crack, toppling it over. Playing cards and markers flew through the air before raining down on the floor. If the people who had been seated around that table had had any breath left to scream, I was pretty sure they would have. But now, all they could do was to throw themselves from their chairs and try to crawl away on the floor. They only made it a short distance before their limbs stopped working, presumably because Audrey had increased the strength of the poison.

I calculated the angle of my next attack and then hurled another force blast. My attack crashed into the table I had aimed for and sent it flying into the wall behind. It shook as the large round table smacked into it. No one had been sitting on that side of the table, so it hadn’t actually harmed anyone. Well, apart from the wood panels on the wall that were still trembling in fear after the violent hit from the table, that is.

Both the dealers and the players were coughing and dry heaving inside Audrey’s poison while they tried to drag themselves to cover using limbs that weren’t really working properly. Everyone was on the floor. Except the bartender.

Touching my palms together, I called up a spinning force arc and shifted it to a vertical position before throwing it straight towards the bar at the back of the room. It shot through the air and crashed into the pale wooden counter, leaving a deep gorge right down the middle.

The bartender at last released his white-knuckled grip on the counter and pushed himself sideways to avoid the attack. He landed on the floor with a thud, and he had just managed to push himself up into a sitting position when I shot another force arc at the exact same spot again.

It slammed into the long cut I had already created.

Wood groaned.

And then the final planks cracked and the bar split in two.

Two deafening bangs echoed through the room as they toppled over and crashed down on the floor. One of them slammed into the ground a mere stride from the bartender’s legs. He looked from the broken counter to the smashed tables to the choking players and dealers. Then he finally shifted his wide eyes to us.

Shock and utter disbelief shone on his face. On all of their faces, in fact.

“You think Levi is gonna come save you?” I called across the noise of choking people. “You think he’s gonna protect you?”

Several people flicked desperate glances towards the door, as if that was exactly what they were hoping would happen.

“He’s not,” I continued. “Levi is weak. Because as you can see…” Touching my hands together, I threw a small force arc that cracked a table in two. “He can’t even protect his own businesses anymore. There’s a new power in town, and I would suggest joining the winning side before it’s too late.”

Fear flashed in the eyes of the bartender, along with most of his dealers and half of the players.

I slid my gaze to Audrey in silent confirmation that I was done.

She gave me an almost imperceptible nod.

A few seconds passed.

Then every single person in the room collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

“How long should we give them?” she asked as the massive green cloud at last dissipated.

I shrugged. “Fifteen minutes? Just so we can get to the next place.”

She nodded in agreement and then touched her hands together before holding them out in front of her. Glittering tendrils slid out of every mouth as she pulled part of her poison out of their system, making sure that they would only be unconscious for about fifteen minutes.

Once those had faded into the air, she turned towards the door and raised her eyebrows. “Well then, shall we?”

Amusement swirled inside me at her businesslike tone, but I just gave her a nod and started towards the door.

Air smelling of perfume, spilled alcohol, and fried street food hit us as we left the unconscious people and the wrecked gambling hall behind and made our way out onto the street. I turned right and set course for our next target while Audrey fell in beside me.

Blue and green light from the colored glass domes above us shifted over her features as the lamps swung on their wires when a warm breeze whirled down the road. I watched the way they painted faint highlights in her long black hair.

“Did you rehearse that speech?” she asked, looking up at me with barely hidden amusement.

I let out a huff. “I wouldn’t call that a speech.”

“It was definitely a speech.”

“It was just a public service announcement.”

“It was a speech.” She shot me a knowing look and then wiggled her eyebrows. “So, did you rehearse it?”

“Well… yeah.” Clearing my throat, I drew down my brows in a scowl. “I needed to make sure I told them what Gale and David wanted us to say.”

Audrey laughed. It was a light and wonderful sound that made my stomach flip and my scowl disappear.

Then she smirked up at me. “Yeah, I could tell.”

I shot her a mock glare. “So?”

“So maybe we improvise a little for the next hit? So that it doesn’t sound quite as… scripted.”

After letting out another huff, I slid my attention to the green door that we had been aiming for. Improvise, huh?

Stopping in front of the door, I raised my boot. Audrey’s eyebrows shot up and she barely had time to touch her palms together before I kicked the door open.

Cries of alarm erupted as it flew open and slammed against the wall. I flashed Audrey a smirk before hurling a force wall through the doorway and then striding across the threshold while speaking over my shoulder.

“How’s that for improvising?”

Her dark chuckle filled the air behind me right before a massive poison cloud spread across the already panicked gambling hall.

Chapter 26

“Please follow me.”

I slid my gaze to the waiter who had spoken. It was the same man who had eavesdropped on us last time and who had led us to the meeting with David. As I met his gaze, I idly wondered if he ever had any days off or if David kept him in this restaurant as a spy all the time.

“The boss will see you now,” he finished and motioned towards the same back room as last time.

Irritation flickered through me as Callan and I rose from our seats at the empty table and followed him. There were far too many people in this city who considered themselves to be the boss. And I wanted to poison every single one of them.

Only the clinking of utensils and soft murmur of people filled the silence as we made our way towards the door set into the back wall. Afternoon sunlight spilled in through the windows and set the delicate glasses and pitchers sparkling on the tables. I exchanged a brief glance with Callan before the waiter opened the door and motioned for us to enter.

It looked exactly the same as before. Dark wooden walls and floor, with only one table in the middle of the room and four chairs around it. And just a single thick candle atop the deep red tablecloth.

“Your little stunts were the talk of the town this morning,” David said from where he sat in the same chair as last time.

I bristled at him referring to our beautifully destructive raids as little stunts, but managed to suppress the urge to choke him to death and instead stalked up to the table. Without being invited to do so, I simply slid out a chair and dropped into it. Wood creaked faintly as Callan lowered himself into the seat next to mine.

“Yeah, I would imagine so,” I replied with a nonchalant flick of my wrist. “We were pretty thorough.”

David studied me intently, but all he said was, “Indeed you were.”

“Alright, we’ve struck a blow to Levi’s reputation,” Callan said as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his muscled chest. “What’s our next move?”

Light from the candle glinted in David’s shrewd brown eyes. For a few moments, he just watched us in silence as if he was assessing us. It only added to my already rising annoyance, and I curled my hand into a fist under the table.

“We want you to continue pulling those little stunts to mess with Levi’s reputation,” he said at last. After shifting his gaze between us, he lifted his shoulders in a casual shrug. “Maybe blackmail. Extorting people for money. Something along those lines.”

Crackling tension filled the heavy silence as Callan and I only stared back at him.

“Excuse me?” I said eventually, and I only managed to keep part of the sharpness from my voice.

He gave me a patient smile while raising his eyebrows, the epitome of innocence. “Which part was unclear?”

“I’m not sure. Either the part where you somehow think that you give us orders or the part where you think our skills are best suited for… little stunts. Or maybe both.” I flashed him a smile dripping with sweet poison. “Take your pick.”

To his credit, he remained entirely unfazed by my thinly veiled threats. “I thought we were on the same side. That you wanted to take Levi out just as much as we do.”

“Correct. But we are far too skilled to be doing these kinds of menial tasks.”

“Perhaps.” He stroked his moustache. “But Mr. Gale is the main player in this game, so he calls the shots.”

“We could always just leave you to your… game, and go at it alone instead.”

“You could. But then would you still be allowed to stay in Malgrave after Mr. Gale has killed Levi?”

“I would be very careful with those threats, if I were you.”

He raised his hands in an appeasing gesture. “It is not my intention to threaten you. But the fact of the matter remains that Mr. Gale is the one who calls the shots in the organization that I work for. So if you want to continue to collaborate with us on this mutual problem that we have, then you will need to follow his instructions. If you don’t want to follow his instructions, you are always, like you said, free to walk away at any time. But if you walk away, you will lose the backing of a powerful player. Both while we try to kill Levi and after that has been accomplished.”

“Blackmailing people and trashing gambling houses is still far below our skill levels.”

“I know. But until Mr. Gale has seen how reliable you are and feels ready to trust you with more important missions, that is what you will need to do. If you want to continue this joint effort.”

“David,” Callan said before I could shove a mass of poison down the arrogant idiot’s throat.

He slid his gaze to him. “Yes?”

“You knew who I was when you approached us. Which means that you know the reputation that comes with my name.” Callan gave him a smile so cold that it could have coated the walls in ice. “Don’t make us wait too long.”

David shifted slightly in his seat while a tight smile slid across his mouth, his first sign of unease since we walked through the door. But all he said was, “Does that mean that you will accept the mission to blackmail people under Levi’s protection?”

We remained silent, watching him with sharp smiles on our faces, for an uncomfortably long time. Then, right when the first flicker of worry appeared in his eyes, we leaned back in our chairs and shrugged as one.

“Sure,” I said with a casual wave of my hand.

David seemed to be about to exhale in relief, but instead cleared his throat. “Excellent. I’m glad that we can continue to cooperate like this.”

Neither of us replied.

He cleared his throat again. “I understand that it has been some time since you were last in Malgrave, which means that you might not be familiar with the current standing of the different establishments. The hits you made, while thorough, were unfortunately against gambling houses with a… lower standard. For this next mission, I would advise you to use The Black Rose as your hunting ground for people to blackmail.”

It took great effort to hide the spark of recognition. The Black Rose. That was the name of that glittering cabaret place that we had met Levi in earlier.

“It’s one of the more popular cabarets at the moment,” David continued. “And Levi himself has been known to visit it with his wife from time to time. So to have its patrons blackmailed would be a great blow to his reputation.”

Callan and I exchanged a glance. I assumed that he had also been planning on consulting Levi about which blackmail victims would cause the least amount of harm, but that would be very difficult now. It would look incredibly suspicious if we picked any other place than the one that David had so helpfully suggested.

“Yeah, I remember The Black Rose,” Callan said with a casual shrug. “We can hit that.”

A satisfied smile stretched David’s lips. “Excellent. I’m sure I will hear the whispers about it afterwards. I’ll send word for you then.”

Callan and I only watched him with hard eyes for a few seconds, to make it clear exactly what we thought about him sending word for us. He gave us a strained smile.

Our chairs grated loudly against the floor as we made a point of standing up very slowly. After staring David down for an extra second, we turned and headed for the door without another word.

As it swung shut behind us, I swore I could hear the arrogant advisor blow out a long breath.

The waiter who had brought us into the back room stealthily tracked our movements as we made our way towards the front door, but the rest of the restaurant continued eating and chatting, blissfully ignorant of the bloody schemes that were being planned out of sight.

Warm afternoon sunlight caressed my cheeks as we at last stepped back out onto the street.

As soon as the door had been closed behind us, Callan let out a low growl.

“I fucking hate that guy,” he ground out.

“Me too.”

He flexed his hands as we started down the street. “Hell damn it all, I just want to shove a force blade through his throat and cut his inflated head off his damn shoulders.”

Amusement pulled at my lips as I glanced up at his scowling face. “Again, me too.”

After letting out a long exhale, he looked down to meet my gaze. A wicked grin ghosted across his mouth. “How about blowing off some steam?”

An answering grin slid home on my own lips. “I’m listening.”

“We need to take out our frustrations on someone.” A predatory glint crept into his eyes. “Someone who has it coming.”

“Ah.” Understanding clicked into place. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yep. And I know exactly where to find them.”

Chapter 27

By the time our targets had returned home, it was already dark. I only remembered where two of them had lived all those years ago, but they were fortunately still there. Those two buildings were also located on the same street, so Audrey and I had split up so that we could hit them at the same time.

I watched through the window as two young men, one blond and one with brown hair, turned the corner and wandered onto this street. They were deep in conversation as they closed in on their homes, and they stopped outside the first door to finish whatever discussion they were having.

Streetlamps were few and far between in this part of town, so I couldn’t make out their features in the dark. But it didn’t matter. At this point, I knew exactly what they looked like.

Johnson and Kane, whose first names I still couldn’t remember, or rather whose first names I probably hadn’t bothered learning in the first place, stood outside Kane’s door and talked for another couple of minutes. I studied the way Johnson gestured wildly with his arms, and how Kane dragged a hand through his hair, as if he was considering the words before replying.

Part of me felt a bit bad. They had every reason to hate my guts. And if they had just kept hating me in the privacy of their homes, we wouldn’t be here right now. But they hadn’t. Instead of doing the smart thing and cursing me to the depths of hell while getting drunk in their living room, they had decided to track me down and try to kill me. So even though I did understand their reasoning, I was not in the habit of letting threats and attacks against me go unchallenged.

At last, Johnson clapped Kane on the shoulder, and they broke apart. I squinted towards the dark windows of Kane’s home. Audrey was waiting somewhere in there to ambush him, but there was no hint of it from the outside. Though, that was to be expected. She was a sneaky one, that brilliant poison mage.

As Johnson drew closer to his own front door, I stepped back from the window and instead made my way into his living room. I positioned myself by the wall where the doorway was, so that I would end up behind him when he walked into the room.

The lock clicked open. Since I didn’t know how to pick locks, I had broken a window on the other side of the building to get in. Audrey had done the same. Or rather, I had broken the window with my force magic and then helped her climb up into Kane’s living room before I went over to Johnson’s house. She was still terrible at climbing like that, but I did very much enjoy the view of her ass wiggling in the air, so I had only teased her a little bit.

Two faint squeaks sounded from the front door as Johnson presumably opened and then closed it. The soft snick a moment later informed me that I was right.

With the door now closed, Johnson started into the kitchen. His footsteps echoed into the otherwise quiet building for a couple of seconds before they fell silent, still inside the kitchen. Light bloomed, as if he had lit one of the oil lamps in the ceiling. Then a clinking sound drifted through the air. It was followed by the sloshing of water.

Annoyance rippled through me. Would he hurry it up already? If I took too long, I would never hear the end of it from Audrey. Hell knew she would never stop smirking about how much more efficient she was and how much better she was at sneaking and ambushing and whatever other activity she felt like throwing around.

At last, the water stopped, and the footsteps started up again.

I couldn’t attack him in the kitchen since it would be too easy for him to just run out the door, so I waited for him to move into the living room where I would have the advantage.

A shadow fell across the threshold. Anticipation thrummed inside me.

From my position by the wall, I watched as Johnson strolled into the living room while holding a glass of water. He sipped from it before reaching up and lighting the oil lamp hanging from a hook in the ceiling. Warm yellow light washed over the room.

With the space now illuminated, I could see that all of the furniture in the room was of great quality. Despite what I had done to fuck up his life, he looked to have done well for himself. The dark blue couch was stylish and clean, and the low wooden table before it was polished to perfection. Books filled the shelves along the opposite wall while an intricate map of the continent of Valda had been mounted beside them.

Johnson set course for the plush armchair in the corner when I finally took a step away from the wall.

“For someone hell-bent on revenge, you’re not very perceptive, are you?” I said.

Glass shattered and shards bounced across the wooden floorboards as he dropped the glass and whirled towards me while slamming his palms together. I had already called up a force wall, but I hadn’t thrown it yet.

“Really?” I said as orange flames whooshed to life in Johnson’s palms. With my free hand, I gestured towards the living room around us. “You gonna throw that? And set your home on fire?”

Hesitation pushed past some of the panic and hatred in his eyes, and he flicked a quick glance around the room.

“Everything in here is highly flammable,” I continued. “And that really is the problem with being a fire mage. You might be fireproof, but the rest of your possessions aren’t.” A cruel smile slid across my lips. “So you can’t throw that fireball without destroying this precious home of yours. But I can do this.”

Before I had even finished that final sentence, I shot my force wall at him. He hesitated. Just for a second. His instincts were most likely telling him to block it with a blast of flames, but that would set his house on fire. And that second of hesitation was all I needed. When he had made up his mind to try to dodge my attack instead, it was already too late.

The flames coating his palms vanished as he dove for cover. But before he reached it, my attack slammed into him. Still airborne, he flew backwards and crashed into the wooden wall behind him. I summoned another blast and hurled it at him as he slid down the wall to land on the floor. The attack was perfectly timed and hit him right as he began pushing himself off the ground.

A grunt of pain tore from his throat as the blast took him in the chest and flipped him over on his back. I timed another one with his movements and knocked him back down as he tried to rise again. That blast sent him sliding the final bit to the wall, smacking his shoulder against the hard surface.

I almost rolled my eyes. He was making this far too easy.

“Not so tough when you don’t have your friends for back-up, huh?” I taunted as I hit him with another attack while I sauntered towards him.

Another groan of pain ripped from his chest as the back of his head connected with the wall. He blinked furiously as he tried to get his hands firmly on the ground for support. Just when he began pushing himself up, I shot a small blast at his elbows.

His chin slammed back into the ground with a thud.

“What?” I said as I came to a halt in front of him. “No snide remarks? No threats? Nothing?”

“I hate you,” he pressed out after drawing in a ragged breath.

“Yeah, I got that. But hate is meaningless if you don’t have the power to do something about it.”

“I hope your corpse will rot in the street for the birds to feed on.”

“You and half of your city. And all of mine.”

Brushing my palms together, I called up a force blade before I leaned down and grabbed the front of Johnson’s now rumpled shirt. Another groan slipped past his lips as I hauled him into a kneeling position and then leveled the vibrating sword at his throat. His gray eyes were glassy with pain as he tipped his head back to meet my gaze.

“But hope won’t feed the crows,” I finished.

Johnson worked his jaw a couple of times and coughed before he spoke up again. “How can you live with yourself?”

“You mistake me for someone with remorse.”

He scoffed, which made him wince slightly. Then he said in a mocking tone while glaring up at me, “Coldblooded Callan through and through, huh?”

“And you know what I’m capable of, so why the hell did you think you could manage to kill me with just eight people? And only four of them with actual combat magic.”

For a while, he just glowered at me with those rage-filled eyes. Then he ground out, “I didn’t expect the poison mage.”

“The first time outside the bakery, no. But what about the second time?”

“We ambushed you in the perfect spot.”

“And you still lost.” Shifting the force blade, I lifted it higher up under his chin, making him tilt his head back farther and expose his throat to me. With a mocking expression on my face, I let out an amused huff. “Amateur. You’d need a hell of a lot more than eight people to kill me.”

“I could find a thousand people who hate you just as much as I do,” he spat back at me.

“I don’t doubt it.”

His chest heaved as I slid the thrumming sword back down to rest right above his heart. Fear fought against fury in his eyes. I cocked my head, studying him as he waited for the moment I would push the blade through his chest and end his pitiful existence.

“Just fucking do it!” he snapped at last, his eyes wild. “Just fucking kill me already!”

“Why would I do that?” I let a wolfish smile spread across my mouth. “When we’re having so much fun?”

He sucked in rapid breaths between clenched teeth, as if he thought that meant that I planned to torture him before I finally allowed him to die.

“Tell you what…” I clicked my tongue. “If you beg me for your life, I’ll give you one more chance at revenge.”

Hope flared in his eyes. He immediately banked it and instead narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t give a fuck.”

Tense silence descended on the neatly decorated living room. For quite a while, Johnson just continued watching me warily as if trying to figure out whether I really spoke the truth or if I was just tormenting him. I only watched him with a smirk on my face, giving nothing away.

Since he had no idea what I would do, he would have to gamble. Gamble with his pride. If I was telling the truth, he would live. But if I was lying, he would die while begging his most hated enemy for mercy. And there was no way for him to know what would happen unless he tried, so he would have to decide what he valued more. His pride. Or another shot at revenge.

Hatred burned like flames in his eyes as he held my gaze. I raised my eyebrows expectantly.

A snarl ripped from his throat.

Then he dropped his gaze.

While bowing his head as much as he could with my blade against his heart, he forced out a slow breath and then pressed out, “Please, Mr. Blackwell. I’m begging you to spare my life.”

So, revenge won, huh?

I said nothing for a while. Just kept him like that, hovering between hope and despair. A muscle ticked in his jaw, but he kept his gaze firmly on the floor before my feet.

When I had let the silence stretch long enough, I let out a dark chuckle while releasing my grip on the force blade and immediately summoning a small blast instead.

“Next time, I’d suggest bringing more people,” I said.

His head snapped up, but he barely had time to meet my gaze again before my blast struck him right in the solar plexus. A grunt made it past his lips. Then his body convulsed and he collapsed on the floor. Unconscious.

I flicked a dismissive glance up and down his limp body before turning around and striding towards the front door.

Warm night air met me as I threw it open and continued out onto the street.

When I was halfway to Kane’s house, his front door opened and Audrey sauntered across the threshold. She flicked her hair behind her shoulder and flashed me a satisfied smirk.

“Well, that was fun,” she said as she waited for me to close the final distance.

I chuckled. “Yeah, it was. I think I got all of my frustrations out.”

“Same.” She pursed her lips slightly as she fell in beside me while we continued down the street and back towards the Entertainment District. “Too bad we couldn’t kill them.”

Another laugh rumbled from my chest. Draping my arm over her shoulders, I pulled her closer to me and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

“Yeah, too bad we couldn’t kill them.”

Chapter 28

The scent of spiced beef drifted through the warm night air as Maggie scooped generous portions into our stektas before wrapping them up and handing them to us. Her keen blue eyes assessed us with practiced efficiency.

“Been up to no good again, have you?” she said while fixing Callan with a knowing look.

While taking the stekta with one hand, he pressed the other to his chest in mock affront. “Me? Never.”

“Bah.” She waved a wrinkled hand in front of her face, but a small smile played over her lips. “Well, at least you’re not dripping blood all over the street in front of my stall this time.” Raising a finger, she shook it at him. “It scares off the other customers, you know.”

“I know.” He gave her a smile and then lifted the wrapped stekta in a salute. “Thanks, Maggie.”

“Uh-huh.”

I inclined my head to her before Callan and I moved aside to let another couple order food from the observant old lady. Sizzling filled the air as she ladled more batter onto her flat frying table.

While holding our warm stektas in both hands, Callan and I drifted over to those fairly secluded stone steps between two buildings. We moved halfway up them before taking a seat. I shifted my stekta to my left hand while smoothening out my skirt over my legs with the other.

Paper rustled as I peeled back the wrappings and then bit into the food. The taste of spiced beef, melted cheese, scallions, and that delicious sauce spread across my tongue, and I let out a contented sound.

Next to me, Callan chuckled softly. After studying the expression on my face for another few seconds, he bit into his stekta as well. A similarly satisfied sound came from his chest.

For a while, we just sat there side by side, eating our food and watching people stroll past on the street below the steps. Between the meeting with the arrogant David who had treated us like some damn rookies, and our ambush on those idiots who had attacked us earlier, who we could only taunt but not actually kill, this had been a very frustrating day. But at least the food made it better.

“We need to get the names of the people who usually go to The Black Rose,” Callan said eventually. “And check if any of them can be easily blackmailed.”

I chewed in silence while considering. My eyes drifted towards the old lady spreading batter across her frying table. I swallowed before saying, “Why don’t we just ask Maggie?”

Callan didn’t answer immediately. When he had been quiet for a couple of seconds, I tore my gaze from the food stall owner and slid it back to the force mage next to me. He was still watching Maggie, and there was a slight frown creasing his brows.

“I don’t want to involve her in things that go against Levi’s interests,” he replied at last. “He doesn’t know about her, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“He rules half of Malgrave. You really think he doesn’t know?”

“Well, I don’t know for sure. But I don’t think he does. Like I said, Maggie is one of the most dangerous people in this city because of all the information she gathers. So I’m pretty sure Levi would’ve shut her down if he knew what she did. And I don’t wanna risk that.”

I studied the side of his face. “Is that why we didn’t go straight to her to ask what was happening in the city when we first arrived?”

“Yeah. Finding the shadow mage was different because what we were doing was something that would benefit Levi, but that… and this…” Blowing out a breath, he turned to face me again. “I don’t wanna involve her in anything that can be seen as a threat against Levi.”

“Alright.” I gave him a nod in agreement. “No Maggie.” After eating another bite of stekta, I glanced over at Callan again. “So, how do we get those names?”

He ate some more food too before answering. “I might have some other contacts that we can tap.”

“Tonight or tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow. Right now, I just wanna finish eating this and then go back to our bed.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Go to bed, huh?”

A sly smile spread across his lips. “I said go back to our bed. I said nothing about sleeping.”

With a matching smile sliding home on my own lips, I bumped my leg against the side of his. He chuckled. Then we went back to eating in silence.

On the street below, people wandered back and forth in varying states of inebriation. A young man threw his arms out and spun around while singing the beginning of a very lewd song. His friends laughed. I watched as one of them slung an arm over his shoulders and steered him away when he tried to seduce a random woman with a flower that he had picked up from hell knew where.

Across the road, two other women were gesturing excitedly as they discussed something before they disappeared into an establishment with a red door.

“We’re gonna have to watch our backs even more now,” Callan said, breaking the silence that had settled over the steps. “Johnson and Kane and the rest of their group are gonna come for us hard now.”

“That’s their names? The ones we visited tonight? Kane and Johnson?”

“It’s their last names. I don’t know their first names. Kane is the blond lightning mage, the one you visited. The fire mage is Johnson.”

“Hmm.”

Another short silence fell. I wondered what their story was. Based on what Kane had said when I ambushed him in his home earlier, I was pretty sure that I had a rough idea about their issues with Callan. But I wondered exactly what had happened.

“You’re wondering what I did to them, right?” Callan asked, as if he had read my mind.

I blinked in surprise and then turned to meet his gaze again. “Yeah.”

He nodded. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask me about that. And for you to ask me why people here refer to me as Coldblooded Callan.” A curious expression blew across his features, and he furrowed his brows slightly as he looked back at me. “Why haven’t you?”

“Because neither of us is used to sharing personal stuff, and I didn’t want to pry. I figured if it was important, you’d tell me. And if not…” Trailing off, I lifted my shoulders in a casual shrug.

A genuine smile drifted across his mouth as he just watched me for a few seconds. I shifted my leg closer so that my thigh was resting against his. He exhaled deeply and dragged a hand through his black hair while crumpling up the now empty wrapping paper with the other.

“I killed their families,” he said at last. “Well, only part of Kane’s, I suppose.”

“Why?”

He let out a surprised chuckle, as if the complete lack of judgement in my tone and expression somehow surprised him. I found that a bit strange since we were both dark mages who had slaughtered our fair share of people throughout the years with absolutely no regrets. Hell knew my own hands were covered in blood, and my sense of morality was practically nonexistent at this point.

“Because Levi ordered it,” Callan answered with a shrug. “Kane’s older sister used to work for Levi, but then she turned traitor and started selling information to the constables on the north side. So I killed her. The Johnson family was apparently friends with the Kane family, so after her death, Johnson’s parents started trying to get people to rise up against Levi and get rid of him. So Levi sent me to kill them too.”

“And the rest of the group that attacked us?”

“I don’t remember their names or recognize their faces, but yeah I’m pretty sure I killed their family members too.” He shrugged again. “It was my job, both when I worked for Levi the first time and when I came back here to clear the debt five years ago. Levi gave me a name and I killed that person for him. Some were rivals or enemies. Some were strangers. Some were people from inside Levi’s organization who I had worked with and been friendly with. It didn’t matter.” Raking a hand through his hair again, he tilted his head back and gazed up at the darkened sky visible between the buildings. “And that’s why people started calling me Coldblooded Callan. Because even if they were colleagues who I had laughed with and gotten drunk with just the day before, when the kill order came down, I took them out regardless.”

“Is that how you know Mi-ri and Winston too?”

“Yeah. I was ordered to kill them, among others, when I came back here five years ago, but figured that their magic could be useful in case my deal with Levi went to hell, and I set them up on the north side instead. Them and a few others with rare magic that I thought could benefit me at some point. The rest? I killed them all without hesitation.”

“You were Levi’s assassin.”

“Assassin is too fancy a word for what I did.” He let out a humorless laugh and then met my gaze again. “I was his executioner.”

There was a guarded expression in his dark brown eyes as he watched me. Waited for me to reply. I wasn’t really sure what it was that he was worried about. Maybe that I would be put off by the fact that he had been obeying someone else’s orders without question? But that wasn’t at all what had gone through my head when he told me all of that.

So I let out a short laugh, shook my head, and then said what I had really been thinking. “I can’t believe I managed to survive a five-year war against you.”

Shock flickered in his eyes, and he blinked at me in stunned silence.

I frowned at him. “Why are you looking at me like that? Your entire job in Malgrave revolved around you killing whoever Levi pointed to. How is it shocking to you that I’m surprised I’m still alive?”

“Because I’ve been thinking the exact same thing about you.” A laugh rolled off his tongue. “After watching you fight and scheme up close like this these past weeks, I’ve been trying to figure out how in the hell I’ve managed to survive five years of attacks from you.”

An equally surprise laugh spilled from my own lips. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, now I feel a bit better about myself.”

“A bit?”

“Alright, a lot.”

“You know you’ve just fed my ego quite a lot too, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

We chuckled in unison.

On the street below, drunk and happy people milled about. Songs and chatter drifted up into the dark night while colorful lights painted their smiling faces in shifting hues.

None of them looked up. They just continued about their business. Completely oblivious to the two vicious villains laughing about their blood-soaked past on the steps above.

Chapter 29

It took most of the day to get the information we needed. Not all of the contacts that I had planned to use still lived where they had five years ago, and tracking them down had been too much of a hassle so we’d had to make do with the ones that we managed to find. But we had eventually gotten the names of some people who could be blackmailed fairly easily. Unfortunately, all of them were straight men, which meant that Audrey would be creating the blackmail material for us.

I glared at the cabaret stage from where I sat at one of the tables in the back. A group of women were currently dancing on it, but Audrey would be on soon. Getting her a spot had required more threats and bribes, but we needed to make sure that our victims truly had something they wanted kept quiet, so Audrey would make sure of that. I hated that part of the plan, though.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Audrey. I just hated the thought of anyone else’s greedy eyes on her. She was mine.

Cheers and whistles rose as the women on the stage swished their hips in a synchronized move. I shifted my attention to the men who we were planning on blackmailing. Only three out of the five from our plans had actually showed up tonight, but it would have to be enough. With that scowl still on my brow, I studied the expressions on their faces. They were sitting in some of the more secluded spots, as if they didn’t want to be seen, but they looked absolutely riveted by the performance on stage. I could only imagine the look in their eyes when Audrey did her thing. Whatever that was.

Another wave of annoyance washed over me, and I squeezed my hand into a fist. Hell damn it all. Why were straight men always the easiest to blackmail with shit like this? Why was it never straight women? Or gay men, for that matter? Then Audrey could be the one sitting here, trying to suppress the urge to poison the whole room while I made people drool into their drinks. Not that I was much of a dancer, but I was sure that I could have gotten the job done using other methods.

Blowing out a long breath, I drummed my fingers against the tabletop while trying to clear the scowl from my brow. In an audience full of grinning people, my irritation would draw attention. And we couldn’t risk that until after Audrey’s little show.

In an effort to get my anger in check, I instead studied the room. The Black Rose looked more or less the same as it had five years ago. A great stage made of polished dark wood spanned the length of the wall, and rich blue drapes with silver details hung behind it. There was a bar made of the same wooden material close to the front door, and then the private rooms where we had met Levi were located on the opposite side of the room. Small tables with only space for four chairs around each covered the rest of the floor. They were all incredibly luxurious, though.

In the ceiling were crystal chandeliers, holding thousands of candles, and each table was decorated with sparkling candleholders as well. Combined, they created the illusion that the whole room was filled with silver glitter.

My gaze slid to the door to the right of the stage. The dressing rooms that the performers used were in there. And so was Audrey.

I braced myself as the group of dancers at last took a bow to the thunderous applause from the crowd. It was time.

Flexing my fingers, I blew out another deep breath and then checked our marks again. All three men were still seated at their respective tables, drinking from their half-full glasses while waiting for the group to finish filing into the dressing room and for the next act to appear.

A faint murmur spread through the room as people took this opportunity to discuss the performance. I slid my gaze back to the now closed door to the dressing rooms.

It was pushed open.

My heart stopped.

Audrey sauntered onto the stage in a swishing of hips. The black and gold dress she wore looked like it had been made for her body and her body alone. It clung to her chest and waist before flowing down around her legs like a shimmering waterfall. Sleeveless, and with a tantalizing slit down the front, it drew every single eye in the room to the perfect shape of her tits. Blood rushed to my cock just seeing her like that.

A hush fell over the room as she stopped in the middle of the stage. There was a sly smile on her lips as she untied what looked to be a shawl from around her waist. It was made of a sheer black material decorated with golden threads, and it glittered in the sparkling light from the chandeliers as it fluttered through the air.

Then she flicked a glance towards the group of musicians who waited at the edge of the stage. They gave her a nod.

Sultry notes drifted into the perfume-scented air as they began playing. I kept my eyes on Audrey.

At first, she remained standing in the same place. While holding the shawl with her left hand, she curled her right hand around the fabric and then slowly drew it through the circle that her fingers made. That same sly smile still played over her lips while she watched the audience. They stared at her, probably wondering where this was going.

The moment the entire shawl had been pulled through her hand, she lurched into motion.

I sat back in my seat and stared in utter shock as Audrey danced with a confident yet elegant grace. She rolled her hips and moved in tune with the alluring music, making the shawl flutter through the air with the sweep of her arms, only to let it snap tight in her hands again before allowing it to flow freely once more.

My heart stuttered as I watched her become one with the music and the dance. It was spellbinding. Her body twisted and flowed with sensual movements, the shimmering shawl adding to the feeling that she was somehow moving under water. I hadn’t known that she could dance like that.

When she had told me that she would handle the stage tonight, I didn’t know what I had been expecting. But it sure as hell hadn’t been… this.

She had been dancing for almost a minute when I realized that my mouth was open. And that I hadn’t been watching our victims. I snapped my mouth shut and shook my head to clear it of the temptations that ran rampant inside me. With massive effort, I managed to tear my gaze from Audrey and shift it to the audience.

They were all watching her with the same rapture that I had. Light from the thousands of candles glittered in their eyes as they tracked every flick of Audrey’s wrists and every roll of her hips. Fuck, I wanted to blind them all.

I forced out a measured breath and dragged my gaze to our three victims.

The moment my attention was on them, Audrey made her move. As if she had been waiting for me to get my shit together.

A gasp rippled through the warm room as Audrey gracefully leaped down from the stage and continued dancing on the floor between the tables. Jewelry glinted in the flickering candles as people turned in their seats to keep Audrey in view. She lingered at a few of the other tables too before she finally reached our first blackmail victim. It was a man in his forties, with thin blond hair and pale eyes. He grinned widely as Audrey positioned herself right in front of his chair.

With that sly smile still on her lips, she rolled her hips and then leaned forward to drape the shawl around the back of his neck. Holding it like that, she moved into position between his spread legs while she continued dancing. He raked hungry eyes up and down her body.

Fury roared through me, and I gripped the edge of the table so hard that I swore I could hear the wood squeak in distress.

This was the plan. We had to create an event that these men wouldn’t want their wife, girlfriend, and mother, respectively, to hear about so that I could then blackmail them with it. And this was how we did that. But hell damn it all, I fucking hated the way they were looking at my Audrey.

She slowly drew the shawl back so that it slid across his neck in an incredibly seductive way. He raised his hand slightly. Magic thrummed in my veins. If that bastard put a single finger on her, I was going to cut his hand off. Mission be damned.

Thankfully, the idiot was smart enough to let his hand drop back down to his lap before that could happen. There were places in the city where patrons were allowed to touch the performers. This wasn’t one of them.

With a wink to our first victim, Audrey continued her alluring dance towards our second one.

It was a bloody miracle that the tabletop before me was still intact by the time she finally returned to the stage and executed a dramatic bow. Roars, whistles, and applause cascaded through the packed room. I flexed my hand and forced out a long steadying breath when Audrey had at last disappeared back into the dressing room, but I kept the threat of violence billowing around me like a cloak as I pushed to my feet.

Soft chatter spread through the room as the guests waited for the next person to take the stage. It was accompanied by the clinking of glasses and the occasional giggle.

I strode between the tables, making straight for our first victim. He looked up from his now almost empty glass of red wine and blinked at me in surprise as I stopped in front of his table and pulled out a chair.

“That seat is taken,” he said.

Not bothering to reply, I simply dropped into the chair. It creaked in alarm at the sudden weight and the forceful way in which it had been applied.

“Fred Turner,” I said right as the man opened his mouth to protest.

He drew back slightly. Then his pale eyes darted to the sides, as if checking to make sure that no one had overheard me. After drawing a hand over his thin blond hair, he returned his attention to me. “Who are you?”

“The guy who’s about to tell your wife about what I saw here tonight.”

Fred shot to his feet, almost toppling the chair in his hurry. “You—”

“Sit the fuck down,” I interrupted. Raising my eyebrows, I leveled a smug look full of challenge at him. “You don’t want to cause a scene, now do you?”

A few of the people from the closest tables had glanced over at us. Fred flicked another quick look around the room, noting their gazes, and then lowered himself into his seat again.

“Good,” I drawled. “You’re smart enough to understand the situation you’re in. Maybe we’ll be able to make a deal after all.”

Fred glared at me. “Why do you care if my wife knows about this or not?”

“I don’t. But you do. So here’s what I’m gonna do now. I’m gonna go to your lovely little home on Baker Street right now and tell your wife how you just ogled that last performer while she danced between your legs…”

He began spluttering something incoherent, but I kept talking.

“And then she’ll probably rush right over here where all of these other people will be able to verify my claim.”

Panic pushed out the anger in his eyes, and he swallowed. “What do you want?”

“Money.”

He pulled out a truly pathetic little stack of paper bills from his pocket and put it on the table. I just cocked an eyebrow at him without making a move to take the money.

“That’s all I have,” he said.

Placing my hands on the tabletop, I made as if to push myself to my feet. “Deal’s off.”

“Wait!”

With desperation flickering in his eyes, he shoved his hand into his pocket again and pulled out another, much larger, stack of money. His hands trembled slightly as he pushed the crumpled bills towards me.

“Here. Here. Take it.”

I flicked an unimpressed glance down at it before fixing him with a hard stare. “That’s not a lot.”

“It’s all I have. I swear it.”

For a few seconds, I just watched him in silence. He squirmed slightly in his seat. Then I clicked my tongue.

“Alright.” Reaching out, I gathered up the money he had offered. “I’ll take this. And you’ll owe me a favor too.”

He paled. “What?”

“A favor. To be called in at a place and time of my choosing.”

Something that looked a lot like realization blew across his features, as if he had just figured out that he could tell Levi about this before I could call in that favor.

Clearing his throat, he gave me a nod. “Okay.”

I chuckled and shoved the money into my pocket while standing up. “A pleasure doing business.”

With a mocking smile, I strode away.

And towards our next victim.

Chapter 30

Ismirked at myself in the mirror. The look on Callan’s face when I had started dancing was better than anything I could have hoped for. He had actually gaped at me. Serious, open-mouthed, gaping. I chuckled to myself before moving away from the mirror and towards the dress that I had arrived in. Cocking my head, I glanced between it and the black and gold one I was still wearing, considering whether or not I could be bothered to change back before we left.

Before I could make a decision, the door was flung open. I whirled towards it to find Callan prowling across the threshold. His brown eyes were so dark that they almost looked black.

It made a thrill ripple through my body, but I only asked, “How did the blackmailing go?”

“Fine.” Even his voice was rough.

He closed the door with more force than was necessary, making the various jewelry and garments that hung on hooks on the walls tremble. The Black Rose’s regular dancers had their own private dressing rooms, but this was one of the rooms that visiting performers could use. And because of that, it was full of props of all kinds. Necklaces and headdresses and shawls made of feathers hung in a jumble from the hooks, while hats and thin staffs and some piles of clothes rested on the wooden table in the middle of the room.

While toying with the gold-shimmering shawl I was still holding, I turned my back on Callan and spun towards the clothing rack where I had hung my other dress. “Good.”

My skin prickled with excitement as a soft click sounded, informing me that Callan had just locked the door. I tried, and failed, to suppress a smug grin as his footsteps sounded behind me, coming closer.

“I didn’t know you could dance like that.” His voice rumbled from his chest, vibrating through my bones.

I turned back around to face him and flashed him a wicked smile while raising my eyebrows. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, pretty boy.”

“Fucking hell, Audrey…” Shaking his head, he continued advancing on me until he was standing so close that I could practically feel the heat radiating from his skin. “You couldn’t have given me a heads-up?”

Tipping my head back, I smirked up at him. “Why would I do that? When I could watch your jaw literally drop instead?”

“Oh you vicious little poisoner, you’re gonna be the death of me.”

He lurched forward, putting his hands on my cheeks and kissing me with such desperate passion that my heart did a couple of absolutely ridiculous backflips.

The clothing rack wobbled as I backed into it, accidentally hitting one of the legs with my heel. Callan threw out a hand and shoved the whole construction aside. The shawl slipped from my fingers.

I grabbed the front of Callan’s shirt and kept his mouth firmly against mine as he backed me the final step to the wall. His hand slid down my ribs to rest on my hip while his lips continued ravaging mine. I pulled him harder against me, needing to feel all of him.

A deep moan tore from his throat as I raked my fingers down his back. Raising one leg, I wrapped it around his hip to keep his body in place. He slid his hands down to my ass and lifted me off the floor. I wrapped both legs around his waist.

His mouth claimed mine with furious need while he turned around and carried me over to the table. I let out an annoyed noise as he set me down on the edge of the table and tore his lips from mine. My chest heaved. So did his. And he was looking at me with a wicked glint in his eyes that I knew meant trouble. It made my toes curl.

Staffs and hats and other props clattered to the floor as Callan swept his arm over the tabletop, clearing it of everything that had been piled on top of it. I licked my lips as he rounded the table to stand between my legs once more.

Lightning danced over my skin as his hands brushed my calves. Callan locked dark eyes on me and held my gaze while he started sliding the flowing skirt of my dress up my legs. I bit my lip just as his hands reached the back of my knees.

His eyes flashed and his grip tightened on my legs. I smirked up at him. He shook his head slowly, promising that there would be sweet revenge for that very calculated tease.

I shifted my weight slightly to get the skirt into a better position as Callan pushed it up over my thighs. His strong hands on my skin made my breathing grow increasingly heavy.

When the black and golden skirt was bunched around my waist, he placed his palm against my chest and slowly pushed me down towards the tabletop. I braced myself on my hands, and then elbows, before I let him move me fully onto my back. The thumb of his other hand caressed the inside of my thigh while I lay down. I drew in a shuddering breath.

Taking his hand from my chest, he slid both of them up my thighs and then curled his fingers around my panties. I lifted my ass off the tabletop as he pulled them down my legs. With my skirt now bunched around my waist, it left my pussy completely exposed to the wicked force mage. My body thrummed with anticipation.

But after Callan had maneuvered my panties past my feet, he remained crouched on the floor before me. His hands hooked around the back of my knees and then spread my legs wider.

I pushed myself up on my elbows to see better right as he drew his tongue along my pussy.

A gasp tore from my throat, and I collapse down onto my back again. Callan lifted my legs and draped them over his shoulders before swirling his tongue around my clit.

I let out a needy noise and dug my heels into his back. He drew his tongue along my seam again. Just as he reached my clit once more, he pushed two vibrating fingers inside me.

My back arched up from the tabletop and a shuddering moan spilled from my lips.

Angling his head, he swept his tongue around my clit while he drew his fingers out and then pushed them back in. My legs trembled against his back. The vibrations from his magic pulsed through my pussy in a way that made me want to grind my clit against him. As if he could read my mind, he sucked my clit and then rolled it between his lips while he curled his fingers on the way out of my pussy.

White lights flickered in my brain and a small whine escaped my lips.

Callan pushed his fingers back in, and this time, he also extended his vibrating force magic. I fought the urge to wrap my thighs around his face as he withdrew the vibrating shaft before shoving it deeper again. Pleasure thrummed inside me, trapped like a violent storm.

It kept building as Callan swept his tongue around my clit while starting up the perfect pace with his force shaft. I writhed against the table.

His teeth grazed my clit.

My hands flew down, sliding into his hair and gripping it hard. He chuckled, making his warm breath dance over my sensitive skin. His wicked mouth tortured my clit with teasing strokes of his tongue, pressure with his lips, and a grazing of teeth while his pulsing magic pushed the pleasure inside me to insane levels.

I squeezed my fingers, holding his head steady with a firm grip on his hair. My mind was threatening to shut down, and pleading moans tore from my throat. Callan swirled his tongue around my clit again.

Release crashed over me and flooded my body with crackling pleasure. I gasped up into the ceiling, and my trembling inner walls tightened around his fingers. As I did, I must have loosened my grip on his hair because he shifted his head back, but kept his magic pumping in and out of me, as if he wanted to watch me come hard all over his hand.

I gripped the edge of the table instead as pleasure shot through my limbs.

As the last of it faded out, I blinked up at the wooden ceiling above. My chest heaved and I was having trouble focusing my eyes, so I just lay there on the tabletop while Callan slid his fingers back out and gently lifted my legs off his shoulders.

From the edge of my vision, I could see him rising to his feet between my still spread legs. But he didn’t move closer. Instead, he turned around and walked back to the wall where this mind-shattering event had begun. Confusion flitted through me.

“What are you doing?” I asked, still staring up into the ceiling.

I could hear the lethal smile in his voice when he spoke. “I’m gonna show you exactly what I’ve been wanting to do with this shawl since the moment you took it out on stage.”

While I tried to piece my shattered mind together, Callan stopped by the wall briefly before the sound of his footsteps indicated that he was moving back towards the table.

Having finally recovered enough from the intense orgasm, I managed to sit up right as Callan returned. The black and golden shawl that I had used while I danced dangled from his fingers. I raised my eyebrows at him.

His eyes glinted in the warm light from the ornate oil lamp above. Lifting his free hand, he drew soft fingers along my jaw before leaning down to steal a kiss from my lips. I sighed into his mouth as my skin prickled with the pleasure of his touch.

He pulled back, far too soon, and instead shifted his hands down towards my hips. A wicked grin curled his lips. I let out a small yelp as he suddenly yanked me towards him. My feet hit the ground as I slid off the edge of the table and landed on the floor.

With that firm grip on my hips, he spun me around so that I faced the table instead. Then he planted his palm between my shoulder blades and pushed me chest first back onto the table. I tilted my head to the side so that my cheek was resting against the smooth tabletop while Callan rounded the table. On his way past, he reached over and grabbed my wrists. I angled my head up, watching him as he moved my arms so that they were stretched out in front of me.

The soft shawl brushed against my skin as Callan wrapped one end around my wrists before tying my hands together with a tight knot. I raised my eyebrows as he then pulled the other end of the shawl so that it fell down over the edge of the table. He just flashed me a sly smile as he yanked on it, making sure that my hips were snug against the edge on the other side. Then he secured the long piece of fabric to the table leg below him.

“This is what you were imagining while I danced, huh?” I teased.

He ran his fingers along the side of my body, drawing a shiver from me, as he prowled back to his previous position. “This. And other things.”

I pulled against my restraints, testing out the strength of the knot. It didn’t give an inch. With my chest and arms trapped against the table like that, I could no longer see Callan when he stopped in front of my ass. My hips and thighs were pressed firmly against the edge of the table, but I managed to wiggle my ass a little, knowing that it would mess with Callan’s composure.

Sure enough, a strong hand came down on my hip a second later, stopping my movements.

“You wicked creature,” he murmured as he slid my skirt back up my legs.

A shuddering breath escaped my lips as his hands caressed my bare ass before he placed the rolled-up skirt against my lower back. “I’m wicked?”

“Yes. Tempting me like that when I haven’t even gotten my cock out of my pants yet.”

“Says the guy who has tied me up but then just leaves me bent over the table like this without actually taking me.” I wasn’t sure if he could see it from that angle, but I let a smirk spread across my lips and raised my eyebrows in mocking challenge. “Are you going to fuck me already or do I need to take matters into my own hands?”

That last word transformed into a gasp as Callan kicked my legs apart, widening my stance even more. His hands appeared on my hips, angling my ass upwards.

“That’s more like it,” I taunted while a thrill of anticipation coursed through me, making my already soaked pussy throb with need. “But you’re still missing—”

He shoved his cock inside me.

A groan of pleasure rolled off my tongue and I curled my fingers at the feeling of his hard length filling my pussy. After pulling out slightly, he slammed into me again. Another moan escaped my lips.

“You,” he began as he withdrew and then shoved into me once more, “need to learn to have some patience, sweetheart.”

I let out a dark chuckle as he thrust into me hard again. “Patience is for the powerless, darling.”

My body jerked forward as he buried his cock deep inside me.

Callan tightened his grip on my hips as he pulled out and then did the same again, “You’re tied up and bent over a table.”

“And yet, you fucked me exactly when I told you to.”

A midnight laugh drifted through the air. “I fucking love you, my wickedly clever and insanely powerful little poisoner.”

Satisfaction sparkled in my chest as I grinned. “I love you too.” Letting a note full of teasing challenge creep into my voice, I spoke over my shoulder as my body rocked forward from another one of his thrusts. “Now shut up and fuck me hard enough to break this table.”

“Your wish is my command, sweetheart.”

My hips dug into the edge of the table as Callan picked up the pace, slamming into me with savage strength. I arched my back and rose up higher on my toes to give him better access. He rewarded me by setting a rhythm that was perfect for me.

I squeezed my hands into fists as pleasure built inside me.

Shifting my head, I pressed my forehead against the cool tabletop as Callan’s thick cock filled my pussy. The table rattled as he slammed into me hard again and again.

I started in surprise and pulled against my restraints as a forceful thrust sent the table sliding forward slightly.

Callan growled in annoyance behind me.

Wood ground against wood as he yanked the table back, burying his cock fully inside me again. His hands never returned to my hips, so I assumed that he was holding the table in place instead.

My pussy throbbed with pent-up need as he started up that perfect rhythm again. I sucked in shuddering breaths while my body jerked back and forth with his powerful thrusts. Relief was so close now. Squeezing my eyes shut, I curled my hands into fists as the orgasm drew closer.

A gasp ripped from my lungs as Callan’s cock hit a spot deep inside me, sending me tumbling right over that sweet edge. My legs shook and I yanked against my restraints as my pussy throbbed with pleasure. Callan kept thrusting into my trembling pussy until release exploded through him as well.

His hands wrapped around my hips again and he held my ass in place as he came inside me.

Tilting my head to the side, I rested my cheek against the tabletop while my chest heaved and pleasure ricocheted through my body.

Scheming, blackmailing, and violent fucking.

What a night.

I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life doing shit like this with Callan.

Chapter 31

“Where did you learn to dance like that?”

Audrey looked up from her glass of wine and met my gaze while a slight smirk played over her lips. Golden afternoon sunlight streamed in through the windows of the restaurant and set her green eyes glittering like emeralds.

“You’re still thinking about that, huh?” she replied, and gave me a quick rise and fall of her eyebrows.

I threw her a flat look. “How can I not?”

She swirled the wine in her glass for a few seconds and then took a sip. Since it was halfway between lunch and dinner, the restaurant was mostly empty. Only a few other couples sat at the tables a short distance from ours, and none of them were eating. Just enjoying a casual drink. Like us. Except we were here to see David too. Though the advisor and his eavesdropping waiter still hadn’t deigned to make an appearance.

“Like I told you before, my sister is very good at…” She waved a hand. “Well, everything. So she naturally got top marks in her dance class.”

“Let me guess…” Amusement pulled at my lips. “You wanted to show her up?”

“Naturally. But I knew I would never be as good as her at the classical dances, so I decided to win with strategy instead of hard work. There was a girl in my class who had moved to Eldar from one of the northern cities, so I persuaded her to teach me one of the dances that was popular in her city.”

“Persuaded?”

“I didn’t threaten her, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“So you bribed her.”

Her lips quirked up and she gave me an innocent shrug. “Maybe.”

I chuckled. “Alright, so she taught you how to dance like that.”

“Yeah. I did it as my mid-year exam.” She flicked her wrist. “Let’s just say that my teachers were… not impressed.”

My eyebrows rose. “Really?”

“Too… vulgar, I think was the word they used. They even called in my parents for a meeting. I still remember the look of disapproval on my father’s face.” She lifted her shoulders in a shrug again. “The steps stuck with me, though. Well, in general. I improvised parts of that dance last night.”

“I’d say your teachers…” I trailed off as the spying waiter at last approached our table.

“Is everything to your satisfaction?” he asked loudly enough for the closest table to overhear.

“Everything is fine,” Audrey replied in an equally loud tone.

While leaning forward to place a pitcher of water on our table, the waiter slipped me a folded up note and whispered, “The boss isn’t here right now. But I was told to give you this.”

It took an impressive amount of self-control to hide the irritation washing over me. David couldn’t even be bothered to meet with us this time? I had assumed that the blackmailing mission would be the last one before we would be brought into the real plan to locate Levi’s wife. Since no one in the city was breathing a single word about her, it would look incredibly suspicious if we brought up that we already knew that they were trying to track her down. So we had to wait for them to share that with us. But apparently, they still didn’t trust us enough for that.

Based on the coldness seeping into Audrey’s eyes, she shared my feelings.

Without waiting for us to reply, the waiter simply moved off to place another decanter of water on another table.

Paper rustled faintly as I opened the note and read through the message enclosed there in neat handwriting.

Exasperation welled up inside me again. They have got to be fucking kidding.

Forcing out a breath, I looked up to meet Audrey’s gaze. “Looks like we have our next assignment.”

I discreetly slid the paper to her and then waited while she read it. Her dark brows furrowed into a scowl. When she was done, she shoved it back to me so that I could stuff it into my pocket since the dress she was wearing didn’t have any.

“Come on,” I said as I stood up, leaving my still half-full glass on the table. “We need to get some supplies first.”

The sneaky waiter watched us while we weaved through the tables but said nothing as we walked out the door and into the busy street. The sun had been baking the city all day, and I could almost feel the air vibrate with heat when we stepped onto the cobblestones outside. I rolled up the sleeves on my shirt, thankful that I hadn’t been stupid enough to put on my leather armor this morning.

Audrey drew her fingers through her hair and then tied it up in a ponytail before rubbing a hand over the back of her neck. She was wearing a thin pale green dress, but I still spotted a bead of sweat sliding down her neck as she followed me down a series of streets.

“Who the hell does he think he is?” Audrey growled when we were a safe distance from the restaurant. “Thinking he can give us instructions for some petty hit on a fucking piece of paper? As if we’re some damn henchmen.”

“Yeah.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “We need to make sure that this is the last one. Not just because I’m getting sick of this being treated like underlings shit, but also because Levi’s losing his patience. You heard his messenger this morning. He’s not happy with the backlash from the blackmailing.”

Not happy was the understatement of the decade. The messenger who had sought us out this morning had more or less told us that if we didn’t get this plan moving soon, Levi would cover us in metal and drop our still breathing bodies in the River of Souls.

“I know,” she replied.

A group of young men walked past within earshot, and we fell silent for a while. They laughed and shoved each other and dared someone to ask someone else out while casting not-so-subtle looks over their shoulders. Another group, this one of mixed men and women, who most likely contained the object of their discussion, walked a short distance behind them. They were whispering and giggling too.

None of the oil lamps had been lit yet, but the light from the afternoon sun shone through the colored glass domes and painted the whole street in a patchwork of shifting hues. I studied the way the colors played over Audrey’s dress while we waited for the two groups to pass.

“I know we technically only have to kill Trevor Gale to hold up our end of the deal,” Audrey said when the street around us was relatively clear again. “But I want David dead before we leave Malgrave.”

“Agreed.” I placed a hand on her back, steering her towards a blue door that had finally come up on our left. “In here.”

No bell tinkled as I pulled open the door and strode into one of the drug dens. Not that I had expected it to. Most establishments like this usually avoided things that made unnecessary noise. People came here to disappear into a dreamland, after all.

“Welcome,” said the blond woman behind the counter as we entered.

The small room at the very front was bare except for the pale wooden counter she was standing at and the paintings on the walls. A doorway opened up to a corridor behind her, which I knew would lead to secluded rooms where guests could ingest the drugs in privacy.

I hadn’t personally used any of these establishments, but various missions for Levi had taken me to them more than once so I knew the basic layout and procedure.

“I’d like to buy ten grams of dreamcore,” I said as we came to a halt in front of the counter.

There were several different kinds of recreational drugs sold in places like this, but dreamcore was one of the most popular ones. All of the drugs were created by dark mages with powers similar to what Harvey Grant possessed. He could infuse his emotion magic into food and other things that could be consumed, and so could the ones who made these drugs. But rather than influence emotions, they could create things that affected a person’s state of mind. Dreamcore was a drug that created fun illusions. I had never tried it myself, but given how popular it was, it had to be a pretty fun experience.

“Of course,” the owner replied. “For here or to go?”

“To go.”

“And to smoke or to drink?”

“To drink.”

The drug was a fine powder that could either be put into a pipe and smoked or poured into alcohol or whatever drink the user preferred. Regardless of the form, the powder looked the same. As far as I knew, the only difference between the two was that the powder used for smoking had a taste to it while the other one was both tasteless and completely colorless, so as to not ruin the drink.

The woman gave me a nod in acknowledgement. “One moment, please.”

Audrey had drifted over to inspect the paintings on the walls, and I turned to watch her while the owner went into a back room to collect my order. With her head slightly cocked, Audrey studied a drawing in pink, orange, and purple colors that depicted some kind of whimsical landscape. As I watched her, I wondered if she had ever tried dreamcore. Like she had said last night, there were a lot of things I still didn’t know about her.

Something moved at the corner of my eye. I turned back, expecting to find the owner returning with my order. Instead, I was hit in the face with a thick white cloud that tasted like sweet apples.

I coughed violently as the smoke made it into my lungs.

A goofy laugh filled the room.

While waving the white cloud aside with one hand, my other shot out to grab the person who had blown it. Unfocused brown eyes looked back at me when the smoke cleared. They belonged to a thin man in a rich blue shirt who was clutching an expensive-looking pipe in his right hand.

Tightening my grip on his collar, I yanked him forward while pressing out through clenched teeth, “The fuck do you think you’re doing?”

He just laughed and patted my arm as if we were good friends.

The door that the owner had disappeared through earlier opened in the corridor. I glanced between the blond woman stepping back out through it and the brown-eyed man before me. He was high as a fucking kite so he wouldn’t even feel it if I beat him up. And I was pretty sure that the owner wouldn’t be very pleased if I did that either, so instead of giving him the beating he deserved, I just used my grip on his shirt to throw him towards the door. He stumbled a few steps before managing to grab the handle.

From her place by the painting, Audrey looked at me with raised eyebrows. I just shook my head at her in silent reply that it was nothing to worry about.

“Alright, here you are,” the owner said. “Ten grams of dreamcore made for drinking.”

I passed her a stack of paper bills that she put somewhere behind the counter before she handed me the small leather pouch she had been holding.

“Just pour it in, wait about a minute for it to dissolve completely, and then drink away,” she said.

Sliding it into my pocket, I asked, “Any upper time limit? From when I pour it in to when I have to drink it?”

“Oh, uhm… Maybe five hours? Give or take half an hour or so.”

“Alright. Thanks.”

When I turned around, the idiot with the pipe was gone. I jerked my chin at Audrey, who gave the painting one last look before following me towards the door.

Warmth washed into the store as I pushed open the door again. Behind us, the owner’s voice drifted through the air.

“Come back anytime!”

Chapter 32

“Have you ever tried it?”

Callan sidestepped a group that suddenly poured out of a yellow door right next to us. Once he had returned to my side, he looked down at me while we continued walking. “Dreamcore?”

“Yeah.”

He shook his head. “No. When you’re the King of Metal’s executioner and bodyguard, wandering the streets lost in a dreamland is a really fucking bad idea.” A curious expression blew across his features as he studied me. “Have you?”

“No. I don’t like situations that I can’t control.”

“Shocker.”

I gave his shoulder a shove, which did nothing to actually throw him off balance, so I settled for glaring at him instead. “Like you’re one to talk.”

While letting out a soft chuckle, he draped an arm over my shoulders and pulled me closer. “Fair enough.”

We continued down the street in silence until we reached one of the larger parks in Malgrave. Or at least on this side of the river, since I hadn’t seen enough of the north side to know what it contained. The afternoon sun kept beating down on us, making sweat trickle down my spine. On streets like this, between the buildings, it felt as though the hot air wasn’t moving at all, so I was very much looking forward to the walk through the park since it at least offered a bit more room for the air to circulate.

“Alright, so we have the dreamcore,” I began as we reached the edge of the park. “How do we get in?”

“I register as a participant.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. It’s the only way to get access.”

“Are you sure you can handle that?”

He shot me a flat look. I chuckled and gave him a quick rise and fall of my eyebrows.

A merciful breeze swept across the grass, making the leaves on the trees and bushes before us rustle. Both Callan and I let out a sigh at the respite it offered from the afternoon heat. I stepped out from under Callan’s arm and fluffed out the fabric of my dress that had been sticking to my skin as another soft wind caressed our bodies.

The park we had entered was about the same size as the larger ones that could be found in both Eldar and Castlebourne. So not big generally speaking, but sizeable for being inside a city. Grass stretched out towards the buildings that framed the park farther away, but the trees and bushes and beds of flowers that filled it split the park into different sections. A wide path made of white stone ran right through the park, but there were also smaller paths that branched off and curved around to different areas for those who wanted to wander rather than just cross it.

“So how do we get you registered?” I asked as we made our way down the main path.

“We’re heading there right now. We just need…” Callan trailed off and turned to stare towards the grass on our right. “Whoa. Did you see that?”

Uneasiness slithered up my spine, and my hands instinctively drifted closer together. “See what?”

“That fox. I’ve never seen one that looks like…” His arm shot up and he pointed towards a low bush with thick dark green leaves. “There!”

I frowned at it. “What? There’s no fox, Callan.”

“Yes, there is. It’s right there. Eating those pale blue mushrooms.” He cocked his head. “I wonder if that’s why it’s pink. And glowing.”

“What the fuck are you…”

Realization crackled through me. The white smoke. That guy at the drug den had blown white smoke right into Callan’s face. Don’t tell me he…?

“It’s moving!” Callan called, and then bolted straight across the grass.

For a single second, I just stared at the damn force mage as he took off running towards a set of bushes. A groan tore from my throat. “Shit.”

Then I sprinted after him. Branches flapped in fear as he elbowed aside a pair of bushes with dark red leaves while racing towards hell knew what. I ran around the now traumatized vegetation instead as I followed him.

Placing a hand on the wooden backrest of a bench, he deftly leaped over it and landed gracefully on the other side before continuing forward. My dress fluttered around my legs as I hurtled after him.

Hell damn it. He was high and delusional, but he somehow managed to retain all of his physical abilities?

Alarm pulsed through me as Callan took a sharp left around a thick hedge and disappeared from view. If I lost sight of him now, I might not be able to find him again. Why did he have to be so damn fast?

My ponytail whipped in the air as I skidded around the hedge as well.

And slammed right into Callan’s muscled back.

Air exploded from my lungs as my sprint came to an abrupt halt against Callan’s rock-hard body. I stumbled backwards, tripping on the back of my skirt, and crashed down on the grass. What little breath I had managed to draw disappeared out in a huff as I hit the ground.

“Whoa,” Callan said, completely oblivious to the murderous glare I was searing into his back. “I’ve never seen foxes this big. And look! Look at all the mushrooms.”

Pushing to my feet, I rubbed my sore ass while flicking a quick glance around the area. There were no foxes here. And no mushrooms. Only grass that had somehow managed to stay fresh and green even in the heat of summer, probably thanks to a water mage, and a series of dense hedges that boxed in the area on three sides. I glanced over my shoulder to find one of the small side paths snaking along the ground a short distance from us.

“Yeah, the foxes are great,” I said as I turned back to Callan. “Now come on, let’s go.”

He let out a giddy laugh. It was such an odd sound that I actually gaped at him. I hadn’t even known that Callan Blackwell, of all people, was even capable of making such a sound.

His eyes were unfocused and there was a goofy grin on his face as he walked a few steps forward while holding out his hand. “Hello.” He moved his hand as if he was patting something. “Aren’t you a pretty one?”

My composure shattered completely. Bracing my hands on my knees, I doubled over and laughed so loudly that I startled the small blue bird that had been hiding in the foliage. It flapped away with frantic speed while I laughed like an absolute lunatic.

A few steps away, Callan was walking around in a circle, patting his invisible foxes.

Tears welled up in my eyes. Straightening, I wiped them away and drew in a breath to compose myself again right as Callan crouched down and picked up something nonexistent from the ground.

“Here,” he said as he held it out to the empty air. “Do you want a mushroom?”

I broke down again and laughed. And laughed and laughed and laughed until my stomach hurt and I was gasping for breath.

By all hell, I was never going to let him forget this. Ever.

Clearing my throat, I straightened and wiped away more tears while sucking in deep steadying breaths. Callan looked to be feeding the foxes mushrooms, so I wandered over to him and put a hand on his arm. He looked up at me, and his eyes rolled slightly before he managed to fix them on me.

“If you give the foxes any more mushrooms, they’ll get sick,” I said gently while trying to hold in my laughter.

Callan blinked at me and then looked down to where the foxes were presumably standing. “Really?”

“Yes.” I slid my arm around his and started steering him away. “Come on, let’s leave them in peace.”

We made it all of two steps before he moved off to point at another invisible mushroom. I followed him and took his arm again, making another effort to get him away from there. That time, we managed four steps. Then he was wandering away again, saying something about how the foxes were following.

I massaged my brow as I once more went to collect him and steer him back towards the path.

It was like trying to herd a particularly distracted cat.

After a few more tries, we made it onto the small side path that I hoped would take us in the right direction. An old man frowned in confusion at Callan as he passed us, but when I shot him a withering glare, he scurried away without a word.

Callan kept trying to wander off, so we made very slow progress through the park. I had tried to kill the effects of the drug with my magic, but since dreamcore was also made by magic, it hadn’t worked. So I just kept a firm grip on Callan’s arm and dragged him back to the path every time he tried to drift away.

A slender young woman with dark hair and a nondescript face passed us. She walked without hesitation, but kept her gaze on the ground as she slipped past and continued in the opposite direction.

Ice skittered across my bones.

Fuck.

That woman. That woman was one of the people who had been standing at the back when Johnson and Kane and his friends attacked us in the alley. I almost didn’t recognize her because she had such a bland and forgettable face, which was probably the point.

I whipped my head around, scanning in every direction.

Shit, shit, shit.

We were about to walk right into an ambush. And my damn force mage was picking invisible mushrooms and chasing pink glowing foxes.

I snapped my gaze between the path ahead and where the woman had now disappeared around a bend. If she came from that direction, it probably meant that we would be attacked from the front. My gaze darted back to the curved path. Or from behind. And if we didn’t show up soon, they would probably come in here to find us.

Alarm blared inside my skull.

The front or the back? Which side would the ambush be on?

Dread drew its cold fingers down my spine.

Both. They always attacked from both sides.

Fuck. We needed to get out of here. I couldn’t fight them all with Callan lost in his damn dreamland.

Taking a firm grip on Callan’s arm, I forcibly dragged him towards the hedge the framed the path on our left.

“Where are we going?” he asked, a confused note to his voice.

“The foxes ran in there,” I said, and pointed towards the tall hedge. “Hurry! We need to catch up to them.”

With my hand still locked around Callan’s wrist, I stalked right into the bush. Branches ripped at my dress and scratched my arms as I elbowed my way through it. Thankfully, Callan followed without resisting. I gritted my teeth as I kept pushing my way towards the other side.

The green bush rustled in annoyance behind our backs, trying to get its branches back into the proper shape, when we finally stumbled out on the other side. I flicked my gaze across the area. There was no path here, and fortunately no people either.

My heart lurched as I swore I could hear footsteps from the other side of the hedge. A moment later, my fears were confirmed when Johnson’s voice cut through the air.

“Where are they?”

“They were here,” a woman’s voice answered. “I just passed them.”

I yanked Callan forward. We had to get out of sight. At least until the drugs were out of his system.

Massive rhododendron bushes covered large areas of the grass ahead. Their pink and purple and red flowers lit up the otherwise completely green area like colorful lights. I dragged Callan towards one in the middle right as the hedge we had squeezed through began rustling.

“Look,” I whispered to Callan, and pointed towards our left.

He swung in that direction, making both his attention and balance waver.

I used that opportunity to give him a hard shove right into the rhododendron bush. Then I leaped in after him.

The rustling sound was covered by the same noise that Johnson and his friends were making while trying to get through the hedge.

Tripping over tangled branches, I fell down and landed right on top of Callan, who had also ended up on the ground. Leaves and twigs clung to our clothes and hair and poked against my body as I straddled Callan’s chest and slapped a hand across his mouth right as someone else spoke up.

“Crap,” Johnson swore from a short distance away. “They’re not here. Which means that they made a run for one of the exits. Take the east one! I’ll go west.”

My heart slammed against my ribs as I waited to see if it was a ruse. But the sound of running feet indicated that they probably were moving off. I still remained straddling Callan’s chest, keeping my hand firmly over his mouth. He just stared up at the sky.

I kept us like that inside the purple rhododendron bush since we couldn’t risk running into Johnson and the others while Callan was still high on dreamcore.

After about fifteen minutes, Callan’s eyes slowly began sliding back into focus. Then he blinked. Shook his head. Then blinked again.

Heaving a deep sigh, I at last took my hand from his mouth. “How much do you remember?”

Callan only glanced around the dense bush that hid us from view. Then he pushed himself up into a sitting position, sliding me down so that I was straddling his lap instead. Dragging a hand through his hair, he cleared his throat before meeting my gaze again.

“All of it,” he replied.

Amusement swirled up inside me, and I couldn’t stop the wide grin that spread across my mouth. “I see.”

He drew his eyebrows down in a scowl. Embarrassment colored his cheeks a faint red shade. It just made me let out a satisfied laugh that informed him that I also remembered everything. And would never forget it.

Reaching up, he grabbed my jaw before leveling a commanding stare on me. When he spoke, his voice was low and deadly. “If you ever breathe a single word about this to anyone, I will kill you. Slowly. Intimately. And very painfully.”

Another smug laugh spilled from my lips. With that wicked grin still on my face, I lifted a hand and gave his cheek a couple of brisk pats.

“As always, you’re welcome to try, pretty boy.”

Chapter 33

Cheers echoed from the other side of the door, bouncing against the stone walls around me. The people who were in the large room with me remained silent, however. Focused on themselves. Good. It would make my mission easier.

While slowly pulling off my shirt, I studied the layout and the people standing along the walls. Each person had been given their own space to change and get ready. We all just had one small cabinet and a side table, but we didn’t need much more than that.

The walls were made of solid stone, with no decorations or other unnecessary items. As was the floor. There was one doorway that led to a corridor which connected to a back entrance, and another that led farther into the building. The latter was the one that all the noise was coming from, and it also had two guards posted on either side of it. But my target was along the side wall.

I calculated everyone’s field of vision while I threw my shirt into my small cabinet. Straightening, I rolled my shoulders back. No one was looking in my direction, and the guards were focused on two people who had begun trading insults by the wall opposite mine.

Sliding my hands into my pockets, I fished out a small leather pouch and untied it with efficient moves. Once I was done, I kept it hidden in my palm while I drifted over to my target, which was a table with a massive jug of water on it.

Metal clanged faintly as I lifted one of the tin cups and dipped it into the jug. While filling my cup, I shifted my hand so that I could tip the fine powder into the water. I remained by the table, drinking from my untainted cup while the dreamcore I had just poured into the jug dissolved into the water, leaving no trace behind.

Once it was no longer visible, I set the tin cup down on the side marked for used cups and then started back towards my designated spot.

Mission accomplished. Now, I just had to see the other part through to avoid suspicion.

I had only made it halfway across the floor and back to my spot when the door leading to the back exit was thrown open. Everyone turned towards it. A young man strode in with confident steps. He was blond and broad-shouldered, and his nose looked to have been broken more than once. I recognized him instantly. And he recognized me as well, given that his dark blue eyes were fixed solely on me from the moment he walked through the door.

It was one of Johnson’s friends. He was the guy who had put a sword to Audrey’s neck outside the bakery. And who had been standing beside Johnson in that alley, again with his sword, when they attacked us the second time.

“Coldblooded Callan,” he said, his gaze still locked on mine.

Several people around the room started, as if they recognized the name but hadn’t known what I looked like.

I gave him a mocking once-over. “Who are you again?”

“Jens Carlsen,” he ground out. “You killed my brother.”

A few of the guys around the room edged back slightly while others only watched us with outright interest. The two guards by the door shifted their attention to us, but didn’t move.

“And you’re here to what?” I raised my eyebrows. “Follow him into an early grave?”

Rage flashed in his eyes. The guards, who were the only people in the room who were armed, let their hands drift closer to their swords as Jens stalked up to me.

“No, that’s not why I’m here,” he said as he came to a halt a single step in front of me. Fury still blazed in his blue eyes as he met my impassive gaze. “Someone leaked the list of participants for tonight, and I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw your name on it.”

“Because you’ve been wanting to get your ass kicked by me for years?”

He ground his teeth and drew in a long breath as if to calm himself down before he answered. When he spoke, his voice was low enough that only I could hear. “No, Callan. I’m here to kill you.”

“And how are you gonna accomplish that when lethal force isn’t allowed in here?”

“Oh, I know.” A cold smile stretched his lips. “But accidents happen.”

I just chuckled and shook my head dismissively before turning away and starting back towards my spot. “I’ve already told Johnson, if you wanna kill me, you’re gonna need a hell of a lot more people to do it.”

His hand shot out, grabbing my forearm.

“Hey!” one of the guards called. “None of that in here. Save it for the stage.”

For a few seconds, it looked like Jens might actually be stupid enough to try something. But in the end, he released my arm and bared his teeth at me.

I answered with a vicious grin of my own and then flicked a mocking glance up and down his body.

“See you on the stage.”

Chapter 34

The roar of the crowd pulsed against my eardrums. I tapped my fingers on the metal tabletop as I watched the stage in the middle of the large stone building. This wasn’t exactly how I would have preferred to spend my night, but what could one do when one was trying to assassinate one of the major power players in this city?

“And now,” a male voice echoed over the noise of the crowd, “I have a real fun surprise for you. On the right, a face who should be familiar to you by now.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Jens Carlsen!”

A cheer rose as the people packed around the other metal tables throughout the room clapped their hands and whistled. I blinked at the blond man who strode out from the door at the back and made his way up onto the raised stage.

It was the guy who had placed a sword across my throat when Johnson and the others had attacked us outside the bakery.

“And his opponent tonight,” the announcer continued, “is none other than the infamous Callan Blackwell!”

Infamous. I rolled my eyes. That was sure to inflate Callan’s ego enough that he’d have trouble getting through the door.

But the crowd went wild, roaring in excitement and anticipation, as Callan prowled up to the stage as well.

Leaning back in my seat, I crossed my arms and surveyed the underground fight club that our instructions had taken us to. Well, this should be interesting.

On the stage, Callan and Jens squared up against one another. Both of them were only wearing pants and shoes, leaving their muscular chests and arms on full display.

I raked my gaze over Callan’s half-naked body. Damn, he really was hot.

My eyes drifted to Jens. Unfortunately, based on his body and the way he moved, it looked like he was a practiced fighter too.

Worry flitted through my chest. This whole building was warded to block magic, just like Essington’s mansion back in Eldar, so the fights here were purely about physical strength and technique. As I watched Callan get into a fighting stance, I couldn’t help but wonder how good he really was without his force magic to back him up.

A bell dinged.

My question was quickly answered when Callan and Jens began their battle. I watched with raised eyebrows as Callan expertly struck and kicked and blocked and dodged. Did he train regularly in hand-to-hand combat too? Based on the way he fought, it sure looked like it.

During the five years that we had known each other, I had mostly only seen him fight using his magic. The few times that I had seen him rely a bit more on physical battle skills, they had been directed at me. And since I was somewhat busy trying not to die, I hadn’t been able to study his fighting skills when they were separate from his magic in this way before. But now I could.

And by all hell, Callan was good.

Jens was skilled too, there was no doubt about that, but it looked as though he was getting increasingly angry, which was also making his moves sloppy. Since Callan’s mouth was moving, I assumed that he was taunting him.

I scanned the rest of the room again.

My heart lurched.

Across the packed space, squeezed together around one of the larger metal tables, were Johnson, Kane, and the rest of his friends. They were all watching the fight intently, so I didn’t think that they had spotted me. But the fact that the whole group was here at all meant that they were stepping up their efforts to kill Callan. We would have to be careful tonight.

In here, there might be guards who prevented unauthorized fights among the gathered crowd. But the moment we stepped back out onto the street, they could attack us. We needed to leave before them, so that they couldn’t set up an ambush. But first, we needed to finish our mission.

The fight on the stage ended with Callan landing a well-aimed fist straight in his opponent’s solar plexus. Jens rocked back and collapsed on the ground, his body convulsing. Though still very much alive. Regrettably.

Howls and cheers that almost shattered my eardrums echoed between the bare stone walls. I massaged my brows while the announcer called out Callan’s victory.

Two people walked onto the stage and picked Jens up while Callan made his way back into the changing room. They carried the unconscious young man into the same room while calls rose for the next pair of fighters. Johnson and the other people who had no doubt come to see Jens beat Callan into oblivion cast worried looks towards the changing room, but no one except fighters were allowed in there so they remained in their seats.

I kept one eye on them while the male announcer summoned two other men to the stage.

The next fight had just begun when Callan slipped out the door and made his way around the stage and towards me. He had probably seen Johnson’s table earlier, because he took the other way around so that they wouldn’t spot him. The rest of the crowd paid him no mind either. Their attention was fully focused on the battle up on the stage that had begun taking a very interesting turn.

Relief washed over me.

If we had been unlucky, we might have had to wait several fights for something to happen.

“How are your ribs?” I asked as Callan sidled up next to me.

“Fine. Why wouldn’t they be?”

“Because I saw Jens getting in a serious hit there.”

Callan snorted. “As if.”

I poked at the spot the punch had landed, and Callan winced. Raising my eyebrows, I stared up at him expectantly. He just muttered something about infuriating poison mages with far too sharp eyes while he gently pushed my hand away from his ribs.

“Looks like it’s starting,” he said, and nodded towards the stage.

I grinned as I turned my attention to the two fighters who had begun behaving very strangely. “Indeed.”

Confusion rippled through the crowd as the muscular men stopped trying to pummel each other and instead leaped around and twirled and laughed as if they had gone mad. Or been drugged.

“They’ve been drugged!” someone called from the crowd. “Look! They must’ve gotten exposed to dreamcore.”

Calls of outrage rose.

“What the hell!”

“This is unacceptable!”

“What the fuck is going on with the King of Metal?” Callan called, altering his voice and hiding his mouth behind his hand. “First the gambling dens and then the blackmails in the cabaret and now he can’t even keep drugs out of his fight clubs?”

For a few seconds, everyone went still. As if they couldn’t believe that someone had dared to say something so dangerous. Then a shout of agreement split the silence. More followed.

Callan jerked his chin towards the main exit. “Well then, shall we?”

After casting a glance towards Johnson and the others to make sure that they were still waiting for Jens, I hopped off the high chair and followed Callan as we began weaving through the now agitated crowd.

This was why we had come.

The note from David had instructed us to go to this fight club and drug some of the fighters. Since the only way to get access to the changing room was to sign up as a contender, Callan had had to do just that. And given the fact that the two guys on the stage were now prancing around like a pair of ponies, I assumed that he had been successful in slipping the dreamcore we had bought into the water provided for the fighters.

We couldn’t leave until we had called out that it was Levi’s fault, which was why we had to stay even after Callan was done. If we had been unlucky, we might have had to wait several fights before someone appeared who had actually drunk from the water in the changing room. But fortune seemed to have smiled on us for once, since the very first pair must have drunk from the jug before going out to fight.

Night air smelling of food and perfume washed in to replace the scent of metal and sweat that hung inside the stone building when Callan pushed open the door. I cast one last glance behind me, to make sure that Johnson and the others remained in their seats. They did. Good. I was exhausted after herding a drugged Callan around the park earlier this afternoon and I was in no mood to deal with yet another ambush.

Turning my head back, I followed Callan across the threshold and stepped back into the night.

And right into a cloud of smoke.

Chapter 35

Ijerked awake as lightning crackled through my body, making my limbs shake. Whipping my head from side to side, I blinked while trying to figure out where I was and where Audrey was and what the hell had happened. All I remembered was stepping out of the fight club and then…

My mind tried to sort through my memories, but my head felt unnaturally slow. Blinking hard, I tried to clear both my vision and my head.

Smoke. The last thing I had seen was white smoke and then I had blacked out completely. Dread sluiced through me. Which must mean that it was…

“Sleepcore,” a male voice said, as if he had been reading my mind. “In case you were curious.”

I shook my head as I tried to get my body to work properly again. Lifting my hand, I rubbed my eyes. Except my hand didn’t move. I tried again. Only a metallic rattling answered me.

Panic spiked through my chest.

Closing my eyes, I drew in some deep breaths. Whoever was in the room with me waited patiently.

When I at last opened my eyes again, my vision had finally returned fully. Shock pulsed through me as I took in the scene. I was standing in the middle of a room with metal walls and floor, and the reason why I hadn’t been able to move my hand was because I was chained to the walls. Handcuffs were locked around my wrists, keeping my arms spread wide with chains that had been secured to the walls on either side of me. My legs were similarly trapped. Manacles had been snapped around my ankles and then more chains bolted to the floor.

I flicked my gaze around the room. With all the metal and chains, it looked eerily similar to locations that Levi used for exactly these kinds of… meetings. But that didn’t make sense.

At least I couldn’t see Audrey anywhere. Hopefully that meant that she had been able to get away before she was taken too.

However, there were two other people in the room. Two men. They were standing side by side in front of me, blocking my view of what lay straight ahead, and their dark eyes were fixed on my face.

“Finally back with us?” the gray-haired one said.

“Who the hell are you?” I ground out. My mouth felt dry, and I swiped my tongue through it a couple of times.

The younger one, who had a scar along his jaw, gave me a cold smile. “We’ll be the ones asking the questions.”

Now that the effects of the sleepcore were finally gone, anger rose to fill my soul. Locking hard eyes on them, I spoke slowly and clearly. “I’ll give you one chance to release me from these,” I yanked at the chains keeping me trapped, “before things start getting ugly.”

“Oh things will be getting ugly. But not for us.”

They took a step to the side, finally revealing what had been hidden behind them.

My stomach dropped.

Audrey.

She was chained up in exactly the same way as me, except she was still in the deep dreamless sleep that the drug known as sleepcore caused. Metal rattled as I thrashed furiously against my manacles.

“Don’t you fucking touch her,” I snapped. “Don’t you dare fucking—”

“Wake her up,” Old Guy said.

Scar twisted around and brushed his palms together in one fluid motion before sending a bolt of lightning into Audrey’s chest.

A snarl tore from my throat.

But her eyes flew open, even as her limbs shook from the current that crackled through her. She snapped her head from side to side while blinking, probably to deal with the same problem that I’d had. Vision and mind not working properly.

“The hell do you want?” I growled, trying to bring their attention back to me instead.

Who the hell even were these people?

Old Guy turned towards me with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “What we want is information.”

“About what?”

“Trevor Gale.”

Confusion shot through me, and I furrowed my brows. What the…? Then realization crashed over me. Oh. Ohh. I flicked a glance towards Audrey. She was still blinking furiously, but her hearing should be unaffected, so hopefully she had figured out the same thing that I had since there was no way I could tell her.

Keeping that genuine confusion on my face as a ruse, I scowled at the gray-haired man before me. “I don’t know anything about Trevor Gale. At least not anything that isn’t already public knowledge.”

“Our sources say otherwise.”

“Then you have shit sources.”

A lightning bolt zapped into my shoulder. I bared my teeth at the young man with the scar, and yanked at my manacles again.

“Don’t lie,” Scar said, a mocking smile on his lips. “We know that you work for Gale.”

“I don’t work for anyone.”

“Tell me about your go-between. You’re not receiving instructions from Gale himself, so who is it that you’re meeting with?”

“Do we really look like people who follow someone else’s orders?” Audrey snapped.

I studied her intently. It looked like she had recovered from the sleepcore, and she didn’t look hurt. Her gaze flicked to me briefly, and she gave me a barely noticeable dip of the chin. Confirmation that she also knew exactly what was going on.

“Who are you working for?” Old Guy pressed as he turned and stalked up to her instead.

Panic flickered through me, but I could only watch as he stopped in front of her.

Audrey flashed him a smile dripping with poison. “The last time I worked for someone was during the summer break when I was fifteen. So take your fucking—”

Old Guy touched his palms together, summoning a stream of water, and then shoved the water down her throat while slapping his hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened and she thrashed desperately against the chains.

Clanking metal echoed through the whole room as I yanked violently against my restraints as well. “Stop!”

While keeping his hand over Audrey’s mouth, he looked back over his shoulder at me. “Who are you working for? Where are you meeting him?”

“We’re not working for anyone!”

I sucked in a strangled gasp as lightning struck my chest. Momentarily losing control of my muscles, I simply hung there in the chains while my body shook.

“Liar,” Scar growled as he readied another white bolt.

Old Guy pulled his water magic out of Audrey’s body. She coughed and retched violently. Before she had recovered, he touched his palms together and then slapped his hand over her mouth again. Her body trembled in the chains as water filled her lungs once more.

“Who. Are. You. Working. For?” he ground out right before Scar shot another lightning bolt into my chest.

My vision flickered and my limbs spasmed.

“Last chance,” Old Guy said. His dark eyes were locked on me while he kept his hand over Audrey’s mouth. “This time, the water doesn’t come out until she dies, or until you tell me who you’re working for and where you’re meeting him.”

“We’re not working for anybody,” I croaked. “You fucking idiots.”

Audrey jerked in her chains. My heart almost cracked at the sight of her like that. I was going to torture these people to death if it was the last thing I did.

A slow clapping sound echoed into the room. I snapped my gaze to the man walking up from somewhere behind Audrey. Brown hair lay combed back, and a neatly trimmed moustache decorated the smiling face below.

David.

Old Guy immediately pulled his water out of Audrey’s lungs. She coughed and dry heaved again, but there was no liquid to throw up since he had already removed everything.

“Well done,” David said. His brown eyes slid to the two other men in the room. “Unlock them.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, David?” I ground out, letting him see the real rage burning in my eyes.

“I apologize for the theatrics.” The arrogant advisor gave us what I think was supposed to have been a regretful smile. “But Mr. Gale needed to know that you could truly be trusted before we bring you in for our most important plan.”

Which both Audrey and I had figured out the moment he asked about Trevor Gale. This whole room, with the metal and the chains, along with the information that they tried to get us to share, was supposed to make us believe that we had been kidnapped by some of Levi’s people. The only problem with their little plan was of course that we were already working for Levi, so we knew without a doubt that it wasn’t him.

In the beginning, I had been worried that it was Johnson and his gang. But they wouldn’t have asked about Trevor Gale, which only left one party. David himself. So both Audrey and I knew that we had never been in any real risk of dying. It was only a test. One which we had just passed with flying colors. I was still going to kill all of them at some point, though.

“This was a test?” Audrey spat with very convincing outrage.

“Yes. Like I said, Mr. Gale needed to be sure that you wouldn’t sell us out to Levi at the first sign of danger.”

My knees almost buckled, courtesy of the lightning strikes, when Scar removed the last of my chains. I rubbed my hands up and down my thighs while Old Guy freed Audrey as well. There was still a tingling sensation in my legs, but I felt confident enough to take a step so I looked up and opened my mouth to speak right as Audrey lunged.

In a heartbeat, she had grabbed the front of Old Guy’s shirt, yanked out the knife she had apparently kept strapped to her thigh, and pressed the sharp edge against his throat. Fury, the likes of which could have set the world on fire, burned in her eyes as she dragged her gaze from him, to Scar, and then finally to settle on David.

Surprise flickered across the advisor’s face. Had he seriously thought that she wouldn’t retaliate? He was lucky that she wanted to keep the true extent of her powers secret and had used her knife instead of her magic because otherwise all three of them would be writhing on the floor in a cloud of poison right now.

“If you ever pull something like this again,” Audrey said, her furious eyes still locked on David, “I will kill you, and Trevor Gale, and your parents, and your siblings, and your entire extended family, and your friends, and your old lovers, and anyone who has ever had the misfortune of exchanging more than a handful of words with you.” She pressed the blade harder against Old Guy’s throat. “Am I making myself clear?”

For a moment, David just stared back at her in utter shock. Hell, he really had no idea who he was dealing with, did he?

“Yeah, uhm…” He cleared his throat. “Like I said, I apologize for the theatrics.”

Audrey shoved Old Guy away and then rammed the knife back into its hidden sheath. “Our agreement with you is on precariously thin ice right now.” Anger still danced in her sharp green eyes, and she leveled a commanding stare on David. “So if you want our help with taking out Levi Arden, you’re going to tell us about this real master plan of yours right now. Or we walk.”

“Yes, I uhm… I was just about to get into that.”

He looked very rattled by the turn that this meeting had taken, and it took him a few more seconds to compose himself again. I used that time to walk over to Audrey. Crossing my arms, I drew myself up to my full height next to her and then fixed David with a hard stare. He drew his fingers along his moustache and then cleared his throat again.

“Our plan is to locate Levi’s wife,” he said at last.

I frowned in confusion. Very convincingly too, in my opinion. “Why?”

“She’s pregnant, very pregnant, and therefore isn’t in the best state to defend herself. So we want to use her to bring Levi to his knees.”

“Let me get this straight,” Audrey said, her voice sharper than the blade she had just wielded. “You want to hurt a pregnant woman?”

“No, we don’t want to harm her. We just want to obtain her so that we can hold her safety over Levi’s head to make him do what we want.”

“So you want to kidnap a pregnant woman?”

“Well, yes.”

We, of course, already knew all of that. But we needed to make it seem as though we didn’t. And based on the slightly uncomfortable look on David’s face after Audrey’s cutting remarks, he was buying our act fully.

“So why haven’t you done that yet?” I interrupted.

David shifted his attention to me, and annoyance blew across his face as he said, “Because Levi has her squared away in some kind of safe house in the city, but we don’t know where.”

“Fucking hell.” I dragged a hand through my hair and shot him an exasperated look. “Do you have any idea how much time you’ve wasted playing these games with us? I used to work for Levi, for fuck’s sake.”

“We know, which is why we approached you.”

“I know all of his safe houses. Why didn’t you just tell us this earlier instead of sending us to do grunt work?”

“Because, like I said, we needed to know that you could be trusted.”

“Well, you’ve wasted a shit ton of time on it. I hope it was worth it.”

Hope rose in his eyes. “So does that mean that you can find out where Levi is keeping her?”

“Yeah, like I said, I know where all of his safe houses are. I helped set most of them up, for fuck’s sake.” With very convincing exasperation, I raked a hand through my hair again and blew out a sigh. “Just give me a few days to find the right one.”

“Excellent.” He flashed me a genuine smile. Then his gaze darted to Audrey, and he scratched his jaw. “And again, sorry about the… test.”

She just gave him a sharp smile in reply.

Satisfaction swirled up inside me.

Finally.

We had finally reached the endgame of our scheme.

Chapter 36

The sun had barely risen over the horizon when Callan and I slipped into one of the private rooms located at the back of an expensive coffeehouse. Faint clinking from a spoon hitting the sides of a mug was the only sound to break the silence that blanketed the room when we moved inside and closed the door behind us.

Levi Arden looked up from his steaming cup of coffee and fixed us with a scowl. “It’s entirely too early to see your treacherous face, Callan.” His gray eyes slid to me. “And yours too, poisonous snake.”

A huff of amusement escaped my lips. “Nice to see you too, asshole.”

Callan tensed beside me, but the King of Metal only narrowed his eyes. After another few seconds of simply holding my gaze, he pulled out the small spoon he had been using to stir his coffee, and tapped it lightly against the side of the cup before placing it on the plate beneath. Picking up the cup, he drank deeply from it.

“Right now, I should be in bed with my wife,” he said after he had swallowed and set the cup down again. “But I’m not. I’m here. With you. Why?”

“Because we’re in,” Callan replied before I could say something rude. “David and Gale trust us completely, and they’ve tasked us with finding the safe house.”

Levi sat up straighter. All traces of laziness were gone from his eyes as he shifted his gaze between the two of us. “Seriously?”

That cold black thing beating in my chest almost felt for him when I noticed the hope that flared up in his eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder exactly when Gale had begun trying to kidnap Levi’s wife. Had he been worrying about her safety for all seven months of her pregnancy? In that case, it would explain why he was so short-tempered all the time.

“Yeah,” Callan said. “Everything is set up. All we need now is a location. One of your safe houses that we can lure Gale to and then take him out.”

“Which one do you want to use?”

“Preferably one of the bigger ones so that people can easily get… separated. And close to River’s Watch.”

“How about the one on Fletcher Street?”

Callan ran a hand over his jaw. “Yeah, that would work.”

“Alright, I’ll have it ready before the end of the day.”

“Good.” He shifted his gaze to me. “Let’s go.”

We had only managed to partially turn around when Levi spoke up again. “Callan. Audrey.”

There was something in his voice that stopped me from groaning in annoyance. Callan and I exchanged a quick glance before we turned back to meet Levi’s gaze again. A sense of trepidation seemed to be swirling in his usually so confident gray eyes.

“I can’t be there when the attack goes down,” Levi said, his tone serious. “And neither can any of my people. If Gale or David or any of his guys spot any of my people, the trap falls through.”

“We know.” Callan scowled at him. “We’ve already gone through the plan with you, remember?”

“Yeah, but… Are you sure you two can handle this on your own? Gale is a stone mage. And a good one.” He shifted his gaze to Callan. “He’s the worst kind of opponent for people like us.”

“I know. You’ve already told us that.”

“It’s just… If anything goes wrong… If anything disrupts the plan…” He flexed his hand and then shook it out before drawing it through his dark hair. “There won’t be another chance like this, and I need Gale dead. Right now. So, are you absolutely sure that the two of you can handle this on your own?”

Hell, he really was worried about his wife. Terrified, by the looks of it. Maybe the dark mage king of Malgrave really did have a heart after all.

I understood why he was worried, but there really was no need. We had set up our scheme perfectly. While it would require very precise timing, there was nothing external that should be able to disrupt it. We would convince David that the safe house was the real deal, lure Gale there, and then kill everyone once and for all.

Callan’s eyes softened slightly as he looked at his former boss. “Yes, Levi. We’re sure.”

The King of Metal blinked, as if catching himself, and any trace of vulnerability disappeared from his sharp features as he gave us a firm nod.

“Alright. Then bring me Trevor Gale’s head, and you’ll have dark mages for your war and my magic to destroy Eldar’s Blade of Equilibrium.”

We nodded back.

A wicked grin spread across my lips.

This was it.

It was finally showtime.

Chapter 37

For the first time since we made our fake deal with David, we were allowed to go inside Trevor Gale’s compound. I kept my eyes sharp as two guards escorted me and Audrey through a series of doors in the first ring of buildings. Just as we had guessed, and seen when we tried to break in, no one actually lived there. The rooms were either empty or contained guards who watched the public road outside.

Sun beat down on us as the guy at the front of our small procession led us out into the street between the first and the second row of buildings. When we met with Levi early yesterday morning, the temperature had been pleasant. But today, our meeting with David was closer to midday, and it felt as though the temperature was increasing with every minute as the sun climbed higher over the horizon.

We must have entered a heat wave because, while summers were always warm on this side of the continent, the last couple of days had been stifling. Or maybe I was just used to spending my time in the open grasslands around Eldar rather than inside a crowded city.

I ran a hand over the back of my neck, wiping away a beat of sweat that rolled down my skin. My leather armor wasn’t exactly the best choice of clothing on a day like this, but I had to wear it since we would finally be killing Gale today. If I didn’t die of heatstroke first, that is.

Audrey was in her tight riding outfit too, rather than one of her usual dresses. Since David thought we would be joining him to kidnap Levi’s wife, he wouldn’t consider our change in attire strange. I glanced down at my brilliant poison mage. She was looking straight ahead as we crossed the empty road and made our way towards the second ring of buildings, but based on the calculating glint in her eyes, she was running through the plan in her head yet again. This had to go perfectly. We had already wasted enough time on this mission. Hell knew what was happening in Eldar while we were here trying to get Levi’s help. So we couldn’t afford to fail now. Everything had to run smoothly.

Hinges creaked as the guard at the front pulled open a door, but he didn’t go inside. Instead, he motioned for us to enter. I exchanged a brief glance with Audrey before we strode across the threshold and into the room beyond.

“I hear that you have news for me,” David said as the guards closed the door behind us. “Please tell me it’s the news I want it to be.”

The arrogant advisor was standing with his hands behind his back, watching us with eyebrows raised expectantly. Bookshelves lined the walls of the room, but there was nothing on them. And apart from the lonely-looking broom leaning against the red stone wall by a doorway that led farther into the building, the room was empty.

“We have the location,” I replied as I shifted my gaze back to David.

He clapped his hands. Actually clapped his hands together. “Excellent!”

“We’ve secured the building across the street from the safe house, so we’re ready to hit it at any time.”

His moustache twitched as he grinned. “I knew approaching you was the right move.”

“Yeah, speaking of the deal…” I let a sly smile spread across my mouth.

“We want some better terms,” Audrey finished, an equally sharp smile on her lips.

David narrowed his eyes at us. “Trying to renegotiate the deal now that you have what I want, huh?” He tutted and shook his head. “Bad manners.”

Of course it was, but we were dark mages. It would have looked incredibly suspicious if we had just handed over information that was this valuable without wringing a few last concessions out of him.

With matching arrogant expressions on our faces, Audrey and I lifted our shoulders in a synchronized shrug.

“Do you want the information or not?” I challenged.

David brushed his hands together. Red flames licked his palm as he raised it to study the fire for a few seconds. It cast an ominous glow over his face as he looked up to meet our gazes again. Neither Audrey nor I had made any move to summon magic, showing him that we weren’t threatened by this demonstration at all.

“You’re inside Mr. Gale’s stronghold now,” David said with a pointed look towards the door we had come from. “Surrounded by hundreds of his guards. If you don’t want to give me the information, I could always take it from you.”

Audrey scoffed, “Good luck with that.”

“And while you’re wasting time trying to get what you need from us by force, Levi might decide to move his wife to another safe house, as he has no doubt been doing for months, and the information will become worthless anyway.” I shrugged. “And all you’ve accomplished is to make two more enemies.”

This was a classic dark mage negotiation. Lots of posturing. Lots of threats. And the first person to show a sign of weakness or desperation lost. David would have expected nothing less from us. And we already knew that he was desperate enough for this information that he would agree to our new terms, so all this did was to make our act more believable.

Another couple of seconds passed where David tried to stare us down from the other side of his fire. We just continued watching him in silence.

At last, he blew out a huff and curled his fingers, extinguishing the red flames in his palm. “What do you want?”

Audrey and I flashed him satisfied grins.

“We want a free pass,” she said with a nonchalant flick of her wrist. “When you’ve gotten rid of Levi, and Trevor Gale is the new main player in Malgrave, we don’t just want to be allowed to stay here. We want a free pass.”

“Which entails what?” David asked.

“No interference,” I said. “Levi’s got a lot of rules about who can do what and how and when in this city, but I’m not a fan of rules. So, we want a free pass. We can decide to threaten or blackmail or kill anyone we want, for any reason, and you and Trevor Gale will look the other way.”

He sucked his teeth and then ran a hand over his moustache.

“Or we walk right now.” I let a lethal glint creep into my eyes. “And we kidnap Levi’s wife on our own and then use her to make him attack you and wipe out this entire compound. And then we’ll kill Levi too.”

“That sounds like a very dangerous and ambitious plan.”

“Yeah, which is why we’d prefer to stick with the deal we already have with you. Except with those added extras.”

David crossed his arms and watched us for a few seconds before countering, “The free pass applies to everyone except the guards around this stronghold.”

Audrey and I exchanged a glance. She nodded.

“That’s acceptable,” I said.

“Excellent.” He shot us a pointed look. “Now that you’ve finished extorting us, can we get back to the matter of the safe house?”

I chuckled. “Yeah. Now that we’re all in agreement, Audrey and I will go and get Levi’s wife and bring her back here. It shouldn’t take more than… let’s say two hours.”

“No.”

We frowned at him.

“What do you mean no?” Audrey challenged.

“You will not be getting her. You will show us to the safe house, but Mr. Gale, along with me and his other trusted guards, will accompany you and personally go in to secure the target.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

She flashed him a mocking grin. “Trust issues, huh?”

He gave her a flat look. “I wonder why.”

A smug laugh escaped her lips. Then she flicked her wrist. “Fine. By all means, come with us. It should make the retrieval faster anyway.”

While nodding in confirmation, he raised his arm and motioned towards the open doorway that led deeper into the building. “I would like a detailed map of what the inside of the building looks like. Please, come with me.”

Once he had seen that we started forward, he took the lead and moved into the adjacent corridor. Our feet echoed into the silence as we walked down the length of it until we reached another room at the end.

That one also had bookshelves lining the walls, but as opposed to the room we had just left, these were actually full of books. There was also a large round table in the middle of the floor. The chairs, however, had been stacked into a pile in the corner.

A male guard stood at attention by one of the windows when we entered. He dipped his chin in a sign of deference as his gaze landed on David.

“Get everyone ready,” David said while he continued towards one of the bookshelves. “Immediately. Operation Sparrow is going down today.”

It took all of my self-control not to laugh at the ridiculous code name. From the corner of my eye, I could see Audrey fighting to keep her facial expression in check as well.

The guard only inclined his head again. “Yes, sir.”

His boots thudded against the stone floor as he strode away with purposeful steps.

From the other side of the room, paper rustled as David pulled out a large sheet along with what looked like a fountain pen. With a snap of his wrists, he unfurled the paper and spread it across the round table before placing the pen next to it.

“The layout, if you please,” he said.

I drew both hands over the paper, smoothening it out, before picking up the pen. Both Audrey and David watched me as I began drawing an accurate map of the two-story building. Well, a mostly accurate map, anyway. There were some key features that were slightly altered to make sure that our scheme played out the way we wanted it to.

“This is the entrance.” I pointed to the door I had drawn that led to the street outside it. “But we’re gonna need someone who’s good at picking locks. Unless you want to just blast through it, but that would make us lose the element of surprise.”

“We have someone who can handle that,” David replied.

“Good. There’s a back door here. It will look like it’s unlocked but it’s actually a trap. If we pull the handle, it triggers an explosion, so we’ll need to have everyone go in through the front door.”

“Noted.”

“The front door leads to this corridor. There are a bunch of rooms down on this floor, but we won’t need to bother with any of them because she won’t be on the ground floor.” I shifted my pen. “Here’s the staircase to the upper floor. My best guess is that she will either be in this room…” Using the tip of the pen, I tapped a spot on the map before moving it to a different location and doing the same. “Or this one.”

“Excellent.” He stroked his thumb and forefinger along the sides of his moustache a few times while considering in silence. Then he looked up to meet our eyes. “We’ll plan accordingly. Please wait here while I inform Mr. Gale. We should all be ready to move within the hour.”

We gave him a nod in acknowledgement.

Footsteps sounded in the corridor outside the door. A moment later, the guard that David had sent away with instructions returned and drew himself up in front of the advisor.

“The orders have gone out, sir,” he said.

“Excellent. Remain at your post until I return.”

I was starting to get annoyed by David’s obsession with the word excellent, but any irritation was overshadowed by amusement when I realized that he planned to have that guard stay here to babysit us while he talked to Gale. As if that would stop us if we truly wanted to leave.

From the way Audrey’s lips quirked slightly, she was thinking the same thing. However, neither one of us said anything as David gave us one final nod and then strode out the door. We were exactly where we needed to be anyway.

And everything was proceeding right on schedule.

Chapter 38

Afternoon sunlight spilled in through the windows and illuminated the dusty wooden floorboards. Leaning my shoulder against the wall, I peered out onto the street outside. By the other window, Callan and David were doing the same thing while the rest of the guards who had accompanied us were standing silently behind us.

“Are you sure this is the right safe house?” David asked.

“Yes,” Callan answered.

“There are no guards on the street.”

“Of course not. Putting guards on the street would scream to the whole world that there’s something in there worth protecting. All the guards will be upstairs, close to his wife.”

“True. We…”

He trailed off as the door to the safe house was opened. A ripple went through the room. On David’s face, the excitement was clear. The men and women standing behind us in the empty room, however, were harder to read, but I was pretty sure that some of them started like that not out of excitement but rather apprehension. I scanned their faces again before returning my attention to the street where a broad-shouldered man with black hair had just appeared.

Levi Arden closed the door and locked it with efficient moves before starting down the street at a casual pace. No suspicious glances up and down the road. No worried look back at the house. Nothing at all that would betray that this was the safe house where his wife was hiding. Every move was calm and confident. Just like David would expect of a dark mage like Levi.

“Alright, we should go in as soon as possible,” Callan said while we watched Levi walk down the street. “So get your boss here now.”

“Not yet.”

Both Callan and I turned to look at him with eyebrows raised in annoyance.

“We need to make sure that Levi is truly gone before Mr. Gale leaves the stronghold,” David elaborated.

“Have you so little faith in your boss’s battle skills?” I retorted.

“We’re not taking any chances.”

“You’re wasting time.”

“Regardless, until we know for certain that Levi Arden and his people are far away, we will not be moving on the safe house. He has tried to construct traps like this several times in order to kill Mr. Gale. All of them have failed, and this is the reason for that.”

No wonder Levi hadn’t been able to kill Gale. This level of caution was bordering on paranoia.

A low growl of frustration rumbled from Callan’s chest. “Fine.” Pushing away from the wall, he took off towards the door that led out onto the street. “I’ll follow him to make sure that he’s really leaving.”

“If he spots you—”

“I can just say that I wanna talk about the money I’m supposed to be getting for him.”

Without waiting for David to reply, Callan sprinted out the door to follow Levi. David nodded, to himself or to Callan, I wasn’t sure, but then raised his hand. Holding up two fingers, he spun his hand in the air.

Immediately, two of the guards behind us broke off from the rest of the group and jogged out the door. I narrowed my eyes and then leaned closer to the window so that I could see outside again. Callan was sneaking along the road, tailing Levi. And the two guards… were tailing Callan.

I flicked a glance towards David.

He gave me a casual shrug. “Trust issues, remember?”

“I thought we were supposed to be on the same side now.”

For a while, he just continued looking out the window. A summer wind kicked up a small cloud of dust from the street, making it swirl over the stones before settling again.

When Callan and the two guards following him had at last disappeared from view, David shifted his attention back to me. “Do you know how many people have challenged the King of Metal for control over Malgrave and lived to tell the tale?”

“None?”

“One.” He fixed me with a hard stare. “Mr. Gale. And that is because we’re smart and careful. We’re so close to the endgame now, and I will admit, all I want to do is storm straight into that house,” he stabbed a hand towards the building across the street, “right now and get a hold of his damn wife before some other calamity strikes and the chance is lost. But in a game with stakes as high as these, being rash and reckless will get you killed. Which is why we won’t go in until we’re absolutely sure that this isn’t a trap. Even if it means losing the opportunity. We can always try again. But not if we’re dead.”

Again, the reason why Levi had had such trouble assassinating these people was now glaringly obvious.

“Alright,” I answered, and waved a nonchalant hand. “Message received.”

“Excellent.” He paused for a few seconds before saying, “When Mr. Gale gets here, you two will remain here in this building with me until he has entered the safe house. Then we will follow.”

“Alright.”

“Once inside, you and I and some of our other guards will remain on the ground floor to provide back-up while Mr. Gale and everyone else go upstairs to secure the target.”

Impatience shot through me. In order to kill Gale, we needed to be within striking distance of him. And that would have been a lot easier if he wasn’t so damn paranoid.

“Yeah, sure,” I replied, however, since anything other than that would have been suspicious.

Before David could say anything else, a woman appeared at the end of the street. She was walking casually, but she was heading straight towards this door. I stole another glance at David. Was this one of his people that he hadn’t told me and Callan about?

Based on the calm expression on his face, it was indeed someone he knew. I repositioned my body but said nothing as she opened the door and strode inside.

The moment she had closed the door behind her, she dropped the casual act and drew herself up in a stiff posture before bowing her head to David.

“It’s clear, sir,” she said. “I’ve checked the whole perimeter and peeked into every window on street level. I didn’t find a single one of Levi’s people.”

Of course she hadn’t. They were all in a very public place halfway across town.

“Excellent. Be ready to get back to Mr. Gale the moment we know that Levi is otherwise occupied.”

“Yes, sir.”

I watched the brown-haired woman as she moved over to where the rest of the guards were waiting. The fact that David hadn’t mentioned her when we went through the plan was a bit troubling. But our scheme would work anyway.

My pulse thrummed in my ears as I scanned the guards once more.

There were about fifty of them. Fifty. That was a lot more than I had expected David to bring for a stealth mission like this. And they were of course all dark mages. Fifty dark mages, plus the stone mage Trevor Gale and whatever retinue of guards he would bring here too, standing between us and the help we needed from Levi to survive the war against Chancellor Quill and the entire city state of Eldar.

I drew in a long steadying breath, but my heart continued its rapid thumping anyway.

This plan would still work.

It had to work.

Leaning one shoulder against the wall for support, I ran through the plan in my head once more. It would require impeccable timing and no small amount of skill. And a bit of luck too. But as long as there were no unexpected disruptions, as long as everything ran smoothly according to our plan, we could pull this off.

For fuck’s sake, Callan and I had kidnapped Lance Carmichael from his own ball right in the middle of Eldar’s parliament building, among hundreds of guests and constables, and then made it out again. We could do this.

Couldn’t we?

Chapter 39

People bowed their heads as the King of Metal strode across Old Square. Sunlight glinted in the shoulder plates and bracers he wore over his black shirt. How he could stand it in this heat was beyond me, but I had to admit that he did cut an imposing figure in that attire.

I stayed hidden behind the corner of a side alley as Levi took a seat on the grand chair located at one end of the square. He usually met with petitioners in his Court, but he also kept a seat here in the heart of the Entertainment District that he used when he wanted to pretend that he was a benevolent king. When he held court out here in the open, anyone could approach him with requests or questions.

And because it was so open and anyone was allowed to approach, security around Levi was tight. All of his top guards were located around the square. Some visible, and some blending into the crowd.

It was the perfect distraction. Gale and David and all of their people would confidently be able to ascertain that Levi was nowhere near the safe house and that it wasn’t a trap.

The back of my neck prickled, and I suppressed the urge to turn around and look behind me. I could feel two of Gale’s guards lurking behind my back like shadows. They had been following me since the moment I left the building, probably sent by David to make sure that my report would be accurate. They really were a paranoid bunch.

But now that they had followed me here and seen that Levi and all his battle mages would be occupied for at least the next couple of hours, it was finally time for the next part of the plan.

I snuck around the corner and started back towards the safe house.

My two shadows didn’t follow.

Before I rounded the next corner, I cast a quick glance over my shoulder and found them standing in the mouth of the alley that I had just left. Their faces were turned away from me and towards the square. I had no doubt that they were counting all of Levi’s people, making sure that everyone was truly there.

Leaving them to their task, I made my way towards the river before I started back in the direction of the safe house. There were fewer people on the streets there. And besides, the winds that blew in off the water were much cooler, which I desperately needed in this heat. I pulled at the collar of my leather armor as I jogged along the mostly empty streets. Sweat slid down my back.

When I reached a small residential courtyard, I stopped to catch my breath. In the middle of it was a fountain shaped like a woman pouring water out of a jug. I drew in a couple of deep breaths while wandering over to it. Holding out my hands, I let the water pool in my palms before splashing it across my face. A small sigh escaped my lips as the water cooled my heated skin.

Fuck. I needed to have my wits about me for what was to come.

Filling my hands with more water, I splashed it over my face and then drew my wet hands through my hair. I blew out another long sigh. My head felt clearer. Less like my brain was being boiled inside my skull and more just uncomfortably hot. Reaching forward, I did the same thing a third time.

I had barely gotten my hands down from my face when fire roared behind me.

Slapping my palms together, I threw up a force wall right before orange flames crashed into it. A wave of heat washed over me. While still holding up the shield, I leaped sideways to avoid the lightning bolt that sped towards my chest.

It slammed into the white stone fountain, breaking off half of the woman’s leg. It tumbled down and hit the water below with a splash that spilled water onto the ground before it.

As the flames died out, the view before me became clear.

Johnson, Kane, Jens Carlsen, and the other five people who had already attacked us twice now were standing on the other side of the courtyard. And so were others. Many others.

An involuntary flash of panic shot up my spine.

Where the hell had Johnson found all these people? There had to be at least forty of them.

“Your past sins have come back to haunt you, Coldblooded Callan,” Johnson called across the pale stone courtyard.

Flames licked his hands while lightning danced in Kane’s palm. In fact, magic was pointed at me from the entire half-circle of angry people.

I kept the force wall I had summoned up before me as I replied, “That right?”

“Yes.” He spread his arms wide, making the orange flames flutter in the air. “Every single person here has had a loved one die by your hand. And now, the time for vengeance has come.”

Flicking my gaze along the semi-circle that had formed before me, I assessed which of their magic strikes would reach me first and what I could do to block them. While buying myself time to do that, I said, “Look, you really need to let this revenge thing go. Haven’t you heard that saying about how you need to dig two graves when you start down the path of vengeance because revenge will only get you killed as well?”

The sheer hypocrisy in that statement coming out of my mouth was absolutely astounding given that I had just devoted five years of my life to trying to kill Audrey just because she had stolen a bit of land from me. But they didn’t know that, of course.

“The only person who will be dying today is you,” Jens Carlsen snarled as he pointed his sword towards me.

“And before you do,” Johnson picked up, “you’re going to kneel in front of every single person here, speak the name of the loved one you took from them, and apologize.”

I snorted. “You really think that’s gonna happen?”

“We outnumber you forty-two to one. Do you really think that you’ll—”

I bolted.

While throwing the force wall towards where I had calculated the fastest attacks to be, I whipped around and sprinted into the small alley between the houses behind me. Lightning slammed into my shield with a crack, but the whoosh of fire and wind magic echoed behind me as well. I dove forward and rolled into the alley right as flames and wind slammed into the stone wall where my chest had been a second ago.

“After him!” Johnson bellowed while I leaped to my feet behind the temporary cover of the wall and raced towards the other side of the alley.

Feet thudded against the ground behind me.

Shit. I had to get through the mouth of the alley before they could line up a clean shot. My heart pounded against my ribs as I realized that I wouldn’t make it in time.

Slapping my palms together, I threw a massive force wall towards my pursuers. Shouts rang out, and a wham sounded as someone raised magic to block it. But I couldn’t spare the time to look what had happened because I leaped up onto the nearest windowsill and dove through the window.

Glass shattered and rained down around me as I flew into someone’s living room. I let out a huff as I crashed into the back of a purple couch and slid down to the floor. Rolling sideways, I jumped to my feet and darted towards where I assumed the front door would be.

“He jumped through the window!” someone yelled from the alley.

Side tables wobbled in alarm as I shoved my way through the living room and into the hallway. The plants on top of them slid towards the edge, their leaves flapping in fear. Something crashed behind me, informing me that at least one of the potted plants had indeed taken a dive off the table. A cry of surprise came from upstairs, but I left the toppled plants and their outraged owner behind and yanked open the front door.

Warm summer winds washed over me as I sprinted across the threshold and took off down the street.

Crashing sounds came from inside the house, which meant that some of Johnson’s people had followed me into the building, but there were also far too many feet currently pounding against the stones in the alley.

Lightning crackled through the air, and I zigzagged across the street to avoid the white bolts that flew towards me. They zapped into the building a mere couple of steps from me. My blood pounded in my ears. Fire roared behind me.

While blindly throwing a force wall over my shoulder, I grabbed the edge of the nearest building and swung myself onto another road.

Orange flames and embers shot past the opening behind me. I kept running.

“Left!” someone screamed. “He went left!”

I hurtled down the road and barely managed to make it around the corner before the sound of my pursuers informed me that they had also reached it. With my heart slamming against my ribs, I raced through the streets with Johnson and his gang snapping at my heels.

A low fence appeared on my left. I threw another force wall at my attackers as I leaped over it and cut through the small vegetable garden inside it.

Angry cursing told me that I had either managed to hit someone, or almost hit someone.

My boots left deep imprints in the soil as I ran across the garden and towards the next road.

Wind slammed into my shoulder.

It was hard enough to send me spinning around before I slammed into the building. Pain pulsed through my arm, but the involuntary spin had also given me a quick glance at what was following me.

Johnson, his face red with either rage or exertion, tore through the streets like his ass was on fire. And behind him, Kane and Jens and the rest of his massive army were racing towards me as well.

Why the hell did they have to be so damn fast?

I pushed myself off the wall and shot a force shield to block the next wave of attacks before I sprinted around the other corner.

A large building appeared up ahead.

Pushing myself, I ran for it with everything I had. The thundering boots behind me were so close now. My breath sawed through my chest.

There was a plain wooden door set into the building. I yanked it open and sprinted inside right as my hunters skidded around the corner.

Without breaking stride, I ran straight for a sitting room on my left. I had been inside this building before, so I knew the layout like the back of my hand, and I knew exactly where to lose my pursuers.

Dropping to my knees, I lifted the thick red carpet to reveal a trapdoor. It opened silently as I yanked on the handle. With my pulse still thrumming in my ears I slid down into the small tunnel underneath, positioned the carpet so that it would fall back into place, and then pulled the trapdoor shut.

Two seconds afterwards, the sound of footsteps came from inside the house.

“Where did he go?” someone snapped.

“He’s still in the building.”

“How do you know?”

“Because if he had opened a door or a window to the outside, I would have felt the change in the air.”

While I crawled through the escape tunnel that would take me to a small garden nearby, I wondered what kind of mage that second person was, who could feel the change in the air. Since the end of this trapdoor was technically in another building, I hoped that she wouldn’t be able to feel it when I opened that one.

“So he’s still in here somewhere,” Johnson said above me. “Hiding like the rat he is.”

I would have scoffed if I hadn’t been busy crawling on my stomach through a dirt tunnel.

“Spread out,” he continued. “Find him. But be careful and quiet about it. He could be waiting to ambush us.”

Their voices grew fainter as I made my way towards the other side of the tunnel. My heart still beat hard against my ribs.

That had been far too fucking close.

Closer than I would ever admit to Audrey.

Chapter 40

My heart pattered nervously in my chest as I scanned the street outside the window again. One of David’s spies had returned a while ago with confirmation that Levi was indeed holding court with all of his guards in Old Square, while the other spy remained there to make sure that they stayed where they were. That had finally prompted the advisor to send word to Trevor Gale that everything was clear. But Callan still hadn’t returned. Had something gone horribly wrong?

Wood creaked.

Magic flared to life across the whole room as everyone whirled towards the window on the opposite side of the building, ready to fight off an attack.

Callan blinked at the mass of lethal attacks now pointed towards him as he hopped down on the floor after climbing in through the window.

Relief crashed over me, and I let out a shuddering breath. He was alright.

“Sorry about the delay,” he said as he straightened and started towards us.

The guards in the room looked to David, and only extinguished their magic when he gave them a nod.

“I ran into some people who recognized me.” His gaze slid to me, and I knew that he was referring to Johnson and his vengeful gang of idiots. “So I had to take the long way back.”

“And you managed to lose them?” David asked, displeasure evident on his face.

“Obviously. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.” He dragged a hand through his messy black hair. “But I’ve confirmed that Levi and his guards are in Old Square holding—”

“We know,” David interrupted. Lifting a hand, he flicked imaginary dirt off his shoulder. “I had you followed, and my people have already informed me of that.”

A very convincing look of surprise and anger blew across his features. “Oh really?”

“Yes. In fact, Mr. Gale should be here any—”

“Sir,” a man said from where he stood by the window. “He’s here.”

After raking my gaze up and down Callan’s body again, to make sure that he was unharmed, I returned to the window and peered out. A man who looked to be in his early fifties, with pale blue eyes and brown hair that had turned a bit gray at the temples, was walking down the street with a cluster of guards in formation around him. His gray suit was impeccable, and he walked with the confidence of someone who was used to people obeying his every order.

Anticipation crackled through my veins. Trevor Gale. He looked exactly like the drawing that Levi had shown us, down to the arrogant tilt of his chin as he swept his sharp eyes over the street. I suppressed an evil smile. It was finally time to end this once and for all. My gaze flicked back to the guards around us. We just needed to get close enough to actually kill him.

Callan drifted over to stand next to me while Gale closed the final distance to the door. I glanced up at my force mage. He brushed a discreet hand over my arm and gave me an almost imperceptible nod, reassuring me that everything was fine.

Out on the street, Gale and the ten guards who flanked him had reached the door to the safe house. My pulse thrummed in my ears. David had told us that we would wait here until they had gone inside, but this plan wouldn’t work unless we were actually in the same location as the stone mage.

One of his guards moved over to stand right in front of the door and then placed his hand against the lock. I squinted towards him, but I couldn’t tell what kind of magic he was using. After about fifteen seconds, he stepped back and nodded to Trevor Gale.

Callan frowned at me in silent question since he hadn’t been here to hear David’s order to remain in the building while Gale went inside. I shook my head in reply, but impatience flickered through me. We needed to get in there before it was too late.

Drumming my fingers against my thigh, I watched while Gale and his guards slowly snuck inside. My heart pattered in my chest. The two-story building was large, but it wouldn’t take him too long to figure out that this wasn’t the real safe house. We needed to go. Now.

“Alright,” David said at last. “Let’s move out.”

I had to resist the urge to sprint across the street. Settling for a brisk walk, I strode after David with Callan beside me.

By the time we finally crossed the threshold, I could barely hear the faint shuffling of feet behind me over the furious thumping of my heart. But everything was quiet when we reached the wide hallway inside. I flicked my gaze around the room.

The pale wooden floorboards were spotless, and only a thin side table along one of the walls took up space in the room. Other than that, the hallway was empty. No paintings decorated the wooden walls either.

There were doors into other rooms farther down the hall, but my eyes focused on the staircase. Two of Gale’s guards were still walking up the steps, which meant that the stone mage would have just reached the second floor a few seconds ago. My heart slammed against my ribs. Our ruse would soon be up.

Behind us, the fifty or so mages that David had brought were still sneaking in through the door, and the corridor was becoming increasingly packed.

David raised his arm and flashed a couple of hand signals. The stream of guards moved towards the staircase with quick steps, following Gale to the upper floor. When only about five of them remained, he spun his hand in the air again. The guards began spreading out across the ground floor.

“Spread out,” David whispered to us.

Callan and I exchanged a glance, but at that point we couldn’t do anything other than what he said so we drifted down the hall.

Upstairs remained silent. Too silent. Had they not started checking the rooms yet? I flexed my hand. Shit. We really needed—

“Ambush!” someone bellowed above.

My heart leaped into my throat.

Magic whooshed upstairs and clothes rustled as everyone on our floor whipped towards the staircase.

“What?” someone else yelled. “No. Wait. Who are—”

A wham echoed through the building, strong enough to make the wooden walls rattle.

“Defensive positions!”

“Form up!”

“They’re in here too!”

“Regroup to me!”

Voices clamored over each other upstairs while the sounds of several different kinds of magic split the air.

Fire roared to life right in front of us as David summoned his red flames. His brown eyes were flashing with rage. “You led us into an ambush?”

“No!” Callan protested, while calling up a force wall. “We didn’t know that—”

“He’s here!” someone screamed from a room just a few steps down the hall.

Mere seconds later, wind magic whirled down the corridor while white lightning flashed in its wake. I barely had time to shove Callan aside before the bolt zapped through where his chest had been. Even while stumbling to the side, he had still managed to throw the force wall. It smacked into the wind blast with a boom that almost shattered my eardrums.

“Attack!” a male voice bellowed.

All hell broke loose.

People popped out of every doorway in the corridor, screaming battle cries and hurling magic. I barely managed to dive sideways before a pair of throwing knives sped through the air where I had been standing. David snapped orders from a few steps behind me while throwing red flames at a brown-haired man who stuck his head through the door to shoot a blast of water at us.

While rolling to my feet, I slapped my palms together and called up a whipping tendril of poison right as two familiar faces became visible at the end of the hall.

Johnson. And Kane.

The vengeful idiots had come to crash the party and take their revenge.

I shot the tendril of poison at them before calling up another one. Glittering green magic sped through the air, but Johnson burned it away with his fire before it could hit. A few steps to my left, Callan was trying desperately to block all the attacks that were aimed at him from different sides of the corridor. Spinning around, I focused on the ones behind his back, trying to take them out while their eyes were fixed on him.

David, who had realized that the attackers were trying to kill us too and thus weren’t with us, hurled crackling fireballs at the men and women who ducked in and out of the doorways. His guards had formed up around him and were defending and striking back with practiced efficiency. But there were a lot of attackers.

As I leaped aside to avoid a stray lightning bolt from Kane while I also shot a cloud of poison towards the room on my left, I tried to count the number of people who were attacking us. It was difficult to know for certain since most of them only popped their heads out to shoot magic, but as far as I could tell, there had to be somewhere close to twenty people. Which meant that there couldn’t be that many of them fighting upstairs.

However, based on the amount of noise that echoed from the second floor, there had to be a lot of them up there too. Last time I had seen Johnson, he’d only had eight people with him. How the hell had he managed to find this many people on such short notice?

Though, as I watched the fury on his face as he threw fireball after fireball at Callan, I had to admit that he was indeed highly motivated.

Touching my palms together in rapid succession, I shot a hail of poison tendrils towards the people in the doorways. I could only use targeted strikes since there were so many others blocking the way. While I had no love for David and his guards, the fact of the matter was that right now we needed them to help fight off these people. Otherwise, Callan and I would quickly be overwhelmed. So I couldn’t just poison everyone. Regrettably.

Metal glinted in the roaring firelight.

I jumped back on instinct, narrowly avoiding the sword that would have split my stomach open. Disbelief pulsed through me as Jens Carlsen lunged at me again. Yanking out the knife strapped to my thigh, I managed to redirect his strike so that the blade whooshed down a mere inch from my side.

With the knife in one hand, I couldn’t touch my palms together fast enough to throw poison at him. But I also couldn’t release the blade because it was the only defense I had against his sword. Fury danced in his eyes as he swung it towards me again.

Why the hell was he wielding a sword? Why wasn’t he using magic like everyone else?

Metallic clashing filled the air as I blocked his lunge.

And that’s when I realized it. Jens Carlsen belonged to the younger generation in Malgrave. The ones who hadn’t been able to complete the ceremony to connect themselves to the Great Current before Levi destroyed the Blade of Equilibrium. Jens wasn’t using magic because he didn’t have any.

But his skills with the sword more than made up for it right now. Which was really fucking unfortunate for me because my skills with a blade were mediocre at best.

Pain burned through my skin as I only managed to partially block his next hit. The sharp edge sliced through my shirt, leaving a thin cut along the side of my forearm. I hissed in a breath between my teeth. Leaping back, I tried to buy myself enough time and space to get my palms together. But Jens wasn’t giving an inch.

With blood dripping down my arm, I threw my knife up in a desperate move to block his next assault.

Two deafening explosions shuddered through the building.

And then the ceiling collapsed.

Chapter 41

Ithrew myself towards Audrey while slamming up a force wall. All throughout the corridor, people dove for cover as shattered stone foundations and broken floorboards and screaming mages fell from the high ceiling. A huff tore from Audrey’s throat as she hit the ground with me on top of her, covering her body. My force wall vibrated above us.

But the majority of the damage hadn’t been near our section of the corridor. It had come from the two rooms on the left side. The explosions had cracked the floor of the upper rooms, making everyone who had been fighting up there plummet down to our floor.

Limp arms and legs poked out from underneath the broken blocks of stone and shattered pieces of wood. Sand from the crumbled stone foundation swirled down and glittered in the sunlight, which meant that the roof above those rooms had also partially collapsed.

The bodies appeared to belong mostly to the people from upstairs, since the members of Johnson’s gang, who had been hiding close to the doorways of those rooms, had dived out into the corridor.

While shifting together into a united front on the opposite side of the now much wider space, Johnson’s gang stared at the piles of debris that had been the floor and ceiling above, along with the wooden walls that the rubble had torn down on this floor when it came crashing down. Strips of massive carpets, now shredded to pieces, slowly sailed through the air to land on top of the mess of stone and wood.

I scrambled to my feet and grabbed Audrey’s arm, yanking her up with me. My hand came back red. I snapped my gaze down to her forearm to find blood dripping down from a cut on the side of it. But before I could say anything, stone groaned and rumbled from one of the piles. Touching my hands together, I called up another force wall while whirling towards the sound.

The large block of stone at the top rose up into the air and then shot to the side, slamming into the pile next to it. A moment later, the flat bit of stone before it crumbled as well.

It revealed two people.

A young woman with dark hair, who I recognized as the wind mage who usually fought next to Johnson, blinked at the area around her in stunned shock.

Next to her was Trevor Gale.

Because of his stone magic, he had managed to protect himself relatively well both from the explosion and from the fall. She must have been standing right next to him, probably while trying to kill him, and had been saved by his magic by accident.

The stone mage stared out at the scene before him.

Groans came from underneath parts of the debris, but it was safe to assume that practically everyone who had fallen through the high ceiling was dead. On this floor, the surviving members of Johnson’s gang had gathered together on the side opposite ours. Out of the twenty or so who had attacked us, twelve still lived. Most of them had magic pointed in our direction, but they all glanced between us and Gale.

On our side of the corridor, Audrey and I, along with David and three of his guards, remained standing. All of us also had magic summoned and aimed towards Johnson’s people. But no one moved.

For a while, the battle was at a complete standstill. As if everyone was trying to figure out what the hell had just happened and what they were supposed to be doing now.

My chest heaved from the fight, and worry knotted my insides at the way blood smeared Audrey’s left hand and arm.

Trevor Gale looked from us to Johnson and his gang and then to the fifty or so of his guards that were currently dead or dying underneath broken bits of the floor and ceiling. His gray suit was covered in stone dust, and his previously so smooth brown hair was disheveled, but cold fury burned in his blue eyes as he dragged them back to Johnson’s group.

The dark-haired wind mage next to him was still staring at the room, her mouth open and her eyes wide with shock.

Gale lifted a hand towards her, almost as if he was going to pat her on the shoulder.

Then, without even turning to look, he shot a stiletto blade from his suit sleeve and straight into the side of her neck.

Blood spurted from her punctured carotid artery and splattered the right side of Gale’s face.

“NO!”

The word tore from Johnson’s throat with animalistic agony.

It shattered the strange standstill like a smashed mirror.

I threw up a force wall as a mix of lightning and water magic crashed towards us. Flames roared through the air as Johnson hurled a crackling fireball towards Trevor Gale. The stone mage raised a thick slab before it could hit him.

While the dark-haired woman crashed to her knees, blood still spurting from her neck, Gale shoved the block of stone towards the others. It shattered into tiny pieces from a combined strike of lightning and wind.

I threw a force arc towards them while Audrey sent a cloud of poison straight on its tail. The still breathing wind mage, a young man with red hair, shoved my attack up into the gaping hole in the ceiling next to them while Johnson burned Audrey’s poison out of the air.

Rapid fireballs from David covered Gale as he made his way over to us, but I could barely spare them any attention.

Johnson’s gang still outnumbered us two to one. Not to mention that out of the forty-one people that he had brought here, twenty-nine of them were already dead. Along with whoever that dark-haired wind mage had been to him. And combined with the fact that they outnumbered us, they were now also fighting with the fury of hell itself.

It was taking all of my concentration just to block their attacks while also trying not to hinder Audrey’s or any of the guards’ shots. Even though the collapse had torn down some walls and widened the space, the piles of rubble and the undamaged rooms and the wall on the right side of the hallway still boxed us in enough that the seven of us could just barely manage to stand shoulder to shoulder. It forced us to alternate our larger attacks to avoid cancelling each other out.

Whips of glittering green poison snapped between my force walls and the blasts of wind that came from one of the guards.

“They’re not Levi’s people,” Trevor Gale ground out as he joined the edge of our row.

Since David and two of the guards were standing between me and Gale, I couldn’t see more than his arms as he yanked them up to shoot stones towards Johnson’s side. But even with three people between us, I could feel his sharp eyes burning holes in the side of my head.

“So,” he continued. “Why are they attacking us?”

“I’m not sure, sir,” David answered in between fireballs.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

I couldn’t very well tell him that all of these people had come here with the sole purpose of killing me, and that he and all of his guards had gotten caught in a battle that had absolutely nothing to do with him.

A boom echoed through the crumbling building as my force wall slammed straight into a massive blast of wind. Audrey shot a cloud of poison after it, but David also attacked, and his fire burned away part of her cloud. Both of them growled in irritation.

“I don’t know for sure,” I began while throwing a shield to block a lightning bolt from Kane. “But I’ve had a feeling that people have been tracking our moves since the day we first met with David. I think these people are making a move for power.”

Heat washed over us as orange flames slammed into a defending block of stone.

“Is that why Levi’s wife wasn’t up there?” Gale said, his voice tight with anger. “Because they’ve already taken her? And then they waited for us to show up so that they could ambush us?”

The good thing about paranoid people was that all you needed to do was to give them a few bits of information, and then they would start putting together worst-case scenarios all on their own.

“Probably,” I answered while shielding Audrey from a torrent of water that would have sent her flying through the nearest wall.

Swirling green mist made it almost all the way to Kane’s mouth before the redheaded wind mage shoved the cloud aside. Johnson let out a furious scream that echoed through the whole building.

Slapping his palms together, he shoved his hands forward and sent a gigantic wave of fire crashing down the hall.

Alarm shot up my spine.

I hurled a wide force wall straight for it while Gale yanked up a thick block of stone. Flames spilled over the top like a red flood, and the water mage on Audrey’s other side had to shift his shield up at the last second.

Steam hissed through the corridor.

Damn. I had forgotten how dangerous people could be when they were fueled by rage and raw grief.

“We need to move to a better position, sir,” David said. “This space is too narrow. We’re hitting each other’s attacks.”

It was true. If we’d been able to spread out, Johnson and his people would probably already be dead. While they weren’t connected to the Great Current, and therefore all technically had the power level of a dark mage, they weren’t really dark mages. Not in the sense that we were. But the cramped space along with the sheer power that they still possessed gave them an advantage in this fight.

“Yes,” Gale replied.

Lightning crackled through the air the moment our defensive walls were down. It exploded into a force shield that I barely managed to raise right in front of my chest. Wind and fire rushed down the corridor again as Johnson and the redhead launched a synchronized attack.

A boom shook the building as the attacks collided with Gale’s thick slab of stone.

“We need to—” the stone mage began, but another voice cut him off.

“Winston!”

Glittering green mist shot across our side of the hallway.

I sucked in a gasp, and my consciousness slipped through my fingers like slick ice.

Darkness pulled me under, and I could barely feel my body beginning to topple backwards as Audrey’s smooth poison shoved its way down my throat.

Chapter 42

Dull thuds echoed into the suddenly completely silent corridor as the bodies of Callan, Trevor Gale, David, and his three guards hit the dusty floor on either side of me. I let the glittering green mist swirl around me for another second before allowing it to fade out.

Across the hall, Johnson and Kane and the rest of their people gaped at me in utter disbelief.

“Y-you…” Shock bounced across Johnson’s features as he looked down at Callan’s limp form. “You turned on your own friends?”

I snorted. “I’m a dark mage. I don’t have any friends.”

“But you fought together with him before!”

“Yes. But this fight of yours clearly isn’t with me, and I have no intention of dying here today.”

“So you’re a turncoat who would—”

The wall next to them exploded.

Their bodies flew sideways from the force of the blast. Stones and jagged pieces of wood from the shattered wall shot through the air alongside them.

“No, but I’m a very good liar,” I said as I slapped my hands together and quickly pulled out the poison from Callan’s body.

He coughed and groaned on the floor while I touched my hands together again and called up another massive cloud.

Johnson and his people’s involuntary flight came to an abrupt halt as their bodies slammed into the piles of debris and the few still standing parts of the left wall. Cries of pain rang out, along with groans and gasps.

Before they could push themselves up, I threw the poison cloud.

Glittering green mist enveloped the whole space.

The other sounds stopped immediately as my magic killed Johnson and Kane and all of their people, along with whoever might have managed to survive underneath the piles of rubble.

I shook my head as I watched Jens Carlsen’s glassy eyes stare unseeing up into the broken ceiling. He really shouldn’t have put that sword to my throat outside the bakery. My gaze swept across the lifeless bodies of Johnson and Kane. And they really should have let this revenge thing go and stayed the hell away from my Callan.

“Fucking hell,” Callan grumbled while rubbing the back of his head. Narrowing his eyes, he looked up at me from where he had managed to sit up on the floor. “I hope you enjoyed that, because it’ll be the first and last time you knock me out like that.”

I laughed and leaned down to offer him a hand. “We’ll see about that, pretty boy.”

While muttering something about vicious poisoners, he took my hand and let me help him to his feet.

“Did I time the explosion correctly?” a voice said from the now damaged room on the right.

“The first two came a bit late,” I replied as I turned towards the voice. “But this last one was perfect.”

Winston snuck out into the corridor while he swept nervous brown eyes over the mess of broken stone and wood and bodies. “I know. But I had to wait before Trevor Gale was actually inside one of the rooms before I triggered them. And he stayed back at first, letting his guards fight for him.”

The two explosions that had shattered the floor earlier had been Winston’s doing. He had placed his glittering webs of magic under the carpets in the two rooms that Callan had said that Levi’s wife would be in.

“How did you even get downstairs again?” Callan asked, still rubbing the back of his head.

“The windows.” He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it himself. “We climbed in and out through the windows. Like some kind of suicidal spiders.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” a soft female voice said.

A moment later, Mi-ri walked out from the same room and into the hallway as well. She had been making sure that no one heard Winston while he moved around and planted the traps.

“Not that bad?” Winston stabbed a hand towards the upper floor. “Do you even know how high up that window was?”

Callan cleared his throat before Mi-ri could reply. “Alright, we’re about to kill these people now so if you wanna leave, feel free. Levi and all his guards are still at Old Square, so you’ll be able to get back to the north side without anyone spotting you.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Winston said as he started towards the door.

Mi-ri inclined her head slightly before following the explosion mage towards the back door that Levi had made sure was unlocked before he left.

Once they were gone, we turned towards the five people lying on the floor behind us. My poison still swirled in their bodies, keeping them unconscious.

For a few seconds, we just stood there side by side, looking down at them.

“Well,” Callan said eventually. “That went exactly according to plan.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “I can’t believe we actually pulled that off. Do you know just how many things could have gone wrong? And if even one of them had, we would be dead right now.”

“Yep.”

“Good thing we specialize in dangerous schemes.”

“Agreed.”

Twisting slightly, we looked at each other. And another relieved laugh escaped our lips.

I hadn’t even been exaggerating. This scheme of ours had been absolutely nuts. But maybe that was why it had worked.

To my surprise, it was actually Callan who had come up with the plan.

After we had been attacked by Johnson and his people that second time, in that alley, Callan had realized that we had two enemies that we couldn’t deal with on our own. So why not let our enemies kill each other instead?

We knew that Gale wouldn’t be able to pass up the opportunity to recruit Callan, since he was the only one who had succeeded in pulling one over on Levi before. And we knew that he would eventually task us with finding the safe house. Callan and I would never have been able to kill Gale on our own since he was so damn careful and paranoid, so what we had to do was to make sure that Gale and Johnson showed up to the same place at the same time.

While we worked to convince Gale and David that we could be trusted, we also did everything we could to piss off Johnson while also telling him that he needed to get more people if he wanted to kill us. All so that the fight here today would be as even as possible. Levi’s don’t-kill-anyone rule didn’t apply to Johnson’s crew, since they were part of the scheme to take out Gale and not part of our forced attempts to mess with Levi’s reputation.

Winston and Mi-ri had already been inside the building, hiding in a secret room, when Levi left for Old Square, and even the King of Metal hadn’t known that they were there. Given that Callan was supposed to have killed them five years ago, we had to keep their involvement a secret so we had snuck them into the building well in advance. Once inside, Winston had planted the two explosions upstairs and then they had just hidden inside that secret room again and waited.

We knew that David would want to confirm that Levi had left before he sent for Gale, which would give Callan the excuse he needed to leave the building and run through the city. But we couldn’t just hope that Johnson’s crew would be lying in wait to attack Callan, so we’d also had Dennis, the reluctant shadow mage we had blackmailed, tip off Johnson that Callan would be passing through that courtyard with the fountain. And when Johnson and all of his friends spotted Callan there, they naturally chased him.

Then, Callan just had to lead them to this safe house, run in through the unlocked backdoor that we had told David was rigged with explosions, and then escape through the tunnel that ended right behind the building that David and I were waiting in. While Johnson and the others were still busy searching the house, Gale and his people snuck in.

Getting that timing right had been an absolute pain in the ass. But we had run several tests for how long it would take for messengers, as well as Gale, to get to and from the safe house. And luck seemed to have been on our side.

We knew that we wouldn’t be allowed to get within striking distance of Gale, so we had to force him to come to us. Winston’s explosions upstairs were both meant to kill as many of Gale’s people as possible, and to get the stone mage down to us since we knew he would survive the blast and the fall thanks to his magic.

However, Johnson and his friends would still be trying to kill us. So we needed to do something unexpected in order to kill both them and Gale. Which was where my little bout of friendly fire came in.

Since Gale hadn’t been expecting an attack from our side, my cloud had managed to knock him out. Callan knew it was coming but there was nothing I could do to keep the effects from him since I needed a cloud large enough and strong enough to render them all unconscious instantly.

The confusion that followed had allowed Winston time to detonate his third explosion that blew out the wall and sent Johnson’s gang flying. And now that they were dead, we just had five more kills to make.

“Take a step back,” I said as I let my hands drift closer together.

Callan obeyed without question.

Since the first cloud had only been made to knock them out, because Callan had been standing next to them as well, I would have to pull out the magic before I could send a killing dose at them.

Touching my palms together, I drew the poison from their bodies. Glittering green mist appeared above their mouths before it evaporated.

A groan came from Trevor Gale’s throat. Next to him, David stirred as well.

My heart leaped into my throat.

I slammed my hands together and shoved a lethal cloud straight at them.

Gale had only just managed to open his eyes when the poison hit him.

Instantly, everything went still and quiet. I stared down at the stone mage who had been planning to kidnap a pregnant woman and threaten her life in order to make Levi surrender. His pale blue eyes now stared up unseeing at the ceiling above. And next to him, the arrogant advisor who had been trying to order us around like common henchmen lay dead as well.

Beside me, Callan heaved a deep sigh. I did the same.

Finally.

The glittering mist dissipated as I released my hold on the magic.

Callan stepped back up to my side now that the poison was gone, and then summoned a force blade. Stepping over limp legs and arms, he made his way over the now dirty floor and positioned himself next to Gale’s shoulder.

I glanced down at the vibrating sword in his hand before looking up at him and arching an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

“Levi said to bring him Gale’s head.”

“It’s a figure of speech.”

“Not with Levi.”

Bringing his arm down in a swift motion, he used the vibrating force blade to cut the stone mage’s head clean off his shoulders.

I blew out a breath and massaged my forehead. Damn. In the insanity of this scheme, I had almost forgotten that Levi Arden was a fucking psychopath.

After letting the force blade fade out, Callan leaned down and curled his fingers in Gale’s messy brown hair. With a firm grip, he lifted the severed head. Blood dripped onto the wooden floorboards as Callan straightened, letting the head hang by his side.

“Come on,” he said, and jerked his chin. “We’re going to Old Square.”

I let out a disbelieving chuckle, but followed him back out onto the street.

To say that we drew attention while we walked through the city holding a severed head would be the understatement of the century. People stopped and stared on every single street. Most of them beat a hasty retreat when they understood what Callan was actually holding, but some of them followed us. As if curiosity got the better of them and they wanted to see what we would be doing with it. All of them did it from a respectful distance, though.

“You know we’re gonna have to put on a show, right?” Callan said as we reached the edge of Old Square.

I swept my gaze over the crowded space. Levi was sitting in a grand chair at the other end while some of his guards stood at attention on either side a short distance away. Gasps rang out around us, and people moved aside to clear a path for us as we strode straight for the King of Metal.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because people think that we have been actively working against Levi, trashing his gambling dens, blackmailing people, and all that. So we’ll need to publicly show that we were really doing all of it on his orders.”

“I really hate him and his inflated ego.”

“Yeah, me too. We’ll still have to do it, though.”

Afternoon sunlight painted the wide square with a golden glow and glittered in the jewelry and armor and glasses of the people filling it. We plowed through the crowd like a north Valdan battleship, cleaving the sea in half. Blood dripped onto the ground, leaving a red trail behind us.

Whispers and murmuring spread through the gathered audience like a sweeping wave as they looked between us and Levi. The person who had been in the middle of addressing the King of Metal cast a panicked look at us before hurrying aside.

A wide smile spread across Levi’s lips as he took in the sight of us. In the warm sunlight, his gray eyes had taken on an almost gilded hue. Deep satisfaction glittered in them as we came to a halt a few steps in front of his grand chair, but he remained nonchalantly lounging in it as if we hadn’t just dealt with the single greatest threat to his pregnant wife. But, as every dark mage knew, it was all about public perception.

For a few seconds, we just remained watching each other. Muted dripping from what remained of Gale was the only sound to break the stillness as the whole square seemed to be holding its breath.

With a casual swing of his arm, Callan released his grip on Gale’s hair. The severed head landed in front of Levi’s feet with a dull thud and rolled halfway around before stopping on its side.

“Trevor Gale’s head,” Callan said in a voice that carried across the stunned crowd. “As requested.”

Sharp intakes of breath could be heard from a few of the closest groups.

Callan brushed the back of his hand discreetly against mine, and then dropped to a knee and bowed his head. It took immense effort not to groan or roll my eyes as I lowered myself down to one knee as well and did the same.

“We infiltrated Gale’s organization and made him believe that we were on his side by pretending to work against you,” Callan continued. “Just as you instructed.”

Like hell. This had been our plan. But I managed to refrain from saying that by instead gritting my teeth.

Whispers drifted through the crowd as people put two and two together about our behavior this past week.

“And now we have brought you his head, as per your orders,” Callan went on. “So we ask that you consider our part of the deal fulfilled.”

For a few moments, Levi said nothing, as if he wanted to bask in this moment. I wanted to get the hell off my knees, so if he didn’t say something within the next three seconds, I was going to start poisoning people.

Just when my patience had reached its inevitable end, Levi spoke up.

“Rise,” he said, his voice thrumming with power and authority. “And know that your part of the deal has been fulfilled.”

I pushed to my feet immediately. Dull pain still pulsed from the cut on my arm, but at least it had stopped bleeding. I rolled back my shoulders and raised my chin as Callan and I straightened before the King of Metal once more.

The look in his eyes made me start slightly.

While the rest of his face had that lethal and imperious expression that matched his voice, from this close up, his eyes were practically brimming with relief. And something that almost seemed like gratitude.

“Thank you,” Levi said in a voice soft enough that only we could hear. While holding our gazes, he inclined his head with an almost imperceptible dip of the chin. “I will hold up my end of the bargain.”

Satisfaction washed through my body like liquid starlight.

Callan slid his hand into mine, interlacing our fingers, and gave it a gentle squeeze. I looked up at him and found him watching me with a victorious smile on his lips. We were bloody and battered and exhausted as hell, but I smiled back at him.

Because we had done it.

We had pulled off an insane scheme and killed the second biggest power player in Malgrave. And now, we had the manpower we needed to survive a war against Eldar and we had a metal mage who could destroy the Blade of Equilibrium.

Chancellor Quill thought that the war was already done. That with our mansions destroyed and our fellow dark mages on the run and Lance Carmichael back at his side, their complete victory was only a matter of time.

Oh he had no idea how wrong he was. The war was just getting started.

We were taking our empires back.

And then some.

Bonus scene

Do you want to know what Levi was thinking during that last chapter? Download the exclusive bonus scene here and read the final part from Levi’s perspective: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/tzv4uppld1

And now, Audrey and Callan await you in Merciless Villains, the final book in the Ruthless Villains series. Find out how their story ends here: books2read.com/ruthlessvillains5

Acknowledgments

Would you look at that? Our vicious villains managed to scheme themselves into Levi’s good graces and get the help they so desperately needed. Well, mostly good graces, anyway. And now, they just have to return to Eldar and somehow figure out how to outsmart an entire city state. Yep. Only the grand finale left now. See you on the other side.

As always, I would like to start by saying a huge thank you to my family and loved ones. Mom, Dad, Mark, thank you for always being there for me. I truly don’t know what I would do without you. Lasse, Ann, Karolina, Axel, Martina, I’m so glad I have all of you too. Spending time with you always makes me happy.

I would also like to thank my amazing best friend Oskar Fransson for being such an incredible person. Thank you for always filling my life with light.

To my amazing copy editor and proofreader Julia Gibbs, thank you for all the hard work you always put into making my books shine. Your language expertise and attention to detail is fantastic and makes me feel confident that I’m publishing the very best version of my books.

A huge thank you to Claire Holt, the incredible designer from Luminescence Covers, who made this absolutely gorgeous cover. Your talent for creating beautiful covers is out of this world and I’m so lucky that I get to work with you.

I am also very fortunate to have friends both close by and from all around the world. My friends, thank you for everything you’ve shared with me. Thank you for the laughs, the tears, the deep discussions, and the unforgettable memories. My life is a lot richer with you in it.

Before I go back to writing the next book, I would once again like to say thank you to you, the reader. Thank you for continuing to read about my two stabby and violent, but also maybe a bit loveable, villains. If you have any questions or comments about the book, I would love to hear from you. You can find all the different ways of contacting me on my website, www.marionblackwood.com. There you can also sign up for my newsletter to receive updates about coming books. Lastly, if you liked this book and want to help me out so that I can continue writing, please consider leaving a review. It really does help tremendously. I hope you enjoyed the book!