from battling against terrible odds and somehow coming through it all alive. “I have one more…request.”
“Oh?” I released her, but didn’t move. Her eyes darted to my neck, gaze lingering on the collar of my tunic. Did she want to strangle me? Payback for what I’d done to her? There was intensity in her eyes I couldn’t place. As if she was debating, but unable to come to a solid conclusion.
Finally, she shook her head once. “Never mind.”
Before I could probe further, the crash of double doors banging against masonry erupted through the empty halls. Swirling darkness swept through the room, and Emelia and Ozias appeared. Leena leaped a few inches backward, crashing into me, and then scrambled away yet again beyond my reach.
Chest heaving, Emelia spoke first. “Sorry for the delay—he was out farther than anticipated.”
“It’s fine, Emelia. Please return to your post.”
She sank into a wave of shadows, returning to her overlook in the high trees of the Kitska Forest. She’d stay until her shift was over, only to be replaced by another. Members of Cruor could effortlessly summon a path to our shrouded home, but it was still possible for intruders to trek through the cursed wood and find us. We had plenty of enemies.
Spine rigid, Ozias clenched his hammer-size fists by his sides. “This her?”
“Easy, big guy.” Calem strolled toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Noc’s sorted it out.”
Dark-brown eyes jumped from Leena to me, and the heavy folds across his forehead smoothed. Relaxing his hands, he brushed them along his sweat-stained work shirt. “Emelia filled me in. I should have been here, but the recruits—”
“I know.” We only raised those we couldn’t live without. Dead loved ones. Lifelong friends. Not everyone had been a criminal prior to the change, which meant our activities—and the powers we used to execute them—were hard for some to grasp. “Give them time. For now, meet Leena. She’ll be providing us with beasts.”
Ozias’s thick brow shot into his cropped hairline. Leena offered him a tight nod, taking a small step back. Dominating in presence, his hulking frame outshadowed every assassin in Cruor, and yet he was the least of Leena’s worries within my walls.
Kost’s face bled to the surface of my thoughts. He’d want to murder her on principle. Time to make this deal official. “Once we have all four beasts, I’ll deal with the bounty. Until then, you’re stuck with us.”
“And by deal with the bounty, you mean refuse to execute it, correct?”
Clever woman. If she’d never placed a hit with us, then she likely didn’t know about the magic attached to her bounty. And yet, she’d scrutinized my words in the span of a breath. Her survival instinct was admirable. Pity she wasn’t one of ours.
Feigning dismissiveness, I started to make my way from the room. “Follow through with your end of the bargain, and I can assure you one of my men won’t come after your head.”
One of my men, no. Me? That was another matter. This time, she didn’t catch on, but she threatened me just the same.
“You should know,” Leena warned, “all beast trades are subject to the Charmer’s Law. Meaning, if you or any of your assassins harm the beasts I give you in any way, I am permitted to kill you.”
I paused, glancing back at her. The heat in Leena’s glare was warmer than the fire, but an unhurried grin claimed my face. “I welcome the day that happens.”
Pallid pink anger tinged her cheeks. “I want our deal in writing. Not some verbal agreement that can’t be used as proof.”
I raised a brow. Verbal, handwritten, signed by the king himself—it didn’t matter. The magic of Cruor’s Oath couldn’t be stopped. “Fine. Though that doesn’t stop someone outside my guild from coming after you.”
“If that happens, I’ll deal with it.” She toyed with the flaps of her black jacket. “We need to leave immediately.”
“Day after tomorrow.” I ignored her obvious frustration. “We need time to prepare.”
“Sign me up for some beach time!” Calem danced in place, tossing a grin in Leena’s direction. “Bringing any bathing garments?”
She scowled. “Keep your imagination to yourself.”
I turned to my third-in-command. “Ozias.”
“Yes?”
“Show Leena to her room. East wing.”
She stilled. “Wait. How do I know you won’t come for me in the night?”
Calem couldn’t resist. “If I come for you in the middle of the night, I can promise you won’t regret it.” Leena balked, and I swallowed a groan. Keeping up with Calem’s succession of flings