Someone in the good graces of Cruor. I slumped back into the makeshift bed of tan hides. I wasn’t stupid enough to think that would ever happen. Pay anyone enough money, especially an assassin, and the whole deal could change. But by then, I’d be worlds away with a Myad in tow. No one would dare attack me with that beast by my side, and hopefully it’d be enough to grant me a meeting with the Council.
“I’ll check on Kost.” Oz tossed me a half-hearted smile before slipping through the green flaps of the tent.
Noc side-eyed me, the high angles of his face sharpened by his profile. “What kind of beast were you trying to acquire?”
“A Poi.” I felt another surge of pain, and I brought my arm flush to my chest. “Trust me, it’s the beast Kost wants.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Aside from their nasty bite”—I flexed my fingers to fight back the stiffness—“they can see two minutes into the future. No more, no less, but extremely useful when it comes to strategic planning. It’s a B-Class bordering on A-Class beast. Meets all the requirements.”
Noc inched closer until he was within arm’s reach. A rare bit of softness touched his gaze. “I’m sorry.”
“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.” I winced, but didn’t dream of moving. He was so close. Tension roiled thick between us. So much like that insurmountable space that had been between our fingers the night we had dinner and talked for hours.
“For Kost. I think you’re right… This beast suits him.” He leaned forward, and my breath caught in my lungs. “What are we going to do about this?” He cupped my injured hand, and a droplet of poison splashed against his palm. My heart squirmed at his touch. I knew nothing of fortunes. My own peaceful future had been savagely ripped from my grasp, and I’d been left ostracized and alone. But looking at Noc’s hands, at the network of creases and callused fingertips, I wondered if one of those crossing lines had anything to do with me.
“There’s only one way to fix this.” I couldn’t bring myself to look away. I knew I should have wrenched free of his grasp, put some distance between us, but his voice was so low. Pained. He was the last person I could ever trust, but the soothing heat from his touch, so at odds with the usual chill from his demeanor, burned away the sting of the poison. “I have to tame the Poi. He can pull the venom out.”
Noc’s fingers brushed higher up my wrist, almost reflexively. “Do you have the strength to do that?”
“Tomorrow.”
His touch froze as if he’d only just realized what he was doing, and his eyes stuck to the place where his fingers met my wrist.
Unease stirred in my belly. “Are you okay?”
Darkness sharpened in the tent. A range of emotions fought for control over his face. Some I recognized, some I didn’t. But I noticed a glimmer of longing. A beat of despair. Was touching me really so painful? Why?
He dropped my hand and pinned me to the ground with a stare cut from granite. “I’m fine. Will your hand last until tomorrow?”
I blinked. “Yes, but—”
“Good night.” He rose, the tent flap shuddering as he stalked out.
I stared helplessly after him. Understanding Noc was not part of the bargain. Get his beasts, get out. But he had a way of consuming me without even trying, and as sleep tugged on my consciousness, once again the aroma of honey teased my senses and haunted my dreams.
Ten
Noc
Leena left her tent at first light. We followed a short distance behind her, quiet. Onyx lines scratched across her skin like patchwork stitching, spanning her shoulders and reaching toward her cleavage. A slick sheen clung to her, dampening the fabric of her blouse.
“Noc—”
I shot Kost a glare, and he buried his words with a subtle gulp. Shadows hugged us, masking our presence to give Leena the best possible chance of taming the Poi. She trailed left and right, studying patterns in the dirt I couldn’t see. A dance between Charmer and prey. Eventually, she came to a standstill, and her head snapped toward a tree along the edge of the wheatgrass field.
Nestled among overgrown roots, the Poi lorded over the edge of his territory. Brown eyes speared her, and Leena smiled. Endless minutes stretched on as neither of them moved, a battle of wits. Then, without preamble, Leena’s skin burst into a pale glow