robes from Devil’s Hollow. Strolling toward him, I bled through tables and people without a thought. Only one person yelped.
“Noc.” The man gestured toward the chair before him. “Please, sit.”
I slipped my hands into the pockets of my trousers. “Not necessary. What can I do for you?”
Wax dripped from the candle in the middle of the table, puddling around the tarnished holder. He picked at a dried glob of yellow goo, and his snowy Charmer’s emblem bleared up at me. Harsh in its vibrancy, it scorched the air with none of the softness of Leena’s power. “I would like a status update. We expected the job to be completed already.”
“We’re working on it.”
The man grimaced. “Work faster. She sells beasts on the black market. That’s punishable by death.” He steadied himself with a deep breath, adjusting the hem of his hood to hide his jawline. “Plus, she’s a skilled Charmer. She once used her talents to try to tame a human. For all you know, she could already have you under her spell.”
A human? My pulse quickened for a moment. I recounted every interaction, every hidden look or passing conversation and came up empty. If she had tamed me, then she was damn good at it, considering I was still here. Conducting business that involved her death.
I narrowed my eyes. No, this was different. Something was off about his anger. Something deeper. I’d spent enough time dealing with miscreants to know most people hid their true intentions, but it didn’t matter in my line of work. Leena had been marked. Whether it was for selling beasts or something else entirely, the result would be the same.
Twisting my right hand to show him the inside of my wrist, I held the inked mark to the candlelight. “You know as well as I do what this means. You think I’m willing to let her walk away in exchange for my own life?”
“Cruor’s Oath.” His lips quirked up in a wicked grin. “The reason we hired you in the first place. Your assurance is guaranteed.”
“Indeed.”
He braided his fingers together. A monstrous silver ring with garnet stones winked in the candlelight. “I’m sure you don’t get bounties like this often. Don’t forget what’s at stake here. For you. For your guild.”
I didn’t need the reminder. Jobs were necessary. They kept Cruor fueled, my brethren safe and fed, and made our extended life a little bit easier. Normalcy had died when I went under years ago, and this was the best I could provide. I would do anything to keep that intact.
Leena’s hazel gaze flashed before my eyes, and my heart shuddered. “I will keep you posted.”
The man leaned back in his chair. “She’s heading to Ortega Key… But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
“What are you insinuating?”
He snapped his fingers, and a severe glow ensconced his hand. The familiar groaning of a door dominated the room, and several patrons turned their attention to our table—including the bartender. Gaze stuck on my client, he polished the mug in his hand so hard it cracked.
A soft chirping dragged my attention back to the Charmer. A tiny bird with a violet breast and three eyes stared up at me. It blinked, and a yellow film slid over its irises. “You think I wouldn’t keep tabs on my investments? We hired you to do a job, and you’re dragging her halfway across the continent. You’ve even got backup. Why is that?”
I kept my voice level. “The job will be done. If you needed it within a set time frame, your boss should have set a limit when she hired us.”
“Ah yes, the terms.” He snapped his fingers again, and the bird disappeared. “An oversight on her part. Just speed up the process. You have her already, so end her.”
I had to rein in my fury to keep lashing shadows from blanketing the entire establishment. “Don’t question my methods. You hired us; we’ll do the job.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “We still need access to her bones within six hours of death, so don’t wander too far. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to send something to collect her.”
I froze, instantly ensnared. I needed to get back to her. He could already have someone, something, lying in wait. If she was in danger… I fisted my hand once before letting it fall slack. I shouldn’t care. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way.”
“Quickly, Noc.” The way he said my name only fueled my anger. “Whatever promise she’s