The Whitefire Crossing - By Courtney Schafer Page 0,124

his boots, if you can, I’d told her. The jug hadn’t contained pure water. I’d spent the last two days working out an updated form of the dye trick I’d used to track Kiran. I’d haunted herbalist shops and experimented with mixtures of plant extracts until I found one that wouldn’t stink or stain when applied to leather, yet remained concentrated and distinctive enough for a find-me charm to locate. The mixture wasn’t nearly so good a key as blood or hair—based on my experiments, the effect would be too weak outside of a half mile from the target for the charm to work, but that distance was more than enough for safe shadowing. I’d had an herbalist make me a nice big batch, so I’d have enough to key a find-me several times over. I could track Pello now for a solid day, if necessary.

So long as he didn’t realize he’d been marked. I squinted at Pello, searching for any sign of wariness or suspicion.

None showed. He only laughed at Cara’s apology, shook his head in wry dismissal at her attempt to blot his jacket, and with a flourish offered her a waterskin. She drank, said something, and they both laughed. He moved closer, laid a hand on her arm, murmured in her ear.

Come on, Cara, get rid of him. Gods knew she had plenty of practice in gracefully fending off eager suitors.

Cara raised her hand to his face. Leaned in, and kissed him. I nearly bit through my tongue. What the fuck did she think she was doing? This was no part of our plan.

The kiss deepened, lingered. She stroked a hand through his curls, while his hands slid down her back, pressing her close against him. I resisted the urge to rip off a shingle and hurl it at the window. Gods all damn it, Pello wasn’t some gullible trader. Jylla might’ve fooled a shadow man with a honey trap, but Cara? He’d see right through her if she kept this up. I lifted to a crouch, ready to rush over at the first sign of trouble.

Cara broke the kiss and pulled away. He moved to draw her back, but she put a hand on his chest and spoke, her expression teasing but regretful. Pello traced a finger down her cheek, his brows angled in appeal as he spoke. She replied, firmly. He made a rueful face, and inclined his head. He laced on his boots, collected his dampened coat, and let her usher him out.

Shit. He was too good an actor for me to tell at this distance if she’d roused his suspicion. Though I didn’t think it was a good sign he’d agreed to leave so easily. If he’d marked her, his first move would be to pull back to observe from a distance.

Cara locked and warded the door. She snatched up the hekavi bottle and downed a healthy mouthful, this time without coughing, then spat in the washbasin. After a glance out the window in my direction, she moved out of my line of sight. I counted out minutes, my teeth clenched. I didn’t dare rush straight to her room, in case Pello tried coming back. We’d agreed I’d give the bastard a good hour to clear the area. After that kiss, doubly important to make sure he didn’t spot me sneaking in for a visit.

Finally, Cara reappeared and swung open her window. I skulked across the roof and made a full survey of all possible vantage points before I slung myself down and in.

She beamed at me in pleased satisfaction. “Not bad for a first timer, huh?”

I rammed home the latch and jerked the curtains shut. “What the fuck were you playing at with that kiss? He’s a shadow man, for Khalmet’s sake! They know how to mark a honey trap. He’d have read you didn’t mean it.”

“Who said I didn’t? Spy or no, he’s not bad looking. Those bedroom eyes, and that tight ass...” She burst into laughter, as outrage blocked my tongue. “Oh, gods, you should see the look on your face. Relax, all right? I figured one kiss was worth this...” Triumphantly, she held out a hand. Wound around her fingers were a few dark curls of hair. “A little insurance, in case he dumps the jacket.”

Clever, yeah, but verging on too clever. I picked the hairs free with a growl. “If he marked what you did, he’ll shadow you to learn your game. You’re supposed to be switching off