to find my mate again. We need to talk.
REMI
I’m pissed as hell he got the drop on me. The motherfucker is going to die painfully now. No one gets one over on me. I was weak, vulnerable there, passed out. Desire or not, he will pay for it. I stomp back to my house, but as soon as I get there, my phone rings.
“What?” I snap as I answer it.
“Careful, girl,” the voice replies, and I freeze. Tomin, my council contact. “We are disappointed the asset has not yet been killed.”
“He isn’t—”
“As I was saying, we are disappointed, but you can make it up to us. There is a time sensitive contract, and we need you to complete it. A fae has disguised himself as a human and has been running a crime ring with mortals. He’s using magic to defeat other competitors to gain money and ground. He is in the city for one night only. I am sending you the information. Get to him by any means necessary, and we will not put a strike against your name for failing your current mission.”
“Fine,” I retort and then pause. “Am I still to kill the other target?”
“Yes, and quickly. It is becoming an embarrassment that you can’t even handle one human,” he snarls.
Ah, so they think he’s human. Do they really not know he’s more? For some reason, I don’t tell him. What the ‘human’ did to get a contract from the council, I don’t know. Maybe I need to ask him.
“I expect a confirmation of the contract by morning. You have one more chance to show us why we employ you, or you are terminated.” He hangs up.
“Cunt,” I curse as I wait for the information to come through. When it does, I read it quickly. He’s holed up at a house downtown. I read up on his business and contact a friend for inside tips. My informant has his ear to the ground, after all.
“Snake,” he greets.
“The Winged, what do you know of them?” I ask in response.
“Some up and coming dirty company that sells women, drugs, and alcohol. Why?” he inquires, his voice rough, but that’s normal for the troll.
“I need a way into them.” I sigh.
He thinks for a moment. “Word is they’re hunting for a girl who got away from their operation. She apparently knew secrets. They don’t know what she looks like ’cause she was fae, so it could work if you set it up right. They are looking in the slums downtown as we speak.”
“Thanks, Snake, money transferred.” I hang up and do just that. Always keep your snitches happy.
A woman, this could work. If I act scared when they come for me, if I pretend I have glamour on and hide my animals…yeah, it could work. Plan sorted, I load up on weapons but then decide I wouldn’t have them if I was an escaped fae, so I grudgingly put them back, only keeping the knife in my boot and the ones in my hair before I head out, gunning my bike and going right for the slums.
I will kill them, please the council, and get off their bad books. I’m on my last strike, after all. One more and I’m terminated, and then I become a contract and the prey. I won’t allow that. I’ve worked too hard to secure my safety and future.
One man will not get in the way of that.
I park my bike next to an old, boarded up house and, using some slightly damp cardboard, I cover it to make sure it doesn’t get stolen. Then I start to wander, being loud about it. I pretend to look scared and on the run. His men are clearly shit hunters, because it takes them over two hours to find me.
Idiots.
That’s the problem with having humans working for you.
I’m standing near some other homeless humans when they spot me. I throw them a panicked look as their eyes narrow. One calls someone, and I start backing away dramatically.
“You, wait!” one of them calls. His shirt is torn, his pants hang low, and his body is covered in tattoos, but he stinks like a human and my tiger scoffs at the order. My wolf agrees. The other…well, let’s not talk about it.
I turn and start to run, making sure to go humanly slow as I wind through the warehouses and around to the dock and back up. But I don’t see them, so I slow down further. What does