Very few of the Fae would ever understand why or how she’d come to care about the people living here. It probably hadn’t dawned on them she’d been living in a city surrounded by humans and mixed magical races. It hadn’t been something she’d considered, until Balkin had made the choice for her after he helped her escape from Faerie. Humans, for the most part, were viewed as the weakest of the races and one of the most destructive. Her father had once compared them to insects with a propensity for multiplying out of control and ignorant of the magic of their world. Sabine had come to know another side of them, and their strength of spirit and ability to persevere in almost any situation had opened her eyes.
Sliding the last of her knives into the sheath on her thigh, she pushed open the door and headed in the direction of the wonderful aromas that beckoned to her. Sunlight streamed in through the windows of the kitchen, and Martha hummed a wordless tune as she pulled out a batch of freshly baked bread. Martha was an older woman with a rounded figure, a testament to her ability to create mouthwatering delicacies.
The gray-haired woman’s mouth curved upward at the sight of Sabine. “Good! You’re awake. Have a seat and I’ll fix you something too.”
Martha gestured to the table where Bane was already sitting. The demon grunted at her, but he was too busy shoveling food into his mouth to respond.
Sabine beamed a smile at Martha. “If it tastes half as delicious as it smells, it promises to be as divine as your stew last night.”
Martha laughed and shooed her to the table. A moment later, she placed a plate with some sort of meat and vegetable pie in front of Sabine. “I’ve missed having both of you here. Taste this and let me know what you think. I’m trying out something new.”
Bane was still busy digging into his food, a sure sign of his approval. Sabine grinned and picked up the spoon. The moment the first bite touched her tongue, she closed her eyes and moaned. The flavors exploded in her mouth, the tang of the spiced meat complementing the savory herbs and vegetables Martha had used. Some of these must have come from Esmelle’s garden because she could taste the faint trace of pixie magic on her tongue.
“This might be better than your stew last night,” Sabine admitted, pulling the plate closer to her. Bane gave another grunt of agreement and took another bite.
“I’m so glad to hear it, dear,” Martha said, bringing over a pitcher and pouring each of them a drink. “Balkin should be here any minute, and Dax asked me to prepare something special for him.”
Sabine swallowed the bite she’d been chewing and frowned. “I forgot about that. He hasn’t arrived yet?”
Bane paused and glanced out the window. “He should have been. We were thinking he’d be here either last night or this morning, but it’s already past midday.”
“Have you seen Dax?” Sabine asked, trying to bury her unease.
The village where Balkin lived was situated at the edge of the Silver Forest, less than a week’s travel from Akros. By the time Dax had received the message announcing Balkin’s imminent arrival, he should have been no more than a day or two away. The message had been worded as a warning, and Balkin would have made haste traveling here, unless something had delayed him.
To her knowledge, the Fae weren’t aware he’d helped her escape after her mother had been murdered. It had been one of Sabine’s tutors who had taken her to Balkin’s village that night. She later learned her tutor had been executed.
If her father ever discovered Balkin was still watching over her, his life would be forfeit too. She didn’t even want to think about what they’d do to the rest of his family. Balkin had taken a terrible risk helping her escape, and every time he came to her, he endangered himself again.
Bane frowned. “I haven’t seen Dax since I woke up. We were working on a project together for most of the night.”
“I think he’s in the war room. I’ll take care of those plates if you need to speak with him,” Martha offered, a trace of worry deepening the wrinkles around her eyes.
Sabine nodded at her. The war room was where Dax usually spent his time organizing his people and assigning them tasks. It was nothing more than a glorified meeting room. She didn’t know why it had been named such, except Dax tended to enjoy violence. “The meal was wonderful, one of your best. But I’m afraid this can’t wait.”
Martha gave her a smile. “Go ahead, dear. I’ll save your plate.” She turned to Bane. “Shall I put yours away too?”
Bane sighed and pushed it away. “I’ve missed your cooking, Martha. Are you sure I can’t convince you to come work for me? I’ll pay you double whatever Dax is paying.”
Martha laughed and shooed him off. “Shame on you. Go before you get me in trouble.”
As they headed out of the room, Sabine grinned. “Don’t you dare try to steal her away. I’ve been trying to smooth things over between you and Dax. If you convince her to leave, he’ll never forgive you and I won’t either.”
Bane chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist, navigating her toward the stairway that led to the lower levels of the tavern. “You could always come too. I’ve been trying to convince you to stay with me for the past few years.”
She shook her head. “And all my efforts at repairing the rift between you and Dax will fall apart.”
“Ah, but some things might be worth it,” he suggested with a teasing grin. Leaning in close, he whispered, “Just think, we could even leave the city. My business isn’t dependent upon staying here. You could live in the forest again. I’d take a few jobs here or there, but you’d never have to step foot in a city of stone and metal ever again. How would you feel about having the trees as your ceiling once again?”
Sabine darted a quick glance at him and didn’t answer. He knew how much she missed the forest. She’d shared her memories with him over a glass of wine almost six years earlier. One night, after they’d downed an entire bottle, she’d broken down and told him everything. Bane knew far more about her history than even Dax. The next day, Bane convinced her to mark him, claiming it was another way to protect her.
On the one hand, it had helped make living in the city easier with his shared resistance to metals, but she knew Bane wanted the same thing Dax did. No matter how much they might pretend to be otherwise, they were both demons who dreamed about being able to walk in the sunlight without consequences and still retain their full strength. There was a reason the gods had limited their power and dominion to the underworld. Demons were a force to be reckoned with, and left unchecked, their potential for destruction could be devastating.
She might care about and trust Bane up to a point, but she could never risk forgetting what he was and who she was. She would always be Fae, one of the sworn protectors of this world. Allowing a demon to use her magic to walk the world unchecked would go against her very foundation and purpose. A short-term and controlled agreement between them was one thing, but anything more was too dangerous.
Over the years, Bane had occasionally brought up the possibility of them leaving the city, but it was always with a hint of teasing. Bane was much more subtle about wanting to keep her to himself, but in many ways, he was like Dax. He might project himself to be more tolerant and less intense, but he was simply more skilled at controlling his tendencies than his more volatile brother. In short, he was far sneakier and more manipulative.
As though sensing he’d crossed a line again, Bane fell silent as they walked through the empty hallways toward Dax’s meeting room. Before they descended the stairwell, Bane stopped her. “Sabine, I want you to be careful around Malek. You should keep your distance from him.”
Surprised by the abrupt change of subject, she lifted her head to regard him. His face was carefully neutral, and he was impossible to read when he set his mind to it.
“I’m not discussing him with you.”
Sabine started to turn away, but he grabbed her arm. She frowned, looking up into his amber eyes that reminded her so much of his brother. Bane shook his head. “He’s n
ot who you think.”
Without waiting for a response, he walked down the steps and toward the meeting room. She stared after him and shook her head. Something obviously bothered him about Malek. She just wasn’t sure if it was because she’d shown an interest in the ship captain or if there was something else going on.
For all the years she’d spent with Dax and Bane, sometimes it felt as though she barely knew either of them. They were as foreign to her as the humans that surrounded them. It had led to a lot of mistakes made by all of them, but they’d tried to avoid them whenever possible.
Sabine blew out a breath and continued descending the stairs. Trying to corner Bane wouldn’t get her anywhere. He’d eventually tell her what was troubling him, but not until he was ready or it suited his purposes. Sabine followed him into the meeting room where Dax was sitting slouched low in a chair, his hands steepled together. She halted at the sight of Terrance’s ledger on the table in front of him. Parchments with scribbled markings were scattered around him, leading her to believe he’d been there for hours.
“You’re still working on it?” Bane asked, circling the table and looking over Dax’s notes.
Dax ignored Bane and met her eyes, a faint trace of temper in them as he gestured to the chair beside him. “Have a seat, Sabinthea.”
She froze. It had been years since Dax had called her that. It wasn’t her real name, but it was close enough his use of it made her uneasy. Even more disturbing was the sight of the book and Malek not being anywhere near it. She couldn’t sense him through the mark, but that might not mean anything. It still wasn’t working right.
“Where did you get the ledger? And where is Malek?”
“Your new friend shared it with me last night.” Dax stood, his eyes flashing to silver and staying that way. “Sit. Down. Now.”
Sabine narrowed her eyes at Dax, sending a sharp lash of her power toward him in warning. It struck him like a whip, a not-so-subtle reminder she would never bow to him. “Have you forgotten who you’re talking to, Dax’than Versed, son of Kal’thorz? I will never obey your commands.”
Dax glared at her, his breathing heavy as though he were struggling to get control of himself. Sabine remained where she was, waiting and hoping he wouldn’t force the issue. Balkin had repeatedly warned her about allowing a demon to issue orders. Dax might make a request, which she could decide whether to accept or decline. But once someone allowed a demon to circumvent their will, it was much more difficult to retain their autonomy. So far it had proven to be sound advice, but the path she walked was treacherous. Sometimes she thought demons were more dangerous than the Fae who wanted her dead.
Bane crossed his arms over his chest, still studying the parchment on the table. He would be no help in this, which indicated he wasn’t particularly happy with her either. She just didn’t know why. Something more than just jealousy or possessiveness was going on.
Dax grabbed the edge of the table and hurled it across the room, causing it to splinter apart. Her heart thundered in her chest, but she didn’t move. It was never a good idea to run from a predator, especially one such as Dax. It took everything in her to keep her expression neutral and her body relaxed as she held his gaze. Feigning nonchalance, she arched her brow. “Well, that was rather unnecessary, don’t you think?”
Dax snarled and prowled toward her. Despite her false bravado, he was starting to scare her. She took a half-step backward before she caught herself, but it was enough to give Dax the advantage. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arm around her, yanking her even closer. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t bind you to me right now.”
Sabine blinked up at him and placed her hand against his chest. “You could try, but I would destroy you before you had a chance.”
Without giving him an opportunity to respond, she blasted him with her power. Dax flew backward, hitting the wall with enough force the stone support behind him started to collapse. Broken plaster and a piece of wood fell from above him, the dust coating the top of his head and his horns.
Straightening her shoulders, she approached him. Infusing her words with magic, she reminded him, “You are not my equal, Dax’than Versed. You walk freely under the sun only because I will it. If you ever try to force a binding between us, I will banish you to the underworld and be done with you.”
“You’ve made your point, Sabine,” Bane said in a dry tone and picked up the ledger from the ground where it had fallen.
Dax laughed, a cruel and harsh sound. She frowned as he got to his feet and brushed himself off. Seemingly unconcerned by what had happened, Dax smirked at Bane. “She’s back to full power.”
“Yes, she is,” Bane agreed, flipping through the pages of the ledger. “The twenty-four-hour grace period begins now.”
Sabine’s gaze darted back and forth between them. “What in the name of Underhill is going on?”
Bane glanced up at her. “Dax wanted to make sure you were fully recovered.”
Her mouth dropped open. “And you didn’t think to just ask?”
“Not nearly as much fun,” Dax said, picking up some of the papers and handing them to Bane.
Sabine threw her hands up in surrender. “May the gods save me from foolish demons. I could have hurt you, Dax.”
He shrugged. “A bit of foreplay never hurt anyone.”
Sabine rolled her eyes and picked up one of the papers from the floor. Someone, most likely Dax based on the handwriting, had been working on deciphering the code. “Where’s Malek? I thought he was trying to decode this.”
“He’s… otherwise engaged.”
Sabine jerked her head up and narrowed her eyes on Dax. “What did you do to him?”
“He’s alive and unharmed for the moment, but whether he remains that way is yet to be seen,” Bane said with a shrug. He walked over and handed her the ledger. “Terrance was tracking our movements for the past two months—mine, Dax’s, and yours. We believe he may have paid off some of our people to acquire this information.”
Sabine frowned. “To what end? I’m hardly involved in either of your operations anymore, and none of Edvar’s kids would sell information about me.”
Dax nodded. “I suspect you’re correct. That’s why we believe Terrance paid off Riven to find out your whereabouts. Your name was listed much less often in the ledger than either Bane or myself. Terrance foolishly considered you the weak link between us, and I was the actual target.”
Sabine looked at the ledger again and shook her head. “What reason would he have to target you? You said Terrance was new to the city, and you’d given him rights to operate his gambling hall with little interference.”
Bane shrugged. “He was probably hired to track us or to determine a way to have Dax eliminated.”
“And framing the leader of the local assassins’ guild for my murder would be the quickest way to have you and Dax turn on each other,” Sabine murmured with a sigh. “I suppose the old adage is true. Send a demon to kill a demon.”
“Indeed,” Dax agreed, dropping the papers on a chair. “The most likely culprit is the councilman whose home we burglarized. The heightened security and addition of the mercenaries was enough to pique my interest. He laid a trap by embedding a valuable object with a lich ward that was targeted to me.”
“So we’ve been dancing to the councilman’s tune ever since he spread word about artifacts being discovered in the catacombs under the city.” Sabine didn’t bother to hide her disgust, but it still didn’t answer her earlier question about Malek and Bane’s cryptic warning. “If you think Malek had a hand in this plot, you’re wrong.”
Dax chuckled and approached her with a shrewd look in his eyes. “Have you fallen for the ship captain? Is that why you’re so quick to defend him?”
She slapped the ledger against Dax’s chest, refusing to answer his questions. “He isn’t responsible. You were likely planning to go after the items even if Malek hadn’t negotiated a deal to acquire them. Now, tell m
e about Balkin.”
Dax tossed the ledger onto the nearby chair. “He hasn’t arrived yet, nor have we heard anything more from him. I know he’s still alive, but beyond that, it’s impossible to know.”
Sabine frowned, that uneasy feeling beginning to fill her once again. Dax had been marked by Balkin years before she’d come to Akros. Dax was able to sense him, but unlike the mark she shared with Bane, Dax couldn’t track Balkin. Such an ability had to be gifted or inherited.
Sometimes, pixies could track the Beastpeople, since they’d also been created from Fae magic. She could try to ask Blossom to locate him, but she was hesitant to send her away, especially with the arrival of a new pixie clan.
A noise in the hallway caught her attention, and she turned to see Javyn escorting a hooded individual into the room. Her heart thudded in her chest as he lowered his hood, revealing pointed ears and a face more animal than man. More than a millennium ago, when the dragons and other races started slaughtering her people en masse, the Fae infused their magic into some of the most dangerous creatures of the forest. They became one of their most lethal forms of defense, sworn to protect their creators, much as the Fae had once been created to serve the gods.
Balkin walked upright on two legs like the humans, but there could be no confusing him with anything other than one of the Beastpeople. Sabine suspected Balkin’s family were descended from one of the larger predatory cats. He was covered with a pelt of fur from top to bottom, but the golden hair on Balkin’s head was even longer, reminding her of a lion’s mane. His snout was elongated, and he possessed whiskers that twitched when he was annoyed or found something amusing. They’d twitched a great deal when she’d been a child. At least, until she’d been forced to flee Faerie.
“Balkin,” she whispered as memories from the past crashed over her. She rushed toward him and he swept her up in his arms, holding her tightly against him.
“Sabin’theoria,” he murmured in a voice quiet enough no one else could hear.
To Kill a Fae Page 21
