“He’s a shameless flirt and a busybody.” She tossed her head in mock despair. “He was with me when Bert showed up in our barracks. He helped me put these things together for you.” She quickly added, “Except for the underwear, obviously.”
She held back a smile as if unsure how I’d react. I’d be damned if I’d go back to being that girl that made others so uneasy, so I flashed her a grin and felt relieved to get one in return.
Liora moved around me to the door. “Best not keep the Wild Hunt waiting.” There was that disapproval again.
I shouldered the satchel which was mercifully lighter now it’d been deprived of three sets of boots. Liora swung the door open to find Hunter lurking outside.
“You didn’t go far, I see,” she said, amusement alive in her voice.
She stepped around him and went to check on Bert who, by the loud snores coming from his armchair, had finally gotten his nap time.
“You’ve got everything,” said Hunter, stepping in close.
It wasn’t really a question, which made me think he was stalling. I gave him a nod and a strained smile.
“I’m going to take Serena to the bathhouse and the food hall now,” Liora said, over by the door. Her attention flicked between us, coming to rest on Hunter. “If you need to eat—”
“No.” Hunter’s eyes hadn’t left my face. “I don’t like to fly on a full stomach. Before I go—Serena, can I talk to you outside?”
Taken aback, I mumbled, “Sure,” and followed him out into a dawning twilit sky.
Liora snapped Bert’s door closed behind us, but kept a distance, waiting patiently as Hunter drew me away from the cottage.
“I wanted to give you something,” he said, turning to face me.
“What is it?”
He spread his wings out and brought them in close, blocking us from view.
“Take this.” He opened his palm and shoved two gold coins into my hand. “I’m sorry it’s not more. If I thought I could’ve gotten away with it, I’d have given you the whole damned amount.”
I took a second to put it together. “If this is the money you got for me, I don’t want it.”
I tried pushing the coins back but he was too fast. He clamped my fingers down, making it a fist, and held it against his chest.
“Please, just take them—for me.”
I wrenched my hand out of his grip. “Why are you doing this? D’you offer a cut to all the humans you’ve taken?” My voice broke with emotion.
Hunter’s expression grew uneasy. “It’s different with you, Serena.”
“Why?” A demand.
“Because you offered me friendship, despite everything I’d done. This is the least I can do. Please.”
He was close to desperation: this was about assuaging his guilt. On that thought alone, I wanted to toss the gold at his feet, but the day may come when I’d need it. Relenting, I shoved the coins deep inside my bag. His smile had faded when I peered back up at him. “I’ve still got your scarf and gloves.”
He jostled the pack on his shoulders, drawing my eye. “Keep them. You never seem to get cold, but maybe you’ll make another human friend who will.”
I let my mouth curl just a little.
He smiled, and the shy hesitation battered against my resistance. I almost pulled him into a hug, but the most stubborn parts of me couldn’t forget what he was leaving to do.
“It’s time.”
“Right.” I nodded, feeling awkward.
What exactly did you say to someone who’d just sold you?
Hunter cleared his throat. As if nervous. He croaked, “We’ll see each other again—I can promise you that.”
I met his gaze. “You’ll remember your other promise?” His forehead crinkled. “To get my message to Viola and John. D’you need me to repeat it?”
“I haven’t forgotten a single word. Goodbye.” He nodded and curled his fist over his chest.
He stepped back. The world yawned open around us; without the privacy of his wings, I felt exposed and conscious of Liora’s stare. So when his wings beat and he shot upward, I whispered the words, “Goodbye, friend,” instead of shouting them.
He rotated mid-flight and looked down. Treading air, he held up a hand in farewell. I flashed him a smile. Fae hearing really was better than human.
Chapter 10
Allies, Friends, Enemies
Hunter was a speck among the burgeoning stars when Liora wandered over to my side. “I never thought I’d see a member of the Hunt become attached to a human.”
It seemed Hunter’s wings hadn’t hidden us that well after all, but she’d spoken gently, thoughtfully. If she judged me, it wasn’t obvious. I considered lying or laughing it off, but something told me this girl would see right through it. So I was honest. “I didn’t expect to stop hating him.”
Liora cast her eyes skyward. “I imagine it’s been a nightmare trying to figure out what to think, or how to feel.”
I huffed an awkward laugh. “You’ve no idea.”
“Come on.” She hooked up with my arm. “I’ll take you to the bathhouse. Everyone should still be at dinner now, so you’ll get some privacy.”
She led me up the path, back toward the arena. My mind racing ahead, I couldn’t help asking, “Do the men and women have separate baths?”
Liora let out a trilling laugh. “I wish.”
My gut did a nervous dance. Somehow, Liora sensed my anxiety because she added, “It’s not as bad as it sounds. We’re not separated by gender, but the fae don’t bathe with us. Most recruits are fae, so it means we only have to share the bathhouse with eight others.”
I supposed that wasn’t so terrible. “How many recruits are there overall?”
“Well, there were twenty-nine, but now you’re here, thirty,” she said, steering me right.
Many, many questions stormed through my head, but it seemed they’d have to wait. Liora stopped in front of a black-boarded building. “Baths are in there. Take your rucksack; you can use the towels I gave you. I’ll wait out here and stand guard.”
I frowned. “You’d do that?”
“Of course,” Liora jostled my arm before releasing it. “Although, be as quick as you can. The kitchen staff don’t like latecomers.”
I promised to be fast, and went through to find two large, steaming pools. The interior was basic—no decoration or embellishments—but the water was deliciously hot. Using the soap from my pack, I rubbed and scrubbed at my hair and body until the horror and grime of the last few days slid away. I toweled my body but not my hair. Too hungry to care, I ran my fingers through it and put my uniform back on. I lingered only to pack the towels and soap, and then slipped outside.
Liora turned to me with raised brows. “I didn’t expect you to be that quick.”
I shrugged. “I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
With a knowing nod, she jerked her chin right. “Food hall’s two buildings up.”
We walked in line beside each other, and as we neared the hall, I noticed the cacophony from earlier had disappeared.
Liora pulled the handle of the heavy door, which opened with an almighty creak, and she ushered me in. I went through to be greeted by a blast of warm air filled with mouthwatering smells. My eyes were immediately drawn to a massive stone fireplace on the left, which stood out among the dark wood panels. The heart of the space was dominated by six long tables positioned in rows throughout the room, with a smaller table at the far end. Unlike the others, this high table was horizontal and manned by a young woman with a ladle in her hand, standing guard over several black pots. There were only two fae and one other human nearby, and they were all seated at the benches, eating quietly.
Liora sighed. “Thank the sisters, they’re still serving.”
My sentiments exactly.
Liora walked up the room. I trailed after her but dipped my head as soon as the stragglers shot me hostile stares.
As we neared the serving table, Liora chirped to the blonde-haired server, “Hi Patti.”
“’Lo,” she muttered. “Who’s ’at?” Patti pointed the ladle at me. She looked ready to spear me with the end of it.
“This is Serena. She’s new.”
“Bah! Never. It’s too late in the season,” she said and continued to glare at me.