"You-"
"Rowan!" A shout sounded from the end of the alley to interrupt him.
My wide eyes snapped over the man's shoulder to take in the swaying man who made his way towards us.
"I've been looking everywhere for you," he slurred out. It was evident that he had been drinking.
The man, Rowan, cursed under his breath as he reached for me again. This time, it wasn't to take in the curves of my ears that should have been pointed, it was to shift my hair to hide them. Once satisfied, his stern eyes met mine for a moment before he looked away, turning to face the approaching man as he rose.
"Atwood. I see you've been wasting your free time drowning in a bottle again."
"That's not all I've been drowning in," Atwood responded, his tone as suggestive as the waggle of his brows. It didn't take much to surmise what his words meant given where we were.
As he drew closer, his glassy eyes looked past Rowan, taking notice of me on the ground where I had shifted back and pulled my knees to my chest. I tensed under his gaze.
"Well, well, well," he drawled, his brow rising in surprise as he came to a stop a few steps away from him. The coat that covered his thin body was identical to the one the man in front of me wore. Only, instead of the red details decorating the edges of Rowan's collar, the ones on his were bronze. "It seems you've been having some fun of your own. Finally found a whore that caught your eye, huh?"
I cringed at the crude address, offense and anger sparking in my chest. Not only for myself but also for the woman who had to deal with men such as him.
A frown pulled at Rowan's lips as he narrowed his eyes at the man. "I'll meet you and the others at the tavern," he said dismissively as he crossed his arms over his chest. He shifted to the side, seemingly blocking me from his sight.
Atwood's lips pressed together, but he leaned his drunk body to the side to peer around him, turning his unsteady eyes back to me. "Be gentle with this one," he mock whispered, cupping a hand around his mouth. "He's a bit of a prude. None of us are even sure if he's ever had his dick wet." His pretense of whispering didn't last long as his words ended in a guffawing laugh.
"Atwood," Rowan spoke in warning, his voice rising to be heard.
The man's laughter continued as he turned, obeying the order Rowan's voice held. "Don't spend all your coin on the lass, sir," he called out over his shoulder. "You still owe me and the lads another round."
Rowan released a sigh once his friend had staggered his way out of view. My breath caught in my throat when he turned to face me again. I didn't breathe as looked down his sharp nose at me with cold eyes, waiting for him to determine his next step. It was clear in the way his eyes were narrowed on my covered ears that he had seen through my glamour despite the ring still being snuggly in place on my finger. And that he was a High Fae.
One that seemed to be a half-blood like Silas.
But unlike him, he didn't have a matching mark with someone whose body held a Blood Stone. Silas's developing capabilities, including his mishaps with flames and water that his mixed blood couldn't account for, could potentially be explained by the mark we shared, but Rowan's strength that rivaled his couldn't.
Unless I had heard Hilda wrong, he shouldn't have been able to so easily drop two men with the blood of one court and heal me so effortlessly with the blood of another. Especially without breaking a sweat. Not as a half-blood.
The thought of Hilda had her warnings filling my head and playing on repeat. My breaths grew shallow as my heart pounded harder.
His jaw tightened with internal conflict as his that gave little away eyes locked with mine. "Trouble," he whispered to himself under his breath. Dropping his arms, he turned away from me. "Leave. Before they stir," he clipped out as reached into his coat for another smoke while walking away. Pulling out a lighter and flipping it open, he lit it as he followed after his friend.
I sat there stunned, unsure if this was a trick of some sort as Hilda's voice continued to repeat in my head the importance of keeping it hidden that I was human. Something he had noticed. Even after he had turned out of view without giving me another look, I remained where I was, watching the corner he had disappeared around. It was only when a soft groan sounded one of the men on the ground that I snapped out of it. I shot to my feet as Hilda's words of warning were replaced by Rowan's parting ones.
I couldn't help but reach for my side as I moved, expecting some pain despite my earlier probing. It was easier to wake up feeling nothing rather than having the pain seared away. The memory of the fire lacing up my side was too fresh to be so quickly and easily forgotten.
Wiping my hands on my pants, my eyes swung in the opposite direction of the alley from the two sprawled men to find a brick wall at the end of the short distance. I curled my hands into fists I was prepared to use if necessary as I turned back to the unconscious men. Taking a deep breath, I ran, sprinting past them before Jarvis could do more than just twitch his fingers. But that wasn't the only reason my arms and legs were pumping so hard.
When I reached the path the alley was connected to, I turned to follow after Rowan, my eyes scanning the crowd for him as I emerged into the square. I couldn't just let him walk away with a key that could get me back to Ash. Not when there was no guarantee that Nolik would show or that he had one for us.
Planning to follow him from a distance, I maneuvered through the crowd, struggling to see past those who blocked my slight with their height to find him. Frustration bubbled the further I made it across the square without catching a glimpse of auburn hair. I turned, considering circling around in search of him when my eyes locked on two laughing men as they made their way toward my vicinity a few paces away. They wore the same coat as Atwood, a dark brown that was a shade or two away from black with bronze detailing that fell to mid-thigh. It was part of a uniform.
Hoping they would lead me right to Rowan, I made sure my ears were covered in case they were also high fae who could look through my glamour and waited for them to pass by as they made their way out of the square. I didn't move to follow them until there was enough distance between us that they wouldn't be so quick to notice me trailing them. I could tell by the slight sway of their steps that, like Atwood, they had also been drinking. Hopefully, that would work to my advantage.
Following them to the main street using a different path than the one I had taken to reach the square, the two men turned in the opposite direction from the tavern where Silas was waiting for me to return. I didn't hesitate to follow after them despite it having been long enough that I should have been making my way back. Enough time had passed for the sun to fully set.
As I continued to follow them, I couldn't help but notice how the road and the stores lining it changed. The cobbled path grew even and free of dirt and pebbles while the storefronts appeared immaculate. There were no run-down establishments with chipped paint and crooked signs that were barely hanging on. Even the people wandering around this part looked different. They had perfectly styled hair and tailored clothes made for their bodies.
I slowed as the men pushed open a door that had music and noise drifting into the otherwise peaceful street scattered with people. My eyes snapped up to the sign that hung over it. I felt the corners of my lips curl up. This must have been the tavern Rowan told Atwood he would meet him at.
I paused, deciding whether to follow them inside or to peek through the cross-hatched windows on their sides of the door to try and spot Rowan. What I did know, was that I didn't want him to spot me. He could see right through my glamour, stripping away some of the comforts it had been providing. It would have saved me from Jarvis and his friend earlier if it weren't for my clothes and one of them knowing what to look for as a result.
Deciding to play it safe, I made my way to the edge of the window to peer inside through the glass. Unlike the tavern I had spent most of the day sitting in with Silas, this one was brighter and full of a different kind of life. One that was lighter and freer. Although I could spot coils of smoke rising from lit cigarettes, it didn't saturate the air. A band played on a stage while patrons sat at tables and booths, drinks in their hands and smiles on their faces as they conversed. A few were off to the side, dancing by the stage without a care.
The atmosphere filling the tavern made it all the more easy to locate Rowan who looked out of place with a frown tugging at his lips and a cloud over his head. That, and the five fae men, including Atwood and the two I had followed, that sat at the table with him. Their matching coats made their group stand out. And the way those surrounding them kept their distance.
Just as I was about to move back, having confirmed what I wanted for the time being, a firm hand landed on my shoulder spinning me around as it jerked me back. A scream caught in my throat at the fear that Jarvis and his friend had followed me, but instead of coming face-to-face with one of them, I found myself staring into angry green eyes.
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