Chapter Seventeen

Malaikah was so worried about Harrow she could think of nothing else. After Salizar’s pronouncement that night in her caravan, she’d been dying to sneak back into the Underground, but there hadn’t been a chance.

Salizar had people watching the perimeters of the fairgrounds relentlessly, and even if she managed to get past them, she wasn’t sure she’d get so lucky with Ouro’s gang. There’d been a pair of salamander Hybrids hanging around outside the circus grounds all week, making no secret of the fact that they were watching her.

They were Hybrids, and this was their city. Malaikah’s sneaking skills were legendary, but she was out of her element here, and they were in theirs.

But what to do? Every night that passed without seeing Harrow tightened the knot of fear for her friend that had taken up residence where her stomach should be. And worse, something big was going down tonight. She could feel it in her bones.

After the circus finished for the night, things seemed business as usual. Mal went to the meal tent and tried to force some food down before returning to her caravan to wash and change into her all-black nightly escape-attempt outfit.

Muffled sounds outside snagged her attention. Creeping to the window, she pushed open the glass and listened with her superior cat senses. Murmured voices floated into her caravan from a distance away. She angled her ears, trying to get a sense of their location.

Salizar’s tent, she realized. Some kind of hush-hush meeting was taking place. Once she made the connection, she could hear the unmistakable tone of Salizar’s voice whispering commands to whoever was with him.

She was just about to creep over there and eavesdrop when she heard the tent flap open and bodies shuffle out. They headed toward the fairgrounds exit and slunk away into the night.

Where were they going? Had they found a new lead on Harrow and Raith’s location?

Questions aside, Malaikah realized that now was the perfect time for her to sneak out. With her speed and agility, she could beat Salizar to the tavern (if that was indeed where he was heading) and warn Harrow and Raith. Or, if it came to it, stall them until Salizar showed up with whatever he needed to recapture Raith.

As for Ouro and his little gang, she’d just have to deal with them if she saw them and hope they didn’t—

A knock sounded at her caravan door.

Malaikah spun around, scenting the air. She smelled nothing. Which didn’t make sense because everyone smelled like something. Well, everyone, of course, except…

Snakes.

The Goddess-damned reptiles were the only ones with the ability to disguise their scent like that. She cursed. Ouro had been content to let her keep her secrets in their last interaction. Now he was knocking on her door.

“I know you’re in there, Malaikah. I can smell you.”

Oh, great. He smelled her. Good thing she’d showered earlier, and he was smelling her clean scent and not her post-performance sweat. She looked down at herself and cursed again. She was wearing a skintight, sleeveless black bodysuit and men’s baggy trousers, which was hardly—

Why in the Goddess’s name was she worried about what she was wearing? Shaking her head, she went to the door and threw it open.

Ouro was standing outside, leaning casually against the side of the caravan. “Good evening.” One corner of his mouth curved up. “Let me in. We need to talk.”

He was bigger than she remembered, and the combination of his patterned skin and jewel-green vertical-slitted eyes was striking. His long leather jacket hung open, the hilt of a dagger poking out from a sheath on one hip, but his hands hung loosely at his sides.

He was trying not to look threatening, she realized, and almost laughed. She ought to tell him not to bother. He couldn’t pull off nonthreatening to save his life.

Ouro stepped into the confines of her tiny caravan and closed the door behind him. Turning back, he blatantly bolted it shut, giving her a look that dared her to challenge him.

That’s not creepy at all. With a resigned sigh, Malaikah gestured to the table, indicating for him to sit. No point fighting this.

Just like Salizar had the other night, the oversized Elemental male took a seat at her tiny table, practically filling her entire caravan. Long legs stretching to the side, he crossed his booted feet at the ankles, making himself right at home.

Strangely, the animosity she’d felt toward him the last time they’d met wasn’t present. Maybe his attempts at being nonthreatening were working after all. “You want something to drink?” she heard herself ask. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes. Was she trying to pick up a lay or protect Harrow?

“Whisky?”

“Sure.” She grabbed the bottle and two glasses from the shelf above the stove and then slid them across the table. He caught them and poured two, handing one to Malaikah as she sat across from him. Her caravan was way too small, and he was way too big. She downed her drink in one gulp.

He lifted a brow but topped her up without comment.

“So why are you here?” she said around the whisky’s burn.

“You know why.” He sipped his drink, eyes never leaving hers.

“Generally, I make it a rule not to ask questions I already know the answer to.”

“It’s important your Seer friend speaks to the Oracle. I’m here to make that happen.”

Mal frowned. “In case you haven’t noticed, Harrow’s not here.” There was no point hiding Harrow’s identity—it was obvious the snake already knew everything. “What did you plan to achieve by coming here?”

He just sipped his whisky, face remaining carefully blank. “You’ll see. Won’t be long now.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

He sipped again.

“Fine. Say nothing.” She refused to play his little game. “But you do realize that with Salizar gone, tonight’s the perfect night for me to sneak out and visit her. Who knows, maybe you could have managed to follow me. But you won’t get to her if I’m waylaid here.”

“I don’t need to go after her.”

“Why not?”

He sipped again.

Malaikah actually growled at him. “Why don’t you just tell me what the fuck you’re doing in my caravan so we can get on with it.”

He smiled. “I do appreciate a direct woman.”

Was he…flirting with her? She didn’t know whether to be flattered or disturbed.

“I’m not buying it.”

His smile widened, and there were those lethal fang tips again. She wondered if he was venomous. Not all snake Hybrids were, but this guy? It would surprise her if he wasn’t.

“I mean you and the Seer no harm. As for the rest, just wait and see, like I said.” He downed the rest of his whisky in one gulp and then stood suddenly.

Malaikah jumped up beside him. “You’re leaving?”

“Not yet. But soon. Any minute now, actually. And you’re coming with me.”

She cocked a brow. “Yeah, that’s not looking very likely. Unfortunately—”

And then she scented it.

Her words dried up, and she stared at him. “How did you…?”

All playfulness was gone from his expression. “Here’s what’s going to happen. When she knocks—”

“You bastard!” Forget his sexy fangs; Mal was going to kill him! “You knew she was coming here.”

“Aye.” He didn’t even try to deny it. “And when she gets here, you’re both coming with me.”

“Over my dead body,” Malaikah hissed, flexing her claws.

He eyed them with a raised brow but had the good grace to look a little wary. “I thought we were past this, Malaikah.”

“You set me up to trap my best friend! I’d rather die than give her up. Or better yet, I’ll just kill you instead.”

“No one’s dying. I told you I mean you no harm.”

“And I’m supposed to just believe you.”

“Doesn’t matter to me if you do. Now listen. The Seer’s going to knock on the door in under a minute.” Mal scented the air and came to the same conclusion. The snake’s nose was good, but then, that was no surprise. “When she does, you’re going to let her in.”

“Not happening.”

He sighed. “Look, I really want to keep this civil, but I have a lot to do tonight, and I don’t have time for this. Tell me you’ll behave, or we’ll have to do things the hard way.”

Behave? Yeah, right. “Hard way it is, then.” Malaikah launched at him, claws out and ready to tear some reptile flesh.

When they collided, he crashed backward into the bed but didn’t go down. Instead, he caught her wrists again, using his strength to force her back. But the close confines worked to Malaikah’s advantage this time.

Twisting and yanking, she clawed up the sleeves of his leather coat, drawing blood at his wrists. As he tugged her arms apart again, she lunged forward, teeth bared, and managed to get a grip on the soft skin between his shoulder and neck. She didn’t hesitate to tear a chunk out of him.

He hissed like an angry reptile. Rather than throwing him off his game, however, the wound gave him an extra edge of viciousness. With his next shove, they stumbled backward, Malaikah’s spine digging into the sharp angles of the stove, and then he did that same cursed move he’d done in the alley.

Yanking hard on one arm, he tugged her forward and she spun, her back slamming hard into his front. He caught her other arm and held her there, immobilized, lest the hold break her arms.

She cursed herself across the Territory and back for letting that work on her twice.

She tried to headbutt him like she had before, but he, at least, learned from his mistakes. This time, his skull was out of her reach. Still, she thrashed viciously. As a rule, holding a cat that did not want to be held was an impossible task. They were slippery, vicious creatures.

But then again, so were snakes.

The cold prick of fangs against her neck had her freezing instantly in place.

“You wouldn’t,” she hissed, not daring to move a muscle.

He said nothing, considering his teeth were at her neck and all.

She’d never been bitten by a snake before—or by anyone, for that matter. He had to be venomous, right? Either way, the risk was far too great for her to try calling his bluff.

If she was wrong… Some Hybrid venom was deadly enough to kill in minutes.

“You Goddess-forsaken fucking snake!” Her rage was immense, but her survival instinct was greater. She didn’t move.

A knock sounded at the door. They both tensed.

“Malaikah!” It was Harrow’s voice.

The fangs lifted from her neck. “Answer the door, Malaikah.” His mouth was right beside her ear.

“I told you—I’d rather die. So why don’t you go ahead and bite me?” She considered screaming out a warning to Harrow but knew that wouldn’t help the situation any. Harrow would just come crashing into the caravan to save her.

“I have men waiting outside. Harrow’s not getting away. Don’t you want to greet your friend and make this easier for all of us?”

“Mal, it’s me! Open the door.”

“I’ll kill you for this,” Mal swore.

“No, you won’t. Are you ready to cooperate?”

She growled. “Let me up. I’ll do it. But if you hurt her…”

“No one’s getting hurt, Malaikah.”

“Says the guy with his fangs at my neck a second ago.”

“I always carry the antivenom. I wouldn’t have killed you. But I need you to cooperate with me tonight, and I will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that. Now are you ready to answer the door?”

With a final growl, she nodded, and he released her. Spinning around, she stared into his creepy snake eyes. “If you’re lying to me, I swear to the Goddess—”

“Answer the door, Malaikah.”

With a curse, she shoved him out of the way and stormed to the door.

“Mal? Are you here?”

She quickly unbolted the latch, wondering what in the Shades was going on this Goddess-damned night. Harrow sounded fearful. Distraught, even.

If Raith had hurt her…walking nightmare or not, the bastard would pay.

…

Harrow had run out of the Underground as though she ran for her life. In her haste to escape the tavern, she’d left everything, even her cards and her mother’s locket. The loss, on top of everything else, made her want to weep, but there was no way she was going back.

Though Malaikah’s many turns had disoriented her on their way to the tavern, Harrow’s inner senses had shown her the way back. The Water had risen cautiously, as if expecting her to slam it furiously back in its cage, but this time its advice was in accordance with what she wanted, so she allowed it to guide her. She took each turn with confidence as she came to it, knowing exactly which way to go.

At one point, she’d felt a sudden certainty that someone was coming in her direction that she didn’t want to cross. Without questioning it, she chose a random detour to bypass the next few blocks. When she was certain the danger had passed, she headed back to the main road once more.

She didn’t stop running until she’d crossed the fairgrounds and made it all the way to Mal’s caravan. She leaped up the steps in one bound and pounded on the door. “Malaikah!”

Silence.

Or were those murmured voices coming from within? She pressed her ear to the door, but her heart was pounding so hard she couldn’t hear anything else.

“Mal, it’s me! Open the door.”

Still nothing. No, she was certain there were voices inside. Who was in there? Darya had said to go straight back to the fairgrounds, where she’d be safe from the others hunting her. Who exactly was hunting her again? She couldn’t remember. Or maybe she’d forgotten to ask.

But Darya had said the grounds were safe, and Harrow was well within them now. Maybe she was overreacting? She couldn’t gauge her actions normally—she was too overwhelmed by everything she’d learned tonight.

She just wanted to see her best friend, the only person in the world she really trusted. With tears in her eyes, she gave one last effort. “Mal? Are you here?”

The sound of the lock unbolting came instantly, and then Mal threw open the door.

They collided in a hug. “I was worried about you.” Malaikah squeezed her so tightly she couldn’t find the breath to respond. Harrow wished she’d squeeze tighter.

She pulled back. “Where’s Raith?”

Suddenly, Harrow was back to choking on her breath. “Mal, he—he—” She was gasping, unable to get the air out.

“Oh, honey.” Malaikah’s eyes were full of sympathy. She already knew; Harrow could tell. But how?

She was about to ask when she saw a dark shadow moving inside the caravan behind Mal. “Good evening, Harrow,” a male voice said, and then he stepped into the lantern light.

It was a reptile Hybrid, immediately obvious from his vertical-slitted eyes and the scale pattern on his skin. A snake, to be precise, judging by the lack of tail. He was so tall he nearly hit the roof, and the hilt of a blade jutting out from beneath his coat didn’t exactly make her feel relaxed in his company.

All of Darya’s warnings about the people hunting her came back in a rush, and her heart started to pound anew. She waited for her power to rise in defense.

Instead, she felt…encouragement. Expectancy. She frowned. “Who are you?”

“Name’s Ouro. I’ll explain more on the way.”

“The way to where?”

“We’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of us. Best get going now.”

“Where are we going?” Malaikah snapped, proving she wasn’t any more excited about the strange visitor than Harrow was.

“I explained this already, Malaikah.” They knew each other? This was getting weirder and weirder. “The Oracle wants to meet the Seer and the wraith.”

Harrow stared at him. “How do you know…?”

“All will be explained shortly. I mean you no harm. I’m simply the messenger tonight.” Ouro flashed a fanged grin.

Darya had told her to remain at the fairgrounds and wait for Salizar. She’d said nothing about going with a strange snake Hybrid to meet a mysterious Oracle. But if Harrow was in danger, then why wasn’t her power rising? Goddess damn it, she was getting sick of the Water’s conflicting reactions to everything.

She opened her mouth to refuse him but stopped. She’d been blatantly ignoring her power since the moment it had flared up in the dream with Darya. Sure, she had good reason, but of all the things Mellora had taught her, attunement with the Water was number one.

Always trust the Water, her mother had said. It will show you where you need to go, even if you don’t yet understand where that is. Never assume you know better than the primordial force. Instead, feel blessed you were chosen to have a connection with it. If you do, it will guide you rightly in all things.

Yet how could she follow that advice when her power was still pushing at her to go to Raith and protect him? How could the Water want her to betray her family that way? It hurt, knowing the source of wisdom she was raised to trust infallibly was somehow no longer on her side, yet even then, she hesitated to ignore it.

“Look,” Malaikah hissed, going into full defensive mode, “if Harrow doesn’t want to visit your creepy Oracle, then nothing you do is going to make—”

“I’ll go,” Harrow announced.

Mal spun around. “What?”

“I’ll go to meet the Oracle.”

“Harrow, are you sure? I don’t trust this snake.”

Ouro chuckled.

“Neither do I. But I’m sure.”

Mal searched Harrow’s gaze carefully. There wasn’t time to explain, but Harrow did her best to let her conviction show on her face. Malaikah knew her well enough to read the expression and nodded. “All right. If you’re sure.”

They left the circus grounds in silence, meeting up with a group of Ouro’s men at the gate. No one tried to stop them. No one was even guarding the entrance. Harrow supposed Salizar had already gone off to recapture Raith.

Had they found him already? Was he hurt? Angry? Scared?

She pushed it from her mind. Whatever Raith felt was no longer her concern. Salizar would recapture him this night, and he’d be transported across the border into Darya’s Territory. Justice for her mother’s death would finally be served. Harrow could rest easy knowing one less of Furie’s killing abominations roamed free.

So why did the thought make her want to throw up again?

“Any chance we can move faster than a snail’s pace?” Ouro asked, interrupting her thoughts. “It’s a bit of a walk to the portal.” Harrow realized she’d been holding up the group and hurried onward.

“The what?” Malaikah asked, keeping close to her side.

The Hybrid just smiled. “You’ll see.”