Chapter Sixteen

  Moments after I’d collected myself and stood up, the vortex opened up across the room and Finn stepped out, holding the clothes that Barrett had been wearing. “Figure you’ll need these?” He extended them to me, and I accepted.

  “Right, thanks. I guess it’s time to get the ball rolling.” I looked awkwardly at Sahara, who still sat in the chair, watching me. Finn picked up right away what was wrong, and chuckled as he offered his arm to her.

  “Would you like to grab a refill with me, Sahara? Runie is a bit of a stage fright.” I scowled at him for the stupid nickname, which only made him grin wider. Sahara looked between me and Finn with a furrowed brow before accepting his arm to stand up. As they made for the door with their empty drinks, I set to work with removing my belt and unbuttoning my tunic. In the corner of my eye, I caught Sahara peeking over her shoulder one last time, trying to witness my shift.

  Shifting was a serious deal in my culture. It’s a point where Changelings are the most vulnerable, because we’re completely overwhelmed and occupied with channeling the magic being used for shifting. Only other Changelings were trusted to be around during a shift, and sometimes only a select trusted few. Finn had witnessed it without my consent, and I had to get over that. Still, the less people who were on that list, the better.

  “You’re an idiot, Rune. Too rash and emotional.” I grumbled the words that August had spoken in my mind earlier. “What the Hells are you doing? Acting like a damned kid.” I angrily stripped the rest of my clothes, and shoved my legs through the slacks Finn had brought.

  I wish Gia were here. I exhaled longingly, thinking back to our last interaction. She told me she’d never forgive me if I left her alone. Clearly that’s why everything feels so messy with Sahara. I just miss my sister. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Now was not the time. Instead, I pulled the beige cotton shirt over my head and closed my eyes.

  I could hear the bustling of the tavern below, even pick out Finn’s laugh in the crowd. The feeling of magic humming in my veins calmed me, settling my nerves and emptying my mind. I pictured Barrett in my mind’s eye. His trimmed, dusty blonde hair and brown eyes that blended in with most crowds. He’d make a perfect backup Persona if anything happened to my reputation as Wren. I noted, and opened my eyes.

  With my own clothes in hand, I opened the door and stepped out of the meeting room. The hall was empty and silent, save for the sounds from the tavern coming up the stairwell. When I descended the stairs, I caught a glimpse of Finn showing Sahara how to play King’s Hand. Her eyes were bright and cheeks were flushed, clearly she'd been drinking while I was changing, but she seemed like she was having a good time.

  A collective groan and disgruntled shouts rose up from the hexagonal table they were playing at. Four men tossed their cards down and shoved their coins at Finn, who was raking it in with a mischievous grin. “Better luck next time, gentleman! How’s about another round?” He called out as he dropped a stack of the coins into his bag. I chuckled and rolled my eyes slightly. It’s a wonder how a man so wise can be so obnoxious, I thought to myself as I shook my head.

  I slipped out of the bar unnoticed, and started walking down the dimly lit street. My breath came out in a steady puff of mist. With the sun gone, the air was freezing, and I shrugged my coat closer to my body as I made my way back towards Sahara’s house. After this mess of a day, all I wanted was to shrug this persona off, have a stiff drink, and go to bed. I had just turned onto the street I needed when the hair on my neck raised. I felt a presence around me, and I stiffened. I was being followed. Before I could assess further, a large hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder from behind and pulled me around. I stumbled, caught off guard, and looked up at the man who stood inches away from me.

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  He was tall and broad, staring me down with all the rage of a bull. “I thought I told you to get lost before she came back.” He snarled, glancing over his shoulder. “She knows about your dealings. She doesn’t know I had a hand in it. I can’t cover your ass anymore, you need to go.”

  Ah, I noted, everything clicking into place. This is Arlo. I tucked away his admission into my mind, and rolled my shoulders to shrug off his hand. “Relax, she knows I’m here. Invited me to dinner, even, what a dame. We had a nice chat and got everything squared away. Listen close, because I’ll only say this once. She’s not gonna find out about this, as long as you keep your loud mouth shut. You’ve got nothin’ to worry about.”

  Arlo shook his head, his grip still firm on my coat. “No, Bare, you don’t get it. I saw her this morning in town. She’s got company, and they look like they mean business. Something’s wrong here, I can feel it. You can’t hang around here. You sold your stash, it's time for you to go.”

  I gently grabbed his hand with two fingers and removed his hand from my coat, and made a scene of brushing the leather. “Arlo, you sound stressed. Do you need something? I have just the thing.” I rummaged through my pockets before pulling out a small vial of a swirling black-and-purple liquid. I rolled the vial in my fingers as I peered at it, calling for help from August to help me quickly identify it. It’s pretty, I admitted, watching the liquid swirl. It danced and shimmered like a galaxy in a tube. “Gorgeous.” I mumbled out loud. It’s moxie, August piped up, and I stared at Arlo with raised eyebrows.

  Arlo watched me, nervously glancing around. He finally snatched the vial and shoved it into his shirt pocket. “Cut that out, someone will see you, dumbass.” I offered nothing but a sly grin and a tilt of my head.

  “More eyes means more traffic.” I held out my hand. “Fifty.” Arlo growled and pulled the string on his pouch. He dug out five silver coins and dropped them into my outstretched palm. My smile grew wider as I closed my fist around the coins and patted the large man’s chest with my other hand. “Atta boy. Go, take a load off, buy a drink. Your precious little lady is having a hell of a lucky streak at King’s Hand tonight.”

  His brow furrowed as he looked back in the direction of the tavern, contemplating something, but I didn’t stick around to find out. I turned on my heel and continued my walk back towards the house. When I glanced after a moment, Arlo was making his way towards the tavern with a relaxed sway in his walk. I tried to push back the guilt that was creeping into my mind.

  It’s just a laced liquor, he’ll be fine. August assured me, but it didn’t do much to ease the nasty feeling. Is this what Sahara feels every time she works the Underneath? Goddess, this is atrocious. I trudged into the house and closed the door behind me. I took a deep breath of the warm air as I tugged off my boots. On the exhale, I released my Persona and settled into my true form. My footsteps were too loud and heavy in the silent house as I made my way into the kitchen. I lit the lanterns hanging from the ceiling before setting to work to find a drink.

  I rummaged through a few cabinets before finding a bottle of scotch. “Aha, there you are.” I muttered while I grabbed a drinking glass from the counter. I went to the sitting room with my spoils and made myself comfortable on the couch. I draped across it lazily and took up most of the surface area. While I drank from my scotch glass, my eyelids very quickly grew heavy. “If this is how my first day goes… This is going to be a long godsdamned assignment.” I grumbled to myself before I succumbed to the darkness.