Page 12 of Queen of Wrath

I turned to her with a somber look. “But I didn't say anything.”

How could she have possibly known?

“You didn't have to say anything. I could see what you were imagining. Then I created something that paid homage to that.” She gave me a friendly smile, but there was something that was still intimidating about it.

A nervousness came over me and I had to swallow the lump in my throat before I spoke. “What do you mean? You could see inside my head?”

Her smile softened solemnly before she nodded.

That means that she saw Dask. She saw where I came from, and she could blab if she wanted to.

“You don't have to worry about me. I'm not in the business of betraying my clients for a quick coin. What you're doing here is your own business… But for what it's worth, I'm sorry for your losses. I can't imagine what you've been through.” She looked down at her nails as they rescinded back into her body.

“Thank you. What do I owe you?” I reached for my coin purse, but she held up her hands.

“Don't worry about it. I wouldn't feel right taking your money.” She gathered up her supplies and carried them over into the other room.

I took that time to bring myself to my feet.

She came back with a mirror in hand and held it up to my shoulder. “What do you think?”

I glanced into the reflected image, only able to view it for a few moments before my eyes welled up with tears. I tried to blink away my blurry vision, but it was useless.

From what I had seen of the tattoo, there was a wreath of herbs surrounding the marking. The herbs then swirled in on each other, filling in everything in the middle and completely covering the marking. “It's perfect.”

“Glad you like it. Now, if you don't mind me going back to my evening of drinking.” Her demeanor quickly changed, reverting back to her strong, nonchalant attitude. Before she made her way out, though, she turned, looking over her shoulder. “Take care of yourself out there. The city is not kind to people like us. Especially those that are pretending.”

My stomach churned at the thought.

Now someone knows my secret. Maybe not all of it, but enough. All I can do is hope that she keeps her word.

I untied my coin purse from my hip and dropped the bag full of gold coins on her counter before leaving. I made my way through the tavern, locking eyes with Emory Blake as I passed him.

His lips parted as if he wanted to tell me something, but I was much too far away for his voice to reach me over the cacophony of the merry crowd. Then he closed his mouth and gave me a slight nod right before I stepped outside.

It was already getting dark outside, and all the fishermen seemed to have left their stations for the day.

The pier was largely empty, except for a young man sitting on top of the pier wall, scribbling in a book.

There was something about him that resonated with a younger version of myself.

I couldn't help but laugh.

He glanced over at me as I passed him. “Are you laughing at me?”

“Perhaps. What are you doing out here by yourself?” There was something familiar about this young man, but I couldn't pinpoint it.

“It's the only place that's quiet.” He was a werewolf. That I was sure of. But his scent… For some reason, he smelled like home.

I shook my head, mentally knocking sense into it as I did. “What are you scribbling in that book? Little doodles?” I poked fun at him, and he quickly got flustered.

“As if. I'm not a child. I'm writing serious potions. I'm going to be a great Potionist someday!” He declared with gusto, a charming smile breaking across his handsome face.

“You remind me a lot of me when I was your age… I used to have my nose stuck in my notebook all day, dreaming of becoming a great Potionist as well.” I smiled, even though the thought made me somber now.

He snapped his book closed and looked at me curiously. “Really? That gives me hope. I can see you did very well for yourself.”

I looked down at my expensive robes. It was all a lie. “Yeah…I guess.”

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