Page 22 of Beneath the Cursed Veil

“I’ve had one hell of a night because of you.”

The man next to Lou raised his hand, but Lou waved him off. Damon shifted uncomfortably, looking between the three of us. “You asked if it would involve crawling through a sewer again, and I answered honestly. Besides, it’s not like I coulda told you anything if you didn’t open the envelope.”

“You could have mentioned it was for a person.”

“No, I really couldn't. The terms of the contract bind me as well.”

My lips twisted as I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m still not happy with you.”

Lou raised his hands. “You’re still in one piece. I wouldn’t give you something you couldn’t handle. Now have a little faith and relax, would ya?” Lou pulled an envelope from his pocket, sniffing it before winking at me. It held a magical form of payment. Not cash, but the agreement of it, and it smelled just like money.

“That better be all of it or I?—”

“Oh, calm your pretty self. You’ve got too sweet of a face to make threats. Take the charm off him, and the money is yours, transferred to your account as agreed upon. That ought to cover your shop’s rent for a while.”

I exhaled slowly, letting my magic fade from Damon. He inhaled sharply.

“This... this was seriously over rent money?” he hissed, the envelope sliding across the table. I caught it before it hit the floor and shrugged. Guilt ate at me, but nothing I could say would make this better. I had a plan to fix it, but Damon didn’t know that. Mostly because if I told him, I ran the risk of him running his mouth to Lou or the client.

“It’s my mortgage. Some of us don’t live in a castle,” I replied. My words were scathing, but my tone was neutral.

Damon stood, looking dangerous, his eyes glowing with an eerie, powerful light. “I am the prince of Faerie. Release me and I can get you whatever you?—”

Before he could finish, Lou slammed a pistol into his head, knocking him out cold.

Lou smiled at me. “Pleasure doing business. I suggest you leave now, lass.”

I held the envelope to my chest, my gaze flicking between Lou and the unconscious prince. The deal was done. It was out of my hands.

For now.

Part of me wanted to compel Lou and the mystery man beside him, then take Damon and run.

There were two problems with that plan. One, Damon probably weighed two hundred pounds and was well over six feet tall. I was stronger than a human woman, but not that strong. Two, I’d burned myself out on my magic. If I used anymore, I risked it seriously affecting my physicalhealth. Fae were magical creatures, but without our magic we suffered.

I backed away slowly, casting one last look at the unconscious prince. Silently, I vowed to get him back, then I hightailed it the fuck out of there.

I tossed a handful of bills down, paying for the use of the secret portal. Before it even hit the counter, a drink slid toward me. Amelia gave me a sly grin, raising her own shot glass. “A ginger orange shot for my favorite ginger.”

With a weak smile, I raised my glass in return. “Next time bring Sadie with you, but leave those brothers of yours at home. They’re still banned after the last fight they caused.”

I downed the alcohol, slamming my glass down on the table. “You got it.”

“Don’t be a stranger,” she called after me as I walked out the door.

After what felt like an eternity dealing with this batshit plan, I began my walk home. It wasn’t too far from The Witching Hour. Most fae and other magical beings that had left Faerie lived in certain areas, clustered together for comfort and familiarity. My family and I were no different.

It was dark and drizzling, the cloudy sky overhead made the city seem smaller. Depressing too. My dress grew heavier, weighed down by the rain. I crossed my arms over my chest, annoyed that I didn’t have my cloak anymore. In a city like this, no one would take a second glance at my unusual attire. They’d likely assume I was a theater actor, or just weird, and that was if they even paid any attention to me.

The streets weren’t too busy, and most people kept their heads down to shield their vision from the oncoming storm, but I kept turning to check behind me. My exit fromFaerie hadn’t gone unnoticed. No one had followed yet, but it was only a matter of time. Guards would be pouring into the streets soon, searching for Prince Damon. The magical handcuffs may have covered his scent, but without wind or a true storm my own would still linger. The reminder encouraged me to pick up my pace.

When I approached my building, I did another quick glance. The hairs on the back of my neck lifted. I scanned my surroundings, but nothing was there. The few people on the sidewalks bustled by without a glance in my direction. I shook my head, pushing away the paranoia. They hadn’t caught up yet, but I knew I was on borrowed time, and I needed to split town. That’s all it was. With a shake of my head, I headed inside and ascended the rickety stairs.

I was swaying on my feet by the time I reached the third floor. It took me a couple of tries to get the right key into the lock on my door. When I finally pushed it open and stumbled inside, a sigh of relief escaped me.

I dropped my keys on the counter, my body screaming for rest.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option right now.

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