Page 6 of Beneath the Cursed Veil

She knew exactly who gave me the contract. Sadie pieced it together without effort years ago. I think that was the only reason I could ever say anything around her.

“Faerie is cold as shit, but it’s better than a sewer,” she mused. I met her gaze in the mirror as I gave her an annoyed glare. She just shrugged. “Either way—you could have saved yourself the trip if you’d asked me for the money instead of working with that deceitful snake.”

She didn’t even know half of it.

Sadie assumed I was after an object. I’d never hunted a person. Hell, I wasn’t even sure it was possible until I tried to engage my ability and saw the thin gold line I always did.

If she knew what I was actually up to . . . Lou would be running for his life. There was no way I would have taken the job if I knew it’d be a kidnapping. Something Lou had to be aware of, which is why he waited for me to open the envelope to say anything. Bastard.

I was never taking a job from him again. It didn’t matter how desperate I was. Stealing objects was one thing. Sure, it was wrong, but it wasn’t the same level of wrong.

My stomach pitched, nausea building at the prospect of what I had to do. I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat, focusing on my sister. “Would you have asked me if the situations were reversed?” I asked.

Sadie twisted her lips. “Maybe.”

“Liar.”

“Fine. Probably not.”

“Exactly,” I said as I pinned strands of my ginger hair into a low chignon. “You’re just as stubborn as me.” Or stupid. Which one would be decided later.

“I preferdetermined.” She smirked at me, grabbing a pin and tucking it in my hair. “So this mysterious bounty is going to be at a fae ball,” she mused.

“I never said that.” I literally couldn’t. While I could name where I was going in a vague sense, like the realm, I couldn’t give any specifics that would lead back to the assignment.

“You’re dressed to the nines and going to Faerie, so there’s only one place you’d be headed tonight, and instead of trying to blend in with the help, you’re trying to blend in with the upper echelon of fae society. Interesting . . .”

My sister’s observational skills were almost as good as her fighting. It’s part of the reason I got ready with her. If I went missing from this, she at least had worked out enough on her own to have a vague idea of what happened. It was my poor attempt at a backup plan.

Realistically, if I got caught, I was a dead woman.

“You know I can’t confirm or deny.”

“I know, I know,” she said, backing away and holding her hands up. “Lou must pay a pretty penny for such thorough contracts. Maybe I should ask him who he uses next time. Would save me a lot of trouble if we used a similar contract for everyone that placed bets at the rings.”

“You’d miss beating the shit out of people.”

“True.” She shrugged, dismissing the thought before heading to the front door of my apartment. Sadie picked up her gym bag that she’d left by the end table where I kept myphone and keys, calling out to me as she exited. “I’ll see you tonight at the fight?”

“You know it,” I answered, wiping my finger under my eyeliner once, making sure the smudge I’d made was cleared up. “Might be a bit late, but I’ll be there.”

When Sadie was gone, I focused on my appearance, adjusting the pleated, floor-length gown. My hand pressed against my upper thigh, shifting the hidden slit in the dress to cover the glint of silver. A dagger lay strapped to my leg, concealed beneath the thick, luxurious fabric. All I needed was my fur-lined cloak and I would fit right in once I crossed the threshold of the portal.

I stared at my reflection, feeling a combination of guilt and foreboding doom. Guilt because I was going to be responsible for the kidnapping and possible torture or death of another fae, and doom, well, that one was obvious.

I sighed and pointed a stern finger at my reflection, wagging it with frustration. “You are better than this, Meera Wylde. If you don’t lock the door the next time Lou comes around, he’s a dead leprechaun, and it’ll be all your fault.”

Of every living creature to ever exist, my bounty just had to be fae royalty.

Chapter 3

Vareck

“You look like a twat,” Corvo said. My familiar tilted his head in amusement as he watched me from his perch. The Maine coon sat regally; his chest puffed out. The silver of his mane framed his black face, giving him an ethereal quality. If only he weren’t such a prick.

“Thanks. You’re so helpful.” I deadpanned.

“I try.”

---