Page 13 of Shadows of Fate

“What the fuck do you want, bitch?” the brunette muttered, baring his fangs at me as if I should be scared of the grouchy male.

I felt my ice at my fingertips, just itching to be free.

He came closer, trying to grab me in a headlock and I let him. He squeezed his arm around my neck, and I started laughing as I grabbed him. He didn’t go for my knife—clearly not knowing it was made of shadow stone, thinking it was of no danger to him. Cocky male. I heard him hiss in my ear as if he was about to bite me, and I was not interested in that. Clutching his forearm, I let my magic flow out of my hand. I smiled as he stilled, trying to rip his arm away, but it was too late for that. Gripping the dagger still in my opposite hand, I stabbed him in the upper thigh before slipping from his grasp.

He fell to the ground; his unfrozen arm ripped the dagger from his thigh and threw it across the floor. Screams bellowed from his mouth and I laughed harder. I turned around and realized the redhead was gone. Fantastic. I’ll have to search for him later.

“You stupid bitch!” he screamed at me. He was rocking back and forth, probably thinking his thigh would heal quickly. It wouldn’t.

Walking across the room, I pulled my dagger from the first male’s chest and then picked my second dagger up off the floor where he’d tossed it. I wiped the blood on my leggings, silently thanking the Fates for creating such amazing black stretchy material. They were perfect for hiding bloodstains and fighting asshole males.

I let out a long breath through my nose and looked back over at the brunette male, who was looking at his leg, confused.

“It won’t heal. At least not quickly. I’d say if you’re well-fed, it would be healed by the end of the night. However, you won’t be alive by then, so I wouldn’t waste much thought on that idea,” I told him.

He looked over at me, anger clear in his eyes. “What do you want?”

“Well, for starters, I’m taking her with me.” I pointed to the woman who was still cowering in the corner of the room. “Secondly, I don’t have time to torture the information out of you, so any ideas where your redheaded best friend would go? If you tell me, I promise to make this next part quick.” I smiled.

I could tell he was giving it thought, but we both knew what he would do.

“Try the upper stories of The Arcane Theater. We all have rooms there. It’s the next spot we were to report to with the girl. He’ll probably try to gather reinforcements,” he replied quietly.

“Thanks, doll. You’ve been a major help.” I walked behind him and quickly slit his throat, letting my magic seep into the wound and keeping it fully open. I watched him bleed out on the floor. I guess it wasn’t overthatquickly.

That would be a nice little gift for Ed to clean up later, though.

Wiping my blade off once again, I slid both back into their holsters and slowly walked over toward the girl. I had no idea what she had been through, but I knew I couldn’t leave her there alone.

I knelt in front of her and offered a small smile. “My name is Silvana. Can I help you take the binds off?”

She blinked a few times. Her eyes were a dark chocolate brown that matched her hair almost perfectly. She nodded her head, so I slowly reached over and pulled the rag from her mouth, leaving it loose around her neck. Then I reached down and untied the binds around her wrists. She quickly pulled her hands away, covering herself as well as she could.

“What’s your name?” I asked gently.

She looked up at me for a moment before finally speaking. “Alessandra. But you can just call me Allie.”

I offered her a small smile. “Okay, Allie. Well, as much fun as I’m sure we’ve both had, what do you say we get you cleaned up? There’s a bathroom across the hall and I can find you some clean clothes. I’ll take you somewhere safe, okay?”

She nodded her head and slowly rose to her feet. I grabbed a sheet from the bed against the wall and wrapped it around her body just in case Ed didn’t listen and someone came upstairs. Walking her across the hall, I closed the door behind us and started the bath for her. Thankfully the water was warm. Helping her inside, I found a clean cloth and soap for her to use.

“I’m going to lock the door behind me, but I’ll be right back with clothes, okay? I’m going to leave one of my daggers here with you. I’ll knock three times before opening the door. If anyone else comes through, throw the dagger as hard as you can. Can you do that?” Normally I wouldn’t leave a trauma victim with a weapon, but I wasn’t taking any risks, and I knew she’d feel better with clean clothes.

She nodded her head. “Three knocks, if not, throw hard. I’ve got it.” She set the dagger on the side of the tub beside where her hand was. She was smart. I loved her already.

I quickly left, locking the door behind me. I was able to find a dark green cotton dress in the room next to the bathroom. It would come just below her knees and should be comfortable enough for her. I would grab her shoes from the clothing boutique a few doors down from here when we leave.

Going back to the bathroom door, I knocked three times, unlocked the door, and walked in. Allie was still sitting in the tub with her knees pulled to her chest, the dagger in her hand.

“Can I help you get cleaned off? I brought you some clothes,” I offered. I knew she wouldn’t want to be touched, and I didn’t blame her. “I can wash your hair if that’ll help. Clean hair helps any problem.”

A small smile lit up her face. “My mother used to say the same thing. But I’d like the help, thank you.”

“Do you have any family?” I asked while I wet her hair and started to rub her scalp with some scented oils.

She was quiet and then shook her head after a moment. “No. Not anymore.”

I let the topic rest as I rinsed her hair out with fresh warm water. “I was able to find you a dress that should fit, and we’ll get you some shoes on the way out, okay?”

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