Page 34 of Needed in the Night
Let me know if you see Slug, I told Brae.
He fluttered his wings in acknowledgement and slipped away along the ceiling toward the bar before I closed the door for privacy.
I’d finished my scales and was midway through rehearsing my most vocally demanding song of the evening, a Fortusian folk song that was always a popular choice, when the storage room’s door slid open and Nubo appeared, his bulk filling the wide doorway.
I cut myself off mid-word and silenced the music playing on my wristcomm.
“Hello, Isla,” Nubo said, smiling widely. He lumbered into the storage room, which suddenly felt much too small. “I did not mean to interrupt. Please, go on.”
“I’m done practicing, actually.” I forced a smile as if I didn’t hate him with the fire of a thousand suns. I didn’t want to tip him off that I planned to leave as soon as Mikas and I were able. “I’m due to be on stage very soon, so I need to have a few minutes of quiet to clear my head.”
“I am sure the boss will forgive you for being late today.” Nubo’s grin didn’t waver. “I have it on good authority he is very accommodating…and generous, to a fault.”
An icy chill swept through me.Brae, I thought, while I held onto my smile with such determination that I feared my face would crack.I need you to come back to the storage room.
“Someone as talented and lovely as yourself could take advantage of such generosity,” Nubo continued, leaning against a heavy-duty shelving unit filled with casks of ale.
He was doing his best to appear casual and friendly and nonthreatening, but his eyes remained as cold and calculating as ever. He’d deliberately cornered me in the storage room because he wanted to scare me. He wanted me to know no place would be safe if I didn’t do what he wanted.
The sensation of my forearm sheath and the dagger it held had never felt as reassuring as it did now.
A winged shadow appeared near the ceiling just inside the doorway. I kept my gaze on Nubo’s face and hid my relief.
“You could have every luxury,” Nubo said. “A penthouse residence. Chef-prepared meals. A wardrobe filled with the loveliest clothes in Onat’ras. There is no need for you to hire cheap gowns when with a word you could have the best.”
I’d expected some version of this speech from the moment I met Nubo. And I’d been prepared for almost anything, from seemingly sweet persuasion to threats and even a physical attack. And the latter two might still be coming my way.
But what I hadn’t braced myself for was Nubo Wex to corner me in the storage room, smile in my face, and refer to the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen or worn as a “cheap gown.” And it hurt way,waymore than it should because on purpose or not he’d gotten me right in what might have been one of my few soft spots.
I had no idea what my expression looked like, but his smile evaporated like a drop of water under the Solani desert sun.
“Thank you for the offer,” I said, forcing a tone that was polite at best. “I don’t want to keep everyone waiting tonight, though.”
“Give my proposal due consideration,” His smile was cold now, to match his flat stare. “I have a lot to offer someone like you.”
“I know you do,” I said, as if I didn’t know what he meant bysomeone like you. This time my smile was sweeter, and I made mytone conciliatory. “Can I have some time, and some space, to consider it?”
“You have had months to think,” he said flatly. “I am not stupid, Isla Mair.”
Time for a different approach—one I’d used before with people like Nubo. I’d known what kind of man he was from the moment we’d met. Reading people had been essential for my survival before I came to Fortusia, and that hadn’t changed.
“Of course you aren’t stupid.” I let my smile grow and become almost smug, as if it was me who’d corneredhimand not the other way around. “But neither am I. Maybe I want to negotiate my terms?”
His eyes widened. I’d startled him by flipping the power dynamics. He’d landed a punch with that offhand comment about my dress, but we were going to play thingsmyway now.
“You’ve got something I want, and I’ve got somethingyouwant.” I smoothed my hands over my hips. “We both know the game. But it would be a lot more fun if we played it a little differently than what you’re used to, don’t you think?”
“I do not think so,” he said, but a beat too late for it to be true. I’d hooked him, all right.
“Oh, I think you’ll really like how I play,” I purred, emphasizing the wordplayfor maximum innuendo.
Nubo eyed me and huffed in an almost oxen-like way.
I glanced at my wristcomm and strode toward the door as if I planned to plow right through him. “Showtime, Nubo. I’ll come see you tomorrow. Be ready to talk terms.”
A second before I ran into him, he moved aside. I trailed my fingertips over his massive leg on my way past. He huffed again and licked his lips. I had to resist the urge to wipe my hand on my dress.
Chin high and without looking back, I strode down the hall to the door to the bar, feeling Nubo’s stare on my back theentire way. I kept my expression blank, but my stomach roiled and my hands trembled with adrenaline.
