Page 72 of A City of Flames

I don’t know why that answer surprises me or why I want to know whom else he wants to hunt, but I do.

His gaze falls back on me, and his eyes rove over my face. I’m startled when his thumb grazes over my bottom lip. “Did he hurt you?” He’s not asking, he’s commanding me to say yes or no in the softest manner possible.

The touch of warm leather has me breathing out heavily. “What does that matter to you?” I say in a taut whisper, aiming the best hostility stare I can muster at him.

His thumb stills before he yanks it away. “You’re right. It does not.”

A weird moment drifts by us, and I shake my head, changing subjects. “You know, I still don’t understand why you just couldn’t have done it. You incapacitated his men easily, knew where the crystal was, and scared Tarron within seconds.”

“You also accepted my task with ease; otherwise, you would have put up more of a fight or, even yet, never showed up tonight.”

I glower. “What’s your point?”

He places the tankard down on the table out in front and narrows his eyes at me. “My point is that you crave something else that isn’t included in the title of a venator.”

My back tenses and I act impatient and flustered by the idea that he might be right. “May I remind you that I am only doing all of this for my brothers. You don’t know me, and you never will, so stop making assumptions.”

His lip kicks up. “I don’t have to know you to see that deep down... you hardly even trust your own people.”

I laugh scornfully as a form of defense. “I’m leaving.” I shoulder past him, clenching my fists to the side as I ignore catcallers.

“Goldie,” Darius says, and my body turns stupidly before my mind can decide not to. I dread what he has to tease me about next. “I find it incredible how you weren’t afraid to throw a drink in my face or trick Tarron into taking you through that backdoor.” He slowly grins. “Too bad you’re still that rude venator who tried to capture me.”

My lips purse with my desperate attempt not to smile. “There will never be a moment of the day where I don’t want to throw a drink in your face,” I say and disappear into the crowd.

* * *

A clash of my sword knocks against Link’s, sending him back onto the grass below. He groans, sweat clinging to his golden-brown strands. “Do you always have to go hard?”

“Sorry,” I mumble, pulling him from the floor as the sun warms the skies in a tangerine light. “I guess I’m just on edge with the trials coming up.”

He makes a face in question. “I find it hard to believe you’re on edge about that.”

Truthfully, it’s because it’s been three days since Lorcan’s departure. It left me somewhat out of sorts. I hate admitting it’s my worry because then that means I care more than I should. And yes, I know I did or... do, but that is exactly why I didn’t want to involve myself with anyone when focusing on becoming a venator.

Except that is out of the question since I’m helping a thief—a thief who is a shifter.

“Missing Lorcy?” Rydan strolls up to us, two blades in each of his hands as he wiggles his brows at me.

A slight roll of my eyes. “Here to irritate us, Rydan?”

“You didn’t answer the question.” He grins, and I scrunch my nose at him. “If it helps, I too miss him dearly. Especially when he raises his voice at me.”

The dramatic hand on his heart says otherwise, or potentially he does miss Lorcan just to annoy him.

“There’s nothing to worry about, Nara,” Freya says from the ground, sitting in a cross-legged position. Picking off the grass and toying with it in her hands, she hums. “Venators go on missions all the time. It’s how Lorcan met you, isn’t it?”

It is, but it doesn’t mean it’s safe. Our village was under attack by a dragon when I initially met him. Not that I don’t have faith in Lorcan, Solaris knows I do, but it’s something I’ve always wondered since my father’s days as a venator, when he’d leave us. Whether we’d receive word from someone else that he didn’t make it or if he’d appear through our cottage doors, safe and sound.

“You know what you should be worried about?” Rydan lilts, swinging his swords in a circular swooping motion. “Those creatures lurking around.”

I drop the blade, my whole face blanking. “The new ones?”

He nods rather chirpy as Freya asks, “How do you ever find out all of this?”

“We live in a place full of venator leaders talking about their daily missions. It’s not hard to eavesdrop on certain conversations.”

“What—” Link starts though his voice sounds relatively small before clearing his throat. “What did they say?”

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