“Whoever owned this is wealthy,” Dozan continued. “Must be to have this much Tendrille in this blade.” He frowned down at the bird sigil she had seen earlier. “And a raven on the handle.”
“What does that mean?” Fordham asked gruffly.
“A raven,” she whispered. “Like Rahllins’ men?”
“Indeed.”
Kerrigan saw Fordham’s look of confusion and explained, “Clare Rahllins is a rival gang and weapons dealer on the north side of the the Dregs. I didn’t think that she worked in Tendrille.”
“Nor did I,” Dozan said. “Interesting.”
“Do you think she sent the assassin?”
“It’s more likely that she sold this blade to whoever sent the assassin,” Dozan said.
“Could you find out who that is?”
Dozan’s sharp golden eyes met hers. A small smile spread across his sensual lips. His russet hair was almost brown in the dark lighting. “And what will you give me if I could?”
She should have seen it coming, and still, it felt like a punch to the gut. Healing her could be done for free or a small collection from her winnings. He had an incentive to keep his fighters alive. But information… well, that was something that came for a price.
“What do you want?” she asked with a frustrated sigh. Of course, it could never be this easy. Especially after she had rebuffed him earlier.
“A big fight with all the elements.”
She just met his triumphant stare. This was what he’d wanted from her for so long. He’d wanted to put her abilities on display in the ring and watch her best his opponents. Not any of these small peanuts fights she had been competing in the last year, but a high stakes, high profit fight. He wanted to use his little half-Fae girl to destroy anyone in her wake. He knew that she’d draw a crowd, that she’d bring him a lot of money, but she’d never wanted that. She hadn’t wanted the fame or the money or the target on her back.
“No yields. No tap-outs. A fight to the death.”
“Out of the question,” Fordham spat.
“Fine,” she ground out. “You get us the information. Help us figure out who is trying to kill me and why. And I will fight for you. One fight.”
Dozan held his hand out, and she put hers in his.
Another bargain struck.
26
The Training
Fordham didn’t say a word as they headed back toward the mountain. She fingered Lyam’s compass in her pocket. At least one good thing had come out of all of this. The rest made little sense, and tying her fate to Dozan even more than she already had felt like suicide.
What other choice had she had?
She had less than a month to figure all of this out or else her life was over.
By the time they stepped back inside the cool interior, the exhaustion she’d been fighting off since she’d been stabbed hit her full in the face. She dragged the rest of the way back to her rooms. She turned to face Fordham, prepared to thank him for his help and wish him good-night, knowing she’d probably never see him again, despite his assistance with the assassin and Dozan.
But he beat her to it.
“You are not what I expected.” His gray eyes no longer held that malice. The tension that permeated him had…released.
She coughed a laugh. “I’ve heard that before. More trouble than I’m worth?”
He shook his head. “It’s not that. You’re brave.”
She glanced up at him in surprise. His body was close to hers. A lock of his midnight hair had fallen forward. She hadn’t expected him to say anything… kind.
"Well, I guess we’re even now,” she told him.
But still he didn’t move. He remained in her doorway. His gray eyes swirling and then finally settled. She swallowed hard at that look. She’d always found him attractive, but without all that sinister energy radiating off of him, she felt drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Having these feelings would only mean getting burned.
Her heart thudded as their energy mingled, brought together by destiny or time or just this very moment after all that danger. And maybe it wouldn’t be wrong to want something for herself in the midst of all of this.
“Thank you,” she whispered. They were almost touching.
“But you are also stupid,” he said.
And there it was.
She sighed and stepped back. Spell broken. “Well, thanks.”
“You cannot fight to the death.”
“The bargain has already been made.”
“You will lose.”
“You haven’t even seen me fight,” she snapped at him. “Are you assuming that because I’m half-Fae that I’m not capable? Is that what you’re saying?”
“The assassin almost killed you. Would it be so hard to believe that a half-Fae cannot fight after you were stabbed tonight?”
“She got the jump on me, and she had a knife to break my magic,” she snarled. “Being half-Fae has nothing to do with it. You know nothing about me, princeling.”
“I know enough to know, halfling,” he shot back.
“Whatever,” she said, dismissing him.
“You need a trainer.”
She laughed derisively. “And who is going to train a half-Fae? You?”
“No, that’s not what…”
“As I thought. Good-night, princeling. Our deal is over. You won’t have to worry about me anymore.”
“I didn’t save your life just to watch you die for your own stupidity,” he growled.
She whirled around. “I’m not going to die, nor am I stupid.”
“No, you’re reckless.”
“Fine. I’m reckless. But Lyam died because of me, and I’m not going to rest and do nothing while his killer is still out there, while they want me dead,” she snapped at him.
“And you think he’d want you to throw your life away?”
“He’s not here to say otherwise, is he?” Her anger and grief pulled to the surface. She shook her head and released it all. “I don’t want to die or throw this all away. But there’s no one here to train me to be a better fighter than I already am.” She shrugged her shoulders. “So, I’ll take Dozan’s help to find that assassin and then I’ll fight the best I can.”
He ran a hand back through his hair. “I’m going to regret this.”
“What?”
“I can teach you,” he offered through gritted teeth. “If you’re not too stubborn to learn.”
Her body stilled. He actually offering? That didn’t make sense. They had each saved the other, and now, they didn’t have to work together anymore.
“I thought that our bargain was ended,” she said.
“Then this isn’t part of the bargain. This is just… to help keep you alive.”
“You want to help keep a halfling alive?”
“Do you want my help or not?” he snapped.
“Yes,” she said quickly. She’d seen how he moved against the assassin and in the training ring. He was talented. She’d take his help even just to prove she wasn’t as weak as he thought.