My cheek flinched. “I’m thinking we’re talking about the same person.”
“Like you don’t know, Fishy,” Opie scoffed, Bitzy copying his response. “Weren’t you the one screaming out, “‘Oooooohhh, Wolfy, what a colossal dick you have—’”
“Stop. Now.” I cut him off. “And I did not call him Wolfy.” Folding my arms, I lowered my lids. “I probably called him a dick.”
Opie winked at me. “That too.”
Chirp! Which sounded something like, “You’re an idiot and a liar.”
“Before this train went off the rail, I asked if you had seen him?”
“We were on a train?” Opie tilted his head, peering at Bitzy. “Do you remember being on a train? I thought we were on those zoomy-zoomy things.”
Chirp! Which I was sure was, “You are all idiots.”
A groan climbed up my throat. “You know what? I’m gonna go find something to eat.” I motioned over my shoulder.
“Good luck, Fishy!” Opie waved at me. “Wear protection!”
Chirp! Middle fingers stabbed the air in response.
I didn’t even want to know.
Leaving them, my legs carried me out of the room. Loud chants down the hall took me to one of the largest areas in the condensed compound, discovering where most of the inhabitants were located. They were circling two fighters in the middle of what had to be their training workout room.
A tiny blonde warrior against a man who had to be at least eight feet tall, his body built like boulders.
Birdie scaled up his back, leaping on his shoulders, her legs wrapping around his throat.
“Bir-die! Bir-die!” Her name was chanted as the huge man flailed about, trying to get her off his back, swinging her around to me.
“X,” she called out my name, her eyes glinting with fire. Like me, she came alive when she was fighting. Some might find it sick, but walking the line between life and death sparked my blood with vigor. “You’re awake.”
“Yeah, I was gonna go get some dinner.”
“Oh, I’m starving.” She talked to me like she wasn’t in the middle of battling this half-giant man. His face had turned a deep red, his fists trying to punch her as he slammed her back into walls, trying to dislodge the bird perched on his back. Her legs only tightened down on his esophagus, forcing him to gasp for any air. People bellowed around them, money in their hands waving in the air with enthusiasm. “Hold on a moment.”
I laughed as her face went serious, done playing around. Her bitchy, bored expression covered her features as she used both of her arms and legs to constrict his airway.
The man clawed and struck her, but the girl held on like an octopus. He stumbled, his skin shading into purples, blood vessels in his eyes popping before he fell, hitting the ground with a thump, tapping his arm to say he was out.
Birdie unlatched herself, standing up and brushing back the loose hair from her ponytail. “That was fun. Maybe we’ll do this again tomorrow.” She patted the guy on the shoulder before turning to me. She strolled over, one eye bruising with a shiner, but otherwise, her heavily lined eyes were perfect, not a scratch on her.
“Think tonight is krumplileves again.” She rolled her eyes, sauntering right by me while yelling and money changing hands continued behind her.
Snorting, I trailed after the petite girl dressed in all black. The miniscule canteen was a few rooms down, a rectangular room filled with folding chairs and wood slabs propped on cement blocks for tables. Against one wall, food, drinks, and snacks were spread out. Nothing like the setup they used to have, and not even close to Povstat’s situation.
Birdie stopped in front of a crockpot, her nose wrinkling as she scooped out the traditional Hungarian potato soup.
“Oh goody, seven days in a row.” She grabbed a roll, biting into it as I got my soup and roll and followed her to a table. The area was mostly quiet, with only a few groups sprinkled through the room, drinking tea or eating supper.
“So...” She plunked down on a chair across from me, shoveling in some soup. “One legend wasn’t enough for you?” She arched a brow at me.
“What do you mean?”
“Come on, there’s no way you’re not screwing Farkas, and if you aren’t, then you’re an idiot, and I volunteer,” she said evenly. Her tone always held a hint of boredom. “But I heard rumors of you and the seriously sexy fae lord, Killian, and now the son of the HDF leader? I was there, girl. I could see something between you two. Caden Markos is like another make-believe character I’ve heard about for years. The human prince. But I guess at one time you were too.”
“He’s my best friend.” I inhaled, staring down at my soup, drowning a chunk of potato in the broth. “Or he used to be. We grew up together.”
“You crushed on him, didn’t you?”
My brows creased, not sure how to respond.
“Please. You totally did. Do you still love him?” She scooped up another spoonful, sucking it down. “Seems a bit pampered for you.”
“Pampered?”
“He’s a total pretty boy.” She shoved a piece of roll into her mouth, barely swallowing. “I’m mean really pretty. More muscles than I thought he would have, but probably not much upstairs or down, though he is easy on the eyes. Not that I like guys like that.”
My head tilted.
“I don’t! Far too prim for me.” She shook her head, eyes darting to the side. “I’m just saying he seems like the typical spoiled human boy. Entitled. All ego and a very tiny dick.”
We may never have had sex, but I had slept next to him and touched him enough to know. Caden certainly wasn’t small by most standards. Far from it. But after Warwick, it was hard to compare anyone to a normal measurement.
Gods... that man.
“Wait.” Her eyes widened at my heating cheeks. “Is his dick actually big? A secret freak in bed?” She barely took a breath. “He looks vanilla, but sometimes those guys can shock you.”
“You and Kek would really get along,” I muttered, kneading my head.
“Okay, tell me about Killian then.”
“Nothing to tell.”
She pursed her lips, not believing me. “Well, it also seems Scorpion has a bit of a thing for you. Anytime your name is mentioned, he perks up.” A slight annoyance flickered over her bruised eye.
“It’s not like that.” How could I explain to anyone what my connection was to Scorpion or Warwick? Yeah, so, I went back in time through a fae book and saved their lives, even though technically I had just been born, and now we were linked in this strange way that shouldn’t exist. As in, we can see, touch, and feel each other no matter where our physical bodies are.
My mind flickered to Warwick, wondering where he was, but I felt nothing in our link except that he was alive. He was still shutting me out.
“Oh shit.” Birdie’s spoon fell noisily into her empty soup bowl. “Speaking of, I have to relieve pretty boy’s watch. Wes needs a few hours of sleep before heading out tonight.”
“What’s tonight?”
“A few are staking out some factories tied to Markos and the elite in Leopold. We’re looking for the location where they’re harboring fae.” Andris assumed one or more of the factories were operating more as a fae murder plant than an actual factory. It was a great cover, but there was a possibility they were looking in the wrong places. “The moment your pretty boy is awake, I will get it out of him.” She stood up, lifting her pierced brow.