Exhaustion washed over me and I had to blink hard a couple of times to get the building ahead back in focus. After spending most of the night sneaking into Grant’s garden and then trying out the different fruits, Callan and I had only managed to squeeze in a few hours of sleep before we’d had to ride out again. If we missed the delivery wagon today, we’d have to wait three days for the next one. And by then, it would be too late.
“That’s the one,” Callan said in a quiet voice while nodding towards a small wooden wagon across the grass.
Hidden in the shadows of the stable, I squinted towards it. “How do you know?”
“Because it’s the only one that has food in it.”
That was an unusually intelligent observation coming from him. Hell, I really must be exhausted.
After studying the wagon for another few seconds, I swept my gaze back and forth across the area before us. The wind chased dark gray clouds across the sky, bathing the whole area in steel-colored light. Since it was midday, The First and Last Stop was crawling with people. Travelers who were heading towards Eldar and didn’t want to risk having to traverse the grasslands in the dark moved around while unpacking gear from their wagons and horses. Between them were delivery wagons coming from Eldar and going out to other cities. Or to a dark mage. But no one here knew that, of course.
“Alright.” I shifted my gaze to Callan. “So how do we get our fruit onto it?”
“We need a distraction.”
I rolled my eyes. “No shit? I meant, what kind of distraction do we use to get our fruit onto it.”
He leveled a hard stare on me. “Keep that sharp tongue of yours in check. I’ve slept just as little as you, and I’m not a very pleasant person when I don’t get enough sleep.”
“As supposed to all other times when you’re just the epitome of pleasantness.”
His hand shot out and took my jaw in a punishing grip. “What did I just tell you?”
“I don’t know. I was busy thinking about the actual plan.”
Forcing out a long breath, he released my jaw in a sharp gesture and then shook his head. I flicked my hair over my shoulder and flashed him a smirk.
“We need a distraction,” Callan said while dragging a hand through his messy black hair.
“Yeah, we’ve established that already.”
Frustration flashed across his sharp cheekbones. Whirling towards me, he planted his forearm across my chest and shoved me up against the stable before raising a finger in front of my face.
“I swear to hell,” he growled. “One more snarky word out of your mouth right now and I’ll gag you.”
A smug smile curled my lips as I looked up at him. “You keep threatening that, but you never do it, do you?”
His eyes took on a sharp glint. “Would you like me to?”
I reached up and patted his cheek. “You’re always welcome to try, pretty boy.”
Wrapping his fingers around my wrist, he forced my hand away from his face while he leaned closer and brushed his lips over mine. “Maybe I will.”
“Then let’s get this done so that we can start rescuing Henry, and then we can see who’ll be doing the gagging afterwards.”
The mention of Henry’s name had a sobering effect on Callan. Retreating a step, he released a long exhale and stared up at the gray sky for a few seconds. I knew that he had most likely tipped his head back like that to stop me from seeing the worry and stress that blew across his face. However, it was a lot more noticeable than he probably thought, and I could read those emotions clear as day.
It stirred up feelings in my own chest that I thought I had long since buried. I respected people who took care of their own, and I was once more reminded of the lengths that Callan was prepared to go to in order to save Henry. I didn’t need anyone else. I was more than enough on my own. But when I saw that look on Callan’s face, I couldn’t help but wish that I had someone who would do something like that for me too. But it was pathetic, and a sign of weakness, so I shoved those emotions aside.
“We’ll need a distraction,” Callan repeated once more.
“Yes, and we need someone else who can put the sack of fruit on there for us.” When he glanced over at me in silent question, I shrugged. “If the drivers mention that they saw people like us lurking around the wagon, this whole plan goes up in smoke.”
“Good point.” He ran a hand over his jaw while his attention slid to the stable we were currently hiding behind. “What about the stable hand?”
“Since you were able to convince him to make my horse disappear earlier, I’m sure he’d be open to this too.”
That drew a huff of amusement from Callan’s chest. “I’ve already told you. It was horse thieves.”
“Uh-huh.” I nodded towards the inn across the grass. “Alright, you’ll make sure the stable hand gets the fruit and does what he’s told. I’ll handle the distraction.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I haven’t decided yet. But I’m a much better liar than you, so I’ll figure it out.”
Before he could answer, I pushed myself off the wooden wall and started towards the tall building ahead.
The smell of horses and leather enveloped me as I weaved through the throng unloading their packs by the door. I made sure to stay far away from the driver who was guarding our target wagon. Closing the final distance, I pulled open the door and slipped into the tavern area.
Herbs and grilled meat and spilled ale replaced the smell of horses as I moved deeper into the room. While I walked, I swept my gaze across the crowd. Last time I had done that, I’d found the people that Callan had hired to ambush me sitting there. Now, the tavern was only occupied by ordinary people.
My eyes snagged on three muscular men in dusty clothes. They looked angry. And lonely. If I could just cozy up to them for a few minutes, I could make them believe that I’d overheard another group talking shit about them. I could tell by the expressions on their faces that they were itching to take out their frustration about their lives on someone else, so any excuse would do. As soon as a fight broke out, the people outside would start wondering what was happening, and then the stable hand could sneak the fruit onto the wagon.
While swiping a half-full mug from an unattended table, I slowly moved over to the three men’s table. Their eyes drifted from my face and down to the hips I purposely swished as I approached.
“Mind if I join?” I said before they could drag their gazes back to my face.
“Not at all, sweetheart.”
It took everything I had to stop an unexpected scowl. Sweetheart. That was what Callan usually called me when he was mocking me, and hearing that word from someone else’s lips grated against my ears for some reason.
While keeping a pleasant smile on my mouth instead, I slid into the last empty chair at their table. “I’ve been traveling with the same people all day, so I could use some change in company.”
“We’re more than happy to share your company,” the man in the middle said.
Next to him, the one with the thick mustache nodded while the blond guy on the other side raised his mug in agreement.
I chatted lightly about irrelevant nonsense for a while until I was certain that Callan had gotten enough time to get the stable hand ready. From where I sat, I could see our target wagon through the window, but I couldn’t see the stable. However, I still needed to butter up these people a little more before I dropped the false information on their heads.
“Did you hear that Lance Carmichael has been taken by dark mages?” Middle Guy suddenly said, startling me out of my schemes.
Forcing my attention back to the conversation, I raised my eyebrows in a show of shock. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Apparently, they somehow got to him during that fancy ball they threw to celebrate the start of the attack.”
“That’s scary.”
“That’s bold, I’d say. Too bold. This guy who passed by us yesterday told me that the entire constable force is gonna ride out here and get him back.”
Cold dread sluiced through me. They had already figured out that Lance was no longer in the city? And the whole constable force was getting ready to search for him out here? Shit. We had to settle this internal war between all of us dark mages first. And quickly. Otherwise, we would lose the battle against the heroes, and then our own power struggles wouldn’t even matter anymore.
“Wow, I hope they find him soon then,” I said. Then I scrunched up my brows in confusion. I needed to lead this conversation back where I wanted it. “Wait. You said they passed by you yesterday. Where are you headed?”
Moustache laughed. “We’re not heading anywhere, sweetheart. We’re repairing some patches along the Valdan road, so we use this as a base while we work.”
Ah. That explained how they knew so much about what was going on inside the city. And the loneliness.
“You’re repairing the road?” I said, adding an admiring tone to my voice. “That must be such hard work.”
“It sure is,” Middle Guy said, and lifted his chin. “But we’re good at what we do. That’s why we were chosen.”
Blondie nodded. “Though it does get boring at times. Which is why we love some company.”
Leaning forward slightly, I placed my hand on his arm. “I can imagine. I have to admit, I get bored just sitting in the saddle day in and day out too.”
“Well…” Pushing his chair out slightly from the table, Blondie wiggled his brows at me before slapping his palms across his thighs. “If it’s a change of seat you’re looking for, you could always try this.” He chuckled as if that had been the joke of the century.
It took great effort not to roll my eyes. Instead, I flashed him a sly smile and pushed out of my chair. Middle Guy and Moustache hooted and slapped the wooden table as I swung one leg over Blondie’s thighs and then sat down right in his lap.
“You mean like this?” Lifting my arms, I rested them on his shoulders and intertwined my fingers behind his neck. Then I gave him a quick rise and fall of my eyebrows. “Hmm… Yeah, maybe this is better.”
He chuckled and slid his hands down my sides to rest them on my hips. “You just wait until we get to the riding part.”
The feeling of his hands on me like that made my skin crawl, but I forced the emotion aside and instead gave all three of them a conspiratorial look. “Since we’re friends now, I guess I have to tell you. When I was outside, I overheard…”
Alarm suddenly flashed in Moustache and Middle Guy’s eyes, making me trail off in confusion.
My stomach lurched as strong arms wrapped around my body and hauled me off Blondie’s lap.
“Get your fucking hands off my wife,” Callan Blackwell growled in a voice pulsing with lethal power.
Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, my feet slammed into the floor as Callan set me down next to him. Stunned shock clanged through me. Turning my head, I stared at him in disbelief.
“Your wife, huh?” Blondie began with a sneer. “Maybe if you weren’t such an inadequate husband, your wife wouldn’t have had to seek out other company.”
Callan’s hands shot out. While one wrapped around Blondie’s wrist, keeping it trapped against the table, the other snatched up the half-empty mug I had commandeered and rammed it straight down on Blondie’s hand.
A shriek tore from his throat and he tried to snatch his hand back, but Callan kept him pinned.
“I said,” Callan began as he raised the mug again before slamming it down once more. “Don’t. Touch. My. Wife.” Each word was punctuated by a strike with the hard edge of the mug.
Bones crunched and an animalistic howl of pain tore from the guy’s throat. His friends just stared at the scene with gaping mouths. Shock, and terror, pulsed in their eyes.
Callan leveled a death stare on the crying man while grinding the mug down harder into his hand. “Understood?”
The spell broke.
Snapping out of their shock, Moustache and Middle Guy shot to their feet and lunged at Callan, who immediately shoved me out of the way. In their fury, the two angry men tripped each other up, and Moustache stumbled to the side. His swing went wide and smacked into a stranger’s back instead. Callan yanked up the mug and cracked it across Middle Guy’s jaw while the man who had gotten hit by accident shot to his feet and swung a large fist towards Moustache.
Within seconds, a massive brawl had broken out in the tavern.
I stared at it in disbelief. What the hell was he doing? We’d had a plan. Edging another step away from the fight, I stole a glance out the window.
The people still outside heard the commotion and some ran towards the door while others drifted closer as if to peek inside the windows. From across the grass, a lanky boy snuck up with our sack of carefully selected fruits and stashed it on the now unattended wagon.
Letting out a huff of amusement, I shook my head.
Well, at least that part had gone as planned.
I slid my gaze back to the fighters and scowled at the force mage who was now busy extracting himself from the brawl. He hadn’t needed to butt in. I was doing perfectly fine on my own before he barged in with that tired husband and wife ruse that we had already used before.
Why could he never just trust that I could actually accomplish a simple task without his fucking help?
