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74
“If they are coming,” I said, turning to Amon, “They need armor.” I realized that I had no money, no real power here, to protect my friends. My friends, who were ready and willing to sacrifice everything for this. I needed them to have every possible advantage, every possible edge. I glanced at Rycon and thought that even he could use some armor. He healed easier and faster than all of us, but still. I wanted our team to be as safe as they possibly could.
Rycon’s gaze met mine, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. Even with the bond blocked, I could tell he knew where my mind was, and he hadn’t expected me to include him in the group of people I considered friends. He had been angry with me, when I had forced him to let go of the topic of Kasha joining us. This small sentiment from me did not erase his anger, but his cat-like eyes did soften a fraction.
Amon nodded, “Agreed. We’ll go into town now and get everyone suited with what they need.” I dipped my head to Amon in gratitude.
“Thank you,” I said, and he frowned.
“For what?” He asked me.
“For taking care of my friends,” I replied.
“You are the one taking care of them, Raven. There is nothing to thank me for.” He stepped closer to me, once again fingering my mating stone. “We are mates. Everything that I have, belongs to you. Every emerald, pebble, and drop of water in this court, is half yours.” His eyes were shining, and I realized that he was happy to have someone to share everything with. I felt my chest tighten, and reached up on my toes, to plant a small kiss on his cheek.
‘I love you,’ I whispered privately across his mind, mostly to avoid being chirped by Rycon. Amon’s eyes crinkled, and he took my hand, before turning to the team.
“Let’s go. We don’t have much time. I fear the smith at The Restructium Shoppe will have their work cut out for them.”
The inside of the shop was trendy. The all-black exterior evolved into stark contrasts of obsidian, slate, and pearl once we entered. Mannequins dressed in black armor stood on pedestals. Interesting and creative weapons, which also were made of restructium, were featured sporadically throughout the space.
It was clearly a specialty boutique with high-quality wares. I approached a display holding two black blades roughly the length of my forearm and ran my fingers over them. A thin line of blood welled on my fingertip from the gentle touch of my hand, and my eyes widened. Holy shit. These were sharp.
“Welcome!”
I glanced up, to see a tall, striking daemon with long black hair and piercing blue eyes. Not surprisingly, she wore all black, including a fitted jumpsuit that seemed to be styled after the armor she sold. Her skin was pale and flawless, and she had a small nose piercing, coupled with a subtle black tattoo on her wrist.
“Hello, Sable,” Amon greeted her, as another daemon emerged from the back of the shoppe, wiping her soot tipped fingers with a lambskin rag. This female was the perfect contrast and compliment to Sable. She was a muscular surly daemon with short-cropped black hair. Her eyes were dark, but intense and she bore a thick scar over her left eyebrow. She wore a black leather apron over her work clothes, and her arms were covered in dark tattoos.
Amon nodded to her in greeting as well, “Kael.” The female grunted gruffly in response, dipping into a small bow.
“To what do we owe this unexpected, albeit welcome surprise?” Sable asked. Her blue eyes shone as she eyed up the small party of guests behind us. I realized with a start, that for a small shoppe like this, a visitor as prestigious as Amon promised the possibility of a large sale. Amon smirked at her, and the informal way that he addressed her led me to believe that he was a regular here. He reached out his hand to me, beckoning me to come closer, so that he might introduce me.
“Sable, Kael, I would like you to meet my mate, Raven.”
My heart fluttered. I still wasn’t used to that word. Mate.
“Hi,” I said. Kael shook my hand firmly, and I felt the callouses that had formed there.
“Hello, Raven,” Sable said. She regarded me with a sort of intense curiosity. “You must be the one we made that restructium suit for. It has been a long time since the prince has required a piece quite so… thorough.” She mused. I shot Amon a glance, and he shrugged somewhat sheepishly. I could just imagine him, here in this shoppe on the days leading up to my arrival, checking over my suit. Ensuring that every plate and seam met his expectations.
“I hope he didn’t give you too much trouble,” I muttered, and she laughed.
“Nothing is too much trouble for our Prince. We owe him our freedom.” She replied, and my chest tightened. How many years had this lovely couple served as slaves? How many horrors had Ash Nevra forced them to endure? The familiar pangs of rage rippled through me, and I pushed the emotion down with a heavy swallow. This was why we were here. To make sure daemons like Sable and Kael would never need to feel as if they owed someone their freedom again.
“I hope that you do not regret those words,” Amon replied smoothly. “We have a rather large, and urgent request.” He gestured to Rycon, Meredith and Conrad. “We need three restructium suits for our friends here.” Both Sable and Kael looked eager at the prospect. Amon chuckled.
“By tonight.” He finished. The couple exchanged a look, and for a moment, I worried it wouldn't be possible.
“We are happy to compensate you for the rush.” I said quickly, “whatever you need.” Truthfully, I would give them the shirt off my back if they asked for it. Anything it took to keep my friends safe.
Sable’s eyes danced, and she grinned at us.
“Let us see what we can do,” she replied, and Kael turned to duck into the back room. Presumably to get started.
75
It turned out that with the quick turnaround time, Sable and Kael could not make pieces entirely from scratch. They took Conrad, Meredith, and Rycon’s measurements before sorting through some options on the floor displays to find pieces that closely matched. Kael took them into the back room and got to work. She needed to mold and shape the alloy to create a more closely fit armor.
