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Felix appears in the archway a moment later.
“I’ll report back in 24 hours, whether I have the information or not,” I say and stride over to Felix, my heart pumping with newfound adrenaline.
“Good, but Zora,” The Beast calls after me.
I turn back.
He levels his gaze with mine. “Do be careful. I cannot risk these new players knowing they’re being looked into. You need to blend with them, earn their trust.”
“It won’t be an issue.” I clasp my hands behind my back, hiding the tremor in my ring finger.
“Donotkill them,” The Beast continues, his voice sharp. “I need them alive for now.”
My excitement putters out a bit, but I still manage to give him a lethal look of approval.
“I mean it, Zora. I know your reputation. If you harm them without my consent, I will have you tortured and sold. Your life will be over. Do you understand?” The Beast asks.
My shoulders tense. “I will not fail you.”
The Beast nods, finally satisfied, and dismisses me with a wave of his hand, turning back to the fireplace.
I follow Felix out of the townhouse, letting myself relax only once I’m five blocks down the road and thoroughly squished between two large groups of party-goers. I blow out a long, steadying breath, then shove forward in the direction of my apartment.
The house is an old, patched-over structure with broken glass and a cracked door, but it’s home nonetheless. I go inside, the other three rooms in the home shut off, doors firmly closed. Music blares from beneath one, but I ignore its familiar thump and climb upstairs to my room, hopping over three broken stairs along the way. I shoulder my door open.
My room is clean, but not because I want it to be. It’s barren, except for a small wad of clothes in the corner and a few blankets laid on the floor. While my jobs often pay well, I mostly use the money to pay for the roof over my head and the disguises I need. Otherwise, I don’t own much.
I cross the room to my blankets and pull them apart to grab a few weapons tucked in between, sheathed in leather. I strap a sword over my back and clasp a holster around my thigh with daggers.
Maybe I should hide my weapons, hideme, but The Prince clearly knows who I am.No, this is a job for regularly furious Zora, I think, and grin. It’s not often I get to be myself, and I form a plan that will have to work.
I’ll offer my services to The Prince and The Princess, then go for a drink to buy their trust. As soon as they’re buttered up enough, I’ll make a move to take one or both to bed. I’ll catch them off-guard, pin them down, and get the information I need without needing to remove as much as my corset from my body. I grit my teeth, knowing it will work. Ithasto. The Beast has one of the answers I’ve searched for my entire life, and I aim to have it in my clutches before the sun rises on Gronem.
I ditch my room and leave the house behind, beginning my hunt. As I comb the streets, I spot Gretta in my gown, two women hanging off her arms and drinking her in with lustful gazes.
She sees me and squeals, leaving behind her lovers to latch onto me. “Zora! Are you going to join me?”
I almost say no, but knowing Gretta, she will be hopping between clubs and bars all night. With her in that gown, I’ll be invisible at her side, able to search every location for the Bosses without being seen in return. “Sure,” I agree and lock arms with her.
Only one of her lovers returns to her, the woman an entire head taller than Gretta and dressed in a sleek satin suit of silver. It sparkles under the moonlight and matches Gretta’s attire seamlessly. “Zora, it’s a pleasure,” the woman says, her voice soft as silk. “Gretta loves you.”
“And we know Gretta loving people is a rarity,” I say with a smirk.
The woman smiles, showing off little diamonds glued atop several of her teeth. With that kind of wealth, she must be a Royalist, and my respect for her goes down about a million pegs. “Farrah,” she introduces herself.
I nod but my attention already moved on. I scan the streets for any masked people, following Gretta and Farrah up to a bouncer for a nearby bar. We go inside, and I’m blasted with strobe lights and music. I tap my pant leg to the beat as my eyes fly to the VIP zone in the balcony above. Every curtain around the tables is drawn. There won’t be a way to know if The Prince and Princess are here without sneakily peeking behind each.
“Come dance!” Gretta begs and tugs on my hand.
I shake my head.
She purses her lips. “At least have a drink with me. I hardly see you anymore.”
I blow out a breath. “Okay, but only one.”
She bounces up on her toes and claps her hands before she charges to the bar and orders a round.
Farrah leans into me as we walk to the bar. “Is she ever monogamous?”
