Reon shrugs, an easy grin tugging at his lips. “He hasn’t marked her yet. No bite, no claim. Until then, she’s an unclaimed female, is she not?”
I glance at him, unamused. “You might want to keep that sentiment to yourself if you’re fond of your balls being attached to your body.”
Reon throws a look over his shoulder at Solena, whose hooded face still manages to convey a sharp glare. He smirks. “I’d bite her in an instant. Feisty little thing. Seal the bond with teeth and flesh and blood.”
I can feel his gaze shift back to me, that telltale glint in his eyes, and I know exactly where this conversation is headed.
“Don’t start,” I groan, sidestepping a woman berating her children as they shuffle down the street. “I thought I’d have more time. I wanted to explain everything to her first.”
Reon frowns, his playful edge dimming. “You should’ve bitten her at the wedding. Got it over and done with. I’d have reminded you, but yourbest frienddidn’t even make the guest list.”
I sigh, bored and weary. “We’ve been over this.”
“We have,” he says with a shrug, the grin returning. “But giving you shit is an excellent way to pass the time.”
“Sometimes I wonder if you’re worth the trouble.”
“You know I am.” His tone turns pointed. “Just like you know you should’ve marked her when you had the chance. Would’ve made finding her a hell of a lot easier.”
I shake my head, my jaw tightening. “I couldn’t. I’d already put her through so much.”
For once, Reon’s voice softens, a rare seriousness creeping into his words. “When we find her, Daedalus, will you tell her then? Or will there always be a reason to wait?”
I lift my chin, my voice firm with conviction. “I won’t waste another moment. I’ll tell her she’s my mate and I’ll bite her and never let go.”
Reon waggles a finger, his smirk sliding back into place. “Not too deep. Humans can be delicate, you know. Don’t want to tear out her jugular after all this effort.”
I grin despite myself. “She’s no ordinary human.”
His smirk falters, replaced by a contemplative look. “I’m beginning to see that.”
I barely take a step before a small body slams into me, a child, barely taller than my knees, clutching a sticky sweet on a stick. He looks up, tongue still dragging across the candy, but the moment his eyes meet mine, he gasps. It’s as if he sees past the hood and cloak, straight through to the monster beneath.
He stumbles back, his foot catching on a rock. The candy flies from his hand. But before either boy or sweet can hit the ground, they freeze mid-motion, suspended in the air like marionettes caught in time.
I glance at Reon beside me. He’s pointing a finger at the child, an amber light crackling at its tip.
With a groan, I step forward, grab the boy rigid as stone and set him upright. Then I snatch the candy from the air and place it carefully back in his hand, mindful I could snap his little digits straight off in this state.
When the moment is as it was, Reon clicks his fingers, and the sparks vanish. The boy blinks, his head whipping around, dazed and disoriented.
“Go,” I say sharply. “Away with you.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. One last lick of his candy, and he darts off into the crowd.
I scan the street, searching for any eyes that might’ve caught Reon’s display, but the people seem blissfully unaware.
“We’re trying to keep a low profile,” I mutter under my breath.
Reon shrugs. “What? My power’s like a muscle. I’ve got to stretch it. Besides, all I did was stop a kid from falling on his ass.”
I shoot him a dark glare, brow furrowing. He lifts both hands in mock surrender.
“Okay, okay. I get it. No time warps.”
We push deeper into the city, the salty tang of the sea fading into the stench of unwashed bodies, rancid gutters, and sour ale. The streets pulse with noise and movement, a chaotic tangle of vendors shouting over each other and the occasional yelp of a stray dog dodging a cart wheel.
In a shadowed corner, I spot a group of men clustered like flies over rot. Even from here, the rank mix of ale, sweat, and piss bites at my senses. If anyone knows where the Red Room is, it’s them.
