I nodded and forced myself to smile. “I can’t wait to take the bastard out.”
“That’s more like it.” Celine picked up her mug of steaming tea. “So, tonight I’m thinking The Nightcap for drinks and dancing. We don’t have to go with the other apprentices. How about the four of us meet here at dusk?”
I sighed. Ordinarily I’d be thrilled to go out into the city for fun. “You realize the Commander is giving us a night off because some of us will die tomorrow.” Vander warned me I could watch my friends fall, and I hadn’t gotten it out of my head. That and him threatening to leave after Dravyn was killed.
Taewyn, Celine, and even Shadowhawk stared at me. Celine finally cracked a smile. “Well, you’re just a little black rain cloud today, aren’t you?”
“Did something happen with you and Viper?” Taewyn asked. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “He’s watching you right now.”
I swallowed hard and didn’t look up. “No. Just the usual training.”
“So you haven’t tried laying naked in bed yet? I’ve been waiting for the day you give me some good gossip,” Celine teased.
“Ugh.” Taewyn shook his head. “I did not just hear that. I’m not going to be complicit in plans to break rules.”
Shadowhawk let out a quiet snicker. I didn’t tease them about their relationship, I didn’t know why Celine had to be up my ass about mine. Although she did willingly spill all the details of her relationship without me asking when we were training. I knew much more about Shadowhawk than Ieverwanted to. I truly didn’t need to know the size of his manhood and where he put it.
“Like I said, nothing is happening.” I couldn’t humiliate myself further by acting desperate. It would truly crush me if he turned me down again after I bared myself to him.
“My god, he didn’t reject you, did he?” Celine’s eyes widened.
“Smoke,” Shadowhawk said as a chastisement. “Not here.” At least the quiet one had my back. Taewyn ate his food like he hadn’t heard anything.
I shushed her and scowled. There were other people at this table beside us and the last thing I needed was someone to go tattle to the Commanders that something was going on between Viper and me, when there wasn’t. “Will you shut up about it?”
Celine held up her hands in surrender. “Fine. So, are we going to The Nightcap or what?”
“Yeah, I’ll meet you here at dusk like you said.”
“Good. And leave the black rain cloud behind. I want to have fun, especially if I might die tomorrow.”
The sunset paintedthe sky with stunning shades of pink and salmon. Stars winked as night began to settle around us on the streets of the city. I wore a set of my new clothes from Murial’s shop. The top was fitted on my torso, with a square neckline and long puffed sleeves that tightened at the wrist. It was short enough that it showed a sliver of skin around my belly. The azure blue went well with my skin and brought out the copper in my light hair. My black pants fitted snugly, not quite as tight as my assassin uniform, but close. The boots Murial had snuck in were a charcoal-gray, heeled and hit just below my knee.
My stomach was in knots when I left Vander in the room. He insisted I go out even though he wouldn’t be joining us and his excuse was simple. “Just like I don’t eat at the apprentice table, I don’t drink with them either. The other trainers aren’t going.” But ever since our encounter with the vampires a few days before, he’d been quiet, unsettled. It felt like he was pulling away from me, already halfway gone in his mind despite promising to fight harder.
I was terrified I’d come back home tonight and he’d be gone, and there was nothing I could do about it.
I couldn’t imagine him fighting for them, but if he turned himself over to Belladonna, what would that mean? They would torture him until he complied? Lock him in a cell? Even if he went to them like Belladonna wanted, they could still target me to get him to comply, and I’d told him that.
The only reason I could bear to leave him alone was because our mission to assassinate Dravyn Knox was tomorrow and he wouldn’t miss that. And since there was a chance this was my last night alive, I promised Celine and myself I would go and have fun.
The main street was crowded. Once we arrived at The Nightcap, we were met with a line to get in. Thankfully it didn’t take long. Tonight Celine had lined her eyes with dark kohl andwore her hair in braids and twists, much like the first day I’d met her. Her ivory top hung off her shoulder on one side and was low-cut in the back, showing off her muscles, but her LOA tattoo was covered. It took a few fluttering eyelashes, compliments, and giggles from her for the doorman to move us in quickly, and we pulled Taewyn and Shadowhawk in with us.
The music thumped, people stamped their feet to the beat. A cloud of harsh cigar smoke hung in the air. The rudimentary circle chandeliers dripped an occasional drop of candle wax.
Celine had a cigarette in her mouth as soon as we crossed the threshold. “Falcon isn’t here to tell me no tonight.” She giggled and let out a puff.
Shadowhawk borrowed it from her and took a pull himself. I didn’t know him well, but I was grateful she’d moved on from Beast. He was the opposite of Beast in many ways, darker hair, olive skin, broader, quiet, not an asshole. I found it interesting that she could be attracted to two completely different types of men.
We hung our swords on the hooks on the weapons wall beside several mage staffs, warrior broadswords, a couple axes, and one bow with a quiver of arrows. Celine said there were enchantments on the wall to prevent thieves from taking a weapon or staff that didn’t belong to them. I didn’t know how the magic knew, but I trusted it.
Taewyn took my hand, and I held Celine’s while he led us through the crowd to the bar top. The smell of stale ale hit me. There was a mix of ages, from other young people to older folks with white hair and gray beards. Most of the old men and women sat at the gambling tables rolling dice and pushing coins. While the younger crowd spun and danced in front of the band. It reminded me of the longhouse back home.
The barmaid stopped before us. Large gold hoops dangled from her ears and half her bosom hung out of her tight dress. “What can I get for you, darlings?”
“I’ll take a pint of ale,” Taewyn answered.
“Two shots of whisky for me,” Celine said.
