My gaze fell to Noc first, and my pulse went from canter to full-blown stampede. Wild jet-black eyes pinned me in place. I sank deeper into the blankets to put distance between us. “What?”
Edged words forced their way through his clenched teeth. “What were you thinking?” Behind him, Kost pressed his lips into a fine line. Oz didn’t make a sound. Sad eyes lingered on the fluids seeping through the bandages of my hand.
“Where’s Calem?”
Heat of a different kind flashed through Noc’s hardened features. “Hunting. Presumably better than you.”
I forced myself into a sitting position. Dark sludge drained to my fingertips. “No need for quips. I saw a beast. I tried to tame it and failed. End of story.”
“Is this what we should expect of your taming abilities?” Kost folded his arms across his chest. With his sleeves rolled past his elbows, I spied the tense muscles of his forearms. He was a harbinger of disappointment. I wanted to throttle him.
Instead, I bit back a growl. “The beast was for you.”
Silence stretched between us. Anger fled from Noc’s face as he crouched before me. “I see.”
“Do you?” I cocked an eyebrow at him, trying to get a grip on his ever-changing mood. “I was trying to fulfill my end of the bargain.”
Kost scowled. “I haven’t told you what kind of beast I want. Your efforts were futile.”
Oz ran his thick hand across his cropped hair. “Kost…”
“You’re insufferable, you know that? You would have wanted this beast, trust me.” I clenched my hand and fought back a yelp, pain spiking through my arm and speeding toward my shoulder.
Kost tensed. “Don’t presume to know what I want. You know nothing about me.” Without another word, he stalked out, heels meeting the earth with more force than necessary.
A weight settled in the pit of my stomach. I needed Kost to want this beast. More than that, he needed to love his creature so he’d be inclined to honor Noc’s promise. A beast worthy of erasing the bounty for good. Maybe they’d never accept another hit on me again.
Someone in the good graces of Cruor.I slumped back into the makeshift bed of tan hides. I wasn’t stupid enough to think that would ever happen. Pay anyone enough money, especially an assassin, and the whole deal could change. But by then, I’d be worlds away with a Myad in tow. No one would dare attack me with that beast by my side, and hopefully it’d be enough to grant me a meeting with the Council.
“I’ll check on Kost.” Oz tossed me a half-hearted smile before slipping through the green flaps of the tent.
Noc side-eyed me, the high angles of his face sharpened by his profile. “What kind of beast were you trying to acquire?”
“A Poi.” I felt another surge of pain, and I brought my arm flush to my chest. “Trust me, it’s the beast Kost wants.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Aside from their nasty bite”—I flexed my fingers to fight back the stiffness—“they can see two minutes into the future. No more, no less, but extremely useful when it comes to strategic planning. It’s a B-Class bordering on A-Class beast. Meets all the requirements.”
Noc inched closer until he was within arm’s reach. A rare bit of softness touched his gaze. “I’m sorry.”
“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.” I winced, but didn’t dream of moving. He was so close. Tension roiled thick between us. So much like that insurmountable space that had been between our fingers the night we had dinner and talked for hours.
“For Kost. I think you’re right… This beast suits him.” He leaned forward, and my breath caught in my lungs. “What are we going to do about this?” He cupped my injured hand, and a droplet of poison splashed against his palm. My heart squirmed at his touch. I knew nothing of fortunes. My own peaceful future had been savagely ripped from my grasp, and I’d been left ostracized and alone. But looking at Noc’s hands, at the network of creases and callused fingertips, I wondered if one of those crossing lines had anything to do with me.
“There’s only one way to fix this.” I couldn’t bring myself to look away. I knew I should have wrenched free of his grasp, put some distance between us, but his voice was so low. Pained. He was the last person I could ever trust, but the soothing heat from his touch, so at odds with the usual chill from his demeanor, burned away the sting of the poison. “I have to tame the Poi. He can pull the venom out.”
Noc’s fingers brushed higher up my wrist, almost reflexively. “Do you have the strength to do that?”
“Tomorrow.”
His touch froze as if he’d only just realized what he was doing, and his eyes stuck to the place where his fingers met my wrist.
Unease stirred in my belly. “Are you okay?”
Darkness sharpened in the tent. A range of emotions fought for control over his face. Some I recognized, some I didn’t. But I noticed a glimmer of longing. A beat of despair. Was touching me really so painful? Why?
He dropped my hand and pinned me to the ground with a stare cut from granite. “I’m fine. Will your hand last until tomorrow?”
