“Well, this was officially the best kidnapping I’ve ever experienced,” I said.
Kali burst out laughing. “Make it a habit to get kidnapped often?”
I shrugged. “First time and everything, but I doubt future kidnappers are going to give me two orgasms.” I still couldn’t believe the misunderstanding that had led to this, but I wasn’t sad about the end result.
“I’m generous like that,” she teased as she slipped on her underclothes, her gray leggings, and then buckled her boots back on. “Now, unfortunately, I’ve got a mark to track down.”
My mind whirred as I rose from the seat, my legs a little shaky. Right, my pants were still around my ankles. No thinking would be getting done until that was fixed. I yanked them back up to cover myself, then tugged at the bottom of my shirt so that was less rumpled too.
“Wait,” I said, my words coming out a bit sluggish. Maybe it was the horniness from the knives and the ropes and the coming my brains out that muddled things. “You’re looking for a person, and I’m looking for a…Socks. Why don’t we help each other?”
My heart thudded a little faster. Something about her drew me in so much that I wasn’t quite ready to walk away.
“What is a socks?” she asked, squinting at me as she checked the blades in their holsters, probably to make sure she hadn’t left any behind.
“My missing pagwai,” I said. “That’s why I was roaming around the market before the whole rogue kidnapping thing.”
“The not-a-marriage-proposal,” Kali said with a grin. Her smile relaxed some of the sharpness to her features, and I stared a little longer than necessary. “My mark is a bit more dangerous than a missing pagwai.”
I stood and crossed my arms. “Well, I’m not getting anywhere with finding Socks on my own, so we can consider it a fair trade. I won’t be able to enjoy my time away from the fields with her missing.”
“Are you not from around here?” Kali asked, waiting by the door. Since she hadn’t said no, I was going to assume I was invited as well.
“Brythurst.” I caught up, and together we stepped outside of the cabin that had seen some filthy, filthy things in the past hour. “I’m a jewelberry farmer at a commune around there. What about you?”
“Gearwick-ish,” she said a little too quickly. “At least if I can call anywhere home.”
“Mercenary life a traveling one?” I asked.
“No, I sit in my house and wait for my marks to come to me,” she responded.
I wrinkled my nose. “That seems terribly inefficient.”
“You’re a gem, Arryn,” she said, a smirk on her lips. “I think our best bet for your missing pagwai is looking for tracks. As for Dynlan, they were last spotted heading out of the market in the direction of the bridge.”
“Hence why you thought I might be the offender.” I stared at the sparkling water ahead of us. The bridge was an easy walk, over to the right, and past that lay the thick forest around Emberleigh that loomed in the distance. “Honestly, the woods might be the easiest place to find Socks. Pagwai love shady copses and trees.”
We set off in the direction of the bridge, the sun bright and sparkling across the water. The cool wind swept across my skin, waking me up a bit more.
Kali walked quick and efficiently, casting the occasional look back at me to see if I kept up. I appreciated the consideration, as my legs were still shaky after we’d fucked.
“Today would be a perfect day to go fishing,” I said, trailing my fingers along the rail of the bridge.
“Don’t think that’s on the agenda if you want to find your pagwai,” Kali said, casting a wry glance back to me.
So much for a vacation. While I wanted to find Socks, I could admit I was a little put out at not getting to enjoy this trip to the market. This was the break I anticipated every year, and things had gone awry from the moment I got here.
We reached the opposite side of the bridge, and tall trees spread out before us. The deep forest stretched out, looming and dark. My nose twitched from the loamy scent of the trees, the dirt paths, the greenery in full bloom. As much as the hectic Everend Market offered excitement, out in nature was where I truly felt at ease.
“What did they steal?” I asked as we meandered down the closest path. The trill of freewhills sounded in the distance, their melodic chirp echoing in the air. Walking with Kali was surprisingly comfortable, even with the air of danger that surrounded her. If anything, I felt like I was less likely to wander into traps or accidental kidnappings with her by my side.
“Unclear,” she said. “A sealed box is what’s being called for retrieval. Dynlan can be dead or alive.”
“You sure you can’t fabricate the box?” I asked. “I’m fairly handy with carpentry. When things break on the commune, we’ve got to get creative or resourceful with fixing them.”
She shook her head and snorted. “The seal in the center can only be opened by the Malkali family crest, so I’d say that’d be a bit difficult to replicate.”
I paused as I spotted a slight impression in the dirt. I moved some of the stray twigs out of the way to get a clearer view of the print with the little divots for claws—a pagwai.
