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This was a mistake. Sitting with him, letting him know that I’m waiting for Rys… that was a mistake. Too bad I can’t take it back now.
“That’s interesting and all, but not what I needed to know,” I say, though inwardly I’m filing everything he said about Rys away for later when I can reconcile it with what I already picked up on when it came to Rys’s old flame. Since there’s no point denying that he knows exactly who I’m waiting for, I decide to just go for it and ask, “Have you seen him or not?”
The man regards me. My boots are on the floor, my ass lifting from my seat. I’m ready to bolt if he tries anything funny.
With a snort, he gestures over to the far end of the inn. “Ask Hildy. She tends the bar and, like I said, she owns the place. She’s sweet on the guards. If anyone’ll know about your Seelie
, she will.”
“Thanks.”
His bushy eyebrows rise. His eyes go wide, too, making it even more noticeable that he’s got marbles in place of a normal-looking eyeball. “You thanking me, human?”
I was trying to be polite. “Yes,” I say. As his tongue darts out, running along a chapped bottom lip, I realize that I must’ve made another goof. Come to think of it, Rys often pulled a frown whenever I tried to show him any kind of gratitude. “Why? Is that wrong?”
“Go see Hildy. And remember that you offered me your thanks. One day ol’ Grimly might call in the favor.”
Yup. Definitely a mistake.
Oh, well. I can’t do anything about it now, though. Focus on the things you can control. Rys. I’ve got to find him.
I push my way to the back of the inn. A wooden counter—the bar—stretches across the length of the far side. There aren’t any seats here, though, no stools, and I approach it cautiously because I’m all too aware that I’m still being watched by the other patrons.
There’s only one woman behind the bar and, holy shit, she’s a looker. Think the best part of every Hollywood A-list actress, bombshell popstar, and big-boobed Playboy bunny. She has hair as dark and shiny as fresh ink, skin a few shades lighter, and honey-colored eyes. Her features? Breathtaking.
Seriously.
I actually stop breathing for a second.
“Hello there. You need something?”
I shake off my stupor, offering her the most sincere grin that I can muster.
“Hi. Are you Hildy?”
“That I am.” Her brow furrows as she looks past me. “Are you here on your own?”
I wish I wasn’t.
“For the moment, yes,” I admit. “But I’m supposed to be meeting someone here. They told me to wait for them. I’m just wondering if maybe they’ve been by and I missed ‘em?”
“Depends, miss—”
“Elle.”
“Miss Elle.” She pauses behind the bar. “Your true name?”
“No. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Someone taught you well. That’ll keep you safe. Now, tell me. For the fae who branded you to send you to my door, he must be one I know well. Who is he? I can tell you if I’ve seen him.”
Is it weird that she immediately guesses that Rys is a guy? I was careful not to use his pronoun until I was sure she was someone I could ask for help. Just because Grimly sent me her way, it didn’t mean she has all the answers.
Or maybe I’m just jealous that Rys purposely sent me to a joint owned by a woman that looks like her.
Welp. Here goes nothing.
“Rys.”
