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I can tell that intrigues him, because he follows me to the bar—well, not follows as much as “stalks.” I feel very much like a prey animal, and I'm reminded that he calls himself “Kassam of the Wild.” I shiver, and it's not from cold or fear, but from a tendril of pleasure snaking through my belly. Distracted, I duck behind the bar and pour him five shots, tapping the wood and indicating he should sit. People make room for him and I glance around for Charlie. I need to leave, but I can't just bail out without letting him know. I don't see him anywhere, though…
But I do see the cigarette-smoking woman at the far end of the bar. She's holding it up, one brow arched in my direction, and then chugs her whiskey. She sets the tumbler down and taps it, indicating she wants more.
I move toward her, grabbing the bottle of cheap whiskey she'd preferred and pour her a refill. "Thank you for the heads-up," I say. "About my boyfriend."
She shrugs one shoulder, looking surprisingly elegant despite the fact that she's wearing a plain white T-shirt. "When you get to know people like I do, you learn their hard limits pretty well." She stubs her cigarette into her napkin. "I figured that was a hard limit for you, and there'd be nothing he could do to win your good graces again."
"You're not supposed to smoke in here." I indicate her cigarette. "Sorry."
The woman tilts her head, smiling at me. "Then I suppose it's a good thing no one can see me but you." She pulls out a new cigarette, deftly maneuvers it between her fingers, and then lifts it to her lips. The moment it touches her mouth, the end flares with heat, as if it lit itself.
11
The room grows cold around me. I can see people at the bar, looking impatiently in my direction to get more drinks, but I'm frozen in place. All I can do is stare at the woman in front of me. She's neither young nor old, that middle range of age that could be anywhere from thirty to fifty with a good skincare regimen. Her hair is a bland color and her face is nondescript, but her expression is knowing. Bored.
Almost tired.
I lick my lips, moving closer. "Were you the one following us earlier?"
One of her brows arches again. She takes a drag on her cigarette and then pauses. "Were you followed? No, honey. That wasn't me. Sounds like you might have more interest than I thought. That could be a problem." She points at me with her cigarette. "Tell your mom to stop, by the way. She's going to get herself hurt."
I feel like I can't breathe. "Leave my mom out of this."
The woman gives me a patronizing smile. "Would love to. I actually like her. She's very scrappy. However, she keeps pushing at things she doesn't understand, and I can't be held responsible if she gets slapped down. I've warned her several times." The woman tilts her head, shrugging. "Maybe the warning will mean something coming from you. She's trying to read your future, but there isn't anything for her to read."
I glance down the bar, worried. Kassam is there, sniffing one of the shots I poured for him with a fascinated look on his face while some old man yammers in his ear. Satisfied that he can't hear our conversation, I move closer to the woman, leaning over the bar. "Is it…because I don't have a future? Is that why? Am I going to die?"
She shrugs again, flicking the filter-end of her cigarette with an impatient thumb. "No one knows, honey. That's why I'm here. I should know. That's my job. But someone's hijacked your destiny and now I can't read shit."
"Who are you?"
"I thought that was pretty obvious, but I'm Fate." She gives me a cool smile. "One of three, anyhow."
She's fate? "But…I thought you guys were spiders. That's what Kassam said."
"Mmm. Our counterparts in his world are." The stranger smiles. "You can call me Lachesis, but it doesn't really matter, since you won't be seeing me again. I shouldn't be here to begin with, but…" She gives a little shake of her head, as if fighting annoyance. "I hate a mystery, and right now, you two are a mystery. So I thought I'd find myself a few answers, but all I have are more questions."
Wait, I'm confused. "Our world has fates?"
The woman—Lachesis—shrugs. "Everyone believes in something. We're mostly retired at this point, but once you're created, you don't just disappear because people no longer pay attention to you." She takes another drag from her cigarette and then flicks the ashes. "Like your friend. His worshipers are long gone, but he's still around."
"They…are? Where did they go?"
The woman gives me a strange look. "You don't know? Did he tell you why he's here?" At my blank look, she leans in, her voice dropping. "Did he tell you anything?"
