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Chapter Four
Aika
The streets are nearly empty at this hour. The silvery glow of the crescent moon lends the dark night a hushed quality.
The darkness is welcome, but my thoughts sound unnaturally loud in the silence, relentlessly echoing in my head with every halting breath.
It’s almost a relief when Remy’s familiar measured footsteps pad against the cobblestone road behind me.
I don’t slow my pace, though, because he doesn’t need to know that.
“When I said I would see you around, I didn’t mean right now.” My words are punctuated with white puffs of air that dissolve into the shadows as quickly as they come.
I wish I could disappear as easily, if only to avoid whatever has Mother calling me back at nearly midnight.
“I just thought our friend back there might miss the coins you swiped off of him.” Remy’s long strides easily overtake me.
“Then he should guard them more carefully.” I shrug, not remotely sorry to steal from a man who spends more money on his mistress than his wife.
A dry laugh escapes Remy’s lips, and I hate how the sound makes the air around us feel several degrees warmer.
Bastard.
“Don’t you make enough money hustling cards that you don’t need to steal?” He nudges me with his arm.
“Of course I do, but where would be the fun in that?” I say, pushing him away.
“How very upstanding of you. It’s a wonder we didn’t work out.”
“Indeed, especially given the endless stream of other women who were always coming to fetch you from the tavern in the wee hours of the night.”
It’s not a lie, but it’s not the truth, either.
What came between us was that I had pledged my loyalty to Mother long before Remy came along, and relationships that don’t benefit her are not in the cards for me.
Which is fine, really. I wouldn’t know what to do with a real relationship, anyway.
“I’m surprised you notice anything in the tavern, given that you seem to spend more nights away from your room than in it.” He gestures vaguely to the room above the tavern that I’m clearly walking away from.
“And I’m surprised you notice anything that isn’t falling into your lap, but here we are.” I take advantage of his answering silence to pick up my pace, but he’s at my heels within seconds.
“I’m not giving you the purse back,” I huff, winding my way through the alleys closer to the mid-sector.
Idon’tneed the man’s gold, but there’s an orphanage around the corner that most certainly does.
“Oh, that old bastard’s coins?” He snorts. “I wouldn’t dream of asking for those back. But I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I didn’t escort a lady walking so late at night, on your way to... where did you say you were going?”
I roll my eyes at his blatant fishing, and the idea that anything on these streets would be more dangerous than I am.
“I see no gentlemen here.” I spread my arms to indicate the lack.
Remy’s hand goes to his heart as if I’ve physically wounded him. Then his full lips widen, brimming with the sort of mischief that could easily get me into more trouble than I need right now.
“I could pretend to be one for tonight. Now, where are we going?” he tries again.
“You know better than to ask questions you don’t want the answer to.” It’s a familiar conversation, one we had plenty of times in the weeks we were together.
He pulls my arm gently until I stop, finally turning to look at him. His dark eyes bore into mine with an intimacy that brings back memories and feelings better left buried.
