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I shot a glance at Zara; she’d seen it too, for her eyes were wide as dinner plates.
An early beard cupped this man’s chin, and his ice blue eyes, paler than his skin, fixed on the broken vase. Romero half-turned to face this man, and something passed between them, a quick unspoken conversation that made my skin prickle. The two men flicked their eyes back toward us at the same time.
“Excuse me.” The blond man offered me a small bow before facing Romero again. Under his cloak was a loose white shirt, no ascot. “They are not far from the gates,” he muttered in a rushed voice, his tone sounding oddly like a warning. “We have a little over two hours.”
I frowned, wondering what they were talking about. But then Zara was tugging at my hand, urging us to leave.
Dawn is coming, squawked the bird.
As we shuffled toward the entry, the blond man whispered, “They will not find you.” When Romero didn’t respond, he added, “Rafael?”
The fabric rustled when Zara pushed the tent opening aside, and the two men turned toward us. The blond one’s brows lifted in surprise, but Romero’s face flashed with what was nearly a shadow of anger, which he quickly replaced with a tight smile.
“We must be going,” I said, a wave of sweat now pouring down my back.
“Wait,” said Romero.
I froze, unsure why I was compelled by his word.
For a moment, both men stared at us, an almost hungry expression rising on their faces. My stomach dropped halfway to the floor. Then, the blond man added in a low voice, “If you do this, do it right this time. I cannot watch you… Just don’t fail.”
A poisoned silence hung in the air, and my feet wouldn’t cooperate to flee from this place.
Turning toward Romero, the second man said, “Be ready to pay the price.”
“I’ve paid my price. A thousand times over,” snarled the dark-haired man, taking a step toward me.
“Tal!” Zara yanked at my hand, sensing the danger.
Both men shifted forward at the same time, their intention obvious. Fear burned in my veins as I turned and ran.
4
Rafael
Startled, I stared at the place the two mortals had disappeared. I should catch her.
Hector turned toward me, his eyes wide. “Rafael?”
I shook my head and paced away from him, a feral growl tearing from my throat. Hector had the decency to lift both hands and say nothing. Almost as soon as she’d smashed that vase, that whirlwind of a woman had sparked a flame inside of me that I’d thought long dead.
Dawn is coming, squawked the bird.
Turning away, I kicked the macaw’s perch across the tent. The bird scolded me, flapping its wings and drifting angrily around the canopied space until it finally perched on the back of my chair.
“Go after her,” Hector muttered.
Breathing heavily, I shook my head. “You said the Hunters are out tonight. If they’re here, the Crows won’t be far behind. Fabian has all his eyes and ears out.”
“He’s afraid.”
I narrowed my eyes, picturing my twin’s face in my mind. “Afraid I’ll do exactly what I’m thinking about doing.”
Letting that woman get away meant giving up this chance to finally achieve freedom. Possibly my last chance.
“But she didn’t take a flower,” I reminded him. “Fabian was very specific.” Hatred seethed in my veins as I stared down at the shattered vase of lilies. I never went to the mortal lands without these blooms. Though, in a month, there would be no point in growing them at all. They too could die.
Squatting on his ankles, Hector picked up a crushed lily. “She destroyed the entire vase. I think that counts.” He rose, tossing me a flower which I snatched from the air with careful fingers. “Go,” he urged again. “It is now or never. We have less than a month until your curse becomes—”
