Chapter 20 Almost

Chapter 20 Almost


NYX

The apothecary’s mouth is still open, his fat finger half-raised as though he’s about to point and scream thief to the entire market, but Sable moves like lightning, stepping in front of me before he’s able to say a word.

“Sir!” She calls out and I startle back, words dying in my throat while she takes control of the situation.

She digs into her pocket, presses a fat gold coin into his palm, and closes his fingers around it with a huge smile gracing her perfect lips.

“Run along now, Master Herbwick,” she says in a honeyed tone.

The lump in my throat only grows bigger. 

She knows him. She does. 

My eyes dart between them—the beaming fool of a man and Sable who looked suspiciously good at bribery. 

Not a single part of her expression hints at anxiety or nervousness.

“My father the Gamma sends his regards. And his memory is very long,” she sweetly adds without breaking a sweat.

She’s good. Too good that I wonder what else she’s good at. 

Paying someone to murder her childhood best friend perhaps?

Is Sable the person I am working for? Did she write that note?

I don’t have time for conspiracies as the Alpha will be rearing his ugly head soon. Why now? Fuck!

The apothecary’s face drains of color, eyes bulgy as he pockets the gold. Still, he tries one last time, “But she—”

“Now,” Sable repeats, softer. Everyone has already formed a path for the Alpha, anticipatorily looking ahead for his horse or whatever the hell he is riding.

The urgency sets fire to my heels.

Mr Warwick or whatever he’s called, bolts, disappearing into the crowd like a little puff of smoke. I’m shaking so hard my teeth chatter.

The emerald dress is suddenly a target painted on my back. Sable doesn’t ask any questions or look slightly curious about what he wanted to say.

Her attention is focused on the wide path ahead as she grabs my wrist and yanks me behind a stall of hanging rugs before I can spiral. 

Everyone around throws curious glances that tell me we shouldn’t be moving.

“Breathe,” she whispers, placing her hands on my shoulders. “Kane will skin you alive if he spots you. We need cover.”

Looking past Sable, I catch a faint glimpse of another figure that shouldn’t be here. My soul slips out of me instantly. 

I genuinely stop breathing.

The picture clears out and it really is her.

Daciana. Of all fucking wild animals?! 

What’s a Luna doing in the market for god's sake?!

Of all the cursed timing. No. No freaking way!

“Oh, my god…” I drawl, my mouth hanging open. “Why… Why is she here?”

Daciana sweeps through the crowd, her blonde hair gleaming under a ridiculous, transparent scarf she’s covering her face with. Three maids trail behind her like ducklings, including Madeleine.

“Sable,” I hiss, panic clawing up my throat. “Daciana.”

“What?”

“Behind you.”

Sable’s eyes flick to the Luna, then back to me. Her eyes shone. She smiles. “Perfect. You stay here. Don’t come out until I come for you.”

You bet.

She steps out into the open, curtsying with exaggerated grace that blocks Daciana’s path. “Lady Daciana! What a surprise to find you slumming it with us common folk.”

Daciana’s smile is all teeth. “Sable. Still playing dress-up with peasants?”

At this point, everyone is glaring at them for even breathing. They all stand still, admiration in their eyes as the gallops draw closer. Meanwhile, Sable leads Daciana away from my hiding spot.

Another deeper and thunderous horn blast rips through the air. The market freezes. Bodies drop into bows so low their foreheads brush the dirt. 

I peek through a gap in the rugs.

Kane.

He rides at the head of the procession with his black cloak snapping behind him like a war banner. He looks regal.

Majestic in a way that sends my veins pumping with anger. He murdered thousands of people to afford that horse, that gold, that sword, and cloak crafted from the finest of leather and steel.

Yet, they all worship him. Reverence in their eyes, movement, voices. 

A woman near me clutches her child and whispers, “Bless the Alpha,” like he’s a god and not the monster who ordered Zephyr’s heart cut out.

I slip deeper between the hanging rugs, my heart hammering so loud I’m sure the fabric vibrates. I can’t afford to be discovered.

The veil is still so full.

The stall smells of dye and dust and desperation. I press my back to a bolt of crimson wool and peer through a slit.

Kane is speaking to Sable now, his voice too low for me to catch. Daciana climbs into a waiting carriage and more slaves shuffle past, all of them chained, barefoot, with their heads bowed and Kane’s men cracking whips across their backs.

Kane’s head turns. For one heartbeat, his eyes scan the stalls. I stop breathing.

Then Daciana calls impatiently from the carriage, and Kane rolls his eyes, mounting his horse. There, the rogue procession moves along.

Seconds waltz by and I am still too scared to step out until the rugs part and Sable’s flushed face appears, sparkling with leftover adrenaline. “Come on. Coast clear.”

We stumble out. My legs feel very much like water.

“That was—” I start.

“Insane,” she finishes, laughing breathlessly. “Did you see his face? I thought he was going to sniff us out like hounds.”

“I thought I was going to die,” I say, and mean it.

She loops her arm through mine and tugs me toward the market’s exit. 

“Worth it, though. You should’ve seen yourself in that dress, Nyx. You looked like you could’ve ruled the whole damn market.”

I manage a shaky laugh. “Next time, warn me before you drag me into a conspiracy.”

“There won’t be a next time if Kane catches us,” she says, but she’s grinning. “Gods, my heart’s still racing.”

For some reason, there are fewer guards this time when we get to the manor gates. We slip through the side gate and the imposing structure looms ahead, all sharp spires and cold stone. 

Sable slows as we reach her chamber. “Thank you,” she says, sudden and sincere. “For trusting me. Even a little.”

“Don’t make me regret it.”

“You won’t. Go in,” she holds the door open. “Get changed and don’t bother locking the door. I don’t have any maids.”

“Why?” I start to rip the clothes off. Her gaze drags over me for a bit. It feels funny and I am suddenly conscious of how bare I am from waist up.

I look away and turn around. But there’s a stupid mirror that sees all. Sable leans against the doorframe, shrugging,  “I don’t see the need for it.”

She starts to turn, then pauses. “I’m going to see Kane. They caught a Nightbane Dargo at the border. The witch served their old Alpha, apparently.”

The world tilts. Nightbane. Dargo. Alpha.

Words that knock the breath out of me. My knees go weak. 

My father. My father was the old Alpha.

“Who?” I ask again, furrowing my brows yet keeping a disinterested expression despite the ringing in my ears and thumping in my chest. “Who did they catch?”

She frowns. “Some old woman. A dargo. Why?”

“Nothing. I think Dargos are fake.”

“Me too.” She sighs, her lips curving downwards in a piteous smile. “Kane will have a terrible day today. He hates those.”

“Dargos?”

“Nightbanes. Those soulless creatures.” Sable lets out yet another sigh. “He despises them.”

It’s mutual. That son of a bitch has no idea. I clench my fists hard beside me, biting my lip until I taste iron. “I see.”

I need to find that woman.

Because if she’s who I think she is, if she really served my father, then she knows everything. She could be the last standing Nightbane who knows him—the last of his heritage.

Most especially, she knows my identity.

I have to get to her before Kane hangs her head by the damn market square. Or I’ll be hanging his.