AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Or that," I agreed. For all I knew, this Slade guy was innocent of any kind of dissent. If I wanted to cause trouble, I'd point the finger in another direction too.
"Why tigers?" I asked. "It was foxes before, now tigers. Do shifters hire themselves out in packs?"
"Shifters tend to keep to their own kind," Bain said.
"Ah." I nodded." I released Nico's throat but kept the power wound around his legs. "That's why most of you here are wolves?"
I almost missed the curl of Nico's lip. He snapped back into nervous tiger-boy a moment later.
"Yes, but anyone is welcome." Bain's words seemed directed at Nico. "Unless they kill other people."
I guess Nico was right, Dex wouldn't let him leave here alive.
My tongue darted over my lips. "Does the Keeper really throw people to the sand dragons?"
Nico swallowed audibly. "I cooperated," he said, his voice high. He looked young enough it might still be breaking, but I think he was just terrified. He should have thought of that before he came here.
"They have to eat something," Bain said.
Nico blinked a dozen times and shrank back. "I can… I can…"
"What?" Bain demanded. "If you hadn't killed a woman, you might work off your debt for the next twenty years. As it is—" he shrugged "—I don't see how you get out of this alive."
"There are guys hired by the same man," Nico said quickly. "I can tell you who."
"And that's the sound of someone throwing his friends under the bus," I remarked.
"They aren't my friends," Nico retorted.
"Not anymore," I agreed. "Once they hear how quick you were to turn them in."
Nico pressed his lips together. "I don't want to die."
"Wise boy," I said. I wasn't sure if he could avoid that, but it wasn't up to me. "The guards outside, are they with you?"
Nico glanced toward the door. He looked more nervous than he had already.
"They—"
A knife flashed through the air. It lodged in Nico's chest before I could bring up even a drop of power to try to stop it.
He gurgled and toppled forward.
"I'm guessing that's a yes," I muttered.
"Yeah." Bain caught Nico and lowered him the rest of the way to the floor. "Get into the bathroom."
I wanted to make a joke about needing a shower, but there was nothing funny about any of this.
I ducked into the bathroom, bag of dried flowers gripped in my hand, and crouched to the side of the door. I tried not to look at Czari's body. She didn't deserveanyof this. She was Dex's spy in my suite, that was no secret, but she was sweet and hadn't judged my dumb questions. Well, not too much. Closer to her, the smell of death was stronger. I kept the bag of petals near my nose and tried not to inhale too deep.
A snarl came from the room outside.
I peeked past the door frame as two tigers, one orange and black, one white and black, padded through the doorway.
Bain was still in his naked person form.
"No one else needs to die here today," he said calmly.
