Page 73 of Burn of Obsidian
“Would you prefer to continue insulting my breasts? Or take your chances with the wind?”
“It’s not an insult if it’s a fact.” Ruhne sighed, tugging the zipper up higher. “I’m not really built for this realm.”
“I know someone who hires pixies. Ilzake’s a High Lord, and his pub’s charmed to feel like Far Side.” Apparently. Not that she’d ever been. “It’s Fae only, and there’s no glamour or expectations. It’s a little piece from beyond the veil.”
“And you trust him?”
Thea hesitated. “He’s old as dirt and from Asherah, so he follows the rules.” Which literally meant, like all old Fae, he was a master manipulator.
“I don’t know what I want yet.” Ruhne hummed. “I haven’t been home in years, but I miss it. Here everything feels so heavy.”
Thea understood to an extent, but she’d never experienced Asherah of Far. Wild magic was everything to the Fae, because it wasn’t as simple as magic they could wield like the witches. Fae were made from it. The power runs in their veins. It was their source of life. If wild magic was ever to cease, then so would the Fae.
“So, tell me why we’re here again?” he asked. “It’s cold and everything’s so unnecessarily colourful.”
“We’re meeting someone.”
They passed a stall with bright rugs, an old man beating the dirt from one with the handle of a broom. Next to him was a shop that sold crumble and custard.
Thea spotted Roach standing at the side of a closed shop, the shutters graffitied with a white bunny zombie. “Ro!” she called out, waving. Umbrellas hung above the alley, the evening sky casting shades of red and orange, creating stunning patterns along the cobbled path.
Roach turned with a raised brow. “Hey Swiper.” She puffed on a cigarette, the tobacco mixed with other herbs if the smell was anything to go by. “You’ve met Bandit, right?”
Bandit nodded his greeting, his sneer unfriendly as he leaned against the brick wall beside her. “Swiper, didn’t expect to see you. You got any more vintage watches for me?”
Bandit wasn’t his real name, and she’d never cared enough to ask. He was more of a con artist than a thief, manipulating people out of their antiques and selling them on for a profit.
“No, I haven’t come across anything for a while.”
“That’s right. You only go after the young, rich guys with your tits,” he said before Ro elbowed him in the ribs. “What? It’s the truth.”
Ruhne tugged on her hair. “Want me to itch him?” he mock-whispered.
“Holy shit, is that a pixie?” Bandit bent his head, trying to get a closer look. “I’ve never seen one before.”
“Hey buddy, her face is up there.” Ruhne pointed up with a growl, his finger brushing Thea’s chin.
“Why do you have a pixie?” Roach asked, blowing a cloud of smoke right at him.“What does it look like?” Ruhne chirped. “I’m clearly her latest fuck – ”
Thea shoved her hand against his face. “Ignore him; he’s had too much sugar.”
Ruhne shouted behind her palm, but it came out muffled.
“What’s going on, Swiper?” Roach asked, concern pinching her brows. “Why are we meeting in a public place?”
“Because it’s safer for us both.”
A low whistle. “Looks like Swiper’s been compromised,” Bandit said in such a pompous tone it made her want to shove him into oncoming traffic. Which she wouldn’t, because she wasn’t a monster. But the imagery was still therapeutic. “This is why you shouldn’t fuck the guys you steal from.”
Thea felt the tip of her ears burn. “Just because I wasn’t interested in your below average dick doesn’t mean I sleep with my targets.”
Bandit’s lips opened with a snarl. “I wouldn’t stick my dick in a fucking faerie, anyway.”
Thea rolled her eyes. She never understood why someone used the word ‘faerie’ as an insult. She was a faerie. Bandit was a wolf, so apparently it was only an insult toward Breed other than Fae.
Roach shoved at Bandit, who looked down at her with a scowl. “Shut up or fuck off.”
Bandit’s skin rippled, his teeth slightly sharper than they were seconds before. “Fine,” he grumbled, trying to calm down.