Grim didn’t meet her eyes. “Most people do choose to wear little clothing, yes. At least, at celebrations like this. Some just wear paint.” He stared at her then, an eyebrow raised. “Would you prefer I get a pot of ink and a brush?”
That had sent her behind her dressing curtain without another complaint. She didn’t have a full-length mirror in there, so it wasn’t until she was in front of him that she saw herself clearly.
Her breasts were pressed together and spilling over the top. The slit was so high, she’d had to forgo underclothes altogether.
Grim stared at her and looked, more than anything, horrified.
“Do I look Nightshade?” she asked, a note of panic in her voice. She smeared bright paint across her lips, the same way she had the first time she had met him, which seemed to be a Nightshade fashion. Then she put on her mask. He hadn’t answered, so she turned back to him, only to find his eyes still on her. “Hmm?”
“It’ll do,” he had said gruffly and extended his hand.
Now, as they walked through Creetan’s Crag, Grim looked straight ahead. Even if he wasn’t looking at her, others were. She felt their gazes on her and resisted the urge to press her hand against the slit, to ensure it didn’t expose more than her leg.
Grim seemed more on edge than usual. He couldn’t use his powers, on the off chance that the sword was close by. They’d had to portal far away and walk for nearly an hour as a precaution.
“How does it feel?” she whispered.
He looked over at her. “How does what feel?”
“Not being the scary, all-powerful Nightshade ruler anymore. In a crowd like this.”
Grim gave her a look. “I could still kill everyone here with my sword.”
“Not me.”
His eyes were back on the street. “Are you forgetting the results of our duel?”
“I didn’t hate you as much as I do now. I’m sure that very fact would help me win.”
“Is that so?”
“Absolutely.”
Speaking of the crowd ... “How do you know a celebration like this will draw him out?” The mysterious thief. The one with the snake who had been seen nearby.
“I don’t. But if he is here, all this ... distraction will be useful.”
Distractionwas one word for it.
Thousands of people made currents through the streets and filled each shop to the brim, so much so that she watched someone fall through an open window in a bar and land right in a pile of vomit.
Demonstrations, shows, and betting rounds were going on. Cards were being played. By the sounds coming from alleyways, every type of desire was being fulfilled.
“We know he has a snake. How else are we supposed to find him?” She looked over at him. “Do you know how to get information without cutting off hands?”
Grim glanced over at her. Not a minute later, he stopped in front of a woman. She had five drinks in her hands and looked about to take the order of a group of people sitting outside a bar.
Isla watched the woman’s entire face change as she took him in. His wide shoulders, his height. Her expression went from annoyed to curious in an instant. Even from a few steps down the street, she couldn’t hear what they were saying over the music and drunken jeers. The woman was saying something, and then she placed a hand on his arm, and helether. Something uncomfortable that she didn’t want to name curled in her stomach.
When Grim returned, he looked far too smug. “I know where to find him.”
Isla didn’t give him the satisfaction of looking surprised or impressed. “Good. Lead the way.”
They didn’t have to walk far. Minutes later, they entered a massive tent. “That’s him.” Thehimwas a man wearing his shirt completely open, revealing a muscular chest. He had pale skin, hair cut close to his head, and, most remarkable of all, a viper wrapped around his shoulders.
The thief was with a group of people—his collaborators, no doubt—sitting front row at a very ... interesting show.
People with fabric draped over them—and little else underneath—danced in front of bright lights, turning the sheets they held completely sheer. Every inch of their bodies was visible. Some wore nothing underneath; others wore limited underclothes. The man was watching them intensely, elbows on his knees.
