Wicked Path (The Daath Chronicles Book 2) (18 page)

he plan was working better than I had expected. I would need to concoct a purpose for my visit in Luna Harbor, and a thorough background before dinner. Jeslyn may be naive, but her grandfather most likely wouldn’t be.

Walking back into the inn, I bumped into the innkeeper’s daughter, Rika, an attractive girl with wide eyes and pouty lips.

“Good morning, miss.” I bowed my head.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Edward,” I corrected. “No need to be formal.”

She smiled, and it was not a pretty one. One of her front teeth had gone crooked.

“Very well, Edward. Do you need anything?” She folded the linens in her hand and slung them over her arm.

“Actually,” I said, moving closer. “I need some information.”

“What kind?”

With her gaze now focused on me, I activated my spell. “There’s a shop across the street. A girl named Jeslyn lives there. Do you know her?”

Rika nodded. “She’s very kind.”

“Yes, what do you know of her grandfather?”

“He’s a jewel trader. People come from all over for his work.”

“Does he voyage a lot?”

“Sometimes.”

I placed a hand on hers. “It’s very important I know when he intends to go. See what your little bird ears can hear about his next departure.”

She nodded, her eyes glassy.

“Thank you, Rika. Enjoy your day.” I brushed past her and walked up the dingy stairs to my room.

“Now, where did I put that communicator… ?”

I patted my inside right pocket, looking for the device. I pulled out the metal band and placed it on my head.

Romulus
, I thought, sending a telepathic signal. The communicators used the power of our minds to transmit to one another.

No answer.

I instructed Romulus to always wear his communicator, but that blasted fool was probably busy with another dissection; and The Council thought
I
had an obsession.

Humans had a strange custom of bringing a gift to dinner, one I had observed often during my days in Daath. Behind the inn, where the grass led to an open field, azure and violet wildflowers blanketed the landscape.

I felt foolish picking a plant to give to a girl, but I did it anyway.

If I won Jeslyn’s heart, convincing her to return to Daath would be easy. I had thought of attempting my captivation spell once more, but the memory of its failure in Daath caused me to hesitate. If the spell didn’t work and she noticed the change in my eyes, she would discover my identity.

Candlelight filled the windows along the quiet street. Everyone seemed to eat at the same time, leaving the port a den of silence. Holding the bunch of flowers, I knocked on the shop’s door, feeling utterly ridiculous.

Jeslyn’s grandfather opened it.

“You must be Edward. Jeslyn said she’d invited you to supper. Come in, name’s Harold.”

I nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

The front of the shop was dark but a light from the back guided us forward. “You came.” Jeslyn smiled and walked over to me. “This is Ms. Gen, and you already met Grandfather.”

A plump woman, who I remembered seeing selling bread, placed a basket on the small table.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Gen. I’m Edward.” I turned to Jeslyn and extended the flowers to her. “These are for you.”

Her smile grew as her soft pale cheeks flushed ever so softly. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

We stood staring at each other until I looked away.
Would she recognize me?

“You two sit,” Ms. Gen said as she pulled out a chair of her own. “Supper’s ready.”

Jeslyn nodded, sitting before I could properly pull out her chair.

I sat across from her.

“Jeslyn says you’re here on business.” Harold didn’t waste time barraging me with questions, but I was prepared to answer them all.

“Yes, sir. My family is looking to open another shop here. I came to see a property.”

“What kind of business they in?” he asked.

“Map making.”

Harold froze. “Maps?”

“Yes. Mainly for navigation. We have a few boats that sail around the coasts mapping out depths and landmarks.”

“That’s so interesting,” Jeslyn said. “You and Grandfather will have lots to discuss!” She smiled at the both of us.

And discuss we did, a boring conversation. Harold seemed thoroughly intrigued with my map making business, which made asking him questions about his own travels come easily. “When do you plan on voyaging next?”

Harold and Jeslyn exchanged a glance before he spoke further. “I’ll do one more run before the leaves have fallen.”

A few more weeks, then I’d have Jeslyn all to myself.

At the end of the meal, Jeslyn walked with me to the front of the shop.

I opened the door. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

“That would be nice. The harbor is beautiful at night.” I held the door for her and we stepped outside.

Clouds blocked the moon, and the candlelight from the nearby houses didn’t provide adequate light for a stroll.

Jeslyn frowned as she gazed around. “It’s usually beautiful.”

“Any night beside a lady like you is beautiful.”

She glanced at her feet, smiled, then looked back at me before speaking. “How long will you be staying here?”

“For a while longer.”

Her grandfather peeked through the window at us. “I think your grandfather wants you back inside.”

She looked at the shop just in time to see her grandfather’s face dip out of view. “He’s very protective.”

“As he should be.”

We moved back to the shop door and I opened it for her. “I’d like to visit you again.”

“Would you like to pick shells with me? I need a few more for a necklace I’m working on.”

I nodded.

She smiled again. “Tomorrow then.”

“Tomorrow, my lady.” I bowed my head.

A few seconds of heavy silence passed before she said goodnight and closed the door.

Tomorrow.

y lady.

I kept replaying those words from last night all morning. Few men had referred to me as such, but none had ever said it quite like Lucino, soft and gentle.

Until now.

The reminder opened the ache and I pushed it aside, not wanting to relive the absence that pained me for so long.

Lucino was not human.

Lucino tried to kill my brother.

Lucino was gone.

I wished I could forget him. I thought coming to live with Grandfather would take away the confusion and sadness, but it hadn’t—nothing did. I would never know how Lucino truly felt about me. Did he love me? Had it all been lies? Was he truly a monster?

An image of his strong face on the day of our wedding kept convincing me he did care.

And his words. They rang true.

“I never thought I could feel the way I did when you first walked in.”

Those words played repeatedly in my mind, haunting me, reminding me of what could never be. I hated myself for even thinking of him.

My lady… such a common phrase. Why did it remind me of Lucino?

The boy had deep blue eyes like Lucino—brilliant and hypnotic—that must have been why I thought of Lucino now.

There was still much of the day left and with the sky staying bright and clear, I desperately wanted to go to the harbor.

Grandfather walked in from the back studying a document, his glasses resting on the brim of his nose.

“What’s that?” I stood on my tiptoes, attempting to peek.

His brows scrunched and he frowned. “The latest shipment from Jehoia. They’re charging me triple what I normally pay!” The document shook in his hand as he rattled his fist. “After all these years, they have the gall to ask me for more.”

Prices for jewels from the caverns had begun increasing over the past year. Everything from the western lands had doubled in price, and no one knew why, though there were rumors of tension between Nomad’s Land and Jehoia where the crystals were mined.

The bell above the door rang as Edward walked in, holding his hat in his hands. When he saw the looks on our faces, he smiled sheepishly and waved, stepping back outside of the door.

“Grandfather.”

He peeked at me over the rim of his glasses.

“May I take my break now? I wanted to show Edward the beach.”

“Be back before supper.”

“Thank you.” I grabbed a small bucket from behind the counter and darted outside to where Edward waited.