Page 16 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

Dark wood and mirrors paneled the walls. The smell of smoke and incense hung heavy in the air. All around me, courtesans flirted with their customers.

I sauntered up to a black-haired nymph sitting at the bar.

She gave me a smile full of razor-sharp teeth. “Trouble’s here.”

She slid me a shot of amber liquid.

I let it burn in my throat before asking, “How much for dust?”

She downed her own drink. Her iridescent skin glowed in the soft light of candles.

“How much are you looking for?”

I drummed my fingers on the shabby wooden bar.

“Enough for me to forget my name.”

The nymph raised an eyebrow at me. “Ah, it’sthatkind of night, is it?”

“It’sthatkind of life.”

She pulled a glass vile filled with pink dust from between her ample breasts.

“Be careful. This is new. Folk are saying it’s stronger than usual.”

“Perfect.” I placed three gold coins on the bar.

“Come back anytime.” She flicked her hair behind her back.

I left the nymph and headed for the nearest darkened alleyway.

Exhilaration raced through my veins at the thought of the dust tingling my senses. My fingers twitched at the promised sweet relief.

I snorted a pinch of the dust off my pinky finger and rubbed the rest on my gums. My body relaxed. Bleary-eyed andlightheaded, something like happiness filled my belly. A moment’s rest from the perpetual state of hyper-vigilance I lived in.

Lighting a cigarette, I strolled down the docks. Magus flocked to Oakton for the precious salts they harvested from the lake. The scent of salt water and brine heavier here.

A euphoric feeling blanketed my mind, dulling my senses. I sat on the shoreline contemplating how I ended up traveling with my former lover to thwart my husband.

The point of an iron knife seared into my chin.

Fuck. I jolted my head back, slamming it against the crate I had been leaning against.

Stars dotted my vision.

“You’re off your game, Springborn,” a seductive female voice said.

I winced. “You are far from the Undersea, Ursula.”

She let out a cackle. “Even salt-lake Nymphs bow to my queen.”

Shit. I should’ve known better. Of course, the Queen of the Undersea would send her best assassin. Once lovers, our paths crossed when I was on a mission to steal her queen’s pearl. She never forgave me for the betrayal.

I lifted my neck to avoid the dagger’s searing heat. “What do you want, Ursula? I said I was sorry for the pearl. You know how business is.”

“Breaking my heart isjust business?” Her words came out in a hiss as she moved before me in the smooth way only a creature accustomed to moving in water could. Her long blue hair, the color of the tides, glistened in the moonlight. Hate danced in her sea-glass eyes. She wore a skintight blue dress resembling her fin.

Something about the curve of her body made me want to put my hands on it. I didn’t know if this was a side effect of the dustor something more. “I didn’t?—”

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