Page 19 of A Touch of Iron
Her dark eyes glimmered, a trace of amusement in her husky voice. “That is very generous of you. Many men have tried to buy me in the past but have been unable to afford me.”
I didn’t have any money to free her, so I didn’t bother offering. Could I possibly help her escape? Maybe.
“You remind me of a fire elemental I used to know,” I said, my eyes never leaving hers. “A sublime creature such as yourself must see many of them working here. I’m sure they would pay handsomely for the honor.”
“Mmm,” she hummed. “I’ve entertained a few fire elementals as they passed through Air Village.”
I didn’t know how old she was, but I had to bite the bullet and ask. “Have you ever seen a dragon?” I asked randomly, keeping my tone light and joking.
In a blink, she froze and her eyes widened in surprise. I expected her to laugh at such an outrageous question. After all, Creed claimed that dragons became extinct centuries ago. But she was still. Wary.
Collecting her wits, she started to dance provocatively again, but this time she stepped away and kept a safe distance.
I watched her every move. “I’m guessing you have, since you didn’t answer.”
“Everyone knows the dragon is alive,” she murmured, her hips undulating.
My eyes widened slightly, but I schooled my expression. “Oh, really?”
She nodded. “She lives at the Unseelie King’s castle in the capital. Some say she’s the strongest fae alive, while others say she’s being held captive by the King.”
I furrowed my brows. “Strongestfaealive? You mean she’s not actually a dragon?”
The dancer laughed. “Of course not. She’s the last dragon’s reincarnation.”
Was this fae dragon the one Creed wanted to tame? Would the necklace work on her? And if so, why did Creed want to control her? If the Unseelie King was truly keeping her captive, was Creed working with him?
So many questions and not enough answers.
The woman prowled toward me, shifting the table aside and climbing onto my lap. “Why so many questions?” she purred, stroking my face.
I smacked her hand away. “Just curious. You were afraid of me a minute ago. Now this. What happened?”
She nibbled her lip nervously. “Did you come from the capital?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m from Air Village.”
Her smile broadened. “Good.” The dancer placed her thumb and pointer finger between her lips and let out a shrill whistle. Before I could react, four male guards busted into the room with Madam Qing. The duplicitous dancer scrambled off my lap and darted toward them. “She’s asking about the last dragon,” she informed them.
Madam Qing approached me warily, keeping her distance. “Is that so? I knew you were here for something that had nothing to do with lap dances. Gathering intel in my establishment is against the rules.”
To be fair, I wasn’t aware of the woman’s rules. I slowly stood with my hands out, careful not to make any sudden movements. “I don’t mean you any harm,” I said. “I was just making conversation.”
Madam Qing snorted. “You came to the wrong place if all you wanted was conversation.” She looked at the burly bodyguards and snapped her fingers. “Grab her.”
When they charged, I knew it was time to move. Snatching my pouch of coins, I dropped to my knees and slid on the floor between their legs, bolting back to my feet in front of a window. Without thinking through what a fall from a second-floor window would do to me, I kicked out the glass and sailed through the frame.
My heart plummeted to my stomach during the fall, but fate was on my side. I bounced on a canopy awning and bounced right off, landing on my feet. But I didn’t have time to congratulate myself for a solid landing. Two bodyguards sailed out of the window and slid down the awning, hot on my trail.
With no sense of direction or knowledge of the warren of streets in Air Village, I careened aimlessly through the crowded streets, swerving around Unseelies as I blindly tried to put as much distance between me and the huffing guards behind me.
A wagon darted into the street in front of me and I jumped high, using a scrap of my miniscule air elemental powers to propel off the ground and barrel over the top. I landed several feet away and peered over my shoulder, watching as the bodyguards sailed over the wagon with practiced ease.
Well, damn. They were air elementals as well.
Pulling air into my lungs and breathing like Calypso taught me, I launched up to the roof of a nearby house and scampered over the shingles, trying my damnedest not to fall. I jumped onto the next house, trying to outwit the guards who were still running on the ground and hadn’t noticed me make the leap. When they paused to look around, I bounded onto the roof of a store on the other side of the street, away from the guards. Vaulting from roof to roof, I kept going until I felt I was far enough away to be safe. Exhilarated from the chase and accessing my newfound powers, I slowly released the air pressure and sank back down to the ground.
I glanced around the bustling street and darted into the nearest clothing store to exchange my conspicuous green cloak for a blue one. Minutes later, I pulled the blue woolen hood over my head and hurried down the street toward the exit of Air Village. Unfortunately, I had a horrible sense of direction. I walked the streets for some time, trying to retrace my steps, when finally, I saw the exit that led to the woods where my cottage was located.
