Page 19 of Shadow Warrior
“I’m sure you have.” I took a deliberate step away from him. “I’m not going to play your girlfriend.”
His expression sobered. “Then I can’t get you in. Look, they don’t know you. You may be a Payne, but you’re also a nightblood. Being my girlfriend gives you credibility, it gives you a reason to want to be there.”
“I’m surprised your family would be okay with that. Aren’t you all about the pureblood aspect of relationships?”
He grinned. “You’re a shadow caster, do you know how coveted and rare that ability is? So far, it’s only manifested in the Payne bloodlines, but the other weaver bloodlines will do whatever it takes for a chance for it to be born in theirs. Yeah, it could kill the carrier if not mastered, but that’s a risk they’re willing to take.”
So, they were hoping I’d marry Kash and make babies. Great. But if it was the only way to get into Mirage Hills, then I’d take it because my plan couldn’t work without Kash’s help.
My conflict must have shown on my face because Kash sobered.
“There’s something else wrong, isn’t there?” he said. “Justice? What is it?”
“I need to find Payne.”
“You heard something?”
“Yeah. Brunner got a message to pack his stuff and send it to Mirage Hills. The head of the Payne household said he wasn’t coming back. I need to know where he is and what they’ve done to him. I need to know he’s okay.”
Kash looked thoughtful. “I haven’t heard anything on the grapevine, but the weaver collective is pretty tight-lipped when it comes to what happens in trials. It’s like the Nightwatch council—one member of each family represents the bloodlines, and the cases are always closed, but my grandmother just happens to be one of those people.”
“What happened to the last person that was tried?”
He opened his mouth to speak and then shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
“Do you know who it was?”
Once again, he looked dazed. “Sorry. I guess I’m not much into paying attention to the politics of things.”
“Where are prisoners kept?”
“The Towers. It’s where all the official stuff takes place.”
“Can you help me see him?”
He pressed his lips together and averted his gaze as if thinking something through.
I was asking a lot of him and offering nothing. He didn’t need to help me. He could just walk away, but I needed him.
“I like Payne,” he said. “He’s a good guy, and you …” His gaze heated. “I like you too, Justice.”
My mouth was suddenly dry. I licked my lips. “I can’t offer you anything.”
He shrugged. “Fuck it. What’s living without a little risk, eh? We can start by speaking to my gran and take it from there?”
I exhaled sharply. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t seen the dress offerings Joti picked out for you.”
“She went dress shopping for me?” I canted my head. “You weren’t even sure I was coming.”
“Now, I could play the confident card and say I was sure you would, but you’ll probably see through that. It was Joti’s idea. She said it was best to be prepared.”
“Where is she, anyway?”
“She left yesterday. She’s big on prep for these things, but she’ll be excited to see you.”
“When do we leave?”
