Page 149 of The Poison Daughter
I don’t break eye contact with the beast, and for a moment, I wonder if it has more humanity than the men dangling me here.
Normally, I would stand and fight, but this is a scenario where I really need a distraction.
“Why do you keep trying to kill me?” I ask.
“The first time it wasn’t personal,” Stefan says, as if sending someone to murder me was only a minor insult. “I was testing Henry because defending you would make him look bad, but so would allowing you to be attacked. You were just a means to an end. But after that, I would have had nothing against you. I think we would have been good together, but you had to humiliate me instead. I couldn’t let that stand.”
I test Stefan’s hold by shoving my chest a little farther forward. It has the desired effect.
Stefan shifts to pull me up, and I throw all my weight back at once, pushing off the railing with all my might and arching my back. I slam into Stefan, and he stumbles. Joe and his other friend catch him.
Joe is on me instantly, but I’m ready for him. I duck his swipe and stab my blade into his side. He elbows me in the chest, stunning me enough that my heel catches on my ripped hem.
I grab Joe for support, but the movement drags him off balance. He’s much taller, so when he hits the railing, he tips right over.
My relief lasts a split second—until he grabs my waist and we both tumble down to the floor below.
32
HENRY
We have the full attention of the Raining Star Bar as soon as we step inside. The storytellers seated on a long line of barstools give me a slow once-over and then turn their backs.
“I’m picking up a bit of an icy reception from about half the room,” Gaven says.
He’s not wrong. He’s probably noticed that the Laurence family is our greatest competition for power in Mountain Haven, but I doubt he realizes that the most established storyteller in the fort is a Laurence.
The greater offense than my being a Havenwood is that we’ve entered and made noise mid-tale.
The storyteller on stage, Marjorie, only pauses a moment to give us a disapproving look before continuing.
I scan the room for any sign of Harlow, but even at a glance, I know she’s already gone. It’s probably too much to hope she went back to our room, but maybe I’ll send Carter back to check.
“There’s something I should have told you before,” Gaven whispers.
Several patrons turn to give us a dirty look.
“Only if it’s urgent?”
Gaven rubs the back of his neck. “Harlow can glamour.”
I grind my teeth, keeping my voice as low as possible. “What the fuck do you mean she can glamour?”
He glances guiltily toward the door. “I suspect that’s how she never got caught sneaking out for her many trysts.”
I’m struck that Gaven knows she was sneaking out but not why. The ability to glamour explains how she never got caught as the Poison Vixen. If she changes her appearance for every kill, it would be a logical assumption that it’s a network of women fighting back, instead of just one.
“She’s twice-blessed?” I ask.
Gaven shakes his head. “No. One of her siblings has a blessing from Stellaria. Harlow has a necklace that has a limited amount of glamours.”
“So she could be anyone in this room?” I ask.
Gaven shakes his head. “She’s not here.”
I want to ask how he knows, but he’s been protecting her since she was a child. Surely he knows her mannerisms and gait even while glamoured.
Our only option is to wait for the story to end, so I can ask if anyone has seen her, but if she used magic to change her appearance, I don’t even know how we will ask if anyone saw her.
