Cas felt relatively excited about Weave’s mysterious plan for tomorrow. He wasn’t sure what a masquerade was, but that just made him all the more curious. He wondered if it had anything to do with wearing a mask. There was one festival in Bizmar that honored a certain god of wine and insanity; people donned masks and did crazy things in the streets all night. Maybe there was a similar festival going down tomorrow night in Annib.
That thought brought a big grin to his face. Feast days were the best days for pickpockets—the more drunk festival-goers got, the less attention they paid to their purses. No wonder Weave had big plans for them all tomorrow! He’d definitely make sure she wasn’t the only one to profit, either.
His enthusiasm dimmed significantly when Eremis’s voice drew his attention back to the present. The healer was looking at him with an expectant look in his eyes. Cas felt immediately guilty, even though he told himself he didn’t really have anything to feel guilty ABOUT. But rather than tell Eremis he didn’t really feel like sharing a couch with him tonight, he nodded and started to help him move it.
Once they were in Alex’s room, Eremis found a blanket and stacked all the pillows up on one side. Cas began to feel a bit queasy in his stomach, which didn’t make any sense at all, considering how often he’d slept with the healer before this. One more night shouldn’t matter, he thought glumly.
“I think it might be a good idea for someone to head back to the Cracked Goblet,” he said without thinking. Eremis’s sharp look almost made him blush; he wanted to kick himself for opening his raking mouth. When the hell was he gonna start learning to think before speaking?
“But…why?” Eremis looked more exasperated than perplexed.
Cas shrugged and backed away, his feet moving as if on their own accord. “Oh, you know, to watch the horses and stuff. And we left some of our things in the saddlebags, and we wouldn’t want nobody to go rifling through ‘em, right? I’m sure Rowan and Soran wouldn’t mind spending the night there, I’ll go out and see if I can find them. Bye, Remy!”
Then, zoom!, he was gone, out of the room and out of the dilapidated little house faster than you could scream the words guilty conscience. Okay, he thought to himself, this had to be it. It was just downright wrong to keep stringing a person along like this. He’d tell Eremis everything tomorrow, at the latest.
He’d tell him tonight if he weren’t too busy taking care of Alex. He figured he needed all his concentration on tending the guy while he recuperated, and learning that his lover was wanting to bail out on him probably wouldn’t help much. Yeah, he thought. I’ll tell him tomorrow. Then it’ll be all out of the way, and I can concentrate on that masquerade thing Weave was talking about!
~*~*~*~*~
Rowan’s mind was very busy at the moment. It felt as if he had 10,000 things whirling around in his head all at once, screaming for his immediate attention. One, should he continue to trust the boy-turned-woman named Weave. Two, what did she want them to do for her tomorrow at the supposed masquerade. Three, how could he turn the situation to his advantage without her realizing. Four, should he even agree to aid her, or should he take his boys (and Kato and Xue) and run…
And that’s when it occurred to him that he had the upper hand again. A pleased smile curved its way onto his lips, making his blue eyes sparkle devilishly. The little minx had backed herself into a corner now, and probably without even realizing it. She had placed her trust completely in him, literally falling asleep at his doorstep. She took him for a gentleman, naturally, which spoke rather well of her own perceptive abilities and background.
Oh hell. He was a gentleman, damn it. And she knew it! Lord and Lady, he could strangle her with his own bare hands, he was so put out. Now SHE had HIM, because she knew he would never in a million years doublecross her and go against his own word…
Wait a second. Had he given his word? His brow furrowed, plunging him deep in thought. Hmm.
A-ha! He had not promised to keep up his part of the bargain—in fact, no actual bargain had ever been truly struck. His expression relaxed again, the smile returning easily to his face. Well, perhaps he wouldn’t doublecross her after all, if only because she seemed a nice sort of girl, and even looked rather pretty beneath all that grime and baggy clothing. Quite pretty, really…
“Hey!” he protested, laughing when Soran suddenly pulled him into a nearby alley and kissed him. His student’s joke about not picking jewels out of public fountains anymore made him laugh again initially, but afterward he sobered somewhat. If the boy only HAD used his head earlier, they wouldn’t have gotten into this mess in the first place. And if they hadn’t found Weave, they’d still be in it, too.
“Hold on a minute,” he muttered, not really sounding as stern as he meant to. “I can’t think very well while you’re doing that.” He chuckled and cupped his palm under Soran’s chin, drawing his lips away from his neck and kissing him lightly again.
“A masquerade is a ball where the guests all wear masks,” he said before kissing him once more. “As you can imagine, it’s a regular breeding ground for thieves, but only for those who can manage to impersonate nobility. I think Weave has picked up that I wouldn’t have to do much impersonating to get a ticket, but that’s just a guess right now. As for whether or not I trust her—in a word, yes. She’s looking for someone to trust. All I have to do is say yes, and she’s mine, though I rather imagine she fancies it’s the other way around.”
He said this in between more little kisses, his fingers running through Soran’s hair before trailing lightly down his back and slipping beneath his shirt. He stroked the smooth skin a few times, his other hand curving around to cup the boy’s ass, pushing his body against his own as their kiss deepened. Soran’s soft moan echoed his own, and he felt a pair of hands begin to pull desperately at the laces of his pants.
“Hey.”
Rowan snapped instantly alert again, his eyes gazing quizzically over Soran’s shoulder into the mouth of the alley. When he noticed the curly-haired figure with the little horns on its head, he sighed, his ardor cooling somewhat. Cas was staring unabashedly at them, obviously not bothered at finding them like this.
“What is it?” he asked the demon boy, pulling reluctantly away from Soran.
Cas shrugged. “I was thinking maybe somebody oughta stay at the inn since we left the horses there. Didn’t really wanna go by myself, so I thought maybe Soran would wanna come.”
Rowan thought the situation over quickly and frowned. If he asked Soran not to, Cas would go anyway, alone. It would be irresponsible of him to leave the others alone, especially while Weave was with them. He sighed.
“Go with him,” he said quietly to Soran. The boy looked as if he might protest, so he put a hand over his mouth to let himself finish. “I know, I know. But I don’t want him running around by himself, and I trust you to keep the both of you out of trouble for one night. Okay?”
~*~*~*~*~
Xue sat in the darkness and stared at her sleeping companions. Her eyes could not seem to decide on who to settle on: Weave or Jeremy. She’d told Kato that she would keep watch for half the night, then wake him up for his turn. She did not trust their situation yet enough to fall asleep so carelessly.
Weave drew her attention for awhile. She sensed great cunning in that one, like a wolf watching and waiting to make its next move. It occurred to her then just how wolf-like the woman really was, and this made her immediately more sympathetic to her. Had she not welcomed them into her territory and asked permission to join their pack? Xue smiled in understanding. Perhaps this Weave was lonely.
She stared at Jeremy next, her golden eyes automatically narrowing. What he lacked in cunning, he made up for in hatred and desperation. She’d known many wer like him, eager for revenge, yet too cowardly to do much about it. And so the anger seethed and grew inside them, either tearing them apart inside or forcing them to act against their better judgement.
If he were wer, he would be made outcast, but she knew Rowan would not do this. Or would he? She chewed her lip, suddenly wondering if she knew the elf as well as she thought she did. Sometimes he was as ruthless as any predator; other times as tenderhearted as a mother deer. She had to admit that she did not know what he would do to Jeremy if he knew of his betrayal.
But he has done nothing yet, she reminded herself. But wouldn’t he, if given the chance? She frowned and hugged her knees to her chest, feeling somewhat frustrated. Whatever the case, she must tell Rowan what he’d said to her tonight, about wanting to be rid of Soran. He was their leader; she would then leave it to him to decide on how best to protect his mate.
All she need wait for now was an opportunity to tell him without Jeremy’s learning of her own betrayal.
