Chapter twelve - "I'm not one to sleep with Venators"

I stand still, staring at him. I don't know what I expected to happen when I'd see the Golden Thief, but I certainly didn't expect it'd be tonight.

Despite the mask, you can tell he's young. Then again, all shifters are immortal. Illias had said shifters stop aging after they turn thirty. Although the Golden Thief seems to be at least a few years older than me.

With his short hair tousled and of onyx color like ink on paper, it flows across as he tilts his head, surveying all of me. My first thought is that he looks like someone I'd carve; the cut of his jaw, the shape of his full lips. But it's the dark amber eyes that draw me in the most, against the hue of black smudged shadow under them. Almost as if they are decadent pots of melted gold, entrancing enough to make anyone surrender.

I swallow. "You're the Golden Thief."

"That I am, what gave it away?" He grins, flipping a gold coin between his leather gloved fingers as he leans his back by the counter.

I don't respond.

"So serious." He pouts, clearly goading me. "Tell me, is that common for Venators?" His chin jerks up to my garment.

"Tell me," I repeat, narrowing my gaze. "Are you the one creating the new deadly breed?"

"Is that what they're saying now?" His grin never flounders. "Interesting."

I don't like that answer. I don't like it one bit.

"What else are they saying about me?"

I stare at his face, trying to grasp something beyond the mask and the glittering mischief in his eyes. Everyone says he has no weaknesses, but I don't believe it. Lorcan had shown me shifter's weak points: eyes and abdomen.

"How dangerous you are," I reply. My hand silently slides to my thigh, and a hateful smile stretches my lips. "But all I see is a lousy thief of a shifter." I'm pushing it. I'm beyond pushing it.

He chuckles deeply, unaffected by everything I say regardless. "If I'm so lousy, then the Venators would have had my head on a stick by now."

I focus where his heart lies. I can't kill him, Ivarron wants him alive, but the question is how do I get the Golden Thief to Ivarron when everyone is after him.

"Careful with what you say." My gaze locks onto where his abdomen is as my hand unsheathes one of my blades. "It might just happen." I cock my arm back as the dagger falls from my grip so fast and effortlessly, flying in a sharp straight line. But the Golden Thief seizes it with one hand just inches away from piercing his jacket.

Shit.

"Now that's not playing fair, Venator," He tsks. "Here, I thought we were just getting acquainted?"

I pay no attention to his last teasing words. "And you think having powers is fair?"

Sighing over my glare on him, he rolls his neck in such a dramatic way. "No, you're right. Powers are just another means to inequity against mortals."

Again, I go back to staying silent because I can tell he didn't mean any of that.

"How about we do this—" The Golden Thief throws the knife in the air and catches it before pushing himself off the counter. "—Since you seem keen on... hurting me, I won't use any powers, and if you manage to strike me right here." He gestures a finger to where I'd thrown the blade. "You win, and I won't steal. I'll even let you capture me."

A definite lie. "Why would a shifter, who's supposedly dangerous and a likely killer—" A pointed glance. "—Willingly offer himself to get caught?"

He shrugs coolly. "Life can be so dreary without a little entertainment." Walking up to me, I don't cower away from him as he extends the tip of the dagger outward. "So, what do you say, Venator? Care to have some fun?"

I don't have to weigh my options out. I know this could buy me time, or maybe I'm stupid. Everyone takes the Golden Thief as smart, cunning. He might be setting me into a trap right now, and I'm just accepting it of my own accord.

"What happens if you win?" A raise of my brow. Like I'd let him anyway.

"Then you let me walk out of here with all the jewels I want."

I won't.

"I don't have all night," he drawls as I gaze at the blade, then at his side lip curling up. "I'd like to get out of here before dawn."

Narrowing my eyes, I make my decision, taking it from him. A silencing second passes as I slide out another blade, keeping the other snug between my fingers and whirl, swinging my arm. He throws his forearm up, shielding himself. And as I move my other hand towards his neck, he snags me with his right one.

I withdraw my hands away from him and step back, puffing my chest, up, down, up, down.

He angles his head, studying me and my next movements, all done with a smile on his face.

This is his fun, his... Entertainment.

That drives me to thrust forward, aiming the knife high to his abdomen, but he dodges it, causing me to tumble and almost hit the ground.

Frustration travels up my spine as I tighten my grip on the blades and turn. My braid spinning in a swift motion along with me.

I launch another dagger at him. He jumps out of the way as the blade lodges itself into the wooden walls.

He winces, shaking his head. "Almost had me there, Venator."

Taunting, he's taunting me.

Darting towards him, I swipe the blade, left, right, up, middle, but he's astute, veering his body, so I miss.

At each pounce, he chuckles. At every moment I nearly get him, he laughs harder.

All I see is red. He is trying to piss me off.

Leather burns and tightens from my hold on the handle as I twist, directing all my movements to his face. It whips to the side as my dagger slices across him. The force causes stillness that for just one solid heartbeat, his jaw tenses, sharp and straight.

Slowly looking at me, I notice that below his mask, where the light from above highlights his natural golden tan, a bead of blood trickles down his cheek.

I'd managed to cut him.

I can say I smile at that as he brings a hand up, wiping the blood onto his glove. "It's a good thing that won't scar." Eyes flicker to me dangerously. "I happen to like my face."

"A conceited asshole," I say, not bothering to hide the boredom in my voice. "How lovely."

I go in unannounced, but he catches my wrist, then the other, ready to jab. "I admire your bravery Venator, truly—" He mocks, the corner of his lip flitting upwards."—But do we really have to try with the face again?"

I huff in annoyance, drawing back my knee and jerking it between his groin, but he blocks that too by moving his leg in front.

He puckers his bottom lip, but the playfulness never disappears. "Now that just hurts my feelings."

"I didn't know a murderer could have such thing as feelings." I should be afraid, but I'm nowhere near fearful of him.

"Did no one ever teach you not to judge so soon?" He lilts, the deriding tone never faltering as he pushes my knee down. I grunt, breaking free from his iron grip and pace backward with my knife still raised at my side. He watches me with amusement once more and curtly nods as if waiting for my next attack.

By now, I imagine he knows all my tactics. I don't even think I had any. I just wanted to get him.

Kicking my leg up, as I charge, he grasps my boot. I glare, lashing out my arm as he drops the leg. Not shocking at all as he grabs that too and the other after that. His eyes focus on my left palm... the scar.

"Ruthless," he mutters, staring at it with a tantalizing smile.

Raging heat explodes in my chest, and I pluck my hands away. I take this time to use my foot behind his and sweep him off the floor. For the first time, I'm successful, but he takes me down with him. I land on top with my palms and the blade flat on the ground beside his head. My legs then come at either side, straddling.

"If you wanted to bed me, Venator, you could have just asked politely." He chuckles in satisfaction. I only yell my fury, lifting my knife but just like before, his reflexes are quick, grabbing my wrist and then my waist as he flips me over. The blade falls from my grip as he says, "But sadly, for you, I'd have declined that offer." His amber gaze glimmers like the animal that he is toying with his prey. "I'm not one to sleep with Venators."

"Get. Off. Me," I say through my teeth as his hand slides down the side of my leg.

"Gladly." He's up in a matter of seconds, snatching my blade before I can as I roll onto my front, scrambling to my feet. Turning, I reach for another dagger, but I feel no curve or sharp edge when I pat it. I dart my gaze down at my thigh, noticing they're all gone. And as I glance back at the Golden Thief, he dangles two of them in his right hand, throwing them across the floor behind him.

He'd taken them.

A thief, a nuisance of a thief.

Panicked, I lunge for anything in sight, crystals, and pendants, hurling it at him. Each time with anger pumping my body and mind.

But the Golden Thief snatches them all mid-air, placing it in his pocket. "Well, you're just making my job easier here."

"You repugnant—"

Noise, chatter, Venators—come from outside. This was my chance.

I go to shout for aid, hoping they'll hear me amongst their prattle. But in a flash, the Golden Thief swallows up the distance between us, pressing me against the wall, and pins both my wrists above my head with one hand before the other clasps over my mouth. His body shoves up against mine, too close that I can't even kick him where I'd so badly love to.

My chest connects with his abdomen as I thrash against his grip. I get nowhere.

The Golden Thief waits for the Venator's voices to die down, shushing me further as I try to speak but fail to.

"I'd say a pleasure fighting you since I've clearly won, but I'm not so sure you'd agree." A half-smile plays on his lips as he lowers them, so it's level with my ear, and I can feel them graze against my skin. His whisper sounding like nothing but a perilous caress. "I'll give you a word of advice, though... next time you want to fight a shifter, use something far better than those petty blades of yours."

I muffle a curse word at him, wanting to bite down on his gloved hand, but the grip is too tight that leather is the only smell drifting over me.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," he says. I lower my brows. "I have some stealing to do."

I gasp for air as he lets go. I wasn't going to let him steal. Not a chance. So, I try to take my hands off the wall. Except I can't.

Why can't I—looking up at my wrists, through the skylights, I gape at the black ripples of shadow around them gleaming with specs of violet dust.

He's used his Umbrati powers.

Oh, he did not just do that. I don't care if he'd won or not. It's cheating.

Walking backward, slow and with a pert smile, he dances around, grabbing different kinds of beads and jewels. He raises them to the side of his ear, showing me each one and shaking his head at the others he puts back down.

Now I want to kill him. I want his death to be slow and painful.

He comes over, pressing a necklace of lapis lazuli against the top part of my armory, pursing his lips like he's mulling things over.

My mouth parts, seeing an opportunity to shout for anyone except—

"Ah!" He cuts me off, taking the necklace away. "You know what will happen if you try to yell for help."

"Dragon pig," I spit, pulling at his magic restraints.

"Foul mortal," he murmurs humorously, eyeing my predicament.

Stepping back, he heads to the counters again. When he looks to be done, he flips that coin he'd had earlier on and places it atop. "Until never, Venator." He bows with such grace that I find it hard to believe as he turns to the door.

"Aren't you going to try and kill me?" Bold and outrageous of me to think about giving him that idea.

The Golden Thief stops and glances over his shoulder. The subtle smirk plays on his lips as he says, "How boring it is to kill... if I'm not hunting you down instead." He walks out at that, with the jewels and gold, leaving me still tied in his shadows.

It goes silent with only my harsh breathing over those words, and then... I start tugging and pulling and shouting.

Seconds pass, and that just gives more time for him to escape. A grunt bubbles out of my throat as another minute goes by this time. I strain my hands to the point my shoulders hurt as I pull and pull. It wasn't rope, but for shadows, it feels like one.

After a few more tries to my relief, the shadows disintegrate, releasing my wrists. Without another thought, I lurch towards the door, staggering into the streets. I glance at every corner and up at the roofs, but the Golden Thief had long been gone.

I had him. I almost had him.

Another part of my subconscious tells me I didn't, not at all. He knew what he was doing, and it angers me more at the thought.

I drag my hands down my face and exasperate just as clamors resurface, echoing the far streets from the central. They're back.

Dashing, I make my way out of the streets I'd fought that creature and the Jewelers where I'd faced the Golden Thief until I see the exit of Chrysos. The first person I spot is Lorcan, waving in Venators to come through as I run to him.

"Lorcan!" I inhale, trying to catch my breath. He turns at my voice, grabbing my arms as he looks me over. "I—" Pausing how I was about to mention the Golden Thief, I watch as Venators call out to one another, giving orders of clearing the infirmary. "What's going on?" I look back at Lorcan.

"There was an attack," he says, exhaling, "A Rumen."

If Lorcan wasn't holding me, I'd likely fall.

A Rumen, not a dragon. I can't tell what is worse.

"One of the trainees didn't make it." Lorcan shakes his head, copper strands mattify to his forehead with dirt from the forests as his hands never let go of me. "The other was bitten."

Deaths... either way, the other would die. "Who?"

Lorcan doesn't need to answer my question as more yelling comes from behind some Venators. Lorcan's head turns as Rydan stumbles on his feet, as well as someone else beside him, both trying to hold up a battered and bloodied man. His leg bent in ways it shouldn't be, and leather armor ripped open, revealing skin.

Crusted mud clings onto his hair, auburn, unmistakably auburn.

Solaris, it's Adriel.

A few more hauls in a body, limp, lifeless in their arms. His head down, but I recognize those long spindly dark locks. They belong to someone who stuck by Adriel constantly.

Bile sticks to my throat. This means that Adriel was bitten, and Oran... Oran's the one that died.