A Hint of Cayenne (The Trouble With Elves Book 4) Read online

  If he was about to do what he think he would and give the female to Birch, then he’d owe her at least a decent meal first. Thorn couldn’t even fathom how much this would make him a bad guy in Cayenne’s eyes. But debts had to be paid, and he’d be paying them twice already. Birch would no doubt find a way to exceed the original debt and tack more to the bill. More debt meant more favors like handing over pretty young elves.

  He needed to get a handle on it now, not wait it out, not drag it to the point where he’d be in the drow’s servitude for a good long while. The faster he freed himself from Birch, the easier it would be to not find himself back in a position like this again. He had no idea how he would break it to either of them, but he knew Cayenne wouldn’t allow it to happen without a fight.

  Perhaps in time, she’d understand why he would do something this selfish, perhaps she’d understand that giving over one was better than having to keep giving over all those others Birch was sure to ask for. When Birch realized Thorn could bring him what he wanted with few qualms, he will exploit it. In the long run, giving Lily to the drow was the safest and most effective way to handle Birch. Thorn wandered through the stalls, letting his thoughts drift back to food.

  A good meal and then a traitorous act. No better way to start the elfing day.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hawthorn had brought back a basket full of produce. Cayenne’s mouth watered as she ogled the red dragon fruit, strawberries, and plums. Elves were wonderful at growing fruits, but strawberries never made their way into the trash except outside the ritziest places where they hired people to protect their clients, the guards always chased the less fortunate, like Cayenne and Lily, away. Berries and dragon fruits were too soft to survive for long. But apples cores were hard and always had a bite or two left over. Cayenne hadn’t tasted dragon fruit since her parents died and she licked her lips trying to be patient.

  ‘Hawthorn took out a hunting knife. It was sharpened obsidian stone pushed into a groove in a piece of wood. Probably a fallen branch he had whittled down to the size and shape he wanted. He split one of the dragon fruits in half, handing one-half each to both Cayenne and Lily. Her sister’s face brightened, and she licked the sweet juice trailing along her fingers.

  Hawthorn’s eyes lingered on Lily, and after his sudden leaving this morning, Cayenne was worried. A painful knot formed in her stomach. Something was amiss. She couldn’t pinpoint what exactly, but he seemed different. Hawthorn avoided eye contact with her and kept himself just out of her reach.

  Had she done something wrong the night before? Or perhaps he was the love them and leave them kind of male.

  She couldn’t blame him. After all, Cayenne had her little sister to look out for, more than enough for her to handle. Not that Lily was wild or bad in any way. She was sensitive, though, and tended to need someone there, as much to care for as to be cared for. Cayenne would never be able to move out and let her live alone, which makes a serious relationship difficult to begin with. Cayenne watched Hawthorn’s fingers work, rolling a plum around his palms, deep in thought.

  She resisted the urge to run a finger along his strong jawline, to scoot closer to him and cuddle into his warmth. Again, she wondered what had changed so much from last night. The day had not progressed anywhere near the way Cayenne thought it would.

  “Lily, have you gambled recently?” Hawthorn bit into a plum. The juice ran down the side of his mouth, and he wiped it away on the forearm of his shirt.

  “My sister doesn’t gamble, where is this coming from?” Cayenne cocked her eyebrow at him. Lily probably didn’t even know where to go to gamble. Cayenne had heard of a drow joint, the Dugout, which was nestled in the underground tunnels, but she’d never been there nor had wanted to. She steered clear of the drow in general.

  “Uh...well...I did go to the Dugout.” Lily curled into herself and kept her eyes on her half of the dragon fruit.

  Cayenne snapped her head to look at Lily. “You what? Why in all the realm would you go there? It’s drow run. They could have taken your soul!” She couldn’t help the raise in her voice.

  “I was trying to help us. I had saved a bit and wanted to see if I could get more. I’d heard of the Dugout before. They were nice when I went in and nice when I left. Don’t worry, I didn’t gain a debt though.” The words rushed from Lily’s mouth.

  “You may not have gained a debt, but you caught Birch’s attention. I’m supposed to bring you back to him.” Hawthorn’s eyes found Cayenne, and they looked sad. He averted his eyes to his plum, took another bite, and refocused on Lily.

  Cayenne’s breath hitched. He had a bounty for her sister. Her stomach dropped, and food no longer appealed to her. She set her half of the dragon fruit back in the basket with shaky fingers. “You won’t take her.” Her words came out even, and she meant them. He’d have to go through Cayenne first.

  “I don’t have much of a choice. Remember the twenty gold I gave you? That was supposed to pay off my own gambling debt, but instead I chose to give it to you. Now I have to take in your sister.”

  Words spewed out of Cayenne’s mouth. “I see. You gave me the money, so now you have to take my sister, so this is my elfing fault? What is wrong with you? How much do you owe them?” She raised to her knees, leering down at Hawthorn. The floor dug into her flesh, and she ignored it.

  “I owe eighteen gold. I didn’t know I would have to take your sister to him. I didn’t even know your sister when I agreed to work for him in order to pay off my debt. In retrospect, you could say it is quite your fault.” He bit into the plum again. His eyes didn’t waver. He didn’t even shift, which irritated Cayenne more.

  She took a sharp breath while willing herself to stay in control. Rational thought just wasn’t there. She pictured throttling him, throwing him to the ground, and marring his pretty face. He always drew out her inner beast, the anger that lies so quick to pounce when near him. How had she let him get under her skin so quickly? She took a few more breath and reined in the rage.

  “You chose to give me the damn money. You can’t turn around and blame it on me because you might feel guilty over it!” She yelled, and she didn’t care. He couldn’t take her sister, and he damn well couldn’t blame her for his mistakes. “I’m not the one who gained the elfing gambling debt to begin with.” Cayenne squeezed her hands into fists at her side to keep from smacking his lovely face.

  “You’re right. I own up to the fact that I am the one who gained the debt. Doesn’t mean I don’t have to do my job. Birch wants Lily, and I intend to hand her over to him.” Hawthorn had come up to his knees as well, facing off with her. His voice didn’t raise, but his eyes blazed.

  She slapped him.

  He turned his face back to her, and she slapped him again.

  “You made love to me last night, and now you intend to let some drow steal my sister’s soul. That’s what the drow do, Hawthorn. They live on souls.”

  “Perhaps your sister shouldn’t have gone there to begin with, Cayenne.” His jaw clenched.

  Rage took over, and Cayenne punched him in the nose. “You won’t take her. Get out of our house. I can’t believe I let you in here. You were a jerk when we hunted the damn fairy, and you’re still a jerk. Why did I even think you could be anything else?” She stood and stomped over to the door, throwing it open. It slammed against the wall and tried to bounce back, but was stopped by her hand.

  Hawthorn pinched his nose to keep the blood from gushing out. He tipped his head back and slowly stood. He didn’t say anything, just glared at her from the side of his eye.

  “What are you waiting for? Get out!” She pointed a finger toward the sunshine bursting through the doorframe.

  “Did you ever stop and think about what your sister might think, Cayenne?” His calm voice grated on every nerve she had.

  “I don’t have to. She doesn’t want her soul ripped from her body.” Her finger still pointed out the door. He had such nerve. Of course her sister didn’t want to go.
Why would she? He could be quite the idiot sometimes, slow as a snail. He walked slowly over, finally taking his hand from his nose. Barely any blood had trickled out.

  When he came within inches of her body, he grabbed hold of her waist and drew her into him. She struggled, but his hold didn’t break. She slammed her fists into his chest, and still he stood, stoic, with an iron grip on her. Cayenne wished she had the strength to break his arm, his jaw, anything that would get him to let go, anything that would help alleviate the anger boiling over inside her, tearing at her insides and threatening the hot tears to spill.

  “Perhaps instead of fighting me, you should be more concerned where your sister might have run off to.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cayenne’s frantic mind had her blinking in and out of Lily’s room, but no Lily. There weren’t many places she could go. They didn’t know hardly anyone in town and even fewer out of town. Before they bought the tree house, they lived in dug out holes in the ground to keep warm and safe. She wouldn’t go back there.

  “She wouldn’t...would she?”

  “Wouldn’t what, Cayenne?” Hawthorn searched her face with his eyes, concerned etched into them. Cayenne wanted to believe it was genuine, but this was Hawthorn.

  “I think she went to the Dugout. I mean think about it. We were fighting, and oh god...” Tears blurred her vision, and she fell to her knees. She knew to the very bottom of her heart her sister had gone to turn herself into the drow. Lily always wanted to help, always willing to do things she didn’t have to. The tears streamed down Cayenne’s cheeks, hot and fast.

  “What are you going to do?” Hawthorn stood before her. He didn’t look angry or hopeful, just calm.

  “I have to stop her. And I mean it, you won’t take her. I’ll make sure she realizes what she’s doing, and you can find some other way to pay off your debt.”

  “For what it’s worth, Cayenne, I am sorry.”

  She didn’t want to hear anymore, so she blinked herself inside the dark tunnels. Immediately the smell of wet dirt flooded her nostrils. She stumbled out of her blink, a whole lot less graceful than normal, but at least she’d managed to blink close to the Dugout. All she needed to do was turn a couple corners, and she would be there. Her mind raced ahead of her feet with all the possibilities. What if Lily had already made it there and handed herself over? Cayenne ran to the Dugout. When she slid around the corner, she gasped.

  Lily stood right outside the door looking in.

  She seemed small compared to the establishment. Laughter rumbled out of the room, and her sister watched, transfixed by some unseen force. Lily’s T-shirt barely moved as her breath stayed even. Cayenne’s hand reached out instinctively. She had to stop her. A breeze fluffed Cayenne’s hair from the back, and Lily turned to look at her. Instinct told Cayenne Hawthorn had followed.

  “What are you doing here?” Lily whispered.

  “I can’t let you go in there.” Cayenne tried to plead with her eyes. She couldn’t bear to lose Lily.

  Not after everything they’d been through.

  She’d taken care of her; they’d taken care of each other. How could she let her sister walk through that door and throw it all away?

  “It’s not your choice. Tell her, Hawthorn. Talk some sense into her.” Lily looked past Cayenne.

  “She’s right, Cayenne. It is her choice ultimately. I can’t tell either of you what to do, but Lily is an adult.” Hawthorn wrapped sturdy arms around her. Cayenne’s whole body shook, from anger, from fear, from helplessness.

  “I don’t want to lose you, Lily. We just talked about this. You are more important.” Tears continued to roll down her face, and she couldn’t stop them.

  “I’m drawn here, Cayenne. Have been since I stepped foot in here to gamble. Maybe even before. I had never thought of gambling before that one time.” Lily broke eye contact with Cayenne to stare into the shadowed room again. “Something is mine inside, and I need to find out what it is.”

  “No, you don’t. You can just come home with me.” Cayenne struggled against Hawthorn’s grip, trying to regain Lily’s attention.

  “As I listened to the two of you argue over me, over my life, I decided I had to start taking control of it. You have protected me. You provided for me.” Lily shook her head, taking a half-step closer to the threshold. “I judged you too harshly when I was upset over the bounty hunting job. If it calls to you the way this place calls to me, then you should continue. You have to. I have to.”

  Cayenne broke free of Hawthorn’s grasp. Grabbing her sister, she turned her around. Holding Lily’s face gently, Cayenne stared into distant blue eyes. “Lily, you don’t know what will happen in there.”

  “You’re right. I don’t, but I have to find out. I have to do this for myself, and I can’t let anyone be harmed because of me. Do you know what they will do to Hawthorn if he doesn’t turn me in?” Lily raised her hands to cover her sister’s. “You are so busy, fighting, worried about me, you didn’t ask did you?”

  “Lily, nothing will happen to me. I will owe more money,” Hawthorn argued.

  Why was he helping now after all he did to show he would turn her sister in?

  Lily pulled Cayenne’s hands down. Her soft voice took on a touch of steel Cayenne had never heard before. “It’s more than that, and you know it. I’m young still in many ways, and I don’t pretend to know things I have no business knowing. I may be naïve, but I do know if you do not hand me over, your word is good for nothing, and the debt will never be paid. You know that, even if you don’t say it.”

  Hawthorn didn’t reply.

  Lily leaned in and wrapped her delicate arms around Cayenne. It felt like goodbye. She squeezed back and then Lily let go.

  “Are you going to escort me in, Hawthorn?” Lily asked, a ghost of a smile on her lips while she offered her arm.

  Hawthorn walked over beside Lily, glanced back at Cayenne with pure guilt etched into his features, and then took Lily’s elbow. They walked through the door.

  Cayenne couldn’t help but follow, like a puppy. She wanted to rip her sister back, tell her she couldn’t do this. Anything but let her follow through with the imminent death which was her future. Could she even watch as Lily’s soul was ripped from her body? No. She’d tear his ugly drow head from his body first.

  Cayenne steeled herself. She’d wait. After Hawthorn slipped off the hook for turning Lily in, Cayenne would attack and make sure the drow didn’t harm her sister.

  “Thorn! So glad you could join us. And Lily, a pleasure to see you again in my establishment. I am Birch.” The drow bowed toward Lily, his short white hair springing out in front of his face, and his dark eyes regarded Cayenne through the strands. Cayenne shivered.

  “Before I hand her over, mark the ten gold off.” Hawthorn sounded determined.

  Birch snapped his fingers. “Done.”

  “What do you intend to do with her?” Cayenne couldn’t help herself; she had to ask.

  “You are the sister?” Birch cocked his head at her.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you her guardian? Does she need permission to be here? Is she so young that you must come along?”

  “Well, no, but I know what drow do. I want to know if you intend to suck out her soul.” She clenched her teeth, trying to stay in control.

  “Cayenne,” Lily turned, “stop. Everything will work out.” Even as she spoke, she walked closer to the drow.

  Hawthorn grabbed Cayenne’s hand, in part, she thought, so she didn’t slug Birch. She found an odd sort of comfort in his touch.

  Birch reached for Lily, and she sort of slide-walked over to him as if under some kind of trance. Was the drow putting her in some spell? “What are you doing to her?”

  “I assure you, Cayenne, she is doing it all of her own free will.” Birch smiled at Lily. His dark skin looked unnatural closer to Lily’s pale complexion.

  Lily walked slowly around Birch, as if taking in all of the tall drow. He stood a foot
taller than Lily. He stilled, waiting for inspection to end.

  “It’s you who draws me here.”

  Birch didn’t respond.

  Lily reached delicate fingers toward him. His whole body vibrated as she came closer. Cayenne held her breath.

  Lily’s hand hovered over Birch’s arm. He turned into her, and they stood confronting each other, neither paying attention to the silence in the room. Birch arms wrapped around Lily, and the breath left Cayenne’s body in a rush. He was going to suck out Lily’s soul.

  Cayenne started for them, but Hawthorn stopped her. “Don’t!” She glared at the male. Still, he didn’t let go.

  When Cayenne turned back to Birch and Lily, she watched Lily’s hand reach for the drow’s face, mimicking the caress Cayenne had given Lily moments earlier. The second Lily’s skin came in contact with his, the flesh began to turn a different color. Peach. The color of normal skin, like other elves.

  Sparks lit all over the dim room, snapping all around Cayenne’s head and her sister. It took less than a minute for Birch to transform completely back into an elf, the Feral leaving him as if it had never tainted his soul.

  “How?” The question fell off Cayenne’s lips.

  Lily turned to her. “My mate. I cured him.” Her eyes were wide with shock.

  Cayenne’s knees buckled with relief. Her sister will live. Hawthorn caught her before she hit the floor.

  “I have you.” His voice a soft whisper in her ear, and she accepted it as her anger faded. His accusations of all this being her fault still stung, but he hadn’t turned Lily in. Her sister did it for herself, for her own reasons, reasons as unselfish as she had always been. Cayenne didn’t know when she stopped thinking of her sister as a sister and more like a child. But they were right. Lily could decide for herself.

  He turned Cayenne to face him. “Forgive me?” His eyes were soft, and Cayenne’s heart sputtered at the sight of him, hope reaching past guilt.