20. Kavian

The carriage occasionally rocks when we drive over holes in the poorly maintained stone road.

The busiest streets in the district are well-used but no one bothers to repair them. The focus is more on the business deals than the aesthetics of the surroundings.

When we drive over a particularly bad patch in the road, Meera grabs my arm to keep herself steady. I take her hand in mine, squeezing softly to reassure her.

The sound of hawkers negotiating deals and shop owners trying to lure in gullible passers-by wafts into the carriage. Along with the din comes the smell of exotic spices and freshly prepared meals, ready to overwhelm our senses.

I close the window and silence falls over us.

We sit quietly, both lost in thoughts of what's going to happen in just a few minutes.

I'm itching to slice through the flesh of all the xaphan I can get my claws on. I want to drink in the fear in their eyes, my ears taking in the melody of their desperate pleas for mercy. I can't wait!

"You shouldn't frown like that. You'll get wrinkles early."

I face Meera. "What?"

She shakes her head, laughing. "Nothing." She reaches out and caresses my cheek. "Everything will work out. You came up with a foolproof plan."

I find myself smiling, despite my desire to not do so. I appreciate her reassurance. But I shrug off her hand all the same, not wanting to appear weak in public.

"Let's go over the plan again. Like you said, the more we review it, the higher our chances of success will be."

I go over the details of our plan, with Meera nodding along as I speak.

"You're going to distract the xaphan guards, and when their focus has been diverted, I'll quickly take them out."

I can see everything play out in my mind.

"Then we'll make our way inside and I'll dispatch any guards looking over the slave cells. You'll focus on freeing all the humans once inside. You have that tool I gave you to unlock the cells, right?"

She nods, pulling the long black item from her bosom.

Strange place to store something, but okay.

"I've practiced using it at least fifty times. I think it's safe to say I'm a professional lock picker by now."

She looks at the tool with appreciation while I look at her with appreciation.

My heart skips a beat.

I'm truly excited to be taking some action after all this planning. Even better, I get to have Meera at my side, helping me. I never thought I'd appreciate a human's help, but here I am.

A thought strikes me.

"How exactly do you plan to distract the guards? I know we've talked about you doing it, but you've yet to tell me what your little plan is for that."

I silently curse myself for neglecting to plan this part of the attack in more detail. I should have spent more time on getting the finer details ironed out.

"I don't know, actually."

Her nonchalant response makes me tense up. "What?"

A chuckle bursts from her mouth but I'm not amused.

"Meera, this is extremely dangerous and important. One mishap or miscalculation and you could die."

"Oh? Not even thinking about how the plan could fall apart? Am I that important to you?"

I dismiss her teasing words with a grunt and grab her chin with my hand, forcing her to look into my eyes. "I'm serious. You've been anxious and worried until now, and I felt reassured that you realize the weight of our mission. This is not the time to joke around."

She blushes slightly, breaking eye contact with me.

"Sorry, I wanted to ease the tension a bit."

My grip on her face doesn't relax.

She sighs and looks into my eyes. "I think it would be best to walk up to them, make sure no one else sees me, and start a conversation. They'll be so upset with a human daring to approach them that you'll be able to easily take care of them."

I nod, somewhat satisfied. "It's not the best plan we could have had, but it will do." I look into her eyes. "You must promise me that you'll be careful. Do not provoke them or put yourself in a situation where you could get hurt."

"You mean more than I could already?"

I grimace. "Not funny, Meera."

She raises her hands in defeat. "Okay, enough jokes." Her attitude becomes more solemn. "I promise, Kavian. I'll be careful."

"Good." I let go of her and clenched my fits before relaxing them again. I'm itching to get my hands on xaphan scum.

"Do you have a plan for how you'll get rid of the guards?"

"I'll do what I do best. Tear them asunder." I grin, elation and anticipation making my heart beat faster.

She huffs, not satisfied with my answer, but says nothing.

As we near the auction house, a new, unfamiliar feeling coils around my heart, rooting in my stomach.

What is this emotion? It's not worry about the strategy we've laid out, I know my plan will work. I'm not nervous either, my strength and skill are without question. Then what…? I'm concerned. For Meera. I don't want her to get hurt or be taken from me. I will—no. I need to protect her.

I take her hand in mine again. "I vow to protect you at all costs during this dangerous mission. You will not be harmed."

Though outwardly controlled, rage simmers within me at the thought of her being harmed. If anyone so much as bruises her delicate, smooth skin, they will know a wrath unlike they've ever seen before.

She smiles, and my heart sings.

"I know."

These two words tell me everything I need to know about our relationship. There are many unknowns about what lies ahead, but I don't question what's between us.

If anything happens to Meera, I swear no one at that wretched auction house will be spared from my wrath. I will raze it to the ground in vengeance.

I calm my mind as we arrive, focusing on the task at hand. I trust in Meera's courage and the plan we studied so faithfully.

The noise has quieted down, and we enter a back alley with no lights.

It's time.

I pull Meera close, gazing into her eyes. I stare at her, my emotions suddenly all over the place. My finger runs over her lips, my eyes follow every line on her face. I look into her eyes, noting the vibrant colors in them.

I want to memorize her face right at this moment as she looks up at me with all the trust in the world. Later, I want to kiss every part of her to celebrate our success.

Meera doesn't look away, as if she's trying to savor the moment as well. I can feel that we're united in purpose and spirit.

Suddenly, a noise from my right side makes adrenaline shoot through my body.

Something crashes through the window, breaking it into a million little pieces that burst onto me and Meera.

A small creature flies over our heads before latching onto my arm. I realize it's a karasu and angrily yank the thing off.

I hold it in the air by the scruff of its neck. "What the fuck?" I ask, almost expecting the damned thing to answer me.

Another ball of fur flies in through the window, going for Meera. I throw the creature in my hand out of the window and reach for the new threat before it can reach her.

It fights back, clawing at my arm. Its nails are sharp and furious, drawing blood. I punch its small head, hard. That's all it takes and it goes limp, hanging in the air as I hold it up.

"Vicious little fucker!"

I move to throw it out just as three smaller ones make their way through the broken window.

Meera grabs the bag lying on the seat across from us and starts swinging it. She connects with the small karasu, and they swagger around, dizzy. Her punches were enough to distract them but not enough to completely take them out.

I grab two of them, knocking their heads together, essentially knocking them out. They follow the way of the bigger ones, flying out of the window, unconscious and defenseless.

The last one seems to have realized the predicament it"s in, and it's cowering in the corner of the carriage.

Meera growls, grabbing it by a hind leg and forcefully throwing it out of the window. Its little caw echoes through the street and laughter bubbles up and out of my mouth.

"Didn't think you could get so angry," I say in between chuckles.

She laughs, a little embarrassed.

"Damn thing was asking for it." She tries to peer out of the window. "Why did that just happen? Was it the xaphans?"

I remember that Gorran's associates have managed to tame some of these creatures and immediately knock on the roof of the carriage to signal to the driver to stop.

The carriage comes to a halt and I jump out.

I search around the area for any signs of more karasu and sniff the air, looking for a hint of xaphan in the smells surrounding us.

Nothing seems out of order and I check underneath the carriage as well as on top but find nothing. After a brief conversation with the driver, I get back in the carriage.

"All clear. I think they were just hungry. Little shits are known for robbing unattended cargo but will sometimes attack other creatures if they've been starving."

She sighs in relief. "Ah, okay. On we go then, right?"

I nod and knock on the roof again. The carriage slowly starts moving again, keeping a steady pace until we reach the auction house.

Meera takes my hand, squeezing it tightly. I squeeze back, my emotions calm and my mind clear. Our eyes lock for the last time before we set our plan in motion.