Chapter 4

Chapter

Four

SILAS

"I know I told you to dress nicely, but this is a bit much," I say as soon as Callisto steps in. Clearly, I was quite wrong before. If dressing like a servant made him look high class, dressing in high-class clothes makes him look otherworldly. There's no damn way we're going to blend in.

His clothes are tight-fitting, accentuating every inch of his body and further feeding the idea of whisking him off for a night of pleasure. His white waves frame his face, the perfectly styled hair only disturbed by the earrings peeking out through it. Both wrists and his neck are absolutely laden down with jewelry. I mean, it's fine if he wants to get eaten by some tiger monster, but I don't really want to get murdered in the process.

He glances down at his attire like he could have absolutely no idea what's wrong with it. "I look magical."

"You look like you want to get mugged."

"That's what you're here for," he says with a smile.

"What the fuck am I going to do to them?" I ask, wondering how I could have remotely given him the impression that I could protect anything. "Did you accidentally think you were hiring a bodyguard?"

"No, you just have to throw your stew at them, and they'd immediately die," Callisto says before smiling, evidently pleased with himself.

I sigh and grab an overcoat that I then stuff into his hands. "At least put this on and take all of that jewelry off. How can you even lift your arms with all of that?"

He sighs but starts sliding the jewelry off before hesitating. "Wait… are you mugging me?"

"I might," I say as I scrape all the shimmery shit into a box behind the counter. Callisto sighs again but pulls on the overcoat I gave him, covering up at least most of his body since it hangs on his thin frame. "Come on, come on!" He grabs my hand and starts pulling me toward the door. "I'm so excited."

"If you purchase this thing, how do you propose getting it home?" I ask.

"I will say, ‘Hey, Mr. Beastie. Will you please go home with me?' And he will be like hell yeah."

"Ah yes, animals definitely understand when you give them a cute smile. I actually heard that's a surefire way to not get eaten."

"See?" he says, like he actually believes my sarcasm.

"Did you ride here?"

"I did; my horse is tied up out front."

"Alright, I'll meet you there."

I head behind the tavern to where I keep my very own mount. He's already saddled and waiting since the prince was a bit late—it probably took a while to look that fancy.

I reach out to scratch Banks's neck as he nuzzles my shirt, like he's expecting me to give him something. I pull a carrot out of my pocket, which he merrily eats as I swing up onto his back before riding around to the front where the prince sits atop the flashiest damn horse I've ever seen.

We are definitely getting murdered.

"You couldn't have brought an ugly horse?" I ask. "I thought you said your horse was old and slow."

"I know! She is! I borrowed this one from my uncle." He stops talking as he eyes me. "What the hell are you riding?" he asks before beaming at Banks. I swear the tree he's sitting beneath flutters its leaves toward him. "I like your mighty steed."

"Why are you looking at him like that?" I ask.

"His ears are as big as his head!"

"They are not," I say as I grab one of the mule's ears. Banks just flicks it back which makes Callisto laugh, like he's never seen a mule before.

"He's really cute," Callisto decides. "I want to touch him."

"Unlike that monster you want to buy, he won't eat you if you do," I say. He seems mystified as I scoot Banks closer to him. It looks like he's reaching out to touch a breakable object as he slowly extends his hand with an eager look on his face before cupping the giant ear in his hands.

"I would like this beast," he decides.

"You can't have my mule."

"I have money."

"No."

He has the balls to pout! "Lots of money," he says as I squeeze my legs, asking Banks to walk on and leaving him back where he's fumbling with his coin purse, like he's just going to make a trade right here.

"I thought you wanted to get eaten by your mount?"

"I do! I mean… no, I don't, but I want that mule so I can touch his ears every day. I feel like no matter how sad you are, if you touched those ears, you'd instantly feel better!" he says as his horse hurries after me.

"Well, you may come and touch his ears every day since I fear you won't have long left on this plane," I offer.

"You have so little faith in me! I'm magical. I can get anything and everything to like me," he says, rather determined. "You already like me."

"I like your money."

"Your mule said he likes me more than you."

"Now you can speak to mules?"

Callisto grins at me as his fancy horse prances along. It's practically going nowhere while also expending a significant amount of energy just so it can look fancy.

"Now you seem really excited about this, but don't forget that it's not just animals they're selling here. The sale of people is completely legal as well. I'm pretty sure the only beings they're prohibited from selling are fae like yourself," I say, curious about his opinion on this. While the royal house does have paid servants, they also turn a blind eye to the dealings of trade in the darker parts of town, such as this one.

His smile falters.

"We won't be permitted in that sale," I assure him. "That's a whole different game over there. And people like us will not be welcome and would be driven out."

"I see," he says. "Well, when I get my new mount, he could simply eat all the slavers."

"I can't tell if you're joking."

"I am not! How about this, when I become king, I will make it my lifelong goal to abolish horrible slavers and I will ban you from killing any more innocent souls with your cooking abilities."

I scowl at him. "Just pay me and keep quiet."

"What if I pay you more to not keep quiet?" he asks as we reach the sale area. The square is already filled with people. Animals that aren't trying to consume their traders are out in the open and others are behind metal bars to keep onlookers from being maimed—since that'd be bad for business.

The prince hops off and ties up his horse next to mine. While it'd be easy to get a horse stolen in these parts, I notice his horse's tack is imbued with runes and magic that would likely keep anyone but the prince from removing the tack. While not foolproof, it would make the hassle not worth it. As for my mule, he would refuse to lift a leg for someone who isn't me. They'd have to drag his body off if they planned to make him move.

The prince flutters past all of the pens and heads straight toward the creature gathering the most attention.

"Look at this," I say as I grab his shoulders and aim him toward a large deerlike beast. It looks rather pleasant and sweet to ride.

"What if it like threw its head back and murdered me with those antlers?" he asks. "Just like instant death. Right there. There'd be like blood and matter everywhere. Real gruesome."

"You are concerned about… a sweet deer having the very miniscule chance of accidentally jabbing you with an antler but see absolutely no problems with that thing?" I ask as I point at the monstrosity trying to tear its metal cage apart.

Callisto looks at the deer… then at the tiger… then back at the deer. "My face is too pretty to be stabbed."

"But mauled is better?"

"Very much," he decides then hurries off.

"How?" I ask. "What about this?"

I wave at a unique horse that looks quite calm and sweet. It's playing with a little girl who is rubbing its muzzle.

"What if it tramples me? Do you see how big its hooves are? It would bludgeon me with them!"

"You want to be mauled. That is my final decision on this," I say as he starts to hurry off, but before he can reach the pen his eyes are fixated on, a man reaches out and grabs his wrist.

"Oh, what a pretty young man. So pretty you are," he praises as he strokes Callisto's cheek.

Callisto instantly goes rigid, and I notice the grass a horse behind him was prepared to eat instantly dies. It's so fascinating how the plant life around him seems to be connected to his emotions.

"Do not touch me," he orders as he jerks his wrist back.

"Oh, my bad, my bad. You're just such a pretty young man. I'm sure I have something good you'd like," he says.

While I don't know the man personally, there are few who don't know of the slaver. He's a cruel man who is likely not trying to sell slaves to Callisto, but to sell Callisto himself. Of course he wouldn't sell him here. He'd attack him and take him out of the kingdom to another sale.

I set a hand on Callisto's side and guide him beside me. "We are definitely not interested."

The man just laughs as Callisto shivers.

"I can get him imprisoned, right? With my standing," he whispers to me.

"You can try, but men like that bring in money that the king uses…" I stop talking and give him a smile. Really, no reason to get executed for speaking against the king to the king's nephew.

Callisto watches me for a moment before giving me an encouraging smile. "You know you can tell me anything, right? I mean… you might lose your head if you do, but I promise we have the best executioners around, so they'll make sure it doesn't hurt too much."

"Funny."

He beams, apparently thinking it is. "OOH, look at that one!" Callisto hurries over to a tiny dog with teeth the size of its head. Clearly, this man wants everything that has the capability of killing him.

"You're so cute! Who's a cute puppy?"

It growls at him, obviously contemplating murder as the prince continues to coo.

"If I can get my new mount cheap enough, I'll buy him too!" he declares.

"Yeah, I mean, why not. Makes more sense to have two things that want to eat you instead of one. That way you don't suffer as long."

"You're so funny! I'm so glad you watched me almost get abducted the other day. Imagine if it had been someone else out there. Like someone who'd actually helped?"

"How heinous."

"Right?" He's so pleased when he finally makes it up to the cage. The beast inside is not. It's gnashing its fangs at everyone, likely considering all the ways it can kill. There are a lot of people gathered around it since it is the most fascinating of creatures here, but I bet most of them are there just to look and don't plan on trying to ride it.

"They've been so mean to him," Callisto says as the beast turns to snarl at something behind it. As it shifts around, I can see the whip markings down its back. Its skin is stretched tightly over bones with sores on its hips from not having enough fat to keep its bones from rubbing on the hard ground.

"Papa's gonna buy you and get you all plumped up," he declares.

The man who's selling it laughs when he hears him, but Callisto pays him no mind.

The man gives Callisto's shoulder a pat. "You're going to get yourself eaten if you buy that thing."

"No, he already loves me," Callisto declares, simply making the man laugh harder. He has absolutely no idea that he's about to get the prestigious fae prince murdered.

And with that, Callisto hurries toward the auction ring.

Before we go far, there's a hushed whisper that ignites around us. Callisto immediately picks up on it and turns to look as the king's entourage leads the way through the main road.

"Shit, if he sees me, he'll be so pissed I'm out here," Callisto murmurs as he slips behind me, pressing his body against mine. I'm not quite sure I'm getting paid enough to stand here with the handsome man flush against me so that I can feel everything , but I suppose I'll suffer.

The soldiers keep a tight ring around their king. There's likely an invisible barrier in place by a mage that should protect him from most attacks, but they're there to make sure that they cut down anyone who might try. As far as I can tell, the prince has nothing of the sort on him. He's as vulnerable as one can get, going off the hope that no one yet knows who he is.

The king smiles at his citizens as he rides down the main street peering at the beasts. He stops his horse outside the pen of the horse I'd shown Callisto and eyes it for a long moment.

"Very nice mount," he says to the seller. "You have him in very good condition."

"T-Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Hans, I would like that one," the king says. "I think the prince would like it."

"No, the prince wants the murder mount," I mutter under my breath. "Why don't you go ask your uncle for the murder mount? Or are you aware that he'd never let you have something like that?"

"Maybe," he says, breath on my neck. It's like he just wants to kill me a little bit. "Why's he even here? Doesn't he realize I have things to buy?"

"It looks like he's moving on," I inform him.

"And of course ignoring all the slavers and illegal shit," he mutters.

"I see that you don't share the same feelings on that as the king."

"I really haven't been around the king all that much to know what all we share. My family hasn't visited him since I was a child. And I've only been here about a week."

"You have gotten into a lot of shit for being here for a week," I say.

"Thank you," he responds, weirdly taking that as a compliment as the king disappears from sight.

I see a flash of white and look up as I notice the woman from the woods standing there. Naledi takes note of me and gives me a smile that seems inhuman for her pretty face. The way her lips stretch makes me quickly look away.

"This way," I say as I lead him inside and get him a number card that he eagerly clutches against himself.

"Don't go that way," I order as I see the woman making her way to a seat next to where he'd been headed. "The view is better from over here."

Callisto is oblivious as he eagerly follows me over to some seats to wait. The area is set up like a coliseum with the seats raised so the spectators can look down into the pit below. People are filing in whether they want to buy something or not, all eager to see the ridiculous amounts these buyers are willing to pay. It isn't long before the sale starts but as the night stretches on, it becomes clear that they're saving the creature Callisto wants for the end.

"I wish I could buy them all," he says with a sigh.

"What the hell would you do with all of these?" I ask as I see the king's man win the bid on the horse. "Look, you now have a horse."

"It's boring."

"Of course it is," I say as I watch the beautiful creature prance its way out of the arena.

Callisto sets a hand on my leg but when I look at his eager face, I realize that he's not doing it in a seductive manner—as my body had hoped—unless his plan is to torture me. "Do you want it?"

"What?" I ask, confused before realizing that he's still talking about the horse the king had just bought him and not the hand I'd been focused on. "The horse?" Or you? Ah, what a ridiculous thought. "No."

"I will trade the horse for your massive-eared mule."

"Absolutely not. Banks and I go way back."

He looks defeated until two draft horses haul in the crate containing the beast. Then all sadness is gone from his expression and he's lifting his betting card before anyone has even called a number.

I just sit and watch him spend the king's money with vigor, outbidding absolutely anyone the moment they try. He doesn't even hesitate, and maybe his plan is to show them that he's so damn confident that he's going to win that everyone else gives up.

When they finally call it, Callisto is all smiles. He turns to me, nearly bouncing in his seat. "I won!"

"I… was pretty confident you were going to even if you had to empty the kingdom's coffers."

He laughs like he thinks I'm joking. Then he pops up and rushes down the aisle, apparently excited to get murdered by his new pet. Really having little else to do, I follow him as the sale finishes up and people wander out.

When I finally catch up to Callisto, he's in the middle of the people trying to pay and collect their new purchases. Once we've made it through that mess and Callisto has been ushered off to collect his prize, he reaches the cage the beast is being held in.

"You cannot let that thing out in here, you understand, right?" I ask. "It'll just murder everyone."

"He's not going to murder anyone," Callisto insists as the creature slams against the crate… trying to murder everyone.

"Ah, it's you," the seller says, looking a bit worried that Callisto is going to whip open the cage door and he'll be the first to go—it's clear the beast dislikes him with a passion. "You might want to find yourself a mage to keep the runes on him in tip-top shape!"

"Can I pay you to deliver him?" Callisto asks, which has to be the first smart thing that's come out of his mouth.

The man shrugs. "Sure. Where to?"

"The palace. Thank you," he says, and gives the man some coin before rushing over to the front of the crate.

"Hey, baby. Papa's got you. You're going to have so much fun with your new papa. You're going to love it."

The beast bats at him, long thick nails scraping over metal inches from Callisto's face.

I pat Callisto on the back. "It was… something knowing you. You will be missed."

He laughs heartily and pats me back.

"Before you die, we could head back to my place," I say with a waggle of my eyebrows.

Callisto just laughs some more and pats me again. I can't decide if he got what I was implying or not. "What, so you can poison me with more food?"

Clearly, he did not.

"Silas, thanks for your help. I'm going to head for home. I'll invite you to see my new mount soon!" And off he goes.

I hurry after him until I'm stopped by Naledi who walks up to the crate with the beast. "The prince is an idiot, I see," she says.

"I'm done," I growl. "I was done when the war ended. And I'm definitely done now."

She doesn't seem convinced, so I quickly lose her in the crowd. When I head out to Banks, I notice that the prince's horse is still standing next to him, which is quite odd since he left well before me. Did he get distracted?

I look around, but the number of people makes it hard to spot anyone. Luckily for me, the beautiful fae can't even get lost in a crowd.

He's standing in the darkness next to the slaver who'd taken note of him earlier. The man has his wrist again and Callisto looks uneasy but when the man tugs him into the alley, he follows.

Does the slaver have a succubus or someone working for him? Is that how he easily coerces these people to follow him?

I have nothing but a knife on me, but I can't just stand back and watch the prince be taken. Naledi passes by, a finger brushing over Banks's nose before she disappears.

Or can I?

Fuck.

I hurry toward the alley, prepared to do something when I see that Callisto is tipping the slaver's chin up before he leans in and kisses him. The man seems confused but doesn't pull away until Callisto does. Quickly, I slip back out of sight as I question what the fuck is happening. Why the hell would he kiss that creepy fucker?

Did he think he could get the slaver to back off if he did?

I'm still pressed against the wall as Callisto steps out of the alley without taking note of me. He unties his horse and climbs onto his back before turning him toward the palace.

Slipping around the corner, I look down into the alley where the slaver still stands. He takes a step forward and staggers before turning from me. He stumbles then falls to his knees.

The noise of the people behind me hides the sound of my footsteps, so when I come upon the slaver, he hasn't even heard me. He jumps when he notices me, eyes seeking mine as I notice that tears of red are leaking from his eyes. His lips are streaked in black, like veins racing across them. He reaches for me before he falls onto his side where he comes to a rest.

I watch him for a moment before reaching down and rolling him onto his back where it's quite obvious that the man is dead.

Callisto… killed him?

Is he not as innocent and naive as I'd thought? Not that this man was a good guy. He clearly deserved this and worse, but no one was brave enough to do it.

But I've never heard of a fae who can kill with a kiss… maybe it's a good thing I didn't take him back to my bed.