Free Black Widow Demon by Paula Altenburg Page B

settling in for a lengthy conversation, the movement placing his back to the sun. The wide brim of his hat cast his face into shadow.
    “There are lots of things in people’s paths these days,” he said. Somewhere inside the rooming house, a door slammed. “Spawn, for example. Maybe you’ve seen some in your travels.”
    “Not that I know of, but I’m told they favor their fathers.” Blade patted his leg. “And I’ve seen a demon up close. They’re exceptionally ugly, so their spawn shouldn’t be too difficult to identify.”
    Justice was watching him the way a snake watched a crippled rat. “You were at the town meeting last night and saw the female spawn escape.”
    Blade did not deny it. The woman at the store had remarked on his presence already, and he did not want to raise more suspicion. He was losing time.
    He hitched the bag of goods he had purchased higher on his shoulder. “I walked across the entire desert and saw no signs of either demon or spawn.” He kept his tone flat, unemotional. “The last time I got too close to a demon it tried to eat me alive. I learned to stay as far away from them as possible. Whatever this woman is, she’s your problem, not mine.”
    He climbed the last few steps, indicating the conversation was finished, at least from his perspective.
    “You’re an assassin,” Justice said to his retreating back.
    Blade stiffened. At first, he thought he had been recognized. Then he realized, from the angle of the other man’s head, that one of his knives was poking out of his clothing. He could not believe his carelessness. His weapons were not as well hidden in his new clothing as they would have been in the coat he left with Raven. In the past, such a mistake would have cost him his life. The thought left him uneasy.
    “A long time ago. Not anymore,” he replied.
    Justice was regarding him in a different light now. A well-trained assassin would not need two good legs to be deadly. Blade could almost see his brain calculating the possibilities.
    “Once an assassin, always an assassin. Each of you has a duty to defend the territory of the goddesses from demons. That includes demon spawn.”
    “Goddesses don’t have territory here anymore, and neither do demons. My only duty is to myself, and as I’ve already told you, I’ve seen no sign of spawn. Your stepdaughter is your problem.”
    Recognition finally dawned on Justice’s face. “I know who you are,” he said, arrogance returning to his manner. “I’ll pay you to bring her back to me, but I want her alive. I know your reputation.”
    I know your reputation.
    In those early days, when Blade had been an untested boy unable to be selective about the work he accepted, he had been forced to hunt down two desperate women who’d run from slavery. He had not returned them to their owners alive—not because he’d wanted to kill them but because death had been preferable to them. Neither would have survived for long on her own. They faced starvation at the very least. At the worst, the demons would have gotten them. Killing the women had been a kindness on his part. They had begged him for it. That did not mean he had enjoyed it or was proud of the reputation he’d earned because of it.
    Raven was a different type of woman altogether. She could survive on her own. But not in her current situation.
    “Keep your money,” he said. “I don’t like demons. If she’s spawn, and she crosses my path, she’s as good as dead.”
    The Godseeker’s face darkened and his jaw tightened, but he did not press Blade further. He took a step back to signal he was done. “It’s your choice. If you kill her, there’s a reward for her body. If she’s returned alive, the reward will be greater.”
    A bounty had been placed on Raven’s head. Blade steeled his expression even as unease ran through him. The sun was inching toward the deepening skyline—he had been gone too long.
    He did not pause this time, or otherwise acknowledge