Free Grave Dance by Kalayna Price

flooded my system. I stood, crossing my arms over my chest.
    If Malik had planned to hurt me, he’d had the opportunity while I’d been distracted—but he hadn’t taken it. A good sign, I guessed. I opened my mouth to tel him I’d listen to what he had to say, but Caleb spoke before I got a chance.
    “You didn’t tel me you were attacked by a cu sith.”
    I blinked. “It wasn’t like it was wearing an ID tag.”
    Caleb turned to his friend. “And you, you didn’t tel me either. You didn’t think that was worth mentioning?”
    Malik’s shoulders crowded his large ears as he cringed, and a tinge of color flared in his pal id cheeks. “I was and a tinge of color flared in his pal id cheeks. “I was holding the information as a bargaining chip.”
    “A bargaining chip? I told you that you’d have to be straight with her.”
    “Wel , she hasn’t so much as agreed to hear me out yet, has she?”
    “Hel o, I’m right here,” I said, giving both men a mock wave. “Hol y and I were attacked by a glamour construct built on witch magic that tried to kil us. Does the shape the glamour took real y matter?”
    “Yes,” both men said simultaneously, and I stumbled back a step.
    “Okay.” I looked from one to the other. “Explain. No, actual y, wait. You were on the street yesterday,” I said, focusing on Malik. “I saw you. Did you have anything to do with that creature. Anything at al ?”
    Malik hesitated long enough that I thought he might not answer. Then he blew air out between his teeth and said, “I was fol owing you because I wanted to talk with you. When I saw the cu sith I actual y thought it was after me. Until it saw you and howled.”
    I wasn’t convinced, and I didn’t see how the beast howling at me changed anything, but I nodded for him to continue.
    “Cu sith are a type of faerie dog—” he said, and I scoffed under my breath.
    “That was no dog. The giant faerie cousin of a dire wolf maybe, but not a dog.”
    Malik cleared his throat, ignoring my commentary. “As I was saying, cu sith are a type of faerie dog that disappeared centuries before the Awakening. You said it tried to kil you, but the cu sith were never trained to kil .
    Inside Faerie they guarded against intruders, but when they were sent out of Faerie to hunt, their role was that of retriever. They howled only once they spotted their prey, and if their target heard the third howl before reaching safety, Faerie claimed that mortal—forever.”
    safety, Faerie claimed that mortal—forever.”
    I shivered, remembering the beast’s red eyes locking on me, its giant head tilting back, the howl that made me want to fal to my knees and cower. Twice. It had howled twice.
    I’d been afraid of its teeth, of its claws. I would never have realized I needed to be afraid of its howl.
    “So it was there to steal me away to Faerie?”
    Malik shrugged. “Like you said, it was a construct. But it is my belief that it intended to steal you away to somewhere.”
    I stared at the gangly fae, not real y seeing him anymore.
    My knees felt weak, rubbery, and I wanted to be alone to think about this information. That didn’t seem to be an option.
    After the silence stretched several moments, Malik cleared his throat again. “Wil you hear me out, Miss Craft?”
    I nodded absently and Malik fidgeted, rubbing his fingers and shuffling his feet so that the points of his knees pressed through the threadbare material of his pants.
    “As I’m sure you’l recal ,” he said in his hauntingly musical voice, “two days ago you trekked through my territory in the floodplain and found a pile of feet. Afterward, we had a rather unfortunate encounter.”
    “Al of that was rather memorable.”
    “Yes, wel . . .” He paused and glanced back at Caleb, who nodded, and Malik let his hands fal to his sides. Then he rol ed his shoulders and straightened to his ful height again. “My life and livelihood are in danger. I need to hire you, Miss