"Friends of yours?" Hans asked—and by the gods, was that... humour in his voice?
The armed figures drew near, their dirty boots splashing through muddy puddles of water on the ground, even though they could've just... walked around it.
My instincts begged, threatened, screamed at me to flee. But Hans... the man hadn't even moved an inch.
I looked at him like he'd lost it. "Do they fucking look friendly to you?!"
Maybe they did. To a demon.
"No," he admitted quietly, tilting his head as he studied the approaching men. "They do not, and I do not seem to recognise them either. Do you know these men?"
I shook my head sharply.
"They seem to know you."
That's the problem.
"Everyone knows me," I said quickly, flexing my fingers at my sides. It was true—I was one of the last Siphoner Witches of this generation. And I was the only one of them with red hair streaked with golden-black strands. Very easy to identify.
This was bad.
Really bad.
Mercury eyes dropped to me, a corner of his mouth twitching like he was amused by my impending doom.
Of course he was, the raving lunatic.
"I could do you a favour and get rid of them," he said lightly, like it was tea he was offering and not murder.
I'll take it.
"Really?" My eyes widened with hope.
"Yes. But you'll have to do whatever I ask afterwards."
The hell? No way.
That was vague as hell. And dangerous. He could demand anything—
"Well?"
"Too vague. Can't you just say what you want?" Time was bleeding away.
"Or I could just... leave now and let them deal with you?" His eyes gleamed like he'd enjoy the show.
Of me being ripped apart, torn to pieces—whatever the hell these men had in store for me.
I–
"You know they're the better option, right?" I deadpanned.
Surprise lifted his brows.
I might've laughed, were my life not in grave danger.
He must not realise how dangerous people saw him. Or maybe he did and just liked to hear it.
"How so?" he questioned.
"Now's really not the time..." I spoke through clenched teeth, my nervous eyes fixed on the growing number of men ahead. Couldn't he see them?
There were too many. More than I could handle.
Fuck.
"No, truly. Tell me." His tone was playfully light, like he enjoyed watching me squirm. The bastard… And, really—the answer should've been obvious, but–
"At least with them, I know they just want my head. Or my abilities." Maybe.
"Wait, you think I don't want the same?"
"You haven't killed me, have you? Or stripped me of it already." I said. "You want something else."
The thought was unsettling.
"Hm," he hummed, consideringly. "Is that so?"
I threw him an unimpressed look.
"Fair enough." He grinned. Then on second thought– "But how's 'something else' with me worse than death, or being stripped of your essence by them?" He sounded almost insulted... but also a bit curious, like he really wanted to know.
"Hans, you're... you, okay?" I said, not knowing how else to put it.
He raised a brow, waiting.
"Okay, fine. You're... possessed." There. I said it.
"True." He agreed, nodding slowly and folding his arms.
Plus, I thought grimly, you're not even mad I just stole an alarming amount of power from you. That's suspicious as hell.
Normally, others would've slit my throat by now, having realized I'd been after their powers—let alone when I'd successfully taken it.
What was his endgame?
"Okay," he said easily, and turned away.
Wait—was he leaving?
What? I stared at his back, incredulously. He was really going to walk off and let them take me?
And here I'd thought stalling might've just... I don't know, pushed him to do the needful—and spared me the indignity of having to agree to his terms.
But he was hell-bent on wringing something more out of this.
"Fine!" I snapped.
He stopped, glancing over his shoulders. "Say the words."
Was he serious? There was no time!
He started walking again.
"Help–" Sigh. "Help me." I gritted out.
Fight for me, you arrogant bastard.
"But whatever you plan to do, you better do it fast." The men were only feet away now.
He studied me for a long, unsettling minute—as if weighing the decision, and coming to the conclusion that saving me might not be worth it afterall. Then—
"I'm going to let Zalem out again," he said at last.
I blinked, my brows knitting in confusion.
Huh?
Who the hell was— "And when I do," his voice turned serious. "I need you to run."
My eyes widened. What?
"Understand?"
Chills raced down my spine. Was Zalem the— I didn't get the chance to ask, because—
"Step away from the girl!" Another audacious man gave Hans a final warning.
"I'm afraid I can't," He replied smoothly, brushing... imaginary dust off his fancy coat—one that was about to get very stained with blood soon.
Was he trying to be cool right now?
To prove my point, he dropped his hands, folding them neatly behind his back, relaxed.
A bit too relaxed.
"This lady has something of mine—and until I get it back, you'll have to wait your turn."
Wait their turn? What the hell?—like I was some whore at the Velvet House?
"That's irrelevant, Hybrid." The speaker snapped, cutting off my spiralling thoughts. "This is Guild business. Stay out of it!"
Guild business? My stomach twisted. Someone had employed these men to kill me?
"I'll give you three seconds to rethink this." Hans warned them, his voice low, almost bored— but it was cold enough to make another involuntary shiver run through me.
The nearest man laughed, cocking his crossbow. "You're not in your palace now, prince. Step aside—"
"Three." Hans moved.
Steel flashed. Blood sprayed. Swords clattered to the ground as man after man dropped, gurgling their last breath.
Run. He'd told me to run.
I didn't wait to watch the rest unfold—I fled!
Bolting left first, then right—I didn't even know where to go.
My thoughts were scattered. Chaotic—in a way that left me stranded, delaying my plan to escape by precious minutes.
In the end, I'd been heading for the opening of a different alley when something hard and unyielding hooked around my waist, yanking me backwards.
I shrieked!
My back slammed into something even harder than what had wrapped around my waist. His chest. The air was hijacked from my lungs so aggressively, it burned! I wheezed, gasping and coughing.
My heart hammered like crazy. Panic seized my senses, adrenaline flooding my veins.
"Leaving sso ssoon?" Hans murmured in my ear. But his voice was... different, somehow. Rougher around the edges, and the snake-speak was back.
I shuddered.
Zalem.