To Kill a Fae - A Fantasy Romance

Chapter 6

Sabine climbed out the window and pulled herself onto the roof. Malek managed to follow her with little trouble, even though he significantly outweighed her. This only elevated her opinion of him. She bit back a smile and motioned for him to follow. If Malek had such skill as a ship captain, it wasn't surprising he'd found smuggling to be profitable.

"Which direction?" she asked when he crouched down beside her.

"Back toward the docks, but we'll need to head to the surface streets when we get closer. I'm not familiar enough with the city to identify the landmarks from here."

She nodded and climbed over a parapet wall onto a lower section of roof. "You handle yourself well up here."

"Do you travel the rooftops often?"

"Only when I'm trying to avoid attention," she admitted, pointing out an area where the roof appeared a bit weaker. It would support her weight, but probably not his. He nodded and moved behind her while she led him across several more buildings and toward the edge of Dax's territory. The city guards patrolled this area, but many of them were in Dax's pocket. She wasn't sure what instructions he'd given regarding her, but it was safe to assume she needed to avoid them.

"The night we met... were you trying to draw attention? Was that why you weren't traveling the rooftops?"

She frowned. "No. I was careless that night."

Malek arched his brow. "Most people wouldn't have admitted that."

"I'm not most people."

"I'm learning that," he said quietly.

Sabine darted another glance at him. He studied her again with that unnerving intensity of his. She frowned and turned away, determined to focus on their destination. Malek was a mystery she intended to solve, but she had to keep reminding herself to be patient.

Moving forward, she leapt over the railing of a low terrace and climbed up to the adjacent rooftop before crossing to the next building. An owl hooted in the distance, and she paused at the edge of the roof. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and took the pulse of the night. Everything was quiet, as though even the few stray people wandering the streets were being respectful of the night's silent embrace. The owl was just an owl this time, not a warning.

Sabine opened her eyes and waited for Malek to crouch beside her once again. For such a large man, he had the uncanny ability to wrap himself in the shadows and move silently. Her suspicions deepened that he was much more than he pretended. But then again, they all were pretending to some degree.

"Does this look familiar?" she asked softly, reluctant to disturb the night's silence.

"I believe so." He gestured farther down the street. "Is there a butcher's shop down that way?"

Sabine nodded. The area he referred to was more congested, but she'd have to take the chance on being recognized. Gesturing toward a trellis which had been a common climbing point for her over the years, she said, "We can get down to the street from here."

Leading the way, she lowered herself using the trellis as a makeshift ladder. She dropped down the rest of the way once she was low enough and brushed off her hands while Malek started his descent.

Malek jumped off the trellis, landing lightly on his feet beside her. She started, and he chuckled. "You don't have to look so shocked. I may not be accustomed to your rooftop traveling, but while my mischievous little sister was growing up, she often found herself in out-of-the-way places, particularly when she was trying to get out of her studies. I usually had to hunt her down before our parents discovered she was missing. It led me to climbing some rather tall trees and onto a roof a time or two."