Isla

  As we stepped into the café and the atmosphere shifted, I realized this was something else entirely different than the errands we’d been running the last couple hours.

  The man sitting in the corner wasn’t like the others we’d encountered today. He looked ordinary at first glance, but there was an edge to him—a sharpness in the way he held himself, the way his gaze flicked around the room like he was waiting for a fight.

  I stood a little straighter, the snakes stirring beneath my scarf.

  “Finn,” the man said, his gravelly voice carrying easily over the hum of the café. The man looked to be in his late twenties, not that that means much in the world of magic and immortals. He had pale skin and dark, curly hair. His green eyes were alight with that more than human glow.

  “Jonas,” Finn replied smoothly, sliding into the seat across from him.

  Jonas’s gaze flicked to me, his lips twitching with something I couldn’t quite name. “And this is…?”

  “Nobody you need to worry about,” I said before Finn could answer, my tone sharper than I intended.

  Jonas raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he turned his attention back to Finn, leaning forward slightly. “You got what I need?”

  Finn didn’t flinch, his posture relaxed as he settled into the chair. “That depends. You got what I asked for?”

  Jonas hesitated, his fingers drumming lightly against the edge of the table. “It wasn’t easy to get.”

  “It never is,” Finn said, his tone even. “But you’ve always managed.”

  The man sighed, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small envelope. He slid it across the table, his eyes darting to the door like he expected someone to burst through at any moment.

  Finn didn’t move right away. Instead, he turned his head slightly, glancing at me. “Isla, keep an eye on things, yeah?”

  The snakes hissed softly at the edge of my thoughts, their collective unease pressing against my mind. I frowned but nodded, stepping back to stand near the door. “Fine. But don’t take too long.”

  His lips twitched like he wanted to smile, but his attention was already back on Jonas and the envelope in front of him.

  Finn picked it up with careful precision, his fingers brushing the edge as he slid the contents free. A single slip of paper, folded neatly. His eyes scanned it quickly, his expression giving nothing away.

  Jonas leaned forward, his voice dropping to a low murmur. “That enough for you?”

  Finn’s fingers tapped the edge of the table, the faintest hint of amusement breaking through his calm. “It’s a start.”

  Jonas bristled, his fingers tightening on his mug. “What about my end?”

  Finn reached into his jacket, pulling out one of the vials he’d prepared earlier. He set it on the table with deliberate care, the soft glow of its contents catching the dim light.

  Jonas stared at the vial, his hand hovering over it like it might bite. “This it?”

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  “It’s what you need,” Finn said, his voice firm but quiet.

  Jonas’s gaze flicked to him, then back to the vial. “And what if it’s not enough?”

  Finn leaned back slightly, his calm unshaken. “It will be.”

  The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken tension. The snakes stirred again, their unease buzzing faintly as I scanned the café for anything—or anyone—out of place.

  Finally, Jonas grabbed the vial, tucking it into his pocket with a sharp nod. “Pleasure doing business with you,” he muttered, his tone making it clear the sentiment was anything but genuine.

  Finn didn’t respond, his gaze steady as Jonas stood and slipped out of the café without another word.

  The door clicked shut behind him, and I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “That was… subtle.”

  Finn stood, tucking the slip of paper into his pocket. “Subtle’s not really his thing.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “And you trust him?”

  “Trust?” Finn echoed, his lips quirking into a faint smile. “He’s harmless.”

  I crossed my arms, leaning against the doorframe as he made his way toward me. “Then what was all that for?”

  He shrugged lightly, holding the door open for me. “Come on.”

  The air outside the café felt heavier than when we’d gone in, the kind of weight that settled between my shoulders and made the snakes stir uneasily. Noodle flicked her tongue against my cheek, her curiosity buzzing in my thoughts like static.

  “Are you going to tell me what that was about?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended as Finn fell into step beside me.

  “Eventually,” he said, his hands slipping into his jacket pockets.

  “Eventually,” I repeated, glaring up at him. “That’s it? You drag me out here, make me stand guard during whatever shady exchange that was, and I just get a ‘you’ll find out’?”

  Finn glanced at me, his lips twitching into the faintest smirk. “You’re cute when you’re annoyed.”

  My jaw tightened, heat rising in my cheeks as the snakes shifted beneath the scarf. “You’re insufferable.”

  “And you’re fun to take along on outings,” his tone light but warm.

  I scowled, adjusting the strap of the canvas bag on my shoulder. The ridiculous Medusa logo felt heavier now, like it was mocking me for agreeing to come along in the first place. “I’m serious, Finn. Who was that guy, and what was in that vial?”

  He paused mid-step, turning to face me fully. “He’s…a fixer of sorts—finds things, connects people, that kind of thing. The vial? Just a little incentive to keep him motivated.”

  “And the piece of paper?” I pressed, crossing my arms.

  “Information,” he said simply, his dark eyes holding mine for a beat too long before he started walking again. “The kind I’ll need if I’m going to keep you safe.”

  The snakes buzzed faintly at the edges of my mind, their unease rippling through me like a static charge. “You really think I’m in that much danger?”

  Finn’s steps slowed, his expression softening slightly as he glanced at me again. “I know you are.”

  His voice was quiet but certain, the weight of his words pressing into the air between us. The snakes calmed slightly, their earlier agitation giving way to something quieter, steadier. Even Viper, the eternal skeptic, rested more loosely against my neck.

  I hated the way my chest tightened at his words, the way his calm certainty made my own defenses feel thin and hollow. “And that guy? You trust him to help?”

  “Yes,” Finn said simply, his tone steady. I could see that he was holding back something about the guy, but pressing wasn’t getting me anywhere.

  “So what now?” I finally asked.

  Finn tilted his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Now we wait.”

  “For what?”

  “For Jonas to do his part,” he said, his tone maddeningly casual. “And for the next move to make itself clear.”

  The snakes shifted again, their curiosity mingling with mine as we turned another corner, the city around us alive with its usual hum of noise and motion. I glanced at Finn, his steady stride and calm demeanor at odds with the tension buzzing beneath my skin.

  “You know,” I said finally, breaking the quiet, “for someone who claims to know so much, you’re pretty vague.”

  His lips twitched into another smirk, his gaze flicking to mine. “Would you prefer I narrate everything? ‘Finn turns left. Finn picks up an apple. Finn—’”

  “Stop,” I said, my voice sharp but edging toward laughter. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “And you’re still here,” he countered, his tone light but pointed.

  The snakes stirred again, their movements brushing against my thoughts like a ripple of static. He wasn’t wrong. For all my irritation, I was still here, still following him through the maze of his so-called business, still letting him pull me into whatever mess I’m guessing had been waiting millennia to unfold.

  It started to drizzle as we walked and I couldn’t help but feel like it was an omen.