This place is rather noisy.

The Drunken Huntsman was a cacophony of laughter, chatter and the never ending smell of ale tinged with sweat. The place was chock full of people, considering it was happy hour, and here I was, stuck right in the middle of it. Playing the role of barmaid.

And what a barmaid I am.

"Can I get ya somethin, suga?" I speak with a fake accent that I'm very proud of.

It was a mixture of sultry and equal parts ridiculous but good enough to keep the patrons entertained and unsuspecting. One of the better things about today.

The best thing today is the corset I'm proudly wearing. The blasted thing had my chest pushed up to my chin. I keep catching myself staring into the smeary mirror with a stupid grin on my face. Considering my chest is rather floppy, seeing them so perky has perked my own mood up. 

The damned thing is waging a war against gravity, and winning!

"Two ales, please. Sweetheart."

The burly man smiles at me through his bushy beard and several missing teeth while also breaking through my self admiration.

"Comin right up, pookie," I flash the man a grin that might send his mind going in another direction but I can't wipe the shit eating grin off of my face.

Here, I was just another barmaid who flits from table to table. The thick haze of alcohol makes everyone looser not just in their mood but on their lips too. Something I'm counting on.

"Oi, love. One more round here."

My accent is still laid thick as I totter around the grubby place. If there's one thing I'd learned and kept close over the years, it was that nothing diffused people quicker than a smiling girl with an easy laugh and an accent that no one could exactly place. The people here fell for it too. They loved it and couldn't get enough of the foreign barmaid who was bubbly as can be.

Of course, this is all part of a game, one that wasn't too unusual for the supernatural. These poor humans couldn't tell the difference. The few creatures scattered around could see right through me but they didn't care one bit.

As for the humans, I can play them like fiddles and let them see what I want them to while my ears stay tuned on what they don't want me to hear.

I make my way through the tables and place down four sloshing mugs of ale. My eyes scan the tavern and focus on the man seated alone in a dimly lit corner. Only a stray candle sends shadows to dance across his partially hidden face. The man nurses a drink while his dark eyes scan the room.

This isn't normal.

The man is too alert, and suspicious of his surroundings. There's something off about him. It doesn't quite fit into the atmosphere that charges the place.

I go behind the table and pretend to wipe down with a rag in my hand. The man chugs his drink before moving. He's subtle but I'm so focused, I miss nothing. He gestures to someone on the opposite side of the room, someone I hadn't noticed.

A man dressed in the garb of the King's guard.

There's no mistaking that.

The guard approaches the table casually as if he's going for a pleasant walk. The two knock heads and begin to converse in low tones, their voices blending into the noise of the bustling tavern.

They're trying to be careful. More careful than one necessarily is in such places.

Leaning forward, I nearly miss the fact that I'm polishing the head of a bald man.

The poor thing is knocked unconscious from all the ale but he doesn't mind. He'll probably be happy to wake up with a shiny noggin.

"Delivery...Dangerous....King. Tomorrow."

Well slap me on the ass and call me cliche.

The men speak in riddles apart from those words. It's as if they're speaking in tongues with only a few words painting a picture. Even those few words are enough to send a chill down my spine.

"Where the wheel turns, yet the water's still."

I watch with rapt eyes as the man slides something across the table. It's a small square package wrapped in brown paper. The King's guard pockets it deftly. He moved with grace as if he'd done this several times before.

I can't tell what it is but the implications aren't nominal.

I move closer to the table, grabbing a few empty tankards as my heart races. I try not to draw suspicion to myself especially when the guard looks up, locking eyes with me for a short while.

Humming a tune under my breath, I catch the guard whispering something to the man. Something that sounds like a warning.

Oopsie.

I try to keep my wits about. This whole game requires subtlety. A skill that I've been honing for years. It hasn't worked so far but maybe sooner rather than later.

As I catwalk away to fetch more tankards, a loud banging catches my attention... along with everyone else's. The door to the tavern slams forcefully against the wall, causing the place to shake as Kier walks in. His presence falls like a shadow over the room and I curse myself as my heart skips a beat. The man is impossible to miss as his arrival sends a ripple throughout the room. His brooding aura in tow as he enters.

I rush towards the bar, wiping the same rag down the counter, hoping he doesn't notice me.

What the hell is he doing here?

The pause of the patrons breaks off as they break into sounds of laughter once more. Nothing can stop them from drinking to their hearts' delight.

This is supposed to be my undercover sting and he's making it obvious. Like a wolf in a bloody henhouse.

My eyes dart to where the King guard was previously, only to see him vanish along with his companion. Just like that, my lead has vanished.

Kier doesn't take long to find me as his gaze sweeps the room. He stalks his way towards the bar with a purpose in mind. His expression is unreadable but the aim with which he moves is clear.

I'm his target.

I duck behind the bar, pretending to examine something like the beetle crawling its way toward a grain of rice. A boot enters my line of vision and I look up to see Kier standing behind the bar with me, although he's looking down on me like I've done something wrong.

"What in the blazes are ya doin ere?" I hiss as I keep my voice low while popping back up and handing a jug of water to someone trying to get sober.

The man doesn't sit but leans against the counter, casting a shadow over me.

"Your shift ended an hour ago. I could ask you the same thing."

"Why are ye here? Enlighten me, why don't ya?" I can already tell that the somewhat sober patrons were cautious of Kier.

His aura was intimidating.

Kier stares me down and that's when realisation strikes me. Heat crawls its way up my neck as the accent fades away to nothing in my mind. I

"I meant," I clear my throat to drop the exaggerated tone, "What are you doing here?"

Mortification doubles up within me as the corner of the man's mouth twitches slightly before dropping back into his grim expression.

"I finished my work early. I thought I'd check on you."

"You? Check on me? I'm here to do a job, just like you. I'm not your responsibility anyways," I sniff at his words, hoping that the situation was different.

"I know you're not my responsibility but this place isn't to be trusted. I need to make sure the information reaches the right place."

"You don't trust anyone," I counter back.

"Because of your check in on me. I've just lost my lead."

Kier doesn't show surprise but merely leans forward.

"What lead?"

I take a break from the customers and whisper so that no one hears.

"A member of the king's guard was here. He was talking in riddles to a man and passing packages. They're meeting at the Old Mill tomorrow."

"How do you know they're meeting at the mill? Did you catch what they're planning?"

"They're meeting 'where the wheel turns, yet the water's still. That's obviously the Old Mill south of here. I didn't catch what they were planning either. But it doesn't sound like a tea party."

Kier runs his eyes over the patrons.

"This complicates matters."

"No shit. I need to figure out what they're doing tomorrow. If it involves the King, he needs to know immediately."

Kier meets my gaze and surprisingly nods.

"We'll take care of it?"

I blink once and then twice.

"We?" I question with an arched brow.

"Yes. We. You won't go to the Old Mill on your own."

I desperately want to argue with him. It goes against my nature to be told what to do but something holds me back. Something that would even bark if he told me to.

"Fine. But you better not waltz in and blow my cover again."

The wolf gives an imperceptible nod.

"I'll try my best."

Kier doesn't wait any longer and walks out of the tavern just as the woman who helped me come undercover walks in.

She gives me a friendly smile and motions for me to hand over the tasks to her.

That's my shift over.

I thought this whole undercover operation would be complicated.

It's no surprise that my mate was the better half of the enigma.

This was definitely not what I was expecting.

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AN: Two updates in a row? Who is she??