The Reaper's Wicked Obsession-Chapter 205: Dealers’ Isle

"Which is it?" Logi’s voice came from behind Kraven at the quarterdeck.

"Picturing ways to dissect Thornfoot? Or thinking about this Serpent’s Tower?"

Kraven stayed quiet, his taut hold against the bulwark.

Logi halted next to him, snickering. "She won’t disappear if you take your eyes off her, you know."

It was unmistakable where his persistent attention was centered. He couldn’t blame him because the view was pleasing enough to charm any male’s eyes.

Her long braid swayed delicately behind her. The fierce look in her eyes as she spoke with Thornfoot.

Her poise held an aura so gentle, yet there was a thorny edge to it. It was baffling how someone could emit such warmth but still exhibit how deep she could cut if threatened.

She was phenomenal.

However, Logi could tell it wasn’t the view that captivated Kraven to render him unresponsive. This was something else.

Logi’s eyebrows tugged together as his mouth moved. "Is something on your mind?"

It was rare to see Kraven so lost in his head. Whatever this was... troubled the horrifying depths of his insanity.

"I don’t feel my thirst whenever I’m with her," Kraven began in a quiet tone, trying to understand his own words. "I’ve no idea when it started, maybe recently."

Logi paused at Kraven’s impulsive confession.

"That’s impossible," he declared with confidence. "I mean, she’s the bane of your existence." He chuckled like there was no other way around this. "Your vulnerability is with her."

"That’s what I thought," Kraven replied with a frown. "It’s funny how much you think you know something, and at the end, you become a stranger to it. I’m not as familiar with my thirst as I thought I was."

Logi gulped, his brain stirring loudly to understand this... and then a realization struck him. Something that’d been in front of them the entire time, but no thought was given to it.

It was an unnecessary factor that he had always viewed as a hindrance to Kraven’s destiny.

"She’s your mate," Logi whispered to him. "That’s the only explanation. Maybe your thirst was meant to adjust with her."

Kraven chuckled, deeply amused as he snapped his gaze away from Isadora, pinning them on Logi with an intensity that caused sweat to break from his forehead.

"My father had a mate," he mused, his tongue swiping his bottom lip. "Look what he did to her."

"A forced mate." Logi defined. "A tainted union just to produce strong heirs. They weren’t chosen by Elska, not like you and Isadora."

"It doesn’t matter, Logi, I still loathe the fact she’s my mate."

"Why? Because you know a bond is inevitable?" Logi countered. "You always wanted to own her soul, but you don’t want the same for her, do you?" freewebnøvel.com

A twisted feeling settled in Kraven’s chest, his blood boiling through his veins, unleashing a burning sensation on his skin.

"The last thing I want is her inside my head," he declared, venom entwined with his tone. "The last time she had a peek, I blanked out and almost broke her neck."

Logi’s blood ran cold at his words. "I never knew this."

"How would you know?" Kraven turned away, his eyes pinned on Isadora, alone, watching the horizon. "She can erase anything with a twirl of her fingers."

He suddenly recalled the winters of abuse she endured at the hands of Dashwell. Fury coiled deep within him, and he channeled it toward his grip, and the wood fractured under his hold.

Kraven pulled away his attention from her and settled it on Logi with furious eyes. "Don’t think of playing smart by telling her the truth. Do that and I swear to the gods I won’t hesitate to kill you. I won’t blink."

Logi frowned. "I never intend to. It’s doing more harm than good."

"Finally, we agree on something. Let’s keep it that way to avoid any misfortunes."

~♧~

A Moon Later

Dealers’ Isle

They docked at the seaside, where an outlaw society was present, a place where myriad items are peddled.

Not just any items, but a majority of things the Fae society deemed forbidden—things you never thought existed and are lost in time.

After a whole month of nothing but the sea view, Isadora felt like she had stepped into a whole new world.

Compared to the Grim Isle, where the dark cloud hung above the skies, shrouding everything in a gloomy force. This place was the complete opposite, but still held the same ambiance.

The market was built between tall buildings under arched bridges and hanging lights. The sky could still be seen above, and the sun was at its highest peak.

Lining the narrow, stone-paved streets are stalls filled with more than just fruits and clothes—the forbidden are proudly displayed; weapons, potions, stolen artifacts, rare herbs, and captured creatures.

Cloaked figures strolled the area, each carrying weapons or something Isadora had never seen before. They held the same stony expressions as they made exchanges with the sellers.

Isadora came to a halt when her eyes caught something in a cage, hanging in mid-air with a chain attached to it from a stall.

At first, she thought she might be seeing things, but when the shadow revealed itself, It was a pitch-black creature, almost like a spot of ink, with slender eight legs, and onyx eyes, mirroring the light.

"Care to make a trade?" The owner of the stall asked, grinning ear to ear and displaying most of his missing teeth, and the rest of them were turned silver. "We can wager on a good price."

Isadora scowled. She had no idea what that thing was. But something told her the man thought so too, given his interest, it was clear he wanted to sell what she wasn’t familiar with.

She stepped away and hurried to catch up with the others, adjusting her tunic hood properly, but an elderly woman blocked her way.

"May I offer you some potions?" She grinned. "Why don’t you come with me? I’ll show you things you’ve never seen before." She grabbed Isadora’s hands with her wrinkled ones.

For a peculiar reason, her offer piqued Isadora’s interest far more than that creepy creature she had seen earlier.

However, a hand grasped her waist, pulling her to a massive frame.

Upon seeing the terrifying Fae, the elderly woman backed away in cautious steps.

"Careful, love," Kraven whispered in her ear. "This place is famous for alluring customers whether they want to or not. At the end of the day, you either go missing or have no idea why you spent all your money."

"Did she jinx me?" Isadora asked, mortified. For a minute, she wanted to go, the urge was so strong that if Kraven hadn’t held her, she would have followed the strange woman.

"No, I call it the power of persuasion."

She gulped, forcing her gaze back ahead to avoid any unwanted persuasion.

"Don’t wander again, love, I almost lost you there." His grip tightened around her waist like steel.

"Where are the Serpents you sent here?" Logi asked, eyes skimming through the busy area.

This was the perfect place to find Huntsmen, there were things here that not even they could resist.

Thornfoot did good business. He knew the ideal place to send his clients.

"They came to me asking where they could find a rare item; that pawnshop is their stop." Thornfoot pointed to an area before turning to them. "Unfortunately, following me around will get the owner’s suspicion."

"Why? Is your unfamiliarity with hygiene too obvious?" Kraven questioned.

Isadora snorted a laugh, realizing the ungodly sound she just made, and she covered her mouth.

"I do have hygiene!" Thornfoot defended. "I’m serious about this. The pawnshop owner is a good friend, and he has other good friends, and things could get messy if he finds out I’m taken prisoner."

"You mean as a tour guide? You’ve got to be specific," Logi mused.

"Logi, follow him. We’ll wait out here." Kraven nudged his head. "Cut his hands off if he tries anything funny. I’m not opposed to meeting these good friends of yours."

Thornfoot gulped. ’There goes my chance to escape.’

"Certainly, I love a good clean cut," Logi said, unsheathing his axe and giving a kiss to steel. He placed a hand around his shoulder like they were good friends. "Lead the way."

Isadora watched as they left for the shop, however, Kraven’s hand seized her wrist and hauled her to follow him.

"Where are we going?" She asked but got silence in return.

They walked through the alley leading to another line of stalls. Smoke filled the area, as well as a delicious smell that Isadora couldn’t discern.

They stopped at an open stall with crystals decorating the shade. There were others seated too, each engaging in various small talks and paying no one heed.

That was one thing Isadora found herself liking about the Isles, despite being an epicenter for outlaws. No one gave any attention to anyone, as long as it wasn’t their business.