Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(38)

"Point me in the right direction, and I'll see what I can do," I said. "You know I can't promise."

Argus nodded, his expression saying he didn't really care. "I'll send the fee to the usual place."

"See that you do."

"They've been hanging out around the stage. No doubt to steal food from the unwary." Argus clicked his teeth.

Sounded like them. I'd never known a harpy who didn't get a kick out of stealing from a human, especially when it involved food.

I tucked my hands in my pockets and strolled off, Nathan an unhappy shadow at my back.

Argus shouted after me, "Tell them I don't want them within ten feet of my truck."

I waved a hand in the air to acknowledge his statement before the crowd swallowed me as I pushed through it, making my way back to the stage. It seemed to have doubled in the time I spent talking to Argus, and it was an effort to make any forward progress.

For all that I'd given Nathan a hard time about his dislike of the festival, I wasn't much better off. Crowds set my back to itching and triggered a mild case of claustrophobia. I could feel any good humor draining away bit by bit as I forced my way through, leaving me cranky and out of sorts by the time we found our way back to the stage.

"Where are these harpies?" Nathan asked close to my ear. "I'd like to get this over with, so we can get out of here. All these people are getting on my nerves."

I watched the crowd for a minute, trying to spot my quarry. "We may need to spread out. Argus was right. They tend to congregate around large crowds so they can snatch food from humans. They turn it into a game to see who can be the most daring."

Nathan eyed me for a long moment.

"What? You're the one who wants out of here faster. Otherwise, we could be here for an hour or more while we search." He didn't look convinced. "You don't have to go far and can keep me in sight. It's not like you can't run me down with your superior speed anyway."

He looked around the crowd, noting how tightly crammed they were into the space. Not a speck of green existed between one folding chair and the next. It would indeed take hours to search this place.

"Fine, but you don't leave my sight, and you stay in this area." He pointed his finger at me for emphasis.

I held up my hands up in agreement.

"I mean it. You won’t like the consequences if you test me, and I know Liam would agree with me."

"You got it. Don't leave the area; stay within eyesight."

He gave me a long look, making it clear he didn't entirely trust me, before turning and moving through the crowd as he scanned for the harpies.

I waited a beat, watching him as he observed the crowd with a heavy frown before I circled in the opposite direction. I hadn't lied. It really would have taken us hours to piece through this crowd, so it was a good thing I already had an idea of where they were hiding.

Harpies were women, who for all intents and purposes, were half birds. That meant they favored high spots. I'd done several jobs for the flock in the past and had acted as an intermediary between them and Argus during the last food festival. I made my way to the left side of the stage, careful to stay where Nathan could see me.

When I was on the edge of the crowd, I looked up into the dark shadows by the stage and jerked my head, nodding toward a spot to the side of the crowd that was relatively private. There was a rustle of feathers and the shadows swirled, letting me know my request had been received.

I turned and walked, scanning the crowd to make it seem like I was still searching. When I reached the spot, I waited. It wasn’t long before a lean woman with sharp features clad in a thin t-shirt and jeans with holes in them strode up. She had motorcycle boots on her feet and looked like the type who would be perfectly happy to stomp someone to death with those boots. At the moment, she looked human as long as one didn't peer too closely, her wings and more birdlike features hidden so the normals around us didn't freak out at the spook in their midst.

Her eyes were fierce as they met mine, and her thin mouth stretched into a smile showing her pointed teeth. Her head cocked in a very birdlike manner as she said with a thick accent, "Little vampire, I see the satyr went whining to you again."

I leveled an amused look on her. "Did you expect any different, Natalia? I heard you were sabotaging his generator again."

She waved a hand and scoffed. "He has no proof. The old goat is paranoid and likes to blame others for his own neglect."

It was possible she was telling the truth—Argus did have a tendency to be cheap when it came to anything but food—but the sly look in her eyes told me she or one of her sisters had a hand in his generator’s unreliability over the past few hours.

"How 'bout you leave him alone and focus on a more challenging quarry?" I said.

Her eyes sharpened, and she tilted her head in interest. "What did you have in mind?"

I nodded toward where Nathan was moving through the crowd. "I know you and your sisters love a good hunt. The vampire should prove challenging enough for you."

Her eyes slid to Nathan, who chose that moment to look up, spotting us talking on the edge of the crowd. His brow furrowed, but he didn't look overly suspicious. Not yet.

"Ah, I had heard the bloodsuckers were trying to lock you down, little vampire."