She gave into his kiss and suddenly the world felt right again.

***

"Cadence," she breathed against his lips. Even his name felt good in her mouth.

Reaching up, Dylan tangled her fingers in Cadence's hair, and pulled the hood of his cloak up over his head to help hide his face.

Raising her eyes, she saw a shape in a cloak standing at the end of the alley, staring at her. She was glad it was too dark to make anything out clearly. To Laikin, they would seem like nothing more than a man and woman getting physically intimate.

'There are several prostitutes here, so it wouldn't seem abnormal.'

The figure moved a few steps toward them.

'Damn it, are we not convincing enough?'

Dylan pulled back, looking up into his eyes. "Please touch me," she whispered. "Don't stop touching me."

The words hung heavy between them, and the world around them seemed to slow down. Cadence pushed her back harder into the wall, then buried his face in her neck. He was afraid that if he touched her anymore, he wouldn't be able to control himself.

He kissed her neck gently, his hand sliding down to where her skirt had ridden up, pushing his hand up beneath the fabric. His hand continued under the material of her dress, up the soft skin of her thigh.

"More," she whispered, digging her nails into the material of his shirt. Her arms wrapped around him, her body quivered. "Please."

Dylan held onto his hard frame, tightening her legs around his hips as he continued to kiss her neck. She couldn't get caught. She couldn't let Laikin see her. She might find some excuse for hooking up with Cadence, but she would never be able to explain her presence here.

She glanced around for the cloaked figure, but it was nowhere to be seen.

'Did it work?'

Cadence followed her gaze to the other end of the alley. He sighed with disappointment. It was a pity the cloaked figure didn't stay longer.

Finally, he set her down gently on the ground. But he didn't loosen his grip on her. They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, both breathing heavily.

"Thank you," she mumbled, barely audible. Her face turned red with embarrassment.

'Thank you? Did I just say thank you?'

She glanced at him and he smiled—a smile that made her heart skip beats. Why was that? She couldn't deny that Cadence was a handsome man, but she reminded herself firmly again that she couldn't afford to have a romantic relationship with anyone. Not when she couldn't even understand her own emotions.

"I'm okay now," she said, stepping back from his embrace. "I need to find out what he's doing here."

They circled the building, peering in and trying the windows as they went along. However, their best efforts were futile. From outside, the building looked abandoned: crumbling stones, broken railings and old doors. It must've been made intentionally and in such a way to ward off people.

"Enough, let's not waste anymore time." She glanced one last time at the building. "How cumbersome."

'Laikin de Frederique, what are you up to?'

It's better if she doesn't know, Cadence thought, as they hurriedly walked away away. It was an Assassins' Guild, a place where people commissioned professional killers.

Dylan stopped abruptly. When he halted and turned to her, she awkwardly extended a hand to him.

"Can you hold my hand?" she asked. She looked away from him, as though she were embarrassed. "If you're oka—"

Her words were cut off in mid sentence as Cadence pressed his mouth onto hers. Didn't she know he would give her anything? He loved her so much. There was no doubt about it. Was it because he loved her so much that he wanted more than just holding hands?

She gave into his kiss and suddenly the world felt right again.

***

The old doorknob turned easily, and after a light push, the door creaked open allowing them entry into a small store brightly lit with numerous candles. Dylan glanced around the cramped store, then turned back to frown at Cadence. Was this really an appropriate place for storing solid and liquid poisons?

Behind a counter at the back of the room, an old gentleman watched them curiously. "Welcome, welcome," the man said as he waved at them. His other hand was holding a vial of some sort.

Dylan pulled down her hood and said, "Good evening, sir." She smiled as if he were some kindly uncle.

"What's a little girl doing in a place like this?" He titled his head to one side. "Go home, little girl. This place isn't safe."

Looking into his eyes, her smile faded as she tried to determine if he was serious. "I'll pay you generously for your time," she said. "Very generously."

His eyes gleamed hungrily as they rested on the girl. He was not immoral enough to sell poison to a young girl, but he would do anything for money. Many people had died by his poisons, perhaps hundreds. But he didn't want to help a young girl become a killer.

"You oughtn't to do anything bad with what you buy, okay?" He sighed. "What does the little miss need?"

"I want to pay you for the knowledge you have," she said. A few moments later she pulled out a rumpled sheet of paper. "Can you take a look at this?"

The man behind the counter eyed her suspiciously as she slid a sheet of paper across the counter to him. He looked at the paper for a few minutes before he spoke again.

The old man sighed. "These are—"

"Symptoms. Someone dear to me was poisoned. It was most likely a concocted poison—one made from various ingredients. Can you try and decipher what they are?"

He picked the paper up, holding it close to the light. "It'd be easier if I was able to examine the poisoned individual up close, but I'll do my best." He picked up a pen and began jotting down some words down on the paper.

Dylan glanced around the store. The walls were lined with shelves, and on them stood vials of every size and colour.

Turning back to the merchant she said, "Your talents are wasted here."

The old man flinched. This was not alchemy, and he was not concocting some sort of fabulous potions. He was notorious for concocting the vilest poisons in the Red District. He aided in the deaths of many.

"It looks quite small in here," she said slowly. "Wouldn't you like a bigger shop? One located outside of the Red District?"

Hearing her remark, he glanced up. "It's hard to be a toxicologist outside of the Red District, little miss." The old man sighed. "Shops in the capital are very expensive, and I would need to take an Imperial exam to be licensed to sell."

"That's true." Dylan smiled slowly, with the prettiest smirk imaginable. "But it's not hard when you have the money for it."

He blinked at her. "What are you saying?"

"Come with me. If you manage to cure my grandfather, I'll give you a shop in the capital and pay for your licence. What do you say? Doesn't it sound like a promising deal?"



AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I've literally been working everyday and I'm so tired... ugh!

Webcomic rough sketches are in the making guys!!

And I will officially be releasing chapters of "The Villainess Will Die" this weekend.

Love you all XOXO