The Beastkeeper's Redemption

Twenty-Eight

Twenty-Eight 

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

Izzy ascertained that Kaede had indeed followed her directives - for a change - before making her own escape from the crowded vicinity, her eyes tracking the sway of his broad shoulders as he merged with a group of men congregating in the passage just before the exit she had indicated.

She spun on her heel, bending slightly to grasp handfuls of her skirts and hoisting them from the fray and filth on the floor, and made in the opposite direction. As far as she was able to discern, the attention of the thankfully inebriated occupants of the room was solely on the fallen young lord, who was presently howling obscenities and vows of retribution to anyone who would listen. Since Lewis Grant had an abominable amount of clout amongst his kind, Izzy could easily deduce that there would be many present tonight who would lend him a sympathetic ear.

She readily accepted that she would be paid a visit later by the guards- if she was not apprehended at the club, first.

It was amazing, she thought to herself, just how often of late she was involved with the law.

Using her shortness to her advantage, she slipped into the adjacent chamber where men were jostling with each other to place their bets on a certain game of cards. She skirted along the edges of the room, locating the connecting door that would take her into the next, and then the next, until she emerged within the entrance foyer of the establishment from where she first entered.

Here it was quiet, the sounds from within the belly of the building muted by the shuttered doors surrounding her, which is why it was easy for her to locate the sounds of shuffling and muffled groaning. Connor, the burly guard who normally monitored the entrance and exit of the club, was slumped against a wall in a darkened corner, his brows furrowed at her in a scowl of vehemence. Another series of inarticulate grunts left him then and he squirmed for all his worth. Even though it was clear there was no rope binding him, Izzy knew all too well what ailed him, having been on the receiving end of Kaede's binding charm far too recently herself.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, contrite. Truly, she had never really thought anything more of the fellow, having always been treated kindly by him, but she suspected that after tonight Connor wouldn't look too fondly upon her again.

She stepped over his ankles and pulled open the door, stepping out into the shadows. The street was quiet and empty, and Izzy was quick to descend the few steps leading from the entrance and trotted round the side of the building.

The narrow alleyway that she entered that would lead her to where Kaede was likely to emerge was darker here and littered with wooden debris - abandoned and discarded pallets and storage crates in various stages of decay or mould. A dank odour lingered in the air, cloying and thick, as her shoes squelched in the unpleasant substance that coated the cobblestones down this length of street.

Kaede was easy to identify, loping towards her with an urgency that set her heart racing. In the dim narrowness of the alleyway, he cut an imposing figure and she was reminded once more of his size, how easily he could overpower her, yet all his proceedings towards her had been nothing short of reverent and gentle. She spied the almost lambent intensity of his gaze as he homed in on her, his tail lashing back and forth from behind him.

When he was but a few feet from her, his large hands spanned her upper arms, thumbs stroking soothing circles against the naked flesh his skin touched- warm and familiar. "Iz," he murmured, the rough husk of his voice drifting over her skin like warm, welcome honey, "I don't know if I should kiss you or give you a stern talking to."