Widowmaker

Widowmaker: Chapters 6-10

Chapter 6

Lukis

I sigh as the dawn light trickles through the window. I hadn't slept last night, going over every detail of what I have to do. It doesn't help that Welyssa has fallen asleep on my arm and wrapped herself in all of the blanket, leaving my bare chest exposed to the chill of the night air. I decide to stop fighting the losing battle of getting rest and slide my arm from underneath her head. She shifts and mutters in her sleep before settling down again. Last night she had claimed part of her payment, making it clear that she would demand more later, complaining that she'd had to weave quite a few lies to convince the Relictmaker to take her offer. It seems the assassin is more suspicious than anticipated. I'll have to be careful not to spook her before I can take her out.

I stand, stretching as I prepare to exercise before breakfast. I'm trying not to envision the assassin's giant brown eyes opening in horror as my blade pierces her heart or cuts across her throat. I don't want to imagine the horror of emotions she'll experience as she realizes she's dying and there's no hope for survival. I've seen that look in plenty of eyes but imagining it from her is almost painful. I shake my head and drop to the floor for push-ups. It's a job. An incredibly lucrative job. She is a person, a person who has murdered enough notable men to catch the eye of my employer. Letting myself feel anything towards her, even for a moment, is unprofessional and unacceptable.

By the time I've finished my routine, I'm sweating and Welyssa is just stirring. She turns over and watches me as I wipe my face and chest. "By the gods, you're perfection," she murmurs in her sultry voice. Her braids have come out during the night, leaving her silvery blond hair mussed and wild.

"Aren't you worried your husband is going to come looking for you?" I pull on a shirt, suddenly self-conscious of her roaming eyes.

"My lord husband was out drinking some business partners last night. He probably hasn't noticed I was gone and will assume I'm already up and about for the day when he wakes. But yes, I suppose you're right." She sighs and sits up, retrieving her dress from the floor. I can tell she takes pleasure in the fact that I'm drinking in her bare curves. "If you mention my husband again while we're together, I'm going to tell the Relictmaker your name and address, understood?"

She scowls and brushes my cheek with a playful finger. I smirk and turn my attention to the kitchen. "Now that you mention it, that would make my job easier if she came to me instead of the other way around. My employer wants proof, though, and to get that I'll have to do as I'm told."

"Damn right," Welyssa purrs in my ear as she nips my lip with her teeth. "You'll be paying off your debt to me until you're old and wrinkled."

I feel a moment of panic at her words and calm myself in the next. One step at a time. First, the job, then finding a way to rid myself of the leech that is Welyssa. That part of the plan will probably be more difficult considering she's not used to rejection and has more means to hunt me down and torture me than any other woman in the city. Damn my impeccable taste in women.

"Do you need me to escort you back up the hill?"

She shakes her head, turning her back to me so I can lace up her dress. "I have a wagon waiting outside. Don't think just because I'm sleeping with you again that you have to take care of me outside this room. I want our relationship to be nothing but pleasant, understood?"

"Yes, my lady," I say as she kisses me firmly before donning her cloak and disappearing through the door without another word. When she leaves, I feel as though a weight has been lifted. Now I can focus on the task ahead. All that's left to do is prepare and wait.