One

"Damn!" I curse loudly, tightly clenching the hilts of the daggers in frustration before slamming them into their sheathes.

I burst into a dead sprint after my target, hoping to catch him before I completely lose sight of him. I was not expecting him to run away, and it pissed me off how much of a coward he turned out to be. Behind me I could hear my companion yell out to me, but I ignore him. I wasn't going to get paid for losing the target. The rocky mountain terrain was a bitch to run upon, causing me to lose footing on the loose rocks. The thin mountain air was my lungs to work harder to keep me oxygenated, and by the time I ran a mile, I was extremely out of breath. Four yards in front of me the leather clad man stopped and turned, giving me a wicked smile, a waved before he took a step backwards and disappeared.

I slow to a walk as I approach the edge of the mountain side, casting my eyes downwards to the fifty plus foot drop below into misty darkness. I place my hands on my head, inhaling deeply to catch my breath and my partner appeared beside me, carefully looking over the side, his brows arching. "Desperate was he?"

"Well, Tarok is not going to be happy." I mutter bitterly, turning away from the cliff side.

"How could that man survive that fall, Rinoa? He is dead, like instructed." Jace followed my long retreat back to the woods.

"I'm not too sure," I admit, picking up the pack I had dumped when I came across our hiding man. "He seemed too smug before he stepped over."

"Tell me where he would have gone. Would you like to step off the edge and find out if there is a hidden ledge?" His bright green eyes were full of mirth, but the tone of his voice told me he was holding back his irritation.

I knew he was angry with me for running off like that, and I grimace. I could have run right into a trap and died, leaving him in the dust and unable to help in time. Having someone to watch your back in this business was the difference between life and death. And I would choose life over anything.

I would choose Jace to have my back over my own dead brothers, but admittedly I killed them before they killed me. I cursed them silently, pretending to listen to Jace preach about how dangerously stupid I am. He loved to tell me how wrong I am all the time and he did it with smug pretentiousness that rattled my cage and made me want to run my daggers through his rib cage sometimes. He only does it to keep me safe, I tell myself, smiling outwardly.

We have been loyal to each other since he found me when I was fifteen, whoring myself out on the streets in the Capitol. He wasn't much older than I was, but there was something about his gentle touch that told me that I should stay with this man for as long as I can. He had turned my life around and though the path was hard, it was for the best. He helped me grow strong from the illness that plagued my weak body, helped me see the many talents I posses, and without as much as a second thought, I agreed to work with him.

For ten years we've been together and hopefully I do not see a day where we are not.

I glance over at him once he's fallen silent, admiring his rugged handsomeness. His dark brown hair brushed his armored shoulders and a thick beard covered his strong jaw, his lips pressed into a thin line as he thought. He was a good foot taller than I was, his body lean and muscular. I've thought about his naked body almost every day since I was eighteen when I accidentally stumbled upon him thrusting into a woman in the stables.

He had straightened, his muscles tightening and relaxing, my eyes catching every magnificent proportion of him. He was so lean and muscular, and a desire I had never felt had fired up in my own loins. The woman below him calmly watched me, her beautiful features bared to the world, a coy smile upon her rosy lips. A flush broke onto my cheeks, just as it had that night, and I focused upon the mossy ground as not to draw attention to myself.

"We should rest for the night before we move onto Aberrden," Jace said, breaking the silence. I nod at him to show my agreeance, and we quickly found a barren spot to make camp and build a fire.

I lay awake after the fire was put out and we retreated to our bedrolls, staring up at the clear midnight black sky. The stars gleamed and a sense of quiet filled my body, quelling the fire that was my anger. I run through the events of the day, trying to find a way that anything could have changed, finding none. Maybe he was meant to take his own life?

Sighing, I roll onto my side and feel exhaustion close my eyes.