Daddies’ Little Assassin (Femme Fatale Freakshow)

4. The Mark

Chapter four

The Mark

W hen the small, black business card appeared on my kitchen counter that morning, I nearly jumped out of my skin with excitement. It was here. My first target for the Femme Fatale Freakshow. It's stupid being this pumped for a job with a guild that I had zero information on, but it was like a new game. A new toy to play with.

And what self-respecting Little didn't enjoy playing with new toys? Even Littles, who routinely dealt with death, enjoyed playing.

The card was plain, almost innocuous, but when I picked it up, that strange hum of magic thrummed through my fingertips again. No words were written on it, save for a name. A sense of magic swirled in the back of my mind, nudging me toward what I needed to do next.

I swallowed hard, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, and pricked my finger. A bead of blood welled up on my skin and I dropped it onto the card. Instantly the card reacted, absorbing the blood like a sponge, and the same hum of magic surrounded my skin. And then the darn thing kind of just... poofed.

I had no way to describe it, other than it felt like my brain downloaded a boatload of information from the ether. It was creepy yet insanely cool all at the same time.

My target—Sapphire Adlers—was a succubus. She's been skulking around nightclubs and sex clubs, picking up desperate escorts and draining them to death.

I was pleasantly pleased that the target was, in fact, a hit I would have picked out for myself. Succubi were notoriously dangerous, especially when they overfed. Taking just enough to make a lover weak and satisfied was one thing; draining them dry and leaving them dead was something else entirely. This wasn't just a hunt—it was a takedown. One I would relish.

It was time I gathered my gear. Everything seemed to go smoothly—no odd sensations, no signs that anything was out of the ordinary. The spell I'd cast to break the blood curse still weighed on my mind. Would it have any lasting side effects on me and my Lucky Foot? But I couldn't focus on that now. This was my first job for the Guild and it wasn't just any job. It was my chance to prove myself.

The Siren's Den—the kink club Sapphire frequented most often—was unlike any club I'd ever been to, even with my history in kink. Neon lights and deep, pulsing bass music greeted me as I walked through the door, the throb of it reverberating through my bones. The air was thick with the smell of leather and sweat, and bodies were everywhere, tangled in ropes or lounging on plush chairs, all in various states of undress.

I kept my head low as I made my way to the bar, scanning the crowd for my target. Sapphire would stand out—succubi always did. Beautiful, and seductive, but there was always an air of danger around them if you knew what to look for. Something in their eyes gave them away, a predatory gleam that never faded.

I ordered a drink and settled into a corner where I could observe the room without being too obvious. My heart raced with excitement and adrenaline, but something else, something worrisome, was building beneath the surface—nervous energy.

My fingers twitched around the glass, slippery with condensation. I felt jittery, on edge, and not in the usual way I'd been before a kill previously. It was more like... an imbalance. My legs felt weak, almost like I was about to tip over at any second. I couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off.

Was this all in my head because of the curse I broke? The witch hadn't mentioned I would lose my Lucky Foot... But then... I froze in my seat as realisation stole over me.

The witch didn't know about my Lucky Foot. She wouldn't know to warn me I might lose it.

I tried to shake off the terror as well as I could. There was very little point in worrying about this now. All my success wasn't purely down to luck. I practised for hours and hours and did my due diligence. My body was a lean, mean, fighting machine.

It wasn't long before I saw her. Sapphire. She was perched on the edge of a sofa, surrounded by admirers, her long black hair cascading down her shoulders in soft waves. She was stunning, wearing a tight leather bodysuit that left nothing to the imagination, and her eyes glimmered with an eerie, otherworldly hunger.

Showtime, I thought, but when I pushed off the barstool, something happened.

My foot caught on the edge of the bar, and I went down. Hard.

Pain shot through my knee as I hit the floor, and my drink splashed everywhere, soaking the people around me. A couple gasped, stepping back as I tried to scramble to my feet, my face burning with embarrassment.

What the heck?

This had never happened. I was an assassin. A bunny one at that. Even on my worst day, I was sure-footed and steady. I was supposed to be graceful darn it! But as I tried to stand again, my leg wobbled and buckled. I felt like a newborn fawn, awkward and clumsy, limbs not quite doing what I wanted them to.

I glanced at my leg. My perfectly healthy, strong, muscled leg. There was absolutely no reason for it to be weak.

"Oh no," I whispered. The damn curse.

It hadn't just broken... It had taken my Lucky Foot with it. And I think... it might have cursed me with some bad luck too.

The laughter and snickers from onlookers didn't help my rapidly plummeting mood as I dragged myself up, trying to look anywhere but at the smirking faces. I cursed under my breath, shaking my head to clear the dizziness. I couldn't believe this was happening. The succubus was right there, and I was too busy being a newborn foal to do anything about it.

Why in the heck didn't this happen right after I broke the curse?

I didn't have any time to think about it right then, I needed to focus on my target.

I forced myself to move, hobbling toward the dance floor where Sapphire had disappeared. But as I did, my body seemed to betray me again. My foot caught on something—probably a loose shoe, or maybe nothing at all—and I stumbled forward, colliding headfirst into a tall figure.

I barely had time to register the shock before powerful hands caught me, steadying me on my feet.

"Whoa there," a deep voice rumbled. I looked up—way up—into the face of a man with blonde hair and blue eyes, his lips curved into an amused grin.

"You okay, darling?" Another voice chimed in, and I turned to see a second man, this one with dark hair and piercing eyes. He stood just behind the first guy, watching me with an intense expression that made my skin tingle.

Before I could answer, a third man stepped in, his eyes trailing over me with concern. His tattooed arms flexed as he crossed them. "You took a nasty fall there," he said, his voice softer than the others but no less commanding.

My heart pounded as I took them in. Three men, all standing so close, I could feel the warmth radiating from their bodies. My mind raced. Had the spell done this?

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, a flash of movement caught my eye. Sapphire was slipping away, disappearing into the crowd. I swore under my breath. "I... I have to go," I stammered, pulling away from the man who still held my arm.

"Wait," the blonde guy said, his grip loosening just enough for me to slip free. "At least tell us your name."

But there was no time. The succubus was getting away, and I couldn't afford to lose her. Not my first hit for the Guild.

Still wobbly and fighting off the clumsiness that now plagued me, I pushed through the crowd, my eyes locked on the door Sapphire had just exited. I could feel their gazes on me, those three men watching as I bolted after the succubus, but I had no choice. I'd lost the first round, but I would not lose the battle.

I burst through the doors, into the night, barely seeing Sapphire's pitch-black hair as she slipped into a cab with her escort for the night.

I needed to catch up, find a cab of my own, and get on their trail. Not only did I need to take out Sapphire, but I needed to save the life of the woman with her too.

But as I made it to the curb, the cab I was heading for sped away before I could get my hand on the darn car's handle.

What the fluff now?