Page 111 of Ignite
And he looks ready todevourme.
Forty-Six
Lepidolite
Heat blossomsthroughout my chest as Graylen’s eyes slowly pull away from mine, gazing down the expanse of my body with a look that promises he’ll be on his worst behavior tonight.
“A little expensive for our humble rations, no?” I say with a smirk, nodding to his clothing. “Looks like you spent a bit more than Adrian gave us.”
He crosses his arms and leans against a wooden beam, his shirt straining at his shoulders.“Mind manipulation comes in handy on occasion.”
Amusement dances in his tone, and I shake my head, unable to stop the corners of my mouth from turning up. Something shifted in him after the last few nights—like being in Lyland is helping to heal a small, broken part of him.
There’s no denying it’s going to take time for him to fully heal—ifhe ever fully heals—but a little bit of the pain in hisgaze has lifted, like the weight of it eased enough for him to breathe again.
“How much to have our dinner brought to our rooms?” Adrian grumbles from beside me, pulling my attention to him.
The barkeep leans forward on the uneven wooden surface, his hands braced out wide as he huffs a laugh and motions to the room behind us. “Does it look like we have maids here?”
I roll my lips together to suppress a smile as Adrian looks around, his eyes widening as if just realizing the state of the tavern—a small room with rickety tables and mismatched chairs.
The oil lamps are covered in soot, dimming their flames to dull flickers. Above us, the ceiling slopes down in the middle, sagging.
Clearlynot a place that would have maids.
“He’s going to spend all of our money before we even make it to the castle,”I mutter into Graylen’s mind. Mirth dances down the thread that binds us.“But eating with just you beats being out here.”
Dining with GraylenandAdrian is the last thing I want to do. Especially when I’ve just gotten Graylen back.
“We’re supposed to be blending in, remember?”Graylen’s voice drifts into my mind, and the heat of his shoulder presses against mine as he squeezes between Adrian and me. He leans forward into the bar, his forearms pressed to the edge of the wood.
A burst of laughter comes from behind us as a new group of people enters.
More people trickle in, the room not as crowded as last night but far from empty now. A banjo player sets up in front of the fireplace, a random string plucked here and there as he tunes his instrument.
“Everyone has a price,” Adrian slurs, a grin on his face.
When he reaches into his vest, Graylen wraps a hand around his wrist, stopping him from pulling the coin out. Adrian’s head whips toward us, his mouth sloping into a frown.
Turning to the barkeep, I nod to a small empty place in the corner, concealed enough to keep others’ eyes off of us, still worried Adrian might be recognized. “We’ll take three ales and whatever it is you’re serving tonight.”
He gives me a lazy nod, already moving back down the bar to take another order. I spin off of my seat and head for the half-hidden spot in the corner, feeling Graylen’s presence like a warm blanket as he shifts to follow me.
The three of us huddle around the small round table, Adrian’s back to the room while Graylen and I face out, watching the people around us.
Adrian doesn’t need more ale, but he accepts it greedily as a young boy with floppy brown hair sets mugs down in front of us. Before the boy has a chance to leave, Adrian has already drained half of his cup.
“Another round?” the boy stammers, his eyes as wide as saucers.
“You’re a smart kid.” Adrian raises his cup, a sloppy grin on his face. “I’ll take another when you’ve got the time.”
The boy scampers off, disappearing through the crowd that has gathered in the middle of the room. They’ve pushed most of the tables to the walls to create a makeshift dance floor.
We watch in silence as the banjo player starts strumming, the pace upbeat but steady. Not too fast, not too slow. Adrian—clearly drunk—drums his hands on the edge of the table in anextremelyoff-beat pattern, bobbing his head without a care in the world.
It isn’tfullyawkward sitting with him and Graylen, but it isn’t comfortable either. It doesn’t feel the same as when we camped along the way; there’s something different about this setting.
Though I suppose it could be worse.
