27. CHAPTER 27
Last night was blissful and, honestly, exactly what I needed.
Zane stayed with me until the early hours before going back to his room.
Filled with passionate sex, leaving me aching for more the next morning.
Falling asleep in his arms was more than I needed.
It was something I hadn’t even realized I wanted until I woke up.
I longed for more nights with him in my arms, and that thought made me wonder how I would manage without him nearby during my final two years.
I couldn’t let myself dwell on that because it was self-destructive. I needed to stay in the present.
A group of us were headed to Chalahana for the day, ending it at the lively local tavern. Sadie, Thora, Lili, and a few others from our wing joined us. Chalahana was about one and a half miles from the admin building, and we had to walk there and back unless you had wings.
Even the Riders with fliers weren’t allowed to fly there. Zane, of course, came along. He brought a few of his Drusearon friends, some of whom I hadn’t met before. I offered for him to spend the day with his friends, but he politely told me absolutely fucking not.
We all met outside in the flight field. Lili approached, looking like she was heading out to pubs back home, while I dressed ready for a fight. We were not the same. Maybe her confidence as the Platoon Leader didn’t leave her as vulnerable as I felt.
Lili smirked at my boots and braided hair. “You planning to wrestle someone on the way there?”
“Perfectly prepared,” I said, adjusting my jacket. “Not all of us can depend on charm and shin-high heels to keep us safe. ”
She rolled her eyes, yet I noticed how she scanned the field—automatic and assessing, just like I did.
That was her strength. She could appear to be heading to a dance but remain three steps ahead of anyone trying to challenge her.
The rest of the group arrived gradually, laughter and casual chatter filling the cool morning air.
Zane showed up last, his hands in his pockets, flanked by two tall Drusearons.
They carried themselves with quiet confidence, danger concealed behind relaxed smiles.
“Alright,” Lili said, clapping her hands. “Let’s get moving before the sun decides to bake us alive.”
We had to cross the river bridge, go through the field, and then onto the dirt road. I could really use my horse back home, travel would be easier.
“Auri, this is Eli. Eli, this is Auri,” Zane nodded to the six-foot-two-inch male on his immediate left. He had olive skin, dark black hair, and light brown eyes.
“Nice to meet you,” Eli said while giving me a nod.
“Same,” I said with a smile.
“And on the other side of him is Oliver.”
“Hey,” I said to the five-foot-eleven, pale-skinned male.
“Nice to finally meet you, Auri,” he said.
Eli’s handshake was firm, and his smile was quick but not overly warm.
He was the kind of male who judged people before deciding whether he liked them.
Oliver, on the other hand, had a spark in his pale eyes—perhaps mischief or the quiet confidence of someone who’d already decided I was worth knowing.
“You two causing trouble already?” Zane asked them with a smirk.
“Not yet,” Oliver replied. “But the day’s young.”
Sadie, a step ahead with Lili, glanced back at the sound of our laughter. “If you three start brawling in the tavern, I’m not covering for you,” she called.
“I’d never.” I tilted my head and let the words drip sweet, my grin sharp enough to betray me.
The dirt road stretched ahead, shimmering in the heat. My boots crunched over gravel, and I found myself walking inches from Zane so that our arms brushed now and then. His presence, as always, felt like a shield and a challenge all at once.
“Chalahana also has a decent market," Eli offered, glancing at me. “If you’re into that sort of thing.”
“I’m into food,” I admitted. “And maybe something strong to drink after the walk.”
“That we can manage,” Oliver said, grinning.
By the time the rooftops of Chalahana came into view, the conversation shifted to training stories—half boasting, half teasing.
The kind of banter that made the walk seem shorter.
But underneath it all, there was a quiet awareness between me and Zane, each glance and touch tinged with last night’s memory.
The first stop was the outdoor market that sprawled across Chalahana’s central square.
Bright awnings flapped in the breeze, their shade spilling over stalls filled with everything from shiny fruit to brass trinkets and hand-dyed scarves.
Sadie headed straight for a jewelry table, holding up a pair of silver ear cuffs to the light.
Lili browsed with such confidence that vendors straightened up, sensing a big spender.
I lingered at a leather goods stand, running my fingers over a row of well-made belts.
“This would suit you,” Zane murmured behind me, and when I turned, he held a narrow leather braid tipped in silver. “For your dagger.” I raised an eyebrow.
“Planning to buy me gifts now?”
“Maybe I am,” he said, with his devious little grin.
Eli and Oliver went to the food stalls and returned a few minutes later with paper cones filled with spiced nuts. “Fuel for the shopping warriors,” Oliver said, offering me one.
After an hour, the smell of roasting meat drew us toward a cafe tucked away off the square. Inside, the cool shade provided a welcome break from the sun. We settled into a corner table by the window, where the breeze carried faint hints of pine trees.
Lunch was substantial—plates of roast chicken, fresh bread still warm from the oven, and pitchers of chilled cider.
Conversation flowed freely around the table, but occasionally, Zane’s knee brushed mine beneath the table.
Each gentle touch brought back memories of last night, where we spent hours alone in our world.
I caught his gaze once while he was eating, and his look made my heart race.
He didn’t need to speak for me to understand what he thought.
After exploring the town and visiting several stores, we headed into the famous local tavern for drinks—one of those spots with a crooked sign and music spilling through the open door.
Inside, the air was cooler, shadows gathering in the corners where locals sipped their mugs.
A trio in the back played a soft, rolling tune on fiddle, drum, and flute.
We took a table near the center, big enough for everyone to gather but small enough that knees bumped underneath.
Zane slid into the seat beside me, his arm brushing mine in a way that might’ve looked accidental if I didn’t know better.
“You’re getting the first round,” he said, passing me a couple of coins with a grin. “Show me you can order like a local.”
I raised an eyebrow but headed to the bar anyway. The bartender was a broad female with an easy smile who poured generously. I brought back tankards of deep amber ale, setting them down with a dramatic flourish.
Eli tapped his mug to mine. “Not bad.”
Sadie was already halfway through hers by the time we all took a sip, and Lili was scanning the room as if she were deciding whether to find a dance partner.
Zane leaned in close, his voice quiet enough for only me to hear. “You keep looking at the door.”
“Old habit,” I murmured, taking another drink.
His lips curved in that way that told me he knew exactly what I meant. “Mine too.”
The music picked up, and a few people started dancing in the open space between tables. Eli and Oliver shared a story about a training mishap that made Zane laugh, but every so often, I felt his gaze on me—steady, deliberate, like a promise .
It all began with the music—speeding up now, the fiddler leaning into a wild tune that made the floorboards vibrate. Lili was on her feet in seconds, pulling Thora along before anyone else could react.
“Come on, you can’t sit through this!” she called, spinning Thora toward the open space near the fire.
They moved with a reckless joy that made people smile, both of them struggling to find their rhythm but then syncing perfectly and moving flawlessly together.
Lili’s grin was so wide it could be seen from every table.
A few locals clapped along, and one or two joined them, boots pounding on the wood.
I leaned back in my chair, tankard in hand, letting the laughter and warmth of the tavern wash over me.
For a moment, it felt like nothing bad could reach us here.
That was when the shadow cast itself across the table.
“You’re too pretty to sit alone,” a voice said, and before I could reply, a rough hand landed on my shoulder.
I froze, my smile slipping away. “Not alone.” My voice stayed even as I tilted my head toward Zane, the movement sharp, deliberate.
The male hardly looked at him before leaning in closer. “Bet you dance better than your friends.”
Zane’s chair scraped back. “Move your hand,” he said, low and dangerous.
The male snorted, clearly more drunk than brilliant. “What, you her keeper?”
Zane rose, and Eli and Oliver shifted with him, weight forward, ready. The patron’s smirk slipped, but pride held him in place—he shoved Zane’s shoulder.
That was enough. Zane caught his wrist and twisted, precise, sharp, until the man hissed through his teeth. Chairs scraped, and someone at the next table lunged in. A shove snapped into a punch. Music cut off, replaced by shouts and the crash of a tankard exploding across the floor.
Eli vaulted over our bench to intercept another drunk lunging toward us.
Oliver stepped in front of Sadie, who had half-risen from her seat, and I found myself yanking a stool out of the way of someone stumbling backward.
Lili and Thora darted back to our side, breathless from dancing and now wide-eyed.
“You always pick the best places,” Lili muttered.