Chapter 65 Daje #2
She pushes her glasses up from where they’ve slipped down her nose before pulling the ends of her cloak in, wrapping herself up in the thick wool fabric.
“You see it as dangerous, while I see it as practical. I can’t sit all day, and I can’t not read either.
So I combine both.” She turns to look at me, offering a sly grin.
“Multi-tasking is a bit of a specialty.”
I stumble a step at that look, making her laugh.
An unfamiliar feeling pulls at my chest, but I swallow it down as I quickly open the door and usher Elora through.
The warmth of a fire burning brightly in a hearth hits us, and my muscles immediately relax, the ache of riding all day beginning to catch up with me.
The lobby is tastefully decorated in shades of dark blue and green, its tan walls brightened by the amber light of spelled flames that lie in glass sconces every few feet.
A desk is centered against the wall across from the entrance, and behind it, a woman around my age drums her fingers along the dark wood as she watches us with bored eyes.
Dark ringlets frame her face and spill over her shoulder.
“Hello,” I say, crossing the space and dropping Elora’s pack at my feet. She comes to stand next to me. “We’d like to get three rooms, please.”
The woman tilts her head, peering past my shoulder at the door before straightening. “Unless my counting is significantly worse than I thought, there are only two of you here.” As if to prove that, she points first to Elora and then to me, pulling her red-painted lips to the side. “Two.”
“Our third friend is putting the horses in the stable,” Elora says, leaning her elbows on the countertop. “I like your dress.”
“Ah.” The woman turns, giving us her back as she scans a row of cubbies behind her, humming a tune that I don’t recognize. “It’s late for travelers to be here, and before a big storm no less.” She ignores Elora’s compliment as she squats down and looks at a row near the floor.
“We are coming from Galdr, on our way home to Palatos.”
“Palatos,” she repeats, reaching into one cubby and then standing, her hand darting into another. “So you aren’t from around here?”
My gaze darts to Elora’s before I slide a hand down to the dagger strapped at my hip, hidden by my tunic. “Not here in particular—”
Turning back around, she slams two keys on the table before reaching for a large notepad to her right and flipping to the last page. Her gray eyes lift to look at us, skepticism making them narrow. “Why don’t I wait until your friend—”
The door to the inn flies open, and before I have time to react, Cass is striding in, throwing a flirty smirk to the woman behind the desk. “Abi, my darling, it is good to see you.”
I cast Elora bewildered look, only to find that she’s smiling at whatever the hell is going on here.
“Cass? Oh my gods, how wonderful! Are they with you?”
Cass throws his arms over our shoulders, his leather vambraces chilled from being outside and seeping the warmth right from my body.
“Yeah, they are. We need some rooms before we continue on to Palatos,” he says, at least ensuring our fake story sounds consistent. “We’ll take your finest, of course.”
Abi pouts her full lips, her brown skin gleaming beneath the light of the flame hanging above her. “I’m afraid we only have two rooms available, love.”
“That’s fine,” he answers, releasing Elora and I to pick up her pack from the ground. “We’ll figure out the logistics. Perhaps you could have some dinner sent up, though?”
She smiles as she hands him the keys before resting her chin in her hand.
“Will do. Your rooms will be down the hall to your right and up the stairs. Rooms ten and eleven.” Cass offers her a mock bow and a wink before spinning on his heel.
“And my room is on the first floor, room one, if you find that you’re in need of a distraction before bed. ”
I nearly choke on my next breath, but Cass sends her a wink that makes her blush, and then we head towards the stairs, climbing them in a single file line until we reach our designated rooms.
“Elora, ten will be your room,” Cass says, dropping one of the keys into her waiting palm. “And Daje and I will take eleven.”
“Are you sure?” she asks, grabbing her pack from him.
“Of course,” I answer, yanking the key from Cass’s hand and shoving it into the lock. “We’ll see you in the morning.” Pushing the door open, I take in the single bed that makes up most of the room and groan.
“It’s about to get cozy, buddy.” He pats my back as he brushes past, dropping his pack onto the floor and digging out some clothes. “And I call dibs on the shower first.”
“How do you know that woman downstairs?” I ask, closing the door and setting my bag down on a threadbare armchair.
“Nox and I stopped here on our last trip to Palatos,” he answers, a bundle of clothes in his arm. “And Nox was being broody about missing Rhea, so I gave him some space and found myself invited into Abi’s.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me before turning towards the door on the other side of the room.
“She’s great. Makes for a good listening ear if you want to go speak to someone about Bahira.”
I halt opening my pack to scowl at him. “Why would I talk to her about Bahira?”
“Since Bahira’s been home, it’s obvious that you guys aren’t on good terms. And, it’s none of my business—”
“You’re right. It isn’t.”
“But you need to figure your shit out so it isn’t a distraction.”
I arch a brow. “A distraction to who?”
“You. Her. Nox and the council. Anyone within a five foot radius of you two.” He pauses under the doorframe to look back at me. “Elora.”
I turn my gaze down to my organized pack, carefully lifting my clothing until I find my sleeping pants. “I don’t know why you think she would care.”
“You’re not entirely a fucking idiot, Daje, so stop acting like one.
” In the silence that follows, I swallow and lift my gaze again.
“She’s a good person, and she deserves better than to be caught up in whatever fucked up feelings you’re dealing with.
I’ve seen the way she looks at you, and I’ve seen the looks you give her. ”
Fucking observant bastard.
Cass smirks as if he heard my thoughts. “Just… don’t be an idiot.”
“Sound advice,” I mutter as he goes into the bathroom.
Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, I draw a hand down my face.
I had noticed the lingering glances from Elora, but I’m ashamed to admit I hadn’t given them a second thought, not with my mind so preoccupied with the shit storm that had become my life. Cass is wrong; I am a fucking idiot.
A set of knocks draws me from my thoughts. When I pull the door open, fully expecting to see Abi with our dinner, it’s Elora instead. “Hey,” I blurt out, heat rushing up my neck.
“Hi,” she says, her lips pulled into a wide smile. With Cass’s voice playing in my ear, I suddenly become very aware of how close I’m standing to her. How close she’s standing to me.
I shift, folding my arms as I lean a shoulder against the doorframe. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah. Yes, of course,” she stumbles, lifting up a small book in her hand.
“You mentioned on the ride here that you would be open to reading some of the books I packed, and I thought I might bring one over in case you can’t sleep.
Or don’t want to sleep.” She holds the book out to me, its gold-foiled lettering shining beneath the light of the spelled flames.
Its cover reads: Our Neighbors to the West: What we know about the Fae.
“I’ve already read it, but it’s always good to have a second pair of eyes in case I missed something. ”
I sincerely doubt that she would have. What I know of Elora is that she is as steadfast as Bahira when it comes to finding answers. Plucking the book from her hand, I tuck it into my side. “Thanks. I’ll get started right away.”
“Perfect.” She pinches her lips together, drawing my gaze to her mouth.
I watch them slowly release, too much time passing before I look back up.
Only to find her watching me. Godsdammit, I hate Cass.
Something flickers over her expression, but she backs away and tosses a hand in the air before I have time to sort it out. “Okay, goodnight!”
I watch her walk back to her room and shut the door before banging my head against the doorframe. “I’m going to kill Cass.”