Chapter 35 Neirin
NEIRIN
Mentally checking off the last thing on Maerel’s list, I thanked the young man at the market stall as I paid him, then rearranged the items in my basket.
The ash in my hair kept attention at bay as efficiently as the hood had.
Perhaps even better, a drawn hood could come across as suspicious when the weather was fair.
To use the coals of the fire had been Evera’s idea; my mate was clever.
Despite this, as I walked through the market my skin still heated as if eyes watched my back. It put me on edge even as I knew the sensation was only an illusion.
The castle soldiers were gone, checked out of their rooms yesterday after scouring the town for information on Cyan’s death.
It would take them some two days more to reach the capital.
If the huntsman was not back within three days’ time with word from my brother, I would have to make new arrangements.
For today, though, nothing could be done, and I resolved to press thoughts of the things that were out of my hands aside.
The time Evera and I had here, with this sense of normalcy, was limited.
For now, I would take advantage of the simple moments and stolen kisses.
I would share with her the positive memories of my childhood.
And if she chose to share stories of her own, I would memorize each word, each moment of lighthearted warmth, each smile.
I scaled the few short steps to the front of the shop and pushed open the door. Aureus raised his eyes. A muscle in his jaw flexed, but his expression remained flat. “Evera is upstairs.”
The apothecary’s tone left no invitation for me to go upstairs, so I attempted casual conversation to ease the tension between us.
“Apples,” I said, drawing one from the basket I carried. “All the way from Aldruil.” I tossed it in the air and caught it again. “As a boy I—”
“She told me about you, Neirin,” Aureus said, his tone edged. A chill ran through my veins. My grip firmed, and my nails indented crescents in the apple’s skin.
“Can you keep her safe?” he asked.
“I would lay my life down for her.”
Aureus nodded. “You love her?”
“I do.”
“And this bonding she speaks of … it’s true?”
Creasing my brows, I nodded.
Evera came through the curtain that separated the back room from the storefront, breaking our conversation. Her eyes lit when she saw me, and I smiled, warmed by her.
Her dress was a soft green that matched her eyes.
It was more form-fitting than the one she usually wore, which was ruined, and it had mid-length sleeves.
The neckline dipped, and a brass embellishment rested between her breasts.
At her waist was a belt with coordinating copper fittings cinched loosely, with a small pouch attached to it.
She came to stand before me, and I dropped my forehead to hers. Our hands intertwined.
“You aren’t covering your mark,” I said on a breath.
“I no longer wish to conceal what we share.” She released the apple from my grip and placed it back in the basket. “What are the apples for?”
“I would like to bake with you,” I told her. To share with her the fond memories I held of time spent with Nyana in the kitchen. To take the time to get to know her heart, to show her all of mine.
Evera tilted her head and quirked a smile. “Bake?”
I nodded. “Muffins.”
Evera hummed and brushed a strand of hair from in front of my eyes. The gesture was intimate and filled with a sense of casual comfort. When she withdrew, a faint dusting of soot marked her finger.
“Do you need help with anything before I leave?” Evera asked her brother over her shoulder. Aureus shook his head. And though I could tell he was still hesitant, there was undoubtedly a shift in his attitude.
“Where is Calix?” I asked.
“Weeding the garden,” the apothecary answered, his tone flat.
“Should I call for him?” Evera asked.
I lowered my gaze to her. “No, the work is good for him.” I turned to Aureus. “You will let him know where we’ve gone if he comes asking?”
The apothecary nodded, though he appeared uninvested in the sudden keeping of a young boy. That was fair, but it comforted me to have Calix near Evera when I could not be. And in truth, the boy was well-mannered and a hard worker.
“Is your brother cross with me for pushing Calix on your family?” I asked Evera as we exited the shop.
“Aureus doesn’t need a reason to be cross,” she said.
“Calix hasn’t been any trouble, and Leighis seems to enjoy having a youthful spirit around the shop again.
When he is present, Calix brings him books and asks him questions.
I can’t help but wonder if Leighis sees Aureus and I in him. I think Aureus has wondered the same.”
Keeping her hand, I went to the bottom of the steps and gestured with my other. “You spoke to your brother. Told him about our bond?”
When Evera reached for me, I took her into my arms, sweeping her off her feet in place of her taking the few short steps.
“It was time to tell him the truth,” she said with a giggle. Expression softening, she brushed the tip of her nose to mine. “I hope you aren’t upset.”
“Never,” I told her.
She graced me with a kiss, and when I lowered her back to her feet, she took my hand and we set off through the market. The square was busy, which offered its own disguise.
“I admit I feel lighter now that Aureus and I have talked,” Evera said, “and I think he does too. Though I’m still not certain he likes the idea of us. Or of the bond. At least he’s making an attempt at amenity, for me.” The light hit her, making her fair skin glow.
“The idea of us,” I crooned with teasing inflection.
Evera hummed—not quite an answer, but the ease with which she’d made the statement initially spoke for itself. Spoke of what her heart desired. If it took time for her mind to come to the same conclusion, I could be patient.
Looking past me, Evera’s smile broadened.
Following her gaze to where her friends stood a short distance off, I released her hand and brought my touch to the small of her back, encouraging her toward them. When she raised her eyes to mine, they sparkled. I tilted my head in their direction, the only invitation she needed.
“Farren, Renna.” The lightness in Evera’s step as she went to them warmed my heart. Something had altered in her. Whether that was because of what we shared, or the talk with her brother, or something else entirely, I was unsure. But I was grateful for it nonetheless .
The two young ladies turned and grinned warmly. I stopped beside Evera, and they studied me. The one with a baby strapped to her sucked in her lips knowingly, and the other only blushed.
Evera made formal introductions, giving them my false name. The one named Renna—the bolder of the two—took my chin between her thumb and index finger. I cast Evera a sidelong glance, and she giggled.
“Gods, good for you, Evera,” Renna remarked, turning my head to the side. When she dropped her hold on me, I studied her curiously. She was the one who had spoken of kisses before.
“Renna, that’s enough.” Evera laughed and wrapped her fingers in mine. The gesture drew a smile to my face.
Farren sighed. “Oh, he’s got a dimple.”
The three of us looked at her, and her cheeks reddened.
Evera snuggled into me, wrapping her other hand at my bicep. She hummed her acknowledgement. “I like it too.”
The dimple came from my mother, for neither Father nor Harlan had one. It was strange, but at that moment, the realization seemed all the more important. Like Mother had given me a gift, knowing one day my mate’s eyes would warm when they fell upon it.
Evera turned back to her friends, and the conversation moved on even as I remained unable to break my gaze from the woman who held me like she wanted me, like I was hers.
“What were you shopping for?” Evera asked, peering around her friends to the stand they’d had been examining when we approached.
An assortment of jewelry and trinkets decorated with colorful stones lined the tabletop.
Several caught the sunlight, casting patches of green and blue on the linen tablecloth.
“Necklaces,” Renna replied. “Espen has tasked me with finding one I desire.”
“They’re beautiful,” Evera murmured. The merchant behind the stand nodded his appreciation to her. He was older, perhaps five and forty, and had graying hair at the sides of his head.
Leaning toward us, Renna added on a hush, “Espen claimed he would buy me whichever one I wanted if I modeled it for him with nothing else on.”
Farren sucked in a breath. “Renna,” she scolded, eyeing me.
Amused by the girls and hoping to fluster Evera a bit, I decided to play along. Lowering my voice to a rumble, I leaned in and spoke against her ear, just loud enough that her friends could overhear.
“Tell me, love, which one is it that you want? Your friend’s husband is clever. I would like to follow his lead.”
Evera narrowed her eyes pointedly but did not justify my remark with a response.
Amusement vibrated in my chest. I bent down and kissed her, letting my lips linger on hers.
Pulling her against me, I deepened the kiss, and though her friends giggled, she melted against me and returned it.
When she broke away and sucked in a breath, I grinned wickedly at her.
A spark lit her eyes, and I left her with her friends to speak with the merchant.
There were many options, and I knew nothing about jewelry.
Still, I liked this Renna woman’s ideas.
And even if Evera didn’t model it for me naked, I wanted to give her something.
I considered the green stone she wore, hung by a golden chain around her neck.
I recalled an occasion when it had caught the light and gleamed with the same vibrance that painted her smile, shone in her eyes.
The corners of my lips turned up at the memory.
I longed to give her all the things she desired.
Though … Evera had, in truth, expressed little wanting for physical things.
Aside from the manor, nothing else came to mind.
While the funds in my accounts back at the capital could have afforded it, those savings was lost to me now, and the single silver and few copper coins I had left certainly couldn’t buy it.
So, a necklace it was. Something she could touch when we were apart and think of me, remember my love for her.
“This one,” I told the merchant, picking out something shorter that I thought would layer well with what she already had. The gold chain was simple, but the small stones at its center were stunning—shades of sage that varied from dark to light, like the many tones of her eyes.
I returned to the women, stood behind Evera, and draped her beautiful cinnamon curls over one of her shoulders. Giggling at my touch, she looked up, and I brushed her temple with my nose.
“Hadrian,” Evera objected as I clasped the golden necklace at the back of her neck. I did not miss the teasing with which she voiced my false name, nor the glint in her eyes.
Leaning in, I responded against her ear, low enough that only she would hear, matching the teasing of her tone. “Cordelia.”
The brush of my fingers across the back of her neck unclasped her old necklace, and I narrowly caught one end of the fine chain before it could fall to the ground.
I studied its fastener briefly. It seemed loose, but what did I know of jewelry?
Evera looked up at me over her shoulder quizzically, and I offered a quirked smile for my clumsiness before re-clasping the chain, along with her new necklace.
“I think he wants to see you naked in it,” Renna crooned, a friendly tease in her voice.
Heat flushed Evera’s cheeks; they reddened beneath her freckles.
“Your friend is correct,” I murmured.
Sucking in her lips, Evera narrowed her eyes at me, and I offered a cunning smile in return.
“You’re beautiful,” I told her, meaning it with my entire being.
Warmth fluttered within me as I let out a contented breath, eager for the morning we were to spend together.
Our troubles were too numerous to count; the future was unknown.
But the light in her eyes, the easy comfort of her touch, they spoke of her acceptance of the bond we shared.
My smile softened to something deeper, and as it did, the corners of her lips rose faintly, showing that she felt it too.
In that moment, everything felt just a little less heavy.
Like together, perhaps, we could work through the tangled path of thorns ahead and come through the other side to something more than I’d ever even thought to yearn for before.