Chapter Twelve. In Which There Is Only One Bed #2
“You can have the bed,” she grumbled, hoping that would dispel the tightness around her chest.
His gold eyes widened. “You’re being nice to me?” That smile of his, charming and sweet, returned in full force. “Gods, do you want to kiss me?”
She sighed, exasperated. “I don’t know.”
He gave her a sly smile. “Kissing is easy. I can show you.”
“I meant I don’t know if I’m being nice to you. I guess if I am, it’s probably because everyone is trying to murder you.”
Javi leaned back in the armchair and shook his head, a sniffle catching in his throat. “Take the bed. I’ll do first watch. After all, I have to protect my honor.”
Brunhilda’s magic flared in her chest, contracting around her heart. She rubbed the heel of her hand against her sternum.
Unfortunately for her, Javi was more astute in close quarters than he was when in a cursed forest or surrounded by singing cultists.
“Oh my gods, I was kidding, but perhaps you are starting to like me!”
“Not even a little.” She swallowed and scooted back along the bed until she banged her head against the headboard.
“You are!” The force of his words startled Brunie, who sat up and glowered. “Is it my rugged good looks? My honeyed voice? My irresistible charm?”
“Those are my three least favorite traits of yours. And before you ask, I don’t have any favorites.”
“I bet if we shared that bed I could change your mind.”
She held up a hand. “Good thing you’re staying in that chair, then. Or I will sic Brunie on you.”
The cat trotted to the window and slipped through the bars.
Traitor.
Javi was undeterred by her threats. “You admit I could change your mind.”
“I have never changed my mind about anything.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Should we test your theory?”
Never one to back down from a challenge, Risa met his eyes with her own.
She didn’t know what testing the theory would entail.
What he might do in the confines of a narrow cot and the illusion of privacy.
Risa knew little of romance and cared for it even less; her mother’s secret collection of books was of no interest to her.
Entertaining sweet longing when her bad luck would certainly kill whatever poor idiot looked at her without repulsion was a stupid thing to do.
She’d pushed her parents away for their safety.
She wasn’t going to free-fall into love just for her curse to wreak absolute havoc.
“No,” she decided after a moment.
“That’s probably for the best,” Javi agreed, turning away.
The truth was, she didn’t think she could win against someone who’d learned to play the part of love so well that no one could guess how alone he really was.
Risa woke to the hair of her arms standing on end, magic on her tongue, and the sun long set.
The room was dark save for a single flickering candle beside the closed window. It cast a long shadow over the armchair tucked in the corner.
Where Prince Javi sat. With a dagger to his throat and the Wolf perched on the arm of the chair, the girl’s piercing gray eyes focused on Risa.
“I thought you were keeping first watch,” Risa accused.
“In my defense, I fell asleep,” Javi said, the blade at his throat bobbing. It drew a thin line of blood that made him suck in a breath.
“Brunie?”
“Not back yet.”
In search of new humans to annoy, probably. Good for the cat.
The Wolf sighed and retreated, hand dropping to her side, blade catching the light of the flame. “Would you like me to step outside? I am only the one holding the dagger,” the Wolf interrupted, giving her blade a little wave.
Javi stood with a flourish, hand waving toward the armchair. “Would you care for a seat?”
The Wolf remained standing.
Risa swung her legs over the side of the cot, glad she’d kept her boots on before falling asleep. She grabbed her rucksack and strapped it onto her back. Just in case they had to run.
“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Javi was ever the magnanimous host.
“I worried you two would forget about me, or sleep through the night. And I was right.”
“How?” Risa asked. The window had bars. The door was locked and made a horrible noise. Unless the Wolf had appeared from the cracks of the wooden floor—
“I have a request,” the Wolf said, ignoring Risa completely. She slipped the dagger back in its sheath at her hip. Her hood obscured her face, though Risa caught glimpses of some features: an eye, a sliver of a wide nose, the pointed end of a chin.
“Not quite a request when you’re brandishing a weapon,” Risa muttered.
“Risa,” Javi admonished.
The Wolf rolled her eyes. “I am not brandishing it now. And I am asking. Nicely.”
She swallowed. A high-collared tunic obscured the movement. Her cape made her look as if she were encased in darkness.
“Let me come with you to Madros.”
Risa sucked in a breath. The Wolf hadn’t stumbled over the word, hadn’t paused, didn’t look troubled. It rolled off her tongue with ease, her accent flavoring the word with warmth and care.
“How do you know that’s where we’re going?” Risa asked, troubled by the request. Something was off, even if Risa couldn’t quite tell what it was. Her mouth felt woolen and dry.
“He is getting married to the general’s daughter, is he not?” The Wolf jerked her thumb at the prince.
Risa scowled, suspicion flaring in her mind, though she could not pinpoint why, much the same way she couldn’t identify what was wrong. Risa had been the one to mention the prince’s marriage in the tavern, so she shouldn’t have been surprised that someone would remember.
“Fine, I’m going to”—Javi seemed to wrestle with himself, then released a frustrated sigh as he amended whatever he had originally tried to say—“get married. Why do you want to come?”
“My business is my own.”
“What are you getting out of it?” Risa interjected, ignoring the Wolf’s dismissal.
“I will not turn around and kidnap the prince for his bounty, if that is what worries you.”
Risa remained hesitant. With such a fearsome name, the Wolf’s reputation preceded her.
Though Risa didn’t trust the girl’s word, there was a fierceness in her steely gaze that told Risa her name was hard-earned, which made her the best choice among outlaws.
The Wolf looked like the type to protect her investment.
“On one condition,” Risa said before Javi could negotiate himself out of a good deal. “You protect us in return.”
The Wolf cocked her head in consideration for a moment, then agreed. “Fine.”
It was exactly what Risa wanted to hear, which made her all the more suspicious. Things didn’t simply work out for her. There had to be a catch lurking in the deal. Bad luck, waiting to strike when she would least expect it.
“Fine,” Risa agreed, ignoring Javi’s spluttering (“Am I invisible?”). “But we’re going to San Cirilo first.”
The Wolf’s mouth pressed into a thin line before she nodded. “Fine.”
They shook hands, the Wolf’s clad in black leather gloves, Risa’s naked and sweaty from panic. As she pulled away, a chill crawled down her back, telling her that magic was in the air.
Shit.