Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ASHLYN
When Jayln came back, Kylana returned with him. “Where’s Fyn off to?”
Jayln carefully placed a glass with a thick stem in front of me. The deep burgundy liquid sloshed very near the surface.
“He went to talk to the innkeeper.” A lively berry flavor crossed my lips, bubbling across my tongue as I took my first sip. The liquid burned more than I remembered wine burning. “How do you two know each other?”
Her cheeks reddened to match her hair. “He’s frequented this place ever since King Lioran opened the trade route with Estlen.”
I drank more until an unnatural warmth swelled from the wine.
The once sharp edges of the table blurred. “I see. He didn’t tell me about you.” Not that he needed to. Fyn didn’t owe me that.
I downed another gulp.
“That’s Fyn for you. You never really know what you’ll get. If you’ll excuse me…” She slipped away from the table.
I hadn’t meant to imply she was nothing to talk about. Clearly she was. I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t know why I felt like I needed to.
“This has been most amusing and far more entertaining than I thought tonight would be.” Jayln laughed as his eyes narrowed on me.
When I looked down at my glass, there was only a slender pool at the bottom. I turned my hands in my lap. They felt strange.
I felt strange.
“I’ll give you advice because he’s my friend and you seem interesting,” Jayln said.
I didn’t want it. I drank the last bit when Fyn reentered the room.
“What are you doing, Jayln?” Fyn snapped.
“You left her here all by herself. I took it upon myself to get her a drink since your mind is clearly elsewhere.” Jayln got up from his chair. “It was lovely meeting you, Ash.”
“Don’t get her any more drinks,” Fyn hissed. “Ever.”
When Jayln stood, his eyes were nearly level with Fyn’s glare.
“What did you drink?” Fyn towered over me. “Please tell me you didn’t let him get you wine.”
“Of course I asked him to get me wine.” My words slurred.
“The stars hate me,” he grumbled.
“It was good, Fyn. Why did you not want me to have it when it’s so good?” I tried not to look at him.
“You know what won’t feel so good? Waking up in the morning after you’re clearly—”
“It would kill you for me to have a good time, wouldn’t it?” I gripped the stem of the empty glass. “I would like more.” Anything to calm the heat that climbed through me when he stood too close to me.
“No.” He tugged the glass back from my hands, lowering into the seat beside me. “Look at me, Ashlyn.”
I studied the flecks of light in his jade eyes. “It’s unfair,” I said. “How absolutely magnificent fae eyes are. I have the dullest eyes.” My eyes. They could all see, if they looked into them, that I wasn’t one of them. “Everyone knows I’m human, don’t they?”
“Drunk, yet astute.”
Here I was thinking no one knew. “I’m not drunk.”
“Whatever you want to tell yourself. We need to get you to bed.”
“I’m capable of handling myself right now.” I tried to stand, and as I did, my fingers gripped the table.
Fyn’s arm broke my fall. “You are absolutely not.” His breath hit me as he scolded me.
“I’m taking you to our room. Hold on to me. If they see how far gone you are, it’ll be very clear you’re not fae. No one will have to look into your eyes to figure it out,” he said. “No fae gets this drunk on a single glass of wine.”
“It was probably more like two… it was very full.” I wrapped my fingers around his bicep, letting him lead me to wherever the stairwell was. When I tripped on the first step, I started giggling.
“I didn’t sign up for this.” The muscles in his arm hardened as he wrapped it around me.
With every unsteady step I took, he urged me a little further.
“You are touching me.” I didn’t know if I liked him touching me, but I liked the warmth that came from him.
I froze.
“It’s either that or you will fall down the stairs, which will arguably be much worse.” The door slammed into the wall as he pushed it open.
A single bed lay in the center of the room. No second bed. No sofa.
I laughed even harder.
One bed and a fae lord who wanted a beautiful redhead, but was forced to cart around the human princess he just barely tolerated.
What an equation.
“I’m glad you find this so funny. Don’t tell your sister about this. She will absolutely kill me for letting you anywhere near the wine,” he said.
“Where’s my satchel?” My heart raced as I looked around the room. I couldn’t lose it.
He tugged at the leather strap on my shoulder. “You’ve only taken it off to sleep.”
“Good.” I slid it around my front, placing my hand over the edge of the flap.
“Carrying something important?” he asked.
“You don’t ask a princess what she’s keeping in her satchel,” I teased. “That is private.”
“Of course, where are my manners.” He smirked at me.
I hated it when he smirked at me. “Every room gets smaller.”
“It does appear that way.”
“And now…” I looked at the slender floorboards that framed the sides of the bed and gestured frantically to it.
“It’ll be like camping.” His fingers pressed deeply into my forearm as my knee slammed into the bed.
I leaned back into it, tugging at my boots. “Ugh, I can’t get them off.” They were always so difficult to remove. “Stupid, stupid boots.”
“I’m fully regretting all of my life choices right now.” His chest swelled as he knelt before me. “Stars above.”
Carefully, he untied the laces and gently removed each boot.
Stifling heat rose inside me as I looked back at him, but I didn’t pull free.
“You regret taking me to Estlen?” I frowned at him. “I thought you liked me, Fyn. I thought we were friends. That’s what you said before.”
“You’re impossible.” He either looked utterly annoyed or concerned.
I couldn’t tell which one it was. “Who’s more impossible?” I could only think about the way Kylana touched his hand. I didn’t want to think about her.
“What are you talking about?” Gently he set my boots aside.
“Her.” I shouldn’t have had the wine. Now I was saying things I didn’t even want to think about.
“We’re not having this discussion right now.” His words were sharp as he stroked his jaw. “You’re not yourself.”
“She is really pretty, Fyn.” She was too pretty. “Don’t make noise whenever you come back in later. I need to sleep. I have to go trade myself tomorrow.”
“You don’t even know what you’re saying.”
I did, but I was certain to regret it all in the morning. The room spun as I stood—a whirl of muted colors. When I stumbled again, he wrapped his arm around me.
My hand braced his chest.
“I’m staying here. I’ll sleep on the floor so that I don’t disturb you.” His gaze fell to my hand when it didn’t move.
The wine hit me even harder. “Don’t be—” I forgot the words I was going to say. “We have lots of horse riding tomorrow.”
“Horse riding?”
My hand trembled as his laughter rattled him. I looked up into his eyes and suddenly I wasn’t well.
“Fyn… there’s something.” Every moment of laughter. Every rude remark—I wasn’t ready for it to stop. “You need to know.”
His heart raced beneath my palm until he slowly pulled my hand back. “Whatever you want to tell me, tell me tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow you’re trading me, remember? Tomorrow is—”
“Tomorrow is better.” He said it as if it pained him.
I slapped the bed beside me. “You will sleep here and I promise… I won’t look at you.”
“Stars above,” he grumbled.
My eyes met his. “You know you don’t want to camp. You could be comfortable.”
“I definitely prefer not to camp.” He lay down beside me.
Sleep took me quickly.