Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
A cold gust of wind accompanied the warrior, and outside, the snow fell thick and heavy.
The second Kole stepped inside the salopas, his gaze surveyed the room as though cataloguing who was present, what they wore, if they carried weapons, and what auras surrounded them.
As usual, his expression remained stoic, and his Shield was locked down.
Several of the locals watched Kole, but unlike when I’d entered the bar, their demeanors stayed the same, as though knowing a predator had just entered their midst, and it was wisest not to draw attention to themselves.
When the warrior’s attention reached my table, my heart thrummed, but determined to act normal in his presence, I lifted my hand and waved.
His eyes hooded slightly, but then his attention shifted to the other fae at my table. He slowly tracked the three newcomers, and given that his expression didn’t change, it was impossible to gauge what he was thinking.
My heart ticked steadily upward regardless, and magic stirred inside me. As had happened more times than I wanted to admit, my inner abilities vibrated, as though standing to attention in the warrior’s presence.
I huffed. I could hardly blame the Stone any further. This was one hundred percent my reaction to him.
Muttering quietly to myself, I tried to tamp it down, but my resolve wavered when Kole made his way to the bar. It was then I realized that he wore different clothes than he had previously.
The thick black breeches and tunic in Stonewild colors were gone. In their place, a loose long-sleeved navy top and a thinner pair of black breeches adorned his large frame. Heavy boots still covered his feet, but they didn’t reach his knees as the others had.
Despite his more casual attire, his muscles still bulged beneath the clothing, hinting at strong lines and lean angles.
The male was entirely cut, and I wondered what kind of training program he partook in to keep his body in that kind of shape.
But one thing about him hadn’t changed. As I’d also come to expect, his sword remained strapped to his back.
I was beginning to wonder if he ever took it off.
When Kole reached the bar, he stood casually at the end. Even at the bar top, the seats had been entirely filled.
Jessip, the lone female in the group I’d just met, leaned toward me. “Do you know that male?”
Her question snapped me out of the trance Kole had woven over me. “I do,” I replied, then took another sip of tea. “We met a few days ago.”
“He’s very . . . big.” She looked Kole up and down as he stood at the bar.
Nym nudged her. “Don’t be getting any ideas.”
Jessip laughed and stopped appreciating the warrior. “Oh, don’t worry. I only have eyes for you, my sweetness.”
Nym smirked, and Felix took another swig of his ale.
Unlike me, Jessip was tall with a lean build. However, similar to me, she wore pants and a long-sleeved top. We hadn’t divulged many details to each other yet, but I was fairly certain they were also hunting the Stone, and I was guessing her group was from Faewood.
Jessip’s aura felt shrouded in humid mist. I would have bet she had water elemental magic. And both Felix and Nym felt of soil and nature, likely terrain elementals.
“That’s quite the sword,” Felix remarked, pulling my attention back to the warrior.
Kole glanced our way, his jaw ticking once.
It was the only indication of anything passing behind his steely mask, and I wondered if he’d heard us above the commotion.
But it was such a fleeting movement that it could have been a trick of the light or a shadow hitting his face at just the right angle.
Regardless, Kole still stood at the bar, making no move to leave, so I quickly looked around and searched for a free seat for my inn neighbor.
I spotted a stool near the stage, probably used to prop equipment against it if needed, but the wildling band tonight hadn’t utilized it once.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to my new friends.
Standing, I sashayed through the crowd, passing the full tables as the music continued thumping around us.
Several fae had taken their thick tunics off until only their thin shirts underneath covered their frames, probably because the temperature in the room had climbed.
When I reached the stage, the wildling who was playing the horn gave me a wink. I swayed my hips to the beat and nodded toward the stool. “Do you mind?” I asked, trying not to distract him from his riff.
He dipped his head once, and I took that as permission to grab it, so I lifted the wooden stool, grunting slightly since it was heavier than it looked, but I somehow managed to heave it over my head so I wouldn’t knock it into anyone on my way back to the table.
The entire time, I felt Kole watching me.
He still leaned against the bar top in the far corner, but considering he’d helped me carry all of my supplies into my inn chambers, and had saved that wildling mother and her babies from the would-be murderers, and had gotten Abel off my back, I felt it was only hospitable to at least invite him to join us.
Never mind that I was ridiculously attracted to him.
Once situated, I hopped onto the stool since I’d finished my tea, then waved over the crowd to Kole. “Come join us!” I called and pointed to the now-empty chair that I’d just vacated.
Kole stared at me for a beat. I half expected him to ignore my invitation. He didn’t strike me as the sociable type, and I had a feeling Nym, Jessip, and Felix might be off-putting to him, but surprisingly, he pushed away from the bar and slowly made his way through the crowd.
I couldn’t help but watch as he neared. Most of the fae scooted their chairs in the second he drew closer to them, and the fae standing between the tables stepped completely out of his way to give him room to maneuver.
“Must be nice,” I sighed dramatically, “to have the entire realm be slightly afraid of you.”
Jessip snorted. “If you carried a sword that big, I bet fae would move for you too.”
I laughed lightly, and Felix leaned back in his seat and casually rested his arm on the back of my stool.
His hand brushed my lower spine. “There are other ways to cause fear in fellow fae, Prim. You could rave like a lunatic. Act unhinged. Talk to fae who aren’t there.
” He shrugged. “You could try that. I bet it would work even if you didn’t have a huge sword. ”
Jessip snorted again, but I chuckled and gave him an impish look. “Are you speaking from experience?”
“He is, although not in the way you’re thinking,” Nym replied for him. “He was committed to several healing infirmaries during his lifetime. Our dear friend here suffers from occasional psychotic episodes.”
My smile was immediately wiped clean. “Oh stars, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to joke.”
But Nym, Felix, and Jessip all burst into laughter just as Kole reached our table.
“They’re toying with you, Prim,” Jessip replied. “Felix has never been committed, although I’ve wondered on occasion if he should be.”
Felix brushed his hand against me again, then lightly pinched my side, which got a squeak out of me. “Don’t scare her off too much, Jess. I’m hoping to convince her to dance with me later.”
I glanced upward, grinning, only to be met with Kole’s attention locked on Felix.
“Hi,” I said to the warrior, determined to act normal. “Would you like to join us?”
Kole hesitated for a heartbeat, his attention still on Felix, but then he turned my vacated chair backward and straddled it, having to angle his sword to do so. But the movement was so quick and so practiced that it was obvious he was used to sitting that way with his weapon.
Jessip’s eyebrows rose. “Introductions, anyone?”
I waved at the Faewood fae. “Kole, this is Nym, Felix, and Jessip. They’re not local either. And, everyone, this is Kole.”
Felix elbowed me teasingly. “Has anyone ever told you how cute you are?”
My eyebrows shot up. “Cute? Hmm, I don’t know. Maybe.” Blushing, I leaned forward since Felix sat between me and Kole, then said to the warrior, “Did you order something to eat?”
Kole eyed Felix again, but since his mask had fallen into place, it was impossible to decipher his expression. “I did. The barkeeper said it’d be over shortly.”
“Felix?” Nym said. “I almost forgot. I was going to ask you something about Teelive from back home. She told me . . .”
Since the Faewood friends began to discuss something about their friend, who neither Kole nor I knew, I settled back on my stool again.
Kole angled himself away from the table and said quietly to me from behind Felix, “I see you’ve already made some new friends, and quite quickly too.”
“I have.” I smiled cheekily and eyed his clothing. “And I see you’ve changed.” I cocked my head. “But you didn’t travel with any bags, so where’d you get the new clothes?”
Kole shrugged. “I have my ways.”
A tray floated toward us and deposited drinks and food before all four of them. The barkeeper had easily doubled Kole’s portions, compared to what he’d given me, and I had a feeling the warrior could eat all of it.
I eyed Kole, wondering what he meant by his evasive response, but Jessip stole my attention when she said loudly, “Anyway, enough about all that stuff from back home. So where are you two from?” She picked up her fork and began to eat.
“Mistvale,” I replied readily. “Whiteolf, specifically. I live in the capital.”
Kole remained silent.
“And . . . you?” Jessip said to Kole, her eyebrows rising.
Kole took another drink. “I tend to travel a bit. I don’t really claim a residence.”
I wasn’t surprised by his answer. Imperial Council Warriors did live on the go, often moving from one location to another, yet I knew that somewhere in the realm, there was likely a residence in Kole’s name. But if he didn’t want to share his personal information, it wasn’t for me to push.