Chapter 30
MYRA
Myra burrowed deeper into the blankets. The comforter sucked her in, as if wrapping her in a snug hug.
The pillow was stiffer than she remembered, and she nuzzled against it, trying to make it more comfortable.
She inhaled, and notes of cinnamon and pine enveloped her.
Her fingers curled into the fabric, and the blanket tightened around her—
Her eyes shot open, her entire body stiffening.
She wasn’t lying on a pillow but Laurince’s chest.
In her sleep, she had grabbed the blanket and dragged it closer to her, leaving Laurince’s chest bare. From his muscular pectorals to his sculpted abdominals, every inch was perfectly toned. Unable to stop herself, she glanced down.
A squeal of horror nearly slipped from her lips.
The blankets were twisted around Laurince’s legs, and one of her legs was thrown high over his. Her nightdress had risen dangerously high and kissed the tops of her thighs.
Embarrassment heated her skin.
She had been cold during the night. That’s all. That was the only plausible explanation for their entangled bodies.
Slowly, she uncurled her fingers from the blanket. She tried to untwist her limbs from his, but he squeezed her closer to his chest. Myra’s eyes threatened to pop out of her head as she stifled a gasp.
Laurince mumbled something unintelligible under his breath as sleep held onto him with a deathly grip.
By the gods.
Maybe Myra would be lucky, and a storm would roll in and lightning would strike—
She grimaced. That would only make him wake up faster.
She had to get out of the bed. Now.
Myra peeled Laurince’s hand off her. She crawled out of bed, doing her best not to disturb him. It was bad enough that one of them knew their limbs had been entangled, but both of them? That would be a nightmare—
An amused snort sounded behind her.
She snapped her head toward the window.
Rian was lounging in a green barrel chair. One leg was folded over the other as he leaned back in the seat, an arm lazily draped over the chair’s arm. Rian took a long sip from a mug. "Did I mention he’s a cuddler?"
Myra tugged on her nightgown. "We never talk about this, got it?"
He lowered his mug, revealing a devilish smirk.
"Talk about what?"
Myra stiffened at Laurince’s groggy voice. She silently cursed herself when her cheeks burned redder. How was his voice making her skin flush? It was too early and much too bright for this nonsense.
"Oh, nothing," Rian answered in a singsong tone, his mischievous grin widening.
"Do I have drool on my face or something?" Laurince asked.
Myra looked back and immediately regretted the decision.
Propped up on one arm, Laurince wiped his chin and then scratched his chest. Myra’s attention snagged on his collarbone, and she immediately caught herself.
Feeling much too exposed, she snatched her bag in search of something to throw on herself.
A flash of silver sparkled as the sun hit the contents of her bag. She rolled her eyes at the small blade, though a small grin poked at her cheek. Moving it aside, she grabbed the first pair of trousers she could find.
"We should get going," she said, shoving her feet into the pants, one after the other, as she fought the fabric of her nightgown.
"What about food?" Rian asked, not bothering to hide his amusement in his tone.
"We can get something on the way out. The longer we wait, the more daylight we waste. The last time we made this journey, you couldn’t stop stressing the importance of using the daylight to our advantage.
Right, Laurince?" she asked, fully aware she was rambling.
She quickly swapped her dress for a simple blouse.
"Uhm, right," Laurince said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his fist.
The chair creaked as Rian stood. "I’ll go see about snagging us a couple of loaves and leave you two to—"
"I’ll join you." Myra threw her bag over her shoulder.
"That’s really unnecessary," Rian said, but Myra was already ushering him out of the room.
The door clicked shut behind them, and Myra hurried down the hall, determined to put as much distance between herself and Laurince. She needed to shake off the embarrassment before she could safely see him again.
"Is he a bad snuggler? Is that why you’re fleeing the scene? Did he drool on you, but you don’t have the heart to tell him?" Rian whispered at her back, trailing only a foot or so behind her. "You know, if the two of you wanted the room, I could have found—"
Myra whipped around, and Rian had to catch himself before he barreled straight into her and sent them both tumbling down the stairs.
"There is no 'us.' Got it?" she snapped, her fists digging into her hips.
Rian smirked. "That’s not what it looked like this morning."
"It didn’t look like anything. We wouldn’t have been…" Myra hesitated, struggling to find the right words.
"Entangled?" Rian suggested, wiggling his brows.
Myra groaned. "In the same bed if it hadn’t been because of you!" She poked him in the chest. "When we returned, you were sprawled across the entire bed."
He rolled his eyes. "We both know he and I were never going to fit in the same bed, anyway."
"You could have at least told us we were all sharing a room!"
Rian lifted his shoulder with a smug look. "It was more fun this way."
"More fun? You are preposterous!"
"That’s a funny way to say genius," he said, punctuating it with a wink.
"How does that make you a genius?" she asked, pointing back to their room.
Rian cocked a brow. "Why do you think he invited you to come with us?"
"Because he felt bad for me," Myra answered, though the words didn’t sit right on her tongue.
"If you truly think that’s the reason, then you haven’t been paying attention," Rian said, moving past her and heading down the stairs.
Myra bounded after him. "What other reason is there?"
Reaching the bottom of the steps, Rian looked over his shoulder and grinned. "Think about it, Haze."
But the way Rian said her nickname differed from the captain. Casual and platonic, and certainly not in a way that sent her heart thundering.
Myra’s eyes widened.
But then she recalled the captain teasing her about Rian, and she shook her head, dismissing the thought.
"No, you’re wrong. He thinks I have feelings for you."
Rian laughed and grabbed her shoulder. "Everyone has feelings for me, Mys."
"I don’t." She tipped up her chin and tossed off his hand.
"Oh, trust me, I know." He leaned toward her and whispered, "But don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret." He playfully flicked her chin with his thumb before turning toward the counter and flagging down the innkeeper.
Begrudgingly, Myra followed him. As she stood at the bar, her brows furrowed as a strange sensation tickled the back of her neck. Before she could identify the source, a smooth, low voice from behind startled her.
"What will be your little secret?" Laurince asked, leaning against the bar beside her.
Myra’s heart flew into her lungs, rendering her speechless. She hadn’t even heard him come down the steps. How much of their conversation had he heard?
She looked back-and-forth between Laurince and Rian. "Uhm…uh…"
Laurince raised a brow, waiting for an answer. The captain’s suspicion slithered its way over her limbs. Something bitter twisted with it.
"It wouldn’t be a secret if we told you, now would it?" Rian asked, leaning forward.
A deep wrinkle formed in the middle of Laurince’s forehead as he narrowed his gaze at them.
Myra’s gaze flicked to his chest. The laces near his collar were loose, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbow.
"I think…I think I need some air." Myra pushed away from the bar and scurried out of the tavern before either gentleman could voice their dissent.
The brisk morning air bit her cheeks as she stepped outside. Hurried footsteps followed her.
Myra sighed. "You didn’t need to follow me—"
But Myra didn’t get to finish her rebuttal before a gag was lodged into her mouth, silencing her. The person twisted Myra’s arms behind her back. Her shoulder made a sickening pop as it was forced out of its socket.
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she tried to scream out for Laurince, for anyone.
But it was no use. The gag muffled her cries for help.
She jerked around, trying to free her hands from her captor’s grip.
As she twisted, she spotted a sinister grin and a tattoo of a dragon scaling up the man’s neck.
Then, an intense pain spiked the back of her head, and her vision flashed white, the inn disappearing.