Quinn
The crowded bar smelled like salt and seawater, likely due to the number of sailors in attendance.
Even their fae features looked wind chilled and leathery after decades of baking in the sun.
I could only hope that the bar was dubbed Seawater due to the livelihoods of its denizens and not the flavor of its drinks.
It had been simple to sneak out of the Enclave given my talents at sensing the heartbeat of anyone close enough to catch us.
Rivan, Yael, and Pari had gone to find Queen Sariyah, who apparently spent most nights tending to her people in the hospital wing.
Tobias and I had donned the freshly pressed healer’s robes Yael had somehow obtained, then blended into the crowd of them leaving for the day.
We weren’t the only ones in a hurry, nor the only ones heading to nearby bars, though most were likely rushing to get home.
I doubted any of them had been forced to double back as often as Tobias had made us, nor needed to ditch their robes in an alley.
An additional precaution Tobias had insisted on, as he handed me one of the lightweight cloaks he carried beneath his arm.
Despite my reassurances that I would have sensed anyone following us from the telltale pounding of their hearts, Tobias insisted we stick to the shadows the entire way here.
In return, I made him promise we wouldn’t forget to return our borrowed robes when we were done.
The mood at the bar was lively, raucous even, though there was an undercurrent to it like a livewire about to spark.
I tensed as I heard someone loudly mention the “High Queen’s ailment” among the chatter of voices.
Another replied he heard she was already dead.
My head snapped his way as he started going on about how “the truth was being hidden” and would be “until The Choosing took place in secret”, even as loud jeers overtook the rest of his sentence.
Tobias’s hand fastened around my upper arm, leading me forward as he muttered, “So brave of him to be so confidently wrong in public.”
It hadn’t taken long for news of the severity of Eva’s sickness to spread. Not that I expected otherwise.
“Keep your head down and your hood up.” His hand moved to my lower back as we pressed through the throng, and an unbidden flutter stirred low in my stomach. “If Thibault recognized us, whoever he was supposed to meet likely will as well.”
We hadn’t worked so hard to sneak out of the castle undetected to get caught now.
I tugged my hood lower, shading more of my face despite the heat of the room, but draped the attached cape open for some relief.
Beneath it, I wore a sleeveless black tank, a triangle of skin exposed at the base of my collarbone.
My wrap skirt concealed the dagger attached to my leg, though we were hardly the only ones armed at this establishment.
Tobias wore his usual black on black, his own hood keeping his face hidden.
The sleeves of his shirt were rolled above his elbows, exposing the taut veins of his forearms as he ushered me forward.
I knew his dagger hung on his belt beneath his cloak, ready if needed.
“I’m not the one he—” I was careful to avoid saying Silvius’s name, despite the miniscule chance we could be overheard. “I’m not the one he has a ready-made virus for.”
Tobias walked us over to an empty booth in the back. “Like the alternative’s any better.”
Reminding him what was at stake should we be discovered wasn’t my brightest idea. My fingers drummed on the table. “Won’t it look more suspicious if we’re just sitting here and waiting?”
A grimace flickered across his face. “I’ll get us drinks. Stay here where I can see you, okay?”
He waited for me to nod before pushing his way back through the crowd.
I had to admit that Tobias had chosen our table well.
The booth not only faced the entrance, but it was slightly raised so we could easily look over the heads of everyone crowding the bar.
Even in the dim lighting, we could see everything except some shadowy corners.
More than one person noticed me looking around the room and gave me appraising looks in return.
They were no doubt in search of any warm body, considering all they could see of me was the vague curve of my figure beneath my cloak.
I ignored them and continued my perusal, but I didn’t see anyone who immediately aroused my suspicion, only those looking to unwind.
A lone figure walked towards me. My hand automatically found my dagger. He shuffled slightly as he walked, likely a few drinks in. His arms were bare and muscled from what I assumed was a life at sea based on the fishy smell emanating from him.
He gave me a smarmy grin. “What are you drinking?”
“I’m not looking for company,” I said dismissively.
He snorted, then slid into Tobias’s empty seat. I could smell the alcohol on his breath as he leaned in. “Give me a chance, darling. It’s a drink, not an anima bond.”
“My friend is taking care of it,” I said impatiently, scanning the room for Tobias.
I hated using him as an excuse—like me asking for this asshole to leave didn’t count unless I had a male companion superseding his advances—but it was better than causing a scene.
“Last chance to leave me alone. I won’t ask you again. ”
I could easily fight him and win, but that would draw attention we couldn’t afford. If this drunkard didn’t leave on his own though, I would happily teach him a lesson about what happened when he didn’t listen to the word ‘no’.
His eyes fixed on my cleavage. My hand twitched on my dagger, ready to draw it and point it at the bastard’s balls.
“How about I keep you company until your friend gets back.” His words slurred together. “Wouldn’t want you to be lonely…”
“Move.” Tobias’s voice was a low growl, the threat in it unmistakable.
My interloper blanched, jerking back. His eyes widened as he took in Tobias standing over him, the muscles of his arms testing the stretch of his sleeves as his hands curled into fists.
“We were just talking,” the sailor mumbled drunkenly.
“The lady said no.” Tobias set two frothy mugs in front of me. His face remained impassive, but I swore I saw a flash of his light gleam around his pupils. “Now get out of my seat.”
The stranger swayed as he got to his feet. “She didn’t say she was taken—”
“She’s not,” Tobias said sharply, his eyes narrowing. “That doesn’t mean you have a right to her time or attention.”
“But I—”
“Owe her an apology.” Tobias leaned forward, the move only serving to demonstrate how much larger he was. “Unless you’d prefer to settle this outside.”
With a grumbled apology, the male quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Tobias crossed his arms. “I was barely gone a minute and still had to conduct a rescue mission.”
“I don’t need rescuing,” I said flatly.
His lips twitched. “You misunderstand…I was rescuing him.” Tobias glanced down at my hand, which still rested on my dagger. “It was a mercy, really…I thought I’d let him leave with his balls intact.”
Despite the awkwardness of our situation, I couldn’t help my snicker.
“Well, thanks for coming back when you did.” I clinked my beer against his a little too exuberantly. A bit of foam sluiced down the cold glass onto my fingertips.
Tobias shook his head. “Don’t thank me for that. You would’ve handled it just fine without me.”
“Well then, for the beer,” I said with a grin. As much as I wanted to take him to task for running away earlier, now wasn’t the time. Besides, it had been a long time since we had a beer together.
Tobias’s eyes softened, a small smile curving his lips. He picked up his mug, taking a large sip and promptly gagged.
I eyed my own drink suspiciously. “Poisoned?”
“I watched him pour it from the tap into two fresh glasses right in front of me.” Tobias looked affronted as he took another sip, like the first one might have been a fluke. “I swear I didn’t order a sour ale.”
I took a drink of my own, my cheeks sucking together as the taste hit my tongue. “I don’t mind a tart beer, but this is…”
My next swallow was more measured, but Tobias braved a larger gulp. I slapped a hand over my mouth at the expression on his face, trying not to spit my drink out laughing.
“Sorry,” Tobias muttered, a blush spreading across his cheeks. “I ordered something on draft that looked popular.” He looked vaguely dejected at his failure to return with something I liked. “Maybe it’s an acquired taste?”
I gamely drank another sip, struggling to hide my revulsion. “It’s growing on me.”
My tongue darted out to lick the foam from my upper lip.
Something vaguely predatory reflected in his eyes as that gaze fixed on my lips, and my entire body heated.
We might both be pretending right now—clinging to some fragile truce—but he was kidding himself if he thought I couldn’t see right through him.
The noisy bar faded to a dull hum as he leaned closer…Almost as close as he had been earlier when he had me in his arms, my fingers tangling into his hair as he—
A glass shattered. Voices rang out, and we both looked away, the spell broken. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat. Tobias took a large gulp of his beer.
“I’d offer to get the next round, but we’re not here to get drunk, Maris,” I teased him under my breath. “It’s almost last call, and we need to…”
I trailed off as I noticed the hooded figure filling the doorway. He wore healers’ robes, the uniform out of place in this seafaring crowd. And the fact that he hadn’t removed his hood…
Could this be the mole?