Chapter 4
Caeo
“Hey, Caeo, can you get that barmaid back? I think she’s ignoring me.
” Alexis’s chipper voice easily breaks through the boisterous chatter of the tavern.
The Kettle Maker’s more crowded than usual tonight, thanks to all the Academy students arriving in town.
All eager to get the term started, so they can someday join the elite ranks of the Order of Incanters.
Must be nice to have that kind of direction.
“Nope, not happening.” I lower my tankard of ale. The last thing I need is Mabel feeling me up again, and Alexis hasn’t really gotten me in the mood to whore myself out for her benefit.
“I’m not paying for a second round,” Reid says.
“Pleeease,” Alexis whines, batting her eyes at me.
I ignore her, focusing instead on the beautiful enigma beside me.
I’ve never had to spend this much effort on a girl—that line about claiming me was ridiculous, but that shit’s always worked before.
In my experience, women rarely care about conversation, always rushing into something more exciting.
But Ellie… It’s as if she doubts my interest is real, though I can’t imagine why.
Sure, she’s a little awkward, but there’s this whole personality peeking out that I’m dying to glimpse.
Like now: she’s clearly struggling, but forcing herself to push through anyway. And the fact that she’s not throwing herself at me like all the others gives me hope she might actually be someone who sees me for once.
She startles at my attention, probably because I caught her staring at my throat again.
I’ve never been one for propriety, so I’m used to that reaction, but her gaze—so timid, but with this longing slipping through—ignites a spark within me unlike anything else.
Her sudden movement splashes the stew from her spoon onto her rosy lips.
“You got some on your face,” I say, resisting the urge to wipe it away myself.
“I do?” She reaches for the wrong side of her mouth, and I can’t hold back anymore.
“No, here.” I brush the mess from the soft skin of her lips with my thumb. Her cheeks redden at my touch, and that single dimple on her left peeks out again, like it has every time she’s smiled. It’s happened enough that I’m certain she likes me, and my lips curl into a matching grin.
Minus the dimple. I don’t have one.
A second later, she’s staring at her bowl as she fills another spoonful. Hesitating, again.
“Do you know what kind of meat this is?” she asks.
I sink back in my chair, the heat of the moment dissipating. “They never say. Could be horse for all I know.”
Ellie’s jaw drops, and her spoon falls into her bowl.
A chuckle breaks free at how adorable she looks. “I’m kidding.” Taking a chance, I squeeze her shoulder, and her nose scrunches up as she almost laughs.
She grabs her ale and takes another swig, grimacing as she swallows.
“Clearly, this is your first time with mystery meat and ale.” I pass her tankard to Alexis once she sets it down.
As much as I’d like to take credit for her perpetually flushed face, she’s already had half a pint and some corn brew.
It’s definitely had an effect; she’s nowhere near as jittery as she was earlier.
“Is it that obvious?”
“You didn’t frequent the taverns in Durnam?”
“No, definitely not. A tavern is hardly the place for a young lady.”
My throat catches. A lady? Could that be it? It makes sense—her hair’s so glossy it’s slipping out of her bun, and her skin has the healthy glow of someone who’s never missed a meal. She probably sleeps on a feather bed, while my mattress might as well be a sheet on the floor.
Her parents probably wouldn’t have allowed me anywhere near her. Even in Haven, having the top button on my collar undone is barely acceptable. I only get away with it because no one cares what poor people do. Maybe she’d be more comfortable if I fixed it?
That’d probably just be weird at this point. It’s a stupid rule anyway—suffocating collars for everyone just because the previous king had a hideous birthmark. Besides, she doesn’t actually seem to mind, as she’s back to staring at my neck.
“Hey, Caeo, you done?” Reid snaps his fingers in my face, startling me. “We wanna get to The Duck before it gets too busy.”
“Huh?” I glance down at my bowl. Despite how hungry I was earlier, I’ve hardly touched my stew. I quickly scarf it down because it’s foolish to waste a free meal.
“Can you get Mabel back over here so I can pay?”
“Not a chance. I’ll see you outside.” I pull my coat off the back of my chair and hand Ellie hers. She wobbles as she stands, and I steady her with a light touch on her shoulder. Reid gives me the finger as Alexis gets her coat on, and the girls follow me out.
A shiver runs through me as I step into the brisk night air, so I pull my coat tighter.
This is one of the nicer parts of Haven, but probably still questionable for someone living a life of silver and lace.
Not that I should judge—I have no way of knowing what life in Durnam’s like.
Could smell like shit from all the horse-drawn carriages.
Ellie stumbles out a second later, and I catch her before she falls face-first to the ground, her warmth soaking into me where we touch.
“Are you alright?”
She settles into my arms. “I must have missed a step there.”
There is no step.
I move her away from the door so Alexis can join us in the street. She meets my eyes as she warms her hands with her breath, raising her brow.
Ellie didn’t pull away after I helped her up. If anything, she’s relaxed into my chest, fitting into me like a matching puzzle piece as she sinks into the bend in my arm. Her brown hair tickles my chin as I breathe in the soothing scent of lavender, and I resist the urge to nuzzle into her.
“Remind me never to make a bet with you again,” Reid grumbles when he finally emerges. “I can’t afford this.”
“Where to next?” Alexis asks. “The duck place?”
“The Buttoned-Up Duck,” I say.
Ellie giggles. “I need to see that.”
Alexis’s eyes narrow. “Maybe we should head back, El. We have class tomorrow, and I’d say you’re already at risk for a massive headache in the morning.”
“What? I’m fine. Let’s go!” Cold air sweeps in as Ellie untangles herself from my arms and stumbles with her first step. This has to be her first experience with alcohol. Someone needs to keep it pleasant.
I catch her around the waist, pulling her close as Reid snickers. “How about I walk Ellie back, and you two have fun?”
“But I want to see the duck, too.”
“We’ll see it another time,” I say, shifting to meet her eyes. “Come on, go for a walk with me.”
A ridiculously adorable grin breaks out on her face, the kind a sober person’s incapable of making, and my heart leaps into my throat. I’ve never felt this giddy around a girl before. The way she looks at me, without motive or judgment—I want more.
Alexis bites her lip, her uncertainty surprising me.
“Don’t worry, Lex.” Reid wraps his arm around her shoulder. “She’ll be safe. Cay’s trustworthy, and Ellie’s more than capable of burning him to a crisp if he tries anything.”
My arms stiffen. That… seems excessive.
Ellie focuses on Alexis. “I’ll be fine.”
A tense heartbeat later, Alexis nods, still looking unsure but apparently unwilling to argue with Ellie’s decision.
We say our farewells, with Reid and Alexis heading to The Duck while Ellie struts off in the completely wrong direction.
I grab her hand, leading her the correct way to the Academy, and she doesn’t let go.
With everyone still in Haven for a fun night out, it’s just the two of us on the road back. Once cobblestone transitions to gravel, the streetlamps disappear, leaving us walking hand in hand under the moonlight, our fingers entwined. Just us, dirt, and darkness.
Tipsy Ellie’s more talkative than sober Ellie, less worried about saying the wrong thing. She’s been curious about my life in Haven, asking more about me than anyone ever has, so I’ve spent the last twenty minutes sharing some of the more entertaining stories from my childhood.
“We could hear my mother yelling, and there was a trail of blue drips on the road behind us. So Reid had the brilliant idea of climbing up the clock tower. ‘Because people never look up,’ he said. About ten feet up, I slipped and fell headfirst to the ground.”
Ellie’s eyes go wide. “You landed on your head?”
“That’s what I’m told—I blacked out. Reid says I landed right at my mother’s feet, and she started screaming her head off. He just scooted to the other side of the tower, climbed down, and ran for his life.”
“How are you alive?”
I shrug. “According to the surgeon, it was Fortune’s favor. I was out for two days. Reid burned his blue clothes to get rid of any evidence he’d been with me, so I got all the blame. Got put on wash duty every day for three months, because almost dying wasn’t punishment enough.”
Ellie puffs her cheeks as she exhales. “I’ve never done anything like that.”
“Really? No near-death experiences?”
“Oh, no. My childhood was very regimented. There was always somewhere I was expected to be, and failing to meet expectations was not an option.”
“Sounds miserable.”
Ellie laughs, the sound warming the cold air. “It does, doesn’t it? But it wasn’t all bad. My father gave me a couple of bells every day to paint. He even bought me a small easel that I could take to the gardens with me.”
“You enjoy it that much?”
I’ve never had a hobby I was any good at, that I wanted to spend my time on, unless you count getting girls and climbing trees.
“I do.” She closes her eyes, squeezing my hand tighter. “I always thought I could see people better when I was painting them. That spark within them, that gives them life.”
Her smile builds a steady heat within me as I imagine what it must feel like to have that kind of passion about anything. She glances at me, the moonlight reflecting off her irises.