glare.
“Useless thief,” he muttered. “You need to leave the castle.”
This was the man who was “honored” to meet me just yesterday, and I hadn’t seen him since. I was certain now: Swenn was telling lies about me.
Not that I would, but I started to wonder what would happen if I left. Would Swenn even let me be? Maybe, but King Quince certainly wouldn’t. I was a pyforial mage. My options were following Commander Jaymes’ orders, going to Ovira with Terren’s party, or spending my life in prison. Only one of those gave me the chance for revenge and to help win this war.
“Calumny!” Shara squeaked at Swenn’s squire. “Don’t believe the calumny!”
Judging by the expression on the squire’s face, he didn’t understand her. Then he was gone.
“Perhaps that wasn’t the best time to show off your vocabulary,” I said.
She sighed. “How are we going to…” Her eyes shifted to Henry. “Never mind,” she added, irritated that she couldn’t speak about Swenn in front of the giant.
“I know.”
She rose to her toes and cupped her hands around my ear. “Meet me in my room after he falls asleep.”
The sensual tone of her whispered invitation made something stir in my chest. But this wasn’t a romantic invitation, I reminded myself.
With night closing in, I decided a bath would do nicely, then I could retire to bed. If sleep didn’t elude me tonight, I could rest while waiting for Henry to doze off. Shara and I might need an hour or two to figure out our plan. Whatever sleep I could get before I met her would help me think.
“I’m going to visit Laney,” Shara said.
We said our goodbyes, and I started toward the bathing quarters. Gods, is Henry even going to let me bathe alone?
He didn’t.
I had the better part of an hour to myself in my room before Henry tried the door without knocking. I hadn’t bothered locking it.
“So you’re going to spend the entire night in here?”
“Yes,” he whistled.
“You must be annoyed at Swenn for making you sleep in a chair.”
He pointed at my bed.
“You can’t be serious.”
He folded his arms as he whistled again, “Yes.”
Sure enough, as I slid beneath my covers, Henry invited himself onto the other side of the bed. I normally slept in just my undershorts, but I would be leaving my room after he fell asleep, so I left my shirt on. Henry didn’t, though. Gods, the man had so much muscle but equally as much blubber. I figured he must weigh close to five out of the six blocks I’d lifted earlier today. It would be a struggle just to get him off my bed.
“I tend to thrash in my sleep, so I hope you’re a deep sleeper.” I didn’t really thrash.
“Yes.”
Good. Knowing I was about to see Shara, and in private, made it easy to forget all of my worries. Since I’d left Lanhine, my heart had been preoccupied with pain and the burden of my troubles, but now it finally allowed me to feel for Shara. And what I felt consumed my entire body every time I thought about her.
CHAPTER SIX
I awoke sometime during the night feeling as if I’d slept an hour, maybe two. Henry’s loud breathing was on the verge of snoring but not quite there. I carefully freed my legs from the sheets and brought my feet over the bed. By the time I neared the door, Henry’s breathing hadn’t changed.
I spent a full minute just turning the doorknob, opening the door, stepping through, and closing it behind me. Then I hurried across the cold stone hallway, feeling like a mouse out of his hole as my bare feet pattered along the cold floor.
Shara had left her door unlocked for me. My stomach felt light with nervous excitement as I climbed into bed beside her. I put my arm over her, gently placing my hand on her stomach and moving in to close the distance between us.
“Mmm.” Shara stirred. “Neeko?”
“Yes.”
She put her hand on top of mine. “I wish we could just fall asleep like this and not have to worry about
“Useless thief,” he muttered. “You need to leave the castle.”
This was the man who was “honored” to meet me just yesterday, and I hadn’t seen him since. I was certain now: Swenn was telling lies about me.
Not that I would, but I started to wonder what would happen if I left. Would Swenn even let me be? Maybe, but King Quince certainly wouldn’t. I was a pyforial mage. My options were following Commander Jaymes’ orders, going to Ovira with Terren’s party, or spending my life in prison. Only one of those gave me the chance for revenge and to help win this war.
“Calumny!” Shara squeaked at Swenn’s squire. “Don’t believe the calumny!”
Judging by the expression on the squire’s face, he didn’t understand her. Then he was gone.
“Perhaps that wasn’t the best time to show off your vocabulary,” I said.
She sighed. “How are we going to…” Her eyes shifted to Henry. “Never mind,” she added, irritated that she couldn’t speak about Swenn in front of the giant.
“I know.”
She rose to her toes and cupped her hands around my ear. “Meet me in my room after he falls asleep.”
The sensual tone of her whispered invitation made something stir in my chest. But this wasn’t a romantic invitation, I reminded myself.
With night closing in, I decided a bath would do nicely, then I could retire to bed. If sleep didn’t elude me tonight, I could rest while waiting for Henry to doze off. Shara and I might need an hour or two to figure out our plan. Whatever sleep I could get before I met her would help me think.
“I’m going to visit Laney,” Shara said.
We said our goodbyes, and I started toward the bathing quarters. Gods, is Henry even going to let me bathe alone?
He didn’t.
I had the better part of an hour to myself in my room before Henry tried the door without knocking. I hadn’t bothered locking it.
“So you’re going to spend the entire night in here?”
“Yes,” he whistled.
“You must be annoyed at Swenn for making you sleep in a chair.”
He pointed at my bed.
“You can’t be serious.”
He folded his arms as he whistled again, “Yes.”
Sure enough, as I slid beneath my covers, Henry invited himself onto the other side of the bed. I normally slept in just my undershorts, but I would be leaving my room after he fell asleep, so I left my shirt on. Henry didn’t, though. Gods, the man had so much muscle but equally as much blubber. I figured he must weigh close to five out of the six blocks I’d lifted earlier today. It would be a struggle just to get him off my bed.
“I tend to thrash in my sleep, so I hope you’re a deep sleeper.” I didn’t really thrash.
“Yes.”
Good. Knowing I was about to see Shara, and in private, made it easy to forget all of my worries. Since I’d left Lanhine, my heart had been preoccupied with pain and the burden of my troubles, but now it finally allowed me to feel for Shara. And what I felt consumed my entire body every time I thought about her.
CHAPTER SIX
I awoke sometime during the night feeling as if I’d slept an hour, maybe two. Henry’s loud breathing was on the verge of snoring but not quite there. I carefully freed my legs from the sheets and brought my feet over the bed. By the time I neared the door, Henry’s breathing hadn’t changed.
I spent a full minute just turning the doorknob, opening the door, stepping through, and closing it behind me. Then I hurried across the cold stone hallway, feeling like a mouse out of his hole as my bare feet pattered along the cold floor.
Shara had left her door unlocked for me. My stomach felt light with nervous excitement as I climbed into bed beside her. I put my arm over her, gently placing my hand on her stomach and moving in to close the distance between us.
“Mmm.” Shara stirred. “Neeko?”
“Yes.”
She put her hand on top of mine. “I wish we could just fall asleep like this and not have to worry about
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