“Wow. And now you don’t even remember? That hurts, Tink. That really hurts.”
“Stop messing around. There’s nothing to remember,” Taly retorted, hoping that her voice sounded more confident than she felt.
He sprawled on the bed, one hand covering his eyes. “Heartless woman. One would think that after a night of such passionate—”
“Oh no,” Taly groaned as she leaned against the door. She didn’t believe it. She refused to believe it.
“After a night of such enthusiastic—”
Taly shook her head. “No… just no…” They both still had clothes on, for Shards’ sake! Who did he think he was kidding?
“And then I even got dressed and went downstairs to get you food when you said you were hungry. Because let’s face it—you’re always hungry now.” Skye’s head lolled to the side. Those emerald eyes almost seemed to glow in the dim light, unabashedly raking over her form. A slow smile emerged, and he licked his lips. “Although to be fair, I did help you work up an appetite last night.”
The pack dropped from her hands, and she covered her reddening face. “Uh-uh. No. No, no, no…”
“The kitchens were closed, by the way. I hope you know that you’re the only woman I’d ever break into a kitchen for. Can you imagine the kind of things they would’ve said about me at the Dawn Court if I’d been caught? Me? The heir to Ghislain robbing a kitchen at some rundown tavern…”
Peeking through her fingers, Taly spied a small stack of dishes as well as the empty bottle of brandy sitting on the bedside table.
Shit! Her stomach turned, and her knees started to wobble.
“I mean... really!” Skye exclaimed. “After a night of such fervent—” When Taly let out an embarrassed whine and sunk to the floor, Skye’s shoulders started to shake. “—drinking, I thought I’d get a little more consideration. Geez, Tink. Is nothing sacred anymore?”
“What?” Taly snapped, her head popping up.
“Yes, Taly.” Skye ran a thoughtful hand along the stubble on his chin. “Drinking. A long night of drinking. What were you thinking?”
“Shards,” Taly sighed, relief washing over her like a wave. “Fuck you.”
Skye pretended to gasp. “Wait… did you think that we…” That slow, irritatingly sensual smirk resurfaced. “Tinker,” he practically purred, “did you think that I let you have your way with me last night?”
Despite her flushed face, Taly gave him a dirty look.
“Try not to look so horrified,” he said, his smile slipping. “You would be so lucky.”
“Please stop talking.” Reaching for her pack, Taly stood and attempted to retreat to the washroom.
Skye stretched, his head tilting back, and Taly couldn’t stop her eyes from following the movement as his shirt rode up higher. The taut muscles of his stomach shifted beneath his skin. “You know,” he said lazily, “all the ladies at court used to say that I put the lay in Ghislain.”
Taly felt a tremor pass through her, and she visibly winced. Turning to face him, she gave him her best deadpan expression. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. No one said that. No one has ever said that.”
Skye had long since given up trying to hold in his laughter. “Okay, if you don’t like that one, how about this? Once you try a piece of the Skye, you’ll never want to say goodbye. Yes? No?” When Taly just rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, he added, “Your face says no, but just give it a minute to really sink in.”
Though Taly tried to ignore him, his voice followed her into the washroom. “Okay. I’ve got one more. I just came up with this last night, so it’s still a little rough. When you need a little bliss—"
“That’s it,” Taly barked. She bounded back across the room, jumped on the bed, and pulled the pillow out from underneath him. Feathers floated in the air, catching the morning light in their downy tendrils, as she began her assault.
Skye was howling with laughter as he half-heartedly attempted to fend her off. “Temper, temper! What would Sarina say if she saw you right now?”
“She would say ‘beat him harder!’ That’s what she always said because you’d always done something to deserve it,” Taly huffed.
Without warning, one of Skye’s hands shot out, and his fingers curled around her calf. Taly let out a shriek when she suddenly found herself flipped over onto her back. In one graceful movement, he easily plucked the pillow out of her grasp and seized her fists. She tried to kick at him, but he swung a leg over hers, effectively trapping her.
Pressed against him the way she was, she could still feel the laughter rumbling through his chest when he whispered in her ear, “Three hits or a pin, right? You only got one good hit in, so I win.” Taly bucked, trying to free herself, but he tightened his grip. “Calm yourself, Tink. I don’t think passing out beside me warrants the amount of shame required to try to sneak out the next morning. After all, it’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.”
“Sure, but we were kids.” Taly wriggled, somehow managing to elbow him in the ribs. She smiled when she heard a low “oof.” “I haven’t dreamt about the fire in years.”
“Now there’s a lie if I ever heard one.” Skye was still uncomfortably close, and even though his lips barely grazed the skin of her ear, it sent a violent shiver down her spine. “All that time, you have to know that I could still hear you crying when you woke up at night. A closed door and a few wards weren’t going to stop me from hearing. Why did you start locking your door at night? Why wouldn’t you let me help you?”
“Well…” Taly began, her thoughts drifting to that pervasive nighttime terror that continued to haunt her, even into adulthood. The memory of a particularly violent episode flashed through her mind, and she shuddered. It had taken Skye almost an hour to calm her down—to convince her that she was no longer in that cottage back in Vale and that the heat she could feel burning her skin was only an illusion. He’d stayed with her the rest of that night as well as the one after. Her throat bobbed, and she said, “I started closing my door because the nightmares weren’t all that bad anymore—certainly not worth waking you up in the middle of the night.”
Skye huffed out a laugh as he released her fists and stretched out beside her. The bed was barely able to hold both of them comfortably, and Taly was all-too-aware of the places where their bodies still touched. “That’s not a real answer. If you want me to back off, then say so. Otherwise, stop dodging the question,” he grumbled into the pillow. “Something changed that summer. What was it?”
Taly chewed on her lip, unsure. Although they had both shared far more personal information than this only the night before, she almost felt shy now that she no longer had the alcohol burning through her veins, giving her courage. Nevertheless, when he turned his head, his eyes finding hers, she found herself saying, “That was the year your mother decided to introduce you at the Dawn Court, and I realized for the first time that one day when you left to go visit your family on the mainland, you wouldn’t be coming back. You’re the heir to Ghislain, and it was foolish of me to assume that you were always going to be right across the hall, always within reach when I needed you. That summer, I decided it was time I learned how to deal with the nightmares on my own. I couldn’t keep leaning on you.”
Skye gave her a lazy smile. “Shards… you really do come up with some of the craziest nonsense when left to your own devices.”
Taly opened her mouth, ready to defend herself, but her retort died on her lips when he draped an arm across her waist and pulled her closer. “I will always be there for you, Tink,” he murmured, his eyes never leaving hers. “No matter what. No matter where we are. After all these years, I don’t know why you still can’t see that.”
“I… I thought…” Taly stammered, her heart pounding. Skye’s fingers had begun absentmindedly toying with the thin fabric of her nightdress, inadvertently grazing her skin through the lace. Taking a stuttering breath, she attempted to change the subject. “I thought I told yo
u that you couldn’t sleep here last night.”
With a heavy sigh, Skye buried his face in the pillow. “You changed your mind,” he said, his voice muffled. “You told me I could stay.”
“I did what now?” Taly’s heartbeat spiked erratically—something she knew Skye could probably hear with those irritating enhanced senses of his.
Skye let out a low chuckle. “You did. You told me I could stay. You were all, ‘Em, please don’t go,’ but way more adorable. And then when I insisted that I sleep on the floor—just like you told me I would have to do when you were still sober—you climbed on top of me and refused to move.”
Taly didn’t know what to say to that. Her vague recollection of the event happening exactly the way he described made her distinctly uncomfortable.
“You know,” he mused lazily, “I’d forgotten just how cute you are when you’re trying to fall asleep. You’ve got this little frown, right between your eyes—almost like you’re trying to really concentrate on sleeping.”
Taly’s retort died on her lips. Skye thought that she was cute? In what universe did Skye think that she was cute?
“Of course,” he added, propping himself up so he could look her in the eye, “I’d also forgotten just how badly you snore.”
“What?”
“Yeah!” Skye exclaimed, a devilish gleam in his eye. “Once you fell asleep, it was like there was a herd of cattle moving through here. It was uncanny.”
Taly shook him off as she struggled to sit up. “I do not snore!”
Skye’s hands found their way to her sides, right where she was ticklish. A wide toothy, grin split his face when she gave a shriek of laughter. “Yeah! You do! It was like mooooo…”
Working her way free of him, Taly grasped at the pillow and started pummeling him again. “I do not snore!” she cried.
Skye was laughing uncontrollably, and the faint sound of “moo” still sounded from beneath her frenzied onslaught. When he finally quieted, Taly stopped, the pillow still held at the ready. His expression looked strangely calm considering the feathery thrashing he had just endured. His lips moved, and, for a moment, Taly thought that maybe, just maybe, he would apologize.
She should’ve known better.
“Moo.”
That was the point at which Taly decided she didn’t care if he died. Bringing the pillow down, she didn’t hold back as she tried to smother him.
The rest of the morning was surprisingly uneventful. Once Skye managed to convince Taly to grant him a “stay of execution,” they packed up their things, grabbed a quick breakfast, and settled their bill. As they were leaving, Taly spied Adalet and a man she could only assume to be Lord Achard sitting in a secluded corner of the tavern down on the first floor.
“I think Jezebel is trying to get your attention,” Taly said, jerking her head towards the pair’s table.
“What?” Skye followed Taly’s gaze, a slight frown tugging at his lips when he saw Adalet’s not-so-subtle wave. He gave a polite nod before turning back to Taly. “You ready to head out?”
Taly raised a skeptical brow. “You’re not even going to say ‘hello?’ In highborn society, isn’t that some sort of social heresy?”
“Well, look at that. You do remember your manners,” Skye teased, throwing an arm around her and pulling her towards the stairs. “But no. I had more than enough of ‘Jezebel’s’ company last night. As much as you hate ‘Lord Emrys,’ he at least has enough political sway to get away with snubbing the occasional noblewoman. When my mother hears, I’m sure she’ll have a few choice words for me, but that’s nothing new.”
Despite her reddening cheeks, Taly found herself walking a step closer to him. “Has your mother been pushing you to go back to Ghislain again?”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Skye said, wincing slightly. “She actually threatened to disinherit me and reinstate my brother as the heir when I said I’d be too busy with the Aion Gate connection to attend my fifth cousin’s wedding as well as the summer court season in Arylaan. She took that back pretty quickly, though, when she realized that nothing would make me happier.”
Taly smiled. “Skipping court and snubbing Jezebel? If you’re not careful, your reputation with the ladies might start to suffer.”
“I don’t give two shits about this so-called reputation you say I’m supposed to have,” he countered as they descended the final stair and hit the first-floor landing. “Besides—between my Gate Watchers’ duties and the fact that I’m supposed to be taking the exam to get my fifth training seal next month, I barely have enough free time to deal with your nonsense. Where the hell am I going to find the time and energy to entertain other women?”
Taly chuckled softly before giving into temptation and twining her fingers with the hand that rested on her shoulder. When she looked up, the subtle-yet-sincere smile on Skye’s face sent a surprisingly pleasant shiver down her spine.
As they stepped through the open doorway of the inn, she glanced over her shoulder and caught Adalet’s eye. To Taly’s great amusement, the catty highborn’s perfect features were screwed up in anger, and her scowl only deepened when Taly gave her a cocky wink.
By the time Taly and Skye retrieved their horses and turned south to head towards Ebondrift, a comfortable silence had settled between them. The forest canopy started to thin, and streaks of buttery sunlight sliced through the trees as a gentle wind rustled the leaves overhead. Leaning back in her saddle, Taly let out a pleased sigh. It was a beautiful day, and the sun felt deliciously warm against her skin. She had always loved lying out on the front steps of the manor during the summer, and when they were younger, Skye used to liken her to a lazy cat.
Maybe he was right, she thought, stretching her arms high overhead.
“Everything alright?” she asked when she heard a low, incoherent curse from the man riding alongside her. Receiving no answer, she glanced over only to see that Skye was staring at her with slightly unfocused eyes. “Do I have something on my face?” she asked, wiping at her chin self-consciously.
Skye started. “Huh? Uh… no. Sorry. It’s nothing,” he mumbled, shaking his head as he turned away.
“If you say so,” she muttered to herself. Shrugging off his strange behavior, Taly pulled out her map. Some of the wards on the side of the road looked damaged. That meant she needed to stay focused. After all, it wasn’t like they could depend on Skye’s sense of direction if they got lost.
Thankfully, they didn’t have to stray too far from the main road, and even though the horses were a little on edge, pulling at the reins and at times refusing to go forward, they made good time on the second leg of their trip to Ebondrift.
“Shouldn’t there be more people here?” Taly asked as they approached the outer edge of the small gate town. The main roads were still strangely devoid of travelers, even more so than the day before. In fact, they hadn’t passed a single person since shortly after they left Della.
“Yeah,” Skye replied. He closed his eyes, and Taly knew that he was channeling his aether, using his enhanced senses to search for those things that were beyond her ability to detect. “This is strange. The Seren Gate opened a few days ago—that’s more than enough time for the mainland traders to get set up. The Ebondrift market should be in full swing by now.”
“I don’t get it,” Taly said, dismounting and bringing her horse’s reins over its head. “Kaeli, my contact back in Della, mentioned that the market has been a bit slow lately, but I’m starting to think she meant to say it shut down.”
“How old was that information?” Skye asked as he slid out of his saddle.
Taly sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She scowled when her fingers caught in her braid. “She said she was here the night before last just before the stalls closed.” Glancing around the deserted stable, she reached for the reins of Skye’s horse. “I don’t see the groom. You go on ahead and check with the Watchers—I’ll take care of the horses.”
“Thanks.” Skye paused when
his fingers grazed her palm. His eyes found hers, and he frowned, opening his mouth to speak.
“I’ll be fine,” Taly said, anticipating his concern. Leave it to Skye to worry over nothing. “And if I’m not… well, I’m armed.” She patted the heel of one of the pistols holstered at her waist.
“I know, but I just don’t think it’s a good idea to split up.” Skye ran a nervous hand through his hair. “Especially with that guy in Ryme and—"
“Seriously, would you just go?” She laughed as she pushed him towards the stable door. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll come straight to the command post after I’m done. No dawdling.” She gave a mock salute, something she had learned from a mortal trader years ago.
“Okay! Okay,” Skye conceded, holding up his hands. He still didn’t look convinced, but he started backing away. “Just please be careful.”
“I always am.” Taly gave him a wink.
Skye stumbled slightly, and she couldn’t stop the giggle that fell from her lips. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a shadow mage trip over his own two feet. “No, you’re not,” he muttered, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Still, I expect you to at least try.”
“Will do,” Taly said as she turned back to the horses. “Now, get lost, Em.”
Tying off the horses, Taly shook her head, still laughing to herself as she heard Skye’s footsteps crunching on the gravel path outside. When he was finally far enough away that she didn’t think he could hear her, even with those super shadow senses of his, she turned to the little gelding she had been riding and said, “Can you believe that, Byron? No faith. I’ve done just fine on my own for almost a year now, but he doesn’t think I can walk across a village without finding trouble. That highborn jerk is going to make himself go gray if he’s not careful.”
Byron gave a disinterested snort in reply, which Taly decided to take as wholehearted agreement.
As she wandered up and down the rows of stalls, she shook her head in disgust. She had never had much respect for the grooms in the public stables in Ebondrift before, but this was a new low. Even for them. The stable was near capacity, but there wasn’t a man or woman in sight. The stalls hadn’t been mucked in over a day, and the animals’ water troughs were empty.
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