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“I’m a thief, remember?”
They stood only three feet apart, tension thrumming between them. Even furious with the man, Seth could not stop himself from noticing the contours of Raider’s sculpted body. He couldn’t stop his own body from warming at the memory of what Raider had felt like beneath him.
Raider’s right eye darkened as his pupil dilated. The left eye, the arcane one, didn’t change. It was a reminder to Seth—that Raider wasn’t what he seemed, that he had secrets.
It made him wonder: had Raider been playing him all along as he’d played him in the tavern to steal the multi tool? Raider claimed he couldn’t remember anything about his quicksilver. Was that a lie after all?
“You wanted to make me look like a fool,” Seth accused.
“No. I just can’t help myself sometimes. Are you going to do something about it?”
“What is it that you think I should do?” Seth growled the words. He didn’t mean to. They just came out that way.
Raider’s eyelashes fluttered and a flush hit his prominent cheekbones. Seth’s body answered with similar heat, but he made himself step back. He refused to let this be about anything other than Raider stealing from him.
He swiped the multi tool’s knife on his pants then gave it a close inspection. Retracting the blade, he swiped the sequence for the lighter. Raider made a sound of surprise as the flame appeared. Seth enjoyed a moment of satisfaction in knowing that Raider hadn’t figured out all of the multi tool’s functions.
As Seth continued, sequencing the razor then the lock pick, Raider sighed. “I didn’t hurt your precious baby. I know how you love your gadgets.”
“Says the man whose body is rife with quicksilver,” Seth replied sharply without looking up. “You’re practically an arcane instrument yourself.”
“It has its advantages,” Raider sneered.
Raider didn’t sneer often, and it made Seth look up from the multi tool. But Raider had already disengaged from him and was collecting the bag of fruit he’d dropped to execute that perfect throw.
The man was too fucking complicated. Seth couldn’t figure him out and, right now, he didn’t care enough to try.
For a while, they both busied themselves. There was plenty to do. Snake was good meat, but preparing it was time consuming and messy. Raider left for a while to take care of the horses, and by the time he returned, Seth had the snake skinned and cut up and roasting in the pan over the fire.
Raider peered in the jute sack then frowned at Seth. “You didn’t eat any of this?”
“I don’t steal,” Seth replied stiffly.
“It’s not stealing to eat what I gathered for both of us, you over-principled asshole.”
“Better too many principles than none.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Raider snagged an orange from the sack and threw it at Seth. Seth caught it and immediately ripped through the peel to the flesh beneath. He closed his eyes, barely repressing a moan as the bright sweetness hit his tongue.
“You really are an idiot, you know,” Raider told him.
“It tastes better having been given freely.”
Raider flung out an arm to indicate the surrounding oasis.
“They’re all free. I ate at least six while I was picking them.”
“My multi tool wasn’t free.”
With a sound of exasperation, Raider started unloading the sack. He pulled out more oranges as well as dates, figs, and some plump pink berries that he called illu berries.
They feasted on the sweet medley of fruits as the snake cooked and the sky began to deepen toward evening.
When the snake was ready, Seth used a cloth to snag the hot pan from the fire. As Seth set the pan between them on the sand, Raider leaned over to rummage through his saddlebags, digging out what looked like a water skin.
“Raaki?” Raider offered.
