Our drinks were served, and a single lantern illuminated a spread of thinly sliced meats and cheese. I sandwiched them together and chewed thoughtfully.
“Is this what they call the best seat in the house?”
Bowen drank deeply from his mug before answering. “This isaseat in the house. A secluded one. You wanted a drink and a story; you didn’t negotiate where we’d sit.”
I rolled my eyes and picked up my mug. The scent of barley filled my nose as I sipped the ale, savoring the cold, bitter flavor coating my tongue. It was delicious. A rare treat, and one I usually had to hide from my father back home in the village.
For a while, we sat in comfortable silence, only speaking to point out when someone below tumbled out of their seat or started shouting a sea shanty over the noise in the tavern. My mug emptied and refilled, and a pleasant buzz settled in my limbs. Bowen’s gaze continuously switched from studying me to his pocket watch. After my second drink, he reached into his pocket and plunked a handful of coins down on the table.
“All right, it looks as if you’ve had your fill. If you keep going, I’ll need to carry you out of here.”
I grinned at the image his words invoked, tempted to lean over the rail and snap my fingers for a third round. Except for when he’d tossed me haphazardly onto the mattress, I enjoyed the way his arms felt around me when he kept me from falling off the nightstand. It may be the ale talking, but offering to carry me out of the tavern wasn’t the threat he thought it was.
He reached out to help me stand, but I swatted his hand away, swaying a little in my chair.
“No! We can’t leave yet. You haven’t told me anything about you. That was part of the deal. My prize, if you recall.”
Bowen’s features darkened, and he braced his elbows on the table. “I really don’t think you deserve a prize for allowing yourself to get hurt during a fight.”
I matched his stance, leaning in with a smirk. “Yeah, well, you wanted a duel; you didn’t negotiate fair play.”
“You’re infuriating,” he mumbled under his breath.
“You’reinfuriating,” I mocked, feeling supremely triumphant in my comeback.
His eyebrows rose, and a dry laugh escaped his throat. “Are you just copying everything I say now? Two drinks and you’re a parrot?”
Am I?
I deflated a little in my seat, running my finger through a little puddle of ale next to my glass. “No.”
He looked incredulous, as if he couldn’t believe a girl half his size was putting him through the paces. Finally, he shook his head and leaned back in his chair.
“Fine. What do you want to know?”
After muffling a hiccup with my fist, I drained the last drops of my drink and wiped my mouth with my sleeve. “Everything! Did you really explore Ezora’s tomb? And what’s the deal with Cora? She’s awful, but I’m dying to know what she told the pirates. Not to mention, how did you get your dreaded nickname?” My mouth clamped shut on the last one, and I stared into the bottom of my mug.What a stupid thing to bring up!
Bowen drew in a deep breath, and his jaw tightened.
I raised my palms, horrified by my loose talk. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“No, it’s all right. It’s a fair question. In fact, you deserve to know who you’re dealing with. You wanted a story. I’ll tell you one.”
The ale churned in my stomach, making me feel mildly sick. Bowen leaned forward until the candlelight caught his features. The sounds in the tavern faded away, and I was enthralled by his somber stare. He was such a handsome man. Arresting in a way I’d never experienced. People may say his face was ruined, but they weren’t looking closely enough.
“What happened?” I whispered as if someone around us might hear. Which was a silly thing to do since we were the only ones in the loft, but it felt as if he were about to confide his secrets to me, and I was reluctant to share them.
“Well, I had just returned from overseas when I heard about a job. There are certain items in my trade that are coveted by many, the kind of treasure people spend their lives searching for. This was one of those.”
I clenched my hands around the base of my mug. Still keeping my voice low, I said, “Are you talking about the Incantus?”
“How did you know about that?”
“I saw it in your drawings. You did numerous sketches of the treasure chest and the Incantus medallion. They looked important and, to be honest, a little foreboding. The strange symbols made me uncomfortable.”
Bowen nodded. “People have been searching for the Incantus for centuries. It’s an item of great power. I was cocky—I thought I could find it. So I took the job. My employer wasn’t exactly a model citizen. His name was Robert Lennox, and he led one of the most powerful gangs in the kingdom. Not that it mattered to me. I was in it for the treasure. Besides, if I only worked for honorable clients, I’d never work.”
I smiled. “Makes sense.”
