His eyes were wild, swirling with emotion, and he grabbed my chin, lowering his face toward mine so that there was only a breath between us. “And what, little stalker, did they show you of us?” he breathed, his eyes smoldering. “Because I have a pretty good idea.”
I swallowed, my mouth going dry at his words as my body became heated. His mouth inched closer, and I didn’t dare move as his gaze dipped to my lips.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement and instinctively jerked away from Xavier, whose grip tightened briefly before I broke free. Jaxon emerged from the healer’s house, and Xavier growled in disapproval at my sudden shift in focus. My attention snapped to the bundle of blankets cradled in Jaxon’s arms.
Dedra.
“We should go,” Jaxon called out toward us, and my eyes flitted back to Xavier’s, who still stared at me with a wild glint in his eyes.
“This conversation isn’t over,” he growled, and he stalked off down the alley.
Chapter 30
Zara
We rode through the night, exhaustion weighing on us with every passing hour. By midday, we reached Clawthorn, a small village nestled in the shadow of jagged hills. The sight of the inn, “The Weepy Serpent”, was a relief, promising food, hot baths, and much-needed sleep.
The journey had been anything but quiet. Xavier spent most of it catching Jaxon up on the events in the village, the caves, and the Vorrak. His recounting was precise, yet when it came to my encounter with the Fate, his tone turned purposefully vague.
They had pressed for information, but I didn’t give them any, much to their growing irritation. Their conversation had revolved endlessly around the Vorrak, each mention sending a chill down my spine.
I had remained silent for most of the journey, wishing I could erase the entire experience from my memory.
Dedra did not stir the entire ride. Her face was littered with bruises, their yellow-green hue deepening into purple and blue under the shifting moonlight. According to Jaxon, she had afractured skull, three broken ribs, and a punctured lung. The healer had mended her injuries as best she could, but the poison from the Daka was too widespread. Until the antidote fully purged it from her system, her magic wouldn’t function properly. She needed rest to replenish her strength.
As we approached the inn, I couldn’t help but notice that it looked like it was about to collapse in on itself. It was a crooked, leaning structure with warped wood. Years of grime and soot blackened the walls, and the uneven roof sagged in scattered places.
As we stepped inside, the air was thick with the mingled smells of unwashed bodies, stale ale, and the faint sour tang of spilled stew. The floorboards groaned under our weight, warped and uneven like everything else in the place. The low ceiling hung ominously close, its wooden beams dark even in the faint light.
To the right, a door opened into the bar, where villagers sat hunched over rough-hewn tables. Dark cloaks shrouded their figures, their faces hidden as they nursed tankards of ale and picked at bowls of greasy stew.
Behind the desk stood a haggard woman, her frame thin and bent like a worn-out willow. Strands of unkempt brown hair framed a gaunt face etched with deep lines. Her large black eyes, shadowed with exhaustion, flicked over us as we entered.
The moment her gaze landed on Xavier, her eyes widened with recognition. A sharp intake of breath escaped her lips, and she quickly dipped into an awkward bow.
“Your Majesty,” she murmured, her voice rasping like dry leaves.
Xavier’s smile was faint but kind. “There’s no need for formalities,” he said gently, his voice carrying an effortless calm that seemed to steady the innkeeper’s trembling hands.
She only had two rooms available. Given Dedra’s injuries and the uncertainty of her condition when she woke, it was decided that Jaxon would stay in a room with her while Xavier and I shared the other. My protests went unheard as Jaxon carried Dedra up the narrow stairs to their room.
Xavier seemed to glare down at me, and I narrowed my eyes right back at him, snatching the room key from his hand before following Jaxon up the creaky stairs.
The room was small—no, scratch that—it was tiny. I groaned. There was barely enough space for the single bed and the small dresser crammed into the corner. The walls pressed close, and even the window seemed too small for the shrunken space.
A narrow door near the bed caught my attention. Opening it, I let out a sigh of relief.
A bath.
The small tub inside was just big enough for one person, and even that might be a stretch. But I didn’t care. The thought of being clean practically made me moan in delight. Turning on the water, I began peeling off my grimy clothes and got in.
I scrubbed myself raw, scrubbing at my hair and nails until the water ran clear. But no matter how hard I scrubbed, I still felt tainted from the previous day.
There was a knock at the door, and I froze.
“I've brought your pack and some stew from the kitchens,” Xavier announced.
I could hear him moving around in the room, and I slowly got out of the tub and dried myself off with a towel. I wrapped it around my body before opening the door and stepping inside.
