Page 24 of Badmouths & Bards

Fuck, she was so warm! If she got any hotter, Tala was certain she would explode from what was definitely not embarrassment! No fucking way was she embarrassed because her finger was in that asshole’s mouth!

“My arcane talents are connected to my throat and song,” Face hummed against her palm as his hands encircled her wrist. “That’s what makes me a bard as opposed to a sorcerer.”

Tala knew that. The Moon Maidens had made the clear distinction between all casters in the world. Clerics and Paladins wielded magic gifted to them by the divine and conviction. Sorcerers and druids inherited their arcane talents from their ancestors—though the latter was heavily mixed with nature more than bloodlines. And similar to arcanists, bards learned their magic through scrolls and formal education.

“I know that, you—” Tala tried not to tremble as his fingers delicately traced her wrist. “Are you seriously telling me you couldn’t have just sang a song and healed me?”

Face looked thoughtful for a moment. “Possibly?”

Tala’s free hand instinctively moved toward her baton, but a voice that sounded a lot like Cercel warned her against it in her head. She was supposed to protect this dick, not beat his gorgeous face in and—

STOP. THINKING. THAT!

“Shut up,” she murmured.

Despite his best efforts to keep it, Tala snatched her hand back and trained her eyes on the roses. The thing she was actually supposed to be focusing on. From what little she had been able to go on, the roses weren’t enchanted—at least not recently, but that didn’t mean someone hadn’t tried. A lot of the guesswork involved being aware of her body as she examined the flowers. Given the diversity of magic, there could be a lot wrong with the roses, but most of the time there was an impact on the body.

“You’re darling when you frown like that,” Face said over her shoulder.

Tala’s fist tightened at her side, her frame tense with irritation. She knew bards were flirtatious by profession, but holy shit, was this pushing it. Tala could practically feel him against her back, despite knowing he wasn’t actually pressed against her. It was his presence, his warmth that was distracting her from the task at hand.

“You can lay off the princely act, dude,” Tala grumbled. “I’m not buying it.”

“Luckily, I’m not selling anything at the moment,” Face murmured as he hovered over her shoulder. “Just curious.”

Tala gritted her teeth and wondered how many demerits she’d receive if she were to just punch the shit out of him. Punching famous people had to cost a lot—more than Tala could afford to lose most likely.

If you fuck this up, you don’t get to see Avie again. As long as he doesn’t cross a line, it’s fine, right?

What was the line?

Tala had knocked people out for less, but the situation she was in wasn’t normal. Her job was to knock other people out, not him or his buddy. That didn’t mean Tala had to put up with disrespect either, but was this disrespect or just… fuck, Tala didn’t even know what.

Courting as a disciple for the Moon Maiden had never been a huge priority for Tala. She understood from a young age that her harsh edges made her less likable than the others. The Moon Maiden’s prioritized romantic things—things that Tala had never really allowed herself to have. There had always been something that had just felt… off about the encounters she had with people who had shown any interest in her. Flirting was something Tala utilized as a skill to garner information for the Moon Maidens, not for sincere connections.

Honestly, the only person Tala ever enjoyed flirting with had been Avie, but that had always been friendly. Harmless affection, really, that never really blossomed into sexual tension. So, why was Casimine’s breath along her neck igniting something hot in her belly? Why was she having trouble concentrating on examining the thorns of the flowers when his hand came to rest on her hip? Why wasn’t she pushing him away?

This is different. Why is this different?

Because you want it, Avie’s voice whispered in the back of her mind. He’s sexy and interested and did I mention sexy?! You like the attention!

“Do you do this with all your bodyguards?” Tala asked quietly, willing herself not to tremble with every hot breath against her skin.

A chuckle vibrated against her ear. “Would it upset you if I did?”

Tala bit her lip, eyes still trained on the flowers but she was no longer focusing on them. She was a former Moon Maiden, an active member of the Valiant Circle. She had trained for years to strengthen her will to it’s highest potential and yet she was melting over someone she had only known for three days?

Aelidon would make me meditate for hours…but she’s not here, is she?

Tala placed her hand on the back of Casimine’s, her fingers delving between his against her hip. His fingers flexed, rubbing a thumb against hers. All she had to do was turn her head just right and—

Quicker than Face could react, Tala had pulled her baton from her waist with her free hand. She hooked it between her back and Casimine’s face, pushing the wood against his throat and creating the space she desperately needed. It wasn’t enough of a push to injure, but enough to send a quick message as his body disentangled from hers.

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” Tala said as she spun on her heel, baton aimed at Casimine’s face.

“I mean no offense,” he said, hands raised, but his eyes said something different.

He reeked of self satisfaction because he knew the intimacy had gotten to her.