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18
Eosantha had a personality all its own, and Maia wasn't convinced she and the city got along very well. The towering spike of the cathedral sat at the heart of the city for a reason, and the neat roads seemed to match the tidiness of the people. Despite being caught in a downpour, everyone they passed walked with heads high and straight backs, like they'd had the same etiquette training Maia had as a princess.
They reminded her of the Vassallian courtiers too much for her comfort. And like courtiers, they were seething with judgement and hungry for gossip. Not to mention absolutely irrationally terrified of something that stood out of place.
Idiots.
Maia scowled at every pair of eyes that shot their way, lingering on her in the middle of a group of men, lips curling and stares judging. One middle-aged woman stared too long, so Maia gave her the middle finger and hoped it was a universal language that even Venhausians would understand.
"One more stare, and I'll give them something to gawp at," Maia muttered, stalking through a puddle without thinking and swearing as dirty water splashed up her leg.
At Jaro's choked-off laugh, Maia aimed a flat, unamused glare his way and muttered, "Can't you get your jaguar to eat them?"
"Afraid not, my love," he replied softly, hooking her elbow with his. "That'd cause an even bigger scandal."
"Plus, they haven't done anything wrong," Ark added from behind them.
"Yet," Maia huffed.
"There," Kheir pointed out, lifting his arm to indicate a perfectly square inn built of pristine grey blocks. Where was the dirtiness, the grunge, the character? Maia suspected she wouldn't find an off-key sailor warbling about hairy bushes and love rods in this inn.
Pity; they were her favourite songs.
Azrail increased his pace to walk alongside Maia and Jaro. She rolled her eyes at the look he slid her way. "No arguing or killing anyone. We need somewhere to stay tonight. Unless you want to sleep in the open with rain storms threatening to drown us."
"No, thanks," Maia sighed, giving the dark clouds a suspicious scowl. "I'm wet enough as it is."
Azrail's mouth flicked up at the corner; she shoved him with a glare.
"Mind out of the gutter, Knight."
"No promises," he replied with a laugh. At least some of the shadow from the clearing had left his eyes, and his shoulders had dropped from where they'd hunched around his ears. "The same warning goes for everyone else," he went on, giving each of them a stern look. "Don't cause trouble. We want people to trust us so they'll answer our questions."
"Fat chance of that," Bryon grumbled, his eyes narrowed on a group of men who passed and gave them dirty looks.
Maia was getting the sense they didn't like outsiders. But this was a city; surely it was big enough for newcomers to disappear in? If the whole city was this dull and judgemental, she was going to go mad. She had plenty of friends and drinking partners back in the City of Skies who were religious, and they'd never sneered at her nearly as often as the people did here. Just because they had fancy streets and a stabby spire didn't make them better than Maia and her mates. And Bryon.
"Would it kill you to fake being nice?" Azrail asked wryly, glancing back at Bryon who brought up their rear, his dragging pace telling them just how happy he was to be here. "What about a smile?"
"Yes," Bryon muttered, his rough face cutting into a deeper scowl. "It would kill me."
Maia lifted a hand and glanced expectantly at Az, waiting to share her bright idea.
"Yes, sweetheart?" he asked with a laugh, pausing outside the blocky, perfect inn.
"How about he threatens them to tell the truth instead of you charming them?" When Azrail pinched the bridge of his nose, Maia grinned and said, "Genius, right? I'll help," she said to Bryon. Probably the first thing she'd said directly to the sour-faced bastard for hours.
"No," Ark laughed, catching her around the waist and kissing her cheek. "You won't. Didn't you hear your mate sayno trouble?"
"I have selective hearing," she replied seriously, batting her lashes at his rugged golden face. "It's a real issue."
"Tragic," Ark dead-panned. He ducked his head, lips brushing her ear, and said, "You'd better be on your best behaviour, my highness, or I'll make sure you regret it."
Maia's body tightened in all the best places. "Oh, really? Please elaborate."
She jumped when he nipped her ear lobe, unexpected heat flashing through her.
"Keep causing trouble, and I'll spank your ass so hard that one of us has to carry you tomorrow," he growled quietly.
