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“You shouldn’t be down there alone.”
“I can go with her. Magically fueled and all.” Athena had the grace to look apologetic.
Starling wavered, clearly torn, but finally agreed. She had flopped on the bed and fallen fast asleep before we even left the room.
“I shouldn’t be making us go so far every day.”
Athena shrugged her slim shoulders. “You’re worried for Lord Rogue. Every day he’s with Titania, the tighter she binds him to her.”
I stopped and stared at her. “Do you believe that?”
She considered. “Yeah. That’s how these things work.”
“What ‘things’?”
“Possessions.” When I frowned at her, she clarified. “Taking possession of another person. Deepens with time and proximity. Starling knows that too, even though she’s not convinced that’s what happened.”
“What does she think happened?”
“That you’re crazed with grief over your lost true love.”
I sighed.
“That and she’s worried about Walter.”
“Yeah, me too. She has good reason to worry.”
Athena seemed about to say something, then turned and headed down the stairs instead. “C’mon,” she called over her shoulder. “Let’s get you fed. Can’t have our favorite succubus going hungry.”
“Ha-ha.”
The tavern rang with the gratifying sound of men’s voices. I paused on entering the room, letting them take a good look at me. I’d never been the kind of woman who commanded much male attention—certainly not an entire roomful. But I’d gone to some effort, knowing something from what Liam liked.
My dress fell low across my bosom, revealing a fair amount of skin. My hair drifted long and loose down my back, something I knew would be unusual since, as I’d suspected, all the human women I could see had their hair tightly braided. My cocktail length hem showed off the better part of my legs, including the stiletto heels. I’d squandered a tiny bit of magic on “doing my makeup,” adding shadows and colors to enhance what charms I possessed.
The women frowned at me and the men grinned in approval, salacious thoughts drifting my way like the scent of hot gravy. Oh yeah. I drank it in.
“Is this seat taken?” I asked as coyly as I could manage. The all-male table rearranged themselves, happy to accommodate me. Fortunately my meager flirting skills weren’t called upon. The men competed with each other for my attention, all the while feeding me with fantasies of what they wanted to do to me. I only hoped I wouldn’t have to draw on my newly replenished supplies to fend any of them off.
Athena, with an empty-headed giggle and bounce, brought me my meal and then plopped herself at my feet. I chatted with the men, answering their questions and embellishing freely—and without remorse—on the story of who I might be and where I was headed. I might have dropped Fafnir’s name a few times and strongly implied Sugar Daddy status for him. A little misdirection never hurts.
All in all, I considered it a successful evening and, when I woke in the morning, the dredging exhaustion had at least eased. It had been a good dream night too, with Rogue dancing with me, spinning me around an empty ballroom, ardor in his dark blue eyes. Starling looked a bit better for the rest too, and we all counted ourselves lucky that no one had bothered us.
Of course, finding Larch sleeping on the floor outside our door tipped me off on part of the reason for that.
“Get what you came for, my lady sorceress?” He scrunched up one eye, surveying me.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“No more human villages twixt here and the path into the Glass Mountains. You’ll have to do without from now on.”
“I’ll have to.”
We packed up and headed down for breakfast, where a lone redheaded man sat drinking a mug of beer.
Starling stopped on a gasp. “Daddy?”
Chapter 22
