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And so, after resting a few minutes, he went looking for Nora. While he wasn't going to spill everything he'd discussed with Khan, River needed to see where the fuck shit was heading for them. And to do that, he needed to spend some time alone with her, like some old-timey wooing, or whatever the shit it was called.
ChapterFourteen
Nora stood on the balcony facing the street, gripping the railing tightly, and forced herself to watch as people went about their business two stories below.
Carriages narrowly missed hitting the urchin boys running errands. The pie vendor hocked his wares to a hungry lunch crowd. And quite a few people strolled along the street across the way, one filled with shops, going in and out of them until most ended up at the small building at the end, where famous ices were sold. It may still be chilly for spring, but the sweet treat made with cream and flavoring was loved all year round.
Nora's gaze fixed on the tea shop called Cole's Ices. She'd never tasted one, but now that she could eat food again, she desperately wanted to try one.
But unless she could convince someone to bring her back a serving, it would mean going outside.
Sunlight wasn't the problem. No, as long as she regularly drank blood it was hard for her to die by sunlight unless she was naked and exposed for an extremely long time.
What stopped her was stepping onto the street, among all the vampires, and not imagining every single one whispering about her. About how her father had sold her womb to the highest bidder, and more than once.
And about how damaged, and soiled, and unworthy she was.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on all the sounds from below. There was no reason they would still be talking about her. Well, most of them, anyway. And yet, if she wasn't careful and showed a peek of her wrist scars, questions would start.
And it could grow out of control from there.
A door opened behind her. "Nora?"
At River's voice, she opened her eyes and turned around. Only because he stood in the doorway did she stay put and not rush back inside. She'd just have to remain calm and not let being outside distress her. "Hello, River."
He moved to stand next to her. And as soon as she felt his heat at her side, she relaxed a fraction. The urge to race inside faded.
He gestured toward the street and Nora forced herself to turn around as he asked, "It's still pretty fucking unreal seeing all that stuff. No cars, or motorcycles, or even females in pants. It's weird."
"I suppose so. Although Yesenia becomes more accustomed to it by the day. It just takes some time."
"I think I just need to go out there and see it firsthand. And now that I'm nearly recovered, maybe Leo will let me explore a little."
She eyed his profile. "Leo would be a good guide for your first excursion. Plus, if people saw you with him, no one would dare try to attack or steal from you in the future."
River met her gaze. "I was thinking maybe you could take me down the street. Yesenia raves about some kind of ice cream place with weird flavors. What do you say? Want to go together?"
Nora bit her lip and looked down the street at the tea shop. It wasn't that far. Surely she could make it.
Then she imagined stepping outside, people pointing at her, staring, and some even laughing.
Gripping the railing even tighter in her fingers, she shook her head. "No. It's too far away."
He touched her hand. But unlike with other males unrelated to her, she didn't flinch or even try to retreat from him. He said softly, "Why? Tell me why it's too far away."
She glanced over her shoulder at the door, her feet itching to run.
But then River took hold of her hand and squeezed, and the urge faded. She met his green-eyed gaze. At his steady, calm presence, her heart rate slowed down and some of the tension left her shoulders.
With a sigh, she looked back down the street and watched a mother herd her two teenage daughters away from a milliner shop's display window. "You know what my father sentenced me to at fourteen. And the longer it went on, the more people talked. By the time I'd hit my frozen state, the gossip was rampant. I couldn't go anywhere without someone staring at me, or pointing, or calling me horrible names to my face." Just as memories started to flash in her mind, River squeezed her hand and she could brush them away. She continued, "I tried to ignore people murmuring to each other behind their hands. But then the one time I managed to go out with Ambrose, wanting to take him to the nearby park, the stares and whispers became louder until they weren't whispers at all."
Emotion choked her throat as she recalled people pointing at her son, asking how could she want to keep him? Not only was he an idiot who couldn't speak, but he was a result of her being auctioned off as a whore.
Ambrose hadn't really understood what was going on until another child had come up to him and told him to jump into the Thames and drown himself.
"Hey."
River's deep voice brought her back to the present. Only when she met his eyes again did he add, "People are dickheads, and I'm sorry they treated you like shit. But just think—if you head down the street with me, head held high, your hand wrapped around my arm, they're not going to be thinking about that. They'll just notice how you're walking with the sexiest guy on the planet."
