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I stretch up onto my toes and place a hand on either shoulder. “These need to slouch, just a bit.”
“Why?” He bristles. “Do you wish me to appear weak, like some pitiful human male?”
“That’s exactly how you need to look,” I snap, unable to hide my irritation. “You need to look unassuming; like a man who has been working so hard all day that you’re tired and worn out by the time you finish your work. Like someone who has lived a life of hard labor.”
He narrows his eyes as he allows his shoulders to sag forward a bit, but his chin is still held high, and I sigh heavily. This is not going to work. “All right. Maybe we need to try something else.”
I remove my heavy cloak and wrap it around his shoulders, flipping the hood up to cover his head. “There.”
If no one looks too hard under his heavy clothing, hopefully he’ll look like just another person traveling through, searching for work in these parts. “All right,” I tell him. “If anyone asks, we’re husband and wife and we’re just traveling through.”
He dips his chin in a subtle acknowledgment.
A chill shivers down my spine as I turn toward the tavern and pull my own hooded cloak tighter around me. Hopefully, we can buy a room for the night and be on our way as soon as possible in the morning. I doubt Aurdyn will be able to act ‘human’ for very long.
CHAPTER17
FREYJA
As soon as we open the door, loud voices, even louder music, and boisterous laughter fills the space. The entire downstairs is a crowd of people, almost all of them with a tankard of mead in hand or on their tables.
When we reach the counter, a man leans forward on his elbows. Dark, curly hair frames his round face. His cheeks and rather bulbous nose are bright red, probably from the drink. If not for the pointed tips of his ears sticking up on the sides, one could easily mistake him as human.
His blue eyes meet mine and a wide grin splits his lips. “Why, hello there. My name is Garvin. What can I do for you, lovely lady?”
Aurdyn tenses beside me, but I step forward before he can say anything. “I’d like to inquire about a room for the evening. Do you have any vacancies?”
“Aye.”
“How much?”
“Tenshialsfor the night. But you’ll probably be wanting to stay here for at least two because of the storm.” His gaze travels appraisingly up and down my form appraisingly, pausing briefly at my rounded ears. “We don’t get many humans around here. What’s a pretty lady like you doing in these parts all alone?”
“I’m not—” My voice cuts off with a squeak of surprise as Aurdyn wraps a possessive arm around my waist and tugs me into his side.
“She is not alone,” he growls, leveling an ice-cold glare at the Dwarf. “She is my wife. Mind where your eyes look, or I’ll rip—”
I elbow Aurdyn, cutting off the rest of his sentence as Garvin takes a step back from the edge of the counter. “All right.” He raises his palms in a placating gesture. “No need to get upset. I was merely asking a question. I meant no offense.”
A snarl curls Aurdyn’s lips and a wisp of smoke curls out from his nostrils, thankfully disappearing almost as quickly as it appears. He pulls out a pouch and produces twenty shials, dropping them into the Dwarf’s hand. “We’ll be staying two nights,” he says darkly. “And we’ll expect to be left alone during that time.”
I blink several times, wondering where in the world he got the coin from, but keep my mouth shut. Now is not the time to ask.
“Of course. Here at the Tipsy Dragon Inn, we value our customer’s privacy.” The Dwarf winks and pulls a key out from under the counter and offers it to him. “Second floor, last door on the right. And the room comes with a meal and a mead each night.” He gestures to one of only a few empty tables in the corner. “Elsie or Olmar will serve you.”
As much as I want to go to our rooms and lock ourselves inside until morning, I realize it would be wiser to have a meal. After all, we’ve been traveling all day. I slip my hand into Aurdyn’s and lead him toward the table.
He sits across from me, eyes narrowed as he scans the room, no doubt searching for any signs of danger. “We should just go to our room,” he grumbles. “We are completely exposed down here.”
“I agree, but we need to eat something.”
He purses his lips, but gives me a subtle nod.
“We’ll just have to eat fast. All right?”
He makes a subtle grunt. I suppose that’s ayes.
A thought occurs to me. “Where did you get money?” I whisper. “I did not think you had any coin on you.”
