AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Satisfied with my answer, she nods, but the worry does not leave her eyes. I wish that I could take this from her, but I cannot. All I can do is hope that the moon goddess is on our side.
CHAPTER20
LUNA
It doesn’t take long to find someone to give us directions to the Sleepy Dragon Inn. We make our way down a narrow, dark alley and come to a stop in front of a ramshackle building. The sign above the door creaks in the wind, and the outer shutters hang half off their hinges.
Malak pushes the door open and we walk inside.
Raucous laughter and loud music greet us as we enter. The tavern floor is packed, brimming with patrons. The inside of the inn is dim and dingy, the air thick with the scent of stale ale and unwashed bodies. The floorboards creak under our feet as we make our way to the bar, and ask for the barkeep.
A few of the patrons nearby cast suspicious glances our way, but then quickly avert their gazes as Malak glares in their direction, his face half-obscured in shadow and his eyes blazing with anger.
The barkeep makes his way over, and a deep sense of unease settles in the pit of my stomach as he looks us over. “How can I help you?” he asks.
“We need a room,” Malak says gruffly. He slaps five coins on the counter and the barkeeper’s eyes light up with greed. “A discreet one,” Mal says, and then gestures to me. “My mistress and I do not want to be disturbed, especially by my wife.”
The innkeeper flashes a knowing wink at Mal. “Have no fear, good sir. If a lady shows up asking after you, I’ll be sure to send her away.”
Mal loops a possessive arm around my waist as he guides me through the rough-looking crowd and up the stairs to our room. The interior is just as dingy as the tavern below.
The walls are covered in two layers of chipped and different colored blue paint and the bed is missing one of its legs and has a stack of books in its place, holding it up. The hearth is nothing more than a few smoldering embers and the windows are so covered in grime, I can barely make out anything outside. A tattered sofa sits before the hearth and Mal guides me to it.
He sits and pulls me into his lap, hugging me tight to his chest. “Rest, Luna, and I will keep watch. I’ll wake you when it’s time to leave.”
“What about you?” I ask. “Are you not tired?”
He shakes his head. “I’ll sleep when we reach the other side.”
Mal’ssoft voice in my ear awakens me. “It’s time, Luna,” he whispers. “We must go.”
Still groggy, I lift my head, rubbing my eyes. I lift my head to Mal, kneeling in front of me. He presses a tender kiss to my forehead. The fog of sleep lifts from my mind, and I’m instantly alert. Worry tightens my chest as I think of what we must do, but I push it back down.
Mal hands me a dagger. The blade is sharp, but the handle is worn as if from heavy use. “Where did you get this?” I ask, but his eyes give him away. “When did you steal this?”
“An hour ago,” he says. “I found it behind the bar.”
“You’re sure no one saw you?”
He dips his chin, and then glances at the blade. “You know how to use this?”
I purse my lips. “Stab them with the pointy end?” I tease lightly, and he chuckles and then pulls me into his arm.
“You are my heart and my greatest joy,” he murmurs into my hair. He cups my face with both hands and stares deep into my eyes, his expression sobering. “Remember what I told you. If I tell you to run, you must run.”
“I’m not leaving,” I state firmly.
When he opens his mouth to argue, I force out the words. “Never again.”
He swallows hard and then lowers his gaze. He takes both my hands in his. “I know you are still upset about what happened between us, but you must believe me, Luna. What I did, I did to protect you, and if I had to make the same choice again, I would.”
Ice fills my veins. “Is that why you did not fully claim me in the cave?”
“What?”
“Because if you think it will protect me, you would leave me again.”
“Luna, I—”
