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“Suit yourself,” Nava said with more bite than she’d intended. But she hated the feeling of not being prepared and knowing less than everyone else in the room. It was how she’d felt for months after first being thrust into this dizzying world of magic.
Ark eyed her knowingly and reached for her hand, squeezing it lightly. “You’ll be fine.”
Was he trying to reassure her or himself?
“We should go soon. The sun isn’t too far away from setting, and Nava shouldn’t be walking the docks on her own at night.”
Arkimedes nodded and knelt in front of her. “Here, let me get this ready for you.”
She stood still, watching his hand trace the shapes of her legs underneath the skirt of her dress. Up and up they traveled as he met her gaze with a defiance that made her heart skip.
Devon walked toward the door, muttering something under his breath.
Nava’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest. “Stop that.” She slapped his hand away, even as her stomach twisted in delight.
Arkimedes chuckled and finished strapping the dagger belt around her thigh. Then he whispered, “You smell delicious.”
“Did you know there’s a blade with your name on the bed?” She narrowed her eyes at him and stepped away. She was half ready to stomp on him for teasing her—or push him into the bed. To hell with their mission.
Devon popped his head back into the room from the dark hallway beyond. “The name of the tavern is the Flying Boar. Don’t leave this place after sunset, Kitten, or you will be sorry.”
26
ORION
“It’s not looking promising. Where are the merchants in this place?” Devon took a sip from his second pint of ale.
They had been in the Flying Boar for at least a couple of hours, although it was hard to tell the time when the windows were closed with wooden shutters and the walls were a uniform shade of brown.
Everything was dark in this place, undoubtedly to hide the layers of filth caking the floor and every sticky surface. Orion couldn’t see the sunlight from where they sat at the far end of the room, but he hadn’t felt Nava approach yet.
She should have left the inn by now…right?
“You should pace yourself with the drinks,” he said as Devon gulped down his drink almost without breathing. He wasn’t sure if his brother was drinking this much to take the edge off or to dull the pain he was under because of the Vulcan.
“I’m fine,” Devon assured him, although his eyes were starting to glaze over. “Maybe you’ve forgotten I can handle my liquor.”
“Everything but fae wine, apparently,” Orion said with a smirk, bringing his own drink to his lips. Gods, it was terrible. Bitter and way too yeasty.
The dip in temperatures and the constant rain seemed to be driving everyone into this establishment. Most were local fae. The few traveling merchants Orion had spotted when they’d arrived all looked unfamiliar.
He sighed, rubbing his brow and trying to swallow his discomfort. Most pirates were shifters, humans, or former magic-wielders. He couldn’t blame them for not wanting to come to the Copper Kingdom when the fae held a grudge against their kind.
Nava was right. He should have known this trip would be in vain.
“There is no one here to trade with. It’s why so many shops have shut down,” he whispered, unsure if Devon could hear him through the roar of drunken laughter and singing from the stage at the other end of the room.
Devon reached for a buttery roll in the center of the table and pulled a sizable chunk from it before dunking it into his broth. “You got your work cut out for you, brother. Fixing this place once the ol’ man croaks won’t be easy.”
That almost made him laugh, but Devon was right. Orion’s father’s complete disregard for the human population that lived in the kingdom had proved atrocious for the economy. Perhaps that had been the true reason behind the kingdom’s decline instead of his absence.
Then again, if he’d stayed, perhaps he’d never have allowed things to become this bad.
Even though the king rarely enforced the tithes, he’d also done little to provide for and protect the humans in his kingdom who lived in poverty.
The hair of Orion’s arms suddenly stood on end as strings of energy rose from the ground. It was the same power that had come to help him when they’d escaped the safe house, but it felt different, too. Like a warning.
He shifted on his chair and secured the hood over his head, making sure none of his features peeked out.
