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“Is the name intentional?” I ask, remembering my weapons training lesson with Bastian. Iron kills fairies.
“More like an inside joke.” Levi scratches his head after signing. “Mafekadi and Rumsford have a mutual understanding. Don’t kill and don’t be killed. Both towns live in peace this way.”
“Can iron kill you since you’re part fae?”
He steps onto the threshold of the inn. “Just like any other weapon can kill a human.”
The downstairs portion of the Ironhorse is comprised of a dining area, complete with a bar, and dotted with tables alongside dark secluded booths. As it’s not dinnertime yet, only a few patrons sit at the counter.
The woman at the bar looks up as she’s wiping down a glass. “Can I help the two of you?”
“We need a room for the night.” Levi places a bag of coins on the counter. “My wife and I are here to visit her sister, who’s heavy with child.”
My cheeks flush with Levi’s words. There’s a method to his madness, but it inflames me all the same, not with anger but embarrassment. The only man I ever thought about marrying was Flynn. With the Council’s matching of eligible singles after they turn eighteen, it was a looming event. Here, in the wilderness, marriage thoughts don’t enter my mind as often. It’s more about survival.
“I’ve got two left.” The woman places the glass on a shelf behind her. “One at the top of the stairs—the honeymoon suite.” She waggles her eyebrows. “The other is farther down the hall with a smaller bed.”
“We’ll take the second one.” Levi counts out the coins to pay for the room. “Will dinner be served down here tonight?”
“Rack of lamb.” The bartender’s cheeks and chest puff out as she smiles. “Cooked it myself this morning.”
“Sounds delicious.” Levi takes the key and my hand, leading me away from the bar.
Our room is four doors down on the right from the top of the stairs. It’s about the size of our room in the cabin, but the bed isn’t as big as our two mattresses pushed together.
“No worries,” Levi signs. “I can sleep on the floor. I don’t want our room at the top of the stairs where anyone can slip in.”
“You’re not sleeping on the floor.” I fluff the pillows on the bed before jumping onto it. The springs squeak in protest. “I’ll sleep on my side. We’ll have plenty of room.”
We take turns walking down the hall to a commonly shared bathroom to wash up, then take a brief nap before heading downstairs for dinner.
People pack the dining area. It’s as if all the residents we saw on the street came into the Ironhorse to continue their boisterous conversations. It is literally deafening, making me jealous of Levi only hearing muffled sounds.
As if by miracle, Levi finds an empty table near the center of the room with three chairs. We squeeze through the patrons to find our seats.
“I’ll get us a couple of beers,” Levi shouts, turning away before I can protest.
The act of committing sins against Avren will take some getting used to if I want to survive in the wilderness. Drinking, swearing, kissing and doing other things with the opposite or same sex are all forbidden in the city.
It’s only a drink, Maribel. Get yourself together.
Levi returns with two mugs of beer and sets one in front of me, the liquid sloshing over the side. “I ordered our dinner, so it will be here soon.”
With the surrounding noise, I wish I knew sign language. It would make our conversation so much easier. I lift the mug to my lips and take a sip of the bitter liquid, trying not to make a face as it slides down my throat. It isn’t exactly what I expected from a forbidden beverage. I must make some kind of face because Levi is trying hard not to laugh.
Instead of owning up to my naiveté, I look over his shoulder, taking in the sights and sounds of the Ironhorse. The man with the silver hair who bumped into me in the street sits at the bar. He’s looking right at me and raises his glass when our eyes meet.
I quickly avert mine back to Levi, not wanting to draw any attention in our direction. Why is a man well into his twenties, and extremely good-looking, interested in a seventeen-year-old clearly sitting with another man?
“Don’t turn around.” I clutch Levi’s hands in mine. “There’s a man staring at me from the bar.”
Levi’s first instinct is to turn, so I grab the side of his face and pull him into a kiss, regretting it the second it starts. He responds, reluctantly at first but then moving his hand to the side of my face, cradling my cheek.
I pull away, only far enough that he can read my lips. His eyes are brighter than I’ve ever seen them. “He’s locked onto me, so I needed to show him we’re a couple.”
My companion drops his gaze, unable to hide his disappointment. I hate that I hurt him. “I’m going to the bar to get another beer so I can get a good look at him.”
He leaves, and I feel exposed in a world of strangers. Mr. Tall, Silver, and Good-Looking takes the opportunity of Levi’s departure to cross the room and fill his seat. My heart is in my throat, staring into his unnatural amber eyes. I can’t look away.
