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“You just going to stare?” he asked, dripping wet.
I leaned an arm against the rail. “I’m waiting for an invite.”
There were others using the bridge, but they found their way around us, clearly having seen a waterfall before.
Arin bowed at the waist and then, straightening, held out his hand. “Join me, Fool.”
I crossed the few short strides, took his hand, and reeled his body in close. We fit together as though we were meant to be. We danced to a tune of our own making as the mists swirled. Water collected on his lashes, then fell to his cheeks and ran like tears toward the corners of his grin. This man had no idea how he ruined me in the most remarkable ways.
People flowed around us, the waterfall thundered, mist rained. I touched his wet face, skimmed my fingers along his bristling jaw, grown to a stubble in the desert.
“Careful.” He smirked. “Or people will talk.”
“Let them.” If I kissed him now, I might not stop, and while Palmyra was not the Court of War, it likely held the same regard to men flaunting their mutual attraction in public. As guests, we didn’t need to find ourselves on the wrong side of another wall.
I love you.An easy three words to speak. Much harder to admit, when I knew I wasn’t worthy of such love in return.
I stepped way, let our hands part, and nodded toward the resplendent jungle town beyond the bridge. “Draven will be waiting.”
CHAPTER9
Arin
After we’d venturedinto the heart of Palmyra, we drifted through a jungle wonderland, from markets to a performance alley, to eateries and bars, which would likely come alive once the sun set.
A trader threw Lark a bright yellow fruit, perhaps sensing he had the character to throw it back. Instead, Lark caught it, plucked two more from the market stall, juggled them, then tossed each back to the laughing trader. The man dipped his head, then tossed one of the fruits back again, as a gift.
Lark dipped his head in acknowledgement and bit into it. “Hm, s’good.” He handed it over, and I sampled its juicy crunch. It really was good. When I tried to return it, he shook his head and told me to keep it.
We wandered some more, as though walking through a vivid dream. I hadn’t known such splendid places existed outside of my own flower-filled court.
Draven eventually found us again and steered us toward a bamboo cabin not far from the town’s bustling heart, with a view of the main square. The cabin was a basic two-room, two-floor affair, with gaps where some of the bamboo walls met, but it would suffice for a few days. I didn’t ask how Draven had paid for it, but I did thank him, brightening his mood. He’d been dour since our argument at the traders’ camp.
“Join me in the tavernas tonight, both of you,” Draven suggested, making an effort to smooth the cracks in our relationship. “We deserve it.”
Some respite sounded perfect. “Lark?”
He’d propped himself at the cabin’s window with his back to us and watched the bustling street. “You go, I’m too weary from traveling.”
Lark had been paler of late, despite the sun. Some rest would do him good, and it gave me a chance to talk our situation through with Draven.
I agreed to go with Draven and ventured up the cabin’s stairs. I washed, shaved off the beard, and dressed in the same clothes, vowing to rectify our lack of clean clothes tomorrow. Lark had already retired to a bedroom when Draven and I stepped into the night.
Draven and I sampled a few tavernas, then found an open-air eatery with flickering lamps at each table.
“I wanted to speak with you,” Draven began, as we sat. “About us.”
“I had the same thought—”
“Please, let me speak.”
I sealed my lips and nodded.
He struggled to find the right words, and sighed. “Shall we order food first?”
We ordered, and as the bright, jubilant atmosphere soaked into my body, the tension from the last few weeks began to ease. With plentiful food and water, and the two most important people in my life close by, it seemed as though we might finally be finding our feet among the recent chaos.
“I know I’m not who you want,” Draven said. “Despite what Lark believes, I’m not a dimwitted fool.”
