Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 153795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 769(@200wpm)___ 615(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 769(@200wpm)___ 615(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
He towers over me, glaring. Without his mask, his scars are much more prominent and twice as intimidating. The one beneath his eye is slightly red and raised around the edges, as if it happened recently.
He releases me. “That should’ve been handled already.”
I brush his hand away. “Yeah, well the bakery just opened, and the refugee center will only take a minute.”
“Refugee center?”
I push my specs back into position. “I volunteer there.”
“Of course you do.”
I frown. What’s that supposed to mean?
Thane starts to walk away from me.
I scurry behind him to catch up. “All I need is thirty minutes.”
He doesn’t even turn around but says over his shoulder, “Meet me back at the Tilted Crystal when you’re done fucking around.”
Uh, no.
I catch him by the upper arm before he can get too far away. He stares at my hand on his rock-hard bicep, then turns his absolutely livid eyes to me.
“I advise you not to do that again,” he warns.
Or what? I start to ask. But then I realize only a fool who has a death wish would counter with that question. I jerk my hand away.
“You have a pocket full of coins I paid you that you can easily run off with,” I explain, placing a hand on my hip.
He clenches his jaw, his patience clearly waning.
“Just follow me. My home is a short walk away from the bakery. We can stop at my place first, I’ll pack, and the next two stops will be a breeze.”
“You want me to follow you around like a dog?” he asks in a low growl…like a dog.
I blink up at him as his nostrils flare. Then, with a shake of his head, he closes his eyes, inhales, and then exhales, as if to calm himself.
“Wow. Nice breathing technique,” I quip when his eyes open again. “I didn’t take you for a man of patience.”
With a grimace, he tucks his thumb under the strap of his rucksack and grumbles, “Just stop talking and walk.”
Chapter 7
“Aren’t you going to ask how I got the coins?” I eye Thane as he purposely trails a few steps behind me. We just left my home in the Commons, and I now have my rucksack and satchel in tow. When he doesn’t answer, I say, “I sold my necklace.”
I spot a fruit stand ahead and dig into my satchel for two silvers, handing them to the merchant and swapping them for pears.
“It was a family heirloom,” I go on as I leave the stand. “It had a pearl, which I’m sure you know is worth a lot of coin, plus it contained magic. My mother gave it to me as a way for me to look out for my sister. It was all I had left from her, so this journey to Elphar is serious. I’m not fucking around, as you stated earlier.”
I glance over my shoulder, but Thane isn’t looking my way. Is he even listening?
I huff, biting into my pear and speeding up my pace. I don’t stop until I reach The Flour Tower. I’m glad to see the owner and my boss, Ellanoch, working behind the counter.
“Zaira!” Ellanoch sings as she slides tea cakes into one of the displays next to the loaves of freshly baked bread. “You’re not scheduled to work today, are you?” Thane strides in after me, and Ellanoch’s gaze catches on my companion. I watch as her already pale face turns even whiter. “Orvena’s stars,” she whispers.
“Don’t worry about him,” I grumble, approaching the counter.
“Zaira, who is that?” she whispers. “Are you in some sort of trouble?”
I understand her alarm. Men like Thane, strolling around with scars on their faces, death glares, and several swords aren’t exactly an everyday sight in Meriva. We avoid men like him.
“No—well, yes,” I answer. “But it’s not exactly me who’s in trouble, and having him around is not what you think.”
She rushes around the counter, giving Thane a once-over before stopping in front of me. Taking hold of my shoulders, she says, “Tell me what’s going on.”
“It’s my sister…and a long story. I’ll tell you when I come back…which will be in a few weeks, if I’m lucky.”
“A few weeks? Why? Where are you going?”
“I have to take a journey to get something important for Analla. I just wanted to let you know so you don’t worry about me, and so you can make arrangements to cover my shifts.”
“Oh.” Ellanoch still looks uneasy. “But I don’t understand. Why do you need him?”
I take note of her worried gray-green eyes, wanting so badly to tell her everything. But I can’t. I can’t risk word accidentally getting out and reaching Seferin. I also don’t want to cause concern… After all, I have plans to return, and nothing is going to stop me.
I remove one of her hands from my shoulders to enclose it in mine. “I’ll tell you everything when I’m back. I promise.”