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)
“Because what Big Hat said is true?”’
He frowns. “Who?”
“Big Hat. The one who sold you the horse. He said you don’t attach yourself to anything, which makes it abundantly clear to me that you have commitment issues.”
“Could be that, or maybe it’s because I know the horse might die during our journey and I’m sparing my feelings and hers.”
I gasp. “Wait. You have feelings?”
He sighs, not at all amused by my little joke.
“She won’t die.” I give my head a confident shake. “But if you won’t name her, I will.” I study her in the dark, her glossy black coat and the beautiful ivory mane and tail. Her mane has a shimmer to it.
“Pearl,” I say, finally. Her mane reminds me of the color of pearls.
Thane closes his eyes and rubs his forehead.
“Yeah. I’ll name her Pearl. To replace the one I lost.”
“Don’t get too attached,” he mutters, giving me his back. “You might lose this one, too.”
“Don’t listen to him, Pearl.” I run a palm along her jaw, and she chuffs like she, too, is annoyed with his remark. “He’s just a grumpy asshole.”
Thane finds a back door and kicks it open, disappearing inside again.
After giving Pearl two more love pats, I trail Thane as he sends up another orb of light to illuminate the interior of the building. The room is empty, minus a few broken chairs and random pieces of furniture spread throughout. Some objects are covered with dingy white cloths. The hearth is full of soot and ash, and cobwebs drape the walls. There’s also a mildew smell mixed with what is probably the scent of rodent pee.
Just lovely.
He rounds a corner and starts to climb the stairs. They creak under our weight, and I swear they’re about to splinter in half with how soggy the wood is. One look up reveals a massive hole in the ceiling. When we reach the third level, Thane pushes one of the doors open and gestures inside the empty room.
It isn’t any cleaner than downstairs, but at least there aren’t any cobwebs or disgusting smells assaulting my nostrils. A single window is built into the north wall. A hearth is on my right, and Thane stands in front of it, rubbing his right thumb across the pads of all his fingers to conjure a ball of fire in his palm. Bending down, he tosses the fire into the hearth, and the flames swell.
“You can stay in here,” he says, stepping out of the room.
“Oh. Where will you be?”
He points at the door next to mine.
“You swear you won’t leave?”
“Are you serious?”
I shrug because how in the shadows am I supposed to know if he’ll stay or leave? For all I know, he’s keeping me holed up in here so he can lessen my chances of survival and run off with the coins I paid him.
When I don’t budge, he releases a tired sigh. “You paid me for a service, and I’m seeing it through. Doesn’t matter what you think about me being—” He clamps his mouth shut. A shadow assassin, I’m sure he was going to say. “Doesn’t matter what you think about my lifestyle. I’m getting you to that temple, so just relax and get some rest. We’ll pick up first thing in the morning.”
“Okay.” That’s slightly reassuring. Slightly. I still don’t trust him. He starts to walk away, but I hold up a hand. “Actually—wait.”
He halts mid-step and turns to me.
“I know this is a lot to ask, but do you think we can, like, not be in separate rooms?”
His brow furrows as he looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have. It’s been a long day.
“It’s just that we’re so close to Ruvain, and this is unknown territory for me. I won’t really be able to sleep if I’m in this room by myself. We don’t have to talk—and I’ll be on the opposite side, as far away from you as possible. You can even sleep closer to the fire if you want so you can stay all warm and cozy.”
He sweeps his eyes around the room that’s already swimming with comforting heat.
“Come on,” I tease, smiling. “You know you want to.”
“I really don’t.” He draws in a reluctant breath and then exhales, eyes closed, practicing that patience again. “Fine. Whatever gets you to relax.”
I ignore the relief and mini wave of excitement coursing through me. Excitement is the last thing I should feel about us sleeping in the same room. But if I wake up and he has stuck around, does that mean I’ll be able to trust his word a bit more?
I suppose we’ll see.
Thane ambles in and closes the door.
Dropping my rucksack, I lower into a squat and dig through it. I pull out a quilt as well as a shawl. As I begin spreading the quilt out on the side of the room farthest from the fire, Thane clears his throat.