The Frozen Prince (The Beast Charmer #2) - Maxym M. Martineau Page 0,22

placing a chaste kiss on my forehead and slipping out of the establishment.

Before he could sneak away to the storeroom again, I turned to Dez. “Hey.”

He stiffened, but didn’t leave. “Your things are upstairs.”

“Dez…” I sighed and slid onto an open barstool. It creaked beneath my weight, and I leaned against the damp countertop he’d just finished scrubbing. “I’m sorry.”

“Leena, I…” Finally, he dragged his gaze upward and met my stare. The tension in his neck softened a hair. “We enjoyed each other’s company. That’s it.”

“No, it’s not.” I reached out and placed my hand over his. “You were, are, my friend. I should’ve treated you as such. I didn’t have much opportunity to get word back to you while I was…working with Noc, but the moment things died down, I should’ve come back. I should’ve told you.”

Dez’s fingers twitched beneath mine. “Yeah, you should have. I was worried about you.”

“I know.”

He let out a long breath. “I always knew you were too good for this place. That you’d end up somewhere else. I just hoped…” He shook his head. “Nah. Look, just promise me you’re all right. You’re not in any danger?”

“I promise.” I gave his hand a squeeze. “And this is still my favorite tavern. You can count on me to bother you from time to time.”

He rolled his eyes and pulled his hand away, but offered a small, sad smile. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll still need to get your things, though. I’ve got renters interested in your room.”

Standing, I gave him a nod. “On it. And Dez?”

“Yeah?”

“I really am sorry.”

“I know. Now, go on. Get your stuff.” He turned his back on me and busied himself with rearranging glassware along the shelves. I wished I’d handled things differently all around, but at least he wouldn’t worry anymore. I turned away and headed up the rickety stairs to the few rooms tucked away for wayward souls like me. The only difference was, Dez had rented them out by the week to others, while mine had never come with an eviction notice.

Until now. And while my new life didn’t require me to keep a room above a black-market tavern, I knew a piece of me would always call Midnight Jester home.

Five

Noc

Partner. The word tasted like bile on my tongue, and I curled my hands into fists. I knew she didn’t mean it, but… My nails bit into my palms. Not enough to draw blood, but enough for me to feel the swell of power. To make me consider summoning a blade and… Irrational anger came easily on the breath of red shadows sneaking beneath the familiar onyx tendrils.

“You’ll start to deteriorate. Quickly.”

Eryx was right. Slowly, I let my hands relax by my sides. We needed answers, and we needed them fast. I hated the lack of control, the swell of emotions that didn’t feel wholly mine. The dreams. As if the person who’d placed the bounty was somehow contorting my mind and stirring up feelings like a grand puppeteer.

I wasn’t a toy to be fucked with.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I let out a heavy breath. “Calem, go check on her.”

Monstrous willow trees marked either side of Midnight Jester, and their dangling leaves tangled in Calem’s hair. He brushed them aside with an annoyed look. “Give her a minute. She’s fine.”

Kost adjusted his glasses. “I should have arranged for her stuff to be moved long ago. An oversight on my part.”

I waved off his apology. “There was hardly time for that.”

“Yeah, besides, you somehow pulled off shopping on her behalf before we went to Ortega Key. Does she even know?” Calem smirked. “Careful, she might find out you like her.”

Kost went straight into defensive mode. “It was the most prudent course at the time. I would gladly offer my assistance to you, but why waste the effort on someone who can’t tell the difference between amaranth and magenta?”

Calem blinked. “Wait, are you referring to this?” He pointed to the pop of color lining his neck from beneath his black, fitted tunic. “It’s red.”

“Not even close.”

“What are you, master of the color wheel?”

Kost pursed his lips. “Details matter.”

Calem shook his head. “They only matter if they’re relevant. Telling me my collar is amaranth instead of magenta means nothing to me. Especially when it’s really just red.”

Kost ground his teeth. “Pointless.”

Gaige chuckled, but otherwise kept his thoughts to himself. He stared at the weak light casting sunspots at the base of a few trees lucky enough to soak up the rays.