running some errands for our mistress.”
The last thing we needed was conflict or having to explain ourselves. The fewer people were aware of who we really were, the better. And if that meant Kalon and me posing as lovers on the road, then so be it.
“One room?” the barkeep asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
Kalon stiffened as I slipped an arm around his waist, pulling myself closer. “Oh, yes,” I replied. “We’ve had a long journey, and trust me, the only trouble we’re looking for is the kind involving one double bed.”
I felt Kalon’s eyes on me, my face burning, but I kept my gaze fixed on the barkeep, hoping to drive my point home and get us off the suspicious local’s radar.
“It’ll cost you five gold coins. Or fifteen silver,” the barkeep said at last.
“That’s fine,” I replied, finally looking at Kalon. It took him a second to react, but he eventually fumbled through his pouch and produced six gold coins, which he handed over to the tall and slender Rimian.
“Add a pitcher of blood if you have any,” Kalon mumbled.
The barkeep exhaled sharply. “I have a couple of Serry goats out back. We keep them for the milk and cheese, but I reckon we can draw some blood from them.”
“Not too much, though,” I said. “Just a pitcher. And make sure you feed them extra greens tomorrow to help them replenish.”
“Give them legumes, too. It’ll work wonders,” Kalon advised the barkeep, who gave us both an appreciative nod.
Handing us a brass key with a numbered piece of leather attached to it, he motioned for the tables behind us. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll bring the blood over to your table.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
“No, no, thank you. A gold coin is enough to buy me another Serry goat. You’ve been most generous.” The Rimian chuckled.
Kalon and I picked a corner booth—the darkest in the entire tavern, from what I could tell. I made myself comfortable, though there was only so much comfort I would get out of the hardwood bench. Checking my pockets, I made sure I had the invisibility pellets and red garnet glasses handy. I’d already given Kalon some, as well, just in case we had to… disappear.
“That was very bold,” he said after a while.
“What was?” I asked, my mind scattered all over the place. Snippets from Zoltan’s attack were trying to come back to me, but I couldn’t quite grasp them yet. The missing pieces were important, but too big and deeply buried in my subconscious. It would take a while before I put the whole picture together, but I still wandered toward it, sometimes.
“The room. Though I doubt we’ll be using it, since we’re here to hunt Darklings,” Kalon whispered, his blue eyes piercing through me. I felt tiny and naked, an insignificant and vulnerable blip in the fabric of the universe, whenever he looked at me this way. “Unless, of course, you were serious about that double bed.”
“Oh. No. No.” I chuckled—though it sounded more like a snort from where I sat. “No, no, no, no, no. I mean, not that you’re not handsome enough to… you know. It’s just that… You’re right. We’re hunting. Not… You know. Sorry, I seem to have misplaced my words.”
Pressing my lips into a tight line, I waited for him to say something, anything that might draw the conversation away from what was clearly a dangerous angle. My pulse was racing, mischievous ideas swirling through the back of my head.
Kalon smirked. “I wouldn’t want our first night to be inside this tavern. I envision a slightly more elegant interior.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a joke. Was he serious? Or was I wading out of reality again? I said nothing, hoping he might clarify what he’d just said, but the barkeep came to our table with a pitcher of fresh blood and two glasses.
“Here you go,” he said.
“Thank you,” Kalon replied, watching him walk back to the bar. He took a few minutes to study the people currently drinking and eating in the tavern. Maids went in and out of the kitchen through a creaky door, carrying ceramic plates and bowls filled with nice-smelling foods. I caught whiffs of barbecue platters, seasoned vegetables, and tangy stews, among other equally enticing flavors. Eating was one of the few things I truly missed about being a human. Blood was delicious, of course, especially when enriched with various spices, but I would’ve paid big bucks to be able to dig into