“Wasn’t planning on it, Starborne,” he said as he threw his pack on the ground and sat on the edge of the bed, shrugging off his boots.
She stepped further into the room, floorboards creaking, and shut the door. “You could have let me go, let me disappear. I would have never sought you out. Why did you chase me?” she asked as she shrugged off her cloak, throwing it on the worn cushioned chair.
“Because I’ve seen what Celestial Guards and bounty hunters do to Starborne like you. Believe me, I’m doing you a favor.”
Heat rushed to Astraia’s face.
“Look,” he said, eyeing her, “I could’ve handed you over already. Chained, unconscious, maybe missing a finger. But I didn’t.”
“You want gratitude?” she snapped.
“I want you to shut up and stay alive.”
Astraia huffed, making her way to the chair, and angled it to face the bed, the chair legs scraping against the floor. With anexhale, she plopped into the chair and looked at Draven with contempt.
“If you touch me while I’m sleeping,” she said, “I’ll slit your throat and burn you from the inside out for good measure.”
“If I touch you, it will be to put those manacles back on,” he said, deadpan.
“Try it.” Challenge laced her words.
He gave a half-tired laugh, running his hand through his hair. “Stars, you are exhausting.”
“Good,” she said, a small smile of satisfaction creeping onto her face.
“And you stink,” he said, nose wrinkled.
“What?” She gaped at him, taken aback. Of all the things for him to say, this was unexpected.
“I’m not going to be stuck in this pathetically small room with you smelling like Plague rot and blood. Use the washroom.” He pointed to the door beside the fireplace, one Astraia had neglected to notice earlier.
She snorted. “Mighty bounty hunter unbothered by leading an innocent woman to death, but sneers at foul stench? My, how the mighty have fallen.”
Draven argued to his feet, making her pulse quicken and muscles tense, readying for a fight. He snatched his satchel from the floor, yanking a white shirt from the bag, and threw it to her.
Reflexively, she caught the shirt, eyes wide as she looked at him.
“Wash before I dunk you in the river myself,” he growled, turning his back to her and striding to the door. “I’m getting a drink. Don’t even think about trying to escape. I’ll know.”
He shut the door. The sound of the lock turning made Astraia’s blood boil.
She cursed at him, grasping the shirt—hisshirt—and opened the washroom door.
“Oh, thank the Stars,” she moaned as she discovered a large tub with modernized plumbing. A luxury she had not experienced in years. She took full advantage of the fact, letting her muscles relax in scalding heat and using a healthy amount of the vanilla soap she found to clear away rot, death, and days of running.
Finally satisfied, her skin purified from slaughter, Astraia climbed out of the tub. There was a small mirror on the wall next to the wash basin. She paused at the woman staring back at her.
Although her body was tired from fighting and running for days, her face glowed, a radiance beaming back at the mirror. Her eyes no longer looked haunted and her hair glistened with stardust in the lamplight. The Sacrifice lumenmark glistened in the lamplight, reflecting the Pegasus Constellation on her skin. The brand of the Starborne.
Her gaze fell to the shirt lying on the table next to her. “Stars save me.”
But she really did not have any clothes to wear. This journey was never supposed to happen. It was either wear the shirt, or wear nothing. Andthatwas not an option.
With a sigh, she pulled the shirt over her head, the fabric falling to just above her knees, brushing against bare skin like a phantom touch. It smelled like pine and firelight and something darker—something that reminded her she was still alive. Her bond flickered…and she didn’t push it down, sending warmth up her spine.
She breathed deeply, finally coming to terms with her plight. Captured. She had been captured. After five years of hiding, her efforts were counted worthless in a matter of a few days.
But she was not shackled. He had left her unbound. She could work with this fortunate slip-up.
