“Is that why you’re not helping?” I mutter under my breath as he turns away.
He hears me, though. His shoulders stiffen, but he stalks off. Esme whistles. “Were you two enemies in a previous life or something? Hereallydoesn’t like you.”
“He doesn’t like anyone,” Rio says as if he’s confiding in me. Comforting. “Took him years to warm up to us. Don’t worry about it.”
I blink at him. “I really don’t care.”
Rio’s open smile falters. “Right. Well, I’ll go and sort the rigging out.”
Frowning, I bite the inside of my cheek as he gets to his feet, reaching down and silently snagging his canteen. My face lifts. “Wait. I still owe you a question. I asked two, but you only asked one.”
He pauses. His eyes flick to Esme, but she doesn’t look up from her work. “Can I keep it for later?”
I shrug. “Suit yourself.”
Waiting until he’s gone, I turn to Esme. Her lips are pursed as she works.
“You like things to be fair,” she notes eventually.
“I don’t like to be indebted.” I toss down the stone, done with scrubbing when I can still feel bronze eyes that are doing nothing while we kneel here in salt-crusted clothes, caked in our own sweat. “Nor do I like injustice. In any form.”
She hums. “Rio won’t forget. He’ll probably ask a hundred questions at dinner if you let him.”
Wonderful.
“Selene.” I grit my teeth at the sound of my name on his lips, even if it sounds polite enough. “We need to find you some better clothes.”
Stiffening, I ignore him. “I’m fine with what I have.”
In the silence that follows, I glance down to confirm my words. The dress made for lounging in the Murenger has not held up to a morning spent scrubbing, and my cheeks heat. “Fine.”
Esme eyes me critically. “You’re too tall for anything of mine.”
“We’ll try it anyway.” My face flames further at their assessment. Callan clears his throat and looks away as I get to my feet. “Follow me. We’ll find you something better.”
“Something better suited to hard work? Nothing ofyourswould suit, then.”
He stiffens as he walks ahead. For a moment, I almost regret my snapped words. But then his laugh fills the air, and I wish they had been harsher. “Something that will get you through all of the many,manygrueling tasks I have for you before we reach Asteria. So many tasks, and so little time to complete them all.”
My irritated grunt only makes him laugh harder.
Chapter fourteen
Selene
Ihold off for as long as I can. My arms are reddened and raw when I finally edge my way out of the bathroom. Callan yawns obnoxiously from where he waits beside the door. “Thank Caelum for that. I thought you’d decided to jump out of the…”
His voice trails off, and I grit my jaw. Even the skin I haven’t scrubbed feels as though it’s flushing. “Say nothing.”
He doesn’t. He… stares.
“Stoplooking,” I snap. “She’s much shorter than me.”
“Clearly.” The word sounds choked. “That’s not going to work.”
I try to breathe. Except I can’t, because the worn, soft-looking leather pants Esme passed me through a crack in the bathroom door are cutting off mygods-damnedcirculation. “Do you always state the obvious?”
He’s definitely laughing at me. His cheeks are darkened as he presses his lips together, his eyes sweeping over my top. Or what’s left of it after tearing it almost to strips to wind aroundmy body. My hands reach up in a useless attempt to cover myself.
