I opened my mouth and closed it. I didn’t know how to respond to that.
Rowan groaned. “And that’s why you needed to sell your clothing.” He poked his cheek with his liquor glass. “But you need magic tocount it, which you can’t use, and I just hadn’t pieced it together until this very moment.”
I bit my lips together.
“Off,” Rowan said. “We’re fixing this right now.”
“Like get off?” I asked, batting my eyes and wiggling my hips.
Rowan let out the most pained groan I’d ever heard, and I swear his dick jumped toward me.
“I won’t.” He finished his drink. “I shouldn’t. You’re worth doing this right for, Q-tip.” Rowan squeezed my hip.
You’re worth doing this right for.
Rowan’s words echoed through me, and I melted. He wasn’t looking for some quick emotional hook-up; he wanted me because I was worth it.
A tear slipped down my cheek, and I brushed it away. This was too much, too intense, too soon. I stood before I could become a blubbering mess of insecurity.
“To the money.” I slid to my bed and the desk under it.
Rowan had to duck to follow. We shifted clumsily, knees bumping, shoulders brushing, until I ended up half on his lap, balanced on one leg so we could both reach the desk.
He tapped a small cauldron tucked against the wall, one I hadn’t even noticed, and soft white fog spilled out, curling around our feet. The glow was faint, just enough to see, but it made everything feel quieter. Closer.
Heat radiated off him; his steadiness anchored me. My pulse shouldn’t have been that loud. It wasn’t the magic that stole my breath—it was him.
“Not the entire bag?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t understand how much things cost, and after you leave, I still can’t count it. I’ll start with the basics. Big numbers don’t help, at least not yet, unless I still owe The Rooster?”
“You don’t.” Rowan’s free hand was back on my hip, as if he never wanted to let go. He rubbed up and down my side. “The Architect cleared every debt Horax held. That bastard had three other trainees’ TBs in addition to yours.”
I sucked in a surprised breath. Relief washed across me. I wasn’t alone. I cringed a little, not that I was happy he’d taken advantage of others, but not being unique in this sense made me feel less stupid.
“What’s going on in that little brain of yours?” Rowan asked.
I explained.
Rowan kissed my cheek. “Horax is very skilled at taking advantage of people, and he’s been doing it right under the Architect’s nose for years. He owned The Rooster before we took the castle. I don’t know if we can tally up the number of our trainees he exploited or trafficked from our ranks.”
I took a shaky breath.
“You’ve done nothing wrong.” Rowan rubbed my back. “But learn from this. We all feel guilty for not helping you. We didn’t even know you needed it.You’re not alone and you’re not a burden.“
Tears pooled in my eyes again, but good ones. I had friends. I wasn’t just a crazy inconvenience trying to hide from the world anymore.
I didn’t know how to express half of what I was feeling, so I gestured to my little pile of gold. “Can you split this into basics for me?”
Rowan touched each coin, running magic through it before sorting them into piles. The breakfast Xan bought me was almost three times as much as a sandwich from Wicked Wich.
He stacked the coins, then nudged two aside. “I’m picky. Muscle needs clean protein. If you cook, you’ll spend far less.”
I nodded. I didn’t know what my future held, but blowing all my money now seemed reckless. I could keep my meals simple at least until I had magic and knew where I stood with the Architect.
I slipped off his lap and glided back to the couch.
Rowan followed me and handed me my TB. “This is yours. No one has the right to take it from you. Repeat my words.”
