She sighed, and her fragile smile drooped a bit. She just shook her head instead of answering.
She turned to a passing server. “Two more ales, please?”
CHAPTER 19
Kizzi
Ilaid in the inn’s surprisingly comfortable bed, staring up at the dark ceiling.
My body was exhausted, but my mind was painfully awake. My thoughts couldn’t decide where to settle.
Speaking of my younger years had resurfaced memories that I preferred to keep buried. I didn’t like to think of my Ma and Pa, whoever they were. They were witches of some sort, that much was evident in my magical abilities. But their identities were a mystery. They had left me behind in Moonvale with nothing but the clothes on my back—not even a letter. They hadn’t spoken to anyone, either. Nobody knew where I came from.
Ani found me there, sitting on that park bench. She didn’t ask a single question, she just saw me, offered her hand, and guided me to her cottage.
I also thought about Tandor, his body sprawled out on the bed next to mine, breathing rhythmically. Spending time with him was much more enjoyable than I expected it to be. I always knew he was friendly, and he was easy to look at, of course, but I was surprised by how easy it was to talk to him. How natural. I thought about the way he placed his hand on my shoulder—how he somehow knew I needed the comforting touch at that moment.
I couldn’t help but wonder how much of his kindness was due to the love potion, and that thought made my heart sink in my chest with a strange wave of disappointment.
I wanted him to be kind to me because hechoseto, not just because he was magically forced.
And that thought was… worrisome.
I also thought about the jar tucked away in my bag. I had brought Hex with me to the diner, too afraid to leave them alone at the inn. I didn’t want them to throw any magical tantrums. They had insisted on coming with me on this journey—tucking themself into the jar before I left my shop. They snapped and spat at me until I relented. Hex was now idly sitting in my bag, alarmingly still and well behaved.
I was new to the whole familiar thing, but mine felt a little too clingy.
I was waiting for the other boot to drop.
The tiny room was pitch dark. There was one small window, and it was covered with wooden slats, blocking out the moonlight that might have crept in.
I stared at the ceiling, praying for sleep to pull me under. Tandor’s deep even breaths should have been soothing, but they just made me antsy. Fidgety. Like my skin was too tight for my bones.
I should have brought some sleep tonics with me…
Even the noises from outside were unfamiliar. The chirping insects were not the same as those who inhabited Moonvale, and the comforting scurrying of critters was missing.
I could hear hints of other folk, too. Boots on the cobblestones outside. A laugh from a room down the hall. The creak of wooden stairs.
It was all overwhelming.
I wanted to crawl out of bed, crawl outside, and soak up some fresh air, but I knew that wouldn’t sooth me. The air was too different. Too dry and warm. Too heavily laden with the smells of a bustling town.
I was used to traveling. I traveled far and wide to find ingredients for my potions. But that was usually alone, or with Fiella. And Fiella was a comfortable presence—I was more familiar with her breathing than I was with my own.
I resorted to assembling potions in my head. I closed my eyes and let the familiar pattern tug my thoughts away from their swirling maelstrom.
I wonder what mixture would be helpful for calming a troubled mind. A potion, probably. With a liquid base. Honey. Honey is calming, rejuvenating. With chamomile flowers. And maybe some bark of an ever-tree from the mountains. If I boil it long enough, it will lose most of its pain-relieving properties but will relieve tension instead…
Darkness closed around me, slowly sweeping me away to blissful nothingness.
Alarge, strong hand slid down my back in a comforting caress. The touch heated my blood, and a pleasant shiver traveled down my spine. I hummed happily.
A dreamy, blissful warmth surrounded me. I was more comfortable than I had been in ages. The smell of warm rain curled around me. I snuggled in deeper, craving more of that warmth, and more of that lovely smell. My cheek pressed into firm, bulky muscle.
The hand slid up my back, slowly, inching over every divot of my spine. My nightgown was smooth and light and did nothing to diminish the warmth of that touch—it practically burned me. The hand reached the base of my neck and paused before sliding into the roots of my hair. Strong fingers massaged my scalp in slow circular motions. A quiet groan slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
I kept my eyes closed, soaking up the bliss of the moment.
