They were just foolish enough to insist on fighting at his side.
“Let loose n’ get as sloppy as you want tonight, Baz,” Lev slurred, sloshing his own ale as he raised it to his lips.“I’ll be looking out for ya.”
Alobaz was never sloppy.
Aziza snorted and eyed Lev.“You’re already too sloshed to look out even for yourself.”
“Aw, sweetums, you know that just ain’t true.”
Aziza, a tiny, formidable female, ground her jaw.“Don’t call me that.”
Lev’s glazed eyes sharpened.“I wouldn’t, you know that, doll, save for the fact that I’m so sloshed I’m not quite right in the head.”
“Don’t call me ‘doll,’ fuckface.Do I look like a fuckingdollto you?”
Lev laughed, a deep, easy rumble that had the rest of them, including Alobaz, setting down their drinks.Alobaz shifted a leg to the outside of his bench seat, readying to rise.
Lev drained his mug, belched softly, and told Aziza, “You’re pretty and pink where it counts most.”
Aziza rocketed to her feet so fast the table wobbled.She had a knife to Lev’s throat before he could finish putting down his empty tankard.
Not a speck of fear sparked across his face.He smirked around Aziza’s blade.“I do love it when you play with me.”
“You keep pushing her, she’ll cut you,” Moncho said, on his feet beside Lev.“You think otherwise, maybe she should kill you for being plain stupid.”
“And a dickhole,” Aziza added.
Moncho shrugged.
“There you go talking about my dick again,” Lev said, his throat bobbing against the dagger that was so shiny and sharp it glimmered in the lumoonlight.“It’s like you can’t help yourself.And really, I can’t blame you.Won’t blame you.It is quite the dick.”
“By Fuerin,” Aziza scoffed with an eyeroll, withdrew her dagger, hesitated, then sheathed it.She shook her head.“Fuck a guy once…”
“Ten times.”
“Fuck a guy ten times and he won’t let you forget it.”
“Aw, love, ain’t no chance of you forgetting, and if you try to tell me otherwise, I won’t believe ya.”He smiled hischarmersmile, the one that got him out of the trouble he caused more times than not—with most people, anyway.“I ain’t gonna be forgetting you either, honey.Not a scorching chance.”
She snorted.“Great.Just what I need.A stalker.”
“I wasn’t planning on stalking you, but whatever lights your fire.I’llhuntyou if you want.”
She harrumphed.“Whatever, man.”Turning quickly, she pretended to fiddle with her weapons belt.
Moncho sipped his ale.“Glad that’s done.Can’t afford to be banned from this place too.”
Lev signaled the server for another ale.Everyone sat back down.
“This place isn’t great,” Lev said.“No big loss.”
Moncho hunched his massive shoulders over the table.“It is unless you wanna stay at the castle all the damn time.”The big man shuddered.
Baz took a gulp of his steeped-sock drink.
Lev’s brow scrunched.“We’ve still got other places that’ll have us.”
Moncho frowned.“Only ’cause Baz keeps lining their pockets.”
