“She’s no longer hiding?”
Vaskel shrugged. “She’s unpredictable, but it’s all part of her plan. Just like charming Thrain."
Iris's eyes widened slightly. "Sass's friend? That Thrain?”
“Who else?” he said, frustration making his words sharp. "She's using him for something. To get to me, most likely.”
The thought that Marina could have been watching him and observing who his friends were made anger roil in his chest.
"We won’t let anyone get hurt,” Iris said, and her hand found his on the bar, cool fingers wrapping around his clenched fist. The touch sent a jolt through him that had nothing to do with the soul bind.
Then the door opened again. This time, it was Thrain.
Relief flooded through Vaskel so powerfully his knees almost buckled. Then the relief died in his throat.
Marina stepped through the door right behind Thrain, shaking snowflakes from her dark hair. She still wore her village disguise, but the modest brown dress couldn't hide what she was, not from someone who knew her true nature.
Thrain said something that made her laugh again, the sound cutting through the tavern noise like a blade through silk. Several heads turned, both men's and women’s faces going slack with appreciation, and only a very few sharpening withthe instinctive wariness prey feels when a hunter enters their territory.
Marina's gaze swept the room, cataloguing exits, threats, and opportunities like she always did. Like Vaskel himself did instinctively after decades of adventuring. It took her less than three seconds to locate him at the bar.
Their eyes locked before her gaze dropped to where Iris's hand still rested on his. Marina's lips curved into a smile like a predator discovering exactly the weakness she'd been looking for. The temperature in the tavern seemed to drop ten degrees despite the crackling fire.
Vaskel jerked his hand back and turned away, but it was too late. Marina had seen, and now she’s discovered an even more powerful weapon to use against him.
Twenty
Thrain moved through the tavern,Marina draped on his arm. The dwarf's chest puffed with pride as he introduced her to table after table of villagers.
"This is Marina," Thrain announced. "Just arrived in Wayside yesterday, looking for a place to winter."
Marina ducked her head with perfectly feigned shyness, her crimson skin glowing in the firelight. "Everyone's been so welcoming. I can see why Thrain speaks so highly of this village."
Vaskel curled his hands into fists. This was Marina at her most dangerous. She wielded charm as deftly as she did blades, and Vaskel knew how skilled she was with both.
“You should probably leave," Vaskel murmured to Iris.
She lifted her chin, green eyes flashing. "I'm not afraid of her. And I'm certainly not going to be run out of the tavern inmyvillage.”
Before he could argue, Sass appeared at his side behind the bar, one hand planted firmly on her hip, her eyes narrowed to slits as she watched Marina wind her way through the room.
"I don't like her," the dwarf said. "Don't trust her as far as I could throw her, and considering she's twice my size, that's not bloody far."
A grin tugged at his lips. Trust Sass to see through Marina's artifice.
"Something about her makes my skin crawl," Sass continued. "Thrain's a goblin-spawned fool if he can't see she's playing him like a fiddle. Sweet simmering cauldrons, the way she's got him prancing about like a prize pig at market."
For the first time since he’d met the dwarf, he was grateful she was immune to hellkin charm. Vaskel remembered his own failed attempts to win her over when he'd first arrived, despite his best efforts to charm her. She’d looked at him with the same suspicious squint she was now directing at Marina.
"Where in Grognick's beard have you been?" Lira emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray laden with steaming meat pies, her face flushed from the heat of the ovens. "These have been ready for ages!"
"Sorry," Sass muttered, still glaring at Marina. "Got distracted."
Lira followed their collective gaze across the room, her eyes widening as she took in the scene. “Who is that?"
Iris glanced at Vaskel, a question in her eyes. Should they tell her? Should they warn everyone about what Marina really was, what she was capable of? Then Vaskel thought of Lira’supcoming wedding. He didn’t want to be the one to steal her joy with his problems.
“Just a newcomer Thrain brought in," Iris said smoothly. "Apparently she's looking for somewhere to spend the winter."
