“That’s not a bad idea,” Marc mused as he stretched his arms above his head. “I think I’ll hit the hammock, too.”
“You’re sure you’re alright?” I asked him. He did look deathly pale, and the flesh around his patched eye had a purplish tinge to it.
He dropped his arms to his side and smiled at me. “I guess I’d be lying if I said the spell is easy on me, but nothing happened that hasn’t happened before.” He brushed a finger against the bruised flesh. “Including this. Just give me a few hours of good rest and it’ll go away.”
“So let the captain get to it,” Ramaro chimed in from the bed. “I’d like some myself.”
My shoulders slumped a little, but I grasped the side of the door. “Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He nodded at a window behind me. “I’ll see you later today.”
I half-turned and noticed a faint glow on the horizon. The sun was coming up. A small smile slipped onto my lips as I turned back to him. “I guess you’re-” The doorway was empty. I leaned out and beheld an empty hall.
My face drooped and I ducked back in, where I closed the door. “Does he always have to be so mysterious?”
“He does that with all the ladies,” Ramaro commented as he curled himself into a ball and closed his eyes.
I took the chance to privately slip into a nightshirt from the dresser before dipping into bed. A faint chill teased my nose, and I burrowed beneath the covers. Sleep soon came to me.
Chapter 14
I awoke to the weak light of the sun streaming through the windows. The plush mattress was a sight better than the pile of blankets I’d been sleeping on in the captain’s cabin.
“About time.”
The voice came from below me. I crawled to the edge of the bed and leaned over the side. Ramaro sat on the floor with his tail curled around him.
I frowned at my short companion before I nodded at the window. “I haven’t been asleep that long. The sun’s still coming up.”
“The sun is setting,” he corrected me as the tip of his tail twitched. “And that means it’s time to get up and get some food before Gisela notices you’re awake.”
I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “What’ll happen if she notices I’m awake?”
“She’ll try to feed you.”
I paused in my waking ritual and imagined the foods Ramaro had described. My face drooped, and I flung the covers off me. “Get out of my way.”
Ramaro scooted away as I swung my legs over the edge. I scooped up my clothes and began to put them on when I felt a pair of eyes on me. A quick look down confirmed my suspicions. “Could you look away?” I asked the lizard.
He flicked his tongue out, but obliged me. “Humans and their foolish notions about flesh.”
I hurried into my clothes, but my hair was another matter, as were other toiletry issues. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready.”
Ramaro whipped around as I sped toward the bathroom door. “This better not be some female lie! I want you out of there in ten minutes!”
I slammed the door shut and burst out laughing. My voice rang in the large bathroom. There was a claw-foot tub and two sinks, with a large shared mirror. I caught my reflection and winced. My hair was unkept, and my clothes were frumpy. Dirt splotches covered my face and neck. I looked like a hobo on holiday.
An array of toiletries sat on the counter surrounding the sink. There were brushes, towels, even toothbrushes and lotions. I quickly got to work making myself presentable, but the longer I stood at the sink, the more uneasy I felt. I paused in the middle of scrubbing my neck and looked around. There was no one else in there, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.
And then I heard it. A faint shuffle behind the door opposite mine. My eyebrows crashed down. I set the brush on the sink and crept over to the door, where I bent down to peer through the keyhole.
And found myself eye-to-eye with a bright blue eye.
“Marc!” I shouted as I shot up and grabbed the knob.
He was faster, and the door was pushed inward. I stumbled back and would have fallen if his arm hadn’t swooped around my waist and caught me. His grin stretched his face, and his eye twinkled with mischief.
“You called?”
