Now that I look at him, I can see that there’s a layer of mud all over the floor, clumping over his bare feet. Poor bloke, I bet his skin’s itching like mad.
“You haven’t got a spare change of clothes you could lend him, have you?” Reva asks, biting her lip. “A shirt, a pair of trousers, some underwear if you can spare it.”
I nod, wondering what the hell happened to him to leave him in this state. He has the look of someone escaping from something. It would certainly explain the vaguely feral look he has.
What feels like a lifetime ago, I was in the same boat, and I’d have given my right arm to have anyone extend a hand without it being a slap.
“Come on,” I say, putting a hand under his elbow to help him to his feet. I then lead him through to the bathroom where I hesitate forjust a moment before laying out a razor and soap, along with a clean towel and a fresh outfit. I’ve spent a lot of my life having to make snap judgements about people, and none of my instincts are telling me he’s anything to worry about.
Worryfor, maybe. He looks like he’s not had a good meal or slept properly in a long time.
Half an hour later, after much splashing followed by long periods of silence, Aster steps out of the bathroom. He’s tied his hair back and his face is now clean-shaven. My shirt is gaping on him, revealing long white scars that look to be scratched directly over his heart. He’s also skinny in a way that looks like he hasn’t had enough food in a long time.
We stare at each other silently for a moment. Without all the hair in front of his face, he looks less like a wild man and more like a...
“Well, you’re a handsome devil, aren’t you?” I grin at him, earning myself a mystified look.
As soon as we step into the kitchen, both Frannie and Reva freeze in what they’re doing—which seems to be attempting to make the world’s largest omelette.
Reva’s cheeks go bright pink, and she seems momentarily lost for words. Then Aster takes a step forward, stumbling over the hem of my overly long trousers as they tangle around his legs.
Well, that seals it. We clearly have reason to worry. Aster seems like a significant threat to all of our safety.
“I can’t say I’m a prolific sewer,” I tell him. “Unlike Torin, that’s one of my brother’s closest crewmates, so we might have to invest in a better belt for you.”
“Handsome devil, isn’t he?” Frannie says.
“That’s exactly what I said.”
“Not much left in the larder,” Frannie continues as she slides plates onto the scrubbed wooden table, pushing one of the chairs out for Aster.
He drops into the seat and starts eating as soon as the plate is put in front of him. Meanwhile, I set about pouring strong cups of tea and handing them out before heading to the table. By the time I’ve sat down and the rest of us are starting to eat, Aster has already cleared his plate.
“Guess he really was hungry.” Frannie takes the last bite of her food before pushing her plate away. “You think he wants more?”
Reva asks him a question, and I watch her lips as she forms the words. Her pink, perfectly formed lips.
I pull myself out of my head before I can devolve into fantasies of feeling those lips on mine.
Aster shakes his head, reaching out and tracing something on the skin of Reva’s forearm. Whatever he says, she pauses for a moment before giving a jerky nod.
“He, er, hasn’t eaten much recently. Thinks it’s best not to risk it.”
“Could you ask him what happened to him?” Frannie asks quietly.
Reva nods before softly relaying the question. Aster only hesitates for a moment before he begins tracing more and more words onto Reva’s skin. She clears her throat, meeting his eyes for a moment before she translates for the rest of us.
“Where I was before, I didn’t exactly get out much,”he says.
“Were you... there by choice?” Reva asks.
He chuckles silently, wrapping his arms around his stomach, and Reva blows out a long shuddering breath as he shakes his head.
“No one sane would be there by choice.”He pauses, closing his eyes before continuing, “I was an idiot. They came to my little village, recruiting people for a job. There wasn’t much work or much food back home, so I went with them willingly.”He shrugs. “I wound up hundreds of miles from home in a basement with at least a dozen others, with no money, no papers, and no wayof getting out.”
I swallow hard, meeting Reva’s eyes as she glances up. “Can you ask him who they were? Where was he held?”
What did they do to him? That’s the silent question that hangs over us, the one I don’t want to give voice to. Not while he looks like a strong breeze could knock him down.
