“Should I call for him?” Evera asked.
I lowered my gaze to her. “No, the work is good for him.” I turned to Aureus. “You will let him know where we’ve gone if he comes asking?”
The apothecary nodded, though he appeared uninvested in the sudden keeping of a young boy. That was fair, but it comforted me to have Calix near Evera when I could not be. And in truth, the boy was well-mannered and a hard worker.
“Is your brother cross with me for pushing Calix on your family?” I asked Evera as we exited the shop.
“Aureus doesn’t need a reason to be cross,” she said. “Calix hasn’t been any trouble, and Leighis seems to enjoy having a youthful spirit around the shop again. When he is present,Calix brings him books and asks him questions. I can’t help but wonder if Leighis sees Aureus and I in him. I think Aureus has wondered the same.”
Keeping her hand, I went to the bottom of the steps and gestured with my other. “You spoke to your brother. Told him about our bond?”
When Evera reached for me, I took her into my arms, sweeping her off her feet in place of her taking the few short steps.
“It was time to tell him the truth,” she said with a giggle. Expression softening, she brushed the tip of her nose to mine. “I hope you aren’t upset.”
“Never,” I told her.
She graced me with a kiss, and when I lowered her back to her feet, she took my hand and we set off through the market. The square was busy, which offered its own disguise.
“I admit I feel lighter now that Aureus and I have talked,” Evera said, “and I think he does too. Though I’m still not certain he likes the idea of us. Or of the bond. At least he’s making an attempt at amenity, for me.”The light hit her, making her fair skin glow.
“The idea ofus,” I crooned with teasing inflection.
Evera hummed—not quite an answer, but the ease with which she’d made the statement initially spoke for itself. Spoke of what her heart desired. If it took time for her mind to come to the same conclusion, I could be patient.
Looking past me, Evera’s smile broadened.
Following her gaze to where her friends stood a short distance off, I released her hand and brought my touch to the small of her back, encouraging her toward them. When she raised her eyes to mine, they sparkled. I tilted my head in their direction, the only invitation she needed.
“Farren, Renna.” The lightness in Evera’s step as she went to them warmed my heart. Something had altered in her. Whether that was because of what we shared, or the talk with her brother, or something else entirely, I was unsure. But I was grateful for it nonetheless .
The two young ladies turned and grinned warmly. I stopped beside Evera, and they studied me. The one with a baby strapped to her sucked in her lips knowingly, and the other only blushed.
Evera made formal introductions, giving them my false name. The one named Renna—the bolder of the two—took my chin between her thumb and index finger. I cast Evera a sidelong glance, and she giggled.
“Gods, good for you, Evera,” Renna remarked, turning my head to the side. When she dropped her hold on me, I studied her curiously. She was the one who had spoken of kisses before.
“Renna, that’s enough.” Evera laughed and wrapped her fingers in mine. The gesture drew a smile to my face.
Farren sighed.“Oh, he’s got a dimple.”
The three of us looked at her, and her cheeks reddened.
Evera snuggled into me, wrapping her other hand at my bicep. She hummed her acknowledgement. “I like it too.”
The dimple came from my mother, for neither Father nor Harlan had one. It was strange, but at that moment, the realization seemed all the more important. Like Mother had given me a gift, knowing one day my mate’s eyes would warm when they fell upon it.
Evera turned back to her friends, and the conversation moved on even as I remained unable to break my gaze from the woman who held me like she wanted me, like I was hers.
“What were you shopping for?” Evera asked, peering around her friends to the stand they’d had been examining when we approached. An assortment of jewelry and trinkets decorated with colorful stones lined the tabletop. Several caught thesunlight, casting patches of green and blue on the linen tablecloth.
“Necklaces,” Renna replied. “Espen has tasked me with finding one I desire.”
“They’re beautiful,” Evera murmured. The merchant behind the stand nodded his appreciation to her. He was older, perhaps five and forty, and had graying hair at the sides of his head.
Leaning toward us, Renna added on a hush, “Espen claimed he would buy me whichever one I wanted if I modeled it for him with nothing else on.”
Farren sucked in a breath. “Renna,” she scolded, eyeing me.
