Jax arches a brow, her smile widening as she swats his arm. “Firstly, as if you’ve ever waited patiently for anything in your fucking life. Secondly, it isuswho have been waiting foryou.”
Their camaraderie is immediate, seamless, and it sets me on edge. Kael’s walls—those carefully constructed barriers that keep everyone else at bay—don’t seem to exist with her. And I hate that I notice. I hate that it matters.
Merrik’s gaze sweeps over the rest of us, and when it lands on me, there’s a kindness in his eyes that I didn’t expect. He nods once, the gesture warm and deliberate. “You must be Elyssara,” he says, his voice deep and gravelly but full of quiet reassurance. “Kael’s told us about you.”
Has he?
My curiosity bristles against my better judgment, and I force a polite smile. “All good things, I hope.”
Merrik chuckles, his laughter like the rumble of distant thunder. “Mostly,” he winks at me conspiratorially, and my heart aches at the gesture because it is akin to one Revryn offered me regularly. Merrik’s gaze swings to Kael before adding, “You didn’t tell me she is absolutely stunning, though.” He quickly brings his eyes back to me, dipping closer to my ear and whispers, “He did, I just want to see him get in trouble. He told me you have quite the mouth on you.”
I like him already, and I cannot help the wide smile that stretches across my face at his cheek. “Did he now?” I say, looking to Kael in mock admonishment.
“I would never downplay Elyssara’s beauty. It is obvious for everyone in this tavern to see,” the sincerity in his words stun me, and I can feel my cheeks heating under his stare. “And she really does have quite the mouth,” he adds, the phrase loaded and heady.
Jax’s gaze flicks to me then, her dark eyes sharp but unreadable. Her smile doesn’t falter, but there’s something in the way she looks at me—an assessment, a calculation—that sets my nerves humming. Her smile is pleasant but her tone is razor-edged. “And you’ve been keeping Kael in line, I take it?”
Her words are light, but there’s a warning curled beneath them, like the edge of a blade concealed under pretty skirts.
My smile doesn’t falter, though I feel the prickle of irritation warming my skin. “I wasn’t aware he needed managing,” I say coolly. “He seems capable enough of looking after himself.”
“Capable is one way to put it.” Jax leans back in her chair, her eyes never leaving mine. “But Kael has always thrived under the right kind of... influence.”
The words are a challenge, her intent as clear as the smirk tugging at her lips. I force a sip of my ale, letting the warmth coat my tongue as I consider my response. “Funny,” I say after a moment, letting my voice turn mockingly sweet, “he seems to do just fine when left to his own devices. Almost... untouchable.”
Kael’s laugh cuts through the rising tension, rich and full of amusement. “Now, now,” he says, his gaze bouncing between us, “Play nice. Jax has claws, El—though I’m confident that wouldn’t deter you.”
“I don’t need confidence, Kael,” I say, turning to him with a slow smile. “I have blades.”
Jax raises a brow, her smile unwavering but her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “Confidence and blades are important,” she says, tapping at the sword belted at her waist, her tone deceptively kind. “But trust? That’s earned.”
“Then I guess we’ll see how that works out, won’t we?” I reply, letting the edge in my voice match hers.
Kael looks between us, his smirk widening as though he’s enjoying the show far too much. “Well, this is going to be fun,” he murmurs into his honeyed ale, low enough that I’m sure only I hear it.
“I’m gettin’ a round for everyone,” Merrik says to no one in particular, trying to get out of this conversation as quickly as possible, no doubt.
Jax’s attention finally shifts, but her unspoken warning lingers in the air like smoke. And though I meet her smile with one of my own, I feel the weight of her claim. This is her territory, her familiarity with Kael a fortress I’ve yet to breach. But if she thinks I’ll back down, she doesn’t know me. Not yet.
The drinks flow freely, and the food never stops coming. Jax has kept one eye on the patrons inside the tavern and one on me for the entirety of the night. She clearly distrusts me, but I can’t say I’m overly trusting of her, either. My greatest weapon has always been my keen perception, and I’ve applied it thoroughly to Jax. She is dressed in fighting leathers that are well worn and carries a fine blade, bejeweled at the hilt, and despite her imposing beauty, shelooks tired. The kind of tired that wears on you from a life without comforts, and inherent safety. Jax mentioned having waited for Kael, which makes me think she’s been here, or somewhere nearby, holed up with little of life’s luxuries for a while. But the way she is churning through her ale with little effect on her senses and speech, she seems to be no stranger to a drink. Jax is built like a warrior, and she moves, speaks and watches like one, too. Never missing a thing.
Whenever she does steal her eyes away from the tavern, and settles into the steady rhythm of conversation amongst our group, she seems at home. She has an obvious lighthearted and mutually respectful relationship with Merrik, and she has a somewhatpersonal, or dare I say,intimaterelationship with Kael, which makes me grind my teeth. I am aware that I have absolutely no claim on this man whatsoever, and in fact, it would be incredibly irresponsible to act on any desire I feel for him. Still, I can’t help the simmering fury that bubbles away in my chest at the sight of her grazing his chest plate and resting her hand on his knee.
I watch him. His dark hair tousled by travel and rain hangs across his forehead, shadowing the sharp lines of his face. His eyes flick up to me as Jax drifts her hand down his arm,again, and his eyebrow quirks up in silent amusement at whatever he must see written all over my face or in my body language.
I huff at him and roll my eyes, crossing my arms—very mature—and turn towards Merrik for what he has proven will be a fun, engaging and cheeky conversation. Merrik begins to regale me with tales of past battles and tells me of those he fought by Kael’s father’s side. I prompt him for details and specifics, but he is masterful in his evasion, so I settle for what heiswilling to tell me. He waxes lyrical of pranks and jokes the warriors played on each other, and that he has taken it upon himself to uphold this wherever he goes and whoever he fights alongside. “Nothing bonds people together like laughter and shared memories,” he says. My gaze drifts up as I listen and I catch the eye of a handsome gentleman at the bar. He nods at me and throws me an unfairly charming smile. I look over to Kael, and he is engrossed in a conversation with Jax, their eyes locked on one another. In a fit of frustration, I make a decision.
I interrupt Merrik’s tales, “Merrik, excuse me. I’m so sorry to interject, but I need to use the privy. Can we pick this conversation back up in a moment?”
“Of course, darlin’. I’ve been waffling all night! It’s out the back past the bar, love.”
I get up from our table, and make my way towards the bar and the handsome man who smiled at me.
“Good evening,” I say in my most sensuous tone, before realizing that I am absolutely filthy and haven’t bathed in days, and I’m also quite drunk, as evidenced by the way the room tilts in my vision.Fucking Stars, Elyssara.Well, I’m here now, so I guess I’ll have to keep going.
The man at the bar turns toward me, his smile widening as his eyes rake over my face and down my body, lingering too long in a way that feels invasive—just enough to make my skin prickle. “Good evening, indeed,” he replies, his voice smooth and confident. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
“Is it that obvious?” I ask, letting my lips curve into a sly smile, even as my pulse quickens.Stars, Elyssara, what are you doing?But just as I move to turn, acknowledging that this was a bad idea, I feel Kael’s eyes on me from across the room, burning into my back, and something reckless inside me takes over.
