“Wait. Where are we going?” I follow him into the street as a cluster of children giggle and run past. There is hardly a chill in the air today. That’s the thing about weather in Meriva Empire. One day you’ll need a coat, and the next you can rest on a patch of grass near a lake with the sun beaming on your face even though it’s still fall.
“Elphar,” Thane says, already weaving his way through the crowd. Well, I’m the one weaving. People are jumping out of his way to create a clear path for him.
“Now?”
He frowns over his shoulder. “Is that a problem?”
“No—well, yes, actually. I thought I’d have a little more time to prepare. I still need to pack, stop by the bakery I work at, and the refugee center. I need to let everyone know I’ll be gone for a few days.”
Thane comes to a rapid halt, and I slam into his solid back, only to be knocked off center and stumbling sideways. He twists around and catches me by the forearm just as a mule wagon rolls by.
He towers over me, glaring. Without his mask, his scars are much more prominent and twice as intimidating. The one beneath his eye is slightly red and raised around the edges, as if it happened recently.
He releases me. “That should’ve been handled already.”
I brush his hand away. “Yeah, well the bakery just opened, and the refugee center will only take a minute.”
“Refugee center?”
I push my specs back into position. “I volunteer there.”
“Ofcourseyou do.”
I frown. What’s that supposed to mean?
Thane starts to walk away from me.
I scurry behind him to catch up. “All I need is thirty minutes.”
He doesn’t even turn around but says over his shoulder, “Meet me back at the Tilted Crystal when you’re done fucking around.”
Uh, no.
I catch him by the upper arm before he can get too far away. He stares at my hand on his rock-hard bicep, then turns his absolutely livid eyes to me.
“I advise you not to do that again,” he warns.
Or what?I start to ask. But then I realize only a fool who has a death wish would counter with that question. I jerk my hand away.
“You have a pocket full of coins I paid you that you can easily run off with,” I explain, placing a hand on my hip.
He clenches his jaw, his patience clearly waning.
“Just follow me. My home is a short walk away from the bakery. We can stop at my place first, I’ll pack, and the next two stops will be a breeze.”
“You want me to follow you around like adog?” he asks in a low growl…like a dog.
I blink up at him as his nostrils flare. Then, with a shake of his head, he closes his eyes, inhales, and then exhales, as if to calm himself.
“Wow. Nice breathing technique,” I quip when his eyes open again. “I didn’t take you for a man of patience.”
With a grimace, he tucks his thumb under the strap of his rucksack and grumbles, “Just stop talking and walk.”
Chapter 7
“Aren’t you going to ask how I got the coins?” I eye Thane as he purposely trails a few steps behind me. We just left my home in the Commons, and I now have my rucksack and satchel in tow. When he doesn’t answer, I say, “I sold my necklace.”
I spot a fruit stand ahead and dig into my satchel for two silvers, handing them to the merchant and swapping them for pears.
