The barkeep lifted his head, his dark skin rippling and peeling away to reveal a man with rough bark for skin, his stone-grey eyes appearing much more vibrant with the sudden shift. He smiled at Aziel, immediately reaching for a glass and a drink from the shelf behind him.
“I would say that I am surprised to see you here, but alas, I feel as if it has only been twelve hours.” The man chuckled.
Aziel strode forward, his hand resting between Nymiria’s shoulders and guiding her to follow. “It’s been a long day.” He sighed.
The barkeep snorted. “It’s been a longcentury.”
“This is Nymiria, Gorford.” Aziel said, his hand waving in her direction as they took their seats. “Nymiria, this is Gorford. My least favorite barkeep.”
The creature let out a booming laugh, shaking his head. “Don’t let him fool you. If I was his least favorite, he wouldn’t keep showing up duringmyshifts.”
“Have you ever thought that I may bebusywith things at some point in the day?”
Gorford snorted. “I’m surprised by the insinuation that I even think about you at all.”
Nymiria watched them bicker back and forth, her eyes trailing over Aziel’s face as he spoke. It was astonishing how quickly his demeanor could change around certain people. He had a tendency to be rather stiff and formal when it came to her,unless he was teasing or giving her some deep life-lesson. She liked this side of him, the one that could laugh and make jokes with people. The one that was light-hearted and not weighed down by years and years of trials.
She nursed her drink while Aziel downed three at a rapid pace, his hands moving more as he talked, his voice far more animated.
Tilting her head to one side, she wondered, just briefly, if it was all an act. He’d mentioned before that he’d been a performer once. And it left her to believe which version of him was real and which one was false. He seemed natural in this state.Free.
And it looked absolutely beautiful on him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked, suddenly.
Nymiria blinked, her eyes darting around the room, only to realize that Gorford had vanished and they were alone. A loud clap of thunder shook the floor, drawing her attention to the tiny circular windows on the left side of the room. Rain was pouring down outside, the glass flickering silver from distant lightning. “It’s raining.” She sighed, trying to convince herself that the heat in her cheeks was from her drink and not the fact that he was still staring at her.
“It’ll pass soon, I’m sure.” His voice was quiet, his expression smoothed back, revealing no emotion once again. She wanted to see him smile again. She wanted to know that it was possible for him to be happy, and not just while making jabs at one another. She wanted…
The door to the bar burst open with thunderous force, the sound of wood smacking against wood giving the impression that the door, itself, would be cracked down the middle.
Nymiria jumped, heart stalling as she looked at the entryway.
Aziel made a small gruff noise, a warning to the rain-slicked beast that loomed at the entrance. Once her eyes could pickapart key features hidden beneath a mop of long, dark hair and a thick beard, Nymiria drew in a small gasp.
“Oh,shit.” She whispered, eyes wide in sheer panic.
The figure extended a thick finger in her direction, his breathing ragged as he stepped in from the storm.“You.”He growled.
Chapter 10
Aziel looked between the two of them, his brow drawing to the center when Nymiria flung herself from the bar and began running in the opposite direction of him. The hulking mass of a man that smelled more like a wet dog than a human was across the room in seconds, snatching her up and tossing her over his shoulder. She tried shoving away from him, tried twisting and squirming her way out of his grasp, but the man was too strong and too furious to loosen his hold against her struggle.
He plopped her down onto a table, a grunt rattling from her lungs as she looked up at him with a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry.”
“Shut it.” Oran snapped, jabbing her in the center of the chest with the same finger he’d pointed at her in the entryway. “Youleftme.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Do you know how long it takes to get to Shidosha by boat?” Oran asked, but before she could even muster a response, hewas leaning in closer. “Four days.Fourdays. And for those four days, I was sick to death with worry that you’d been kidnapped and traded to sick fucks that take pleasure in hurting women. I believed that you fell overboard, that you drowned at sea. I believed that the worst had happened and I would have to return here and facethatfucker over there and confess to him that I’d lost you.”
Oran leaned back, still imposingly large. She was still trapped, guilt weeding its way into her heart as she looked over his worn and haggard features. “When I finally reached port, I heard two crewmen talking about the insane white-haired woman that jumped ship and swam back to shore. Decided to take my chances and sail back here, to this horrendous continent, and find you.”
Aziel finally moved, sighing as he stepped towards them. “That’s enough.”
“I’m not finished—”
“I don’t fucking care. I said that’s enough. You said your piece, now stepback.” His voice was calm. Gentle, almost, but laced with the bite of a warning. Oran stared at his brother, jaw clenched, but moved back nonetheless. “She said that she was sorry.”
