He jerked out of my grasp. “I’m hungry.”
“Shivering bones,” I swore, glaring at the ceiling.
“The room came with supper,” he said. “It’s already paid for.”
I waved a hand toward one of the tables, urging him to sit. He gave me a satisfied smile before sauntering over andsitting down. The couple from the next table over shot him a filthy glance, then stood and left.
Theron the dreaded assassin ordered the finest meal the pub served, followed by several helpings of dessert and ale to wash it all down. I had to sit there, watching him eat and drink, with flecks of food staining his golden brown beard, his charcoal eyes filled with mirth at the sight of my frustration.
After his seventh drink, his eyelids grew heavy. I knew he was hoping the nasty hangover the next morning would slow down our journey.
But he had no idea how relentless I could be.
While Theron continued with his gluttony, I ambled over to the bar, where the innkeeper was scrubbing a mug with a filthy rag. He scowled at me when I approached, his dark eyes flicking to the hunter still sitting at the table.
“He’s disgusting,” he spat, his thick gray eyebrows drawing together.
“I know,” I said with a weary sigh. “I wish I could get him to leave, but…” I shrugged. “He refuses.”
The innkeeper’s eyes sharpened as he stared at me. “I thought you were with him.”
I made a face. “I despise him as much as you. If it were up to me, I’d have slit his throat by now. But I don’t want to bring the queen’s wrath here.”
The man’s gaze darkened, and he nodded solemnly.
“But,” I said slowly, drawing out the word, “I’ll bet come morning, he won’t be so quick on his feet.”
The innkeeper’s eyes narrowed. “What are you getting at, lass?”
“I can’t overpower him on my own. I can be quite persuasive,but if my charm fails me, do you think you can gather some men to haul his ass out of here?”
He snorted. “Aye. It won’t take much to convince my boys to give him a sound beating.”
I smiled widely. “Perfect.”
“Good morning, hunter!” I chirped, making my voice as shrill as possible. I shoved Theron hard in the shoulder.
He groaned, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he tried to roll over on his bed. I grabbed his arm and held it firmly in place. He stank of ale, and I was certain the drinks from the previous night were giving him a massive, throbbing headache right now.
That was my hope.
I leaned close to his face and shouted, “Are you awake yet?”
He swore, and his arm shot out—to strike me, no doubt. Before he could touch me, his body went rigid, the tendons on his neck going taut. His back arched. A grunt of agony escaped him, and his eyes flew open to glare at me.
I gave him my biggest smile. “That fae bargain is a bitch, isn’t it?”
Last night, Theron had nearly drunk himself unconscious. The innkeeper’s burly sons had hauled Theron rather ungracefully to his room. One of them had wanted to gut the hunter. Only after I’d paid him several gold coins had he agreed to leave Theron alive. I was fairly certain he had intentionally knocked the hunter’s head on every corner along the way, but I was perfectly fine with that.
I’d remained in Theron’s room for the night, sleeping on the floor with my head propped on the door. I trusted the alcohol to keep him asleep, but I didn’t trust the other patrons not to come into his room and slit his throat in the night. Hell, I didn’t even trust the innkeeper or his sons not to try anything.
As much as I despised the assassin, I still needed him to get me into the palace.
“I’ve taken the liberty of packing your things for you,” I said to him brightly, grinning as I hovered over his bed. “As soon as you drag your lazy ass out of bed, we can leave.”
Theron made a strangled sound, but I wasn’t sure if it was a cough or a hoarse laugh. “I’m not going anywhere like this.” His voice was gravelly and husky from sleep. “You’ll have to?—”
“Drag you out of the village, I know,” I said in a bored voice. “The thing is… When the men downstairs had to haul your ass up the stairs and into your room, they seemed pretty incensed that you were still in Knockspur. In fact, I think I heard one of them say he would drag you out of town himself if you weren’t gone by breakfast.” My smile widened. “He was a huge fellow. Bigger than you, in fact. So I don’t think it would be any trouble to elicit his help.”
