One by one, they shook their heads.
Rob smiled. “You know trolls. Hand us some ale and mead, and we’re all good.”
Xaydin wasn’t sure if he should trust that or not, but normally they would follow Rob’s lead. The question was if this was a trap. Was his cousin trying to lull him into thinking he was safe?
Rob’s brothers wouldn’t hesitate to trick him. They were all sneaky bastards, but Rob could go either way. Sometimes he was decent.
Others…
Knife in the spine.
Problem was that you never knew which way he’d turn until it was too late.
Do you need help with that group?
He glanced toward Ronan and gave him a subtle shake of his head to let him know that he could handle this.
Taking the tankard, he drained it in one gulp.
Rob laughed. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Why would I?” He slammed the tankard on the table and clapped his cousin on the back. “Good seeing you.”
Xaydin rose slowly, waiting for betrayal. Rob and his soldiers stayed put. Even so, he didn’t take an easy breath until he was outside the inn, in the alley where he assumed the imposter had spent the night.
Ronan followed him out, then shifted into his normal appearance of a muscular man who stood head and shoulders over almost all human males. With long, dark brown hair and stormy gray eyes, he could easily intimidate most…but Xaydin wasn’t most. “Well, that in there made me shit my pants. How ’bout you?”
Xaydin laughed. “Not even close. My cousin knows better than to start shit with me with that few a number of men to protect him.” At least outright.
Behind his back…
That was when Rob was most lethal.
“Glad you think that, X. I hope and pray that you’re always right.” Ronan grinned so sarcastically that he wanted to punch him. “Well, you’re not in jail or near death. Should I be scared or honored that you rang my bell?”
“Probably both, but it’s not as bad as you think.”
Ronan glanced about. “Oh, I don’t know about that. You know my mind runs on inappropriate thoughts of all kinds. Bad to worse is what I excel at.”
That was very true. No one wanted to give Ronan too much time to think. It never boded well, as his thoughts went to interesting and always wrong places. “Fine. I have a new traveling companion.”
“Imaginary friends, huh? Love it. I always thought you’d be the first of us to lose his mind. I should have made a bet for it.”
He rolled his eyes. “Tolerating the lot of you, it’s a wonder I have any sanity left.”
“I would be offended by that if it wasn’t true…so it’s an actual travel companion and not a figment?”
“Scary, right?”
“More than you know. I thought you hated people.”
Ronan had no idea.
Xaydin smirked. “Gets better.”
That caused one brow to shoot north. “How so?”
“She’s a shifter.”
