“There’s only one bed.”
“It’s a big bed,” Lochlan said, a hint of amusement in his voice. I shot him a look through slitted eyes and he held up his hands. “I’m not suggesting anything other than that we’re both very tired and we won’t be able to do much searching until we have some daylight.”
I heaved a sigh. Lochlan was right. The lantern had been extinguished, so our only light was from the fire and the occasional flash of lightning.
“I can sleep on the floor,” I suggested. “I did before.”
Lochlan shook his head. “If anyone is sleeping on the floor, it’ll be me. I’d never make you sleep on the ground.”
I grinned. “You did when I first arrived. I remember several nights on the floorboards without so much as a pillow.”
Lochlan screwed up his face. “That’s different. I have no problem with a young boy taking the floor to build character, but forcing a woman to sleep in those same circumstances would be inconceivable. You remember that once I found out, I always gave you my bed.”
“That’s true, you did,” I conceded. “You’ve been very chivalrous.” I threw a longing look at the bed. “Fine. We can share. I won’t make you sleep on the floor either.” I stood, and Lochlan scrambled to his feet as well and drew a deep breath. “Before we go to sleep, may I kiss you goodnight? Then I won’t touch you for the rest of the night.”
A wave of giddiness swept through me and I nodded, slightly shy again. This time, I felt more prepared as Lochlan leaned down, and I managed to coax my hands up to run my fingers through his hair as he kissed me.
The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Lochlan pulled away. “See, I’m keeping my promise,” he said, then went overto the bed. He swatted the mattress, and so many puffs of dust billowed off of it that we both began sneezing.
“I think we should flip it,” I suggested between sneezes. “Are there any blankets?”
There weren’t, nor were there any pillows, but the lumpy mattress would still be better than the floor. The ropes holding up the mattress creaked in protest as Lochlan and I lay down on the bed, and true to his word, Lochlan didn’t touch me.
I stared at the cozy fire still burning away in the hearth and let the sound of the rolling thunder lull me into a half-sleep.
“Jillian?” Lochlan asked through the darkness.
“Hmm?” I murmured sleepily.
“Would you ever leave the Syndicate?”
“Once I find my family, I plan to,” I began, but then paused. Since the Syndicate had been raided and they had logs of all my account’s earnings, would those be seized by the Nightsworn as well? Or would I be able to recover it? “What about you? Will you leave Roderick?”
There was a pause. “Yes, I’m planning on it. I just haven’t told him yet.”
This side of the mattress wasn’t nearly so dusty, and I adjusted my position. “You could come with me,” I suggested. “If you need a place to stay.”
“Do you have one?”
I let out a breath of laughter. “No, but we could find a place. I like having you around.”
“Same,” Lochlan said. “I could even take you to meet my mother. She isn’t always friendly at first, but once you get to know her, she’s very loyal.”
“I won’t stay anywhere that Elvin is. I know Elvin stays at the Serenade Inn most of the time; do your mother and her husband stay with him?”
Lochlan turned over and stared up at the cobwebbed ceiling. “No. They work at the castle.”
I peered at him through the darkness, only about a foot away, and shivered slightly.
Even with the dry clothes, the air still felt cool, and the feeble fire was already dying. I could almost feel the waves of body heat coming from Lochlan. If we closed the space between us, we’d both be warmer, but I didn’t think I’d be able to ask for such a thing. For all my normal boldness, Lochlan made me shy.
“Are you cold?” I asked him.
“A little, but not too bad,” he replied. “You?”
“No.”
He studied my face. “That one was a lie.”
