Page 44 of Her Ivory Flame

“You brought me to a brothel?” she said, her eyes noticing the many rooms along the far wall and witnessed a male exit with a prostitute hanging on his arm.

“It's a tavern with a side business,” he mumbled. “They have good food.”

She scoffed, thankful no one had looked in their direction yet to notice royalty sitting in such a place and she wished she had her cloak right about now.

“Kaden, how are you, love?” A busty waitress walked up to them, her red hair in a messy bun and her clothes on the revealing side.

“Fine, thanks Doras,” he replied plainly.

Doras’s gaze shifted to her and she saw her eyes widen in realization. So much for being unnoticed.

“My Queen!” she said, bowing slightly next to the table. “It’s an honor to have you in my tavern.”

She heard the crowd go silent and then all eyes were fixed on her. Kaden didn’t flinch at the change of tension in the room, but she could feel her heart start to beat faster. Some of the thugs gave her predatory looks, and the townsfolk just stared in awe.

“Please, no need for formality,” she pleaded.

“I’ll have my usual steak.” Kaden’s voice was casual and she just looked at him in disbelief.

“And you, my lady?” Doras asked quietly.

“Just the stew please,” she kept her voice at a low tone to lessen the attention she was getting.

Doras just nodded and hurried back to the main counter and spoke to the cook across the half wall behind it.

Kaden’s back was to most of the patrons but she knew he was keeping an eye on every one of them with all his other senses. Most had gone back to their previous conversations, only a few glancing their way periodically.

“Well, you must come here often?” she asked while placing one hand on her sword, the atmosphere in the room making her uneasy.

“When I can,” he replied and stared at her curiously. “You really think anyone would be stupid enough to attack you with me here?”

She shrugged at him and looked around the room again, one patron in particular staring at her from the far corner.

“Maybe you aren’t as scary as you think you are,” she mumbled.

He followed her stare and she watched the male look away instantly, his scared face turning the other direction. He looked to be burned, but from this distance she couldn’t examine him very well.

“You underestimate me princess.” he grumbled with his head turned away from her.

“Stop calling me that,” she barked back.

“It’s what you are.” He sighed and went back to staring at her, his eyes oddly fixated on her scar along the side of her face.

“Cursed dagger,” she said bluntly. “The only scar Silas or I couldn’t heal.”

He just gave her a curious look but didn’t say anything and looked around the room once more. She assumed it was to make sure no one else was staring or looking to start something they wouldn’t be able to finish.

Doras came by a few minutes later with the food, the hot bowl of potato and steak stew making her mouth water. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until the smell hit her senses and she heard her stomach growl.

Silently they started to eat, chatter still continuing around them and she could hear the young females being overly flirtatious with a few of the males. She knew that was how they made their money, but the thought of sleeping with random males all the time made her skin crawl.

She had only been with two males, and that was already enough drama to last her a lifetime.

The stew was one of the tastiest things she had eaten in a long time, to include the castle meals, and she understood now why Kaden would come here even when it was sketchy.

A door opened across the room and she heard some girls giggling through the crowd.

“Thank you ladies, always so wonderful.”