Randy was noticeably taller than Julian and appeared to have finally shaved. His black beard was once again trimmed close to his jawline, and I watched as he scanned the room, his metallic eyes landing on Aria. I let out a sigh, my gaze jumping back to Julian, who I noticed was finally clothed. He was wearing a long, cherry-colored robe fastened tightly across his waist, though I could still see glimpses of his bandages beneath his sleeve.
“Oh nothing. I was just teaching Jaxon that it wasn’t polite to stare.” Aria’s voice had me turning sharply in her direction, a smirking face still buried in her book.
“I wasn't staring,” I lied, grumbling as I walked back behind the desk and slumped into the chair.
“He was,” Theo confirmed loudly, grinning ear to ear as he rushed toward Julian, slinging an arm around his shoulder. Julian winced but grinned back at Theo as he let him pull him further into the room. Randy glared at the back of Theo’s head, and it looked like he was resisting charging after him.
“He is still injured,” Randy growled, but Theo ignored him, pushing Julian roughly into the chair across the desk, not bothering to be gentle.
“Looks like you've got your own personal bodyguard now, Julian,” Theo chuckled, plopping down in the chair next to him. “Seems a bit much, but I hope the perks are good.” Theo winked, and Randy made a strange grumbling noise but didn't budge from his spot by the door. Julian laughed and narrowed his gaze at Theo, pushing his square glasses further up his nose.
“And how are the perks going for you?” Julian drawled.
Theo scrunched his nose in confusion, and I laughed, leaning back in my chair, watching as they bickered. It felt almostnormal, like before. Before this war… before I opened that damn portal.
“I heard you have become a bodyguard of sorts yourself,” Julian resumed pestering, and Theo’s cheeks were now the ones turning pink.
Theo rolled his shoulders, slumping back against the chair and grumbled. “She is a nuisance.”
“Heard she is mouthy,” Julian chuckled. “I bet you’re enjoying that.”
Dedra’s brows were drawn inward, and I didn’t know if she knew about Cynthia. She must have seen her, Aria must have told her about her… right?
Theo folded his arms across his chest, and Julian pushed him in the arm, playfully. Theo threw him half a smile, but I saw the confusion in his eyes. Like he was questioning how he felt about the girl himself. I saw the way he looked at her, watched her.
Clearing my throat, I asked, “And where is the girl? Didn’t leave her alone at the tavern, did you?” I leaned onto the desk, my hands folding in front of me as I rose a brow in his direction. “Heard she drank most everyone under the table last night.”
Theo looked amused at that, his smile growing. “Yeah, that was something,” he muttered, his eyes glazing as if drifting to a memory, and then he cleared his throat, straightening in the chair. “I put her in the dungeon.”
My eyes widened, and everyone turned to look at him in surprise. Theo looked around at our shocked faces and put his palms up. “What?!”
“And why would you do that?”
Theo shrugged. “She wanted to see Zara, and I didn’t want to leave her alone at the inn. We were all coming here, so I thought I would kill two birds.” He shrugged, and I blinked at him in surprise.
“So, you locked her in a cell in the dungeons?” I asked slowly, suppressing a laugh.
“Well, yeah of course.”
“I bet she loved that,” Aria chuckled, flipping another page of her book while everyone else held in their amusement.
“Not really,” Theo muttered, shifting uncomfortably again in the chair and Julian let out a loud laugh, shaking his head.
Dark mist appeared next to me, and Xavier’s body crashed into existence, along with Gunnar and Soren. I leapt back in my seat, cursing as Xavier smirked in my direction.
My gaze met Soren’s, and I searched for that blue glow but found nothing but beady black eyes and a scowl. The tension loosened in my shoulders as I scowled back.
“Good, you are all here,” my brother said, giving me a commanding look to get out of his chair. I smirked and sank further into it, making him narrow his eyes on me in disapproval.
“Of course, just as requested,” Julian said, eyeing Soren curiously. I’m assuming he didn’t know he was joining.
“Pulp wine, anyone?” Gunnar boomed, a wide grin spreading across his face. Aside from his noticeable weight loss, Gunnar seemed like his normal self, and a knot in my chest loosened at the sight. I’d been worried about him, and it brought me joy to see him smiling as he made his way to the bar cart by the door. He began pouring glasses and started circulating them around the room.
He was dressed in his typical Niverrian fashion today, a cerulean blue tunic and pants. The yellow embroidery adorningthe outfit perfectly complemented the golden jewelry woven into his long beard. When he handed me my glass, he winked, a small smile on his lips as he took a sip of his wine and turned, taking the seat Theo was now offering him.
Theo was now standing mere inches from Dedra, and I could see the tension in both their shoulders as they tried to pretend that we didn’t notice their obvious discomfort.
My eyes drifted to Aria again, and instead of finding her nose in the book she had been reading, her fiery gaze locked with mine, a small smile spreading across her face. My heart thrummed in my chest, and a warmth spread through me. Her gaze slipped past me, and I cursed as something lifted me into the air. I was tossed out of the chair and thrown unceremoniously onto the floor beside the desk.
