A Soul For Trouble

Chapter 4

Dev chuckled. He could only imagine what Loku said. "For a barmaid, you seem unusually prudish."

His comment earned him a smack on the back of his head. "Just because I worked in an inn doesn't mean I saw to my customer's every comfort. And if you think you're going to get under my skirt, think again."

His cheeks burned for a second. It had been so long since he'd been with a woman, he'd almost forgotten what it felt like. She didn't need to remind him. His throat tightened, and he cleared it before replying, "You don't have to worry about that. As your protector, I'm never allowed to let my guard down. What I meant to say is that you should be used to such language from your customers."

"Most of them preferred not to speak to me. I think they feared I would set them on fire or something."

The loneliness in her voice almost made him glad he was taking her away from this backwards kingdom. He just wished it wasn't under these circumstances. "So you are a witch."

Her arm tightened around his waist, forcing the air from his lungs. "I never said that."

"There's no reason to hide it from me. I'm a mage, too."

"Then we'll burn together if we're caught."

"The key word there is 'if.' I plan on getting you out of Ranello as quickly as possible."

They emerged from the forest with the sun setting on their backs. An arid plain stretched out in front of them, baked golden in the early autumn sun. Farther up the road, smoke curled from the chimneys of a small settlement. Dev pulled the hood of his cloak lower to conceal his face and ears. The fewer questions asked about him, the better. "When we come to the inn, we're getting one room."

"I want my own room."

He clenched his jaw and counted to five. "No, we're going to share one room. I'm not letting you out of my sight after sunset."

"So much for your gallant promises to leave my virtue intact."

The leather reins nearly cut into his palms from squeezing them so tight. Trouble had a bit more of a sassy tongue than he'd expected. "I'll sleep on the floor in front of the door. Now, stop arguing with me before we draw too much attention to ourselves."

***

One room? What the hell was he thinking? That she would be so grateful to him for kidnapping her—sorry, saving her life—she would willingly throw herself at him? It didn't matter that he was probably the best-looking member of the male gender she'd ever seen. She still wasn't a two-lora whore.

"I bet you'd warm his bed for less than two loras."

Her cheeks burned. "Loku, will you please get your mind out of the gutter?"

"I wouldn't have said it if you hadn't been thinking it."

Arden buried her face in Dev's cloak and prayed to the Lady Moon no one would see her embarrassment as they rode into the town.

They stopped in front of a mud-brick building with a thatched roof that towered over its neighbors. The carved wooden sign above the door proclaimed it to be the Happy Hog Inn.

She slid off the horse, wincing. Her muscles ached from the long ride, and the skin between her thighs felt like it had been rubbed raw by pumice stones. Her skirt wasn't designed for riding.

The cool breeze penetrated her weary bones. She welcomed the blast of warmth flowing from the cheery interior. Various travelers crowded around the tables in the main room. A wisp of silence hung in the air as they entered.