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“Are you scared of taverns?” I asked, catching up to her. She nearly jumped at my question.
“No, I am not scared of taverns.” She was firm. She was also a terrible liar. For all her stubborn sass, it wasn’t doing her any favors.
“Well, then what are you scared of? Because you seem near ready to piss yourself.” I tried to dart in front of her, to slow her down before she barged in there and did exactly that. Not that anyone would notice with the smell that was already drifting our way.
“People do not like us, Caspyn. You know this.” She continued forward, although her pace had slowed slightly.
I slowed my gait, magic rustling over my skin as something deep inside of me went on high alert. Instinctively, I searched for that tingle of warning I usually felt before an attack, feeling nothing but the warmth that I usually felt radiating from Lyani. A warmth that I was suddenly desperate to protect.
That feeling wasn’t normal, and I was sure it should have pissed me off more than it did.
“Will they do something?” I hissed, feeling my magic flare angrily at the thought.
“No.” She shook her head, as though that would make her more convincing. It did not. “They have before.”
“Well, you did say you wanted me to come for protection.” Goddess, what I wouldn’t give for my blades right about now. Thankfully, my magic was already rumbling beneath my skin. The rolling rage of it screaming for release.
I hadn’t used it since my injury, it hadn’t felt strong enough yet. Now, it did.
“Don’t tear something,” she hissed, all of that sass coming back full force as she stepped into the tavern, her head held high.
Every head turned as we entered, eyes dropping to our arms and our necks as though they already knew what we were. No. What she was. Thankfully, there was nothing there, although that didn’t stop the scowls and glares that followed us as she made her way right to the bar, me close on her heels.
I snarled and scowled at each and every one of them, the warning dripping from me. A few steps in, however, and I realized that while the darkness of my scowl was effective, without the inky shadows of my clothes and lethal weapons I was little more than a dirt covered Lighten with black curls and haunting eyes.
There was nothing deadly about me right then.
“I need two bottles of Tak, please,” Lyani’s strong voice echoed through the suddenly silent tavern as she reached the bar and ordered the drink strong enough to knock a man out, or clean wounds, which I was sure was exactly what she was going to use it for. The bar keeps’ lip curled in clear disgust as he looked her up and down.
His eyes lingered in all the places they shouldn’t before he turned his head, spitting into the filthy jug there with a sound like a rock against mud. He turned back, his eyes drifting right to her breasts as it took every ounce of my control to keep the fire that was now trying to melt its way through my flimsy cotton clothing from ripping through him.
“We don’t serve your kind here,” he drawled before spitting again.
“I would like–”
“What kind would that be?” I interrupted them both, the warning in my voice rippling through the air as I leaned over the bar, pulling the bar keeps’ attention for the first time. “Women?”
For a breath, something like fear crossed his eyes, and then he looked away from the glare I was fixing him with to the soiled shirt and the smudges of dirt on my jaw.
“Women we serve. Lightens we don’t. You better get on outta here before you regret stepping one vile foot in our town.” He spat again before leaning back over the bar, breathing his threat in my face with a voice that smelled worse than the piss and shit smell that made up his tavern.
Goddess, how I wanted to make him regret his words right then.
“We’d be happy to be on our way,” I didn’t lower my voice as I leaned in to him as he did to me, wrinkling my nose at the vile aroma that was emanating from him. “But first we will take two bottles of Tak.”
“We don’t serve your kind–”
“Oh, I’m not asking. We will take those, and we will be on our way. If you would like us to pay you for them then it would make things a whole lot easier.” I ran my finger over the filthy bar, only looking away from the barkeep long enough to wrinkle my nose in further disgust. “If I owned a shit hole like this I wouldn't say no to the money.”
I curled my lips, settling back into the game I had played so many times before. My soul prickled with excitement at the danger of it. I had missed this.
“Cas–” Lyani started, but I held up my hand, cutting her off before she said my name. I didn’t need this lot knowing my real name; and I really didn’t want her stopping this.
“What are you gonna do if I say no?” he snarled, his hand slipping beneath the bar to some weapon.
“Do you really want to find out?” I gave him a wicked grin and he flinched, hesitating before he shifted, bringing out whatever weapon he had stored beneath the bar.
“I’ll take my chances rather than sell to a vile Lighten,” he snarled, pulling his arm back to reveal a long rusted knife.
