Page 89 of Twisted Bonds

The innkeeper’s eyes slide to me, her smile never wavering. She strokes her chin thoughtfully. “I heard of her,” she says after a moment. “But no, never seen her. You two coming in to eat supper, then?”

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that is smells amazing in here. Despite that, there’s only one other person in the common area enjoying what looks like a half roasted chicken. My mouth begins to water at the sight of the crispy skin. I shrug at Bobble, and he smiles encouragingly at me. “I suppose we are,” I tell her cheerfully.

She nods to a table and promptly brings over two large pints of mead. “Name’s Helena.”

“Mira. And this handsome brut is Bobble.”

“Bobble, huh?” She eyes him up and down. “Silly name for such a beast of a man.”

Her waggling eyebrows send us both in a roaring laughter of agreement. God, it feels good to laugh. She leaves with a flirtatious wink, and Bobble shakes his head, looking at me with an amused smile.

“Never thought I’d become a plaything for the elderly.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “And yet, you loved every second of it.”

“Who wouldn’t revel in a little attention?” His amber eyes sparkle with amusement. “Especially from someone who clearly appreciates refined masculinity.”

“I’m curious to find this woman,” I murmur once my laughter subsides. I take a sip of the mead, the sweetness of honey cutting through the sharp alcoholic taste.

“Me too, but we can’t let it distract us too much.”

I raise my glass to clink against his. “To the side quest!”

“The side quest!” he cheers with a laugh.

After a moment, my thoughts turn to more serious matters. “What do you think Sunder’s going to say when we tell him about the parliament and the people here?”

Bobble takes a deep sigh, leaning back in his chair and staring up at the ceiling. “I can’t say for certain, Mira. But knowing Sunder… he’s going to be tough to convince they aren’t secretly suffering.”

I nod, chewing on a piece of bread that Helena brings to our table. With a sigh, I start to consider the different ways to delicately approach the information. We have to be sure before we talk to him, though. We need to investigate more. More evidence that Cor’than is a good king, even if he is a shit brother. Ultimately, I think that’s what Sunder cares about most.

At least I think it is.

This isn’t going to be easy.

forty-two

Callum

After dinner, we’re summoned to a small council room to wait for King Cor’than to join us. Our guards thankfully stay in the corridor because the room is small, much more intimate than the Great Hall where we last conversed with him. Every moment in this place is like experiencing Déjà vu, as if I’ve been here before in a dream half remembered.

Bobble and Mira half stumble into the room, the scent of alcohol wafting from their skin. My jaw tightens at the sight of her arm slung around his neck, his around her waist.

“Fun night?” Sunder grunts out, but I can’t tell if he’s angry or not.

“Most fun I’ve had in a long time.” Mira gives him a wink, but not the sly, sexy kind. It’s the wide open mouth and slow, awkward half-her-face-is-scrunched-up kind, and it pulls a small chuckle from my chest despite myself.

A fire brings warmth to the room, the flickering light casting dancing shadows along a wall of portraits. Sunder pauses in front of one, his shoulder immediately slumping as he peers into a somber portrait of a girl with sad eyes.

At the center of the room is a large round table. The wood grain is polished to shine even in the dim light. Lush red rugs coat the floor and dampen all footfalls.

“It’s so cozy in here,” Mira says taking in the stonework around the window. My thoughts exactly, I want to say. But I don’t. Not here. Not in front of the others. Exposing myself, my thoughts, in front of them feels wrong. I can’t take my eyes off the way Bobble runs a hand up her back in such a casual gesture.

I doubt I’ll ever get used to this.

I plop down into one of the chairs at the table, making an effort to uncross my arms. Mira and Bobble exchange a glance. Something unreadable passes between them.

“We walked through the city today,” Mira hedges, eyes darting to Sunder’s back, where he finally turns from the portrait to take a seat.