Page 35 of Kill the Queens

"Shelby," Ace purred, "If you want to see me dance all you have to do is ask. I'd give you your own private show."

Those big beautiful hazel eyes flared with warning. "Maybe some other time."

Well, that was an improvement. At least he wasn't telling her how crude she was. She gave a little smirk and gestured at the bag now sitting on the table. Shelby turned in his seat, giving his back to the room and angling himself toward the wall. He cupped the coins, his eyelashes brushing his cheekbones as he squeezed his eyes shut.

The waitress was across the room talking to a long table of men who laughed in unison. Ace lifted her chin just enough to look around the room. A flare of orange light came from Shelby's palm, igniting in her peripheral vision. She made a point to not look his way, even as she was able to envision the duplication of coins inside her own head. Every shared thought reminded her of the way the gods could talk to her. Shelby's magic, in some weird way, was a form of communication.

It wasn't until she caught the smell of something burning that she pulled her attention to the warlock.

The flames from his palms were licking up his arms again and had caught his sleeve on fire. I guess his magic didn't make his clothing fireproof. She sucked in a deep breath and she leaned across the table, knocking her glass of water over. The edge of his cream-colored sleeve was browning as the fire began to eat at it. Ace didn't hesitate, nor did she register pain, as sheswatted the flame, smacking his arm over and over until she was done.

Dark hazel eyes met hers as she looked up. She gave a nervous laugh and sat back in her seat. "Caught your sleeve a little bit this time. Did it, uh, work?"

That bitter scent of magic was mingling in the air along with the smoke from his sleeve. Cold soaked through the leg of Ace's pants. Water dripped off the edges of the table.

"Oh," she whispered as she looked down.

The waitress was well on her way now, scurrying over with a rag. She mopped up the water as Ace righted the glass. Curious eyes followed the waitress over, all of them somehow burning through Ace's cloak and against her skin.

"Accidents happen," the woman said, though her tone suggested that accidents might possibly be the most irritating thing to ever happen in this restaurant. "I'll take these plates and bring your bill."

"Thank you," Shelby answered, his hands tucked under the table.

Briefly, their knees brushed as Shelby straightened in his seat. The waitress was gone with the plates and Shelby was...grinning. A big stupid, not at all like anything she'd ever seen on his face before, smile.

"Why do you look like that?" she asked.

"Because it worked." He pulled his hands out from under the table, his palms still cupped—a couple of coins spilled over the top and rolled on the table till they came to a stop.

"Hot damn! We're rich!" Ace cheered, trying to keep her voice low. "We can buy five horses!"

"We're not buying five horses." He rolled his eyes. "Open that pouch back up so I can put them inside." Ace agreed and tugged it open; the tallens poured in until they were almost coming out the top of that too. By then the waitress was back,handing Shelby a slip of paper and eyeing the money with suspicion.

Ace and Shelby certainly didn't look like people who should be carrying around an entire bag of tallens, but she smiled plenty when Shelby handed her the slip back and placed four coins in her palm. That was more than the hotel! She whispered her thanks and scurried away staring at the golden coins.

"You stay here. I'll be right back." Then Shelby was walking away. He held the bag in his hand and straightened from his usual slouch as he approached the group of men.

Her clothes caught against a splinter in the wood as she scooted to the end of the bench and strained to listen. Laugher died down and a seriousness fell over their group as they talked with Shelby. Eventually, though, one man stood and shook Shelby's hand. They talked a moment longer—what else was there to talk about?—before he pointed at a horse outside the window and Shelby dumped a sizable number of coins into his hands.

When the conversation came to a thankful end, Shelby headed for the door and gave Ace a short wave. That was all she needed before she was moving so quickly her momentum nearly blew the hood from her face.

The warmth of the day was the first to greet them as they stepped out into the street. Ace shoved the door closed. "Do we have a horse?!"

"We have a horse." Shelby was already unwinding the lead from the poll. The horse grunted and he gave its nose a little pat. "I thought about asking for two but it sounds like it will be a bit of a hassle for him to even get one new horse. I paid him well."

Small clouds of dirt were kicked up as the horse followed Shelby into the road. It was already fitted with a saddle that shifted with the horse’s shifting muscles ever so slightly as itwalked.

She grinned at the horse and at Shelby, then turned to look back at the little diner, swearing that someone had to be watching them. The group of men had all turned back to their conversation, and even the waitress was back to being busy.

Slowly, she made her way over to the horse. Its brown mane looked neatly managed and its body nicely brushed. She stroked a hand over the bristly chestnut hair. Shelby's hands found her waist and she tried to hold in her shriek of surprise as he lifted her onto the horse.

Her skin prickled with the sensation of being watched even more now that she was so high up off the ground. She tried to push the feeling away; same old paranoia as earlier she figured.

The saddle rocked again, Shelby grabbing it by the horn and heaving himself up around Ace. She was cradled against his body, every bit of space squeezed out between them. She was torn between the excited tingle that ran over her skin as he wrapped his arms around her, holding onto the rein, and the weird shiver that went down her spine from the sensation of someone watching them.

"Ready?" he whispered against her ear.

The most she could manage was a nod and she swore she could feel Shelby smiling against her. He snapped the reins, nudging the horse with his feet and they began trotting down the street. All the way knowing there were eyes on them, they just couldn't find them.