Page 39 of Heartless Enemy
“Don’t worry.” She grinned against my mouth and then patted my cheek. “I’ll protect you.”
Chapter16
Sunset painted the grasslands red and purple by the time we walked into the inn that Levi had mentioned. It was a surprisingly large place. Three stories high, and half of the ground floor taken up by a tavern area packed with people eating and drinking. Though, if this was the only inn between Malgrave and Helmark, I supposed that it needed to be rather big in order to house all the travelers who no doubt came through here.
The scent of baking bread and spiced meat stew filled my lungs as I walked through the tavern and over to the table that Levi had been keeping for us while I got us a room and ordered some food. My stomach rumbled in response.
“Any problems?” Levi asked as I slid into the seat opposite his.
“No.” I showed him the key to our room before slipping it into my pocket. “And food is on the way.”
He nodded, and then his sharp gray eyes scanned the room again.
We weren’t exactly hiding, but we were trying to keep a low profile. The odds of someone out here recognizing Levi on sight were pretty low, but we had still decided that it was best if I did the talking. And besides, I was a much better liar than him.
“So we’re about a day’s ride from the city of Helmark?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Levi confirmed as he slid his gaze back to me.
“But the castle is notinHelmark. It’s somewhere in the wilderness around it.” I drummed my fingers against the scratched wooden tabletop. “Which means that first, we have to actually find it before we can figure out a plan for how to get inside.”
“I know where it is.”
I drew back slightly and blinked in surprise.
Levi cleared his throat. “It was unoccupied last time I was in these parts, so I don’t know what the security will be like, but yeah… I know where it is.”
Yet again, I knew that there was more to the story. That there were things that Levi wasn’t telling me. Things about his past. But I didn’t comment on it. If he wanted to tell me, he would. And if he didn’t, that was okay too. We were all allowed our secrets.
“Good,” I said instead. “That will save us a lot of time.”
Before Levi could reply, our food and drinks arrived. We ate in silence, enjoying the warm stew and fluffy bread while just listening to the soft murmur of voices around us. Light from the oil lamps above bathed the pale wooden room in a golden glow.
Once our plates were scraped clean, we left the cozy tavern area behind and headed upstairs towards our room. Only… when we reached the door with the number fourteen on it, it wouldn’t open.
Wiggling the key, I tried again to unlock the door.
The key barely moved.
I scowled down at the lock.
“Need help with that?” Levi asked with a smirk on his face.
Turning my head, I directed my scowl at him. “I am perfectly capable of opening a door on my own, thank you very much.”
His eyes danced with mirth as he replied, “Ah yes, I can see that.”
“Asshole,” I muttered and wiggled the key again. “It’s as if it doesn’t fit.”
“I could just…” He curled his fingers and then motioned at the door. “Unlock it anyway.”
“And if there’s actually something wrong with the key? How do we explain that we got inside anyway?”
He just shrugged nonchalantly. I heaved a sigh and shook my head before yanking out the key and then starting back towards the stairs.
“Wait here,” I said over my shoulder. “And don’t cause any trouble.”
His answering grin wasn’t exactly comforting.