Page 28 of Unbetrothed

“Whoa there! You could get yourself killed like that.” Zichri held my shoulders, examining my face.

My cheeks burned. Another blunder. This whole day, I had made a fool of myself. First colliding with him, overreacting to the spider, and then punctuated by my inability to keep up with the group. Laude and I needed help since we hadn’t a clue where we were going, no weapons, and hardly any supplies. My chin fell with my thoughts:You are useless and incapable of anything.

Zichri tipped my chin up. “Cypress, you needn’t be flustered. You remind me of my little sister when she thinks she made a mess of things.”

Splendid, I remind him of his sister.I smashed my lips together.

Zichri continued, “You don’t need to prove anything to me.”

“Why would I? I barely know you.”

His mouth cocked into a crooked smile. “We can change that.”

My heart flapped like a trapped bird caged within my chest. The combination of his large round eyes, the curve of his nose, and his full lips could unsettle even the most detailed woman on a hunt for faults. In that instance, my mind settled on allowing this merchant to assist Laude and me.

We looked both ways before crossing the road, and I followed him into an inn decorated with painted tiles depicting a valley with a river running through it. Laude and the others talked amongst themselves while waiting in the narrow entrance.

“Good fellow, do you have our rooms?” Zichri tapped the tall wooden counter at the end of the foyer.

A portly clerk wiped his brow with a handkerchief and paged through his check-in book. “We nearly gave them away.”

Zichri’s eyes flashed, and three long breaths passed before the muscle in his jaw relaxed. “We always pay our dues and then some. You wouldn’t want us to choose the inn across the way.”

The clerk stuffed his flower-embroidered handkerchief in the front pocket of his vest. A scowl crossed his plump face while he shook his head. “Here are the keys. You know the rooms.”

“An extra coin for your troubles.” Zichri slid the metal across the wooden top. “Oh, and please send a maid with hot water and extra lamps to both rooms.”

The clerk snatched his payment and rang a bell, a grimace deepening on his mouth lines.

I wiped my palms along my skirt. Laude gazed wide-eyed as she stepped from the foyer into the dining area, where dozens of other guests ate. I’d never seen an inn before, so I understood her curiosity. She skimmed a fingertip over a parlor table. The polished surface shined like all the others in the room.

Men and women dined near the tall windows, conversing in low tones over a single candle. The evening light painted the white walls with a bright orange glow. A maid dashed from a back door, carrying a tray laden with food, enveloping us with a meaty aroma. My stomach growled.

“Miss, that sure looks tasty. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was, but it sure makes sense since we only ate fruit and nuts all day. Well, besides the fish from breakfast. Do you think we could ask the Himz—the men if we’ll be dining?” Laude’s eager eyes became saucers when another platter of sizzling meat and fried plantain passed on a tray in front of us.

Looking over my shoulder, I strained to hear Zichri and the other merchants talking amongst themselves. Milo pinched the bridge of his nose. Blas tipped his head in our direction while Gonzalo pointed to the stairs and then toward us. Heat climbed the back of my neck. How dare they treat me like a child?

But before words flew out of my mouth, Blas and Gonzalo strode out the front door. Laude clasped her hands and beamed as Milo and Jaime walked past us. They continued up the stairs at the far end of the dining room. I nudged her side.

“I’m sorry, miss. They’re just so lovely.”

“Straighten up and have some decorum. We’re in public.”

Zichri appeared by my side, and I jumped. “Pardon me. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He extended Laude a piece of wood etched with the number thirteen. A key dangled from it by a leather cord. “This is where you’ll stay. Why don’t you wash up? Miss Cypress and I will dine in the meantime.”

Laude’s cheeks bubbled with a conspiratorial smile. I glared at her, but she giggled, unaffected by my scowl. She strolled up the stairs. Should I demand that she stay by my side? The opportunity fled when her boots disappeared up the steps.

“Shall we?” Zichri jutted out his elbow.

I nodded and wrapped my hand around his forearm. Warmth radiated from his body. We found a table in the back corner and ordered two house specials. I drummed my fingers on the tabletop, unsure of what to say, so I feigned interest in my nails. But I could still see him watching me as if he studied my reactions.

A thousand butterflies fluttered in my stomach. By the time the server arrived with our meals, I was ready to thank her for giving me something to do, other than sitting under Zichri’s keen perusal.

“What’s your favorite color?” Zichri scooped a mouth full of sautéed vegetables in his mouth.

I finished swallowing my first bite and dabbed my lips with my napkin. “Sea blue. The type that has a hint of green, just like the shallow waters near the Agata Sea.” I cut another morsel of meat and placed it in my mouth.

“That’s fitting.”

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