Page 71 of Tusks, Tails & Teacakes
She thought of how she and the dwarf had met. She couldn’t tell him that. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Vaskel, but the fewer people who knew her secret, the better. Especially since her secret was even more important than she’d known.
Instead, she gestured toward the dwarf who was bustling around the tables refilling mugs of chai. Her braid was frayed with wispy curls sprouting from her hairline, and her apron had seen better days. “She’s better at sprucing things up than you’d guess by looking at her.”
“You know I hesitate to judge others by their appearance,” he said with a silky smile.
“Too true. You would never have been a part of our motley crew if you only kept to your kind.”
Vaskel waved a hand and leaned back in his chair. “Too boring.” Then he winked at her so quickly she almost missed it. “Besides, too many Tieflings means too much competition.”
Lira grinned at this, but the grin slipped from her face when she thought of Pirrin and how the two had always served as wingmen for each other. “You haven’t heard then?”
He bristled, the blue in his eyes flashing heat. “So many questions you seem to know the answer for already. Why do I get the feeling I’m late to the proverbial party?”
She put a hand on his arm, the warmth from his skin pulsing through the cloak. “I thought maybe you’d been with him—"
“You going to introduce me to your friend?”
Sass’s appearance made Lira drop her hand, and Vaskel swung to face the dwarf with a fierce expression. To Sass’s credit, she didn’t so much as flinch as she leaned a hand on the table. “You another one of Lira’s old crew?”
“This is Vaskel,” Lira said before he could speak.
“Pleased to meet you.” Sass flipped her braid behind her, but her grin wasn’t a simpering one. “You thirsty?”
The Tiefling blinked at her, the fire in his gaze dimming. “I am.”
“You look like you could do with a cold ale.” Sass nodded decisively. “I’ll bring one right over.”
As she left, he studied her retreating back as if attempting to puzzle out why she hadn’t been charmed by him.
“She’s as immune to your seductive powers as I am,” Lira whispered.
Vaskel hummed at this, the sound rough and gravelly. “You’re half elf, and you aren’t fully immune.”
Lira laughed as the Tiefling squared his shoulders. “Believe what you wish.”
He cut her a look, his lips twitching. “I will admit that you always made a valiant effort to resist me.”
Lira sat back and folded her arms over her chest. “It wasn’t the effort you thought it was.”
His laugh was full-throated and drew some stares. “Ihavemissed you, Lira.” He allowed his eyes to move across her face and down to her waist, but it wasn’t remotely predatory. “I’ll be the first to admit that it’s unsettling to see you in an apron and not your rogue’s attire. You’re not the Lira I remember.”
“I’m the same Lira I always was, but you never got to see this side of me.”
He leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “You don’t miss it?”
“What? The danger, sleeping rough, being chased?”
“The excitement, nights under the stars, the treasure.”
Fond memories tugged at her, as if they could pull her back if they cast themselves in a flattering light. “I won’t lie. There are things I miss about that life, but one of them is sitting across the table from me. Another is already in this village. I hope the other is tucked away safe and sound in the gnome enclave with his wife.”
Vaskel’s brow creased as he stroked one hand down the point of his short beard. “And Pirrin?”
“I wish it was not me telling you.” Lira swallowed the lump thatlodged in her throat every time she thought of the Ranger who was such a dab hand with a sword.
Vaskel’s tail went rigid. “How?”
“I don’t know,” Lira admitted. “Cali told me, but she said she didn’t know how he died either. She said there were no marks on his body.”
