Page 100 of A Storm in Every Heart
Like, that key isn’t a promise; it’s the anchor of some invisible string, drawing us back together.
I extend my hand, fingertips grazing the side of her face. Her soft gasp is carried away by the ocean breeze, and for the briefest second, the air between us crackles with a raw intensity.
Then, I grip her chin and bring her mouth to mine.
And in that moment, everything changes.
ODESSA, PRESENT
The first town we come across is barely more than a few ramshackle huts along the side of the road, but compared with the bank of the swampy river, it might as well be paradise.
“Eat first or sleep first?” Jett mumbles to himself, a smile spreading across his face as we land in front of the largest shack. “I can’t decide. Do you think somehow I could do both at once?”
“I think if anyone could, it would be you,” I reply.
He grins. “Stop, you’re making me blush.”
I smile back at him, glad to see that his mood has improved since leaving the swamp. Seeing a serious look on Jett’s face kind of creeps me out.
We find the tiniest, most dilapidated inn I’ve ever seen and traipse inside.
It’s a small, square room, with a few small tables on one side and a short bar on the other. There’s a door at the far end that looks like it leads upstairs. The room is empty except for aweathered-looking bartender, who startles as we walk in as if he was about to fall asleep on the bar.
I make a beeline for the bar and slump against it, exhausted. “Four rooms, please. Oh, and something to eat…and if you could have bathtubs brought up to the room, that would be excellent.” I suck in a breath. “Please.Sorry, did I say that already? Thank you so much.”
The man looks a bit dazed by my rapid questions, and doesn’t have time to answer before Jett comes up behind me and leans on the bar to my left. “Actually, make it three rooms. I don’t think we should let Connell out of our sight for too long. I’ll tie him to the end of my bed or something.”
Captain Connell shuffles up behind Jett, his wrists still bound. “Would you compromise my virtue like that?” he asks sarcastically. “Scandalous.”
Kastian elbows Connell out of the way and stands on my other side. He puts a hand on my lower back. “Two rooms. I’m not letting you out of my sight either.”
“Are you going to tie me to the bed too?” I ask acidly, not really thinking about what I’m saying.
His eyes flash. “I think we can work something out.”
I choke, and Jett thumps me on the back, all the while holding back laughter.
“We’ve only got one room,” the innkeeper says, interjecting for the first time. “And I can make you something to eat, but you won’t find an inn for miles that will offer bathtubs.”
My face falls. “One room? But there’s no one else here.”
The innkeeper squints at me. “It’s the middle of the night, girl. All the rooms are taken. You can have the one or go somewhere else, but I’ll warn you, it’s a long trek to the next town, and no one is going to lend you a wagon at this hour.”
My heart sinks. “Is there at least more than one bed?”
The innkeeper doesn’t answer, just bends to pull an old-fashioned key out from under the bar. “That will be thirty gold.”
I cough. “You’re not serious. That’s outrageous, I?—”
“Take fifty,” Kastian says, reaching over my shoulder and passing a handful of coins to the innkeeper. “And bring the food up to the room as soon as it’s ready. Thank you.”
Kastian takes the key and ushers me toward the stairs, Jett and the pirate following behind us.
“You didn’t have to overpay him,” I grumble.
“I did. We’re traveling without any luggage, the pirate is bound with a belt, and all of us look like we’ve been in a fight. I doubt we’ll run into any of Magnus’s guards, but the last thing we need is for that innkeeper to get suspicious and send a message to the nearest outpost.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “Fine, you’re right. One room though…”
