Page 40 of Heartless Enemy

I let out a huff that was something between exasperation and amusement as I walked back down to the counter at the back of the tavern.

A short conversation later, and it became apparent that the innkeeper had told me the wrong room number. He apologized profusely and ensured me that the room next to it, room number fifteen, was in fact ours. I thanked him and started back up the steps again.

Angry voices drifted down to me when I was halfway up. Angrymen’svoices. Drawing my eyebrows down, I focused on their words while I continued upwards.

“Well, guess what?” a blustering voice said. “We don’t take kindly to people trying to break into our room.”

“I wasn’t breaking in.” This voice belonged to Levi.

To anyone else, he would probably have sounded casual. But I could hear the threat of violence pulsing between the words. I quickened my pace, practically leaping up the final steps.

“I told you, we must have been given the wrong room number,” Levi continued. “Now, go back inside before things escalate.”

A thud sounded right as I cleared the last step, and I just managed to see Levi’s back hitting the pale wooden wall as a tall and muscular man shoved him into it. There was another man with similarly impressive build next to him. Levi clenched his hand down by his side as he stared back at them. It looked like it took every ounce of his self-control to stop himself from summoning his magic and decapitating the two of them.

“You don’t give us orders,” the first man growled.

Neither of them had summon magic, so I assumed that they were ordinary people who had simply gotten angry when they had heard someone trying to get through their door and then opened it to no doubt find a completely unapologetic Levi on the other side.

Drawing my sword, I snuck up to the three of them.

Levi’s eyes found mine the moment I stepped into the corridor, but he quickly returned his gaze to the two men as if he didn’t want to give away my location.

“And I’ll show you exactly what it means when thingsescalate,” the angry man finished as he grabbed Levi by the collar and raised his fist.

Stopping behind them, I brushed my palms together while lifting my sword. The sound of crackling lightning filled the corridor right as I placed the edge of my sword against the side of Thug One’s neck.

He stiffened, his fist hovering a short distance from Levi’s face.

“Touch him, and you’ll be bleeding out on the floor,” I warned, my voice coming out low and vicious.

Thug Two cast a glance over his shoulder and found me aiming a lightning bolt at his back. Stunned surprise blew across his features, and his mouth dropped open slightly. But he said nothing. His gaze only darted to the sword I was holding to his companion’s neck before he turned his shocked eyes back to Levi, who was now smirking widely.

“Like he said, we were just given the wrong room number.” I deliberately pressed the sword harder against the guy’s skin while increasing the size of the lightning bolt. “Now, can I suggest fucking off quickly and quietly before I lose all sense of patience?”

The two stunned men exchanged a glance.

“Yes,” Thug One said eventually.

“Yes, what?” I demanded.

“Yes… ma’am?”

“Yes, ma’am, indeed.”

Using the sword, I steered the two of them around so that they were facing the open door to their room. Then I released the grip on the lightning bolt, twisted the sword in my hand, and brushed my palms together.

Water sloshed through the corridor as I shot a blast at them, making them stumble into their room. While they were busy staggering upright and turning around to gape at me, I summoned wind magic and used it to throw the door shut in their faces.

Then I slid my sword back into the scabbard and dusted off my hands before turning to Levi.

I started at the look on his face.

Desire burned like dark flames in his eyes as he drank me in.

“Which room is ours?” he asked, his voice rough.

“Fifteen.”

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