Great. There he was, slicing her throat and grazing his nose along the column of her neck, and she was smelling him back like a lunatic.
He raised his head and sheathed his dagger with such swiftness, it startled her. She finally released the nervous breath she’d been holding, only to practically choke on it as he gripped the front of her tunic and yanked.
She would have stumbled face first onto the ground, but he steadied her with one hand fisting her tunic and the other on her waist. The hand gripping her body was like a searing brand straight through her clothes and into her skin as he held her almost flush against him.
Just as quickly, he released her clothing and whipped his hand up to snatch her hood and fling it back. She could only stand there, limbs locked, blood pounding in her ears as he shoved her makeshift mask down, causing it to pool around her collar.
Rogue curls fell forward, having been loosened from her plait during their skirmish. Her heart beat a little faster when his vibrant green eyes widened, and he drew in a sharp breath.
“Zhu.”
It felt like another lifetime since she’d heard her native tongue, and it stunned her, sounding more foreign now than natural. Vera couldn’t move, his penetrating stare making her feel bared and naked down to her soul. His eyes were like chips of emerald, hard and unforgiving, yet somehow still intimate.
She suddenly felt too hot in her own skin as a sense of familiarity overcame her, and she began to raise her hand with an acute urge to touch him. She came within a hairsbreadth of his jaw before the erratic impulse shot a spike of panic through her. Dropping her arm like it was on fire, she whipped her head to the side to break the strange connection.
Vera had no idea what to do. She knew without the element of surprise; she had no chance of overpowering him. She’d tried her best, and her best hadn’t been good enough. The man’s skill had no equal.
No, not man. Male.
She couldn’t keep herself from wondering and fearing what he could be doing here. In her entire life in Matherin, she’d never even heard a whisper of a Magyki being on Aleron. Though, in truth, she rarely heard whispers of anything, so she wasn’t exactly the most knowledgeable.
Wrapped up in her thoughts, she belatedly realized he hadn’t moved so much as a single muscle. He stood with an eerie, preternatural stillness as he stared at the side of her head. Vera scowled, beginning to turn her face back to demand what he was staring at, when she felt the feather-light caress of fingers against the top of her ear.
Finally coming to her senses, she knocked his hand away and twisted her neck to glare at him with every ounce of anger she had. She was about to unleash the most vulgar curse she could think of, but it died before it could ever leave her throat when she saw the look of absolute horror on his face.
It was like being plunged into cold water, and she flinched. The heat that had been building between them evaporated as fear took its place instead, and she struggled to control her breathing.
Shit.
The hand on her waist contracted before vanishing abruptly as he pulled away. For the first time since Vera had seen him, his fury had all but disappeared, and he honestly looked lost. It was now or never.
Taking full advantage of his shock, she swallowed the battling emotions she felt from his gentle touch and piercing stare and rammed her skull straight up into his face. His head snapped back, and he roared as he gripped his gushing nose.
She didn’t hesitate. Darting forward she snatched his dagger from his hip and slammed the pommel up, straight into his temple with as much strength as she could muster. He dropped like a sack of potatoes. A gorgeous sack of gloriously toned potatoes.
Dear gods, it was official. She’d completely lost her mind. Shaking her head to clear her ridiculous, unhelpful thoughts, Vera secured his blade at her waist. She’d bested him, so she felt no guilt at claiming his weapon.
If she were a guard, she’d be expected to alert their party to his presence, which had been her original plan anyway. Now that she knew he was Magyki, it only further supported that plan. And if she were smart and considered the ramifications for herself, she’d kill him. She knew Elric wouldn’t hesitate to end his life in order to protect hers.
But the look of anguish the male had worn as he gazed at her kept replaying in her mind. So, against her better judgment, she threw one last glance down at him and limped away.
With the way her muscles were protesting, she’d be lucky if she made it up the stairs.
Chapter 8
VERA
Not wanting to risk waking anyone, she removed her boots as soon as she entered the inn. Walking on her tiptoes, she ascended the stairs and passed the other rooms, barely concealing her groans of pain.
She eased her door open as silently as she could, thanking the gods when it didn’t so much as squeak. Stepping across the threshold, Vera’s attention went first to the welcomed sight of her bed before venturing over to the figure sitting before the low-burning hearth.
She jumped back, barely restraining a scream, while her free hand clutched her chest to keep her heart from leaping out of its cage. For a moment, she feared the stranger had somehow beaten her to the room, but that wasn’t who occupied the chair.
Her head tipped back with a groan. Dropping her boots by the door, she trudged past his rigid form. She desperately needed to wash.
“How did you know?”
“You forget, I raised you, girl.”
“Helpful, thanks.”
She felt Elric’s stare burning holes into her back as she filled the basin with cold water, but he didn’t say another word as she dunked a raggedy cloth and methodically washed the grime of the night from her face.
“Do I even want to ask what you’ve been doing?”
“I highly doubt it.” She hissed when the coarse fabric rubbed against the cut on her neck.
Silence greeted her.
“I needed fresh air and then I…tripped.” She knew she shouldn’t be testing his patience, but she was so damn exhausted. She didn’t want to talk about her failure tonight. All she wanted was to flop on her bed in peace.
Elric didn’t take the hint, or—most likely—simply didn’t care. “Were you…assaulted in any other way?”
Scrunching her nose in disgust, she cringed away. “Gods, no, Elric.”
He closed his eyes and breathed out heavily. “Did you know him?”
She wasn’t sure. “No.”
Noticing her hesitation, he asked, “Did he know you?”
“No.” She sighed, setting the dirty cloth on the counter and hanging her head for a moment. “At least, not exactly.” She turned and looked him in the eye, refusing to be a coward when she told him.
“I’ve never seen him before.” She remembered the sense of familiarity she’d felt when she looked into his eyes but shook it off.