She turned towards his voice. Jaren stood just behind them, arms crossed, the corner of his lips pulled up in a smirk. She was glad he didn’t seem to have overheard their conversation. That is until Trey opened his big mouth.
“We were just discussing my enticing smell. It seems she can’t admit her attraction to me without needing to get physical.” He winked, and she felt her cheeks warm.
Her reaction only seemed to encourage him. His entire face lit up, and he wiggled his eyebrows. “Come on Varian, tell Jaren how sexy I smell.”
“Gods! How am I supposed to know what sex smells like? You just smell like a pig-headed man!”
It wasn’t until she was met with silence, and she looked between the two wide-eyed stares that she realized what she’d just admitted. Her cheeks went from warm to flaming, and she bit her bottom lip to keep from throwing curses at Trey’s stupid face.
It was Jaren who finally spoke, “Have you never had sex before?”
She glared at him in response, appalled he would be so forward with such a personal question. As her extended silence answered for her, tension built between them. He tilted his head in that predatory way of his as he continued looking at her.
“I don’t know why you’re surprised,” she snapped. “I basically spent the last fifteen years of my life alone.”
Her hands fisted at her sides, embarrassment coating her like a second skin. More than anything, she hated that it bothered her. It wasn’t her fault she hadn’t been allowed the chance to meet someone. Just because she hadn’t had sex didn’t mean she’d never wanted to.
“Well, now you know.” Trey stepped up next to her, “Because I promise you, that’s exactly what I smell like.”
He wasn’t fast enough to avoid the answering punch she delivered to his gut.
∞∞∞
“Since I have an unwanted mouth to feed, we need more provisions to make it to Eastshore. We’re only a few hours outside of Kilmire, but I have no intention of stopping in a town within easy reach of Sulian.”
Jaren was back to his irritable self, and he seemed to be growing more and more restless by the minute.
“Eastshore? That’s several days’ worth of travel from here. You told her you would explain what it is you want as soon as she was safely outside the capital. We’re plenty far.”
Vera wasn’t sure if Trey was reckless enough to attack Jaren, but his posture made her seriously wonder if he’d give it a try.
“From what I’ve gathered from the two of you, she is quite valuable to Sulian and his brat. By now they’ll have discovered she’s gone, so no, we are not plenty far. I am headed to Eastshore. She may join for as long as she desires, but by all means, feel free to stay behind. Preferably six feet underground.”
Vera stepped forward before Trey could spit a reply that was sure to start a fight. “So is your plan to stop in Midpath then?”
“?e.”
“There could easily be soldiers there, just as well as in Kilmire,” she said.
“Word will travel to Kilmire far faster; whereas no one in Midpath will be looking for you yet. As long as your guard dog behaves, we should be able to rest and replenish without any trouble.” She caught his unvoiced question. He wanted to know how long she’d stay.
“I’m not some toy you can string along with only the promise of information, Jaren. I won’t follow you forever. I have duties I’m neglecting and someone who will be worried about me.”
“Like who? The chinbi srol? What do you think the princeling’s going to say when he sees you now? Your rounded ears won’t hide what you are anymore. Every inch of you screams enemy.”
She flinched. She’d been referring to Elric, but the truth of Jaren’s words still stung. Technically, Eithan knew she wasn’t human, but she’d at least looked like one. To have the truth visually shoved in his face every time he looked at her now? Would he want that? Elric loved her, but even he might be wary of her now.
“We need to put more miles behind us if we have any hope of making it to Midpath before dark tomorrow. You may ask questions on the way, but I have my own as well. A truth for a truth. Deal?”
She glanced at Trey, who was shaking his head. She knew she should listen and head back with him, back to safety and the life she knew. But she found with each mile they traveled, it became easier and easier to keep going.
Jaren knew all about where she came from and could tell her about her history and maybe even her family. The emperor may have known Vera’s surname, but regardless of what he claimed, he didn’t know everything. If she returned, she had a feeling the emperor would never let her out of his sight again. She’d truly be locked away, knowing no more than she currently did.
“Deal.”
She saw the brief look of hurt that crossed Trey’s face and tried to pretend it didn’t cut her in half. She walked toward her friend and took his hand, begging him with her eyes to understand.
“Emperor Matheris wants to use me, Trey. That’s always been his plan. Eithan may have been willing to give me time to come to terms with my future, but the emperor will never give me a choice. This is the first taste of freedom I’ve ever had, and when I return, it will be the only taste I’ll ever have. So, forgive me if I’m not eager to slip on my chains.”
He wasn’t happy, but his face softened, and he pulled her into a hug. He was only a few inches taller, so when he chuckled, his breath brushed against her ear, making her shudder.
“You truly are the worst noble woman I’ve ever met, but you’re still my favorite person.”
Vera stepped out of his embrace, her eyes stinging, but her smile fell when she saw Jaren. He was glaring at them with such heat, she wondered how many ways he was imagining their deaths, or more specifically, Trey’s.
She looked to the sky, begging the gods for patience. “If your eyebrows drop any lower, you’ll trip over them.” He didn’t react. He just watched her mount before following.
She shuddered as he slid behind her. Ever since her healing episode, every time Jaren’s body came into contact with her own, it caused a flutter of energy to erupt. It wasn’t as strong as the spark that had jumped between them before, but more like the very essence of her was purring, like her soul itself craved his closeness.
He settled in and directed them back towards the road, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes and breathe him in. There was something about him that settled her.
At first, she thought maybe it was because she’d been deprived of physical touch for so long, but she didn’t feel the same when she embraced Trey. Only Jaren.
Vera loved the way he towered over her when he stood too close, forcing her to crane her neck to make eye contact, the way his earthy smell surrounded her, and his thighs pressed against her own as they traveled.
She may have been inexperienced in the pleasures two willing people could partake in together, but she wasn’t completely naive of the pleasures of the flesh. She’d explored her own body enough to know what tightened her core and pushed her over the edge.