“Did you happen to see the sign outside?” the boy asked. “Only Mystiks at this inn.”
Edgar approached the counter and dropped a wet coin purse on it. “We will pay you well. And I know the owner. You might mention Edgar needs a place to stay tonight.”
The boy harrumphed and walked to the door behind him. He had a tail, and I hadn’t noticed it before, but he also had a very hairy neck. He opened the door, peeked inside, and whispered something to whoever was in there.
“Edgar!” a deep voice called from behind the door. When the owner of the voice barged out to the reception counter, I was surprised to see that the voice belonged to a frail looking woman who resembled a bald cat with tiny pointy ears on the sides of her head. She was beautiful, and her big green eyes dominated her face.
Edgar stood straighter. “Calina, it’s nice to see you’re still running this inn.”
Were they an item? The way she was looking at him suggested they had been.
“Of course we can accommodate you,” she said.
“Splendid,” Edgar answered.
She pulled a key off the wall and headed up a staircase. “It’s a shame there’s only one room. I’m not at all surprised you all are so muddy, being with Edgar. He’s always in some sort of trouble—that he is.”
I’m not at all surprised, either. No telling what horrible situations he’d gotten himself in before, as a spy for the Wizard Council.
Edgar nodded for us to follow. “One will do. We’ll only be here this night.”
“Aww, now, that makes me sad.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “No time for love, I suppose.” She clomped across a landing, unlocked a door, and pushed it open.
“It’s tempting,” Edgar said, amusement in his voice. “But I barely recovered the last time.”
What? He actually had a lighter side to his personality. I’d only seen his serious side.
I stepped inside with Bastien. Edgar glanced down both sides of the hallway, then joined us. Before he closed the door, he said, “Our presence here must stay a secret.”
“I am aware,” she said in a hushed voice. “Our rebels are ready to assist whenever you need us. And don’t worry about the boy. He only cares about girls and the fact that his hair is coming in fast…all over his body. Werehound puberty is difficult. It won’t be long before he looks as wild as his father.” She laughed. “Love is a dangerous thing. It never occurs to you how your pups will turn out when choosing a mate. I fear the boy will turn into a full-blown werehound.”
I tried to stifle a laugh.
“It’s okay, dear,” she said. “You may laugh. It’s funny. But you two,” she said, looking from me to Bastien. “You’ll make lovely pups together.”
I felt my cheeks burn and lowered my head.
She laughed this time. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll bring some food up in a bit.”
“Thank you.” Edgar shut the door.
The room had one small bed, a dresser, and tiny table with two chairs by the window. There was plenty of floor space covered with a carpet that must’ve seen a lot of traffic.
Bastien wrapped his arms around me and pressed a quick kiss on my temple. “We’ll make beautiful pups, you and I.” He winked and let me go. “But for now, this pup needs a bath. I smell like a sewer.” On the way to the tiny bathroom, he removed his shirt. How could flexing back muscles be so sexy?
“You okay?” Edgar asked, eyeing me.
“Um, yeah.” I’d forgotten there was someone else in the room with us. Avoiding Edgar’s stare, I took off my cloak and dropped it, before sitting on the floorboards. I removed the canister and rolled parchment from my boot before taking them both off.
Edgar opened the door. “I’ll see if I can get us some clean clothes. You need anything else?”
“I don’t think so. Thank you.”
He shut the door.
The parchment was wet, and I gingerly unrolled it. The ink was smudged, but I could still make out the names Rada had written on it. The name listed for the first heir in Mantello was Mardiana Acardi. He wrote notes beside the names about where to find them. Mardiana spent every morning on a bench across from the bookstore in the village. I’d sat on that same bench the time I came to Mantello with Bastien and Nick.
Nick had squished grapes with the local girls during the festival. He was drunk on wine by the end of the evening. I smiled at the memory and wiped away the tears that normally followed after I’d thought of him.
The steam from the shower seeped under the bathroom door. Bastien was singing again. This time it was a Beatles’ song. “She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah …”
I chuckled and removed my socks. My feet were aching and cold. My body protested as I laid back on the floor. The water turned off, and Bastien was still humming. I imagined he was drying off.
A few moments later, the bathroom door flew open, and I sat up. Bastien strolled out, a towel wrapped around his waist.
“That felt great,” he said, stretching his hands over his head, the towel inching down a little below his waist. His skin wasn’t completely dry, his biceps and abs glistening in the light from the lamp on the table. I couldn’t help but stare at his glorious torso.
“You should take one,” he said, breaking the spell the ripple of his muscles had on me. “Mantello has the best showers. The water is always hot.”
“Sounds great.” I scrambled to my feet, darted to the bathroom, and snuck another look at Bastien in his towel as I shut the door. I leaned my back against the door, the steam engulfing me.
Okay, calm down. It’s just Bastien. A. Partially. Naked. Bastien. I sighed.
By the time I’d finished with my shower, Edgar had returned. He knocked on the door, and I eased it open a crack to let him pass me the clothes he’d found.
A cloud of steam followed me out of the bathroom. The nightgown I had on looked like something a princess would wear. I’d prefer pajama bottoms and a tank top, but at least it was clean. I had the bed to myself. Bastien and Edgar were on mats on the floor.
Bastien was already asleep. I pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed. Edgar was mud-free and in a white linen shirt and loose pants. “You’re clean. Where did you shower?”
“Never you mind about that.” He gave me a mischievous smile and rolled onto his side, his back to me. I hadn’t noticed it before—how could I with all that hair he had when I first saw him—but he was a good-looking guy. Especially when he smiled. I could see the females of any species falling for him.
I rested my head on the flat pillow and pulled the rough blanket up to my chin. The window was cracked open, the Mantello breeze pushing the sheer curtains in and out, and I stared at the ceiling.
I hated quiet moments like this. It was when all the worry would catch up to my mind. And regardless of how tired I was, I couldn’t sleep.
Edgar came over to the side of the bed. “You’re awake.”