The necromancer sighed. Though she had pulled on the cape he had given her, and the deep hood covered her conspicuous hair, the gift had come too late to avoid confrontations. Ashul had not intended that, but now he celebrated the bit of excitement that had come his way as a result of his timely appearance. If he had been later, she might have gone up to the room unnoticed while he would have been deprived of this small amusement.
“What is it you’d like me to say? That you are an idiot for baiting the drow?” Her hood shifted as if she were glancing back in the male’s direction. “Or do you simply have a death wish?”
The human snarled, the scruff on his face bisected with scars making the expression even uglier. “I expect for you to meekly crawl out of here and back to whatever pit or wretched place you came from. And to takethat thingwith you.” His eyes flickered away from her, and his head whipped around as if suddenly aware that Ashul was no longer within sight.
Ashul laughed silently as he crept closer, the stench of the human’s fear-sweat filling his nose. The insult was merely filed away for yet another punishment that he could wreak upon his prey.
The necromancer slowly turned in her chair, her eyes pinned on the male no longer looking at her as her magic run up her arms in pale purple flames. No one else would be able to see it. Though it resembled her ghostfire, this was the subtle vibration of her magic collecting that he doubted even she could fully see with her eyes. The humans gathered in the tavern certainly couldn’t see it, though the male behind the counter with the red eye had a troubled expression, his red eye spinning and focusing repeatedly in a way that made Ashul suspect that perhaps he saw more than most with his enchanted apparatus.
For a moment, he debated just allowing her to unleash her magic and enjoy the fall out, but then he remembered how hard the ground was beneath his back and grimaced. He would have to take matters into his own hands as he wanted, but it seemed that he would need to make playtime quick.
Slinking after the human, Ashul stretched his fingers, allowing his claws to lengthen. He would have to amuse himself with just a little sting. A shiver of excitement ran over him as he watched the male suddenly round on the necromancer in a half-stumble as if just remembering the danger she presented, opening himself to Ashul’s attack as she raised her hand, the flames of her magic licking her fingertips.
Ashul pounced with a snarl, a single claw digging into the human’s cheek for a moment before ripping it open. The male squealed, flinging himself back but not before Ashul dropped away from him, sidling closer to his Robyn. His eyes glittered as he gave the female a baiting grin, challenging her to make the next strike before their fun was ruined. She raised a brow and snorted with what sounded like a restrained laugh. Their prey bellowed with anger, much to his amusement.
“All right, that’s enough.” The male behind the counter stepped out in front of it, his large arms crossing over his chest. “Ryick, you’ve had your fun. Sit your ass down while I send Tunny to get the healer. In the meantime, you two… your room is ready.” He grunted at Robyn as he fished out a key and handed it to her. “I will have your dinner brought up if it’s all the same to you. I don’t want any more trouble in my place tonight.”
Ashul pouted a little in jest at the early termination of the game, wondering if she would have matched him for his punishment, but gamely followed his necromancer as she grabbed the key with a nod and followed her up the creaking stairs.
The room itself was barely habitable to his estimation, with a single bed with thin bedding neatly laid over it. But the blankets and weathered wood were clean, and there was a stone sink and metal plumbing operated by a familiar mark of magic that made him sigh with relief that he had not awoken in a complete nightmare. It was bad enough taking care of his needs on the road; he did not wish to be sharing a putrid hole to shit in with a bunch of strangers with varying degrees of questionable cleanliness.
Throwing off his cloak, he strode over to the bed and stretched out over it, crossing his legs at the ankles as he smiled at the pleasant softness beneath him. The feather-stuffed mattress was exactly the firmness he enjoyed, but he was determined to get every bit of pleasure out of it before he found himself on the road again. His eyes trailed over the necromancer as she stripped off the cloak that he gave her and hung it neatly on a peg. Her eyes fell on him, and a delightful look of annoyance crossed her face.
“I see you didn’t hesitate to take the bed.”
He tucked his hands behind his head and grinned. “I have left you room,” he corrected, and shifted a hand from beneath him to pat the bed beside him. “Join me. Unless you are afraid.”
She rolled her eyes and walked across the room, dropping her sack on the nearest chair. He jerked up to a seated position, his eyes widening with surprise as she stripped out of her tunic and breeches, revealing a long legs and rounded hips and breasts barely clad in smallclothes. Her jaw squared and her chin raised haughtily, she stalked over to the side of the bed.
“Move over,” she grumbled, sliding beneath the blankets. “I trust you’ll hear the door if someone knocks with our meal.”
“I would not be able to miss it even if I wanted to,” he replied dryly.
“Good. I am going to close my eyes for a bit.” She shifted beneath the blankets, the warmth of her body brushing against him. “Be sure to stay on your side of the bed.”
“Of course,” Ashul murmured, unable to look away as she settled beside him, the lines of her faces relaxing in the lamplight with a soft appeal to it that caught him off guard. “I would sooner cuddle with a troll,” he added. “They would be infinitely better bed companions in comparison.”
She chuckled softly. “Good.”
He watched her sleep until their meal arrived, snuck coveted glances as they shared their meal together, and spent the first part of the night gazing at her in an attempt to pinpoint his sudden fascination. The brush of her body against his sent shivers through him and caused a tightening within his belly that was quite unexpected as his cock stiffened.
It had to be a strange reaction to the necromantic leash. He was certain.
ChapterSeven
Ashul was practically her shadow as they walked along the streets of the town. While it did not boast the beauty of some of the better, established towns and cities that had arisen following the collision of the realms, it was standard with a simple comfort to it. Yet the plentitude brought by local merchants was something she rarely enjoyed, aware of the suspicious glances thrown her way. At least after the incident in the tavern, no one approached them.
“Should we not be on our way?” said shadow demanded crossly.
He had seemed to be in a worse mood than usual since they woke that morning, though she couldn’t see what he had to be irritated about. A soft bed? Running water and a hot bath? She shook her head, part in disbelief and part in silent answer to his question.
“I need to restock a few supplies. Rations, tinder, and I need to stop by the apothecary,” she replied. “Better to do it now than wait until we’re running dangerously low on something that we need.”
From the corner of her eye, she watched him track a particularly well-dressed young man passing at a quick clip to join his fellows in front of the tavern, his mouth curving in a chilling smile. He was like a cat watching a mouse skittering across his path, and Robyn picked up her pace, not even wanting to know what sort of mischief he had planned. A long-suffering sigh followed her, and the light stride of the elf’s footsteps behind her.
“If that is all, why are you not heading toward the shops. This aimless walking about is a waste of time,” he grumbled with a perplexed look to the shops that she was walking away from.
“I need to get up some coin first. Thankfully, walking around the square a bit and making a show of myself is all it takes to bring clients to me. They see my mark and then seek me out at the tavern. By the day’s end, I will have plenty of coin to stock provisions for two and pay the balance I owe for the room with coin to spare if all goes well.”