23. Jasper

Chapter twenty-three

Jasper

E lvandro's was empty when we arrived, and it was obvious he appreciated the business, even if it was just a debt repaid. Meianha is a good woman.

He put together two packs for us, one loaded with the heavier essentials and the other with some of the lighter, bulky things like blankets and smaller tools. Both came with a skein of water and a knife. Reina's eyes glinted with malevolent fire as she slid her finger along her blade. She's definitely not getting too close to my genitals tonight.

The road out of town is bustling with summer merchants exporting spices from southern Illya and importing ores, magic items, and more from the other countries. The guarded caravans make it easy to travel without worry of being robbed, or abducted, so Reina and I slip into the procession of merchant travelers.

"When?" Reina says after a few minutes on the road.

"Oh, we'll be to the next town in a few days and then—"

"No," she grumbles as she adjusts her pack. "When are you going to tell me?"

A band tightens around my gut at the thought of telling her the whole truth. I've never told anyone, and I would especially not tell a Man about selkies being held captive by a small king on a small island. I would lose them forever if someone else managed to steal them from him.

"We're not alone, as you see," I say, gesturing to the many people ahead and behind us.

She shakes her head with a deep sigh. "Liar."

"Tonight, when we're all bedded down," I say, and nerves flitter through my stomach.

"Swear to me," she says, her gaze burning with magic.

I swallow hard. "I swear, Ohksana'amai."

She shivers and the blue in her eyes sparkles brighter. She tucks one of her hands into the crook of my elbow and my breath escapes me in a rush. Her touch is insistent, but gentle. I loosen my arm some so she can snake in farther, and she does, pulling herself closer to my side.

"What's this about, then?" I ask, knowing my stupid question might cause her to jerk away.

She hops a little to readjust her pack. "You didn't tell me the cover story for our travels, so I'm making one up."

"Which is?"

"We're a young couple looking to start a special restaurant in the capitol, bringing Fynish delicacies to the south."

My pulse quickens. "Oh? How long have we been married?"

"Two years."

"That's a long time for you not to be with child yet. Are you sure I'm performing all my husbandly duties?"

She glares up at me and her arm gets hotter against my side. "Perhaps you're infertile."

"I may very well be after what you did to me," I grumble, remembering the pain of her searing hand against my balls. As a selkie, they'd be tucked up inside me, safe from predators like her.

"Poor baby," she teases and—fuck—my dick is getting hard.

"Maybe we should prove to everyone tonight that I am indeed performing all my husbandly duties, just to be sure there's no question."

" In front of people? " She tries to pull away, but I hold onto her.

I lean down and whisper against her hair. "You screamed so loud that night on the beach, I doubt the people of the camp will miss it from the cover of our tent."

"Vulgar bastard," she snarls.

"Only for you," I say, and why the fuck did I say that?

I stare ahead, not wanting to see the look on her face.

"Is that true? You were never… vulgar …with anyone else?"

I pull her tighter against my side. "Do you mean to ask if I've fucked anyone?"

She huffs loudly. "Forget I even entertained the question."

"No, I haven't."

I can practically feel her scowl from the corner of my vision as she looks up at me. "Then, how did you…you know."

I grin down at her. "Make you come?"

Her cheeks flare bright red, and she snaps her face to the right to hide it. "So vulgar."

"If you think it was a fluke, we can try again."

"In your dreams," she grumbles, and I laugh.

The weight on my chest lightens, and we walk in silence for a while. Reina keeps hopping and adjusting her pack every few minutes, and the frequency increases as her pace slows. Finally, I grab the strap of her bag and hold it off her back.

"I can carry it," she says, twisting away from me.

"Calm down," I say, easily pulling her back in line. "I'm just giving your shoulders a little break."

"I need to get used to being sore," she says, still struggling to get out of my grip.

"Is that an offer?"

"Oh, Zephrom, help me," she mutters. "If you dare say any more lewd things to me on this journey, I will make you suffer."

"Maybe I like your kind of suffering," I say, still holding the pack off her shoulders.

"You won't like this. I'll…I'll…" She pulls down a fortifying breath. "Do something ."

I smile. "Your threats are almost as adorable as your scheming."

She growls in annoyance. "Give me the weight of the pack. I want to carry it."

I release it all at once and her knees buckle. She grabs onto my arm to hold herself up and then glares at me, the hardest, sternest glare I've ever experienced—except perhaps Meianha's.

"You're such a bastard," she says.

"And you're a little brat who got exactly what she deserved."

The scent of her shifts almost immediately, that floral essence becoming saltier, and stronger. She's not just embarrassed but aroused.

"Like being called a brat, do you?" I ask.

"You're vile," she whispers.

"And you're thinking about my depravities."

"I'm done talking to you for today."

"Fair enough. We don't need talking for what you want to do."

She growls again, long and frustrated. I fucking love it. But she doesn't speak to me again. We walk for hours, taking only two breaks until stopping to make camp before sunset.

We stake our spot near the center of the caravan, farthest from the edges, and danger. Lone bandits and petty thieves will try their hand at slitting throats and picking pockets in the farthest tents, and that won't be us.

The tent Elvandro provided is a decent size, but I still have to bend over at the waist to fit inside. Still, it's got more room than the raft shelter we'd created, and enough space to lay out the blankets Reina's pack is holding. I keep our valuables tucked away on my person, and we leave the rest of our things in the tent as we reach the main group around the bonfire.

Meianha had packed us bread, cheese, and dried fish for the road, so I grab a serving for each of us and join Reina on a log not far from the fire. She puts her hands out as if to warm herself, even though it isn't cold.

"You guessed half right about my magus ability. It's not just the sun I can steal," she says, her eyes transfixed on the flames. "Mother always put magus crystals in my rooms. My guards carried them for light instead of torches. They were more efficient, she said, and less dangerous. But she was trying to keep me weak."

I settle down beside her and lay the napkin containing our dinner half across her lap, and half over mine.

"She was under the impression that I could only gain my power from fire," she says, taking a delicate bite of cheese. "That was how it first manifested. And since my power always displayed as fire"—she shrugs—"she never thought to have me more closely inspected. Because she denied me a fireplace in my room and so many other things, I would tell her I was cold every morning. She would never give me more clothes, just tell me to harden myself.

"Then I had ample excuse for sunbathing. I was cold. She didn't let me do anything else—be it read, or practice sports, ride, garden…but sunbathing and gossiping was all right. It was safe. However, that's how I was connected with the rebellion, through gossip.

"My maid said something one day against the queen that gave me pause. I warned her not to speak that way again, that ears less compassionate than my own might be listening. That was how they knew they could turn me. Use me. I am their weapon now, the only magus in all the kingdom that can hurt her—except maybe one other..." She falls quiet and I hand her more food.

"You're very brave," I say.

"No." She snorts. "I just don't have any other choice if I want to live."

A stringed instrument hums into the night, and we look across the fire to the source. A woman with a violin stands from her seat as she pulls the bow across the strings again. Another instrument is plucked off to our left, hitting the same tone as the violin. Then a flute joins off to the right.

The violinist plays a few notes, then repeats them. The guitarist responds by playing a few similar but complementary notes. The flute adds its own wild accompaniment, and then the trio take off, crafting a song.

Reina looks at me with dazzling joy. "Dance with me?"

"Again?" I ask with a sly smile to hide my nerves.

"Yes, only don't abduct me this time."

"I already have you," I say.

"Do you?" she asks with mock surprise. "Well, what if I danced with someone else, then?"

I lean back and throw my arm out wide. "Be my guest. I'll be right here, watching what's mine enjoy herself."

Her eyes go half-lidded and she lifts her chin with a smirk. "I'll enjoy myself more without you, anyway."

With that, she pushes off the seat and sashays away from me. Damn Meianha for this salacious dress and its stupid flowing fabric that hugs the curves of her hips. She's gained weight since being with me, muscle and some much-needed fat, making her ever more alluring. Still, I'm determined to sit here and watch no matter how tempting.

She's not going to win this.

Reina is the first to start dancing, so regal and refined she's going to give us away, but it's mesmerizing to watch. She twists and dips, bows and hops, making her dress feather in the wind of her swift movements. Two men and another woman join in, and Reina changes her dance to accommodate more people. They twirl and slide between one another, hands almost touching—until another man does touch her.

Her movements stutter when the other man grabs ahold of her and I note the fear in her eyes. She's not allowed to be touched and hasn't been touched most of her life. There's a tug in the pit of my stomach, a flare of heat in my veins and a demand to claim, but I clamp down on it as I watch.

Reina gets comfortable quickly, resuming the dance. Her gaze darts to where I am shrouded in darkness, and I can see the taunt in her face. "Are you going to stand for this?" she asks silently with nothing but her eyes.

The dance shifts to something less formal, and the man, a tall creature with dark hair and skin, wraps his arm around her waist until his hand is splayed across her back. She holds his other hand in hers and they bounce around the fire, all smiles and laughter.

My teeth grinding alerts me to how hard my jaw is clenched, and I try to relax. My heart is pounding in my ears so loudly I can barely hear the music. Energy surges through my body, demanding that I move, that I stake my claim and dance.

Why am I denying myself?

To not get too close? To safeguard my heart and my mission?

But what's just one dance? A show to let the others know she will not be wandering off with them this evening. I don't want anyone to have any ideas.

I'm already moving, stalking around the fire and staying just outside the light. Reina looks for me on the log and a flitter of fear moves across her features when she doesn't find me there. Her feet keep dancing, but her head swivels, searching for me.

They take another turn around the fire and her hunting becomes harried. Finally she finds me, her eyes locking onto mine. Like Nol'Ther pulls the sea, she drags me in. I cut through the crowds of Men stomping their feet and clapping their hands, drawn directly to her.

She stops in her tracks. The man holding her startles as he looks my way—and then he slinks back. My steps hasten the closer I get to her. She's struck still, both petrified and yearning.

I wonder if she feels the same fear of heartache.

I wonder if she knows it's already too late to back out.