A Cruel Kindness

Chapter 13

Bellamy

When Soren walked back into the cabin with a limp and told me we were going to a pub of all places in Muli territory, I didn’t know what I was expecting.

I certainly wasn’t thinking that our plans would begin in the stables.

While I blinked at Soren and lobbied a confused “ What? ” at him, Esme and Ford had both simply muttered, “Thank God,” under their breaths and headed into their room like this was completely normal.

Soren then promptly told me that I would need to change. His exact words were, “Take your shirt off,” which sent such immediate panic—and a fair bit of anticipation—pumping through my limbs I was sure I was going to pass out.

When I collected myself, I realized that if we were going to Muli territory, I needed to dress the part. That meant wearing a shirt that exposed my Mark.

I changed in the bathroom, if not to save me the image of Soren shirtless again. Not that I needed a reminder of what he looked like. It was all but seared into my brain.

And now it would be joined by the image of him in a tight black shirt that highlighted the bulging muscles of his arms and exposed his Mark and back to the world. I had half the mind to fake an illness and demand we stay back so no one was able to see him like that.

My only comfort was that it made it very clear he was taken. I understood why it was so important to Muli that they expose their Marks when you were Matched. If I had to deal with people approaching Soren, thinking he was available, I would likely kill someone.

I expected myself to be horrified by that thought, seeing as I’d never ended someone’s life before, but the feeling never struck.

When I walked back out, my own shirt hugging tight to my body, Soren looked at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. All I knew was that he looked at me too long, long enough that my resolve started slipping.

Esme’s shrieking command that we go to the stables was the only thing that cut the tension.

It took another handful of seconds for either of us to move, waging a silent battle of who would be heading out the door first. It was better not to verbalize our reasons for the stalemate, and I was pretty sure they were aligned.

The last person to walk out got the best view of our Mark.

Soren’s patience eclipsed mine, and when he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway to the bathroom, I knew I wasn’t going to beat him.

Restraining the urge to stomp my foot in frustration, I turned around and forced myself to walk out the door. When I made it out, I caught Esme swallowing something at the sink. It was impossible to miss, the way she threw her head back and gulped down water.

She didn’t notice me until she put the water glass in her hand down. She likely thought I’d only seen enough that I’d assume she was just taking a sip, but there was no mistaking what she’d done. Her hand had risen to her mouth, her head tipped back to make sure it went down easily.

In the little I knew about Esme so far, I knew that she was deeply private. Choosing not to push it, I just said, “Ready,” to alert her.

When Esme turned, I realized that this was the first time I was seeing her Mark.

I knew part of it depicted a snake, in the little I could see on the back of her and Ford’s hands. Now, in a shirt meant to expose her Mark, I could see the full image.

The snake started on her hand, before curling up and around her arm once, then moving around her shoulders and neck, how it would rest over someone’s body trying to balance the weight of that reptile. It tucked under her right arm, seemingly moving across her back, before the snake’s body ended in a neat curl of its tail over her left hip.

The exposed panels of her shirt were rather fashionable, which I was sure pleased Esme’s tastes to no end. I didn’t think she would be as pleased about the size of her Mark, which constrained her to wearing clothing that covered it. Even in the dessert climate of the base back home, I’d never seen her in any shirt that ended above the wrist.

“Wonderful,” Esme said in response, clapping her hands together excitedly, sending jewelry chiming in her wake. Her eyes drifted over my shoulder when Soren approached, which sent her into a fit of laughter. In response to my eyebrows drawing together in confusion, she simply waved her hand and said, “Oh, we are going to have a fun night.”

I turned to Soren for explanation, but the only thing I found was his expression plain, if not somewhat dark.

Knowing better than to push it, I followed Esme. Ford was already outside, sitting on the steps. When he rose to follow his Soul Mate, I saw his own iteration of their Mark. It was obviously a twin to Esme’s, but his was bigger, fit to his bulging form. It matched their personalities, really.

Esme’s snake was more lithe and graceful, whereas Ford’s looked like a beast capable of swallowing you whole.

The four of us walked in silence down the gentle slope of the hill, heading for the long stables at the bottom of the camp. The structure looked like an ounce of extra care was put into it, down to the crisp white paint obscuring the natural color of the wood.

Through my week of training, I’d been asked no less than seven times if I knew how to ride a horse. Only three of those clarified that they did not mean side saddle.

My boots were made for riding, careful to protect my feet from an errant hoof and with a heel that would help secure me to the saddle. Excitement built in my chest as we approached. I’d always loved the freedom of riding, though I’d never been allowed to form any sort of bond with a horse.

The horses we had at the castle were for show or to pull carriages only. If I’d tried to form an attachment with a horse in particular, my father would have figured it out and banned me from riding another day of my life.

When we approached the stables and people came back into view, I felt Soren’s hand hover over my lower back. I slowed my next step, letting my body fold closer to his.

The closer I was to him, the safer I felt. It was just a fact at this point.

As people slowed their movements and cut off conversations to gawk at us, no different than normal, I found that I much preferred being closer to him than weather the uncomfortable weight of people’s attention on my own.

Esme and Ford strode through the large wooden doors with confidence, their steps timed perfectly even though they kept a good three feet between them.

People didn’t seem to pay them any mind, save for the odd interested glance at either of them, pulled in by their individual beauty.

I could only hope we’d get the same treatment one day. The ignoring, that was. I didn’t quite care for the idea that people would be staring at Soren waiting for an opportunity to steal him away from me.

Horses neighed and cooed as we walked by, pulling my attention from the dark thoughts of cutting off hands and gouging out eyes.

Like everything in Muli, the horses here seemed familiar, with a slight undercurrent of change. They were bigger, their coats brighter and shinier.

Even the way they interacted with each other and people seemed different, almost more human.

A few people were tightening saddles and leading horses outside, all clad in the same uniform as us—riding boots and pants, with shirts highlighting their Marks.

She’s really pretty , the Bond interrupted, crawling through my mind. You’ll like her .

Like who ? I asked in response, though I wasn’t expecting it to answer.

It was Soren who answered for the Bond, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “You already have a horse.”

A horse neighed then, the sound almost sounding like hello , it was so human. “Are you sure these are horses?”

I could feel Soren’s smile against the shell of my ear. “They are as close to horses as they can be. Here, they are known as equin , but they are essentially the horses you know.”

“What makes them different?” It seemed like it was more than the obvious size.

“Let me show you,” Soren said, right as we approached the end of the stables to two large stalls. Loud, excited sounds broke from the one on my left, coming from two horses in the same stall who started bouncing on their legs like schoolchildren when they saw us.

“I know, sweetheart, I missed you too,” Esme said, jumping over the stall door as if it was nothing more than a small impediment.

“I brought you treats,” Ford grumbled, his voice taking on a softer quality than I’d ever heard it.

Soren’s hand, placed softly on my bicep, pulled my attention back to the right side. My gaze immediately connected with the large, deep brown eyes of the most beautiful horse I’d ever seen in my life.

She was large, standing almost to double my height, with a rich, chocolate brown coat that took on an almost purple hue when the soft evening light poured through the window at the back.

“This is Clover,” Soren explained.

I smiled wide with wonder. The name suited her, matching the smug spark in her eyes that fit the disposition of someone who bathed in luck and good fortune.

“Hi, sweet girl,” I said, carefully extending my hand towards her snout. Clover didn’t seem to have a fearful bone in her body, because she shoved her nose into my waiting hand a second later.

The second the soft, leathery feel of her nose connected with my palm, my heart squeezed painfully. My hand flew up to my chest, my fingers raking the skin there as if they could break through and massage my heart.

Soren’s hand came up between my shoulder blades, rubbing smooth circles across my back. “That’s her bonding with you.”

“Already?” I breathed though a tight throat. “She doesn’t even know me.” The horses I knew took days to build a strong relationship with a rider, and despite what I knew, I felt like I could already understand Clover’s every need.

Right now she was saying that she was hungry. It was like a general intuition, rather than a clear voice in my head like the Bond was.

“The equin are a little different than the horses on Vir. They bond with one rider at a time, normally for life.” Already, a deep current of protectiveness threaded through my stomach as I looked at Clover’s long eyelashes blinking over her huge eyes. I didn’t know how I could possibly bring her into harm's way willingly. “They also mate for life,” Soren finished.

I kept my hand on Clover’s snout, petting softly, as I turned to Soren. “That’s certainly different.”

His answering smile, a wide one that highlighted the ring piercing his nose, made my chest feel tight. The way his eyes creased when he was genuinely amused needed to be studied for its mind-altering effects. “Speaking of…” he said, trailing off while he looked somewhere behind me.

I turned, just as the largest horse I had ever seen, taking that title from Clover, barreled through the open doors, almost taking out two people as it galloped towards us. I flattened myself against Clover’s stall, as if my body would do anything to protect her, as that beast of a horse trampled everything in its path.

Soren. My heart fell into my stomach as I realized he wasn’t moving out of the way. I was halfway to throwing myself in front of him when he took two short strides towards the dark brown, if not black, horse and collided into him, pressing his forehead to his snout.

I didn’t even know how the horse managed to stop that quickly, but Soren barely jerked back against the force of his entrance. His horse reared back on its hind legs, kicking his front legs off the ground several feet before landing back down with a neigh that sounded oddly like a laugh.

My jaw was slack, my mouth surely hanging open as I watched Soren all but hug a horse.

After greeting him, he turned to me with a heartbreaking smile on his face. “This is Lucky,” he introduced.

They have matching names. I like that , the Bond mused happily.

Lucky’s attention swung towards me and to Clover hanging over my shoulder.

He turned his massive body with an agility I didn’t know possible and then the strangest thing happened.

I got caught in the middle of what could only be described as a horse kiss.

Lucky’s face shoved into Clover’s, pleased drool slipping out of the side of his mouth and plopping down on my shoulder.

Soren’s booming laugh rang through the stables as his hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me out of Lucky and Clover’s embrace.

“Yes, our horses are mated,” he said, as he leaned over the lip of Clover’s stall and pulled out a rag. My jaw remained on the floor, watching them fawn over each other like a newlywed couple.

Soren carefully wiped Lucky’s drool off my shoulder, and if I wasn’t so distracted by the scene in front of me, I might have blushed in response.

Maybe I did regardless, but that was of no consequence.

This was so insane. Not that anything I’d experienced over the past few weeks was anything close to normal, but this was really insane.

Married horses, a bar on another planet, and a Soul Mate I was supposed to ignore … not to mention the cherry on top—being in possession of secrets that could get me killed or exchanged as a bargaining chip.

“Oi, step back,” Soren said to Lucky, motioning for him to make some room. Lucky complied with a low rumble of frustration, clearly not amused with the idea of parting from Clover. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Two feet of space won’t kill you. I know it feels like it will.”

Soren was just joking, but damn if I wondered whether there was some truth to that statement. When Lucky gave us enough room, Soren motioned towards Clover with his chin, silently telling me to go to her.

Instinct ruled, needing no further instruction. Inherently, I knew what I needed to do. I carefully opened her stall, running my hand down her long neck when she started buzzing with excitement.

Someone had already attached her saddle, and though Clover’s proportions were different than the horses I knew, it seemed like the stirrups were already set to the height of my legs.

I would not be looking at Soren for any sort of confirmation he had a hand in that.

I wrapped my hand around the leather of her reins and said softly, “Let’s go outside.” After a happy sounding grumble from Clover, I added, “Yes, Lucky is out there.”

Clover took off with such force I almost tripped trying to keep up with her. I didn’t even have time to make sure her stall was secured, but someone nodded at me when I turned, taking over that job for me.

When I walked out of the back of the stables, I almost tripped again, though this time from the beauty of the sky. The sun was beginning to fall when we’d left our cabin, but now it was a full fledged sunset.

It seemed too banal to even call it that. I’d seen sunsets on Vir, the same pastels of color that would wash over the sky and bring in the soft blues of dusk.

This was entirely different. The sky shone with color so bright it almost glittered. It felt like staring into the sun, the oranges and pinks and yellows so potent I thought it best to look away before it damaged my vision.

“That is … wonderful,” I breathed. It wasn’t until I was finished speaking that I’d realized I’d turned to Soren as I’d done it. I would deny it, but he was the first person I wanted to share it with.

He was already looking at me as he dipped his chin once in agreement. “Beautiful.”

I swallowed thickly, trying not to read into that. “How, um … how long have Clover and Lucky been mated?” They were nuzzling against each other again, making contented sounds as their snouts pressed into the other’s neck.

Soren’s expression flashed with tenderness, before it vanished. “About a day. Officially, that is.”

My eyebrows slammed together in confusion. That seemed so little time. “What happened to Clover’s previous rider?” Oh my God, was it Carson?

“She never had one. We have a few wild equin that roam around the area. We think they are waiting for their riders.” As if in answer, Clover nudged my shoulder playfully. My hand drifted up to scratch under her chin.

“What do you mean, officially?”

Soren smiled, his hand coming up to pat Lucky’s side. “Big man over here had a habit of sneaking out of the stables. I always thought it was because he didn’t like to be confined.” Same as his rider , I mused silently. “But I have a feeling he was sneaking off to go see about a girl.”

I could see it now, Lucky and Clover running through the hills under the cover of night. Guilt threaded through my chest that they’d been forced to fight a war along side us.

“If they didn’t want to be here, they wouldn’t. I’ve seen my fair share of equin buck off a rider they hated,” Soren said, answering my thoughts.

“You really need to stop doing that,” I grumbled.

“Not until it stops irritating you,” Soren shot back, grin plastered firmly on his stupid, perfect face. My hands were halfway to his throat, intent on strangling him when he grabbed hold of Lucky’s reins and swung himself into the saddle with such power and grace it looked like he’d floated up there.

“I hope you’re faster than him, sweet girl,” I whispered to Clover. Her answering snort confirmed that she was. “Thank you for choosing me,” I said, petting down her neck. If I thought too long about the gift I’d been given in her, it would force me to acknowledge that there were forces at play larger than myself.

This beautiful, majestic being had remained wild and riderless for years, intentionally hovering around war and bloodshed to be closer to her mate. To wait for me. She’d known I was coming, that Soren and I were inevitable.

That power made me hesitant to move forward with my plans, making me think that it was stupid to try to outsmart deities that had clearly intended me for Soren, and him for me, for far longer than I could understand.

Maybe that was the horrible tragedy of it all, that even though this seemed so perfect, so right, it had to stay just out of reach to protect everyone else.

Clover seemed to sense my distress because she kicked her foot onto the ground, forcing my attention back to her. “Sorry,” I muttered, wrapping my hand around her reins and hooking my foot into the stirrups. I hauled myself up and kicked my leg across her back, settling easily into the saddle.

Already, I felt comfortable and strong against the sturdy leather, pushing away the tightness in my chest.

I looked up to find Soren and Lucky hovering nearby, Soren’s eyes drifting to the curve of my leg in the stirrups. “It’s perfect,” I said, realizing too late that I’d done the very thing I’d asked him to stop doing and answered his silent question.

“There are treats tucked into your saddlebag,” was all Soren said in response.

I leaned back and found the small bag of treats, then moved forward and giving one to Clover. Lucky followed her every move, so I tossed him one. He caught it in the air, munching happily.

I looked up to see who else would be joining us, finding a few people climbing onto their own steeds. I caught Soren looking at something in front of us with a hidden smirk, and followed his gaze.

A shocked laugh caught in my throat when I saw Esme and Ford circling each other on two horses chasing each others tails. As settled as they were in everything that they did, they were clearly not in control, simply at the mercy of their horses as they played together like two children that cared about nothing other than fun.

Esme’s horse was a light gray, speckled with darker spots that resembled morning clouds carrying in a soft summer rain. Ford’s was an ominous gray, like a stormy sky, but one that would bring with it rattling winds and torrential downpours.

“That makes so much sense for them,” I said, watching as Esme’s horse nipped at Ford’s. I imagined in any other circumstance, that would have warranted a hoof to the snout, but Ford’s horse let it slide. “I’m assuming they are mated?” I asked Soren.

“Sky is Esme’s. He’s a chaotic little guy.” I would never use the word little to describe Esme’s towering steed, but he clearly had a playful spirit. “Shadow is Ford’s. She…”

“Seems to be exactly like him,” I finished, watching as Shadow seemed to barely tolerate Sky’s attentions. They were well-matched. Ford always had a slightly irritated air about him that could either skew endearing or terrifying.

Though when Sky turned with Ford on her back to avoid a nip from Shadow, I watched him smile. My eyes flicked over to Esme, who was watching Ford, though her expression looked rather haunted.

“Esme!” I called, if not to try to make that expression go away.

She turned toward me, a smile brightening her face again. With a soft pull on the reins, she guided Sky over to me. “I see you’re already getting along well with sweet Clover here,” she said, smiling down at the horse underneath me.

“I feel like she’s my child,” I said as I ran my hand down her neck in a caress.

Esme laughed as she fixed an errant strand of hair coming loose from the plait she’d braided Sky’s hair into. “That is very accurate. This little guy has carried me through a lot.”

There was something heavy in her words, a promise of a deeper story that she was keeping quiet for now. Instead of pushing it, I asked, “What am I in for tonight?”

Esme laughed in the back of her throat. “It’s known as Pax . It’s the town closest to the Bridge. Instead of fleeing further into Muli for safety, they declared it a neutral zone, open to both planets. No fighting, no allegiance. They are very well compensated for it.”

I had to laugh at that. “I’m sure the owner of that bar is rolling in money.”

Esme nodded slowly. “Nothing like alcohol to keep the peace. Not to mention the healthy black market he’s running out of the store room.”

“How do you even—well, I guess you of all people would know that.” Esme seemed to hold secrets that not even the most trusted captains on Vir were privy to.

“Muli loves their jewels and gold,” Esme said, a secret smile on her lips. “If I happen to take a cut of some of the merchandise passing through that bar in exchange for turning a blind eye or offering a bit of information, then…”

“I like rubies and emeralds the best.” I couldn’t bring anything that represented any sort of personality with me, but I’d be damned if that stopped me from regaining some of it.

Esme laughed so loud Sky poked his head up from chewing grass on the ground to see what the ruckus was about. “Oh, I have a few things for you. Don’t you worry.”

Personally, I like rings. Especially on other people. You should tell Soren to wear one on his fourth finger , the Bond decided to chime in.

Possessive freak , I shot back at it. Though the image of Soren wearing a wedding ring did seem compelling, especially where his Mark wasn’t enough to warn others a way. For all I knew, he was well known in Pax for having a Match that he wasn’t in a romantic relationship with.

I followed Esme’s lead, turning Clover to follow Sky, though I looked considerably less entertained then she did. I recognized a few faces that were following us, though I hovered close to Soren, Esme, and Ford.

Ford was actually the one to take the lead, nodding once at the group once he seemed satisfied with the company and nudging Shadow forward with a soft kick to her side. There was a clear path carved into the grass and wildflowers, heading into the open field at the base of the camp for a while before curving up and over into the forest.

I’d wager our path took us right over the lip of the mountain caging in the camp and further into Muli territory.

The path was wide enough for two horses to fall into line next to each other, which made sense for the quirks of the equin. To them, it was probably like holding hands on a leisurely stroll with their mate.

I tried to stay focused on learning Clover’s intricacies as she trotted happily along the path next to Lucky, but my focus kept getting pulled in by the scenery. It was half interest and half necessity.

If I had to sneak off in the middle of the night, I needed to know where I was going.

I was surveying the line of trees when I saw a horse as white as snow come barreling across the landscape, carrying a rider with flowing red hair on top.

Freya.

I’d wondered where she was. I hadn’t seen her since we’d arrived and now here she was blasting into the woods on her own. She had a wide brim hat obscuring her face, but there was no mistaking the vibrant tone of her hair.

“Soren,” I said in question, tipping my chin towards Freya.

It was Esme who answered for him. “She does whatever she wants. Including going for hour long trail runs alone that scare the shit out of me.”

Esme turned forward after she was done explaining, perfectly timed with my thankful smile dropping. My gut had always been rather loud, but since the Bond woke up and started shrieking in my head at all times, I hadn’t been as in tune with my instincts.

But with Freya … there was something there.

If Esme was scared by her absconding off into the woods by herself … why the hell had her Match let her go?

Granted, I didn’t know much about the inner workings of a lower-compatibility Match, but that didn’t feel right.

I forced myself to leave it alone. I could get a little obsessed when it came to things I didn’t know, refusing to stop my hunt until I found the critical pieces to the puzzle.

It was what got me into this fucking mess, refusing to let my gut feeling that my father wasn’t being truthful die.

Freya disappeared into the trees eventually, never stopping in her breakneck pace.

Our group descended into the trees shortly after. From afar, they were a towering mass of leaves and trunks, but stepping under their cover was an entirely different thing. You could barely see the last licks of the sunset through the heavy pines and leaves, forcing your vision to adjust quickly.

“Saddle bag, left side,” Soren said, right as small bulbs of light illuminated our space. The saddles were lined with a small row of lights, casting a soft white light around us, almost like a halo.

In my saddle bag, I found a small button nestled into the back. When I pressed it, Clover’s coat was illuminated, taking on that almost purple hue that it did in the sun.

We glowed like fireflies hovering in the night sky as we started climbing the trail to the summit of the mountain.

Clover adjusted easily, knowing intuitively where to place her steps with the most grip and strength. Even then, my heart launched into my throat. I couldn’t think of anything else but monitoring her movements and making sure she didn’t so much as trip.

I didn’t care if she threw me off, but I couldn’t bear the thought of her ending up with something as small as a bruise from this.

My focus was so singular, time slipped away and the next thing I knew, we were cresting the hill. Marching downhill was an equally challenging feat, and the same phenomenon happened until light started pouring in from the tree line at the bottom of the slope.

Pax .

Though anxiety banged at my chest, I tried to focus on the fact that everyone around me seemed calm. I didn’t know anyone here long enough to truly trust them, but I clung onto my urge to lean on Soren and tried to channel the easy set of his shoulders and the comforting rise of his chest with every breath.

I had no choice other than to confront my situation when we broke through the tree line and began descending on Pax.

From above, the town looked like it was confined to one winding road curving down the hill, dotted with small buildings on either side. Beyond it, flat, lush grass extended on either side.

Before the War, I was sure this was profitable farm land, or even a small town cherished and kept secret from the bustle of cities. At least the buildings still looked strong and healthy, saved from the destruction of battle.

Far in the distance, I could see small lights dotting the horizon. Muli soldiers were a lot closer than I realized. On horseback, they would be able to ambush us in under an hour.

Quicker than I expected, the ground turned from the muddy, rough terrain of the forest to a well-kept road as we officially entered Pax.

Music and voices started rising to a louder and louder volume as we approached a structure just off the path, surrounded by strings of lights and crackling fires.

We followed Esme and Ford off to the side to a row of horses settled close to the barn, but not a single one was tethered.

I turned to Soren to say, “I’m guessing the equin also refuse to leave their rider?”

Soren’s lip curved up at the corner. “They play around like puppies, but no they won’t go far.” He leaned down, brushing his hand down Lucky’s mane. The veins in his hand were prominent tonight, carving through his skin. “Their bond with us helps them sense your mood, same as you can tell theirs. They might venture a little farther if they can tell that you are safe or content, but if something shifts, they’ll be back here before the threat even materializes.”

Comfort washed over me. I’d been protected my whole life, coddled even, because of my last name, not because anyone cared about how I was feeling. I had the same guards following me, providing a shield against any threat, no matter my mood or the situation.

To have someone care about me , to take care of me in a way that felt honest and real was new.

I turned away from Soren, feeling too raw to look at him right now.

People were slowly trickling out of the bar, which looked more like a barn than anything, watching our arrival.

Esme waved at a few people she saw, even in the dimming evening light, and I saw Soren’s chin drop in acknowledgment a few times. Esme swung herself off Sky first, pausing to check the saddle and feed him a few treats before she took off into the burgeoning crowd.

Ford hopped down next, following Esme and plowing through people, most of whom jumped out of his path like he would simply flatten them if they didn’t move.

Given how many people Soren seemed to know in this crowd, I expected him to do something similar, just move forward through his familiarity and hope I followed. He hopped off Lucky so quickly I thought he’d do just that, but he simply walked around to Lucky’s snout and spoke low to him.

He was … waiting for me.

My heart launched into my ribs as if it would be happier falling into his hands. Swallowing through the surge of emotion, I climbed down from Clover.

The second my feet hit the ground, her and Lucky took off into a full gallop, leaving a small wind in their wake.

“Well,” I said, trying not to laugh. “Clover clearly thinks I’m okay.”

“Are you not?” Soren asked, voice considerably lower than its normal tone.

I whipped towards him, pulled in by the rough scrape of his words. “I’m … it's … I’m fine.” I was, if Clover felt comfortable leaving me. Maybe it was that she knew I was with Soren, as if that made me safe.

It certainly felt like it did.

Soren didn’t seem too impressed by my answer, so I stepped toward him, entering his warmth and earning a greater depth of his scent, and said, “I’m okay. Are you going to show me inside or are we going to wait here all night?”

That made Soren smile. Finally. “Alright, princess. Let’s go.”

I stepped close enough to him to give silent permission that we should stay pressed together. His hand casually found my waist, wrapping along my back and settling low on my hip.

I got no small ounce of satisfaction from the fact that we would be walking in together like this.

People openly stared at us as we walked by, and I couldn’t tell whether it was because they were from Vir and recognized me or if they were from Muli and I was nothing but a new face, Matched with someone who had surely developed a rather infamous reputation for himself.

I had no time to think about it as we stepped through the open doors and into the main space, immediately thrown into a crowd far too jovial for this situation.

A band was playing lively music in the back, surrounded by a group of people dancing together in a flourish of spins and dips. Tables were scattered around the entire floor, filled with people laughing and telling stories at a booming volume. The right side of the space was filled with a long bar, with a backdrop of countless bottles of alcohol, some clearly smuggledfrom Vir and some that surely were produced here.

It was the first time I’d ever been in a bar, though I doubted they were constantly as rowdy as this one was.

Soren laughed low and amused from next to me, seeing right through my inexperience. “Shut up,” I growled back, not above stomping on his foot.

“Oi!” Esme called from across the bar, motioning to the large table she’d sat down at, before turning back to the conversation she was in. Ford sat next to her, staring into a glass of amber liquid.

“Go,” Soren said. “I’ll grab drinks.”

“You don’t even know what I—and he’s not listening to me,” I finished with a grumble, watching Soren stride off towards the bar without bothering to ask what I preferred to drink.

I walked toward Esme and Ford, intentionally ignoring the hushed whispers trailing in my wake. If there was one thing I was used to, it was whispers and stares.

The person talking to Esme was leaning back on the chair next to her, so I sat down next to Ford instead. I wasn’t sure what happened, but the second I sat down, it seemed to open the floodgates.

Three women approached him at the same time, each speaking over the other as they asked if he wanted a drink, to dance, or to step outside where it was quieter.

I tried to restrain my laugh as Ford turned slowly, forcing a pleasantly passive smile to his face. It was naturally lopsided due to his scar, but it gave him a rakish grin that I was sure was appreciated by people who weren’t haunted by their disturbingly handsome Soul Mate. “I’m afraid I didn’t catch that.”

This time, I had to lift my hand to my mouth to cover my smile. One of the girls turned to the other two and snapped, “I got here first.”

“Calm down, Tabitha,” the other shot back, which prompted the third to say, “Shut up, both of you.”

Ford watched with a vaguely amused look on his face, while I was just content to sit back and let this whole thing play out. The women seemed kind enough, but I was more interested in seeing what Ford was going to do.

By looking at him, I noticed that the person Esme was talking to had left, but she still kept her back turned to the conversation.

“There’s a bottle of whiskey behind the bar on my tab,” Ford told the group. “Feel free.”

That was enough to appease them for the time being it seemed because they fled towards the bar quickly. Only then did Esme turn around, meeting my eyes. There was something in her expression, but I wouldn’t point it out.

“They’re probably going to finish the bottle,” Esme said to Ford.

“Fine by me,” he said, looking somewhere over my shoulder. Soren had returned with a bottle of amber alcohol and four glasses.

Well, Ford was craftier than I gave him credit for.

Soren set the glasses down, then lifted the bottle with both hands in the air in exhaltation, humming in the back of his throat.

Ford and Esme both laughed, while I remained confused.

Soren twisted the cap off the bottle, pouring a glass and sliding it towards me. “This,” he said, with the tone of someone speaking about their most cherished possession, “is Muli whiskey. Ambrosia straight from the Goddess’s hands.”

I let out a shocked laugh, his praise making sense now. “You’ve given it a lot to live up to,” I said as I picked up the glass.

I heard Soren say, “Just wait,” right as I tipped the glass and took a sip. The whiskey poured over my tongue in a slip of rich caramel and warm spices, sliding down my throat easily before pooling in my stomach in a comfortable wash of heat.

“Okay, fine, that’s really good,” I conceded, drawing smiles from the rest of the group.

That was enough for me to fully settle in, leaning ever so slightly into my chair. That was as relaxed as my posture could get without my mother’s voice ringing in my ear to stand up.

As the Muli whiskey warmed my limbs, the rest of the Vir soldiers that had come with us trickled into the room. It was odd at first for me to watch everyone act like friends, when depending on the day, it was just as likely that they were aiming guns at each other.

But then I realized that this wasn’t their war. They had no animosity against the other side, they were just doing what they were told.

Duty flicked at my shoulders, but I forced it down with a promise to handle it later.

Right now, I could sit back and drink with new friends, taking in the rapid shift in my life, to try and enjoy my first time at a bar.

I did just that, joining conversations of people who came up to the table, letting myself laugh, and drinking to my heart's content until the doors blew open and silence descended upon the room so fast, it felt like the air was sucked out with it.