Chapter Forty-Seven: Lady Vivian Cross

The sense of foreboding was only worse when I woke. Serena was having another nightmare, so I held her, rubbing her back until she started to calm down. She didn’t wake violently this time, but I could see in her eyes that she wasn’t as okay as she was pretending to be. Calling her out on it would be the pot calling the kettle black, so I just whispered in her ear that I was here if she needed me and didn’t press her on it.

Once she was feeling better, it took me far too long to drag myself out of bed. I’d slept well, but I still felt exhausted. The kind of tired that had nothing to do with a good night’s sleep. I ended up laying with my nose buried in Serena’s hair, pressing her into my chest, for far too long. It was only after Tiana’s hand started rubbing my back and I heard her voice telling me it was time to get up that I forced myself to start getting ready for the day.

The rain was still our constant companion as we ate a quick breakfast and packed up camp, but it was at least starting to lighten up. I was glad I didn’t even have to ask for Rhallani, Tiana, and Serena to all don my shadow armors, and Noelle assured me she could summon her own in an instant if the need arose. It made some of the weight lift off my chest, but I could still offer little more than grateful smiles to each of them.

Whatever funk I was in, I couldn’t let it affect the safety of the caravan. It was time to utilize Festus, so I pulled Rhallani aside and had her send the silver dragon into the sky to keep an eye out for anyone on the road ahead or hiding out of sight. So far we’d still been too close to Anford for anyone with a semblance of sense to make a move, but now we were officially in the wilds between cities. The most dangerous point would be the halfway point between the two, and every day we got closer to it we’d need to be even more on alert.

We finally resumed our trudge through the mud far later than usual. Mercifully, a bit before noon, the rain finally decided to give us a reprieve. My mood lifted a little when the sun started to peek out, but not by much. With evening fast approaching, I was hoping that would be the highlight of the day. Then Rhallani ran over and grabbed my arm.

“Festus sees someone on the road ahead,” she said quickly and quietly.

Something told me this was going to be a pain. “What does he see?”

“Single carriage, three people. Pretty sure they’re all human, looks like one of their wheels is busted.”

“What can you see about the people?”

“Two look like fighters, the third is in fine clothes. The carriage is nice, too. Really nice.”

I responded with a nod. “Stick close to Noelle.” I started forward, jerking my head at Noelle, Serena, and Tiana in turn. Rhallani gave them a brief rundown of what she’d seen. “Noelle, you and Rhallani will stick with the Caravan. Serena, you’re with me, Tiana you stay far enough back to help if we need it.”

“It sounds like they might just be travelers in need of a hand,” Serena pointed out.

“Maybe, or maybe it’s a trap. I’m not taking chances,” I responded.

I felt a tug on my sleeve and looked to see Tiana biting her lip. “Um, if you think they might be dangerous, then…”

I arched a brow and conjured a tendril from her armor. I gave it a quick command to pleasure her while staying out of sight and her eyes practically rolled into the back of her head. She grabbed the front of my cloak and pulled me in for a rough kiss, then pushed away. “I’ve been waiting for an excuse,” she admitted, her voice sultry.

I chuckled in spite of myself. “You never need one with me.” I set off towards the front, flagging down Pierce and Korey. I gave them the same rundown as the others and they both agreed to let me take the lead. Pierce called his crew together and had them set up on either side of the caravan in case this was an ambush.

I hid my relieved breath, almost hoping for some kind of altercation. I tended to get nervous when nothing bad happened to me for too long, and I wanted to get my quota of bullshit out of the way early for this trip. It felt good to have something in front of me to take care of, though, and it did wonders alleviating the heaviness that had plagued me all morning.

No shortage of curious glares were shot at us when Korey told everyone to slow, but it seemed we’d earned enough trust that they were willing to leave whatever was happening up to us. Sure enough, just as Rhallani had reported, the carriage came into view. I could tell even from a distance that the carriage was probably worth as much as the five wagons we had put together.

My eyes were first drawn to the two that must have been hired muscle. Both were women, one who stood taller than me with biceps the size of my head and a four foot sword on her back, the other of a slighter build with thin blades at her waist and a bow over her shoulder. The former leaned against the side of the carriage with her arms crossed while the latter sat in the driver’s spot.

Both had hoods raised to hide their features, but I could tell from their body language that they were eyeing us as we approached. The third woman screamed nobility. She had long, fiery red hair hanging nearly to her waist that shone even from a distance. Her tunic, red with gold trim, was made from fine materials and the skirt dropped nearly to the ground. The cloth covered nearly her whole body, and what the tunic didn’t hide was wrapped in red silk gloves and tall leather boots. She even wore a scarf that covered the last bit of skin available below her chin.

She had the prominent cheekbones, narrow chin, and sharp jaw to complete the outfit, though I was willing to bet she wore makeup to so perfectly achieve the look. She sat in the open door of the carriage, one leg crossed over the other, with her hand on her chin and an extremely bored expression, right until she saw us. Her amber eyes shot wide and a brilliant smile broke out on her face.

“Oh, wonderful!” she exclaimed, leaping to her feet with a bouncing energy that made me want to take a nap. Immediately, what I could see of the tall woman’s face broke into a scowl. Oblivious to her companion’s expression, the redhead barreled on. “I was certain it’d be days before someone else came along!”

“My lady…” tall girl grumbled.

“Oh, hush, Zoey. There’s only two of them, I’m sure you can handle them if there’s trouble,” she said.

“Three. I spy a mage in the back,” the girl on the carriage said, her voice light and airy.

“All the same,” the redhead said with a dismissive wave. She strode towards me, her back high and her hair flowing out around her in a practiced manner. She thrust her hand out at me, palm down, knuckles pointed at me. “Lady Vivian Cross. A pleasure.”

I exchanged a glance with Serena, who looked at flabbergasted as I felt, then I took her hand. I didn’t lift it enough to bring my lips to it, but she seemed pleased nonetheless. “Ren.” I fought to keep my reaction off my face as I felt magic under my fingers. Whether it was the gloves on her hands or her hands themselves, there was a lot of it. “This is Serena, Tiana back there is my mage.”

If she was bothered at all by my less than warm welcome, she didn’t show it. If anything, her smile widened. Already I could tell that she was charming and charismatic, which would have helped her get into the good graces of anyone other than me, more antisocial than just about anyone I’d ever met.

“That cursed storm left us broken down,” she said with a pout. “And because it lasted so terribly long, nobody has come by! It’s been absolutely atrocious. I was another day from having to send poor Reese back to town all by her lonesome.”

Reese, who I assumed to be the girl on the carriage, scoffed lightly and resumed scanning the area around us. Zoey moved to stand behind Vivian with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. Up close I saw that she had black hair shaved on one side and eyes so dark they were nearly the same color. A scar marred her face, going from the corner of her mouth across her cheekbone and into the shaved area of her head where no hair grew around it.

“Right. Well, I’m sure someone in my caravan could help,” I said carefully.

She clasped both hands around mine and pulled it to her chest. “Oh that would be wonderful! I’m more than happy to pay, of course. Money I have, tools for carriage repair, not so much.”

When she practically shoved my hand between her breasts, I realized her gloves weren’t the only thing magical about her. I was fairly certain her tunic had some kind of magical threat woven into it, and up close I felt the pull of magic grow stronger. If she was loaded, then it wouldn’t be surprising if she simply wore all kinds of magical clothings. Hells, this far north it was entirely possible it was simply enchanted to keep her warm. I’d have to see if Tiana could get a more specific read from her.

I carefully extracted my hand from hers and waved it above my head. Reese and Zoey both drew their weapons in a blur as Festus swooped down and landed heavily on my shoulder. Reese’s bow had hardly found her hand before she had an arrow nocked and drawn, and Zoey’s blade was halfway out of the scabbard on her back.

Vivian, however, reacted in the complete opposite way. She let loose a squeal that nearly burst my eardrums.

“Oh my gods, he’s adorable!” she said.

Festus seemed unbothered by the three of them. “No other souls within a mile radius, sir. If it’s a trap, it’s an extremely well hidden one.” No sooner had he spoken that Tiana joined us, her eyes locked on Reese. She walked up to stand right behind me, and from the way her hand curled into the back of my cloak I figured my tendril was doing a good job.

Zoey slammed her blade into her scabbard with a snort and Reese let some of the tension out of her bow, but Vivian just cocked her head to the side. “Trap? Why would this—Oh!” Her hand shot to her mouth. “Of course this would look suspicious! I’ve read a dozen novels where highwaymen used this exact trap!”

Serena suppressed a giggle next to me. She leaned close to me and whispered, “reminds me of someone else we know.”

I shot her a smirk, then said to Festus, “have Rhallani tell Korey that Lady Vivian here has met some misfortune on the road and would like his help in repairing her carriage. She’s willing to pay.”

Festus blinked, and I knew he was relaying the message. Instant communication was going to come in handy. We stood in an awkward silence—well, everyone but Vivian, who retained her bright and chippy demeanor—while we awaited Festus’s response.

“Master Korey will bring the caravan forward if you deem it safe, sir,” Festus said finally, and I nodded in return. “We’ll park here for the night while Jalan and Garm repair the Lady’s carriage.”

Vivian made a delighted sound. “Wonderful! Zoey, Reese, please start setting up camp then.”

“Hang on,” Zoey said, raising a hand. “How big of a caravan are we talking?” She asked me.

“Five wagons, ten guards, eleven civilians.” They’d see soon enough, so no harm telling them.

Zoey looked me up and down skeptically. “And you’re in charge?”

I barked a humorless laugh. “Hardly, I’ve just proven the hardest to kill.”

Something in the general vicinity of humor flashed behind her eyes. She shot a questioning look at Vivian, who was locked on Festus still. “What? Oh, no, it’s fine Zoey. I’m sure that if they were hostile they wouldn’t have been so careful!” She laughed softly to herself. “A trap indeed!”

Reese hopped nimbly down off the carriage and lowered her hood. Her brown hair was tied in a tight braid, and as she drew it over her shoulder I saw that it faded to white at the ends. She looked from me to Tiana to Serena with a frown, then disappeared into the carriage.

With Vivian still locked firmly on Festus, I took a moment to look over the carriage itself. Fancy wasn’t nearly strong enough of a word to describe it. The wood was thick and treated, the finish looked hand crafted, and I could see signs of enchantment to trap the heat in and protect against the weather. Through the open door I saw a grate that no doubt held fire crystals that would warm the cabin. When I looked at the wheels, I couldn’t help but frown.

Like the rest of the carriage, they were exorbitantly expensive. The fact that one of the front axles had apparently broken, leaving the wheel at an angle that was undrivable, shouldn’t have happened. These carriages cost as much as houses for a reason.

“How’d you break down?” I asked, my question aimed more at Zoey than Vivian.

She eyed me carefully. “Not sure. We tried to drive through the storm to find some kind of shelter and it just collapsed.”

I nodded, not pushing further. It could be just as they say. A freak occurrence in a storm. A more paranoid part of my brain had already come up with a number of alternatives. It could have been sabotage; Vivian was the kind of noble that screamed easy mark. If someone had damaged the axle before they’d even left, then perhaps they were lying in wait for it to collapse. Maybe the storm had collapsed it early. Or, if I really wanted to be paranoid, then Vivian could have damaged the carriage herself and the airhead noble demeanor was a front.

The last one wasn’t likely, namely because I couldn’t for the life of me think of a reason why they’d do something like that. That didn’t mean I was going to completely ignore the possibility, of course. I’d talk to the others about my suspicions later. All I knew for right now was that I didn’t feel threatened by them.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. From the way they moved and the gear they wore, I was sure Zoey and Reese were more than capable fighters, but I didn’t get the sense that they were enemies. It wouldn’t be the first time my instincts had failed me, but I was willing to trust them for now.

Festus returned to the air and Vivian made a disappointed noise as he went. She followed him with her eyes until he swooped down towards the caravan just coming into view, and she made another delighted sound. “I love meeting new friends!”

I let out a breath. Whether she was deceiving us or not, I got a feeling she was going to be a handful.

# # #

One thing was certain. I had severely underestimated Vivian’s charisma. I introduced her to Pierce and Korey and she immediately got to work. She was bubbly and warm, and after two days of being wet and miserable the entire caravan took to her like fish to water. I’d been around just enough nobility to recognize someone who’s been trained in the art of conversation, and Vivian was a master.

By the time Garm and Ryoko were handing out dinner, nearly everyone in the camp were on team Vivian. There were only three noticeable holdouts. One was Pierce, which was unsurprising. He hadn’t started to warm up to me until I’d soloed three blightwolves. The second was Tsuki, which I also expected. She didn’t trust any humans, after all. The only reason she’d started to warm up for me was because of what I’d done for her and Ryoko.

And then there was Al. He’d kept to himself so aggressively since we’d joined the caravan that I often forgot he was a part of the caravan. He must have had skills that assisted with that, because most of the time he was nearly invisible unless he made his presence known.

Where Pierce was cautious of everyone and Tsuki was openly mistrustful to those who hadn’t proved themselves, Al nursed a healthy dislike for anybody and everybody. I wasn’t even sure if he liked Pierce all that much. True to form, he vehemently disliked Vivian and her guards from the word go. Though she was supremely unbothered by the sneer he threw in her face, she gave him a wide berth after that.

While she floated through camp, her two guards watching her like hawks, I couldn’t keep my eyes from drifting back to her. I didn’t know what it was that made it so hard to look away. I was more than willing to admit that she was extremely attractive, but I was still struggling with the romantic relationships I was already in. I had no desire to add her to the harem. No, it was something about the way she moved. How she carried herself. She was confident and comfortable, to be sure, but it wasn’t quite that either.

We were halfway through the night before I realized she didn’t touch anyone. She held her hand out for Korey and Pierce, as she had me, but she withdrew it quickly without seeming rude. She flowed around people like she was walking on air, but she never got quite close enough to so much as bump elbows. She was a master at getting very close to people in a completely friendly and nonthreatening manner while still managing to keep that last barrier between them.

It was sometime after dinner that I realized who she reminded me of. She’d taken quite a shine to Rhallani and Noelle both, which gave them all plenty to talk about while we ate. That was good since I was so distracted I hardly said a word when it hit me.

She socialized just like Rolar.

Rolar had been raised a noble and the heir to his family fortune. His parents had trained him from a young age to navigate social situations of every level, and he’d learned well. He did it so naturally you didn’t even realize you were being maneuvered until it was far too late. He used those skills to drum up no shortage of allies during the war.

And every time, I’d watched from the sidelines. He’d tried coaching me on etiquette more than once, but it was one of the many things that I simply had no patience for. Back then I’d been so alone—so used to being alone—that I hadn’t even thought to complain as I ended up on the outskirts of every party, every gathering, and every meeting. The scowling dangerous presence that implicated a threat whenever Rolar needed to. I’d been more than happy to let him handle people so I could simply focus on doing what I knew best: fighting.

Now, watching her do just as he did, tearing through camp and wiggling her way into everyone’s trust without them realizing it, I found myself wondering if things had changed much at all. Sure, the caravan had come to trust me, but only because of my strength. Just like before, I was proving myself by finding the biggest, baddest thing I could find and showing everyone how dangerous I was, whether by intention or otherwise.

I felt something in my chest the more I thought about it. I wasn’t sure if it was some level of jealousy that she seemed so able to put people at ease or me missing one of the few people I’d ever called friend before Allura. All I did know was that watching her do what she did made me feel…tired.

Not for the first time, I wondered why Allura had chosen me for this job. I wasn’t Rolar. I couldn’t sway an entire room to my side with a few well placed words. I was what Karn had made me into. I was a weapon. He’d sharpened me like a blade with pain and loss and even after I’d escaped him I’d done exactly nothing to stray from that path, I’d just found someone with a moral compass I trusted to point me. Hunting monsters like the queen I could do, but preparing the world?

I didn’t realize I was squeezing Noelle to my chest until she let out a grunt. The sound snapped me out of my thoughts and met her wide, crimson eyes that held a question in them. I offered her as good a smile as I could manage, but her lips just curved downwards and her brow furrowed.

Against my better judgment, my gaze sought out Serena next. She was frowning at me, and I couldn’t help but look away. I mumbled something about calling it an early night and gently shifted Noelle out of my lap and into Serena’s. When I took my bowl back to Garm and Ryoko, I realized I’d barely even touched it. The idea of eating anything else right now made me mildly nauseous, so I returned the near-full bowl with a sigh and threaded my way back to the tent.

I got as far as ditching my boots and my shirt before I just laid down with my forearm over my eyes. I cursed when I remembered I wanted to get in on the watches for tonight, but with how tired I still felt I resolved to take one tomorrow. I’d get some extra sleep tonight and I’d take the second watch tomorrow since that was the worst one.

Only the moment I closed my eyes I knew it was a moot point. My body may have felt like lead, but my mind was racing. I had a feeling there would be no turning it off, either. When I heard the flap open twenty or so minutes later I was no closer to falling asleep. I lifted my arm enough to peek at Tiana who quickly stripped to her smallclothes, then slowly slid into the bedroll. As if afraid of startling me, she maneuvered carefully into my side, her hand caressing my chest, and looked at me with concern in her eyes.

“Everything alright?” she asked softly.

I gave her as reassuring a smile as I could manage and shifted my hand to her hip. “I’m fine. Just one of those days.”

She pursed her lips, then laid down so her cheek was on my shoulder so she could look up at me. She trailed her fingertips gently down my jaw. “I’m here if you want to talk about it.”

“Not sure there’s much to talk about,” I said a hair too quickly.

But she just nodded, settling into me and dragging her nails lightly across my chest. Just when I was sure she’d press me further, she said, “Tsuki wants to learn to fight, and Noelle’s never had any proper teaching, so Serena is showing them some basic moves. I know it would mean a lot to both of them if you were to work with them.”

That was good to hear. I wanted the people close to me to be able to handle themselves in an emergency. It was also a wonderful topic to switch to that wasn’t the melancholy creeping at the edges of my brain. “I’ll talk to Serena about it tomorrow,” I promised.

“Mmm,” was her only response. It wasn’t a tired sound, as her eyes were still flicking up to mine every so often, but rather a thoughtful one.

“I know you and Rhallani have backline classes, but I’d like you to at least know some self defense,” I said eventually.

“Okay,” she said easily.

She didn’t make any further attempts to push me into talking, and I appreciated that greatly. Her breathing started to slow, but her fingers never stopped tracing shapes into my chest. Eventually, I rolled into her and pulled her into my chest with my arm under her head. She let out a soft gasp, then wrapped her own arms around my middle and pulled herself close, pressing her forehead into my shoulder.

Now she was lightly dragging her nails up and down my back, but that only made me wrap her up tighter. She pressed a kiss to my chest, then said, “I know what it’s like. To have those days.”

I smile tugged at my lips. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” she said. “Everything I’ve ever been through brought me to you. Even if we went our separate ways tomorrow, it would have been worth it.”

That did make me smile, even if it was a small one. “Let’s not, though. I’m looking forward to keeping you around for a long while.”

She laughed softly into my chest, reaching up with one of the arms still wrapped around me to play with the hair at the nape of my neck. It was starting to get long. “You know,” she said finally, “with all the legends and trauma and the way you carry yourself, I keep forgetting you’re the same age as me. You feel so much older.”

“I had to grow up fast,” I said simply. I ran my fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp, and she melted into my chest with a shiver.

“Fuck I love it when you play with my hair,” she breathed.

“Noted,” I said with a chuckle. The moment I did I felt her lips curl into a smile against my skin.I kept playing with her hair until the flap opened again. Rhallani stuck her head in with a grin that quickly faded when she realized we were both still wearing far to many clothes to have gotten up to anything. Her brows furrowed, and she quickly stripped down to nothing but a set of panties and slid in behind me.

“Zaren?” She pressed into my back, her fingers running through my own hair so she could turn my face towards her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Angel,” I said reflexively. “Just a little tired is all.” I felt Tiana tense up in my arms, but she made no move to correct me.

She rose high enough that my head was resting against her breasts and kept running her fingers over my scalp while I did the same to Tiana. “You’re not sleeping well?”

“I’ve never slept better then when I’m with all of you.” A painfully low bar, but not a lie. I uncurled one of the arms still wrapped around Tiana and reached up to grab one of Rhallani’s hands, bringing it close enough that I could brush my lips to her knuckles. “I’m probably still not fully recovered from the Valax.”

Rhallani made an uncertain noise, but she didn’t argue and Tiana didn’t call me out. Rhallani wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her chin on my head for a change. “So…Vivian…”

“Don’t you even start,” I warned, trying to keep my voice as light as I could.

“I saw how you couldn’t keep your eyes off her,” she protested, and even Tiana looked up at me with raised brows.

“I’m just keeping an eye on her. I’m not looking for another harem member right now.”

Tiana frowned. “You don’t trust her?”

I sighed. “I don’t trust anyone but the four of you. I don’t mistrust her, I just…I think it might be a good idea to keep an eye on her is all.”

Neither of them answered, and a small part of me very much hoped that was the end of the conversation. Of course I was wrong.

“Vivian offered to buy me,” Rhallani blurted out.

I was careful not to react, which I quickly realized was a mistake. Rhallani pulled away, and when I looked back at her I had a hard time reading her expression. “You know I said no, right?” she demanded.

“I assumed,” I said slowly. “But—”

“Zaren,” she cut me off, “if you’re even thinking of saying I could accept her offer if I wanted to, then I might just sleep in the other tent tonight.”

I nodded once. “That would be a stupid thing to say, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes. It would.”

I rolled so that I was on my back once more and ran my hand over my face. “What did she say?”

“Well,” Rhallani said in a clipped tone, “she said that she was always very fond of Arelims, and that if I ever wanted a change in Patron she had the money to pay you more than enough to get my contract moved over to her name. She gently implied that most Patrons who own Arelims aren’t overly kind to them, and she also offered to pay for any of my friends if I wanted to bring them along.”

“I see.”

She bristled. “That’s all? ‘You see?’”

“It sounds like a completely reasonable thing to offer, and you’ve made it clear you had no intention of accepting.” Internally I winced at how mechanical my response sounded, but it was the best I could manage under current circumstances. At some point during the day I’d locked my emotions firmly away.

Rhallani went rigid. “I see,” she said icily.

“Rhallani—”

“It’s fine,” she cut me off. She pulled the bedroll up to her shoulder and slid down so that we were even, then rolled away from me. “When you feel like sharing whatever’s got you all pissed off, I’ll be here.”

Tiana was biting her lip as if she wanted to say something, but I just shook my head softly. I knew I’d fucked up, and it wasn’t on her to fix that. “I’m sorry. For the record, no amount of money she could offer me would be enough to let you go.”

She didn’t answer, but she slid a little closer so that her bare back pressed into my side. I didn’t exactly trust myself not to make things worse, so I figured that was as good as it was going to get tonight. I didn’t handle emotions well, and I knew better than anybody I had a tendency to shut down as soon as they got out of control, but it had been a long time since I’d dealt with any emotion other than anger.

I was still facing the ceiling of the tent when Tiana crawled up my body to practically lay on top of me, pressing her lips to the corner of my mouth. “Get some sleep, Zaren. Hopefully you feel better tomorrow,” she said softly. Then, after she’d nuzzled close enough that her lips were practically next to my ear, she whispered, “And if you don’t, then I’ll be here then, too.”

# # #

The second I opened my eyes the next morning—or at least, the second I tried to—I knew it wasn’t just going to be a single day of feeling like shit. I hadn’t slept much last night. I never really got to that deep sleep that was actually restful, waking periodically through the night with a different set of arms draped over me or wrapped around me.

The more I thought about it, the less certain I was that it had anything to do with Vivian. She hadn’t helped by any means, but whatever mood I was in had started before her. No, whatever had me feeling like I just wanted to lie down for a few more decades continued to elude me.

But this time I forced myself to be the first one up. I wasn’t going to let my shit hurt anyone else, and they had other things to worry about that were much more important than me waking up on the wrong side of the bedroll. I got dressed and gave out as many kisses and smiles as I could manage, and I’d hoped that would be the end of it, at least for today.

Then I met Tiana’s eyes, and I knew she wasn’t buying it for a moment. But, once again, she didn’t call me out. She just pulled me in for a much deeper kiss than the soft pecks I’d been doling out and left after giving me a meaningful look.

I forced down some breakfast before giving the rest to Noelle and found myself outside. We’d just finished tying the tent to the wagon when I felt a presence behind me. I turned to find Vivian, wearing a tunic nearly identical to yesterday’s but with a slightly darker shade, smiling expectantly at me.

“Good morning, Ren!” she said happily. “I didn’t see you turn in last night.”

Oh boy. I was not in a good headspace to deal with Vivian right now. I cleared my throat, looking for assistance, but Serena and Tiana were helping hitch the horses to the wagon, Tsuki was leading Ryoko away with a mistrustful glance at Vivian, and Noelle was following Rhallani who was very pointedly not looking in our direction, throwing an uncertain glance at us over her shoulder.

“Vivian. I didn’t realize you were looking for me. I wasn’t feeling well yesterday.”

Her expression shifted to something between a pout and a look of concern. “Oh, is it your injury?”

My brows rose. “My injury?”

She looked around, then leaned in with a grin. “The others said you got it fighting a monster spider.”

I’d have to find out which “others” were giving a complete stranger that kind of information. “Right. I can’t say for sure it’s related, but who knows?”

“Well I hope you slept well,” she said, pulling her long red hair over her shoulder.

I definitely hadn’t. “Well enough.” I tried to figure out what I was supposed to say next. Should I inquire how she slept? Or maybe I should ask why she’d been looking for me.

I needn’t have bothered. She filled the lull in the conversation expertly. “I was wondering if you might ride with me today? With your injury, I figured you might enjoy not walking, and I’d love the company from someone so interesting as you.”

Was she…flirting with me? I didn’t think so, but I was about as far from an expert as you could get. There was definitely an energy in her eyes while she waited on my answer, but one look at the carriage and I shook my head.

“Sorry, injured or not I’d prefer to stay outside and walk. I want to be able to see threats coming.” I also did not like tight spaces. I’d made the mistake of going underground before, and with how the last day had gone for me I didn’t trust myself in the confines of the carriage. Especially with a stranger I still wasn’t sure I could trust.

This time, however, she definitely pouted. “Oh, boo. Alright then, I suppose I can’t fault you for being an attentive escort. I would, however, love to learn more about you when we stop tonight.”

I opened my mouth, then froze. “Wait, we?”

She lit up and clasped her hands in front of her. “Oh, yes! I forgot to mention that, didn’t I? I spoke to Korey, and after my mishap I feel much safer traveling as part of your group. He’ll be compensated, of course, which means all of you in turn will. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Wonderful. Not quite what I would have used, but we’ll go with it. Unfortunately, I could see no way out of her second invitation. “I’ll seek you out if I have the time tonight, then.”

“Good!” She clapped her hands together. “If your injury pains you at all, please let me know. I’m more than happy to offer you reprieve during the journey. All it would cost is a little conversation.” She smiled brilliantly, eyes twinkling. “I’ve got a nose for people, Ren, and it’s telling me you’re easily the most interesting person here.”

She turned and strode away, stiff-backed and practically floating, towards her carriage. She swung up into it with one last look over her shoulder. She looked directly at me and smiled, waving with her fingers before ducking inside and closing the door behind her while Reese and Zoey sat on the driver’s bench.

I was still blinking in her general direction, trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened, when a hand clapped me on the shoulder.

“You’ve gotta give me some tips, Ren,” Yen said, grinning at me. “That Vivian is fucking gorgeous, but both her guards are lookers, too.”

I raised a brow at her. “Don’t you already have your hands full?”

Her grin widened. “Rastra and Lana are wonderful, but right now we’re two mages and a tank. We could use an archer or a swordswoman, and no offense to Al but I think we’d all feel better with someone a little less…Al.” Her gaze fixed on where Zoey and Reese sat. “You see the size of that sword? Shit, she could swing me around any time.”

“Right.” Trying to shove down the feeling that I’d woken in some kind of alternate universe, I patted her hand still resting on my shoulder. This was a completely different Yen than the one I’d talked to just a day ago. “Well, if my experience is worth anything, then apparently the key is to have no fucking clue what’s going on. Ever.”

She barked out a laugh, then punched my shoulder. “I’ll have to remember that.”She strode off towards where her two mages were waiting and all I could do grind the heels of my palms into my eyes. I was just beginning to massage the bridge of my nose in the hopes I might stave off the headache I was already feeling, when a hand slid into mine.

I met Tiana’s eyes and saw concern, but she just smiled. “Walk with me today?” she asked.“Alright.” Her smile widened and she leaned forward to brush her lips against mine. “No heavy stuff, I promise. Not unless you want to talk about it.”

That made me relax a little. “Thanks.”

She just wrapped her arm around mine and pulled me to where the caravan was already starting to move. “So,” she said, the amusement clear in her voice, “Vivian…?”

Well, it seemed someone had been paying attention to our conversation. I tipped my head back to the sky. “Not you, too.”

“The others are a little enamored,” she admitted. “We talked a bit after you nodded off. Ryoko loves her, much to Tsuki’s chagrin. Vivian is quite the master when it comes to slipping the perfect compliment in there. Serena is drawn to her as well, and Vivian seems eager to kindle some level of friendship. Cynthia was a little shy, but she showed interest in Elisa’s inventions, which means she’s as good as in as far as those two are concerned. Her and Rhallani apparently got a long swimmingly right up until Vivian made her offer, which made Rhallani head straight for you.”

I sighed. “I really botched that, huh?”

“You sure did,” she said with a pat. “I think she was wanting you to be just a little bit outraged.” She leaned in close. “Rhallani really likes overprotective Zaren, though she’ll never admit it.”

I snorted. “Overprotective I can do.”

She bit her lip. “Is that so?”

“Oh, trust me. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

She laughed. “I’ll have to keep my eyes open, then.”

“Speaking of, I don’t suppose you’ve happened to notice anything odd about Vivian’s…attire?”

“You mean other than the fact that her ass looks immaculate with those boots and that tunic?” I gave her a droll look, and she laughed again. “Yes, I did happen to notice the layers and layers of magic she’s wearing.” She sobered. “Vivian is wearing more gold than my family has seen during my entire lifetime. I’m not sure I could befriend someone like that easily.”

I couldn’t help but agree. I also wasn’t a fan of how quickly she’d ingratiated herself into the group, but it was hard to deny that jealousy might have played a factor in that particular line of thinking. “She seems very…forward.”

Now it was Tiana’s turn to shoot me a droll look. “Zaren, you’re hot as fuck, you’ve got two beautiful girls on your arm and another two beautiful demi-humans that don’t hate you, you killed a stupidly powerful monster thought to be extinct, and you’ve got that whole ‘brooding bad boy’ thing down that every girl just eats up when they’re a teenager. There’s a reason the dark and mysterious adventurer is featured in about half the books Rhallani reads in her spare time.”

When she put it like that, I had to grimace. “The idea that I’m anyone’s fantasy kinda makes me want to throw up.”

She swatted my chest. “Oh, shut up. If I showed you to teenage me, then she’d cream her pants on the spot.”I raised a brow and trailed my hand up to her wonderfully shaped ass and gave it a squeeze. “So not much has changed, then?” I challenged.

Her eyes sparkled. “Not much at all,” she agreed.