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But now…

Now, as I gazed at her beautiful face and wanted nothing more than to deserve her, to please her, to earn her trust in me…

I knew I had to tell her.

Not right now, perhaps.

But soon.

23

TASHA

Tenn was uncharacteristically quiet as we headed off for Rivven’s saloon the next morning. It was only the two of us on shulduback today. Warden Hallum said he had some traps to check – traps he apparently used to catch various animals for fur and meat. He planned to join us when that task was finished, but he wanted to do it now and beat the rain.

After being apart from Tenn the past few nights, I would have been excited to have some alone time with him. If it weren’t for the fact he’d apparently gotten up on the wrong side of the bedroll this morning. The weather only added to the gloomy atmosphere. This was the first cloudy day I’d experienced on Zabria Prinar One. Heavy, opaque grey clouds pressed down from above. A humid wind swiped at us as we rode.

When we arrived at the saloon, we discovered Rivven alone inside.

“The others are not here yet,” he said, straightening up from where he’d been bent over, wiping down the bar.

“That’s alright,” I said. “We’re a little early today.”

I paused to see if Tenn had any of his usual sassiness to contribute to the conversation. But he just lurked, grumpy andquiet in the corner of the saloon. His jaw worked in silence, like there was something he did want to say, but he’d chosen to chew on the words instead.

“Riveting, Tenn. Truly,” I said with a roll of my eyes. My reply was probably a lot more barbed than the situation called for, but it seemed I couldn’t help it. Tenn’s mood somehow felt like a personal rejection. And that made me anxious. Anxious enough to lash out, with sarcasm if nothing else.

But I couldn’t stew about Tenn right now. Not when poor Rivven was standing there so awkwardly in his tuxedo.

“Apologies,” he said, his mouth twisting with concern when he caught me glancing at his outfit. “I have forgotten my bow.”

His bow. Like he was a gift.

He could be a gift to someone.

“I think you mean bowtie,” I said gently. “But it’s alright. Really.” I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “As much as I appreciate you and the others dressing in such, er, formal attire… You really don’t have to wear that every time you see me. Silar and Fallon in the other province certainly didn’t. They just wore pants and… Well, that’s about it, actually, aside from their hats.”

“I see.” He looked down at himself. “Should I change?”

“I leave it totally up to you. Do whatever makes you comfortable.”

Relief washed over his features.

“I’ll change.”

He went behind the counter, then pushed open a door and disappeared behind it.

“You’ll never get him in another shirt again now,” Tenn mumbled under his breath.

“That’s enough out of you,” I said, spinning to glare at him.

“Enough out of me? I’ve barely spoken this morning.”

“Exactly! You… You know what? Let’s go outside.”

If I was about to have a loud argument with Tenn, I didn’t want it to be in Rivven’s saloon where he would hear us with those big Zabrian ears.

Outside, though it was now later in the morning, the sky was even darker than before. A rumble in the distance told me we probably didn’t have long out here before the skies opened up and pummelled us. We walked through the long grass beside Rivven’s saloon into the area behind the building. There was yet more grass back here, most of it getting flattened by the rising wind, as well as a few trees and what looked to be an old, unused shed or outbuilding of some kind.