Page 66 of Blackheart

He fought back a smile. “Should I get two?”

I choked on a laugh, covering my mouth with my arm before passing the bottle back.

“You might have to. The musicisterrible,” I said. Riven had always been so serious and typically short with me. It was almost embarrassing to enjoy a conversation with him.

He drank again, quickly swallowing. “Terrible is not the right word. It’s sickening.”

“Sickening?” I jested.

“If I have to drink myself sick to listen to it, then absolutely. It’s sickening.”

I laughed at the ridiculousness. Outside, the snowstorm was picking up, and the wind roared in siren whistles against the windowpane.

Then Riven was taking off his overshirt for the night, folding it and placing it neatly into his pack. He was so particular in the way he did things.

As he looked down, sorting through his belongings, that rebellious, little curl fell in his face—the one that reminded me he could not always be perfect.

Did it remind him as well?

The mysterious tattoo at his beltline just barely showed before his black undershirt fell back down over his abs, too fast to read. Only the markings along his arms remained visible.

I wanted to know what it said, but not bad enough to find out for myself in a bedding manner, even if hewaspainfully attractive when annoyed by bard music. I wouldn’t cross that line. Not with him.

But just how good was it if Luna never charged him?—?

I’d already drank too much.

“Here,” I said, holding out the bottle. There wasn’t much left, but I didn’t need another drop.

I got up to grab my blanket out of my pack and crawled back into bed, scooting all the way over until I was up against the windowpane, leaving plenty of room.

He finished off the bottle and stoked the fire before sitting on the floor in front of it, forearms relaxing over his knees.

“Goodnight, Elora. Sleep well.”

I promptly sat up. “Are you sleeping on the floor?”

“Yes.”

He’d paid for the room. If we weren’t sharing the bed, I surely did not deserve it on my own.

“I didn’t consider that you wouldn’t want to share with me, I’ll take the floor,” I said. “I like fire anyway.”

He shook his head. “You almost managed an entire day without assumptions.”

“It’s not an assumption if you justsaidyou were sleeping on the floor.” I hopped off the bed and sat by the fire with my legs crossed.

The reflection of flames danced in Riven’s eyes.

I’d slept on plenty of floors. At least this one was warm. The bed wasn’t worth being indebted to him.

“Elora.”

I slid my eyes to his. “What?”

“Sleep in the bed?—”

“No.”