Page 117 of Flameborne: Chosen

I smiled. Then giggled. What a day. First those assholes in the assessment. Then the roll. Then my squad being so nice. Then Saul asking me to come with them tonight.

Saul.

He was cute. And sweet.

His cheeks were red from the ale the men drank, and his eyes slightly glazed now. He had made a big, awkward scene about being the one to sitnext to me when we arrived. The others laughed, but gave him the seat. Now that we were all relaxed, he kept leaning close, nudging me with his shoulder. But he hadn’t touched me or made me uneasy. In fact, the more I got to know him, the safer I felt. I was more wary of his brothers, but they were mostly kind and funny. None of them looked twice at me, except when we spoke, which was a relief.

I was a little concerned about Saul sitting so close, but he hadn’t tried to touch me. He leaned into me, talking just a little too loudly to his brothers as the serving girl slipped to his other side, pouring more ale into his cup.

I squinted at my glass. Only half empty! I was doing well.

I heard my name mentioned and looked up. One of Saul’s squadmates was telling a man who’d just arrived about the trial.

“…and then she fuckingrolled!I’ve never seen a dragon spearhead like that with a rider before. It was insane!”

“Don’t forget tha’ she made ‘im scream!” Saul said, a little too loudly. “He swore and call’d her crazy becausse he’s an ashhole.”

I looked at Saul. When he focused on me his smile was so wide and goofy I laughed out loud.

“You’re drunk!”

“So are you!”

“No, I’m not!”

“You both are, but you deserve it after today, so drink up!” Saul’s Wing Captain said with a laugh.

“I’ve only hadda half s’ far,” I protested, then squinted at my goblet, grabbed it and held it up so they could see—just as someone leaned over my shoulder with a pitcher to pour more into my glass.

The red wine splashed on the table and everyone—including me—leaped up from their seats, laughing and calling to each other to watch out as the barmaid cursed, then told us all to hold on while she found a rag to clean it.

I needed the water closet, so as the men joked and nudged each other, I plonked the goblet back down on the table. “I’ll be back inna minute!” I announced.

Saul pointed me to the doors at the back of the tavern, past the wide fireplace, and the corner bar where one tired looking woman wiped glasses and poured drinks for another tired looking woman to carry on a tray.

I weaved between the tables, knocking my knee on a bench at one point because I misjudged the distance between the men sitting either side of the aisle—then when I turned to apologize to the one for bumping into his seat, I somehow backed into another.

By the time I made it to the water closet, I was spluttering with laughter and embarrassment, but also feeling veryfree.I hadn’t felt that kind ofto-hell-with-itattitude in so long, I wanted to hug myself.

I needed to go home.

I resolved that when I went back out to the table, I’d ask Saul to walk back with me, and pray he didn’t take the wrong impression from the request. He didn’t seem the type, but I’d never thought Ruin would be the kind to—

I had just pushed out of the water closet and back into the main room when a man who’d been leaning over the bar, speaking quietly to the woman who poured the drinks, straightened, and looked at me.

He smiled as I approached, but didn’t say anything. I gave him a small smile back, but then turned to look for Saul—except, as I passed the man, something brushed my ass.

I whipped around, sucking in a breath and balling my hands to fists. My heart hammered and my head thumped painfully. I couldn’t get enough breath and struggled to straighten as the man moved into the aisle and towards me, a sly smile on his face.

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, forcing myself not to shrink, though my heart spasmed in my chest.

“I didn’t!” he said, his expression overly innocent. “I don’t know what you felt darlin’, but it wasn’t me!”

“I know wha’ you did—leave me alone!”

He continued to protest his innocence and I looked past him to the woman behind the bar. She looked so tired, her expression pleading when she met my eyes, and that old feeling… the one that made me shrink and cry andfearbubbled up in my chest.

No.No,I would never again let a man pretend—