A Soul for Trouble

by Crista McHugh

  The innkeeper must have recruited every staff member and empty bucket he could find to bring up her bath water. They wasted no time filling the bath two-thirds full, leaving a bar of soap and a towel beside it and retreating back downstairs. It was almost as if they sensed Dev’s anger and didn’t want to witness the unavoidable explosion. At least they had the courtesy to close the door behind them so they could feign ignorance when it happened.

  He snatched her wrist and pulled her close enough to him so his lips brushed against her ear when he spoke. “Now, listen to me, Trouble, and listen well. There are far worse things out there than what you’re imagining me to be. The last thing I want to see is a knife sticking out of your back or your eyes glowing red after that necromancer animates your corpse. I will lay down my life before I let that happen, but I would appreciate your cooperation. Do you understand me?”

  The intimacy of his touch warmed her, but his words tore at her defenses like an icy blade.

  She didn’t know which of the two left her shaking.

  He pulled away, pointing his free hand at the fireplace. Flames ignited the logs, rising high into the chimney.

  She tried to smother her gasp by covering her mouth. Yes, he made his point very clear. If he wanted to harm her, he could. But he could also be a powerful ally. It all depended on her.

  His grip loosened, and she backed away with a nod.

  “I suggest you take a bath while I inspect the clothes the innkeeper said he could find for you.”

  She dipped her fingers into the tub and yanked them out. “It’s freezing!” He chuckled. “Consider it a lesson in learning to harness your magic. You can either take a cold bath, or you can figure out a way to warm the water.”

  “He’s testing you,” Loku whispered in her mind , “but don’t worry. I’ll show you what to do.”

  “And why should I trust you? ”

  Loku’s chuckle vibrated through her body. “Always so suspicious.”

  “I’ll leave Cinder here to protect you while I’m downstairs,” Dev said. “I doubt you want me in the room while you’re bathing.”

  The heat from the fire crept along her back, but it didn’t match the burn in her cheeks or the warmth coiling in her stomach. What was it about this man that made her react this way?

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It’s only because he’s the first man who gave me a second look and treats me halfway decently.

  “Keep telling yourself that if you want, but you and I both know the truth.” Dev left the room, and Cinder stretched out in front of the door, forming a barricade.

  She waited a moment to see if he would return. When he didn’t, she stared at the bathwater. How was she going to get it to a temperature that didn’t make every nerve in her body scream from the pain?

  “Dip your hand in the water and picture the fire flowing from your fingers into it.” She followed Loku’s instructions, biting her bottom lip from the stinging-cold water as it slipped over her skin. Deep inside her mind, she found a small flame. She fed it with her thoughts until it spread along her arm and into her fingertips. The water hissed and bubbled around them, ripples racing to the edges of the metal tub. By the time she removed her hand, tendrils of steam rose from the surface.

  She unlaced her bodice and yanked the simple dress over her head. It’d been ages since she’d enjoyed a hot bath. She slid into the tub. Even though the warm water stung the raw skin between her thighs, it eased her aching muscles. She sighed in contentment and leaned back against the metal rim. “Thank you, Loku.”

  “You’re welcome. At last, I get to see the body I’ll be inhabiting for the next few years.

  Yes, I think I’ll enjoy having tits.”

  Arden bolted up in the tub and crossed her arms over her chest, causing Loku to laugh again. She hadn’t anticipated the unseen voyeur. “Can you please look away?”

  “Nope, and more importantly, I don’t want to. I’ve always been curious what it feels like to be a woman. But I’ll try and keep my comments to myself.” Her muscles unlocked, and she sank deeper into the water. If he kept his word, she’d hopefully forget his presence in a few minutes. No reason not to enjoy the bath while she could.

  Chapter 5

  Dev inspected the tunics and leggings the innkeeper provided for him.

  “He outgrew them so fast, they didn’t have much time to get holes in them. The boots, too.”

  The fabric showed some signs of gentle wear, but the innkeeper was right. No holes. He held one of the tunics up in front of him, trying to imagine Trouble wearing it. She was thin, but also tall for a Ranellian woman. The young man’s outfit should fit her well enough until they got to Gravaria.

  “I’ll take them.” Dev pressed another coin into the man’s hand. “And I appreciate your assistance on this matter.”

  He turned to walk away when the innkeeper said, “She ain’t really your apprentice, is she?”

  Dev stiffened at the suggestive tone in the man’s voice. “I’m not sure what you’re implying.”

  The innkeeper held up his hands and took a step back. “No offense intended, but it’s not often I get a man claiming to have a female apprentice, especially one looking like her. I don’t doubt a few noblemen out there wouldn’t mind bedding a young girl with hair the color of gold. Lord Yessling, for example, has been known to have exotic tastes in women, if you’re looking for a place to sell her.”

  “Things are handled differently in Gravaria.” The growl in his voice made his annoyance very clear to the innkeeper, judging by how the sly smile slipped from the man’s face.

  “Women are not bought and sold like cattle and, more importantly, they are educated to the fullest of their abilities, unlike here.”

  The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down several times before he found his voice again. “Very good, sir. Will you and your apprentice be eating tonight?”

  “Yes. After she’s done bathing and dressing, you can send some food up.” Thank the gods this conversation was almost over.

  “Of course, sir. Oh, and my daughter reminded me that the young lady might want a comb and a mirror.” The innkeeper placed the items on top of the pile of clothes then returned to the main room.

  Dev climbed the back staircase, grateful he didn’t have to cross the main room again. He tended to draw stares wherever he went in this kingdom for always wearing his cloak and hood in public, but it was safer than letting the people see his ears, especially in this remote corner of Ranello. They’d probably kill first and ask questions later. Or burn him at the stake like Trouble mentioned earlier.

  He paused in front of the door, listening. Claws scratched against the floor on the other side, letting him know Cinder was moving away from the door. But no muttering or one-way conversations yet. Unfortunately, it was just a matter of time before she slipped into that.

  A shriek filled the room when he opened the door. Trouble reached for the towel and draped it over her chest and the top of the tub. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

  “I wanted to prove how easily a killer could sneak up on you.” He dumped the clothes on the bed, along with the comb and the mirror.

  “Point made. Now let me finish my bath.”

  “You look like you’re almost done to me.” Her skin glowed pink, and her wet hair hung down her back in golden waves. The faint scent of roses lingered in the air.

  She pulled her hair over her shoulder and twisted it, wringing out the remaining water. The sharp edges of her shoulder blades winged from the movement, and he counted each of the prominent vertebrae along her spine. She needed to be eating, not lingering in a tub. His eyes travelled farther down until he saw the black lines etched onto the small of her back. Loku’s symbol. If the greenish-gold ring in her eyes hadn’t already marked her as the Soulbearer, this confirmed it. He’d lost count of how many times he wished it wasn’t her burden to bear.

  “Are you going to stand there and stare, or will you be kind enough
to step out into the hallway so I can get dressed?”

  He blinked a few times to clear his mind. He didn’t like where it was going with her sitting naked a few feet from him. He needed to think of her as the Soulbearer and not as a woman, but his trousers were already growing tight. “Fine, I’ll give you three minutes to dry off and put those clothes on.”

  “Only three minutes?”

  The playfulness in her voice almost threw him off guard. Was she planning on challenging him again? Or had she noticed the growing bulge in his pants? He turned his back to her and adjusted himself. He couldn’t afford to react this way to her. Stay focused. “Yes, three minutes.”

  He welcomed the cool drafts in the hallway after the heat in the room. He offered a quick prayer to Jussip, the god of soldiers, to keep him from further distractions.

  ***

  Arden jumped to her feet as soon as the latch clicked. The gall of that man, telling her to get dressed in three minutes. It was obvious he hadn’t spent much time around women.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a woman outside of the Mage’s Council,” Loku said.

  “I noticed he got an eye-full of you while he could.” A flush spread over her entire body. She rubbed the towel over her bare skin with renewed fervor. She refused to be caught naked again.

  “You should be flattered he sees you as woman first instead of my Soulbearer.”

  “Shut up, Loku.”

  She pulled the leggings on and tied the drawstring as tight as it would go. Thankfully, their previous owner seemed to be as skinny as her. She had barely smoothed the tunic over her hips when Dev opened the door.

  He assessed her appearance and nodded. “So you can follow orders.” She snatched the comb and mirror off the bed and glared at him. “It was either that or let you leer at me like a lecherous old man.”

  His expression hardened, and he strode past her. He dipped his fingers into the tub. “You figured out how to the heat the water?”

  “No thanks to you.”

  He swirled the water with his hand. The soap and grime vanished, leaving the water crystal clear. Steam rose from the tub once again.

  Arden gasped. He made it look so simple. When she looked up, he’d already removed his cloak and was loosening his leather jerkin. “What are you doing?”

  “I figured I’d take a bath, too.”

  Her skin burned, and not even the water dripping from her hair soothed it. “Perhaps I should go downstairs to give you some privacy.”

  “No, you’re not leaving this room. It’s dark out. That’s when the necromancer will be at full power.”

  She dug her fingernails into her palms and ran toward the door. Cinder blocked her exit.

  When she whirled back around to give Dev a piece of her mind, he removed his shirt. Her mouth refused to make spit. Sweet Lady Moon, he was as gorgeous as she had imagined.

  Corded muscles rippled down his back, from his broad shoulders to his lean hips. He turned at his waist, allowing her a peek at his carved chest and stomach. Her gaze followed the line of reddish-brown hair that disappeared into his trousers, and an odd ache formed in the pit of her stomach.

  “And you accused me of staring.”

  Her eyes snapped back to his face. His lips twitched, but the tips of his ears appeared pinker than normal.

  “I didn’t expect you to shed your clothes so quickly.”

  “Not that you minded the glimpse.”

  The god’s taunt added to her embarrassment. With a huff, she sat in a corner of the room so her back faced the tub. The last thing she needed tonight was to have her insides turn into mush over the sight of a naked man, even if it was Dev. She held the mirror up in one hand and started combing her hair with the other.

  “If you angle the mirror a bit to the left, you might enjoy the view.” Before she could stop herself, the mirror tilted, and the image of Dev’s well-defined behind lowering into the tub came into view. Her breath hitched. It was a crime for such an annoying man to be that tempting.

  “I told you you’d enjoy it.”

  “Shut up, Loku! ”

  Arden dropped the mirror and continued combing her hair. “The clothes are a little too big,” she said, trying to act like he wasn’t sitting naked in the tub a few feet away from her.

  “They’re going to be more comfortable than that dress you were wearing. Besides, it’s only temporary. We’ll find you more suitable clothes when we get to Boznac.” The splashes of water filled the silence while she braided her hair. Thoughts of the coastal town filled her mind. “I’ve never seen the ocean before.”

  “It’s vast and as blue as your eyes.”

  A smile played on her lips. “Was that a compliment?”

  “No, just stating a fact,” he said matter-of-factly. “Hopefully, we can catch a ship bound for Gravaria before the winter storms hit. I’d rather take my chances on water than going over the mountains. It’s faster and, more importantly, free of undead.”

  “You keep talking about the undead. How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

  “Do you want to meet one?”

  A chill snaked down her spine. “Not particularly.”

  “Smart girl.”

  “You said undead attacked Hal’s inn last night. What exactly happened after I passed out?” she asked with a flick of her braid.

  “You inhaled Loku’s soul and starting seizing, just like every other Soulbearer before you.

  Then the undead poured into the room. Cinder and I tried to fight them, but there were just too many. So I set the inn on fire and dragged you out.”

  “Why did you set the inn on fire?”

  “Because burning an undead to ashes is one of the few ways to kill them.” She hugged her knees to her chest. This conversation left her feeling like she’d just plunged into an icy lake. “What are the other ways to kill undead?”

  “You can cut their heads off, or you can kill the person controlling them.”

  “There are more ways than that, but most mortals can’t summon the power to kill them.” Loku’s statement did little to comfort her. “Do you think the necromancer is really coming for me?”

  The splashing ceased for a moment. “I think he’s after Loku.” The god sighed. “Everybody wants a piece of me. It’s no fun being this popular.”

  “Why would he want to have some perverted deity living inside him, slowing driving him insane?”

  “Ouch, that was harsh. You don’t like our little arrangement? ” She could almost picture the pout that came with Loku’s reply.

  “Trouble, you have a god living inside you. Do you understand the potential power you could extract from him? Of course, it comes at a cost. The more control you surrender over to him, the less control you have over yourself.”

  “And the sooner I turn into Robb.”

  “Exactly.”

  The water in the tub rustled, and she reached for the mirror. Once again, she was granted full view of the backside of his body while he dried off.

  “Hoping for a frontal view? You are a naughty girl, just like I thought. ” Arden jerked the mirror back to her face. Redness seeped into her cheeks for being no better than what she’d accused Dev of being minutes before. The new golden rings around her irises startled her, and she dropped the mirror.

  Dev rushed to her side. “What’s wrong?”

  “My eyes look different.”

  He tightened the towel around his waist. “It’s one of the marks of a Soulbearer.” She closed her eyes, remembering how the strange yellow-green rings glowed when Loku spoke through Robb. Great. If she wasn’t already a freak, this made it worse. “Will they always be there?”

  “Yes, as will the other mark.”

  Her skin crawled. “What other mark?”

  “Loku’s symbol on your back.”

  “Think of it as a tattoo claiming you as mine.” She flew to her feet. Everything was happening too fast. In less than a day, she’d witnessed a murder, been accused o
f burning down an inn, been kidnapped, told she had a god living inside her who would slowly make her crazy, and now she’d been branded like a cow.

  Sweet Lady Moon, please make this stop. There was a time in her life when she would’ve given anything to be normal. Now, all she wished was to have her old life back.

  Warm hands rubbed along her shoulders and upper arms. “I know this is a bit much for a young girl like you to bear—”

  She wrestled away from him. “Quit talking to me like I’m a child. I’m twenty-one, not twelve.”

  “I’m sorry. You seem so young to me.”

  Her hand itched to slap him, but when she focused on his face, she stopped herself. The downward tug of his mouth and the way his brows bunched together spoke more of sadness than mockery. “Why?”

  He backed away and reached for his shirt.

  “He’s more than ten times your age, my Soulbearer. That’s why. Talk about a dirty old man.”

  “And how old are you?”

  Dev flinched. “I’m three hundred twenty-three years old, if you really want to know.” Her breath came in sharp gulps from his reply. She’d heard elves lived a long time, but over three hundred years? “Are you immortal?”

  “Only gods are immortal, you silly girl.”

  “No, I’ll eventually grow old and die, but at a much slower rate than a human.”

  “If you were a human, how old would you be?”

  “Are you going to watch me dress while you ask me all these questions?” She dutifully faced the corner again. For a three-hundred-year-old man, he looked damn good. Almost too good. And he would continue to look good while she turned into an old crone, so it was best she push any stupid thoughts out of her head.

  “To answer your question,” he continued, “I guess I would be about thirty or thirty-one.”

  “Oh. That doesn’t seem that old to me.”

  “Why? Do I look older?”

  “Only when you frown.”

  He laughed. The sound of leather sliding through a metal buckle let her know he had finished dressing. “I asked the innkeeper to send dinner up here. I hope you don’t mind eating in private.”