Total pages in book: 179
Estimated words: 169943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 850(@200wpm)___ 680(@250wpm)___ 566(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 169943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 850(@200wpm)___ 680(@250wpm)___ 566(@300wpm)
She pauses, glancing up at me, and for a moment, I worry that everything Tiercel said was right. That she truly is a spy of some kind looking to steal information about artifacts to take back to holders or to underground merchant rings. Her expression is guilty. “I haven’t been totally forthcoming about my past.”
“You don’t say.”
Aspeth stares straight ahead, but she doesn’t fight off my arm. If anything, she leans into me. It’s like she’s seeking support. It’s both gratifying and slightly terrifying. “When I was a child,” she begins slowly, “I read a lot. My father was busy and my mother was dead, so my father’s manservant had a standing order to find me any books I should like to read and he would buy them. Early on, I was fascinated with Old Prell and decided I would teach myself glyphs.”
“That’s impossible,” I point out. “It takes years to master glyphs, even with a teacher.”
“It takes twice as long when you don’t have one,” she says, voice wry.
“And you’re telling me you taught yourself?”
“Some. Then I had my father hire a tutor who was a retired artificer, and he taught me the finer points. But I learned much on my own. I had nothing else going on and no friends.” She shrugs. “No siblings. What else was I going to do with my time?”
Instead of suspicious, I feel a surge of sympathy for her instead. I imagine a small Aspeth, young and bossy and desperate for knowledge to make up for the lack of companions. I picture her with her annoying, shedding cat in her lap, a book in hand as she sits by the fire.
It would explain why she’s so terrible at the physical aspects of guild life. It would explain a lot of things, actually. It would explain why she married a Taurian. She has no people knowledge, just books. I grunt. Things are falling into place. I squeeze Aspeth’s shoulder. “Let’s just get home, all right?”
“Am I in trouble? Is the team in danger?”
“No and no.”
We walk through the curving streets in companionable silence, and I keep my hand on her shoulder. It feels good to have her at my side. Feels strangely good to realize that Aspeth might need a friend and that I can be that person for her. Not that I lack friends, but there’s something different about Aspeth. She’s infuriating and a know-it-all…and incredibly vulnerable, too. Returning to the dorm, everyone hugs Aspeth, Mereden cries, and Gwenna fusses over her like a mother hen. Magpie is still with the others, but silent. At least she has her clothes on properly now. I’m a little surprised she’s still awake, but am too tired to deal with it. “Aspeth and I are going to bed,” I tell them. “You should all do the same. We have drills in the morning.”
They all groan. Kipp disappears into his shell house and the others scatter.
SEVENTEEN
HAWK
The cat is waiting in our quarters, and Aspeth pets it and feeds it as it howls and makes a ruckus while I fill the copper tub near the fire. I’ve never heard such a loud creature, but she pets it (and fur flies everywhere) and talks to it as if it were human. “I know,” she tells the orange beast. “You’ve been sorely neglected today but I promise I’ll make it up to you. What do you think of that?”
I pour the last of the water into the tub and then shuck my clothing, glancing over to see if Aspeth has noticed me. She’s still petting the cat, utterly focused. I yawn, extending my arms out. By the bull god, I am fatigued.
“Oh, big stretch,” Aspeth coos, startling me. I turn and she blushes, her face bright red. “The cat!”
“Right.” I adjust my cock, stepping into the tub, and notice that her gaze follows me as I move. I sink into the tub and groan as the hot water soaks into tired muscles. Gods, it’s been a long week. I relax in the water, and then grab the cake of soap and rub it into the washcloth I’ve hung on the side of the tub.
Aspeth clears her throat. “Should I wash you? Since we’re married and I should be learning about your anatomy?”
I glance over at her. Her cheeks are pink and flushed, her eyes bright. I don’t know at what point she became attractive to me, but I can’t look away from her. There’s something so very earnest about Aspeth. It’s as if she puts everything she has into whatever task she’s focused upon, be it guild business or something else. I suspect that she’d put all that enthusiasm into bed, too, and the thought makes my cock harden. “While I appreciate the offer, you should know that if you touch me, it’s not going to stay just a wash.”