grant you time to prepare.” The redhead looked me over for a long moment, eyeing my clothing in particular, before stating, “We’ll have to find you something more suitable for swimming.”
“I can’t swim,” I repeated stubbornly.
“That’s alright, I can.” Rio regained his innocent-seeming smile for a split second before pushing past Bolivar. My eyes followed him until he disappeared below deck.
The human captain tapped his tan fingers against his scruffy chin for a moment before nodding at me.
“Cherill!” he barked abruptly, turning to a small, bald man who appeared to have been listening to us the whole time from around the corner. “We need some of your old clothes!”
“Right now?” he whined.
“Yes, if you please,” Bolivar said in his polite way, sending the man trudging off.
After the words of protest died in my throat, I stood there feeling useless. I contemplated the ways I could possibly talk myself out of this one.
My stomach gave a hesitant grumble. I frowned. I hadn’t eaten since we had left the inn yesterday, and my hunger had finally caught up with me. I had forgotten about food in all the excitement.
“Hungry?” I jumped as Rio reappeared behind me.
His eye patch had returned.
“We can take the time to feed if you like, m’lady,” he said.
“Please,” I murmured.
I noticed the dragon-kin’s eyes narrowing in impatience, but anything to prolong to inevitable was welcome to me.
The half-blood led me down the stairs once again to the room with the tables. We headed toward a room I had not noticed before. As he pushed open the set of swinging doors, a flying spoon collided with his forehead and proceeded to clatter to the floor.
“You,” snarled a thickly accented voice from behind a veil of steam. “Out.”
“Larissa,” Rio whined, rubbing where the utensil had hit. “What was that for?”
“We still haven’t got the blood off the wall from last time you decided to ‘help