I took a long drink of the ale. “You know, the more time I spend with you, the more I’m convinced you are a grumpy old man in the body of a thirty-five-year-old.”
Draven just cocked his head, not looking amused by my assessment.
“Okay,” I said. “Don’t tell anyone this.” I paused. Draven was probably the one person I could confide in. It wasn’t that he didn’t gossip. He didn’t hardly talk. Period. To anyone.
Draven just stared at me, jaw locked as he waited.
“We’re not in a real relationship. We’re faking it.”
“Who does that?” Draven asked. “And why?”
“It doesn’t matter. The point is that the kiss wasn’t real.” I shook my head. “Well, it was real, but she thinks it was fake. Part of the show we’re putting on.”
Draven rubbed his temples. “ I have a lot of questions, but I’m not going to ask any of them.”
“Fair enough.” I took another long drink. “But the things I felt during that kiss... I don’t know if I can keep doing this. I want to tell her how I feel, but I also don’t know how a relationship between us is possible. Not unless one of us gives up our life for the other person.”
“And that would lead to resentment,” Draven added.
“Exactly.”
Draven sighed heavily. “If I give you my opinion, will you finally leave?”
“Sure?” I shifted the lute strap on my shoulder.
“Tell her how you feel, for fuck’s sake.”
I waited, and when he didn’t say anything else, I gestured for him to continue. “That’s it?” I asked. “That’s your amazing advice? You don’t think I already thought of that?”
Draven sighed again. “She’s an adult, Riven. She deserves a chance to choose her own life. To choose what she wants for herself. You not telling her means you’re making that choice for her.”
I’d never thought of it like that. I’d always thought giving her the choice was the unfair thing to do. The selfish thing to do. But maybe withholding my feelings was the selfish part of all this.
I stood abruptly, knocking my stool back. “I have to go.”
“Thank the Witch Superior,” Draven muttered as I turned and ran out of his tavern.
Chapter Thirteen
EMMA
Ibanged my wand against my hand, a few sparks shooting from the end of it.
“Please watch where you’re pointing that thing,” Herman said from his spot on the counter, where he lay curled up.
“Aren’t you supposed to be heating the water right now?” I jammed my hand against the end of the wand again. “Why are you napping when you’re on shift?”
He sat up. “I wanted to talk to you about that. You know, I’m feeling very taken advantage of. Where are my wages?”
“Wages?” I repeated.
“Yes.” He straightened. “I think I deserve to get paid for my work.”
“You have a roof over your head, get all the food and tea you could want, and you get to interfere with other people’s lives all day long. What more do you want?”
He cocked his head, pink ears perked. “That’s a good point.” He lay back down, and I huffed. “Why are you messing with your wand?”
“Well, that cup just tried to thwack me in the skull, so I need to practice some protection spells.”
