“No, I won’t hear another word.” I grin at the innkeeper, who nods and tucks the money into the bag at her belt.
“The only trouble is that we just have one room left. Will that be all right?”
“Are there two beds?” Cyrus asks.
“Aye. Two small cots and a blanket for each.”
Thank the Blessed Stones for that. I can’t share a bed with Cyrus. I do not have that kind of willpower. I’d be curled up next to his wonderful heat before sunrise for certain. I wouldn’t be able to resist!
That night, we head upstairs and I use the skeleton key to unlock the door. The room isn’t too tiny, but the beds, well…
“That is not two beds.”
“No, it is not.”
“That is, in fact, only one bed.”
Chapter 21
Kaya
At least there is a surplus of pillows. Pillows are stacked in the corners of the room, on a set of shelves, and on the bed, too.
“Why did she tell us there were two beds?” My voice waffles between insecure and overly bright. I roll my eyes at myself.
Someone runs up behind us and stops. It’s a young man—all knees and overlarge teeth. Can’t be more than ten years old.
“Um, my ma said to tell you she is sorry. She was mixed up. We had to throw out the other cot in here because of an incident.”
“Do we want to know?” Cyrus asks.
The lad shudders. “You don’t.”
I grimace. “Oh my. One cot is fine.” I don’t want to hear any details.
“It involved a clowder,” the lad says.
Cyrus frowns. “A what?”
“Chowder,” I say, clarifying even though I don’t know how it would have anything to do with the situation.
“No, a clowder,” the lad says. “Of cats.”
Cyrus jerks back, eyes wide. “Cat stew?”
The lad lifts his hands. “Noooo, Master Dragonkin,” he says, using the generic term for dragon shifters. “We don’t eat cats. I love them. The kittens live under my bed now.” He smiles, showing those large front teeth. He’s adorable.
Cyrus is nodding. “Ah. A mother cat had kittens on my bed, did she?”
“Not just one cat,” the lad says. “Three. All in one night! We think it was something to do with the witch that passed through town that very evening. She was a mischievous one.”
Raising an eyebrow, Cyrus leans forward. “Aren’t all witches?”
The lad purses his lips. “Aye, I think so.”
I cover my mouth to hide my laugh as the lad gives us a bow and hurries back down the stairs. When I face the single bed again, I swallow hard around a sudden frog stuck in my throat.
“I’ll take the floor, Kaya. Don’t worry. I’m tough enough to handle it.”
