Chapter 675: MYSTERIOUS GIRL
And I can always tell when someone is hiding.”
My heart stumbled.
I tightened my grip on the cup, knuckles whitening beneath the dim tavern light. Her eyes didn’t pry, but they saw.
Too much.
Far too easily.
I forced my voice out, even though it shook.
“I’m… not hiding anything.”
She raised one perfect brow.
“Honey,” she said again, slower this time, like she was speaking to someone fragile or someone lying or both, “everyone who walks into this inn wearing a cloak that thick in weather this warm is hiding something.”
I swallowed hard.
The room suddenly felt warmer. My cloak suddenly felt heavier.
I tried to breathe normally.
The bartender leaned her elbows on the counter, her jewelry quietly clinking.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
I hesitated. “Jas… Jade,” I corrected quickly.
Her lips curled.
“So… Jade,” she said, tasting the name. “Welcome to the Dragon’s Cup. The home of misfits, runaways, and wolves who don’t belong anywhere else.”
She winked.
“So trust me when I say… you’re in the right place.” She said and then chipped in. “Just be careful with that baby of yours. The town gets really tough here.”
“And what does it concern you about my baby?” I snapped at her rudely as I wrapped my hands around ny tummy.
Her beautiful black eyes looked down at me and said. “Well that’s because I was pregnant like you once.”
I became a bit calmer.
A fellow mother.
“Oh I see.” I mumbled inaudibly. “How old is your baby.”
“He isn’t.” She said as she poured in beer to a cup and then the atmosphere became chill. “He died.”
And then the guilt overcame me.
I felt so terrible at how I had snapped at her.
She had lost her baby too?
And I had been so rude and nasty to her when she was only being kind.
“Uh…. I…. Er.” I stuttered trying to find my voice. “I had no idea.”
I felt so guilty.
She waved her hand.
“It’s okay.” She shrugged. “Pregnancy makes you really cranky so I get it.”
I said nothing.
I still felt guilty.
And she was right.
My last pregnancy hadn’t made me cranky, but this one?
I was angry all the time.
All throughout the journey with Otto.
I had been unbearable as if the fact that my baby was growing faster at an alarming rate made me more terrified.
“When did this happen?” I asked her.
“Two weeks ago.” She said to herself.
I winced.
And then I looked down to her breast for no reason only to find out that shirt was damp.
She swore as she walked off to pick up a towel and clean it.
I looked away.
“You don’t need to.” She said as I heard her brush the damp path of her chest. “It will probably soon go.”
Her breasts still milking was proof enough to show me that she had had the baby true enough.
And yes it had been recent.
“What happened?” I blurted out without thinking.
She set the towel aside once she was down and stretched her arms in the table before looking at me.
“Well, I had had some complications during my birth.” She explained. “And my baby was born still born pup.”
“I’m so sorry.” I said as fresh memories of thalira’s death came to me.
At least she had managed go hold her baby.
Mine hadn’t been given the chance to fully form.
“What of the father?” I asked.
And I was beginning to wonder why all of a
Sudden I was being nosy.
It was not something I did, or was used to.
She let out a sigh. “He died.”
My eyes closed as I felt each tragedy lump after the other.
“He was killed when he was coming to stay with me during the labor.” She said through gritted teeth. “Wolves of the moonlight pack killed him. He was my mate.”
She chewed on her bottom lip and I felt pain.
The wolves of the moonlight pack?
What was going on here
Before I could ask any more question.
The sound of boots approached behind me. Otto appeared at my side, a room key dangling from his fingers.
“There is a room with two beds.” He said. “And a warm bath ready for you”
He paused.
Then he noticed the bartender staring straight at him.
He straightened instantly, clearing his throat.
“Evening,” he said politely.
She didn’t blink. Just smirked.
“Your friend,” she said, pointing her chin at me, “isn’t as invisible as she thinks.”
Otto frowned slightly, then looked at me… then back at her.
His whole body tensed. “Did anyone bother her?”
The woman snorted. “Relax. Your girl is fine.”
My face flushed. “He’s not… we’re not….
“I know,” she interrupted smoothly, waving a hand. “But he watches you like you might vanish if he blinks. So forgive me for assuming.”
Otto’s ears turned slightly pink. “I’m just… responsible for her.”
The woman raised both brows, amused.
She didn’t say what she was thinking, but it showed in her smile.
“Well,” she finally said, pushing back from the counter, “good luck, travelers. And Jade?”
I looked up. “Yes?”
Her eyes softened into something unsettlingly kind.
“Whatever you’re running from…”
She paused.
“…I hope you find what you’re running toward.”
I froze.
The words hit something in my chest I hadn’t known was exposed.
Otto gently touched my shoulder. “Jasmine? The room.”
I nodded weakly and slid off the stool.
Before I turned to leave, the bartender added softly:
“And sweetheart… careful out there. You’re not the only one who feels the shift in the air.”
I blinked. “Shift?”
Wondering what the hell she was going on about.
She acted as though she had aid nothing.
A chill swept down my spine.
Otto stepped between us instinctively.
“Come on,” he murmured to me. “We should rest.”
As we walked away, I looked back once.
I had so much questions for this woman