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Mia comes back with a whisky and water in her hands. I continue eating while looking around the room, keeping my eyes off Ledger. I grimace, seeing a grotesque-looking boar head mounted across the room. “Must they have the head of the boar, that was probably viciously killed for this meal, staring at me as I eat?”

Mia snickers next to me. “They could use a little help decorating, but I love it here—it has a certain charm about it.”

“I suppose if you can look past all the stuffed creatures. What is that one?” I point to a particularly horrifying creature on the wall. Its head resembles a horse, but the nose is all bones, and the mouth has serrated pointed teeth. Why did everything have such sharp teeth?

“That’s a Suttug. You don’t see many of them these days. They used to serve humans. It’s legend that once we could draw from them. They had the ability to make you extremely powerful once bonded but humans got greedy, took too much, exploited them. They either died off or went intohiding.” I consider Mia’s words while staring at the Suttug, feeling a jolt of sadness for the creature.

A woman about my age brings out a plate of food to Ledger. They seem familiar with each other as she drops effortlessly into the chair beside him. Her hands work their way to his shoulders as she whispers something in his ear. His response makes her giggle, and the food in my stomach instantly sours.

My teeth clench as I swipe my glass of wine off the table and finish the contents in one gulp. Her fingers stroke the hair at the nape of his neck, and I’m shocked at the visceral jealousy that assaults me.

The feeling is so intense, so confusing I can’t bear to sit any longer. I excuse myself by mumbling something about the washroom to Mia.

I avoid Ledger completely as I beeline through the dining area in the opposite direction of them. I only get a few steps before I promptly run into a hard chest. A pair of large hands reach out to steady me.

“Sorry,” I exclaim, craning my neck up to meet a very tall red-headed man.

“My apologies, I was not looking where I was going,” the man starts, and once I’m steady, he releases me. “You don’t look familiar, I’m Forde,” he sticks out that sizable hand of his.

“Are you Stiny’s son?” I shake his hand remembering his name from earlier.

“The one and only. Now I feel at a disadvantage. Who might you be? I’m positive I would remember someone so striking.”

“I’m Layla Sutton from Bellehaven.”

“You’re a long way from Bellehaven. What brings you this way?” he questions, and before I can answer, he chuckles, looking past me. “You must be with Ledger’s crew.”

Looking over my shoulder I see Ledger glaring intensely over at us. The busty blonde from earlier is now playing with the back of his hair while she drapes over the side of his body.

I roll my eyes and look away, my stomach twisting. “I suppose you could say that.”

“Well, it would be grossly wrong of me to run into someone so exquisite and not have the opportunity to buy her a drink. Would you do me the honor?”

With one more quick glance over my shoulder, I agree following Forde to the bar.

Moments later, Stiny places a pint and another glass of wine in front of us. “You watch yourself now, Forde. She’s with Ledger, and we don’t need you creating any problems.”

“Mecreate problems? I wouldn’t dream of it, Stine.” He grabs his pint and takes a sip, a grin playing out on his face. Stiny grunts and takes the order of a customer at the bar.

I bristle, feeling a bit uneasy, but try to keep the conversation going. “So, are you a tracker?” I ask, taking a generous pull of my wine.

“One of the best trackers in all of Grimwood.”

“Modest,” I respond, smiling.

“There is no point in lying, and if I’m being honest, I’d like to impress you.”

“Consider me impressed, we ran into a pack of Kerolu today. I can’t imagine tracking and encountering those creatures intentionally.”

“Someone must keep them from spreading too far across the lands. We offer population control, and their furs sell for a high price in the markets.”

“I bet, but why you’d ever want to snuggle up in Kerolu fur is beyond me.” I grimace.

Forde laughs. “I like you, Layla. Tell me, how’d you get mixed up in Ledger’s crew?”

I pause, thinking of how much I should divulge. This is someone who knows the lands and the creatures and could be my opportunity to get back to Bellehaven. I frown at the thought, wondering when my desire to return had faded.

Returning to the castle walls and the wretched King holds little appeal to me now. Thinking of returning to the drab castle makes me claustrophobic. Beyond seeing Maddox and my mother again, I can’t think of anything I want less.

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