Page 70 of Tusks, Tails & Teacakes
Lira stiffened.Tiefling?
Forty-One
Lira followedVal from the kitchen, muttering to herself. Was every member of her former crew going to descend on Wayside?
Every living member, she reminded herself, thoughts of Pirrin dampening the sharp edge of her frustration.
She shouldn’t have been surprised to see that the great room wasn’t empty, but the steady presence of patrons continued to give her a pleasant jolt. Sass moved confidently around the tables, refilling pewter tankards and gathering empty chai mugs as villagers sat in conversation or deep in thought.
Val slipped out the front door, holding the cake in one hand and sliding a questioning look at Lira. At least Korl wasn’t there.
It took no more than a breath to spot the Tiefling Val had noticed, and another to raise an eyebrow at him.
Vaskel sauntered toward her with an arch grin. His magenta skin was hidden partially under the hood of a black cloak, but he flipped it back as he closed the distance between them. His ice-blue eyes; short, pointed beard; long, slashing tail; and horns that curled back from his forehead were all as she remembered, but the scar that split one dark slash of an eyebrow was new.
A few patrons’ eyes followed the Tiefling, but Lira wasn’t sure if it was because the fiendish creature wasn’t something frequently spotted in this part of the Known Lands, or if they were struck by his wicked good looks. Either way, Vaskel didn’t seem to mind.
He swept her into an embrace without a word, and Lira inhaled the faintest scent of ash that her friend covered with a liberal application of sandalwood. Despite his appearance, Lira had never found Vaskel as irresistible as most females who encountered him. Of course, Vaskel was charming, but he’d never been able to seduce Lira with his silky words and seductive moves. Maybe it was one of the few ways in which her elven blood came in handy.
His hug was fierce and his voice a velvet purr as he whispered in her ear, “You don’t get to walk away, Lira. Not after all we’ve been through.”
For the briefest moment, Lira worried that the Tiefling’s visit was not a friendly one. Did he hold a grudge against her for leaving like she had? She wouldn’t blame him, although she didn’t want to have Vaskel as an enemy. When he pulled back and held her at arm’s length, he smiled, melting all her fears in a heartbeat.
Her breath rushed from her as swiftly as her words. “I’m sorry I left like I did, Vask. It didn’t have anything to do with you, with any of you.”
Vaskel shook away her apology with his head, his hands still on her waist. “I never took it personally. We were all a mess after Malek, and I knowhow much you adore me.”
Lira laughed. “Since you’re the one who tracked me down, it looks like the adoration goes the other way.”
His light eyes flashed heat. “I would never deny that.”
She shook her head, almost relieved that her friend hadn’t changed one bit. “Tell me, is there a town crier somewhere spreading the news of my new address and vocation?”
He gave a throaty laugh. “Word does travel, especially if you’re listening for it.”
“Cali didn’t tell you?” Lira swept her gaze around the great room, noticing for the first time that the Tabaxi wasn’t there.
“Cali?” Vaskel’s brows pressed together, which made him look both more sinister and more smoldering. “I haven’t seen our archer friend since we disbanded. Have you?”
Lira wondered if there was a reason her friend didn’t want the Tiefling to know her whereabouts. She decided not to continue discussing their crew and her past life in full view of everyone, taking him by the arm and pulling him to the small round table in the farthest corner where two wooden chairs huddled across from a pair of short stools. A single taper burned in a wrought iron candleholder.
“Did you two fall out?”
Now Vaskel looked affronted. He tossed his long, dark hair, as the tail he’d tucked to one side lashed. “Never. We all parted as friends.”
Even though he had many impish qualities, lying wasn’t one of them.
“She’s here,” Lira said. “I thought that was why you’d come. I thought she might have mentioned searching for me.”
“I suspect we’ve all been searching for things we lost.” He glanced around the tavern. “Although it seems you returned to where it all began.”
Lira’s gaze wandered to the long table where they’d all first met. “I did, although it’s taken some work to get this place back to what it was when we were here.”
“Oh?” Vaskel’s scarred brow twitched.
“When I arrived, the place was a mess. It’s taken a good deal of work for me and Sass to get it even close to its former state.”
“Sass?”
