Baron of Hearts by Stephen L. Hadley

Author:Stephen L. Hadley [Hadley, Stephen L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 48415271
Published: 2019-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

It was hot and humid in the tunnel beneath his house, far beyond what Leo had expected. When he’d set out alongside Karran, he had been confident and impatient. By the time they reached the half-way mark where the tunnel forced him to stoop slightly, he’d stripped to the waist. And by the time he arrived at their destination, his old estate, the lantern he carried was practically dragging in the dirt behind him.

Karran, on the other hand, seemed almost energized by her time below ground. She jogged the last hundred feet of the tunnel, pushing aside the boards that had been laid across the mouth as a sort of trap door, and climbed effortlessly out. By the time Leo reached her, she was crouching beside the tunnel with her hand outstretched to help him.

He accepted it, too worn out even to bother thanking her. After a few minutes in the cool cellar air, however, he began to revive. Glancing around at the room, empty save for a bit of dirt and few stray kobolds, he nodded approvingly.

“This will work,” he said. “Good job on the tunnel, Karran. I’ll speak to Brigit about getting some wood to reinforce the weaker sections.”

Karran nodded, smiling. Then, flashing a bit of fang, she stepped close and ran a hand gently down Leo’s chest. His skin was slick with sweat, but she didn’t appear to mind. If anything, she almost seemed intrigued.

“Please, Karran, not now,” Leo sighed. “I need a bath.”

He expected a bit of dejection from the ambrosian, but Karran barely acknowledged his denial. Leaning forward, she rested her smooth, hairless brow against his sweaty one. Brows lifting, she tugged gently at his elbow, inviting him deeper into the manor.

Leo chuckled, glancing around the room. The handful of kobolds that occupied it stared at the pair of them like silent, watchful children.

“All right,” he said. “Fine. But don’t blame me if we’re late for lunch.”

The walk through the familiar halls of his childhood home was a surreal experience. Leo had resided in his inherited estate for barely a month, but already it felt more comfortable to him than this place. Perhaps it was the lack of furniture, most of which had been relocated, but he felt oddly like an intruder and soon found himself trying to avoid making noise as they headed for the upper-story master bath.

Adding to his discomfort was the fact that the few rooms that were furnished had not been done so by him. At his insistence, Davin had continued to use the old estate as a warehouse of sorts, until the goods contained within could safely be fenced. Peeking into a few of the rooms they passed, Leo was relieved to see that she had not changed course after their latest spat.

“Let’s make this quick,” he said, as they reached the bath. “I’d hate for Davin’s men to walk in on us.”

Karran glanced at him. She could not speak, of course, but from the way she looked at him, Leo could tell she doubted him.

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