Chapter 7: The Beast’s Burden - 6
The tavern slumbered, its pulse slowed to a whisper.
The hearth in the common room had dwindled, embers glowing faintly under a shroud of ash, casting a soft red haze.
The air was heavy with the scent of cooled woodsmoke and the lingering warmth of the day’s bread.
Rin didn’t sleep.
She sat cross-legged on the edge of Kio’s bed, a thin linen robe draped loosely over her frame, the front parting to her waist, baring the curve of her breasts and the scars crisscrossing her ribs.
Her tail lay slack across the mattress, a tired ribbon of fur, twitching faintly as if stirred by a dream.
Her dark gray hair, damp from a late bath, curled at the edges, clinging to her neck where heat still lingered.
Kio entered, an oil lamp casting a warm glow in his hand, a folded cloth tucked under his arm.
He set the lamp on the bedside table, its soft hiss filling the quiet, and handed her a steaming mug—spiced milk, laced with honey and a whisper of cinnamon.
She took it with a nod. "Thanks."
"You won’t sleep otherwise," he said, his voice low, steady, a thread of care woven into the words.