Chapter 29: Fire and Ice - 9
Mid-morning sunlight spilled through the tavern’s windows, casting golden stripes across the worn floorboards.
Mira lounged barefoot on the stair rail, half-dressed in a loose wrap that draped over her hips, leaving her torso bare, her bronze skin glowing in the warmth.
Her full breasts rose gently with each breath, the fresh fire pattern—a crescent arc etched beneath her left breast—faintly visible, its lines a quiet reminder of her controlled fireblood.
Her red hair hung wild, framing her sharp jaw, her amber eyes soft as she sipped cooled tea, her body humming with a calm she hadn’t known before Kio’s touch.
The tavern was quiet, its hearth smoldering low, the air rich with woodsmoke, fresh bread, and the faint tang of polished oak.
Mira didn’t expect company, her mind adrift in the peace of her new rhythm.
So when the door creaked open, admitting a dust-streaked Lira, her cloak heavy with travel, her silver hair braided tight, Mira blinked, her cup pausing at her lips.
Lira’s emerald eyes, guarded but steady, met hers as she dropped her bag on a table, the thud soft in the stillness.
"You’re still here," Lira said, her voice low, a faint smirk tugging her lips.