Exposed [Book 4 in the Expiring Series]

14 How to Order Drinks on Amoria

Erik~~

I stretch out on the beach chair, flexing my feet as the sun warms my skin. The crystal blue water of the ocean shimmers in the sunlight, and if I were to close my eyes and listen to the waves crashing, I could forget I'm not on Earth.

I reach over to the small table beside me to grab my drink that's infused with all things tropical when my attention is snagged by a pair of long, smooth, brown legs. I let my eyes drift upward and into the face of Rydersin Torellae.

I roll my eyes, returning my focus to grabbing my drink as she slips into the open chair on the other side of the table and sets her tote bag down into the sand.

She wears a one-piece bathing suit, cut with a deep V that I'm irritatingly tempted to examine every inch of. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she leans her head back and closes her eyes.

She interrupts my beach day and can't even bother to say a word?

Fine. I can play that game too.

After sipping on my drink, I lay back, trying to slip into that sweet lull of the nearly-empty beach.

It's just me . . .

The waves . . .

The—

Isn't she going to say something?

For star's sake, I'm on a completely different continent than when we met. How has she causally strolled up to me on a beach?

I breathe out, the wind brushing over me. Don't let her get to you. That's clearly what she wants.

It's been two weeks since I met her in that tavern, and I haven't heard or seen her since.

Two weeks. Iris and Jonas are married now. I hope they're drowning in happiness.

I reach for my drink and steal a glance at her. Her eyes are closed.

Does she really think she can interrupt my beach day and not give me an explanation?

I finish off my drink and flop onto my back, squirming and twisting, determined to get comfortable. Determined to relax and forget this woman only two feet from me.

But my shoulders feel tight, my neck aches and—

"Aren't you going to say something?"

She cracks her eyes open and shrugs before closing them again.

I sit up, swinging my legs over the side of the chair, planting them in the sand, and face her.

"Why don't you relax? Enjoy the beach?"

"I was."

"Hmm," she says vexingly dismissive as her face basks in the sun.

Still, I wait.

Finally, "With how much I would have paid you, you could have afforded your own beach." It seems the ocean and air aren't the only things that are salty. She sits up and pulls a pair of sunglasses out of her bag. As she puts them on, she says, "You'd be able to get rid of your lovers."

I shake the ice in my cup around, searching for any remnants of the pinkish-red drink. "I happen to like my lovers."

Her sunglasses on, she lays back down. "Do you now?"

"You know a disturbing amount about me."

"I want to be Preeminence, Blackwood. Do you think I don't have spies?" She turns on her side, facing me as if seized by a sudden thought. "Did you not have spies when you were Tresais?"

I grab my cup and stand. "Take note that I don't like being spied on." I head for the bar and hear Rydersin following me, her feet shuffling the sand. The bar's only wall is the back one, and it's made of stones. With its wooden posts and thatch roof, the bar is open to the ocean wind while providing shade from the sun.

I lean against the bar's counter and raise my hand, signaling the bartender. "A Molevequei Crea." Love's Curse. A strong—still tropical—drink. I twist toward Rydersin. "Do you want anything?"

Copying me, she leans against the counter, turned toward me. "Can you afford it?"

"Ahh that's right. You're the rich one. You should be buying me a drink."

"Is that what it will take to buy your help? Alcohol?"

"Do you consider me that cheap?"

"I didn't realize alcohol was cheap."

The bartender sets my drink in front of me, and Rydersin orders a tropical drink, a Leka Mena, which translates to Tree Fruit.

I take a sip, collecting my thoughts. "Power isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Only for those who shy away from responsibility."

I frown, not liking the feeling of being exposed. "Why do you want responsibility?"

"Serving Acquaellia is my purpose. I want to be an advocate for my people. Their voice. I want to make my Acquaellia better. I want to be remembered. Don't you?" She accepts her drink from the bartender and with her straw stirs the ice around her cup. "I don't want to be a single sentence in the history books they'll one day write about these times we are in now."

"What is it that you need from me exactly?"

Her head snaps up, her eyes wide.

"Do tell me you have a plan."

It's like light fills those cold purple eyes. She pulls her phone from her tote bag and starts typing. "I'll send someone by your hotel to pick you up tonight." Pulling out a few silver coins, she lays them on the counter. The bartender scoops them up and thanks her, while Rydersin adjusts the strap of her bag and takes another sip of her Leka Mena. "The first step is getting you ready." With an uncomforting smile, she sets her cup down and leaves, raising her phone to her ear as she walks away.

I've been thinking about making a Patreon. What kind of content would give value to you? I was thinking of possibly doing chapters from other characters' points of views or taking requests for which chapters/characters.