How to Make a Sinner Sleep

98 | shackled; a foreign wanting

The Inky Tavern, where all secrets were exchanged. Kaden cradled a drink in his hands, sat by the bar as whispers danced around his buzzing mind. Reed had ordered him here, stating that his target would appear.

Supposedly, the dragon had a penchant for drinking late at night in this specific tavern. Kaden thought it was foolish to visit a place a carriage ride over simply for alcohol.

The issue with alcohol, see, was that Kaden Chauvet had a weakness in things that helped chase the illusions of his vision away. And alcohol, which blurred both his sight and mine, did exactly that.

There were some who despised the loss of control over their body, their thoughts that spilled from their mouth despite their mind's demands to remain silent. But Kaden found a confidence brewed from the sipping of alcohol.

The aching heat that flowed down his throat, seating itself in the pits of his stomach and lighting his body with warmth.

What was worse was that the dragon hadn't even appeared, and although Reed's sources were very unlikely to be incorrect, something seemed to have deterred the dragon from following his typical routine.

Kaden tipped the remaining liquid in his cup back, swallowing it with ease.

The chair beside him scrapped, and he tiredly tilted his head to peer at the skinny man beside him wearing a loose shirt that was tucked in his narrow waist, but loose enough to mimic fragility.

A flirtatious smile, and a sheen of red dusted over high cheekbones. The young man's eyes curved and Kaden shook his head immediately.

"I'm not open for business."

The young man stared at him for a second with some confusion spilling into his eyes before smiling. "It's my business that I'm selling, not yours."

Kaden squinted, the slightly blurred outlines growing a little clearer. "I'm poor."

"I've seen poor and handsome men, but they don't quite carry themselves like you." remarked the man, ordering two glasses of some unknown alcohol. He slid one glass over. "You can pretend, but you can't fool your own nature."

Kaden sat up a little straighter, feeling a sense of familiarity. But he knew a young man once, who sold himself in this tavern. His memories pieced together in the blur of his thoughts.

Sometimes, one recalled things better when put in the same situation or location where the original memory occurred.

However, that young man did not speak with as much confidence or clarity.

Kaden frowned, accepting the drink. "You've changed." He said finally, turning his head to properly look at the person beside him. The person he could not remember in entirety, but the person he once knew.

The young man's eyes curved with delight, brightness gleaming over his expression. "You remember? I'm sorry, I didn't know how to approach you when you didn't seem to recognize me. It's... been awhile."

The youth continued hurriedly. "I'm doing well, but I haven't heard from you in a while, since back then. The other—your friend, he's visited a few times, and I sometimes see your other friend, ah, but I've been wondering, and—"

Finally, a real smile briefly appeared on Kaden's lips. "Thanks. For wondering."

The youth fell silent in an instant, a genuine flush blooming across his face. He'd wondered for so long what happened to that man, the one who offered him a job and gave him an opportunity unlike any other.

He'd saved up enough to purchase stay in a small, albeit run down, room of a married couple that lived on the main streets. The idealistic life of his youth had become more realistic, closer, reachable.