"You look like you swallowed a bee," Pearl said the second we walked through the inn's back door. "What happened?"
"Nothing happened. Yet." I glanced past her toward the stairs, checking for anyone who shouldn't be listening. "We need to talk. Now, before Kai or Des or Liora decides to wander down here."
Pearl's eyes flicked to the wooden box under Malachi's arm, then back to me. She didn't ask what was inside. She'd already guessed, and just hadn't said anything because Pearl liked to let people get to their own conclusions in their own time.
We ducked into the small pantry off the kitchen, the one that smelled like dried herbs and old flour, and I talked fast and low while Malachi stood guard by the door with his arms crossed like he was bored, which he definitely wasn't.
