Luna of Rogues

Part 61 - Peace and Quiet

30k reads? 30K READS?! I don't even know what to say to that. Except thank you, of course. Your support means so much, which sort of goes without saying. Every time I get a notification that someone has voted or commented, I start grinning like a crazy person.

Now I was arguing with my sister the other day (as we do, daily). She happens to be a huge Leo fan, but I've always had a soft spot for Rhys. So out of curiosity, who is your favourite character? And who's your least favourite? Besides Brandon, of course. That goes without saying.

The cabins were scattered across a mountainside, jutting from the cliff face as if they had grown out of the rock itself. They were connected by walkways and stairs, all lined with lanterns. It looked like something you would see in a movie. So beautiful it felt almost surreal.

The owners had welcomed us with open arms and given us the keys to the two luxury cabins on the penthouse level. Whatever favour they had owed Rhodric, it must have been a big one. They had made the easy assumption we were two happy couples and I hadn't even thought to ask Cassidy how she felt about sharing with Rhys.

There was enough space between the cabins that I was confident Rhys wouldn't hear a thing. But with hours before sunset, the four of us were crowded into one cabin. There were three rooms — a living area with a tiny kitchen, a spacious bedroom and a small ensuite bathroom. And on the floor of the living room was something I didn't see all that often. Carpet. The feeling of fabric under my bare feet was strange enough that I stayed on the sofa, legs crossed underneath me, rather than step on it.

It also had central heating — a luxury I had never experienced before. Spring in Wales was neither dry nor warm. Piece by piece, I stripped off my many layers of warm and waterproof clothing until I was wearing only a shirt and trousers, and the boys followed my example. I made sure, though, to move my knife from my coat pocket. You could never be too careful.

We were playing 'cheat' to pass the time. Poor Cassidy actually seemed to be following the rules, so she was losing every game. One day, I would have to teach her about rogues.

"Three sevens and I'm out," I announced smugly, while throwing down an assortment of five picture cards.

"Skye," Leo sighed. "We established ten minutes ago that you don't have any sevens. You're terrible at this."

I grinned and flipped the top cards over, making sure to slip the five kings and queens up my sleeve while he wasn't watching. I proceeded to display all the sevens that Cassidy had just put down. It was really lucky for me that she didn't cheat.

Leo narrowed his eyes, but he couldn't exactly argue with the proof. My poor, innocent mate was relatively new to this as well. He didn't expect us to cheat after we'd been called out for cheating. Rhys, on the other hand, was trying to subtly peak at his own mate's cards every few minutes.

"Fine, you win." Leo gave in, throwing down his cards. Rhys followed suit, and I didn't miss when he retrieved a few cards from behind him to join the pile in the middle. I stood up to get a drink, and my arms hung straight down for a split second. The dozen cards I had smuggled there over the course of the game fell out.

Oops.

Leo rolled his eyes, Cassidy looked alarmed, and Rhys just laughed at me. I was spared from having to defend myself when I realised that my collar had slipped down — it hadn't been the cards Cassidy was staring at. Leo's mark on my neck was showing.

Double oops.

"What's that? Why isn't it healing?" she asked quietly. Rhys swore under his breath and gave me a pleading glance.