Before leaving, Kael borrowed a set of clean clothes from the chief's wife.
She smiled as she retrieved them, packing them into a bag to hand to him. "My daughter wore this once before she was married. Now that she's a mother, it doesn't fit her anymore. If you don't mind, she can keep it."
Kael nodded, took the clothes, and picked me up again. He carried me through the moonlight, traversing the deserted alleyways toward his home. His chest was broad, his arms solid, and every step he took was steady. The faint scent of pine resin lingered in my nostrils, deepening my drunken haze.
I wasn't behaving myself, pulling at his collar and slurring, "I know I'm drunk... I shouldn't be so stubborn... honestly, I am drunk..."
He seemed to glance down at me, but I was lost in my own world and pa
