Chapter Eighteen
A Truth Revealed
The throne room wasn’t what I’d expected. There were no piles of charred bones or caged enemies hanging from the tall ceilings. No cackling demonic minions with pitchforks.
Instead sat a throne made of black obsidian. And on that throne? A demon lord with eyes that caught the light from the various surrounding candelabras.
I gulped. The sight of him awoke excited flutters in my belly.
“Good morning,” Onyx greeted us. Black hair cascaded down his chest, free of the warrior-type braids he often wore. He slouched a bit with one hand resting near his mouth. The other sat dangerously close to the sword propped up beside him. “I hope you slept well.”
“About as well as can be,” I answered. My body needed to stop whatever the hell it was doing. One of my fated men or not, Onyx was the freaking demon lord. Potentially a walking doom flag. “I, uh, hope you slept well too.”
“My night was quite… eventful.” The candlelight set his red eyes on fire. Trapped in his unwavering gaze, I felt like those flames had pierced my heart.
Tall windows arched behind him, revealing a dark, stormy sky that’d only grown darker. Also behind him? Armed guards. Seraphina and four others stood near the entry doors and along the wall.
Soldiers, I corrected myself, not guards. Ones who would strike me down without hesitation if I even breathed wrong.
“F-Fane said you wanted to speak to us.” I tried to steady my voice. Unfortunately, my knees were a lost cause. They wobbled like crazy.
Lake stood beside me and grabbed my hand. It helped calm some of the anxious twists in my belly.
“Yes.” Onyx emoted very little, making it impossible to get a read on him. He was far from an open book. More like a book wrapped in chains and thrown into a locked chest. Multiple barriers to break through. “It’s regarding last night’s attempted breach of the barrier.”
“Ah, right.” I shifted my weight between my feet. “What happened? Did the… um, dark mages get through?”
“Mercenaries.” Onyx sat forward on the throne. “They were mercenaries. But I think you know that.”
Heat prickled at my scalp. I racked my brain for a response, coming up empty. Did Onyx know the truth now? Was that the real reason he’d summoned us to the throne room? The wobble in my knees returned full force.
Lake gently pulled me closer, letting me lean on him. He no doubt felt the echo of that spike of nerves.
Steps sounded on the stone floor, drawing our attention. A welcome interruption.
“My lord.” Varys stopped in front of the throne and bowed to Onyx. His shoulders held a slight quake. “Apologies for keeping you waiting.”
“All is well.” A glimmer of emotion surged in Onyx’s eyes. But then those eyes returned to me, growing cold once more. “Now that we’re all present, let’s begin.”
Varys faced me. “Why is Nocturne searching for you?”
“Um.” Throat dry, I swallowed hard. As proven countless times, I stammered too much when trying to lie. “I don’t know.”
Not totally a fib. I didn’t know the exact reason.
“Enough with the lies,” Varys spat, clenching his teeth. He seemed to be on edge. “Nocturne is an ancient order of dark mages whose power far exceeds that of ordinary mercenaries. They wouldn’t bother tracking down a low-value target. So I’ll ask you once more. Why are they after you?”
Onyx watched me in silence. Cold and shut off. No sign of the man who’d smiled at me as I’d flocked around the kitchen last night, excitedly touching everything.
The drastic shift caused a deep ache in my heart. Something had unlocked inside me with the realization that he was one of my men. A desire that’d been dormant. Waiting for him. Yet, now he stared at me like I’d betrayed him in some way.
“I…” My voice wavered, much like my courage.
Lake stepped in front of me and bowed his head. “Please understand our reluctance to answer that question. The truth puts my mate in danger should it fall on the wrong ears.”
“And another lie will do the same.” Onyx rose from the throne and slowly approached us. Each step that brought him closer stirred the heat in my core. “I suggest you choose your next words very carefully.”
“Okay.” Exhaling, I faced Onyx and tried to be brave. “You want to know why Nocturne is after me?”
Lake growled. “Evan, don’t—”
“No more lies,” I said, lightly squeezing his palm in an attempt to calm him. His teeth had sharpened, and his eyes glowed a vibrant purple. “Remember what we talked about earlier? If it’s true, then he needs to know the truth.”
“Tell me, little human…” Onyx tipped his chin up, wariness touching his cold eyes. “What truth are you referring to?”
Lupin once cautioned me not to hide my identity from my fated mates. Each one had a role to play in my destiny. Unfortunately, in Onyx’s case, I was ninety-nine percent sure he was the one destined to possibly kill me.
But it was a risk I had to take.
“Nocturne was hired to capture me,” I finally said. “One of the mercenaries, a guy named Stryder, said it’s because of my blood.”
“Your blood,” Onyx repeated in a flat tone. “Why?”
“I’m told it’s rare. Rare enough that the one who hired Nocturne is desperate to get their hands on me.” It wasn’t smart to reveal all my cards at once, so I kept the fact that it was King Silas to myself for the time being.
“And the mercenaries are who really attacked you the night of the ball?”
“Y-Yes. You were right about the spell being dark magic. One of them cast it.” I touched Lake’s back at the memory. He pressed closer to me in response. “They’re also the ones who framed me for poisoning the king.”
Again, not lying. Just omitting certain facts, like Prince Cedric being involved.
Onyx’s gaze burned into me. “I see. The pieces are falling more into place now. Your first night here, you mentioned someone tracking your life force. It must be how they found my hidden realm.”
“Sorry.” Guilt settled in my bones. He had welcomed me and Lake into his home, and I’d repaid his kindness by bringing trouble to his front door.
“They may be powerful, but they won’t be able to reach you here,” he said in a softer voice. “The barrier remains strong.”
“Good.” I breathed out, relieved they hadn’t gotten through. “No one was hurt last night, were they?”
“No. They tried breaching the barrier for several hours and then left. Some of my scouts followed them back to their hideout. A small cave near the sea. They overheard the mercenaries speak of resorting to other measures in order to reach you.”
“That doesn’t sound too reassuring.” I shifted in place and fiddled with my hands. “What other measures?”
He cocked his head, eyes narrowing. “Using your lovers as bait. To lure you out.”
The air left my lungs.
Lake caught me against his chest. I hadn’t even realized I’d been falling. But as those words settled over me, it felt like I’d been thrown out to sea with large boulders strapped to my limbs. Sinking lower and lower, muscles useless.
“I need to leave,” I said, panic rising.
“And do what exactly?” Onyx calmly asked. “The moment you step foot outside this realm, your life force will be detectable to the ones hunting you.”
“I don’t care. Let them find me.” The base of my throat squeezed. “I can’t stay here and do nothing. My men are only in this mess because of me.”
Lake shook his head. “I won’t allow it. The others wouldn’t want you to either.”
“No offense, but you can get over it,” I told him. “If I have to give myself up to keep all of you safe, I will.”
“You perplex me.” Onyx reached me in three strides. After glancing at Lake, as though asking for permission, he took hold of my chin and angled my face up. “So eager to disregard your own life in order to save theirs. You did it once before.”
I frowned. “I did?”
“In the dark wood,” he said with a sharp nod. “It’s the real reason why I called off the demons that day. I saw you jump in front of your knight, placing yourself between him and the adult Fenrir.”
“Anyone would do that for the one they love.”
“I disagree,” he said. “Self-sacrifice is rare. Only the purest and bravest of souls would act as you did. Without hesitation or fear for your own life.”
“My men are my life,” I rasped. “Which is why I can’t stay here. I won’t. They need me.”
“The mercenaries clearly know the depth of your love for them.” Onyx regarded me with a wrinkle in his brow. “And they fully intend to use it against you. Don’t be foolish.”
Lake softly whined. “Evan… Lord Onyx is right. You can’t leave.”
“Will you let them come here then?” My voice cracked. “It’s the only way I’ll stay here. Say no, and I’m running for that door.”
“The door guarded by armed soldiers?” He seemed amused. “I’d quite like to see you try.”
“You think I won’t?” I crossed my arms Maddox-style. “I have ways of taming even the most intimidating and snarly of men. Turning lions into kittens. Just give me one hour, an oven, and access to the pantry, and I’ll soon be the new lord of this castle.”
His amusement grew, causing a—super hot, damn him—crooked smile. “How about we make a deal?”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m listening.”
“I’ll consider allowing your lovers into my realm.” He held up a finger, the stone in his ring matching his eyes. “In exchange for the truth.”
“The truth?” I asked. “About what?”
“Why Nocturne is after you.” The veil from last night passed over his face again despite his smirk. “I believe you were honest about your blood being part of the reason. You’re too dreadful of a liar. However, I sense there’s more you’re not saying.”
A fresh wave of anxiety prickled at my ribs. “You’re right. I haven’t told you everything.”
“Go on.” His expression shadowed even further.
“If I tell you, you’ll welcome my men here. All of them, my knights included. Otherwise, no deal.”
“You’re awfully demanding for someone with little leverage.”
“The truth is my leverage.” I steeled my nerves, refusing to think about how horrible this could turn out. “Agree to my terms, or I’m walking out that door.”