Chapter Two
Home Once Again
Dark-purple and orange hues painted the horizon. I sat on the stone ledge of the fountain in the courtyard and stared at the fading daylight. The sky had stayed overcast for most of the afternoon even after the rain passed, with the clouds gradually thinning and dispersing in time for sunset.
Lake hadn’t returned.
“Where are you?” I drew both legs up and wrapped my arms around them.
His absence caused an anxious knot in the pit of my stomach.
After Lord Onyx had escorted me to the kitchen, I’d found Fane and helped him make lunch.
I’d been too nervous to eat much though.
Too nervous to do anything other than pace back and forth, look out the window, and pace some more.
Nail biting might’ve been involved too. Enough so that Fane had threatened to tie my hands behind my back to spare my poor fingers from the assault.
Footsteps had my heart rising in my throat… only for it to deflate when I caught sight of the warriors leaving the training field. One of the demons nodded to me while the others glared, wariness radiating from them.
I offered a small wave, which none of them returned. Sigh.
As the sun descended toward the mountains, taking more of the light with it, I took a deep breath and tried to stay positive. That lasted all of two seconds before my worries flared back up.
What if Stryder and the other mercenaries from Nocturne had attacked Lake and the rest of the party as soon as they’d stepped from the protective barrier around Onyx’s realm?
A wet drop landed on the top of my head. The sudden cold had me slapping at the spot on impulse and peering up at the branch above me in time for another drop to fall and hit beneath my left eye.
“Well, that’s just rude.” I wiped at my cheek. “First muffin batter and now you. That’s twice in one day I got a surprise squirt to the face.”
A light thud sounded from behind me. I flipped around on the ledge and nearly tumbled sideways into the fountain. The rain that day had created a nice little puddle that wouldn’t have been pleasant at all to topple into.
Woof!
I jerked my head in the direction it’d come from, seeing nothing at first. But then, black pointed ears showed on the other side of the ledge. Ears that soon sprang into motion, moving around the perimeter of the fountain and closing the distance between us.
Woof, woof!
“Oreo?” I hopped off the ledge as the body attached to those ears rounded the corner and came into view. All-black fur with the exception of a white streak going down his chest. “Hey, boy!”
The Fenrir pup slammed into me and licked at my neck, jaw, and cheek. Everywhere he could reach. His poofy tail wagged up a storm.
“I missed you too,” I said with a laugh, running my fingers through the silky fur of his back. “Where have you been? I’ve been here for several days, you know. My feelings are hurt you didn’t come see me sooner.”
Oreo wiggled his furry little butt and yapped. He sat on his hind end and continued to wag his tail. Piercing blue eyes met mine, and one of his ears flopped while the other stood straight. Just like it had the first time I’d met him.
“Yep. You’re cute as ever.” I petted the top of his head. His tongue jutted out and his eyes briefly closed. Proof of his trust in me. “The bestest boy in the whole world. Yes, you are.”
As I used the kind of cutesy voice you spoke to babies with, his tail whooshed faster and he woofed again before rewarding me with more cheek licks.
“I see,” a familiar husky voice said. “I leave for half a day and you already have a new favorite wolf.”
My insides wobbled. “Lake?”
He stood beside the nearest tree, smile warm and not a scratch on him. And he wasn’t alone.
Oreo barked and bit at my tunic sleeve, tugging at it and trying to drag me across the grass. Toward the men I hadn’t stopped thinking about since the moment I had to leave them behind in the forest, unsure when, or if, I’d see them again.
Legs shaky, I got to my feet.
“Gods, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Maddox stepped forward, his gaze locking on mine. The deep voice caused a responding shiver in my bones. There was a desperation in his eyes as he rushed toward me, pulling me against him in seconds.
“Hey, big guy,” I rasped.
“I’m so happy you’re safe, sweetheart.” His scent hit me hard. Leather and warm spice.
Of home.
A sob tore through my throat as I wrapped my arms around his thick waist and clung to him. It felt like my lungs had been deprived of oxygen for days, ever since the night we’d said goodbye. In his arms, I could finally breathe again.
Maddox pressed kisses to my hair and kept me in a strong hold. Saying little, but he didn’t need to use his words. His heart thumped hard beneath my ear, and his muscles quaked. My big guy hid emotions well, but I sensed his relief. Felt it in every brush of his lips and unsteady exhale.
“Hello, love.” Briar stood beside us, smile shaky and a glassy sheen to his hazel eyes.
“Briar,” I whimpered and reached for him too. Magnolia blossoms tickled my nose, closely followed by the spicy and earthy notes of black cardamom. “Ro.”
“Hey, little treasure.” Rowan hooked an arm around my waist, and his lips trembled as he tried for a smirk. “The pup’s lucky you’re all right. If you’d had even a nick on you, I would’ve had to spank him.”
Lake huffed. “I’d like to see you try.”
Something warm and sweet wafted toward me, like vanilla bean and freshly baked bread.
“Cal.” My voice broke.
“At your service, milord.” Callum lightly ruffled my hair, ushering in another round of tears. His crinkly-eyed stare was paired with an adorable dimple in his cheek. “Now and always.”
The anxiety that’d swirled in my chest all day finally lifted.
My men had returned to me. All of them. Bursting with happiness and relief, I buried my face into Maddox’s chest—he’d refused to fully release his hold on me—and then grabbed at the others, taking turns nuzzling and kissing each of them.
“Where’s my kiss?” a gruff voice called out, drawing my attention to a group standing behind my men. Duke’s red hair fell past his ears, free of the leather strap he normally tied it back with. A smile broke across the knight’s rugged face. “Though I’d settle for a muffin or two.”
“What he said,” Quincy chimed in, the scar cutting across his left cheek crinkling with a wide grin. “Haven’t had one of your treats in ages. Think I’m going through withdrawals.”
“You’re all here.” My vision blurred as more tears surged forward.
“Of course, we are.” Baden, the more serious of the knight trio, kept a stern expression as he spoke.
With cropped blond hair, a chiseled jaw, and large muscles, he could seem intimidating to those who didn’t know him.
He dropped to one knee and lowered his head.
“You’re our prince. Where you go, we’ll follow. My sword and shield belong to you.”
The three of them knew the truth about me. Maddox had told them the night of the ball before the fight went down with the mercenaries. They knew I was the son of Prince Elias and that I’d been targeted because of it. Knew the truth about Cedric’s plan to poison the king and frame me for it.
“Aye.” Quincy followed suit, kneeling before me. That shit-eating grin remained on his lips though. “I vow to guard you with my life and protect you with my much sharper sword and bigger shield than Baden’s.”
“And with your plumper arse,” Duke told him, dropping to one knee as well. “A thing of unmatched fortitude.”
“Wait.” I scanned the group, finding two spies missing. “Reign and Draven aren’t with you?”
Rowan shook his head. “They returned to the Tower.”
Unease prickled at my chest. “Will they be safe there? I heard there’s a bounty on my head and anyone close to me might be seen as suspicious and taken in for questioning.”
“They’ll be fine,” Maddox said. “No one outside the Secret Order knows of your friendship. Draven said to tell you to worry about your own neck instead of theirs.”
My nose crinkled. “He knew I’d be worried?”
“Of course he knew. You always put others before yourself.” Maddox glided the backs of his knuckles across my jaw, his blue eyes swimming with various emotions. Worry and love being the strongest. “It’s a quality in you I both admire and fear.”
I leaned into his touch. “Look who’s talking. You do the same thing, throwing yourself into dangerous situations in order to protect those you care about.”
“The difference is I have training.” He lightly bopped my chin. “You don’t.”
A woof drew everyone’s attention. Oreo sat several feet away, his ears angled backward as he eyed the group of men. He hadn’t run away, though, like I’d expected.
“Well, if it isn’t our wee guard pup,” Quincy said. “I wondered where he ran off to. He ate the bits of ham I set out for him this morning, then vanished.”
“Guard pup?” I asked.
Maddox caressed my jaw. “The night we fought the mercenaries and then found the cottage, the demon pup came to us. He’s stayed near the tree line and watched us for the past several days.”
“Watched over us, I’d say.” Briar adjusted his glasses. “Last night, he rushed the back door and howled to get our attention.”
“Not long after, Reign detected one of the mercenaries moving toward the cottage,” Rowan added. “The warning gave him time to strengthen the protective warding around the property. If not for that…” He shook his head, letting his words trail off.
Was that why Oreo hadn’t come to visit me sooner? Because he’d been with them, keeping them safe.
My throat tightened.
“Uh oh. There he goes again.” Rowan flashed my favorite tooth. It jutted lower than the others and reminded me of a vampire fang. “Crying like a sad little toad.”
“We haven’t seen each other in days and you’re picking on me,” I said with a whine. “I feel the love, Ro.”
His grin widened. “Only for you.”