Chapter Two #2
“I’m honored.” Despite my sarcastic tone, being loved by him made me feel special. Rowan had come so far since the day I met him, no longer hiding behind a dark fortress. Some light shone there now. Warmth.
“However, you, thief, must share him with us.” Maddox drew me in closer, away from Rowan.
“Gross.” Rowan hooked an arm around me and brought me right back to his chest. “Stop getting your stench on him, Captain Glutton.”
Maddox scowled.
I snorted a laugh.
“Welcome to the Shadow Realm.”
All gazes shifted to the newcomer.
Fane stood with his hands behind his back and his head held high. I caught the tension in his body though. Humans made him nervous. It certainly didn’t help matters when the knights mirrored his tension, their expressions revealing the same distrust he felt for them.
Briar, however, appeared delighted. “Good evening.” His eyes were locked on Fane’s horns.
“My name is Fane.” The demon tipped his head to Briar, then to the others. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you to your rooms.”
***
“We’re gonna need a bigger bed.” I stood at the foot of it, hands on my hips. The thing was roughly the size of a king, but definitely not big enough for all of us. “Looks like it will fit three comfortably. Four max.”
“I can sleep on your lap,” Lake suggested, his fluffy ears perking up. “Just as we do at home.”
Home. The word caused a longing in my chest. Had it really only been less than a week since we’d been at the cottage, snuggling in front of the fire? Crazy how fast life could change.
“Hear that, rabbit?” Rowan smirked at Callum. “You’re the odd man out. Sounds like you’ll be sleeping on the rug.”
“Why me?” Callum glowered at him. “Snakes prefer dark, cool places, don’t they? You’re the one who should sleep elsewhere. Preferably outside.”
God, I had missed their banter. Almost enough to bring a tear to my eye, but I’d done enough crying over the past few days to last a lifetime and refused to shed another tear unless something horrible happened. Like burning a batch of muffins or learning coffee beans had ceased to exist.
“All of you can have the bed.” Maddox stood near the window, arms crossed, and peered out into the darkness. “I’ll keep watch through the night.”
“There’s no need for that.” I plopped down on the edge of the bed. My legs were too short for my feet to touch the floor, so they dangled. “No one will attack us. We’re guests here, not prisoners.”
Eyes as blue and deep as the ocean met mine. “You don’t know that for certain.”
“Lake and I are still alive, aren’t we?” I pointed out. “If they planned to hurt us, Phantasia wouldn’t have healed Lake’s wounds. Fane wouldn’t cook us awesome meals or bring us clean clothes. They’ve been nothing but kind to us.”
His unchanging expression said I failed to convince him on the matter. “It could be a trick intended to lower our guards.”
“What would they gain from that, Maddox? There’s no reason they’d go through this trouble if they meant to hurt us.”
“Then explain why they took our weapons.”
I gave him a droll look. “Take one guess as to why. I’ll give you a hint: it has more to do with you than them.”
There was a click in his jaw. “I’d only attack if they gave me reason to.”
“Uh huh.”
“We walked right into their territory, and now we’re at their mercy.
” Callum stood near the stone hearth. It hadn’t been lit, leaving the inside dark instead of the comforting orange glow of the flames.
The ashes from previously burned logs were absent though, implying someone had come in and cleaned.
“They’re helping us, Cal,” I said. “The mercenaries were going to target all of you in order to get to me, so Lord Onyx—”
“Don’t speak of him so casually, Ev. He’s not your friend.” Callum shook his head at me, as though in disbelief. Or disappointment. “You think he’s doing this out of the kindness of his heart?”
“Not exactly.” I pressed my thumb into my opposite palm. It gave me a place to put some of my nervous energy. “We made a deal. The truth about me in exchange for your safe passage here.”
“The truth?” Briar asked. He sat at the small table near the hearth, wiping the lenses of his glasses with the bottom of his shirt.
I nodded. “Most of it anyway. About my dad and why Nocturne is after me.”
“You told him who you truly are? That you’re part of the royal family?” Maddox scrubbed his hands over his face, scraping against the days-old stubble. “Gods, sweetheart.”
I looked at Lake. “You didn’t tell them any of this when you found them?”
“Didn’t get the chance,” Lake answered. “I was far too busy trying to prevent them from attacking the demons with me.”
“Is that right?” I returned my gaze to Maddox and crossed my arms. “My earlier point proven. No wonder they took your sword.”
He sneered at me.
“You think I’m scared of you, big guy?” I did my best impersonation of his sneer. “I know all it takes is for me to bake a tray of muffins and you’ll be puddy in my hands.”
The muscle in his cheek jumped.
“This is serious, Ev,” Callum said. “We’re not safe here. Especially not you, now that the damn demon lord knows who you are.”
Okay, I was back to being frustrated. “Why not? Lord Onyx has done nothing to suggest he wants to hurt any of us.”
“And you trust him? He’s a demon.”
“And you’re a knight,” I countered, annoyance growing. “How many patrols have ventured into the dark wood and cut down any demon they came across?”
“We were protecting the kingdom,” Callum snapped. There were no signs of the cinnamon roll I knew and loved. He was angry and defensive. “Do you believe we were in the wrong? Whose side are you on here, Evan?”
“Watch your tone, rabbit,” Rowan interjected, voice lower and more threatening than usual. “That’s my mate you’re talking to.”
I didn’t take Callum’s behavior to heart though. To him and the rest of the knights, demons were the enemy. Hearing me defend them must’ve cut him deep. A realization that came too late. I’d already hurt him.
“Look, I’m not picking sides, and I’m sorry if it seemed that way.” I slid from the bed and padded across the floor toward Callum, taking his hands in mine. “I’m trying to show you another viewpoint. You see demons as these violent, bloodthirsty killers. But that’s exactly how they see humans.”
He scoffed. “They have only themselves to blame. They started the war.”
“Fane and the other demons in this castle didn’t start anything,” I gently said, moving my thumb across the scar he’d gotten chopping potatoes. “It began centuries ago. They’ve done nothing wrong.”
Some of Callum’s irritation faltered, and his gaze dropped to our joined hands. “You have such a kind heart, Ev, and you always try to see the best in people. Yet, as I said before, I fear it will one day be your undoing.”
“What’s so wrong about seeing the best in people? About believing in them?” My throat squeezed. “If I hadn’t fought against you so hard, you would’ve killed Oreo that day in the forest. All because you assumed he was a monster. But he’s not. Why is violence always the answer and never peace?”
Hurt flared in his eyes. “The situation with Oreo was different. I admit my wrongdoing. But in this instance, Ev—”
“Enough of this.” Maddox stepped from the window and approached. “We’re together again. That’s what matters.” He gave me that look: lids heavy and lips parted. “I’ve missed you deeply.”
“Don’t think you can distract me with your good looks, Captain Smolder,” I said, already falling under his spell. Damn irritating man. “This is a serious discussion and we—”
He cupped my face with both hands and kissed me hard.
The taste ignited sparks in my core. My blood hummed as he went back in for another kiss and dipped his tongue into my mouth. I was a man starved, needing more of his warmth. More of his… everything. Heat sizzled through my veins as I rose up on my tiptoes and gripped his hair, kissing him deeper.
Maddox made a low sound in his throat that failed to discourage my heightening arousal. It did the opposite, throwing gasoline on that arousal and striking a match. Those flames fanned higher as I felt the scrape of the stubble along his jaw.
“What have I told you about sharing, Captain?” Briar asked, stepping closer to us. A playful smile curved his lips. “We’ve been away from our muffin for days. You can’t keep him all to yourself.”
“Watch me, physician.” Maddox ghosted his lips over mine and glanced at Briar. “I dare you to try to take him from me.”
A hard rapping of knuckles came at the door.
“Captain?” came a harsh whisper a beat later. “It’s me. Quincy. Your favorite knight.”
“Favorite pain in his rear is more like it,” came Duke’s deeper voice. Then, louder, he added, “Let us in, will ya? That black-horned demon may return at any moment.”
“That demon’s name is Fane,” I said in a voice loud enough for them to hear. “And he’s nice, so behave.”
Less than twenty minutes had passed since Fane had shown everyone to their rooms. The knight trio were given separate rooms in the same wing as ours but chose to stay together and share one instead.
Strength in numbers and all that. Untrusting, just like Callum and Maddox.
They’d probably take shifts keeping watch through the night too.
The door handle jiggled.
“Come on, Captain,” Quincy whined. “This corridor is dark and scary.”
I snorted.
Maddox growled under his breath. “I very well may kill them for interrupting.”
“You behave too.” I lightly poked his chest.
“I always behave. Unlike you.” He snatched me by the wrist and brought my hand to his mouth, nibbling the tip of the finger that’d poked him.