Chapter Six #3
Onyx, however, seemed amused by the question. “Dragon scales, you say? I suppose you never know what someone could be concealing beneath their clothing.” His gaze moved to me, and the red in his eyes flickered a brighter shade before returning to their normal crimson. “Quite the mystery.”
Heat fanned to my cheeks. My thoughts raced back to my first night at the castle when he’d come to my room and found me tucked into bed wearing only a baggy tunic; no pants. I could still feel the whisper of his fingertips as he’d caressed my bare legs and said I would taste exquisite.
Quincy peered closer at Onyx, no doubt trying to spot any signs of scales.
“What’s the reason for your visit?” Maddox asked, defenses on high. If he’d been allowed to carry his sword, I knew his hand would’ve been resting on the hilt right then, prepared to draw and strike.
“Worried I’ve decided to kill you after all?” Onyx gave him an impish smile. “Oh, calm yourself. It was only a jest. If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead.”
“Enough of your taunts, demon.”
Onyx looked at me. “Your lovers are much too grim. No sense of humor.”
“Best not to tease them then.” I offered him a nervous smile. “Um, my lord.”
His lips twitched. “I suppose I’ll have to tease you in their place.”
Maddox’s nostrils flared, and he brought me closer to his side.
“You claim we’re your guests,” Briar said, always one to try to ease tensions. “Am I to assume we’re allowed to roam freely? Or are we confined to this room?”
“You may wander the castle grounds and surrounding land,” Onyx responded. “I only ask that you respect my realm and all those dwelling within it.”
“Fair enough.” Maddox lifted his chin.
“And if one of your demons attacks us first?” Callum asked. “What then? Are we not to defend ourselves?”
“I’ve ordered my demons to stand down as well,” Onyx answered. “None would dare defy me. Do no harm to us and none will be done unto you. You have my word.”
Maddox glared at him. “I’m supposed to believe you? The word of a demon means very little.”
The demon lord’s eyes flared brighter. “I could say the same of humans.”
The two of them stared each other down, as though a challenge to see who would look away first.
“We’re enemies,” Maddox eventually said, emotion bleeding into his voice, causing a slight shake. “I’d be a reckless fool to trust you so easily.”
“You’re correct. Our kinds have been in conflict for centuries.” Onyx broke eye contact with him to look at me. “However, as a wise little bird once told me, many have fallen on both sides of this war. The violence will never end unless steps are taken in that direction.”
My belly fluttered.
Maddox stared at him in silence, suspicion ablaze in his eyes, before he breathed out and gave a sharp nod.
“Good. You’re all invited to dine with me this evening. Until then, you’re welcome to explore my realm.” Onyx turned from the doorway and stepped back into the corridor. Before leaving, he glanced at me over his shoulder. “Perhaps you’ll see it’s not what you feared it to be.”
Once he was out of sight, the tension in the air lifted, and the knights exhaled.
“So that was the mighty demon lord,” Duke said in a gruff tone. “He’s certainly prettier than I remember.”
“And scale free.” Quincy sighed.
“You sound disappointed,” Baden told him before a ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Seems our thorn prince is no longer the only sad toad in the realm.”
“I’m only disappointed he’s not part dragon,” Quincy said. “Imagine riding into battle on a dragon’s back. The enemy would shit themselves.”
“You’d shit yourself being so high up in the clouds,” Duke countered. “Heights aren’t your friend.”
Baden nodded. “And if the fear didn’t kill you, you’d end up falling off the dragon and dying anyway. Much like the time you fell from your horse and broke your ass.”
I choked on a laugh.
“I didn’t break my ass, you bastard.” Quincy snapped. “I was shot in the ass cheek with an arrow! Then I fell from my horse.”
Oreo playfully nipped at my ankle before rushing over to the bed and jumping on, landing beside Callum.
“Er… hello,” Callum warily told the pup.
Oreo softly woofed at him before burrowing under the covers.
“Yay.” I beamed. “We officially have a new puppy.”
“A menace is more like it,” Maddox grumbled, taking me into his arms. “Stealing your love and affection.”
The wiggling bundle under the blanket growled.
“Good thing I have enough love and affection to go around.” I rested my chin on Maddox’s chest, arms snug around his waist. “And you may or may not have a very special place in my heart all to yourself.”
Warmth touched his once icy eyes. Something else entwined with that warmth though—a glint of something darker. “I can’t help but wonder who else has a piece of your heart.”
“What do you mean?”
“The demon lord has an endearment for you,” he softly responded. “Little bird.”
Lake’s gaze met mine, and his brows pulled together.
Rowan looked at me too. The only ones who knew the truth.
The longer I waited to tell the rest of them, the harder it would be.
The Band-Aid theory was best: just freaking rip it off and get it over with.
And Maddox had provided an opening to do just that.
With my heart pounding like a war drum, I took a steadying breath. “There’s something I need to—”
“By the gods!” Quincy exclaimed from the window, his face pressed to the glass. “What’s that horrid creature?”
Aaaand, perfect moment gone.
Lake padded over to him and looked outside. “Oh. That’s Ghost.”
“Ghost?”
“Evan named him,” Lake said. “The one beside him is named Ash.”
They were the demon stallions I’d met a few days ago.
At first glance, Ghost’s appearance had taken me by surprise too.
His black mane was wispy and matted, and bits of bone and muscle could be seen poking through his shiny black coat, as though he were in the stages of decomposition. Like a zombie horse.
“He’s not horrid,” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “You be nice to my handsome boy. He’s gentle and sweet.”
“Handsome?” Quincy gave me a wide-eyed look. “Are we talking about the same creature? Because that—” He tapped the window. “Looks like a thing of nightmares.”
“Ah.” Duke clapped him on the back. “That’s merely your reflection in the glass.”
I hung my head and laughed. No matter how much my nerves were amped up, those boys had a way of making everything lighter.
Maddox leaned in and kissed the top of my hair. Then, softly, he murmured, “We’ll continue our talk later.”
I got the feeling he already had a sense of what was happening with Onyx. Maddox had been with me since the very beginning. The first man I kissed in this world. The first one I ever loved. He’d been by my side as Briar and the others joined us and recognized the signs probably as well as I did.
“Yeah,” I responded, voice tight. “We’ll talk later.”
I just hoped I wouldn’t lose him because of it.