Chapter Eight #3
“As I suspected,” Maddox said. The lack of emotion in his voice did little to help my nerves. “Like Callum, I’ve witnessed the same. How you get flustered in his presence. The sadness in your eyes when he leaves. The demon lord is one of the seven mates Lupin told you about.”
Another nod, this one shakier.
“How long have you known?” he asked.
“A few days,” I rasped, throat tight. “I wanted to tell all of you sooner, but I didn’t know how.”
Maddox dropped his gaze to his ring. “I see.”
It wasn’t the reaction I had expected, from him or from Callum. There were no snarls or flaring nostrils. No clenched fists or lectures about it being dangerous to be with someone so… well, dangerous.
No. This reaction was much worse. The silence felt oppressive, pressing against my shoulders and keeping me planted in the chair.
“Say something,” I whispered.
“What do you want us to say?” Callum angled his head down and locked both hands behind his neck. Unlike Maddox, who lacked any emotion at all, he shook with it. “That we’re okay with this?”
A lump worked its way up my throat.
“I must admit, though surprised, it makes a lot of sense.” Briar’s brow furrowed in thought.
He stood near the window, arms crossed and one hand resting near his mouth.
“Lupin said each of your fated mates would play a pivotal role in your destiny. Having the demon lord on your side is quite pivotal, I’d say. ”
“But which way will Ev’s path pivot?” Callum asked. “Demons don’t trust us any more than we trust them. Each day we’re here, we tempt fate. Hard to imagine any good coming from this.”
“The good is already evident,” Briar said. “Without Lord Onyx’s interference the night Nocturne attacked, neither Lake nor Evan would be with us right now. One would be dead and the other on a ship sailing for Haran. We’ve been given shelter and protection here as well.”
“But at what cost?” Maddox asked, gaze still on his ring as he slowly twisted it on his finger.
“What if there isn’t one?” Lake said from his spot on the rug, knees drawn up and arms resting on top.
“Lord Onyx has earned not only the respect of his people but their love as well. Demons and demi-humans alike. You saw it this afternoon. How happy they were. That wouldn’t be possible if he were truly wicked at heart. ”
“And what of his comment at dinner?” Maddox asked Lake. “How he wished to burn the world. Demons and demi-humans may be spared from his wrath, but humans—everyone in this room, apart from you—are his enemy.”
Lake’s ears drooped.
“You’re blinded by your training as a knight, Captain,” Briar softly interjected. “I understand your reservations. Truly, I do, for I share them as well, to an extent. But logically speaking, if Lord Onyx is one of us, bound to Evan by fate, he’d rather die than harm him.”
“Gotta agree with Specs,” Rowan said. “Not sure about the rest of you, but I felt the fated connection with Evan the moment we met. I reckon the demon lord senses the same bond, even if he doesn’t yet know the reason behind that feeling.”
“I don’t like it.” Callum expelled a breath, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Fate brought all of us together, and I’m thankful for it. You’re my family. I trust each of you with my life and would lay down mine for yours without hesitation. But I could never say the same of a demon.”
Maddox brooded in silence. Focused on the band of his ring.
The center of my chest hollowed, like the bud of hope there had been torn out, roots and all. Rowan, Lake, and now Briar might’ve been open to the idea of accepting Lord Onyx, but my knights held too much distrust and anger toward him to see him as anything other than a threat.
“Oh, love.” Briar came over and took me in his arms. He was the perfect height for me to tuck my head under his chin and burrow my face into the crease of his neck. “Don’t fret. I’m sure everything will sort itself out.”
His tone wasn’t convincing. Neither were the expressions of the knights I loved. Especially my captain’s. When I’d told Maddox what Lupin said about me having seven fated mates, he said that I could love a thousand men and his feelings for me would never change. That I’d never lose him.
So why did I get the feeling he was slipping away? Both him and Callum.
“All right. Hand him over, Specs.” Rowan hopped up from his perch and came over, circling his fingers around my wrist. He led me toward the window.
“What are we doing?” I asked, still on the verge of a snot fest. I’d rather stub my pinky toe on one of those metal bedframes than upset any of them.
He tossed me a smirk, showing a peek of my favorite tooth. “I said I’d take you flying, remember?”
Excitement and fear swirled together. With the eventful day, I’d forgotten what he’d said that morning about wanting to take me out once the sun went down.
The fear came from knowing exactly how high up in the air that window was.
The thought of jumping out of it made the bottom of my stomach drop out.
“Wait.” Maddox stepped in front of us. “I don’t think it wise to—”
“Out of the way, Captain Glutton,” Rowan cut in. “He’s mine right now. You can have him back later. Hopefully after you’ve gotten the stick out of your ass.”
Maddox looked at me. Thoughts weighed heavily on him. I could see it in his eyes. The blue irises had lost their luster. But instead of fighting Rowan on the matter, he caressed my jaw before stepping aside and letting us pass.
Rowan retook hold of my wrist and guided me toward the window and the night stretching beyond it. He pushed it open and turned to me with a smile brighter than the light of a full moon. “Hold on tight, little treasure. It’s time to fly.”