Chapter Ten
A Meeting of Ice and Fire
A cold nose pressed to my cheek, pulling me from sleep. I cracked one eye and squinted at the bright light coming in through the tall window. Looked to be midmorning. An adorable face hovered inches from mine—piercing blue eyes and black fur.
“Hey, boy.” I petted Oreo’s ears and yawned. “When did you come back?”
He made a rough sound, like a soft woof.
“I don’t know what that means.” My lids fell closed again. A few more minutes of sleep wouldn’t hurt. The puppy licked my nose. I breathed out a laugh, taking the hint, and opened my eyes. “Okay, okay. I’m getting up.”
“Think again,” a raspy voice said from beside me.
Rowan hooked his arm around my waist and dragged me back down to the mattress.
He must’ve switched spots with Lake after I’d fallen asleep.
Dark auburn hair fanned across his pillow, having been freed from the braid and golden cuff that usually kept it in place. “You’re stayin’ right where you are.”
“Oh yeah?” I smiled back at him. “You held me captive all night and you still want more.”
“I’m a selfish bastard, what can I say?” He nipped at my earlobe, then kissed the back of my neck, sliding his hand down my side.
Oreo growled at him.
“Growl all you want, pup, but he’s mine right now.”
“I didn’t growl,” came a different voice from the other side of the bed. Lake exited the small connecting washroom, shirtless and with the ends of his silver hair damp. He paused when seeing Oreo. “Oh. You weren’t speaking to me.”
“Aww.” Rowan lifted his head and smirked at Lake. “You jealous?”
“No.” Lake’s wolf ears twitched. He strode over to the wardrobe and withdrew a dark green tunic. “You’re allowed to call him ‘pup.’ He is one, after all.”
Oreo looked at Lake, one of his ears flopping in that cute way. He returned his gaze to Rowan and growled again.
“Save those growls for the captain,” Rowan said before petting him. “We’re on the same side here.”
Given that the puppy didn’t bite him or pull away, I suspected he loved the attention and being doted on. Once he’d had enough pets, Oreo licked my cheek, jumped off the bed, and padded over to the window bench. The tip of his tongue jutted from the side of his mouth as he peered outside.
My heart warmed. He looked happy.
“Morning, love.” Briar entered the room holding a small tray that had a wooden bowl on one side and a steaming cup on the other. “How are you feeling?”
“Not too bad.” I shifted up higher in bed, feeling only a slight tightness in my chest. “But I’m going to feel even better if that cup has in it what I think it does.”
I’d know the smell of coffee anywhere.
Smiling, he placed the tray on the nightstand and sat beside me.
“First, let me have a look at you.” He touched the area between my collar bones, then glided his fingers lower, his brows pulling together with a deep frown.
“Just as I feared. Inflammation. You need your medicine, but this will have to do for now.”
A glowing warmth seeped from his palm. He asked me to take a deep breath, and I did, then I took another. No crackly breaths. My lungs seemed to be back in working order. He nodded to himself, and his concerned expression alleviated, if only a little.
“Will he be all right?” Lake asked. He had fastened his tunic and was sitting at the table near the hearth tying his boots.
“For now,” Briar responded before handing me the cup from the tray. “Careful, love. It’s hot. Fane placed a fire rune to ensure it wouldn’t cool before I delivered it to you.”
Eager to get a fix after so many days of withdrawal, I took a drink and groaned as the strong brew hit my tongue. He’d added the perfect amount of milk and sugar.
“Oh, coffee.” I pressed the cup to my cheek. “How I’ve missed you.”
Briar’s nose crinkled with a smile. With his tousled brown hair, it gave him a boyishness he normally lacked. Made him seem younger. More carefree. “I made you porridge as well.”
“Gimme.” I wiggled beneath the sheet. “I love when you cook for me.”
“Perhaps I can make fig bread for you again soon.” He handed me the bowl, visibly pleased when I wasted no time before shoving a spoonful into my mouth. “Fane was preparing lunch when I went down to make your meal and offered to let me use the stone oven when I wanted.”
“Don’t tease me,” I said after swallowing a big bite of porridge. “I’d kill for your fig bread.” Then his words registered. “Wait. Lunch? What time is it?”
“Nearly midday.” Briar lightly swept his fingers through the top of my hair. “Your body clearly needed the rest. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard.”
Not hard enough, I’d argue. I missed waking up early and preparing for a day at the café. I missed cooking with Miles as Peter and Alice fluttered in and out delivering orders to hungry customers.
Rowan hadn’t moved from his place beside me in bed and stole a bite of my porridge.
A good distraction from that building sadness.
I grinned and spoon-fed him a second bite.
He wore no shirt, and the sight of his bronze skin and lightly toned muscles against the sheets fed me better than food ever could.
I sipped more coffee and rested against the headboard, expecting Maddox and Callum to come in any moment. A handful of minutes passed with no signs of them, not even the sound of Quincy’s voice echoing from down the hall.
“Where’d the knights go?” I asked. “Don’t tell me they’re sneaking around the castle trying to find an escape route.”
Lake smiled at me, no doubt remembering our own little escape mission. It had ended with Fane catching us and sending us right back to our room.
“About that…” Briar softly cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses—an action that instantly triggered my internal alert system that something was afoot.
It was a tell for him. A nervous tic. “Maddox and Callum requested an audience with Lord Onyx. Duke and the others accompanied them. They’re meeting with him as we speak. ”
“What?” I threw the blanket off me and rushed out of bed, hunting for a clean pair of pants. Any pants, really. I was in my underwear. “Meeting with him? Why?”
“No need to panic, love. I’m sure all is well.” Briar’s expression didn’t convince me.
I moved with more haste.
Oreo jumped from the window bench and followed me on my clothing hunt. He snatched a pair of trousers that were sticking out of a drawer and tripped over them on his way to give them to me.
Not even possible world-ending situations like Maddox being left alone with Lord Onyx was enough to keep me from gushing over the puppy’s cuteness. I bent down and gave Oreo kisses and pets, thanking him.
“Where do ya think you’re going?” Rowan asked, sitting up higher in bed. The sight of his sleep-messy red hair falling down his chest made me forget how to put on my pants for a moment.
“To stop them from killing each other.” I stuck one leg in, then the other, and shimmied them up my thighs.
“You might wanna wash up first,” he said. “You smell like pond water and ass. Mine to be exact.”
I slumped against the bed as I laughed. Damn him. I didn’t want to laugh. I wanted to run from the room and stop a possible bloodbath. But he was right. They’d smell me coming before I neared the war room slash battlefield of headstrong males.
“Hold that thought.” I kicked the trousers back off and dashed toward the washroom.
“Don’t trip,” Rowan called after me.
Too late. One foot didn’t come off the floor high enough mid-run, and my toes folded under, making me stumble into the doorframe. “I meant to do that.”
He snorted.
A quick wash and hasty towel dry later, I threw on clean clothes and rejoined my men in the bedroom. Only two remained though. A certain redhead was nowhere to be found.
“Ro went to spy on them, didn’t he?” I asked.
Lake nodded. “He said he wanted to be the first to see if, and I quote, Captain Glutton gets his head whacked off.”
“Oh god,” I groaned and rushed toward the door, flinging it open.
Oreo woofed and darted after me, his little feet thumping on the floor.
“Careful, love,” Briar said as he and Lake followed. “Don’t overexert yourself.”
The two of them soon caught up and placed me between them, each holding one of my hands. A good thing they’d come. For moral support, sure, but also because I had no idea where I was going. I got lost as soon as we reached the staircase.
Briar took over and guided us from the stairwell and down another corridor.
The sunlight coming in through the outer windows faded as we moved inward, traveling down narrow passageways that needed a burst of light and probably an exorcism.
Still not fully convinced Casper wasn’t floating around somewhere.
“Where to now?” I asked when we hit the end of the hall. There were two possible directions to turn.
“Um.” Briar looked both directions before offering me a sheepish smile. “I didn’t quite hear where they were meeting. Perhaps it’s in the throne room? Though, that may be too formal. The parlor?”
“He knows where to go,” Lake said, nodding to the Fenrir pup.
Oreo padded forward and led us to the left, his poofy tail swishing in the air as he walked. Maybe I was putting too much thought into it, but there was something arrogant about his bouncing steps. Being in charge fluffed up his puppy ego.
The narrow hall eventually opened up to a sunlit foyer. Tall, open windows flooded the room in natural light and gave a view of the forest and mountain range rising behind it. The curtains ruffled from the morning breeze, and I breathed in the fresh air. Spring had officially arrived.
My nose tingled at the thought. My allergies went nuts this time of year, further proof that winter was on its final breath. But just as a sneeze was trying to form, voices filtered out from a nearby room.
“What are you proposing?” a smooth voice asked, albeit faint. Unmistakably Onyx though. “Furthermore, what reason do I have to accept said proposal?”