Chapter Ten #2
I crept closer to the door. It was ajar, leaving only an inch or two between it and the frame.
“I believe we want the same thing,” came Maddox’s deep voice in response.
“And what is that?” Onyx asked. “What could we possibly have in common?”
“Evan’s safety,” Maddox calmly said. “I may not trust you, but considering your relationship with his father and all you’ve done to help him in recent days, I trust that you don’t wish him harm, at least.”
A short silence followed.
“If it’s his safety that concerns you, then I fail to see the purpose of this meeting,” Onyx eventually said. “He’s safe in my realm.”
I turned back to look at Briar and Lake. They seemed as curious as me. If only we were like Rowan and could hide in the shadows right in the center of the action. The three of us inched closer to the room.
Oreo bolted forward and pushed open the door. Woof.
As it swung open, the men on the other side all stopped talking and turned in our direction.
“Um.” I stood in the middle of the doorway. Alone. Briar and Lake had moved at lightning speed and dashed aside, out of sight. Leaving me out high and dry. “Hi.”
Lord Onyx, Maddox, and Callum sat around a table, cups of tea and a platter of fruit in front of them.
Patio doors behind them showed a courtyard with wildflowers and thin-trunked trees.
The knight trio stood against the wall, their expressions hanging between surprise at my intrusion but amusement too.
“Oh, darn.” I whipped my head from side to side, feigning surprise. “This isn’t the kitchen. I must’ve gotten lost again.”
A rasping laugh came from the dark corner closest to the door.
Rowan couldn’t keep his composure. The sound alerted a certain adorable fluffball, and Oreo padded over to the corner and sniffed, a growl building in his little chest a beat later.
With his cover blown, Rowan materialized and stepped from the shadows.
“I wondered how long you’d stay hidden,” Onyx casually told him.
“You detected me?” Rowan seemed impressed. He had admired Lord Onyx since he was a kid. That admiration showed in the awed look in his eyes when he spoke to him and the almost childlike giddiness he tried so hard to hide.
“From the moment you arrived,” Onyx answered. “You’re not the only one who’s found solace in the shadows. They speak to me too. Always have. However…” He arched a fine brow. “I’ve never used them to fly before.”
Rowan smirked.
No doubt about it. Onyx knew about our late-night escapade on the castle roof. I only hoped the shadows failed to tell him about our steamy encounter by the pond. I would die from the embarrassment.
“The other two should join us as well.” Onyx gave a flick of his fingers.
Briar and Lake rounded the corner and shuffled into the room, as though propelled by an unseen force. They stopped next to me, one on either side.
“Hello,” Briar said, smile awkward. He rested a hand on my lower back.
Lake’s ears perked up as he looked behind him, as if trying to find what pushed them. He then nodded to the demon lord. “Er, good afternoon.”
“Do have a seat.” Onyx motioned to the empty chairs around the table. Didn’t sound like much of a request. His cool expression made it hard to accurately read his mood. “Your captain was in the process of making a proposal.”
“What kind of proposal?” I asked Maddox.
“More of a truce, really.” He rose from his chair and approached me, taking my hand. “To set aside our differences and reach an understanding.”
On instant alert, I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
“Here I thought you’d be pleased. We’re getting along.” Maddox guided me to the chair beside his, keeping hold of my hand once we were seated. “No peace tea or muffins needed.”
I smiled at the reference to the many times I’d tried to get all of them to stop bickering. “Oh, believe me. I’m very pleased. But also suspicious.”
Very, very suspicious.
Had I left the Shadow Realm and stepped into the Twilight Zone? On what planet would Maddox and Callum be so amiable with Lord Onyx? Only yesterday, their defenses had been sky-high.
“Why the suspicion?” Maddox softly sighed. “I know I can be a boorish brute at times, but I’m not entirely unreasonable.”
Briar quietly cleared his throat as he dropped down into the chair on my other side. Lake took position against the wall next to Rowan. The two of them shared a look.
“I saw that,” Maddox told them.
“You saw nothing.” Rowan flicked his fingers at him. “You gluttonous brute.”
“Scoundrel.”
“Well, isn’t that something? You learned a new word.” Rowan put a hand to his chest. “And here I thought nothing went through that head of yours but swords and muffins.”
Maddox sneered.
“Afternoon, Ev.” Callum offered me a smile from across the table.
His eyes crinkled at the edges in that way I loved.
He’d been asleep when Rowan and I returned to the room the night before, so I hadn’t gotten the chance to speak with him after our chat about Onyx.
That smile dissolved the nerves in my gut.
I hadn’t lost him either. “How are the lungs?”
“About as good as they can be,” I answered with a little pat to my chest with my free hand. Maddox still held my other. “Briar fixed me right up.”
“Well, I helped,” Briar said. “You aren’t yet fully healed. I fear the effects of that spell will linger for a while longer. Another tonic is needed.”
“Visit Phantasia today,” Lord Onyx told him, still cool and emotionless. “She’s the healer here at the castle and will assist you with anything you need. Her clinic is near the greenhouse.”
“Gratitude.” Briar tipped his head. “That would be excellent.”
An uncomfortable silence followed with nothing but the soft swish of Oreo’s tail against the floor. The puppy lay in front of the patio doors, warming himself in a ray of sunlight.
“So.” I started to fidget. “I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything, but I may have, totally on accident, I promise, overheard a piece of your conversation.”
“When you were searching for the kitchen?” Onyx asked, one fine brow arching.
“Um. Yes. The kitchen. Right.” I quietly cleared my throat, still not fully recovered from the embarrassment when Oreo busted open the door. “Anyway. Did something happen? Like the mercenaries trying to break through the barrier again?”
Maddox had mentioned my safety. A possible breach attempt might’ve been enough to give him and Callum a change of heart in regard to the demon lord. At least make it to where they’d stop trying to stab them with murderous glares.
“No,” Onyx answered, putting that theory to rest and sending me back to square one. “But even if an attempt was made, they pose no threat. They could try for a hundred years and still be no closer to breaking through.”
Briar shook his head. “I wouldn’t be so confident. The barrier is strong but not impenetrable.”
“Ancient magic erected that barrier,” Onyx told him. “Far stronger than any spells those mercenaries have at their disposal.”
“No magic is without limits.” Briar adjusted his glasses and straightened up in his chair. “Every spell can be broken with the right tools.”
“True.” Onyx nodded. “However, there is only but one magic capable of doing so and centuries have passed since it’s been wielded.”
A sudden bout of anxiety tumbled to my gut. He couldn’t be referring to my special brand of saintly magic, could he?
The hairs on my nape tingled with the sensation I was being watched. One quick glance around the table told me why.
Lord Onyx sat with a hand resting at the edge of his mouth, his gaze locked onto mine.
Sunlight filtered in through the set of patio doors and hit his eyes just right, making his red irises sparkle like rubies.
Eyes that appeared to grow hotter, like metal in a forge, glowing shades of red and orange as it burned.
My breath caught, and I quickly looked away. The guy was too damn beautiful for his own good. It was the type of beauty that made it hard to maintain eye contact for more than a second or two at a time.
“Oh look. Fruit.” I reached for the platter as a distraction.
Even after looking away, my skin tingled.
Onyx had an aura that made me quiver. “I already ate breakfast, thanks to Briar, but you know what they say. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” I grabbed a yellow one and took a bite.
“Not that I want to send Briar away. He’s the exception. ”
“I wondered when we’d be graced with another ramble,” Onyx said with a hint of playfulness. Something warm lingered beneath it though. “Who knew apples excited you so much?”
“All food excites him.” Rowan pushed from the wall and stepped toward the table, plopping down in the chair beside Callum. He grabbed a handful of blueberries from the platter and popped them into his mouth. “I bet he’s sitting there right now thinking of a cake he wants to bake with them.”
“A cobbler, actually.” I stuck my nose up at him. “But you wouldn’t like it because you hate sugar.”
“Not if I lick that sugar off you.”
“Enough of your vile mouth, snake,” Callum snapped. “Evan isn’t a whore in a brothel. He’s our mate. Show him more respect.”
“Oh, I was mighty respectful last night, sir rabbit,” Rowan spouted off without missing a beat. “Had him all kinds of flustered and moaning my name.”
Oh my god, kill me now.
Mortified, I tried to kick him under the table and accidently got Callum in the shin instead. “Sorry! That was meant for Ro.”
“No.” Rowan smirked. “I think you hit the right target.”
Callum scowled at him. “Silence that tongue or your face will be my target. That I promise you.”
“Are your lovers always this lively?” Lord Onyx asked me, amused.
“Yep.” I smiled. “Welcome to my world.”
One I wouldn’t trade for anything.
“I suppose we should continue our discussion,” Onyx told Maddox. “You mentioned setting aside our differences for Evan’s sake.”