Chapter Ten #3
“Yes.” Maddox retook my hand beneath the table. “While I don’t trust you, I do trust that you had his best interest in mind when saying he must remain here.”
“Really?” I asked, taken off guard. “Since when?”
He squared his jaw and said nothing further. Freaking stubborn man.
“I’m curious as well.” Onyx tilted his head.
The action caused a strand of his long black hair to fall forward.
“Since the moment you stepped foot into my realm, you’ve been less than pleasant despite my many attempts to dissolve tensions between us.
When you came to me this morning wishing to make peace, I thought it a ploy meant to deceive me. ”
“It’s no ploy.” Maddox glided his fingertips across mine. It seemed to ground him. “After dining with you last night and meeting Varys, I started to see things differently. It gave me a new perspective.”
“Such as?”
“That maybe I was wrong, not only since coming here but in my years as a knight as well. Varys loved Evan’s father, so much so that he started an uprising because King Eidolon played a role in Prince Elias’ death.”
“This surprised you,” Onyx said. “Learning the truth of your king’s actions.”
It wasn’t a question but Maddox nodded anyway. “More than surprised. It made me question… everything. I’ve given many years to the Second Order. To the king. I carried out his orders without hesitation and risked not only my life, but the lives of my men, fighting in his name.”
“Do you no longer find him deserving of that loyalty?”
“How could I?” There was a tremble in Maddox’s hand and a sudden roughness in his voice. “The king not only betrayed his own brother but the kingdom as well. I now find myself asking, what else have I been misled to believe? Who’s the true enemy?”
I could count on one hand the number of times I’d heard Maddox sound this… broken. The hurt was too great for him to keep inside. The truth about the king shook his very foundation and self-confidence, challenging everything he’d ever fought for.
Callum stared at the tabletop. The tremble in his chin left little doubt that he was having that same internal battle. The knights along the wall all fared the same, their expressions grim.
King Eidolon’s involvement in my dad’s death had affected all of them.
Onyx carefully watched him. “What exactly do you propose?”
“Well, you’ve stated Evan must remain in your realm,” Maddox said, a hardness touching his eyes.
“And none of us will leave here without him. Even if it were possible to sneak past your defenses and steal him away, where would we go? To a kingdom that wishes him dead for a crime he didn’t commit?
Into the hands of mercenaries? I see only one option. ”
“Do tell.”
“Joining forces with you.” Maddox’s nostrils flared and his jaw tightened, but he kept his composure. “Working with you instead of against. Living inside this barrier is the only way to ensure Evan’s safety. As such, I’m putting my faith in you to help us protect him.”
I nearly fell out of my chair.
The demon lord’s brow tapered. “If memory serves me well, only last night you voiced how unreasonable such a thing would be. Evan staying here. Now you expect me to believe you’ve changed your mind?”
“Much has come to light since then,” Maddox responded, the defeat in his gaze subtly reflecting in his voice.
“One being the revelation that, perhaps, I’ve been too set in my ways to see beyond my own prejudices.
I refused to consider the possibility that you aren’t the villain I believed you to be. ”
I sat beside him stunned into silence.
Did his change of heart have anything to do with him learning Onyx was one of my fated mates? None of the others seemed surprised though, not my men or the knights. They must’ve discussed it last night after Rowan whisked me away.
“What reason have I to trust you?” Onyx asked.
“You said so yourself,” Maddox calmly responded. The calm part being most notable. No signs of the growly, snarly man I knew so well. He was resigned in his decision. “True peace isn’t possible unless we’re willing to take steps in that direction. Consider this my first step forward.”
Onyx studied him closely. Trying to spot signs of deception, maybe? Wariness of each other definitely went both ways. “I believe many more steps are needed before there can be trust between us, but for now… I’m willing to accept your proposal.”
Maddox gave him a sharp nod. “You say the mercenaries are unable to breach the barrier, but my knights and I can patrol as a precaution and assist your warriors.”
“Assist them?”
“Train with them and take on any needed duties.” Maddox glanced at Callum, then the other men against the wall. They nodded to him. “We understand if you’re reluctant to allow the return of our weapons, but—”
“I am,” came Onyx’s immediate response. “Your presence here has caused quite the unrest among my demons, as your volatile behavior toward my kind since the day you arrived has not gone unnoticed. Allowing you to wield weapons might cause some of them to see you as a threat and act on instinct.”
“Attack us, you mean,” Callum pointed out.
Onyx nodded. “However, if you wish to train and help my warriors, I’ll allow it under the condition that you be supervised. Seraphina and Borus will be charged with your care. Not only for the safety of my people but for yours as well.”
“Reasonable enough,” Maddox responded, though the clench of his jaw showed his aversion to the idea. A captain’s pride, no doubt, having someone else call the shots.
Steps sounded from the corridor, along with the creak of a cart.
“Nina brought yummiesss.” The female demon entered the room pushing a trolley filled with platters of food. Her wavy golden hair was pinned back in a low bun, and a dark shimmer covered her lids, making her yellow eyes pop. Her lips glistened with a pink tint.
“You look pretty,” I told her.
She lit up at the compliment. “Nina wanted to look nice for Evan.”
That caught the attention of all my men. Maddox narrowed his eyes at her, while Briar cocked his head. Lake’s ears perked up. Callum just looked confused. Rowan coughed into his closed fist.
Cyan followed behind her and placed the food on the table. Thin strips of salmon, pickled vegetables, rice, and bowls of what looked like miso soup.
I’d recently eaten, but the lunch looked too delicious to refuse. My stomach always had extra room.
Nina refilled Onyx’s cup of tea before pouring one for me, Briar, and the others. She and Cyan bowed and exited the sunroom, taking the creaky cart with them.
“I’ll leave you to your meal.” Onyx rose from his chair and smoothed down the front of his robe. The action revealed a peek of the red tattoo-like marking on his chest.
“You’re not eating with us?” I asked.
He seemed surprised. “Did you wish for me to?”
My heart thrummed faster. The word ‘yes’ caught in my throat. Truth was, I didn’t know what I wanted. The past twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind of emotions.
“Either way, I must decline. I have other matters to attend to.” Onyx nodded to Maddox, then glanced back at me. It looked as though he wanted to say something, but he faced away and left through the patio doors without another word.
And like all the times before, as the demon lord left, something deep inside of me ached. The invisible tether that drew me to him was getting stronger—and more painful to ignore.
“I see it clearly now,” Maddox said, his gaze on the same set of doors.
“See what?” I asked.
“The longing he feels for you.” The skin around his eyes grew taut. “The way he looked at you before leaving reminds me much of myself. Of how I’d been in the beginning. The yearning to pull you close and never let go.”
“Can’t believe he’s actually part of the harem,” Quincy said, nodding. “I was merely jesting when saying it days ago. Nearly fell on my ass when the captain told us early this morn.”
I glared at the ‘H’ word, earning a toothy grin from the redhead sitting across from me. Their lack of surprise now made sense though. Everyone had been brought up to speed about the curveball fate had thrown at me in regard to the demon lord.
“Question is…” Baden shifted his weight to his other foot, arms crossed and biceps bulging. “Can we really trust him?”
“It’s too soon to say,” Maddox answered, retaking my hand. “But if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that we’ll need a strong ally in the days to come. Bremloc has turned its back on Evan, and I’m sure word has spread to neighboring kingdoms. Staying for now is our best option.”
“And the demon lord has an army,” Duke added. “Quite the strong ally indeed.”
“Hopefully we won’t need an army,” I said, nerves swishing in my gut like the deep-cleaning cycle on a washing machine. “I mean, if I never leave this realm there’s no need to fight. Nocturne can’t get to me and neither can Cedric.”
“If only that were true, love.” Briar patted my thigh, his smile tight. “As I said before, the saint rises in times of great conflict. It’s unlikely that you can stay hidden in this realm forever. Destiny will come calling one day, whether it be tomorrow, next week, or years from now.”
“All the more reason for this alliance.” Maddox cupped the back of my head and kissed my brow. “For when that day comes, you’ll have all of us by your side. The demon included.”
Protecting me mattered more to him than his pride. The revelation had me pushing my face against his neck, eyes stinging.
Another scent tickled my nose and strengthened in intensity, joining Maddox’s scent of warm spice. Like vanilla bean and sunshine.
“Milord.” Callum knelt beside my chair, flashing his dimple. He offered me his back. “Hop on.”
“Where are we going?” I didn’t hesitate before wrapping my arms around his neck and climbing on.
“It’s a beautiful day. Would be a shame to waste it inside.” He smiled back at me and lightly bumped his head to mine, further proof that we were okay. That my cinnamon roll hadn’t gone anywhere. “We’ll take our food and eat in the garden. All of us.”
Oreo was all for that idea. He sprang toward the patio doors and pawed at them, tail wagging.
After we’d taken our dishes outside and made a pallet on the grass with their cloaks, we sat together beneath a clear blue sky and enjoyed the spring afternoon.
Lake and Duke mentioned playing chess later, while Briar talked about meeting with Phantasia at the clinic.
Callum and Maddox spoke of how they couldn’t wait to be back on the field training and working their bodies, though no one knew when they’d actually be allowed to do so.
Movement from an upstairs window caught my eye. A glimpse of dark hair and a red robe before I blinked and it was gone.
A pang hit my chest.
The demon lord mostly kept to himself. Preferred solitude. Like the beast from my favorite fairy tale, he stayed in his lonely tower and watched the world pass him by.