Chapter Sixteen #2
Despite his dark complexion, I noticed the sudden flush in Rowan’s cheeks. It caused the tips of his ears to redden too. “Haven’t found the right time.”
I squinted at him. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?”
“What? No. Why would I be nervous?” He walked over to the tall window and rested his hip against the sill, crossing one arm over the other as he looked outside. “A lot’s happened since we got here. That’s all. I’ll talk to him when I feel like it.”
Yep. He’s totally nervous.
“Well.” I joined him by the window and wrapped my arms around him from behind, resting my chin on the top of his shoulder. “When you’re ready to talk to him, I can come with you for added moral support. Maybe we can bake him a honey cake to sweeten him up first.”
Rowan chuckled and pressed into me, tipping his head back to rest on mine. “Manipulating people with your sweets. Just as Draven once said.”
The mention of the spy brought a surge of guilt. “I’m sorry, Ro. You finally found your calling with the Secret Order and found men who became brothers, only to lose it all.”
“I’ve lost nothing.” He turned in my arms and took me in his instead. His spicy scent strengthened, holding an underlying trace of earth and musk. “Draven and Reign are my brothers no matter where I am. I’ll see them again someday.”
“I wish they would’ve come with you.” My gaze moved to the rain spattered windowpane. Storm clouds stretched as far as the eye could see.
“They nearly did. Draven has a soft spot for you, little treasure.” Rowan smiled from the corner of his mouth. “But he and Reign decided it was best for them to return to Bremloc and keep an eye on things.”
“As much as I miss them, it’s reassuring to know they’re keeping watch and protecting our friends.”
“You know…” My favorite tooth appeared. “I kinda thought… hoped, really, that either Reign or Draven would be next to join the harem.”
That caught me off guard. “Really?”
He nodded. “I trust them with my life and would trust them with yours without a speck of doubt. Even better, if you fell for Reign, it would piss off Maddox. Nothing would make me happier.”
Rowan and Maddox were too stubborn for their own good. But despite their constant bickering, I knew they cared for each other more than either would admit.
“Reign is a huge flirt, but I don’t think he sees me in a romantic way,” I said, putting that theory to rest. “I don’t see him that way either.”
“And Draven?”
Thinking of the blond spy with his baby blue eyes and thick accent sent a flutter through my belly. But I had no idea if it was a fated mate flutter or just one that came from the dude being ridiculously hot.
“Who knows?” I said, answering both his question and my internal one. “Lupin said there would be seven of you. Onyx makes six, so one more is on the way. Anything’s possible.”
Even things that should’ve been impossible. Like the freaking demon lord claiming one of those spots.
“I’m happy Lord Onyx is one of us.” Rowan pulled me closer. “I may not have Reign’s ability to sense mana, but even I can feel his power. The six of us will be able to keep you safe, no matter what the future holds. Mercenaries. War.”
“War?”
“Specs said saints like you rise in times of great conflict,” he reminded me. Not that I needed the reminder. That detail had kept me up at night a lot recently. “Given Bremloc’s building tension with Haran, it’s only a matter of time before war is declared.”
His words soured in my gut. “I don’t like that story. Nope. Not at all.”
“Haran’s army is strong from what I’ve heard, so more pieces need to be carefully placed on the board before any move can be made against them,” Rowan said, clearly in an attempt to make me feel better.
“Cedric has the throne but not full military support. And he won’t have that until he’s formally declared king.
There’s also Voltas. Sawyer hasn’t yet married Lady Alina, so control of their naval fleet is out of his reach too. ”
Okay. So it did make me feel better. Kind of.
A low rumble of thunder had me pushing my face against his neck. He cupped the back of my head. The longer he held me, the more my anxiety subsided. More rumbles sounded, colliding one into another.
Fragments of a dream I’d once had surged forward.
One of a wailing thunderstorm and flashes of lightening in an angry sky.
The air had been charged and unstable. Then, the heaviness of the storm had lifted, and I’d found myself standing in a field of red spider lilies.
There had been a silky voice calling out to me through the sudden quiet left in the storm’s wake.
A voice I now knew belonged to Lord Onyx.
Had my subconscious mind been trying to tell me, even back then, that he was one of my fated mates? What was the meaning behind the lilies?
I looked toward the book I’d reluctantly placed back on the shelf. It had a story about that cryptic red flower. The inscription on the inside cover made me believe it to be a gift from Onyx’s mother. He’d said he loved to read. Had he gotten that love from her?
The thought made me sad, but I wasn’t sure why. Maybe because, like me, he had lost his mom. How long ago had he lost her? The only thing I had of mine was her delicate features. Not even a single memory of her.
A nudge came to my calf, and I looked down to see Oreo. His glacier blue eyes held an alertness that still surprised me, like he was attuned to my every emotion.
“I’m okay,” I told him.
Woof.
“I promise.”
Oreo looked at Rowan. A second of unwavering eye contact passed between them, then another, before he jolted forward to playfully attack Rowan’s leg, then he darted toward the door.
“He’s had a nap, and now he’s ready to play,” I said, my heart brimming with affection for the ball of fluffy adorableness.
“Maybe we can convince him to hunt down that stinky rabbit.”
I laughed. Hard.
Rainy days weren’t all bad, I guess.