Chapter Seventeen #2
That caused his facade to falter, if only a little. It almost looked as though he wanted to laugh. “You call me insufferable, yet you’re the one who insists on being a pest.”
“Keep evading my question, and I’ll bug you more.”
“Is that so?” Onyx was the one who stepped toward me that time, his predatory gait giving me tingles in places that had no right to be stirring at the moment. “Pretty as a lily but quite the nuisance, aren’t you?”
Lily.
“While you were avoiding me today, I found a cozy little parlor,” I said, taking the last step to bring me directly in front of him.
Mere inches separated us. “Rainy days are perfect for curling up with a cup of coffee and a good book. One book in particular caught my eye. It had all kinds of stories in it. Magical willows, sea voyages, and a vanishing island said to have a butt load of treasure.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Then I came to a story about red spider lilies,” I continued before I lost my nerve. “They seem to keep popping up, wherever I go, but I don’t know what they mean. I was hoping you could help me understand.”
Irritation prickled at the skin between his brows. “You read the story, did you not? Why ask me?”
“Because I didn’t read it,” I gently said. “I saw an inscription on the inside from, who I’m guessing, is your mom and it felt like an invasion of your privacy to read any further. But I’m curious.”
“As you so often are.” He softly sighed. “It’s only a story, Evan. The red lily is nothing more than a flower, same as a rose or tulip. Whatever legend surrounds it matters not.”
“But what does the legend say?”
Onyx stared at me. Saying nothing.
“Come on. Tell me.” I playfully nudged his belly. The lightness of the action contradicted the heaviness in my chest. “Demon got your tongue?”
“Poke me again and I’ll have no other choice but to bite off your hand.”
I grinned.
“You won’t let the matter rest, will you?” He grabbed me by the bicep and started leading me toward the arched doorway. “I have a newfound sympathy for your lovers.”
I was about to ask where we were going, when the strangest thing happened. Right as we reached the dark corridor, a tingling sensation traveled all over my body. One blink later, and I found myself standing in a firelit room with high-arched ceilings and tall windows.
“Um. What just happened?”
“We traveled using the shadows,” Onyx answered, stepping over to a small table and grabbing a fancy crystal cannister filled with dark liquid. “It should be familiar to you. It’s the same way Rowan travels.”
“He can’t take anyone with him,” I pointed out.
“Only because he hasn’t learned how. But he will, with time and practice.” He poured a goblet and took a generous drink before turning to me. “Care for some wine?”
“No thanks,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Wine and I don’t really get along.”
“Suit yourself.” He topped off his goblet and set the cannister down.
Intrigued to be in a new place, I scanned the room.
Along with the tall windows and ceiling, there were bookshelves, a lounge area with a stone hearth and a couch in front of it, and a round table with a bowl of fruit and a half-eaten loaf of bread. A step to the right led up to a sleeping quarter with a large bed.
The room, with its dark color scheme and dim light, screamed gothic romance vibes. Like a powerful king who swept a prince from a neighboring kingdom off his feet—or kidnaped him—and took him back to his bedchamber to ravish every inch of him.
Onyx went over to sit in front of the fire and eyed me over his goblet as he took another drink. “So. You wished to know the legend of the red spider lily.”
“Yep.” Perhaps too eagerly, I joined him on the couch. It had only two cushions, which put us fairly close. Even without our bodies touching, I sensed the heat radiating from him.
“The story goes that the lily was born from the dying breath of the first demon king,” he said. “He was at war, you see, and fell in love with the daughter of his sworn enemy.”
“I love a good enemies to lovers romance,” I said, then offered him an apologetic smile. “Oops. Sorry. Please continue.”
Onyx tried to hide his amusement, but I saw hints of it in the soft curve of his lips.
“When the enemy king learned of their love, he became so enraged that he tried to strike down his own daughter. But the demon king threw himself in front of her and covered her body with his. Protecting her. As his blood spilled on the grass, the lily bloomed. The red petals symbolize his sacrifice for the one he loved.”
“That’s sad.”
“Indeed.” A distant look touched his eyes. “The lily now appears when a demon’s fated mate is near, leading the two together. It’s a symbol of the purest, most selfless love. Or so the legend goes.”
Like the red string of fate.
An all too familiar restless ache stirred in my chest. And with it, a realization.
“When I first woke up here at the castle and told you I saw the lilies, you were shocked.” My voice was quiet. “I heard you say, ‘so it’s true.’ You were referring to the legend, weren’t you?”
His expression hardened before he looked away. “It was a slip of the tongue and nothing more.”
“You’re lying.” I turned toward him on the cushion. “That’s why you don’t want to get closer to me, isn’t it? Because you know I’m your fated mate and you’re fighting it. I just can’t figure out why.”
Onyx focused on his goblet and slowly moved it in circles. “The hour is late. You should return to your lovers.”
“Stop trying to push me away, Onyx,” I snapped. “I saw the lilies, and they led me to you. Just as the legend says.”
Albeit subtle, his jaw trembled. “I made a mistake by allowing you here.”
“Here as in your realm?” I asked, shifting closer to him on the couch. “Or here as in your room?”
“Both.” There was a swallow in his throat. “You will be my undoing, little bird. Just as I will be yours.”
“Because you think love makes you weak?” A pressure built in my rib cage.
The muscle in his jaw tensed.
“Look. I know it’s scary. Terrifying, really.
I’m restless when you’re close, Onyx. Every nerve ending in my body stirs.
I feel you without even touching you.” Slowly, I reached for his face.
He recoiled a little before letting me cup his cheek.
“But even if it’s scary, I also crave it. I crave you.”
“Don’t,” he whispered.
My gaze fell to his lips. “Don’t what?”
“Tempt me.” His unsteady breath hinted at an internal battle. “I may not be able to resist.”
“What if I don’t want you to resist?” The yearning ache in my core gnawed deeper. I couldn’t blame him for opposing our fated bond. It really was fucking scary, this intensity.
“Then you truly are a reckless fool.” He’d said the words with a rawness in his voice and shifted away from me. “You will find no happiness with me, little bird, only heartache.”
Beyond the physical distance, I sensed the emotional barrier he’d placed between us, like a battle-weary soldier raising a shield to block another arrow.
“You don’t know that for sure.” I leaned in closer and grabbed his hand, placing it on the side of my neck. “You say we’ll be each other’s undoing, but what if this bond between us grows into something amazing instead?”
“Evan,” he said with a shaky exhale. His brows furrowed as he slid a hand to my nape and gently squeezed, tipping my head up to align our mouths. “You should’ve spread your wings and flown away while you still could.”
His lips crashed to mine.
The taste of red wine exploded on my tongue, followed by traces of his woodsy scent.
I moaned against his mouth and curled my fingers into the back of his hair, gripping the long, silky strands.
My body moved on its own, driven by the desire to surrender to him in every possible way.
I straddled his lap and deepened the kiss.
Was I playing with fire? Most definitely. But maybe I didn’t mind being burned by his flames.
Onyx slipped his hands beneath the hem of my tunic and caressed my lower back. Every light touch caused the pressure inside me to build higher, fanning the flames of what would be one hell of an explosion. He pushed his tongue into my mouth and lifted his hips, grinding into me.
Arousal spiked in my blood, eliciting an army of tingles all over my body. But it wasn’t enough.
“More,” I murmured against his lips. “I need more.”
“We…” He dragged in a breath. “We really shouldn’t go further than this.”
“Oh, I think we should.” I rolled my hips on his lap, feeling his cock harden. “But we can stop if you want to. Not every man can handle me.”
He released a short laugh. “Won’t your lovers be angry?”
“No.” Pulling back, I studied his face: sharp features that were bathed in firelight. Eyes that glistened like rubies. “They already know about you.”
One brow hitched upward. “Is that so?”
“Mhm. Wanna know how I’m so sure the legend about the red spider lily is true? That fate brought us together? Because they’re my fated mates too.” I trailed my thumb from the edge of his eye and down to the soft curve of his mouth. “They each have their own unique scent. Just like you do.”
“My scent?”
“Like cedar and woodsmoke,” I said, then leaned in to press my face into his hair. “You can walk into a room, and I know you’re there without seeing you. My soul recognizes yours.”
“I’m not meant for love, Evan.” His voice dipped low against my ear, exciting the hairs on the back of my neck.
“Wrong again.” I brushed a kiss to his temple. “Everyone deserves to be loved.”
“Not me.” Onyx took hold of my nape and lowered his face to my throat, grazing his teeth over my jugular. “I will sear myself into your soul and then rip it apart.”
Why was he so sure our relationship would fail?
Then again, fear wasn’t always rational.
“A little love, hmm? You believe that’s enough to chase away the cobwebs and bring warmth back to these icy walls? What if this is all they’ve known? All they’ve ever been?”