Chapter Three
Wherefore Art Thou, Demon Lord?
Lake wasn’t sold on my covert operation to infiltrate the demon lord’s private quarters.
But how else was I supposed to speak to Onyx? The jerk refused to leave his room. It wasn’t like I had acted impulsively and hunted him down right after breakfast—even if I’d wanted to. Nope. For the entire day, I’d behaved quite well, keeping my distance from the insufferable lord of the castle.
“Must we really do this?” Lake asked, walking with me down a dimly lit corridor later that night. “Sneaking around the castle in the evening hours might make us seem up to no good. Perhaps we should wait until morning.”
“It’ll be fine.” I peeked around a corner, making sure the coast was clear, before continuing forward. Fairly sure this was the right direction. “But if you’re worried, you can always go back to the others and wait for me. I’m more than capable of completing this mission solo.”
Lake arched a brow. “You just took a wrong turn. The stairs leading to his wing are in the opposite direction.”
“Oh.” I halted in step and swept my gaze behind us. These damn corridors all looked the same. “Are you sure?”
“Aye.” He grabbed my hand and backtracked several steps, then turned left at the fork instead of right. A smile touched his lips. “Yet, I have full confidence in your ability to navigate these dark corridors and complete this mission without any assistance.”
“Uh huh. Why do I detect some sarcasm in those words, Mr. Wolf?” I cut my eyes at him, refusing to admit that I was a directionally challenged mess despite the evidence against me. “Sounds an awful lot like something Ro would say.”
Lake’s smile grew, exposing a canine. “He wouldn’t be nearly as subtle about it. He’d tease you outright.”
Ain’t that the truth. Rowan loved making fun of me. And I loved him doing it—even if I whined.
“You gotta give me some credit though.” I looped our arms together. “My navigational skills are improving. I can even find the kitchen without getting lost. One day, I might commandeer my own ship and sail the high seas, using the stars as my compass. Like a real pro.”
A cough came from the corner.
The dark, shadowy corner that for some strange, not suspicious at all reason, had the scent of black cardamom wafting from it.
“What will you name your ship?” Rowan’s raspy voice sounded before his topaz eyes appeared in the swirling shadows. “The Nautical Muffin?”
I grinned. “That’s a great idea, actually. I’m stealing it.”
“Only if I get half of your plunder.” The rest of Rowan’s body materialized, and he stepped from the corner. “Can muffins even be pirates?”
Whatever he asked went in one ear and out the other, his words not computing.
Dressed in a fitted black, sleeveless shirt and pants that hugged him in all the right places, he was a feast for the eyes.
Strapped to his chest was a leather holster, matching the belt around his waist that held a pouch and his silver flask.
A spark of excitement shot through my system when seeing his mask. It covered half of his face, just like the masks Draven and Reign wore.
“Hi,” I said, barely suppressing the dorky, Goofy-like laugh that tried to burst free. Cahuck. “You’re in your spy clothes.”
Something about him dressed like this just freaking did it for me. Probably my past as a devourer of smutty, dark romance books. Not much was sexier than a hottie in a mask. Especially if he had a snarky attitude to go along with it.
“Reign, Draven, and I traveled to the barrier with some of Lord Onyx’s scouts. Just got back.” Rowan neared me and Lake, raking his gaze up and down my body. “But I’m more interested in your clothing, little treasure. Is there something you wish to tell me?”
Playing coy, I curled my body into Lake’s side. “My. Whatever do you mean?”
“Those are my trousers.” He stepped closer and reached for my neck, smoothing his thumb along the side of it. His hand trailed to my chin and tipped it slightly. “My tunic and hooded cloak as well.”
“And they fit perfectly,” I said, batting my lashes. “How lucky I am to have a boyfriend I can swap outfits with.”
Lake released a rough laugh. “He stole them for the mission.”
“Mission?” Rowan lowered his mask, revealing a slanted smile on his lips.
“I’m afraid it’s muffin business,” I responded. “And spies aren’t muffins.”
Too many times both he and Maddox had used that excuse to avoid telling me something. It felt good to finally turn the tables on him.
“The pup’s not a muffin,” Rowan pointed out, smirk growing.
“He’s a muffin-in-training.” I patted Lake’s arm. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, kind sir, we have very important business to attend to.”
A sheepish expression crossed Lake’s face as he peered at Rowan. “We’re storming the demon lord’s lair.”
I sighed.
“You’re doin’ what now?” Rowan’s voice rang of both surprise and amusement.
“Well.” I fidgeted in place, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.
“Fane said Lord Onyx was upset. And considering what happened last night, one can only assume that I’m the reason he’s upset.
But he’s barricaded himself in his room and said he doesn’t want anyone bothering him, making it hard for me to talk to him.
I don’t think I can rest until I do though. ”
I didn’t like being at odds with anyone, especially not someone I cared about. And I did care for Onyx. Even if he was stubborn, mercurial, and insufferable.
“So, what’s the plan?” Rowan asked. “Find his bedchamber and then bang on the door until he lets you in?”
“No.” I showed him the bundle tucked inside my cloak. “I brought him a peace offering. Chocolate chip cookies I baked earlier. A way to a man, er, demon’s heart is through his stomach.”
Rowan pinched the bridge of his nose just like Briar did when exasperated. Seemed my men’s quirks and mannerisms were rubbing off on each other. “Does Captain Glutton know about this master plan of yours?”
“Not exactly.” I nibbled the edge of my bottom lip. It was my turn to be sheepish. “I may have waited for him, Cal, and Briar to pass out before sneaking from the room.”
The pre-dawn fuck-fest, on top of their busy schedules that day, had worn my men out.
The last nail in their sleepy coffins had been the cookies and decadent hot chocolate I had stuffed them with for dessert.
With their bellies full, they had zonked out shortly after we’d returned to our room.
Oreo had been snoozing too, sprawled out on the rug in front of the fire.
“Clever,” Rowan said, fiddling with the clasp on my cloak. “And devious. You’ve made me proud, little treasure.”
“I learn from the best.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere.” He leaned forward and gently bumped our foreheads together. “But damn if it doesn’t make my heart soar.”
Movement from the end of the hall had the three of us lunging toward the dark corner Rowan had materialized from and squatting down.
Koga and Mae appeared. They both worked in the castle. Koga oversaw all of the staff’s duties and helped in the vegetable garden, while Mae was the seamstress. She held a stack of folded sheets and spoke softly to the tall male demon beside her, who held a big, probably heavy, basket of clothing.
Once the two of them rounded the corner and were out of sight, I stood back up and inched along the wall Mission Impossible style—Muffin Impossible?—making sure no one else was around.
Rowan quietly laughed. “It’s a good thing you’re cute, little treasure. That scraping sound of your clothes against the wall kinda defeats the purpose of being stealthy. You’ll never make it as a spy.”
No lie detected there. If my clumsy feet didn’t give me away, a random cough or sneeze would, as evident from past eavesdropping and covert-ish missions.
“Yeah, yeah.” I grabbed Rowan’s hand, then Lake’s. “We should get going. The second Maddox wakes up and finds me gone, he’ll storm this castle looking for me.”
I shuddered at the thought. Though… whether that shudder came from fear or the excitement of being hunted down by my big, muscled captain I wasn’t sure. Dark romance slut, remember? Men in masks. Big, brooding grumps. I was weak for them all.
“If he does, we can always throw a muffin at him,” Rowan suggested. “Not sure about Lord Onyx, but the way to Maddox’s heart is definitely through his stomach.”
Lake released a rough sound and turned his face away from us. After all this time, he was still bashful sometimes when he laughed. It was endearing.
The three of us continued down the corridor. Reaching a narrow staircase, we ascended the steps up to the next floor before stepping out into a moonlit foyer.
A set of tall windows showed a lush forest and a starry sky, no sign of the storm clouds from earlier that morning. There was a touch of familiarity to the room. I vaguely remembered passing through it the night Onyx and I had slept together.
Something then caught my eye. The shadows to the left of the door stirred before a distorted figure appeared. With a thin and gangly body, the thing stood at least seven feet tall, and its head sat lopsided. Long arms hung at its sides.
“Um.” I pointed at the shadowy newcomer. “Do you guys see it too?”
“Aye.” Lake brought me closer to his side, as if he wasn’t sure yet if the thing was a friend or foe.
“Wait.” I squinted at it. “I think it’s Bob.”
“Bob?” Rowan turned to me, one brow shooting skyward.
“He escorted me back to our room once before,” I explained, remembering how I had followed the somewhat creepy shadow creature after Onyx pounded me into the mattress, then sent me away for the night. “He’s a good shadowy boy.”
At least, I hoped Bob was good. He could also come running at us like a freaky thing from a horror movie and eat us. Maybe drag us into a dark dimension. As a shadow mage, Rowan would probably survive though.
“Hello, Bob,” Lake told the creature.