Chapter Four #3
Lake caught me around the arm and pressed his lips together.
“Waiting for us, I assume,” Reign answered.
“Like a trap?” Uneasiness churned in my gut.
“That’s what we believe.” Rowan crossed his arms and dug his nails into his opposite bicep. “They’re just waiting for someone to pass through the barrier and either capture them to torture for intel… or to use as a hostage.”
“To lure me out?” I asked, brimming with nervous energy.
“Aye,” Reign confirmed, his brow set into a hard furrow. “I found their pursuit of you strange before. Even mercenaries have their limits, yet they’ve been unrelenting. Now I see why. You’re no ordinary target for them. They’ll never stop hunting you.”
Damn mercenaries. If only my saintly powers could turn muffins into gold, like Rumpelstiltskin did with that straw for the miller’s daughter to save her from the king’s wrath.
Then I could pay them off, giving them more than whatever King Silas had offered them to capture me, and live happily ever after with my men.
“Any idea how much Nocturne charges for their services?” I asked, anxious about what lay in store for us when it came to resolving this mess with King Silas.
“Surely, there’s a way for me to raise enough money to get them off my back.
If not money, maybe a lifetime supply of coffee, pastries, and my undying gratitude? ”
Rowan snorted.
“If only it were that simple,” Reign said. “The power you wield is immeasurable. I doubt there’s any price you can offer that will persuade them. King Silas will have made damn sure of that.”
I sighed.
How was this the hand I’d been dealt in life? What I wouldn’t give to be the ordinary, coffee-addicted bookworm I used to believe I was. One with no grand destiny or freaky powers.
Draven and Reign said their goodbyes and started toward the dirt path leading to the warrior’s encampment. They stopped after a few feet and glanced over their shoulders.
“My cue to join them.” Rowan gently bopped me on the chin. “Don’t miss me too much.”
“Too late,” I said in our familiar goodbye before brushing our lips together.
“Do I get a kiss as well?” Reign pointed to his cheek. “I’d love one right here.”
“Yeah, I’m not falling for that,” I told the flirtatious spy. “You’ll move your head last second and kiss me on the lips.”
“Cloth would be between our mouths.” Reign patted his mask. “So, it wouldn’t be a real kiss.”
“But your death would be real,” Lake interjected. “Maddox would gut you like a fish and string you up by your toes.”
Reign scoffed. “The demon lord can kiss him but I can’t?”
Draven grabbed Reign by the shoulder and pushed him farther along the path. I laughed at the sight. Rowan smirked at me, tweaked my chin again, then left with them.
Oreo stepped after him, ears perked, and then paused after a few feet, releasing a small whine. Seemed like someone else would miss our thief-turned-spy too.
“Worry not,” Lake told the puppy, bending down to rub his back. “You’ll see him again soon. Then you can bite him all you want.”
I snorted. Something tickled the top of my head, and I looked up right before toe beans thudded against my forehead.
Pumpkin was dangling from the branch again by his tail and pawing at my face.
“Do you want down?” I asked, holding out my hands.
The arbordu eased down onto my outstretched palms. After I caught him, he crawled up my arm and settled on my shoulder, nuzzling his furry face against my cheek. My heart melted.
“He already adores you,” Lake said in awe, reaching to pet the tree demon.
“Or he smells the treats in my pocket.”
Lake laughed before grabbing my hand. Our fingers locked and fit together perfectly—much like our hearts. I loved seeing him this carefree and relaxed. This happy.
The two of us left the shade of the tall oak tree and headed down the path toward the castle. Oreo padded along in the grass beside us, occasionally growling up at the creature chittering happily on my shoulder.
“Be nice to your new brother,” I said to the jealous puppy.
“New brother?” Lake released a rough laugh and gently squeezed my hand. “Does this make us their parents?”
I grinned. “Well, Daddy Lake does have a nice ring to it.”
Softly smiling, he smoothed his thumb across mine and said nothing further. But the glint in his purple eyes made me wonder if fatherhood was actually something he wanted someday.
As we continued down the winding dirt path, a cool breeze ruffled my hair, bringing with it traces of smoke from the nearby firepits, as well as meat cooking in the mess hall. Horses grazed in the pasture beyond the wooden fence, and smoke rose from various chimneys around the castle.
It was peaceful. A reminder that even when everything felt so damn hard and challenging—like being faced with freaky powers, hunted by mercenaries, and falling for a stubborn demon lord—there was still beauty to be found. Moments that made life worth living.
A life filled with love and endless happiness with my men and our friends. And all the fur babies I planned to adopt for us.