Chapter Six #2
“How am I supposed to know what butthead demon lords think?” I countered, meeting his stare dead-on.
He paused as he lifted his goblet, staring at me like I had a screw loose.
I probably did.
“Oh! I have the best idea ever.” Struck with inspiration on how to really get this night started, I scrambled out of my chair. Or tried to. I bumped into Maddox, then fell against Callum. “Oops.”
“What’s your idea?” Callum rose to his full height and kept his hands at my hips, steadying me.
“Dance party,” I said with a grin. One that instantly slipped. “Wait. We don’t have any music. Too bad phones don’t exist here. I could whip it out and put on one of my awesome playlists.”
“What’s a phone?” Rowan asked.
“A device where you can crush candies,” Lake answered in a matter-of-fact tone. “Evan told me of it once before. It contains all the knowledge of the universe, as well as books and something called anime.”
Onyx’s indifferent expression shifted, hinting at curiosity now.
Right. He didn’t know that I’d come from another world. A small thing in comparison to me being the saint, but still. I’d have to tell him someday.
But that day was not today. A problem for future, much more sober Evan to deal with.
“Can anyone play the flute?” I asked, looking at the men seated at the table. “Maybe the fiddle? I’d even accept beatboxing or table drums. Anything with a beat. So I can do this.”
I moved my hips, then bent my upper body and wiggled with more force. My attempt at a twerk.
“What’s he doing?” Baden asked.
“Reminds me of a fish out of water,” Duke answered. “Flailing around and fightin’ for its life.”
Scoffing, I straightened back up and crossed my arms. “Well, that’s just rude.”
The room then tipped sideways, and I nearly toppled over. I would have if not for the big, strong cinnamon roll of a knight keeping me upright.
“Why’s the room spinning?” I asked in alarm. “Is it an earthquake?”
“You’re the only one moving, Ev,” Callum responded, holding onto my hips. “Let’s sit back down.”
“No!” I squirmed from his hold and stepped away from him.
“Don’t wanna sit. I’m not a—” Hiccup “—child. I’m a grown ass man with a grown ass job.
Well, kinda. I’m between jobs at the moment.
Had to leave my last one because I was framed for attempted murder on the king. You were there. You remember.”
“Aye. I do.” Callum cleared his throat, and his lips trembled before he rubbed them together. Looked like he was holding back laughter. Or tears.
Probably the latter. It was all so sad.
“Don’t cry, Cal. We’ll go home again one day.” I stumbled back over and patted his bicep. Then squeezed it. He was so muscly and delicious.
“I’m delicious, am I?” he asked, revealing the dimple in his cheek.
Stunned, I leaned in closer to him. “You can read minds now? A mind reading cinnamon roll.”
“You said it aloud, sweetheart,” Maddox said before coming to stand beside Callum, softly sighing. “You’ve caused enough trouble for one night. Come on.”
“Nuh uh.” I tried to wiggle away from him, but he caught me around the waist. I whined and gave a little stomp of my foot. “Maddox.”
“You claim you’re no child, yet here you are throwing a tantrum like one,” he said, and his voice rang of amusement. His eyes did too. “And now, I’ll have to put you to bed like one.”
I pouted. “Is it sack of potatoes time?”
“It is.” Maddox wound his arms around me and hoisted me up and over his shoulder. “Say good night.”
I turned my head to the room of red-faced, grinning men. Well, all grinned apart from two of them: Draven and the demonic butthead still standing by the window.
“But I didn’t get to say goodbye to the pecs,” I said pitifully, then hiccupped. “They’re leaving tomorrow.”
“The pecs?” Reign asked, then glanced at Draven, a smile lifting his mouth. “Well, go over there, V. Give the boy what he wants.”
“Negative.” Draven scowled. He averted his blue eyes and added in a voice that was much softer than before, “This isn’t goodbye, boy. We will speak tomorrow.”
“Promise?” I slurred.
He nodded.
“’Kay,” I said with a yawn. My lids suddenly weighed a ton, and I closed my eyes. “I’m actually kinda sleepy now.”
A deep chuckle rumbled in Maddox’s chest.
It was the last thing I remembered before waking in bed later that night.
Groggily, I sat up and looked around the room.
A fire burned low in the hearth, and Oreo had curled up on the rug in front of it.
Rowan slept on the window bench, one leg kicked up on the back of the cushion while the other sprawled out to the side.
Lake softly snored, having shifted from my lap to the foot of the bed as he slept, facing the fire.
It took me a second to realize what had woken me. My bladder. The sucker screamed at me. I crawled over Maddox’s big, sleeping body and got out of bed, but the moment my foot touched the floor, the room spun a little.
Yep. Still kind of drunk.
As I made my way to the connecting washroom and shut the door, trying to be as quiet as possible, the events from earlier that night gradually returned.
Eating two bowls of stew and downing glasses of ale.
A lot of glasses. The slosh in my stomach had me cringing and saying a silent prayer I wouldn’t be worshipping the porcelain god for the rest of the night.
Oh no. Though still somewhat fuzzy on the details, I also had a vague memory of trying to twerk. And calling Onyx a butthead… to his face.
“Oof.” I stuck out a hand to touch the wall and shuffled toward the toilet.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a medieval privy sort of situation, where I had to piss into a hole connected to a shaft that led down into a moat or whatever. It functioned somewhat like modern-day toilets and even flushed.
Small blessings.
After taking care of business, I washed my hands and crept back out into the room. A creak in the floorboard drew the attention of a certain sleeping Fenrir puppy, and he startled awake, his fluffy ears jutting upward as he lifted his head to look at me.
I tossed him an apologetic smile before ever so slowly inching toward the door. Now that my bladder was sated, my stomach was calling the shots. And it was grumbling up a storm and wanting something to snack on.
Hopefully something that would sop up some of that ale and calm the churns.
Oreo followed me from the room like the fearsome little protector he was, the light pad of his paws sounding behind me in the corridor. It was a comfort knowing he was with me. Because, while Rowan was besties with the shadows, they unsettled me.
Especially when I was alone. At night. Maneuvering through winding hallways in the dark with very few windows along the way. The promise of a late-night snack gave me courage though.
Oreo sneezed.
I jumped a foot off the floor. So much for courage. The puppy cocked his head at me before woofing and padding along ahead of me.
Upon reaching the kitchen, the light crystal hanging from the ceiling activated, lighting the room enough for me to make my way around. Whipping up something quick to eat was no problem at all.
However, a sudden bout of nausea had me slumping against the counter, second-guessing my life’s choices.
Maybe just toast for now.
Moonlight came through the tall windows beside the table, brighter than I’d seen it in a while. A full moon? After plating some leftover rabbit for Oreo, I cut off a slice from the bread loaf and slathered it in honey before stepping closer to the window and peering outside, taking it all in.
The Shadow Realm really was beautiful. Even more so in these late hours, when the sun had set and the nocturnal plants and creatures thrived.
Lush forests, mountains, and ponds filled with glistening water that faintly glowed beneath the moonlight.
Leaves and sections of the grass glowed too, luminescent in the dark of night.
Movement from the back terrace caught my eye. Red fabric ruffled in the breeze, as did long, raven black hair.
Huh? I inched closer to the window, nose pressing to the glass.
Onyx stood against the railing and tipped his face to the night sky, eyes closed.
What was he doing outside so late? Did the guy ever sleep?
Says the one currently awake and stuffing his face with honey toast. My inner Evan was a sassy brat sometimes.
Onyx stood that way for several moments, motionless and basking in the moon’s silver light, before opening his eyes. He then turned his head toward me.
Impulsively, I ducked out of sight. Too quickly. The loud thump of my forehead against the windowsill echoed in the quiet kitchen, and my slice of half-eaten toast, unfortunately, flopped to the floor honey side down.
Oreo paused mid-bite of rabbit and regarded me, then lost interest and went back to his food.
Fair. My clumsy ass wasn’t anything surprising these days. And apart from my achy forehead, the only causality was my toast. I sighed and picked it up, inwardly groaning at the sticky mess I now had to clean.
But when I turned around, I jolted in surprise and dropped the slice again.
Onyx was leaning against the kitchen archway staring right at me, his red eyes bright and a slanted smile on his lips. “The hour is late, little bird. Why are you out of bed?”