Chapter Twenty-One
The End of One Chapter… and the Start of Another
Boar gumbo simmered in a pot so big I had to stand on a stool in front of the stove to peer down into it.
“Do try not to fall in,” Fane said with body language that hinted he feared I actually would. He turned toward me, one hand outstretched, as though preparing to yank me back the moment I stumbled.
“Ah, are you worried?” I grinned at him and stirred the gumbo. Mouthwatering spices wafted upward, notes of garlic, onion, thyme, and cayenne pepper. “I knew you liked me. We’re totally besties now.”
He sneered before checking on the corn bread baking in the oven. His dancing tail told me everything I needed to know though.
I stepped down from the wooden stool, earning another anxious glance from Fane in the process, the worry wart, then went to grab bowls from the cupboard.
Three days had passed since Onyx’s curse was broken, and in that time, he’d kissed me more than ever—so much so that I’d needed to ask Briar for a salve to help my chapped lips.
Worth it.
Happiness bounced around in my chest, making me feel warm and toasty. A feeling that amplified as the thud of boots came from the hall.
“Evening, sweetheart,” Maddox said, coming over to me at the stove and wrapping his muscled arms around my waist. His black hair was slightly damp from his bath, and his skin smelled of warm spice and the woodsy notes from the soap he’d washed with.
“Hey, big guy.” I turned to face him, resting my hands on the tops of his broad shoulders. “How was training today?”
“It went well.” Maddox brought my hand to his lips, kissing the knuckle of my index finger. “Nothing exciting to report.”
“Don’t lie to our mate, Captain,” Callum said as he entered the kitchen, the trio of knights behind him. Oreo padded along with them, biting at Callum’s boot laces.
“Lie?” I narrowed my eyes at Maddox. “Spill it. What happened?”
He seemed confused. “I’ve not spoken a lie.”
Duke belted out a laugh and clapped Quincy on the shoulder. “When this one took a tumble, remember?”
Understanding then lit Maddox’s eyes. And with it, a smile.
I soon learned what happened. Quincy, bless his soul, had slipped in the mud and landed face first in Borus’ burly chest. Duke recounted the tale with all the theatrics of a well-versed thespian, even using Baden for his demonstration.
“His chest was softer than I expected,” Quincy added. “Like billowy pillows.”
I laughed and clung onto Maddox. He had the same pillows. Definitely one of my weaknesses.
“I love that sound,” Maddox said against my ear. “Your laugh. You deserve only happiness, sweetheart. Now and always.”
A lump wedged in my throat. “Why are you being so sweet? Is someone dying?”
He breathed out a laugh. “I suppose I’m feeling… sentimental. One year ago today, I found you beneath that tree in Bremloc. It was the day my life changed forever. Falling in love with you has brought me more joy than I ever thought possible.”
Well, that didn’t help the lump in my throat. I rested my face in the crook of his neck and breathed in the warm spice of his skin.
Had it really only been a year? It felt longer. The person I was before finding Lupin’s shop seemed like someone else. A guy who’d escaped with books and video games because he never fit in with the world around him. And now I knew why.
Because I hadn’t belonged in that world at all.
I belonged here. With the grouchy, muffin-loving captain in my arms and the other five men who owned pieces of my heart. A demon lord amongst them.
A feminine giggle came from the corridor.
“Wonderful.” Maddox groaned under his breath. “Here that demon comes again.”
Nina burst into the kitchen half a beat later and beamed as soon as she saw me. “Evan! Nina hasss come to help with evening meal!”
Cyan entered the room behind her, propelled by that same high energy. “Me as well!”
The two of them flocked to me at the stove, pinching my cheeks and patting my head, easing Maddox out of the way in the process.
Rowan appeared in the corner of the room, using the shadows beside the pantry to pop in like the sneaky spy he was. “Are they fighting over Evan?”
Maddox sneered at the female demons. “Yes.”
Cyan tugged on my left bicep, causing me to fall against her, before Nina tugged on my right and glared at the other female demon. The two were playing muffin tug-o-war.
“Meanie Cyan!” Nina yanked on my arm again. “Trying to take Evan from Nina.”
“He wasn’t yours to begin with,” Cyan responded, pulling me back toward her.
I glanced at Maddox in a silent plea for help. He was possessive enough to come save me. The others were too amused by it. Rowan, especially, who helped himself to a bite of the gumbo directly from the simmering pot as he watched the show.
However, before Maddox could come to my rescue, Oreo padded over from where he’d been busy attacking Callum’s boot laces and gave a half-hearted woof at the two demons.
My little hero.
The puppy yawned big before plopping to his back and staring up at me. Showing his chunky belly.
Or not. I sighed.
“Bad Yoyo,” Maddox said. “You should be protecting your master, not begging for pets.”
Oreo heavily huffed. The action caused a jiggle in his belly.
“How precious he is!” Cyan exclaimed, releasing my arm and dropping down to pet him. “So fluffy and soft.”
“Nina wantsss to pet him too!” She knelt down beside the other demon and showered him in love and pets.
Oreo tipped his little head back to look at Maddox, as if to be like, ‘you were saying?’
Well, I’ll be damned. It seemed Oreo had known what he was doing all along. Using his cuteness as a weapon against the girls, as though knowing no one could resist the temptation of his chunky tummy.
With the female demons preoccupied with the puppy, Fane and I finished with dinner and then carried it to the dining parlor with the help of the knights. Lake, Briar, and Varys were already in the room, sitting in front of the lit hearth as they chatted.
And they weren’t the only ones.
“Good evening,” Onyx greeted me, standing beside the mantle.
His appearance zapped the wires in my brain. Onyx was dressed in a black robe far more ornate than anything I’d seen him wear before. It was trimmed with silver and red designs that reminded me of a dragon’s wings.
The most notable change, however, was his hair. He had pinned all of it back with decorative silver pins, reminding me even more of an imperial prince from a palace romance novel.
“H-Hi,” I finally said once I could find my voice, my lungs refusing to work properly. “I like what you did with your hair. I’ve never seen you wear it like that before.”
“Oh.” Onyx lifted a hand to the side of his head, as though on impulse. He seemed self-conscious. “I wished for a change is all. I’m pleased it’s to your liking.”
Had he dressed up for me? Damn if that thought didn’t almost make my heart explode.
I closed the distance between us, him meeting me halfway, and wrapped my arms around him. He rested his cheek on the top of my hair and softly exhaled.
“I will never tire of this,” he murmured. “Holding you without fear of tearing you apart. Letting myself be… happy. I never wish to know another day without you by my side.”
His words. They were just like the ones from the dream I’d had beneath the sacred willow. Only now, that dream had become reality.
“Good.” I drew back and lifted a hand, cupping his cheek. “Because you’re stuck with me now. No more hiding in your tower.”
“No more hiding.” He turned his face and kissed the center of my palm. “You hold my heart in these tiny hands of yours.”
Rowan snickered from nearby. “To go along with his short and clumsy legs.”
I sighed. “You can’t go one day without teasing me, can you?”
“A whole day?” Lake grinned. “He cannot even go one hour.”
Onyx lightly chuckled and linked our fingers, escorting me to the table. Maddox met us there and pulled out my chair for me.
“Such a gentleman,” I said, my heart warming at the sight of his ocean blue eyes. They seemed so light.
“Only for you, sweetheart,” he responded, then helped Briar into his chair.
“And Briar,” I told him, grinning at the sight of them.
A blush touched our handsome physician’s cheeks.
“Nina will sssit by Evan.” The snake demon bounded over to the empty chair beside mine, preparing to sit down.
“Think again,” Maddox told her before taking it for himself.
She stuck her tongue out at him, the end of it forked. Oreo waddled over and rolled to his back on the rug, staring up at her. Once again, the temptation of his belly was too much for her to fight, and she dropped down to pet him.
Maddox’s lips twitched.
Onyx took his seat and retook my hand. I sat between him and my captain.
The sounds of spoons scraping bowls and laughter filled the parlor as we all ate. Conversation was in full swing around the table.
I missed Bremloc a lot. Missed the trees behind our cottage and the way the leaves sounded when the wind swept through them. The knight’s encampment. Samson, the big and grumpy horse who disliked everyone but, for some reason, liked me.
I missed Briar’s clinic and Thane, his sandy-haired apprentice who loved my cooking nearly as much as my men did.
And I missed having afternoon tea in the royal garden with Prince Sawyer and Kuya as Sir Noah, Ban, and Finian stood by, watching over us and trying to inconspicuously eat the cookies I snuck to them.
But as I observed everyone around the table, my heart warmed.
A pair of ruby eyes met mine. Softer than I’d ever seen them.
I smiled. While a part of me would always miss Bremloc, the Shadow Realm had started feeling like home too. Filled with all the new friends I had made… and love I’d found.
***
Stars dusted the night sky as I sat in my favorite spot beside the luminescent pond. An evening breeze caused a jingle in the leaves of the surrounding trees, and the blades of grass faintly chimed.