“You need to rest.” Onyx turned from the fire and stepped toward the door. “Fane will check on you in the morning.”
“Hang on.” I heaved the comforter off and scooted out of bed. The stone floor was cold beneath my bare feet. “You never told me why I’m here. Where even is here?”
The room didn’t provide many clues apart from it being huge and well-kept. I saw only dark sky through the window.
“You’re a guest in my home.” He reached the door and looked back at me, his expression harder than before. “That’s all you need to know.”
“If I’m a guest, why do I suddenly feel like a prisoner?” I asked, stopping beside the post of the king-sized bed. The sudden coldness in his eyes shot a chill down my spine.
“Do you see shackles anywhere?”
“No.” I wavered in place, hands fidgeting. “But I kind of get the feeling I won’t be able to leave this room.”
“Believe me. Staying in here is for your own safety.” He stepped into the corridor. Lit sconces flickered, projecting his silhouette on the wall. “It wouldn’t do you any good to wander the halls at night. Who knows what could be creeping in the shadows, waiting to sink its teeth into your soft flesh?”
“Well, that’s terrifying.”
“Good.”
The door began to close.
“Wait!” My heart hammered against my rib cage, the beats heavy and desperate.
Onyx paused. “Yes?”
“You said a bounty was placed on my head,” I blurted out in a rush. “Seeing how I’m a wanted man and all now, they could come here looking for me.”
I couldn’t tell him the mercenaries had the ability to track my life force without causing his suspicion to rise, ultimately resulting in the full truth coming out, probably in the form of a long-winded ramble.
The edge of his mouth twitched. “Do you tell me this out of worry for yourself… or for the trouble it could potentially bring to me?”
“Both. For whatever reason, you’ve been nice to me. And you helped Lake. So you should know that by letting me stay here, you’d—”
“Worry not.” His smooth voice sounded a touch warmer than before. “No one can find you here.”
“Really?” More fidgeting.
“This is my domain,” he said with a nod. “Only those I allow to enter may do so.”
“Your domain?” My breath caught as understanding slammed into me. Callum had told me stories about the demon lord—and where he lived. A place deep in the dark wood, the location unknown. “That means I’m in the…”
“Yes.” Lord Onyx stepped farther into the hall, pulling the door closed with him. “Welcome to the Shadow Realm, Evan Clark.”
Chapter Fourteen
How Not to Become a Demon Lord’s Dinner
I survived the night without getting my head bitten off. The bad news? As soon as I’d woken that morning, I tried to leave the room, only to find the door locked.
Prisoner Muffin once again.
No extra clothes to be found, unfortunately, which meant I’d have to prance around in the oversized cotton shirt a while longer. At least I still had my own underwear.
“Follow the lilies,” I mumbled from the cushioned window seat. The bowl of red apples from the table sat beside me, two of them already devoured. “Damn you, Lupin. That’s the last time I take advice from you.”
The lilies had led us to Onyx, though, who had helped Lake. The silver lining in it all. And if I had to be a prisoner somewhere, this room wasn’t so bad, I guess. The view beyond the window was actually… pretty.
Thoughts of the Shadow Realm had often brought to mind images of darkness, fire, and screeching dragons flying through the eternal night sky. A place where demons roamed, tearing apart each other and anything else they encountered.
