“The only wrath I fear is that of the great muffin lord.” Lake grazed his teeth along my neck, eliciting an excited flutter in my belly.
“Well.” I cleared my throat. Definitely not the time or place for Little Evan to perk up and want to play. “You best behave, then. Because if you reinjure yourself, you’ll be in trouble, mister wolf.”
He smiled down at me, flashing his pearly whites. “The healing elixirs have helped. My wounds appear as though they were made more than a week ago. No chance of reopening.”
“Mhm. If you say so.” I hooked my arms around him, keeping my hands low on his back to avoid the worst of the damaged areas. The lacerations had traveled all the way to his shoulder blades, one of them grazing his nape. “This muffin lord asks that you please rest anyway. Just in case.”
His expression softened. “Then I shall abide by that request.”
After dropping a kiss to my lips, he rolled off me but stayed close. Head on the pillow, he stared at me in silence. I stared right back, smiling when he lightly nipped at the tip of my nose.
His eyelids then weighed a little heavier.
“Take a nap,” I said. “The more you rest, the faster you’ll heal.”
“Demi-wolves heal faster…” His eyes closed. “… than you humans.”
“Even so, a nap sounds nice. We had a long night.”
Moments later, a soft snore left him. He crinkled his nose and slightly jerked his head before burrowing in closer to me. I brushed aside his bangs and kissed his jaw.
Life had thrown me another curveball, but being with Lake gave me hope. Not all was lost. Not yet.
***
The hinges eerily creaked as I pushed the door open and slowly stuck my head out into the hall. Sconces flickered on the walls, creating a haunting glow down the long corridor. No windows, only a long stretch in both directions with several closed doors stuck between.
Lake and I had been cooped up in our room all day. The woman I’d heard him arguing with earlier that morning—a demon with red horns—had rebandaged his wounds around lunch. Fane had brought him a change of clothes too.
Once the sun started to set, I’d grown restless and suggested we leave the room and have a look around. Which had led us to that moment—me opening the door and checking the hall for any signs of life. There wasn’t. We were alone.
“Coast is clear,” I whispered before stepping farther out into the hall.
Lake grabbed the back of my shirt. “We should stay here. I’m sure someone will come for us soon.”
“And do what? Feed us and then leave again?” I turned to him and pressed a finger to his chest. “I’ll go stir-crazy being in that room a minute longer.”
“Evan…”
“Aren’t you curious?” I asked with an exhilarated lift in my voice. “Exploring a dark, mysterious castle. Just like those adventure books we love to read together. Maybe we’ll find something cool.”
“Or we’ll find a demon who really will try to sink their teeth into you.” Lake sighed. “It’s too dangerous. Guests also shouldn’t wander around without permission. It’s rude.”
I echoed his sigh. “You have a point. Don’t want to press our luck and piss off the demon lord.” My gaze longingly roamed the long corridor. “But what if his plan is to eat us?”
“What?”
“Eat us,” I repeated, looking at Lake. “Keep us confined to one room to restrict our movements and bring us meals to fatten us up. Then, after days or weeks of this, bam. We’re roasted over an open fire and used as the centerpiece for his next feast, apple in our mouths and everything. Probably served with a side of mashed taters and gravy.”
“I…” He cocked his head. The confusion creasing his brow, combined with his perked-up, fluffy ears, was too damn cute. “I find that unlikely.”
“But not impossible.” I lightly patted his shoulder. “It’s a good idea to get a feel for our surroundings just in case we need to make a quick getaway. Locate the exits and map out the best escape route. I’ll call this mission, ‘Operation: How Not to Become a Demon Lord’s Dinner.’ Has a nice ring to it.”
Lake glanced in each direction before rubbing at his eyes.
“You’re considering it, aren’t you?” I gave a light tickle to his ribs.
He exhaled through his nostrils and regarded me with an exasperated look that reminded me so much of Maddox it caused a hard thud in my heart. Whatever he’d been about to say fled as he took me in his arms. “I sense your sadness.”
