“Dangerous?” He cocked his head in that way I loved.
“Hello. Demon lord, remember?”
Lake thought for a moment. “I can be dangerous too. I ripped out someone’s throat.”
“That’s different. You were protecting your family.”
“Still… Lord Onyx has been good to us.”
“You trust him?” I asked, surprised.
“I wouldn’t say that.” He gave a slight shake of his head. “Yet, he’s earned my respect. The demi-humans here are happy. A monstrous tyrant wouldn’t have created such a peaceful place.”
“I guess you have a point.” As the rain picked up, I focused on the window, watching the swirls of water blur the glass. The memory of Onyx’s fingertips on my skin caused heat to burrow in my core. “How would you feel if he was? You know… one of my fated men?”
“Cautious.” Lake rose from the bed and went to stoke the logs in the hearth. “But I was cautious of Rowan too. I treat everyone that way until I know I can trust them.”
I drew my legs in closer to my body. “Onyx has his own scent.”
Lake’s gaze darted back to me.
“Cedar and woodsmoke,” I added, still in disbelief. “But maybe I’m wrong, you know? Maybe he just stands too close to the fire and the smell has, like, seeped into his skin or something.”
“If that were the case, I’d smell it when around him. And I don’t.”
No matter how much I tried to deny it, I felt the truth of it in my gut. Onyx was one of my fated mates. His unique scent. The way my body responded to him with just a simple touch. I’d been through it five times now and knew the feeling all too well.
“Goodbye, cruel world.” I flung the blanket over my head and rolled to my side like a curled-up worm. “This is Evan Clark. Signing out.”
“A shame the captain can’t see you right now,” Lake said with a touch of sadness in his voice. The mattress dipped as he sat back down and placed a hand on my hip. I lowered the blanket to find that same sad gleam in his eyes. “You’re awfully cute when you’re this dramatic.”
“Come here.” I lifted the blanket, encouraging him to join me in my cocoon. He lay down beside me, ears drooping. I gently petted the top of his head. “We’ll see our men again soon.”
He responded with a small whine. “Do you think Lord Onyx would allow them here?”
My hand stilled in his hair. “Rowan and Briar would be welcome, I think. But Maddox and Callum have fought demons for years. Onyx might not let them in.”
Lake moved his head, silently asking me to continue petting him. “If he is one of us… one of your men, that is… he might be willing to consider it. To make you happy.”
“Unless he decides to hand me over to Stryder instead. Or kill me. Turn me into an Evan kabob and fire roast me.”
His lips twitched, showing a peak of his canines. “And he’ll glaze you with maple. Or honey. Like the boar skewers from back home. Sweet and savory.”
My stomach growled. “If we don’t get breakfast soon, I might turn into a cannibal and eat myself. Which one of my legs is your least favorite? I’ll start with that one and work my way up. Not eating my hands though. I need those for baking muffins.”
A rough sound left him. He laughed so hard it shook the bed.
That laugh then died away as he snapped his head toward the door. A hard knock followed a beat later.
“Make yourselves presentable,” came Fane’s voice from the other side. He’d learned his lesson about barging in. “You’ve been summoned for questioning. Lord Onyx awaits you in the throne room.”
Chapter Eighteen
A Truth Revealed
The throne room wasn’t what I’d expected. There were no piles of charred bones or caged enemies hanging from the tall ceilings. No cackling demonic minions with pitchforks.
Instead sat a throne made of black obsidian. And on that throne? A demon lord with eyes that caught the light from the various surrounding candelabras.
