I gulped. The sight of him awoke excited flutters in my belly.
“Good morning,” Onyx greeted us. Black hair cascaded down his chest, free of the warrior-type braids he often wore. He slouched a bit with one hand resting near his mouth. The other sat dangerously close to the sword propped up beside him. “I hope you slept well.”
“About as well as can be,” I answered. My body needed to stop whatever the hell it was doing. One of my fated men or not, Onyx was the freaking demon lord. Potentially a walking doom flag. “I, uh, hope you slept well too.”
“My night was quite… eventful.” The candlelight set his red eyes on fire. Trapped in his unwavering gaze, I felt like those flames had pierced my heart.
Tall windows arched behind him, revealing a dark, stormy sky that’d only grown darker. Also behind him? Armed guards. Seraphina and four others stood near the entry doors and along the wall.
Soldiers, I corrected myself, not guards. Ones who would strike me down without hesitation if I even breathed wrong.
“F-Fane said you wanted to speak to us.” I tried to steady my voice. Unfortunately, my knees were a lost cause. They wobbled like crazy.
Lake stood beside me and grabbed my hand. It helped calm some of the anxious twists in my belly.
“Yes.” Onyx emoted very little, making it impossible to get a read on him. He was far from an open book. More like a book wrapped in chains and thrown into a locked chest. Multiple barriers to break through. “It’s regarding last night’s attempted breach of the barrier.”
“Ah, right.” I shifted my weight between my feet. “What happened? Did the… um, dark mages get through?”
“Mercenaries.” Onyx sat forward on the throne. “They were mercenaries. But I think you know that.”
Heat prickled at my scalp. I racked my brain for a response, coming up empty. Did Onyx know the truth now? Was that the real reason he’d summoned us to the throne room? The wobble in my knees returned full force.
Lake gently pulled me closer, letting me lean on him. He no doubt felt the echo of that spike of nerves.
Steps sounded on the stone floor, drawing our attention. A welcome interruption.
“My lord.” Varys stopped in front of the throne and bowed to Onyx. His shoulders held a slight quake. “Apologies for keeping you waiting.”
“All is well.” A glimmer of emotion surged in Onyx’s eyes. But then those eyes returned to me, growing cold once more. “Now that we’re all present, let’s begin.”
Varys faced me. “Why is Nocturne searching for you?”
“Um.” Throat dry, I swallowed hard. As proven countless times, I stammered too much when trying to lie. “I don’t know.”
Not totally a fib. I didn’t know the exact reason.
“Enough with the lies,” Varys spat, clenching his teeth. He seemed to be on edge. “Nocturne is an ancient order of dark mages whose power far exceeds that of ordinary mercenaries. They wouldn’t bother tracking down a low-value target. So I’ll ask you once more. Why are they after you?”
Onyx watched me in silence. Cold and shut off. No sign of the man who’d smiled at me as I’d flocked around the kitchen last night, excitedly touching everything.
The drastic shift caused a deep ache in my heart. Something had unlocked inside me with the realization that he was one of my men. A desire that’d been dormant. Waiting for him. Yet, now he stared at me like I’d betrayed him in some way.
“I…” My voice wavered, much like my courage.
Lake stepped in front of me and bowed his head. “Please understand our reluctance to answer that question. The truth puts my mate in danger should it fall on the wrong ears.”
“And another lie will do the same.” Onyx rose from the throne and slowly approached us. Each step that brought him closer stirred the heat in my core. “I suggest you choose your next words very carefully.”
“Okay.” Exhaling, I faced Onyx and tried to be brave. “You want to know why Nocturne is after me?”
Lake growled. “Evan, don’t—”
“No more lies,” I said, lightly squeezing his palm in an attempt to calm him. His teeth had sharpened, and his eyes glowed a vibrant purple. “Remember what we talked about earlier? If it’s true, then he needs to know the truth.”
“Tell me, little human…” Onyx tipped his chin up, wariness touching his cold eyes. “What truth are you referring to?”
Lupin once cautioned me not to hide my identity from my fated mates. Each one had a role to play in my destiny. Unfortunately, in Onyx’s case, I was ninety-nine percent sure he was the one destined to possibly kill me.
