Lies. He knew it too. Damn him.
His impish smile grew. Still holding my wrist, he lifted it to his lips and lightly grazed his teeth over my veins. “I wonder what’s so special about your blood. I admit… it does smell delicious.”
“I knew it. You really do plan to eat me.”
He laughed.
Lake stared at us with interest. No sign of anger anywhere to be found. He seemed more amused than anything. For some reason, Onyx had gained his trust. Seeing how happy the demi-humans were in the Shadow Realm probably helped with that.
“Wait.” I looked at Onyx. “Did you know my dad was a prince for all those years?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t try to kill him? I thought you hated the royal family.”
“Oh, I do. Yet, like Varys mentioned, your father was different. Extraordinary. Much like you.” Albeit small, a glimmer of pain showed in his eyes. “He was the first human to ever show me kindness.”
Fighting against every fiber in my being that yearned to be even closer, I stepped back from Onyx, placing a sizable gap between us. “Tell me more about him.”
“Well, he asked many questions. Also, like you.” Onyx arched a brow at me, and I pressed my lips together. “He was curious about my realm and all the creatures inside it. I found it strange how he didn’t fear me. However, the biggest shock came days after our first meeting when I returned to the same spot near the stream and saw him petting an adult Fenrir.”
Shock slammed into me. “He was petting a demon?”
“Elias secretly had a soft spot for them,” Varys explained. “Not that he could ever tell anyone. I was the only one he told. When he’d venture into the forest for a moment of solitude, demons would come and sit at his feet. The people in Bremloc view them as mindless beasts, but many are quite intelligent. They sensed a certain energy in him. That of a tamer.”
“Are you saying my dad was a demon tamer? Seriously?”
“All mages have specific talents.” The demi-wolf faintly smiled. “Elias had his demons. A trait I believe he passed to you.”
I laughed. Hard. “God. Roth and the other knights were right.”
“About what?” Lake asked.
Tears stung my eyes, and I wasn’t sure if they came from amusement or the sudden ache in my chest. “They heard about Oreo helping me and accused me of summoning him. Of having the power to control and tame demons.” I rested a hand over my heart. “This is a lot to process.”
“You didn’t know of your father’s gift?” Onyx asked.
I shook my head. “I knew he had dark magic but not much else.”
“The Fenrir pup has imprinted on you. A bond that can’t be broken.” Onyx returned his gaze to the rain-blurred window. “Much like the demons who loved your father and continue to mourn him. You met one of them yesterday.”
“I did?”
“The stallion.” His red eyes returned to me. “The horse wandered too far once and found himself outside the barrier of my realm. Elias found him. Kept him safe and calm until I arrived.”
Lake smiled over at me. “Seems you take after your father in more ways than one.”
A lump wedged in my throat, and I tried clearing it. “Tell me more about him.”
“Elias was quite skilled in defensive magic,” Varys said. “Creating barriers and repelling magical attacks. He developed weapons for the unit of mages, allowing them to deflect harmful spells and cast strong ones in response. But demons were where his true love lay. As I said, I’m the only one he entrusted with this secret. What I didn’t say is I learned it by accident.”
“How?” I asked.
“When Elias journeyed to the forest one day, I followed and saw him sitting with Lord Onyx. What I also saw? Demons napping at his feet. When he reached down and scratched one of their bellies, I nearly fainted.”
Onyx smiled. “You didn’t faint, yet you stumbled and made quite the commotion. Those napping demons then shot upward and swarmed you.”
Varys returned that smile, both of them lost in the memory.
