Chapter One
The Adventure Continues, Post-Cliffhanger
“I usually get a warning before that happens.” I wiped at my now messy cheek.
Fane leaned against the counter with such a disgusted look on his face you’d think I was mixing horse shit in the bowl instead of muffin batter. “You’re certain you’ve done this before?”
“Only about a thousand times. Give or take a few hundred,” I answered.
A deep ache spread through my chest as I thought of my men. Days without them felt like years. And now, Lake was gone too. Roughly an hour had passed since he’d left with the party of warriors to find our men and bring them to the Shadow Realm. To distract myself from the billion and one worries rolling through my head, I’d gone to the kitchen to bake something. My sanity depended on it.
“When do you think Lake and the others will be back?” I asked.
“Not for several hours.” Fane lost some of his surliness as he looked at me. Grass-green eyes were paired with lavender-colored hair, and black horns curved back from his head. “Once passing through the barrier to the outside world, they must then travel deeper into the forest, avoiding detection.”
“During a thunderstorm no less,” I added, glancing toward the rain-splattered windowpane. Thunder rumbled on cue, as though taunting me. “Lovely.”
“A little rain never hurt anyone.” Fane returned his attention to the batter. “You should be more concerned about the slop in that bowl. Do you truly expect anyone to eat it?”
“Just you wait.” I wagged the spoon at him, accidentally flinging specks of batter in the process. “Once thisslopis baked into delicious muffins, you’ll be begging me to teach you the recipe.”
He scoffed. “I find that unlikely.”
Fane was such a grouch. Not the first one I’d encountered as a magnet for stubborn, grumpy men, but I’d win him over eventually. One way or another.
I distributed batter into the muffin tin and popped it in the oven. A fire rune glowed from inside the appliance. This world didn’t have electricity like the one I’d come from. Instead, magical runes and elemental crystals powered everything.
“Are you truly a member of the royal family?” Fane asked.
I nodded. “My dad was a prince.”
His brows shot upward. “I’m surprised you have your head.”
No clarification needed. Lord Onyx, before knowing whose blood ran through my veins, had said he hated the entire royal bloodline. Our families had waged war on each other for centuries.
“That makes two of us,” I said with a nervous laugh. “Seems I can’t go anywhere without someone wanting to either kill or capture me. Prince Cedric. The mercenaries from Nocturne. Considering the bounty on my head, pretty much all the knights and guards in Bremloc too.”
“The bounty?” Fane’s thin black tail drooped behind him. “Ah, right. They believe you poisoned the king.”
“Yep.” Something dull sliced across my heartstrings, painful but not sharp enough to cut through. “Mercenaries aside, everyone in Bremloc thinks I’m an evil mastermind who tried to kill the king. I can never go back.”
“For what it’s worth…” He cracked the faintest of smiles. “I’m happy you’re not dead.”
“Thanks.” I returned the smile, oddly touched.
Since meeting Fane, he’d seemed wary of me. He saw humans much like how humans saw demons, impulsively violent and wicked to their core. We were making progress. Tossing aside preconceived notions and letting our actions speak for themselves.
“I’ll make us some tea.” Fane retrieved a kettle and filled it with water. “I’m sure milord will want a cup soon.”
“How long have you worked for Lord Onyx?”
“Fifteen or so years.” Softness touched Fane’s green eyes. “I started as a simple servant, mainly tending to the hearths and assisting in the kitchen. One evening, after finishing my duties for the day, I found him slumped in his reading chair and offered to bring him tea. I’ve been his attendant ever since. A position I carry with the utmost pride.”
“Slumped? Was he sick?”
He shook his head. “Milord was so engrossed in his novel that he lost track of time. Forgot to eat. I’ve since ensured he never skips a meal.”
“That sounds familiar,” I said, thinking of my Briar. He often got lost in his work and forgot to eat and take care of himself too.
