Did he feel it too?
Thunder boomed like a canon blast, rattling the walls. The sound attacked my nervous system, as it always did. With a cry, I slapped both hands over my ears and pinched my eyes closed.
A soft touch landed on my wrist.
I opened my eyes to see Onyx staring at me with a gentleness that took me by surprise nearly as much as the thunder had.
“You fear storms?” he asked.
Nodding, I lowered my hands. “It’s silly, I know.”
“I don’t find it silly.” He withdrew, putting a gap between our bodies. “We all have something that we fear.”
“Even you?” The question came before I could stop it.
His red eyes tightened at the edges. “Even me.”
I wanted to probe further and learn what that fear was, but thankfully, I kept my mouth shut. He barely knew me. The last thing he’d do was tell me something that could potentially be used against him someday.
“Sit with me.” Onyx motioned to a bench ahead of us that was housed between fig trees and a stream—the source of the trickling water.
A few steps later, I plopped down and sat rigidly as he joined me on the bench. The space between our bodies hummed. I wasn’t sure which was greater: the urge to close that gap or the one that wanted me to run far away, screaming as I went.
“Gloomy morning we’re having, huh?” I stared up at the glass dome, mainly to have a reason to look away from him. “All rainy and stuff.”
“I like storms,” he softly said. “It’s proof that beauty can be found among the chaos.”
I looked at him, and my belly flopped when our eyes met. He’d been staring at me. “What made you want to bring me here?”
“Ah.” He slanted his head toward me. “I thought it’d be a nice place to put you to rest. An eternal sleep among the flowers.”
“What?” I squeaked.
Onyx released a low chuckle. “Forgive my jest. Your expression amused me.”
“So youdon’tplan on ripping off my head and hanging it from that branch like a war trophy?”
“Killing you holds little appeal for me,” he coolly said with a dismissive flick of his hand. “For now, anyway.”
“Fornow, he says,” I mumbled. “That makes me feel so warm and tingly. Thanks for that reassurance, Lord Onyx.”
His lips curved, holding a touch of mischievousness. It then fled, as though carried away by the stream beside us. “You were frightened of me earlier. In the throne room.”
I recalled how he’d sat on his obsidian throne, his gaze hard and tone sharp enough to cut glass. He had demanded to know why mercenaries from Nocturne were targeting me, as Stryder and the others had attempted to breach the barrier around the Shadow Realm the night before.
“Well, it’s not every day I’m summoned by a demon lord for questioning. On top of that, you said you hated the royal family. I expected to lose my head as soon as I told you who I was.” I faintly smiled. “Guess it’s a good thing you were friends with my dad.”
“Even if you weren’t Elias’ son, I feel my decision to spare you would have remained the same.” Onyx peered at the domed ceiling with a pensive expression. “Since the moment I first saw you in the dark wood, I’ve been intrigued. My interest in you has grown since then. Fate keeps placing you in my path.”
Because we’re destined mates.And it terrified me.
“Fate can be funny like that,” I said, trying for a lighter tone to disguise my nerves. “Can’t predict what that fickle jerk will do next. Almost like they’re making it up as they go, like an author who throws random crap into the plot whenever they’re stuck to see what sticks. Tension, swoon, or steam. Can never go wrong with too much smut though. When stuck, let them fuck.”
Onyx blinked at me. Another male had fallen victim to the chaotic, oftentimes random as hell, thoughts in my head.
“But anyway.” I cleared my throat. “Tell me more about my dad. What was he like?”
“More mindful of his words, for one,” Onyx responded, giving me a side-eyed look. “Unlike you and your endless rambles.”
