“Scoundrel.”
“Well, isn’t that something? You learned a new word.” Rowan put a hand to his chest. “And here I thought nothing went through that head of yours but swords and muffins.”
Maddox sneered.
“Afternoon, Ev.” Callum offered me a smile from across the table. His eyes crinkled at the edges in that way I loved. He’d been asleep when Rowan and I returned to the room the night before, so I hadn’t gotten the chance to speak with him after our chat about Onyx. That smile dissolved the nerves in my gut. I hadn’t lost him either. “How are the lungs?”
“About as good as they can be,” I answered with a little pat to my chest with my free hand. Maddox still held my other. “Briar fixed me right up.”
“Well, I helped,” Briar said. “You aren’t yet fully healed. I fear the effects of that spell will linger for a while longer. Another tonic is needed.”
“Visit Phantasia today,” Lord Onyx told him, still cool and emotionless. “She’s the healer here at the castle and will assist you with anything you need. Her clinic is near the greenhouse.”
“Gratitude.” Briar tipped his head. “That would be excellent.”
An uncomfortable silence followed with nothing but the soft swish of Oreo’s tail against the floor. The puppy lay in front of the patio doors, warming himself in a ray of sunlight.
“So.” I started to fidget. “I wasn’t eavesdropping or anything, but Imayhave, totally on accident, I promise, overheard a piece of your conversation.”
“When you were searching for the kitchen?” Onyx asked, one fine brow arching.
“Um. Yes. The kitchen. Right.” I quietly cleared my throat, still not fully recovered from the embarrassment when Oreo busted open the door. “Anyway. Did something happen? Like the mercenaries trying to break through the barrier again?”
Maddox had mentioned my safety. A possible breach attempt might’ve been enough to give him and Callum a change of heart in regard to the demon lord. At least make it to where they’d stop trying to stab them with murderous glares.
“No,” Onyx answered, putting that theory to rest and sending me back to square one. “But even if an attempt was made, they pose no threat. They could try for a hundred years and still be no closer to breaking through.”
Briar shook his head. “I wouldn’t be so confident. The barrier is strong but not impenetrable.”
“Ancient magic erected that barrier,” Onyx told him. “Far stronger than any spells those mercenaries have at their disposal.”
“No magic is without limits.” Briar adjusted his glasses and straightened up in his chair. “Every spell can be broken with the right tools.”
“True.” Onyx nodded. “However, there is only but one magic capable of doing so and centuries have passed since it’s been wielded.”
A sudden bout of anxiety tumbled to my gut. He couldn’t be referring to my special brand of saintly magic, could he?
The hairs on my nape tingled with the sensation I was being watched. One quick glance around the table told me why.
Lord Onyx sat with a hand resting at the edge of his mouth, his gaze locked onto mine. Sunlight filtered in through the set of patio doors and hit his eyes just right, making his red irises sparkle like rubies. Eyes that appeared to grow hotter, like metal in a forge, glowing shades of red and orange as it burned.
My breath caught, and I quickly looked away. The guy was too damn beautiful for his own good. It was the type of beauty that made it hard to maintain eye contact for more than a second or two at a time.
“Oh look. Fruit.” I reached for the platter as a distraction. Even after looking away, my skin tingled. Onyx had an aura that made me quiver. “I already ate breakfast, thanks to Briar, but you know what they say. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”I grabbed a yellow one and took a bite. “Not that I want to send Briar away. He’s the exception.”
“I wondered when we’d be graced with another ramble,” Onyx said with a hint of playfulness. Something warm lingered beneath it though. “Who knew apples excited you so much?”
“All food excites him.” Rowan pushed from the wall and stepped toward the table, plopping down in the chair beside Callum. He grabbed a handful of blueberries from the platter and popped them into his mouth. “I bet he’s sitting there right now thinking of a cake he wants to bake with them.”
“A cobbler, actually.” I stuck my nose up at him. “But you wouldn’t like it because you hate sugar.”
“Not if I lick that sugar off you.”
“Enough of your vile mouth, snake,” Callum snapped. “Evan isn’t a whore in a brothel. He’s our mate. Show him more respect.”
“Oh, I was mighty respectful last night, sir rabbit,” Rowan spouted off without missing a beat. “Had him all kinds of flustered and moaning my name.”
Oh my god, kill me now.
