“Ah, your empathy for others is precious, lad.” Varys patted my leg before folding his hands back into his lap. “Long before he met your mother, I had accepted that my love for Elias would never be returned. At least in a romantic sense. He often said he loved me as though I were a brother. That was… enough for me. Knowing I had part of his heart. When I learned of his feelings for Cynthia, I wished only for their happiness.”
The yearning in his tone reminded me of Xavier, the mage I’d met in Exalos.
Xavier had known my mom since they were kids and said she’d had feelings for him. However, he’d been too focused on his studies to humor the idea of love. It wasn’t until she’d met my dad that Xavier realized he loved her too. But it’d been too late. A love lost before it’d even had time to blossom.
“I’m sorry, Varys,” I said, heart sinching. My gaze moved to Lake, then to Callum and Maddox. Rowan was napping in our room and Briar was in the clinic, but I felt them with me. A soul-deep connection that couldn’t be broken with distance. “I can’t imagine a life without my men. Losing one of them would break me. You’re a lot stronger than I am.”
“I don’t always feel strong.” Varys focused on the training warriors, but his stare looked miles away. “There are moments when I think of Elias and the grief of losing him cripples me. A piece of me died with him, I believe. Left in that shallow grave where I found him.”
Pressure filled my rib cage, compressing my heart and lungs.
After breaching the barrier around my parents’ cottage, the mercenaries of Nocturne had slit my dad’s throat and tossed him into a ditch. Something I only knew because of the queen. During the royal ball, she’d spoken of my dad with such a venomous tone it was no mystery which parent Cedric took after.
Then again, King Eidolon wasn’t as good of a man as I’d once thought. Treachery and wickedness ran deep on both sides of thegene pool. Prince Sawyer was the only one in the royal family I trusted wholeheartedly.
“One more time!” the black-haired demon roared from the field. He kicked at the dirt in his frustration. “I will best you, human. Mark my words.”
Callum smirked. “Not in this lifetime, demon. But it’s entertaining watching you try, so I accept your challenge. Let’s go again.”
“Your knight is highly skilled,” Varys said, watching them.
“A combination of pure talent and a lot of hard work,” I responded. “Stubbornness too. See those scars on his neck and chest? The dork was outside doing drills the next morning after getting them. Not even almost dying was enough to keep him from training. I found him hitting a tree with a big stick. He thought he’d be clever, you see, because I said he couldn’t use his sword for a few days.”
Varys smiled. “You have quite the group by your side. Skilled warriors, a fiercely protective and loyal demi-wolf, a shadow mage, and a brilliant healer.”
And maybe, eventually, a demon lord.But that was a giant maybe. It was possible Lord Onyx could reject our fated mate bond and tell me to kick rocks.
“Sounds like the perfect quest party,” I said, amused by the realization. “Maybe I can make it as an adventurer after all. I’ll bake muffins to keep everyone fed, while they fight monsters and solve cryptic clues to find our way through labyrinths and dungeons, complete with defeating the big and scary final boss.”
“You want to be an adventurer?” Varys cocked his head. “A dangerous profession. While in Bremloc, I heard many a tale of adventurers being mauled by wild boars and ripped apart by enchantments guarding treasure.”
“Dangerous but fun, I bet.” I thought of all the video games I’d played in my old world. Kicked ass at playing, in fact, oftenclaiming the top scores. However, increasing skill levels in a game and becoming a badass paladin or assassin was easier than, well,actuallyhaving those skills in real life. The real me couldn’t walk across the grass without tripping.
“If you crave fun, might I suggest horseback riding?” Varys said. “Safer than fighting monsters and… big and scary final bosses, as you phrased it.”
I exhaled a laugh. “A kind way of saying I wouldn’t survive ten minutes on an epic quest. My dreams are crushed. How will I ever go on?”
Varys echoed my laugh. His eyes, however, glinted with a recognizable ache. “It’s not my place to advise you on matters such as this… but I hope you’ll choose to remain in this realm. Your presence has had a positive effect on many of us here. Particularly with Lord Onyx.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised by that. “How?”
“Ever since your arrival, I’ve noticed a change in him.” He peered up at the branches again. “A light in his eyes that wasn’t there before.”
A stirring of warmth flowed into my chest.
The pad of paws on the grass sounded right before a blur of black fur pounced on me, landing on my lap. I laughed as Oreo licked my cheeks, his poofy tail whacking Varys as it wagged ninety-to-nothing.
“Duty calls, I’m afraid. I should be on my way.” Varys scratched Oreo’s back before standing from the bench. He nodded to me. “Was a pleasure speaking with you, lad.”
“You too,” I said, chest warm with an odd sensation. Similar to how I felt once learning Prince Sawyer and I were related. “Hopefully we can talk again soon.”
The older demi-wolf smiled. “I’d like that.” He tipped his head to me before walking down the path back toward the castle.
A trace of peaches came with the gentle breeze, announcing Lake’s arrival. He knelt in front of me, his purple eyes shining with affection. “There’s my human.”
“There’s my mister wolf.” I hooked my wrists around his neck.
“Yours now and always.” Forehead pressing to mine, he slowly exhaled. “I’ve never taken your love for granted, yet in this moment, I’m even more grateful to be by your side. Not all of us can be so fortunate.”
