“Why me?” Callum glowered at him. “Snakes prefer dark, cool places, don’t they? You’re the one who should sleep elsewhere. Preferably outside.”
God, I had missed their banter. Almost enough to bring a tear to my eye, but I’d done enough crying over the past few days to last a lifetime and refused to shed another tear unless something horrible happened. Like burning a batch of muffins or learning coffee beans had ceased to exist.
“All of you can have the bed.” Maddox stood near the window, arms crossed, and peered out into the darkness. “I’ll keep watch through the night.”
“There’s no need for that.” I plopped down on the edge of the bed. My legs were too short for my feet to touch the floor, so they dangled. “No one will attack us. We’re guests here, not prisoners.”
Eyes as blue and deep as the ocean met mine. “You don’t know that for certain.”
“Lake and I are still alive, aren’t we?” I pointed out. “If they planned to hurt us, Phantasia wouldn’t have healed Lake’s wounds. Fane wouldn’t cook us awesome meals or bring us clean clothes. They’ve been nothing but kind to us.”
His unchanging expression said I failed to convince him on the matter. “It could be a trick intended to lower our guards.”
“What would they gain from that, Maddox? There’s no reason they’d go through this trouble if they meant to hurt us.”
“Then explain why they took our weapons.”
I gave him a droll look. “Take one guess as to why. I’ll give you a hint: it has more to do with you than them.”
There was a click in his jaw. “I’d only attack if they gave me reason to.”
“Uh huh.”
“We walked right into their territory, and now we’re at their mercy.” Callum stood near the stone hearth. It hadn’t been lit, leaving the inside dark instead of the comforting orange glow of the flames. The ashes from previously burned logs were absent though, implying someone had come in and cleaned.
“They’re helping us, Cal,” I said. “The mercenaries were going to target all of you in order to get to me, so Lord Onyx—”
“Don’t speak of him so casually, Ev. He’s not your friend.” Callum shook his head at me, as though in disbelief. Or disappointment. “You think he’s doing this out of the kindness of his heart?”
“Not exactly.” I pressed my thumb into my opposite palm. It gave me a place to put some of my nervous energy. “We made a deal. The truth about me in exchange for your safe passage here.”
“The truth?” Briar asked. He sat at the small table near the hearth, wiping the lenses of his glasses with the bottom of his shirt.
I nodded. “Most of it anyway. About my dad and why Nocturne is after me.”
“You told him who you truly are? That you’re part of the royal family?” Maddox scrubbed his hands over his face, scraping against the days-old stubble. “Gods, sweetheart.”
I looked at Lake. “You didn’t tell them any of this when you found them?”
“Didn’t get the chance,” Lake answered. “I was far too busy trying to prevent them from attacking the demons with me.”
“Is that right?” I returned my gaze to Maddox and crossed my arms. “My earlier point proven. No wonder they took your sword.”
He sneered at me.
“You think I’m scared of you, big guy?” I did my best impersonation of his sneer. “I know all it takes is for me to bake a tray of muffins and you’ll be puddy in my hands.”
The muscle in his cheek jumped.
“This is serious, Ev,” Callum said. “We’re not safe here. Especially not you, now that the damn demon lord knows who you are.”
Okay, I was back to being frustrated. “Why not? Lord Onyx has done nothing to suggest he wants to hurt any of us.”
“And you trust him? He’s a demon.”
“And you’re a knight,” I countered, annoyance growing. “How many patrols have ventured into the dark wood and cut down any demon they came across?”
“We were protecting the kingdom,” Callum snapped. There were no signs of the cinnamon roll I knew and loved. He was angry and defensive. “Do you believe we were in the wrong? Whose side are you on here, Evan?”
