Rain Showers and Cryptic Red Flowers
Rain tapped against the windowpane in the small parlor. I curled up in an oversized armchair and watched the drops fall, mug of coffee between my palms and a blanket over my lap. Aside from the occasional rumble of thunder, it wasn’t too scary. Mainly steady rain and short gusts of wind.
“I like storms. It’s proof that beauty can be found even among the chaos.”
Thinking of Lord Onyx, I sank deeper into the cushion and snuggled into the blanket. I’d only seen a glimpse of him at breakfast. Our eyes briefly locked before he’d accepted the cup of tea Fane made for him and then left again. Preferring to be cooped up in his room on this dreary day.
Was he sitting by the window watching the rain fall too?
“You’re thinking of him, aren’t you?” Lake asked. He sat in front of the hearth, whittling by firelight. The wooden charm was about the size of a quarter. “I recognize the ache in your chest. It was the same one you had for Callum before he joined us.”
“I really can’t keep anything from you, can I?”
He tossed me a smile over his shoulder. “No.”
Oreo lay sprawled out beside him, his black tail gently swooshing across the rug. The two of them had ventured outside before the rain hit earlier so Lake could visit the garden, then the puppy had run off some excess energy by dragging me down the castle corridors.
It was how we’d found the parlor. A cozy little room filled with books and with a view of the willow where Onyx and I had shared our first kiss.
There I go thinking about him again.
The demon lord consumed my every thought. The eye-fucking he’d given me at dinner the previous evening hadn’t helped at all. Only made it worse, in fact. There I sat the following afternoon consumed by him still.
“What are you making?” I asked to distract myself from that insufferable demon.
“A charm for Oreo.” Lake held it up to the light before lowering it and carving again around the edge. Silver bangs fell over his eyes as he concentrated. “I thought it’d be nice for him to wear.”
“Can I see?”
He nodded and stood from the rug, coming to sit on the cushion with me. The round charm had thin lines engraved around the outside and a sort of emblem in the center. “The symbol comes from my homeland and means ‘protector.’ Fitting for him, I think.”
“I think so too.” I touched the engraving, admiring all the defined dips and stunning craftsmanship for something so small. “It’s perfect. Maybe we can use a strip of leather to fasten it into a collar.”
“Or one of Callum’s boot laces.”
I laughed.
Lake stared down at the charm, slowly running his finger along the grooved surface. “One day, I’d like to have my own shop where I can sell trinkets like this. Perhaps be like my father and work as a carpenter as well.”
My sternum squeezed.
It was the first time Lake had expressed a dream of that sort. Maybe because, until coming to the Shadow Realm, he hadn’tenvisioned any sort of future for himself that didn’t involve him being confined to the shadows and forced to stay hidden from everyone. But here, he didn’t have to hide. He could freely walk out in the open without fear of who saw him.
“Yet, I know it’s a silly dream.” He peered over at me, his purple eyes catching the gray light of the overcast day. “This isn’t our home.”
“Don’t say that. Your dream isn’t silly.” I cuddled against Lake’s side and laid my head on his shoulder. “How about we build your shop next to my café? I’m thinking of calling it the Brewed Muffin 2.0. You’ll need a name for yours too. Lake’s Hard Wood has a nice ring to it.”
He breathed out a sound that was close to a laugh but still too rough.
“I’m serious,” I said softly. “I know this realm isn’t our home, but Bremloc isn’t either. Not anymore. Not while Cedric is on the throne and telling everyone I’m this evil mastermind who tried to poison the king.”
There was also the headache of being the Hallowed Saint and being hunted by Nocturne because of it.
“While I’m sad to have lost our cottage, I…” Lake turned his face into my hair. “I enjoy being here, Evan. The land. The people. I’ve never known such peace.”
His way of saying he didn’t want to leave. Part of me didn’t want to leave either. Which made me feel guilty when thinking of all the friends not with us.
“I like it too,” I confessed, feeling like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Because while I missed our friends in Bremloc, I’d made other friends in the Shadow Realm.
