As Lake returned his attention to the wooden charm, I finished my mug of coffee and then browsed the shelves in the parlor.
Books were the best escape from things I’d rather not think about. Many of them had a thick layer of dust, not having been picked up and shown the love they deserved. Then again, one of them looked like a book on the different types of monstrous insects. So maybe some had been forgotten with good reason.
I shuddered and moved to another shelf. A line through the dust led to a book bound in brown leather. Proof that someone had looked at it recently. Carefully, I pulled it off the shelf and flipped it open.
Fancy handwriting on the inner cover drew my eye.
My darling Onyx.
Never forget how deeply you are treasured. I loved you with your first breath and will continue to love you long after I draw my last. Should you ever be lonely, hold these stories close to your heart and know I’m with you.
Prickles of… something… attacked my chest. Now with a slight tremble in my hand, I turned the page. It was a storybook.
The first story revolved around a girl who found a seed and planted it, causing a weeping willow with shimmering branches to sprout from the soil. Another detailed a voyage across the sea and spoke of a mysterious island filled with hidden treasure. No coordinates could locate the island, as it constantly changed location.
And then I came across an illustration of a familiar flower.
The red spider lily.
There was another handwritten note scrolled across the top of the page.
May you find your lily one day, my dearest love. Just as I found mine.
Aboomof thunder rattled the window and almost made me drop the book.
“Evan?” Lake glanced up from his seated position on the rug. One hand rested on Oreo, who’d been startled by the sound as well. The puppy hadn’t bit him this time at least.
“I’m okay.” With my nerves rattled, I returned the book to the shelf. As much as I wanted to read the story, it felt like an invasion of privacy. “Maddox and the others shouldn’t be out in this.”
The weather hadn’t hindered my knights from their training with the warriors. Come rain or shine, they took to the field.
“I’m sure they’re taking precautions,” he said.
“They’ll catch a cold.” I forced myself to step farther away from the shelf. The book would, no doubt, haunt me for the rest of the day. “Or they could get struck by lightning. Hell, they could slip in the mud and accidently fall on their sword.”
A raspy laugh came from the corner. “They’re not clumsy like you, little treasure.”
“I spy with my little eye…” I pointed at the shadows. “An eavesdropper.”
Topaz eyes and a glimmer of auburn hair appeared within the swirls of darkness before the rest of Rowan materialized. “You love it.”
“I do,” I admitted, stepping toward him. The man looked hot as hell, wearing a sleeveless black shirt that hugged his upper body and trousers that did the same to his ass and thighs. “I love knowing you’re with me. Protecting me from the shadows.”
Rowan caught me around the waist and tugged me closer. “I’ll always be around to protect you. My services don’t come cheap though.”
“Oh?” Smiling, I turned my face against his neck. Spicy notes lingered in his hair. “What do I owe you?”
“Buttery biscuits covered in that spicy sausage gravy is a good start.” He slipped his hand under the back of my shirt and lightly skated his fingertips up my spine. The lighting in the parlor made the deep gold of his irises pool like honey. “Followed by dessert.”
“You don’t like dessert.”
“I do if you’re the one on the menu.” Rowan dropped a kiss to my earlobe, then softly nibbled it. “I’ll savor every bite.”
A knock came at the open door.
“Pardon the intrusion,” Varys said before stepping into the parlor. He smiled at me and Rowan before turning to Lake. “I hoped we might have a cup of tea together.”
Lake’s silver wolf ears lifted in interest. “I’d like that.”
