That caused his façade to falter, if only a little. It almost looked as though he wanted to laugh. “You call me insufferable, yet you’re the one who insists on being a pest.”
“Keep evading my question, and I’ll bug you more.”
“Is that so?” Onyx was the one who stepped toward me that time, his predatory gait giving me tingles in places that had no right to be stirring at the moment. “Pretty as a lily but quite the nuisance, aren’t you?”
Lily.
“While you were avoiding me today, I found a cozy little parlor,” I said, taking the last step to bring me directly in front of him. Mere inches separated us. “Rainy days are perfect for curling up with a cup of coffee and a good book. One book in particular caught my eye. It had all kinds of stories in it. Magical willows, sea voyages, and a vanishing island said to have a butt load of treasure.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Then I came to a story about red spider lilies,” I continued before I lost my nerve. “They seem to keep popping up, wherever I go, but I don’t know what they mean. I was hoping you could help me understand.”
Irritation prickled at the skin between his brows. “You read the story, did you not? Why ask me?”
“Because I didn’t read it,” I gently said. “I saw an inscription on the inside from, who I’m guessing, is your mom and it felt like an invasion of your privacy to read any further. But I’m curious.”
“As you so often are.” He softly sighed. “It’s only a story, Evan. The red lily is nothing more than a flower, same as a rose or tulip. Whatever legend surrounds it matters not.”
“But what does the legend say?”
Onyx stared at me. Saying nothing.
“Come on. Tell me.” I playfully nudged his belly. The lightness of the action contradicted the heaviness in my chest. “Demon got your tongue?”
“Poke me again and I’ll have no other choice but to bite off your hand.”
I grinned.
“You won’t let the matter rest, will you?” He grabbed me by the bicep and started leading me toward the arched doorway. “I have a newfound sympathy for your lovers.”
I was about to ask where we were going, when the strangest thing happened. Right as we reached the dark corridor, a tingling sensation traveled all over my body. One blink later, and I found myself standing in a firelit room with high-arched ceilings and tall windows.
“Um. What just happened?”
“We traveled using the shadows,” Onyx answered, stepping over to a small table and grabbing a fancy crystal cannister filled with dark liquid. “It should be familiar to you. It’s the same way Rowan travels.”
“He can’t take anyone with him,” I pointed out.
“Only because he hasn’t learned how. But he will, with time and practice.” He poured a goblet and took a generous drink before turning to me. “Care for some wine?”
“No thanks,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Wine and I don’t really get along.”
“Suit yourself.” He topped off his goblet and set the cannister down.
Intrigued to be in a new place, I scanned the room.
Along with the tall windows and ceiling, there were bookshelves, a lounge area with a stone hearth and a couch in front of it, and a round table with a bowl of fruit and a half-eaten loaf of bread. A step to the right led up to a sleeping quarter with a large bed.
The room, with its dark color scheme and dim light, screamed gothic romance vibes. Like a powerful king who swept a prince from a neighboring kingdom off his feet—or kidnaped him—and took him back to his bedchamber to ravish every inch of him.
Onyx went over to sit in front of the fire and eyed me over his goblet as he took another drink. “So. You wished to know the legend of the red spider lily.”
“Yep.” Perhaps too eagerly, I joined him on the couch. It had only two cushions, which put us fairly close. Even without our bodies touching, I sensed the heat radiating from him.
“The story goes that the lily was born from the dying breath of the first demon king,” he said. “He was at war, you see, and fell in love with the daughter of his sworn enemy.”
“I love a good enemies to lovers romance,” I said, then offered him an apologetic smile. “Oops. Sorry. Please continue.”
