Page 50 of Sent To A Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me 7

“Are you talking about all these hickeys and bite marks?” I asked before yawning, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion come over me. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you nipping at me.”

A soft laugh rumbled in his chest, low and musical. “You should rest.”

“But I’m not tired,” I lied, my eyes already threatening to close. Like weights hung off my lids. “Draven and Reign are leaving later tonight. I want to make them a special dinner before they go. That takes time, you know. Lots of prep.”

“I’ll be sure to wake you before then.” Onyx tucked in the sheet more around me. “I’ll also inform your mates where you fluttered off to. I’m sure they’ll be searching for you soon.”

“You’re one of my mates too.” I smiled at him just before my eyes lost the battle and finally closed. “Even if you deny it.”

He pressed his lips to the edge of my brow, letting them linger there. “I’m no longer capable of denying you, little bird.”

“Promise?” I felt myself sink deeper into relaxation, on the verge of falling asleep. “No more pushing me away.”

“I give you my word,” Onyx responded, resting his head on mine. Then, softer, he added, “Even if it damns us both.”

***

The loud pop of a log settling in the hearth woke me with a start.

Drool seeped from one corner of my mouth, and I wiped at it, confused. Having been sleeping so hard, the sudden jolt into the world of the living took my sleep-muddled brain time to function properly. I didn’t know where I was, who I was, or what was happening.

Reality slowly returned, bringing much-needed clarity.

Location: the demon lord’s bed.

But said bed was empty apart from me.

I sat up, wincing at the familiar ache in my muscles that came after one hell of a fuck-fest, and surveyed the room. I seemed to be alone. The lit hearth crackled, the fire providing a cozy atmosphere. A half-empty wine glass sat on the table in front of it, along with a book opened face down. Seemed that while I’d slept, Onyx had sat and read.

Where was he now though?

Candles flickered low, having burned nearly down to the base, and fading daylight filtered in from the tall windows. The curtains had been pulled shut on the window closest to me, allowing the bed to stay shaded. Had Onyx closed them so the light wouldn’t bother me?

I smiled. For someone who claimed to be this wicked, selfish person, his actions said the opposite.

A distant murmur of male voices reached my ears. Sounded like it was coming from outside the door. Curious, I gathered the sheet around me and slid out of bed, tiptoeing down the steps leading from the sleeping quarters, past the seating area and hearth, and toward the door.

Eavesdropper Muffin was back in business. I crept closer to the door and placed my ear against the wood. It was quiet at first. Maybe I was too late and whoever it was had already left.

But just as I was getting ready to open the door and check the hall, a voice snapped from the other side.

“I demand you let me see him, demon.”

My insides stilled. I would recognize that deep, snarling tone anywhere. Given the fading daylight, I assumed Maddox had finished training and then sought me out like he always did. Only to learn I was with the lord of the castle.

“And I’ve already told you that he’s resting,” Onyx coolly responded.

“How do I know he’s still in one piece?” Maddox asked. I could imagine the expression he was making—brow furrowed, jaw tight, and blue eyes lethal. “That you haven’t harmed him?”

“Must you be so absurd?” Onyx said, a trace of emotion bleeding into his cold tone. “Or have you forgotten that you and I both share a bond with him? You aren’t his only fated mate, Captain.”

Despite the unease trickling through my veins like ice over the two of them, once again, at each other’s throats, Onyx’s words made my stomach flutter. An admission that I was his mate.

Silence followed his words.

I pressed closer to the door, resting a hand on it. Part of me wanted to throw it open and take them both into my arms. But the other part felt guilty for eavesdropping on them and didn’t want to make things awkward.

“Forgive my ill temper,” Maddox said, surprising me so much I nearly fell against the door. “When Evan told us the two of you were bound by fate, I raged against the idea of you joining us. I didn’t trust you. Yet, I trust Evan. From the day we arrived here, he’s insisted that you weren’t the beast we all believed you to be. He saw something in you none of us did.”