Page 46 of Myths and Manuscripts
The Demon Lord pushed himself off the tree, kneeling to join me by the flowers. It reminded me of that day on the mountain when he’d helped me pick herbs. Now all we needed was playful dragons zipping around and we’d be right back there.
“I’m sure Dain’s fine. He seems quite capable.” He reached in front of me to pick one of the roses, careful to avoid the thorns. “You have this fascinating way of inspiring people to do great things. First the soldier with an impossible mission and now me with a name fit for a protector.” He gazed at the flower, running a finger along the stem carefully. “Thorne. I like it. I like the idea of protecting people by any means necessary, too.” His dark purple eyes met mine and the glow of the flowers illuminated his skin. “I’m glad you chose to be my writer. Nobody else has ever looked at me the way you do, never seen me as anything other than a villain. I trust your vision for my series.”
My heartbeat thundered in my ears, either from the nearness of him or the way he said he trusted me. Nobody had ever believed in me enough to put their fate in my hands, which is basically what he was doing by letting me write his final book.
He believed in my writing.
He believed inme.
“Thorne.” I leaned forward before I could stop myself, entranced by the glow of the flowers and the kindness in his eyes. His lips were only a breath away from mine as I whispered,“thank you.”
Without another thought, he closed the distance between us, pressing his lips against mine. I should have pulled away, should have kept my distance like I’d been trying so hard to do, but my body had other ideas. Warmth spread through me as I leaned into his kiss, craving him like I’d never craved anyone before.
Everyone always told me that I needed to open up and feel life more deeply. Well I feltthisthroughout my entire body. Every part of me tingled as his strong hand cupped my cheek. I wasn’t sure where we’d go from here, but I knew one thing: I didn’t want to run away anymore.
Chapter 19
Willow
The moon was out in full as we walked back to the castle, illuminating our path in the kind of soft light that made every moment feel more magical. Not that we needed much help there. My body was hyperaware of Thorne now, every brush of his finger against my skin or bump of his shoulder against mine sent sparks through me.
I glanced sideways at him, appreciating the beauty of his shadows dancing across the ground like they were trying to merge with the night itself. He was supposed to be a terrifying villain, but all I saw was a man who’d spent the past hour digging around in the dirt with me while I gardened until it was too dark to see clearly anymore.
He’d seemed content watching me work and was so much more at ease than when I’d seen him in the library. Like the further he got away from other people, the happier he was. A warm, fuzzy feeling filled my chest. We were more similar than I thought.
“You’re staring.” His voice had the same low, grumbly tone it always did, but hearing it now made my stomach flutter.
“Sorry.”
I took a deep breath and clamped down on my emotions. Not wanting to run away from these feelings and letting myselfget lost in his shadowy vibes were two entirely different things. I had to keep a clear head until this book was finished. Then we’d see where we stood. Maybe we’d end up together, happy with the wonderful story we’d written. Or maybe we’d realize there was nothing connecting us anymore.
Thorne laced his fingers through mine, tugging me closer. “I didn’t say that you staring was a problem. I just wanted to know what was on your mind.”
“Well, right now I’m thinking about how much I like your hands covered in dirt.” I grinned, brushing my thumb across the back of his dirt-stained hand. “I bet you’d make a good apothecary. Or at least, you’d probably be good at the gardening part. You wouldn’t need to interact with anyone and you could be as grumpy as you wanted in total silence, just us and the plants.”
Our steps had taken us all the way back to the castle already and he paused just outside the door. “Is that a job offer?”
I laughed. “Yeah, sure. We can always use the help.”
He glanced back at me with a look full of longing, far more serious than I’d intended my joke to be. He closed the distance between us, pulling me against his chest and kissing me with enough passion to make my head spin. I clung to him, breathless and hot. His hair tickled my cheek, blocking out the moonlight like a veil.
It was just him and me.
Somebody cleared their throat, and I jumped back to find Dain standing in the doorway, staring at us. Okay, so it was me, Thorne, and apparently Dain too. Heat burned across my cheeks as I stepped into the castle.
Thorne groaned. “You have terrible timing. What do you want?”
Dain slammed his fist against his chest, standing tall and proud. “Welcome home, My Lord.”
“Welcome home?” I laughed, letting the awkwardness of getting caught making out on the Demon Lord’s front stoop wash away. “You’re always so serious, but since you’re back, I’m guessing things didn’t go well with the hero?” I patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re back in one piece and nothing bad happened.”
“It was a difficult task,” Thorne said as he moved past us. “Failure was expected.”
“But I didn’t fail.” Dain shook his head, frowning at both of us. “I would never leave a job unfinished. I told you I’d get the hero, so I got the hero.”
My mouth dropped open. “Wait, you really brought the hero here??”
“You could start a war!” Thorne’s shout echoed off the stone walls as he turned his glare on me. “I just can’t leave you alone, can I? How could you send him to kidnap the hero after everything we’ve learned about the humans?”
