I realized then that the ache in my chest was literal. Not just an emotional response. Wincing, I drew back and touched the tender place below my neck. I touched something else instead. “M-My necklace?”
Briar’s misty eyes gleamed with a smile before he lifted his glasses to wipe at them. “He must’ve fastened it on you when he adjusted your cloak.”
I hadn’t registered the weight of the necklace because of the front clasp on the cloak. It was a decorative piece of silver, so I’d just assumed it was what I’d felt bumping against my chest. The protection stone rested beneath it.
“The Fenrir didn’t bite you,” Briar shakily said. “It hit your back and was repelled. The stone worked. It really worked.” He pressed kisses into my hair. “It protected you.”
“Thank the gods.” Maddox kissed my brow, my cheek, then my lips. Kissing everywhere he could. “You silly, silly muffin. Throwing yourself in harm’s way to save me. Don’t youeverdo something like that again. Do you hear me? You’re more important than anything. My life included.”
“How touching.” The voice was unfamiliar. Silky but deep.
Almost hypnotic.
Maddox shot upward, keeping me pressed to his side as he readied his sword. He had dropped his shield earlier. It was too busted to be much help now anyway, the metal bent back like it had been made of plastic instead of forged steel.
Briar and Lake stood as well, their gazes finding the man who’d spoken.
The demons had stopped attacking. That explained the sudden silence. They now faced the stranger, and maybe I was mistaken, but their heads appeared to be bowed.
The man’s raven-black hair touched the middle of his torso. Several strands in the front had been braided and pinned back, giving him a regal, yet warrior-type appearance. He wore a crimson-colored outfit that reminded me of a traditional Chinese robe worn by males, with ornate silver stitching and a black sash tied at his waist with a sheathed sword. The front fell open, showing a peek of a dark-red tattoo on his chest. The same red that reflected in his eyes.
“Impossible,” Briar whispered.
“You know him?” I asked.
“I knowofhim.” His incredulous expression gave way to fear. “But no one in the past decade has ever seen him and lived to tell the tale. That’s Lord Onyx.”
“My reputation precedes me,” Onyx said, his red eyes narrowing. They shifted to me. “You. Boy. Come closer.”
Maddox stepped in front of me. “He’s staying right where he is, demon.”
“I called off my demons in a show of mercy,” Onyx said with an icy layer in his silky voice. “Watch your tone or I’ll set them loose on you again. You’re in my domain, knight. You’d do well to remember that.”
“And why show us mercy?” Lake asked, taking a defensive stance to my right.
Onyx’s gaze locked on him. “A demi-wolf. You fight alongside those who have cast you out. Why?”
Lake’s purple eyes faintly glowed as his lips thinned into a sneer.
“Ah. I see.” The demon lord regarded me. “It’s because of you. I sense the soul bond. Yet, your soul isn’t only bound to one, is it, human? All three of the males at your side are connected to you. How fascinating. That’s not all that fascinates me, however. There’s something… familiar about you.”
When Onyx stepped forward, Lake snarled. Briar tensed, raising his dagger. Maddox placed me behind him, shielding me completely. I peeked around his bicep.
“If I wanted to hurt the tiny human, he’d already be choking on his own blood,” Onyx said, as if bored. He tilted his head a fraction, his mouth hitching up as he looked at me. “The male with the shadow magic called you a little treasure. I wonder just how valuable you are.”
“His name’s Rowan,” I said. “He only brought me here because he wanted your help and thought he could use me as leverage to get it.”
Onyx seemed amused. “What reason would I have for you?”
“He thought I was a prince.” I shrugged. “Unbelievable, I know. Sawyer is way more handsome and cool.”
“This Rowan took you prisoner, yet you stand here now attempting to help him. My interest in you grows.” Onyx then sighed and regarded the other knights. Quincy and Hudson still didn’t look well, but they were sitting up and conscious at least. Callum, Duke, and Anton were covered in scrapes and dirt but stood tall, ready to fight if it came down to it. “I chose to let you all live this day. Leave my forest at once before I change my mind.” His red eyes moved back to me. “As for you… I suspect we’ll meet again.”
Shadows then swirled around his feet and engulfed him. Once they dissipated, he was gone. The surrounding demons then took off into the trees, leaving us alone.
“Ev!” Callum threw his arms around me. “Thank the gods you’re okay.”
I returned his embrace, feeling that annoying sting in my eyes. I was such a cry baby sometimes. “Thankyoufor coming to my rescue.” I focused on the other knights. “All of you.”
