Butwhywas I upset?
Was it because maybe Ididwant to get to know Rowan better and knew by their reaction it would never be something they were okay with?
“I’ll take your silence as a refusal to my offer.” Rowan hopped off the barstool. “How unfortunate. I thought knights would sacrifice anything for their kingdom, yet you chose Evan over the people you’ve sworn to protect. And for what? Because you can’t bear the thought of another man touching your… what do you call him, your muffin?”
I froze.
Would Rowan really withhold information from us if they didn’t agree to share me with him? I stirred the small pot of raspberry jam. It was basically ready, but I appreciated having something to keep my hands busy. It prevented me from fidgeting.
“You misinterpret my silence, thief,” Maddox finally said. “I’ve accepted that the amount of love Evan has to give cannot be limited to one person. This acceptance has blessed me in unexpected ways, for I, too, have learned my heart can hold more love than I believed possible. I’m happier than I have any right to be and wouldn’t trade my life here, with these men, for anything. Not for all the riches in this world.”
I looked back at him, finding his gaze on me too. The love he’d spoken of reflected in the blue pools of his eyes.
Eyes that hardened as they returned to Rowan. “So, my reservations have nothing to do with him loving another man. He’s free to love who he chooses to. I know without a doubt in my mind that a piece of his heart belongs only to me and always will.”
“How touching.” Rowan placed a hand to his chest. “You made my cold black heart skip a beat, Captain. Based on your words, you should have no complaints, then, about me—”
“I wasn’t finished,” Maddox firmly interjected. “Briar, Lake, and I would lay down our lives for Evan. But you? Your only loyalty is to yourself. You’ve already shown the extent you’ll go to in order to obtain something you want. You kidnapped him with the intent of handing him over to our enemy, knowing full well the torment he’d suffer at the hands of the demon lord.”
“Because I thought he was a prince,” Rowan said. “Once made aware of this error, I tried to get him out of that forest.”
“That’s supposed to mean anything?” Maddox stepped toward him, his gait slow and gaze lethal. “All it tells me is that if an opportunity presented itself for you to gain something by betraying Evan, you’d do so without a second thought. Andthatis why I’d rather remove your head right now than ever let you near his heart.”
“Who said anything about his heart? Other parts of his body, however…” Rowan flashed a smirk I knew the three of them wanted to smack off his face.
Or tear off in Lake’s case. His fingernails had sharpened into short claws, and his eyes flared a more vibrant purple. When he bared his teeth in a low growl, his teeth were bigger. Sharper too.
The timer on the oven went off. Thank god.
Saved by the beep.
“Biscuits are done.” I rushed over to pull out the tray of golden, fluffy goodness. The muffins were good to go too. “Everyone grab a plate and sit down for breakfast.”
***
No amount of amenity muffins could help.
Maddox ate three and still had a murderous gleam in his eyes. As for peace tea? Lake was on his second cup, but there was no peace to be had either.
Was this how Helen of Troy had felt? Armies fought over her, the men taken by her beauty. Being cute was looking to be more of a curse than a blessing.
Clouds had rolled in throughout the morning, casting the day in a pale hue that made me think snow was in the forecast. The gusts of wind and drop in temperature drove that thought home even more. Not that being inside was any warmer, considering the icy glares around the kitchen.
“Time is withering away,” Rowan said from his perch at the window. “My offer won’t last forever. If you want more intel, then agree to my terms.”
He’d refused to sit with us at the table. I took it as a small victory, though, when he’d agreed to eat a bowl of porridge. He didn’t say if he liked it or not, but the spoon scraping the bottom was a good indication of his enjoyment.
“It’s not my place to agree to those terms,” Maddox responded. “As Briar said, Evan isn’t some shiny good in the marketplace that can be bargained with or sold.”
“I see your point.” Rowan thought on his response. “Allow me to reword my offer, then. I’ll tell you all I know, and you agree not to interfere in my pursuit of Evan.”
“Your pursuit of him?” Briar asked.
Rowan smirked. “A seduction, if you will.”
Lake snarled.
“Um.” I shifted in my chair. “Shouldn’t I get a say in this?”
