“Busy, but good,” he echoed me, and I felt him smile against my hair.
“Any more dead demons?”
Another smile. “No.”
“What about Herbert? Has he escaped his glass prison with murderous intent?”
“Herbert is with Thane. They’re crafting more elixirs.”
I shuddered.
“Is dinner ready?” Duke asked, poking his head through the doorway.
Quincy shoved up behind him. “We’re starving.”
“Bugger off.” Duke shook off his hold. “You shouldn’t be hungry. You ate the whole platter of cookies, you gluttonous bastard.”
“And they were tasty.” Quincy tossed me a smile, causing the deep scar cutting across his face to wrinkle.
Rowan sighed. “I hate all of you.” He pushed from the counter and grabbed my hand, pulling me away from Briar. “But you’re not so bad, I reckon.”
“You reckon? Said like a real southern boy.” Then again, he’d said Solynia was in the south. Maybe they all had southern twangs down there. “Are you about to leave?”
He nodded. “I’m meeting Draven and Reign in the tower, then going wherever the night takes us.”
“The tower?”
“Our base of sorts.”
“Oh.” I fidgeted with the clasp on his cloak. “Could a certain muffin visit this mysterious tower?”
“That’s not my decision.” Rowan put on his mask, leaving only his topaz eyes showing. “But take it from me, you aren’t missing much. The tower is dark, dusty, and not a place for a bundle of goddamn sunshine like you.”
“Are you hungry?” I frowned. “I don’t like sending you away on an empty stomach.”
“Stop worrying. If I get hungry, I’ll swipe something from the tavern.”
“No stealing.” I poked his chest. “And you better be home when I wake up in the morning. Otherwise, I’ll pack a knapsack and take Star on the road, tracking you down.”
His raspy laugh feathered across my heartstrings. “You can’t ride a horse by yourself. You’d fall off before you reached the end of the yard.”
Maddox laughed, then tried to stifle it with a cough.
After brushing aside my bangs, Rowan turned and left the kitchen. I lifted a hand to my necklace—a habit for when my heart ached. The rowdy cottage felt a little less bright without him in it.
“Hello.” Lake stepped into the kitchen, his fluffy ears lowered in his timidness.
“There you are, wolf.” Duke approached him. “What do you say about a game of chess after dinner? I brought my new pieces for the very occasion. Finished the king this morn.”
“The new pieces?” Lake asked. “With the cherry oak?”
“Aye. They’re beauties, if I do say so myself.”
Lake and Duke had bonded during the trip to Exalos. Turned out, they had several things in common. Whittling was one of them. A liking for chess was another. They had then made their own chess pieces as a fun project so they could play together.
I was happy Lake had made a friend. He’d come so far since the night I first met him in the forest. Back then, he’d been untrusting of everyone. Lonely.
Once the food was ready, Maddox and Lake carried out the casserole, while Briar sorted bottles of wine. A commotion came from the dining room before gruff laughs sounded.
