Page 61 of Sent To A Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me 7

“You seem to be mistaken.” Humor lit Onyx’s eyes. His normally cold stare held so much warmth now, like snow blossoms greeting the first warm breath of springtime. “Never once have I teased you.”

Pumpkin chittered and nuzzled the demon lord’s cheek before wiggling his fuzzy butt and leaping back over to me, landing on my shoulder. His attention moved to the basket over my forearm.

“Ah, I know what you want,” I said before pulling off the cloth. Along with the sandwich and cookies, I had packed grapes, raspberries, and a banana. I grabbed a raspberry and offered it to the critter. “These are your favorite, right? I remember from the other day.”

Pumpkin did his excited butt dance as he gobbled up the berry. I laughed and fed him another. Seemed it was my mission for the afternoon: feeding all the adorable creatures around the castle.

A soft touch at the side of my neck drew my attention back up to Onyx. He stood closer than he’d been just seconds ago, his expression set into one I couldn’t figure out. Pensive, yet holding traces of frustration.

“O-Onyx?”

“You confound me, Evan.” His red eyes raked over my face. “Here you stand with the power to bring any kingdom to its knees, yet you have no desire to do so. Or have you allowed those mates of yours to convince you otherwise?”

“I don’t want to overthrow kingdoms, Onyx.” My breath hitched in my throat, mimicking the way my heart jolted against my ribs. “I’d need to actually harness my powers first. And in case you’ve forgotten, I still have a mental block keeping them locked away.”

“Phantasia tells me the elixir should be ready by tomorrow morning,” he said before lowering his hand. “Once you lift that block and fully tap into your powers, there’s very little you won’t be able to do. Defeating Cedric amongst them.”

“You’d have to let me leave first,” I reminded him, trying to lighten the mood. “Last I heard, you plan to chain me to your bed.”

He chuckled. It was low and sexy as hell, awaking the butterflies in my belly from their dormant state. The little jerks flapped more like bats.

“Besides, even if I did want to help defeat Cedric and save Bremloc, I’m not brave or strong.” I glanced at my boots. “I scream at my own shadow sometimes. How can anyone ever expect me to be this powerful saint meant to turn the tides in a war or whatever? I think fate made a mistake when it chose me.”

“Perhaps I was wrong then,” Onyx said, tipping my face back up. “Maybe you’re not meant to lead armies but to, instead, stop them from being needed in the first place. Using your power to save lives instead of taking them.”

“Unlike Saint Vera?” My chest tightened. “I heard what happened the day she and King Paris came here. How Vera killed demons, both warriors and civilians alike. I don’t want to be like her.”

“You care too deeply for others to ever be like her.” Onyx petted the tree demon chittering away on my shoulder. “Your heart is too kind.”

“What did she do to you, Onyx? Phantasia said it was something awful.”

“She invaded my home, killed my people, and defeated my father. What more is there?” The tenderness in his eyes fled as something hard took its place. “Centuries later, and my bitter rage has yet to subside. Forgiving is not in my nature. Nor can I ever forget.”

Onyx touched the center of his chest before letting his hand fall away. The red tattoo-like mark appeared to pulse beneath his touch for a moment. Or maybe it was only my imagination.

What wasn’t my imagination? The brittleness in his voice as he spoke of that painful part of his past.

My body moved on its own, the desire to comfort him outweighing everything else. I set my basket on the grass and held him tightly with both arms. We stayed that way for several quiet moments. A sweeping breeze created a chorus of rustling leaves in the surrounding trees.

“It’s a pretty day,” I said, resting my head in the crook of his shoulder. “Do you want to walk with me?”

“Walk with you?” Onyx cupped the back of my head but stayed still apart from that small movement. I felt a subtle quake in his core. He wasn’t nearly as calm on the inside as he pretended to be. “Where would you like to go?”

“Doesn’t matter where we go.” I smoothed my palm up and down his spine. Trying to ease whatever had his mind out of sorts. “The best part is the journey. Enjoying all the yummy food and sights along the way.”

“Do you always think of food?”

I smiled against his shoulder. “I think of other things too. Like smoking-hot demon lords.”

“Ah.” Onyx took a step back from me but didn’t go far. He grabbed my hand. “How many demon lords have you known?”

“Just you.” My pulse kicked up a notch, and I smiled down at our joined hands. “You may be stubborn as a mule, but, like your realm, you’re growing on me too.”

“You make me sound like a fungus,” he said, scrunching up his face. “I’ve never been so offended in all my three hundred years.”

I choked on a laugh. Not so much amused by what he said but how he said it. His expression playfully mopey and his tone light, lacking all the heaviness from before when discussing Saint Vera.

“Come on, Lord Fungus.” Still holding his hand, I bent to retrieve my basket from the grass with the other, not even surprised to find that Pumpkin had leapt inside. He scurried around beneath the cloth, chittering as he devoured the berries and grapes. “The day is still young, and there’s a lot in your realm I haven’t seen yet.”