Page 59 of Sent To A Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me 7

What if I wasn’t the same person after they were unleashed?

Cheep.

I whirled around and spotted Pumpkin sitting on the nearest fence post. The twig jutting from his head had a tiny blue bud on it now, one that hadn’t been there yesterday when he’d tricked me into following him, leading me straight to Onyx.

“You little rascal,” I told him, one hand going to my hip. “Mischievous just like the lord who rules over this realm.”

“When have I ever been mischievous?” Onyx appeared within the shadows of the stable and stepped forward into the light. His raven black hair shimmered beneath the sun, falling down his chest. The red tattoo peeked out from the top of his set of silver robes.

“There are too many offenses for me to name, my lord.” I shifted the basket on my arm. It held the turkey sandwich I’d packed for a late-afternoon snack, as well as some leftover cookies from last night and a book I had hoped to curl up somewhere in the shade and read. “We’d be here all day.”

The smirk on his lips gave him an air of playfulness. The amusement in his eyes did too. “Little birds should be more careful when fluttering around. You never know what predator may be lurking in the dark waiting to snatch them up.”

“Is that so?” Throat suddenly dry, I swallowed. He was just too hot. It was like staring directly into the sun. “What if some little birds want to be caught?”

Onyx sighed. “Still so foolish, I see.”

“I’ve heard that once or twice.”

His lips twitched. “Then perhaps you should reflect on that pesky quality of yours and stop placing yourself in harm’s way.”

“I don’t see danger here.” I smiled. “All I see are sweet horses and an even sweeter demon lord. Even if he pretends otherwise.”

“You find me sweet, do you?” Onyx stopped less than a foot in front of me. Too far for me to feel the heat of his body but close enough for his scent to tease my nose. “Silly little bird. You have a poor judge of character.”

“I don’t think I do,” I said, the center of my chest warming as our gazes held. “You act cold and lock yourself away in your lonely tower, but I think you want more than that.”

“My lonely tower?” His brow furrowed.

I nodded. “A place where you can go and hide from the world. Not a physical place though. It’s a wall you put around your heart to keep people out. Makes it hard for anyone to hurt you. When really… you’re hurting yourself in the long run. Missing out on life and how beautiful things can be.”

“Speaking from experience?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Let’s just say, I haven’t always been the burst of sunshine and muffins that you see now. Before living in Bremloc, I mainly kept to myself. Many nights alone at home with only books to keep me company. I thought it was easier that way. Less… messy.”

Something, I realized, Onyx and I had in common. Opening up to people had been hard for me back then too. Then I’d met Maddox. He’d made me feel things I never had before. Things I never thought I could feel.

“I find that hard to believe.” Amusement touched Onyx’s eyes. “You keeping to yourself.”

“Hey, now.” I lightly poked his chest. “Just because I’m a pest toward you doesn’t mean I’m like this with everyone. You should feel honored.”

“I suppose I do,” he softly said and grabbed my hand, pressing it against his chest. Beats thrummed beneath my fingertips. “Though a part of me still wishes you’d fly away.”

“Unfortunately for you, muffins don’t have wings.”

Onyx exhaled a soft chuckle. The sound, like the other few times I’d been lucky enough to hear it, tenderly plucked at my heartstrings. “How unfortunate indeed.”

The scent of black cardamon strengthened around me, mixing with Onyx’s woodsy and smoky one, as though Rowan had come closer. Invisible to the eye but not to my nose.

Onyx tilted his head and raked his gaze over the nearby cluster of trees. A smile wasn’t far behind. “Rowan is watching over you from the shadows. Good.”

“You can sense him? Really?” I could only detect Rowan because of his scent, but even then, it was faint.

“Yes,” he answered. “With practice, he’ll one day be able to conceal himself even without my knowing.”

“You met with him last night after he got back from the barrier, right? To begin his training?” I fed another apple slice to Ghost. The stallion had been nuzzling me. “What did you guys do? Play hide-and-seek in the shadows? Create an army of Bobs?”

“An army of Bobs?” Onyx asked. “Now, there’s a thought.”