Page 62 of Sent To A Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me 7

Humor resurfaced in his expression, visible in the subtle curve of his lips.

Things were still so new with Onyx. Our relationship had only just begun, and while we definitely had no trouble setting the sheets on fire, communication and true vulnerability would take time. But, just like the newly blossomed flowers in the fields, hope bloomed in my chest.

Springtime signified rebirth. New beginnings. And as Onyx led me from the pasture, our hands linked, I was excited for what this new season would bring.

***

Apparently, the season brought allergies.

I sneezed for what felt like the hundredth time as we walked along a winding path that cut through the woods. A scenic little path too, with a stream trickling nearby and surrounded by pretty flowers and newly blossomed trees. What should have been a super romantic walk together turned into a horror story instead. That horror coming from my snotty nose.

“Visit the clinic once we return to the castle,” Onyx said, his expression hovering between amusement and concern. “I’m sure Phantasia has a tonic that can help you.”

“’Kay.” I sniffed, feeling another tickle in my nose. “Must be because of these trees. I was fine until we came in here.”

He cleared his throat.

“Stop laughing,” I told him.

“I’m not.” He smoothed his lips together and faced ahead. “I would never find humor in your misfortunes.”

I sneezed again. So loud that it echoed around us and scared a bird that’d been perched in the nearest tree. It squawked as it flew away, dropping a feather in its desperate escape.

“Sorry,” I called after it. My voice sounded off. Probably because I could no longer breathe through my nose. “Are my eyes swollen? They feel swollen.”

“Let me see.” Onyx stopped on the path and turned me to face him. While humor lit his eyes, something else did too: a warm affection I normally saw from my men but never from him. Until now. He lifted a hand and caressed the edge of my left eye, then trailed his finger beneath it and down my cheek. “They’re a bit pink but not swollen. If I would’ve known this path would torture you this way, I would have chosen another.”

“It’s fine.” I tried sniffing to unclog my nostrils, to no avail. “But how much longer will we be here in the forest of pain and misery?”

When he laughed, the musical cadence made me temporarily forget about my snotty nose. He retook my arm and continued forward. “We’re nearly on the other side.”

“The other side to where?” I padded along beside him.

“You’ll see.”

“Hopefully not the place with the bog vipers.” I dropped my gaze to the ground, searching the bushes and thick foliage and hoping a snake wasn’t curled up somewhere. “Phantasia told me they’re aggressive.”

“Not nearly as aggressive as I am.” Onyx’s eyes appeared to flash a brighter shade of red before dimming once more. “Rest assured none would dare attack you with me by your side.”

“That doesn’t mean we should temp fate, you know?” I released a nervous, somewhat nasally laugh, and sniffed again. “One of them could go rogue. Get a wild hair up its snakey butt and be like, ‘you know what? This realm needs a snake lord, not a demon one,’ and then bam. It lunges from the bushes and—”

Onyx grabbed me by the nape and slammed our mouths together. Putting an end to my anxious rambles.

I melted into his kiss, enticed by the heat of his body and his soft, yet firm, lips. Horror then struck me front and center.

“No!” I flung backward and pushed him away from me. “My runny nose!”

“I kissed your lips, Evan, not your nose,” he said, cool as a cucumber. As if he hadn’t just made out with the snot-nosed muffin monster.

I curved my hand over the lower half of my face, covering as much as possible. “I need a mask like Draven’s. Stay back. It’s for your own protection.”

“My protection,” he repeated, taking a step toward me. It was slow and predatory in nature. “Mistaken once again, little bird. For it is you, not I, who needs protecting.”

“You say that now.” My voice was muffled by my hand. “But what if I’m like one of those frogs with the poisonous goo on their slimy little bodies? One touch and you’re toast.”

Onyx sighed. “Must you always be so dramatic? Come here.”

“No.” I turned my body inward, my eyes stinging as another tickle went through my nose. “Run and save yourself, my lord. I feel another attack coming on, and you don’t wanna be here when it—achoo!”