Page 11 of Sent To A Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me 7

Fane’s brow drew tight, and his mouth settled into a grim line. “He said very little. When I pressed him on the matter, he simply requested that he not be disturbed for the rest of the day.”

Isolated in his lonely tower once again.

A pang hit my heart.

Could Onyx’s mood be related to the incident in the throne room? My fingertips tingled at the memory of the blue sparks. Sparks Onyx had stared at with a knowing gleam in his eyes. I was like ninety-nine percent sure he’d figured out my saintly secret. And considering how the former saint helped kill his dad, I bet it had come as quite the shock to him.

I leaned against the counter and propped my cheek on my hand. “Maybe I should try talking to him.”

“I’d caution against that.” Fane hesitated before adding, “His mood was very… turbulent when I spoke with him.”

“How so?” I asked.

The furrow in Fane’s brow deepened. “Well. I hoped to lift his mood and mentioned that you asked that he join you for breakfast next time. I thought it would please him to know he was on your mind.”

“I take it he wasn’t pleased?” A sinking feeling wormed its way through my gut.

“I regret to say that he wasn’t.” Fane offered me a tight smile. “The moment I spoke your name, he gripped his teacup so tightly that it shattered.”

“Oh.” I blinked. “That’s… um. Unfortunate.”

Fane situated a pot of green tea and a matching teacup on a tray. “Worry not. I’m sure this mood of his will pass. Much like the rain.”

I huffed again. “More like a squall line.”

Intense straight-line winds and heavy rain preceding a cold front. That was Onyx in a nutshell. I was no stranger to his mood swings. He could be fiery hot one second and then icy like the Arctic within the same breath. It was giving me whiplash.

Sure, if he was upset with me, I totally understood why. I had kept a secret from him. But instead of talking to me like an adult, he had locked himself in his room and decided to ignore me. Like a child.

A poor innocent teacup had even met its end by his hand.

Once the tea was ready, Fane grabbed the tray, bowed his head to me and Lake, and left the kitchen.

I stared at the arched doorway. Thinking. Weighing my options. Upset or not, Lord Onyx couldn’t avoid me forever. We were fated mates. A pull that went both ways and would eventually draw us together again. But how long would that pesky demon lord keep me waiting?

I might be a saint, but I certainly didn’t have the patience of one.

“Why do I have the sudden feeling that you’re plotting something?” Lake asked with a soft sigh.

“Me? Plot something? Pfft. Don’t be silly.” I flicked my fingers at him. “But let’s say, just out of curiosity’s sake, that I was planning a little something.”

Lake’s eyes narrowed. “I’m listening.”

“How would you feel about joining me on another top secret mission?” I smiled at the memory of our past adventures through the castle. “I’ll call this one, Operation: Storming the Demon Lord’s Lair.”

Chapter Three

Wherefore Art Thou, Demon Lord?

Lake wasn’t sold on my covert operation to infiltrate the demon lord’s private quarters.

But how else was I supposed to speak to Onyx? The jerk refused to leave his room. It wasn’t like I had acted impulsively and hunted him down right after breakfast—even if I’d wanted to. Nope. For the entire day, I’d behaved quite well, keeping my distance from the insufferable lord of the castle.

“Must we really do this?” Lake asked, walking with me down a dimly lit corridor later that night. “Sneaking around the castle in the evening hours might make us seem up to no good. Perhaps we should wait until morning.”

“It’ll be fine.” I peeked around a corner, making sure the coast was clear, before continuing forward. Fairly sure this was the right direction. “But if you’re worried, you can always go back to the others and wait for me. I’m more than capable of completing this mission solo.”

Lake arched a brow. “You just took a wrong turn. The stairs leading to his wing are in the opposite direction.”