Page 42 of Sent To A Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me 7

“The elixir requires three days to brew.” Phantasia sighed and closed the cabinet doors. “Alas, I’m also missing several ingredients. I will need to gather more before beginning.”

“What do you need?” Briar asked. “I can help you acquire it.”

I narrowed my eyes at the glasses-wearing hottie. His willingness to help people was something I loved about him, but right then, I had to fight the urge to tickle his sides until he begged for mercy. I was in no hurry to embark on the quest to face my fears or whatever.

“Root of the Necrecia plant,” Phantasia said. “It can only be found growing near the mountains beyond the swamplands. I also need more mugwort and yarrow.”

“Oh, bummer.” I exaggerated a sigh. “Guess we’ll have to wait for her to gather the ingredients and brew it. What rotten luck.”

“I see how torn up over it you are,” Briar responded, brow arching.

“A crying shame, I’d say.” I slid off the stool and stepped into his orbit, wrapping my arms around his lean waist.

“Fret not, human.” Phantasia flicked her hand at me. “I will procure the needed ingredients and begin the potion tomorrow morning. Return to me in three days time.”

Three days until doomsday.

“Awesome,” I said, my voice hinting at the opposite. It was the furthest thing from awesome. “Can’t wait.”

What the heck would I find in the dark recesses of my mind? I imagined a half-feral Evan slinking around in the shadows, grunting and hissing like a creature who hadn’t seen the light of day in eons.

“Rest for the remainder of the afternoon.” Briar pressed his index finger to my lips. “Find a book and curl up to read.”

As he peered down at me, his glasses slid down his nose, hanging off the tip. Lord, if it wasn’t one of the hottest sights ever.

“Reading sounds great, but I have an even better idea.” I rose up on my tiptoes and nuzzled the edge of the frames. “You. Me. And these glasses. In bed. Clothing optional but highly discouraged.”

His eyes crinkled with a smile. Heat burned in his hazel irises though as he grabbed my hips and pulled me closer. “I believe that can be arranged.”

Just as I rose up on my toes and kissed him, voices echoed down the corridor, along with the heavy thump of boots against the stone tiles.

“Sia!” a male demon with sapphire-colored skin and silver hair exclaimed, bursting into the clinic. Two other warriors fell in behind him, all sharing looks of alarm. “There’s been an accident.”

“Nereus?” Phantasia rushed toward him, wiping her hands. “What happened?”

“It’s Armin,” Nereus said, out of breath. “He was injured.”

Her breaths visibly stalled as she froze in place, her eyes widening. She had mentioned her mate once. A warrior named Armin who was a ‘clumsy oaf’ lucky to have a healer for a wife due to all his training related injuries. Injuries mostly caused by his own actions, like whacking himself in the face with his own shield.

Given Nereus’ behavior, I got the impression it wasn’t a silly injury this time though.

My heart ached at the flare of panic in Phantasia’s eyes and how her hand went impulsively to her stomach. It was a fear I carried every day as well, wondering if my knights would come home to me.

“No need to be so dramatic, Nereus,” a different voice said before another male demon appeared in the doorway. He had sandy-brown hair, copper skin, and a face full of freckles. And blood gushing from a headwound, raining down one side of that freckled face. “It is but a mere scratch. Whacked my head on a low-hanging branch and fell from my horse.”

The frozen panic lifted from Phantasia, and she shook her head, expelling a breath. “Come here, my love. Let me have a look at you.”

“Our plans will need to wait until later,” Briar told me, pressing a kiss to my temple. “I have work that needs to be done here.”

“Good call,” I responded, then rose to kiss him again.

As I left the clinic, their voices followed me down the corridor. Phantasia chided Armin for being a clumsy oaf, and Nereus laughed. The other demon warriors chimed in as well, recounting Armin’s grand tale of smacking into a tree branch and falling.

I smiled. Whether human or demon, warriors loved picking on each other. It made me think of my knights and their constant banter. Maybe I should head to the kitchen and whip them up something for lunch, then go to the training field to surprise them. Cook enough for the demon warriors too.

As I mulled over ideas, a flash of orange caught my eye.

“Pumpkin?” I faltered in step.