Page 53 of Sent To A Fantasy World and Now All the Men Want Me 7

Days we’d never have again.

That fact was becoming all the clearer with each passing moment. Things would never go back to how they once were. Not with Cedric ruling over Bremloc and King Silas hellbent on capturing me—the exact reason still unknown, only that it involved me being the Hallowed Saint.

Duke’s booming laughter pulled me from those achy thoughts. Baden and Quincy were arm wrestling over which one would get to sit at the end of the table. Poor Quincy didn’t stand a chance against the large blond knight.

“Evening’s greetings,” Varys said as he joined us in the room, offering me a warm smile and bow of his head before approaching Lake, whose fluffy tail wagged upon seeing him.

I smiled. One that slipped a tad when realizing one person was still absent.

“Will Lord Onyx be eating with us?” I glanced toward the chair at the head of the table.

“Not tonight,” Varys answered, taking a seat beside Lake at the table. “He informed me he’d be working in his study ’til late and requested that we all dine without him.”

Shocking. I had thought Onyx and I made progress earlier, that he would finally stop avoiding me, but clearly, I’d been wrong.

Stubborn demon.

I wouldn’t let him sour my mood too much though. It was Draven and Reign’s farewell dinner, and I refused to be a sad toad during it.

The atmosphere in the room was light as everyone piled food onto their plates and dug in, cramming together at the table. Nina and Cyan ate with us as well, sitting in the chairs around the hearth. Laughter and flowing conversation filled the spaces between bites and sips from goblets, joining the clank of forks.

And then I caught a trace of woodsmoke in the air.

I turned toward the doorway just as Onyx stepped from the shadows of the corridor and into the candlelit parlor. The shock had me forgetting how to chew my food as I froze mid-bite.

“Good evening,” he greeted in a smooth, silky voice. Sections of his long hair had been braided and pinned back, emphasizing his high cheekbones and strong brow. “I hope it’s not too late to join you.”

My heart banged against my ribs like one of those heavy gongs, one hard hit that reverberated throughout my entire body. But the trembling quake didn’t come from fear or the nerves I usually had in Onyx’s presence.

It came from excitement. From the surprise he had joined us after all.

“Please have a seat, milord.” Fane jumped up from the table, wiped off his hands, and rushed over to pull out the chair Onyx normally sat in. “I’ll prepare you a plate right away.”

As Onyx stepped farther into the parlor, my body moved on impulse. I hurried from my chair and closed the distance between us. The first thing that hit me was the full force of his scent: woodsmoke with traces of cedar. The second was the heat of his skin as he pulled me in close, lowering his face into the side of my hair.

“Hi,” I whispered, returning his embrace. “I thought you weren’t going to have dinner with us.”

“Neither did I, at first.” Onyx enfolded me in his arms. No space separated us. He ghosted his lips over my earlobe. “Yet, here I am once again. Unable to stay away.”

“I’m glad.” I drew back and met his gaze, my heart squeezing at the tenderness in his expression. “You look nice.”

Better than nice. He looked freaking magnificent, wearing an elaborate long-sleeved black robe and a decorative silver sash around his waist, paired with fitted black trousers and knee-high boots with buckles that matched the sash.

“As do you.” Onyx glided the backs of his knuckles over my cheek. The smile teasing his lips matched the glint in his eyes. “Though, I admit I prefer the way you looked last I saw you.”

I gave him a deadpan stare. “When I was naked and sprawled out on the floor? I’ve been teased enough about that for one night, thank you very much.”

“You have only yourself to blame,” Onyx responded, that gleam in his eyes shining brighter now. Warmer. “For you are much too fun to tease.”

“That’s what I always tell him,” Rowan said, sitting up a tad straighter in his chair. Eagerness radiated from his topaz eyes as he looked at Onyx. The kind of unbridled joy seen in kids waking up on Christmas morning. “You’ll fit in with us well, my lord. One more male to protect and tease our little treasure.”

“Our little treasure?” Onyx lifted a brow. “You say that as though I’m already one of you.”

“Aren’t you?” Maddox stared at him, arms crossing. “At least, that’s the impression I got earlier this afternoon when finding Evan in your bed.”

Lake’s fluffy ears perked up mid-bite of a chicken leg. Reign grinned.

Onyx tossed them a glance before taking hold of my hand and guiding me toward the table. One steamy afternoon in bed and a few lighthearted conversations wouldn’t magically fix the issues he had toward love, but I sensed a notable change in him. As he helped me back into my chair and took the one at the head of the table, there was a softness in his gaze.