She swallowed, her pretty eyes still holding a touch of that fire I adored. “Why should I?”
“Because I’m your mate, Aflora,” I replied, lowering my lips to brush a chaste kiss against the edge of her mouth. “Whether you want me or not, we’re bound together. And this will be a lot easier if you just accept that our fates are intertwined.”
“What if I want to undo them?” The breathless quality of her voice belied her words, yet her stubborn side refused to back down. I really did adore that about her. I just wished she’d direct that fight to another topic, one less hurtful.
“You don’t,” I whispered, rubbing my nose against hers. “So stop suggesting it.” I nipped her lower lip hard enough to hurt without breaking the skin. A gentle reprimand for her cruel words. Maybe I deserved them, but I didn’t have to like them. “You’re mine, Aflora. And one day, you’ll trust me again. If you allow yourself to try.”
“I can’t,” she admitted. “I can’t trust you.”
“Not yet,” I agreed, pressing my forehead to hers. “But soon. You’ll see.” With a final kiss to her cheek, I released her once more. “Let’s continue this discussion over midnight lunch.” I held Aflora’s gaze as I added, “I’m cooking. I hope you like burning thwomp.”
A muscle in her cheek twitched, one that told me I’d almost earned a smile from her. Better than nothing.
“I need to take care of something first, but I’ll be back,” Shade said, disappearing into a cloud of smoke before any of us could comment.
A second later, Sir Kristoff ran into the room, red eyes glowing. “Where are they?!” he demanded, spinning in a circle, his little hand holding a stone dagger. Well, I supposed it was a sword for him, considering his size.
“What are you talking about?” Kols asked the little hellspawn.
The gargoyle growled, low and menacing. “The Death Blood and his sword-wielding friend. Where are they?”
Kols and I shared a look. I had nothing.
Aflora seemed just as lost. “Are you talking about Shadow?”
“Yes,” the
stone demon hissed. “And his sword friend. The ti—”
Shade appeared once more and shot a puff of purple dust at the gargoyle, causing the little hellion to sputter and cough, its red eyes blinking repeatedly. Then he frowned and glared up at the Death Blood. “You.”
“Aww, did you miss me, li’l buddy? I’d be happy to tie you up again. I know how much you enjoyed that last time.”
Sir Kristoff growled and stalked off, returning to his duty at the door while mumbling something about killing Shade in his sleep.
The Death Blood just watched with deep amusement and shook his head. “I think your gargoyle is broken, Kols.”
The gargoyle in question raised his dagger like a middle finger and disappeared into the door.
“What the hell?” Kols snapped. “What did you blast him with?”
“A chill pill,” Shade drawled. “Seems to have worked.”
“Why was he going on about a sword-wielding friend?” Aflora asked, her brow furrowed.
Shade just shrugged. “Fuck if I know.”
I didn’t believe him. Not for a second. But I also knew Shade wouldn’t tell us unless he wanted to. Kols must have come to the same conclusion because he didn’t bother to argue. Knowing Shade, it was what he wanted anyway. Maybe he’d gone out into the hall to enchant the gargoyle into acting like an idiot. A distraction to the bigger picture.
“Oh, right. Not done yet. But I promise to be back soon,” Shade said, disappearing again.
“What the hell is he up to?” Kols demanded, staring at the place Shade had just vacated.
I just shook my head. “I’m going to make lunch. Then we’re having a quad meeting.”
“A quad meeting?” Aflora repeated.
“Yeah,” I replied, locking my gaze on her. “We’re a quad, pixie flower. And you had better get used to it because you’re stuck with us. Now I’m going to go make you a burning thwomp sandwich. Would you like that with a side of fire gnat juice?”