Noah accepted the strawberry and smirked at Callum as he popped it into his mouth. “So good.”
“Traitor,” Duke said. During the commotion, his medium-length red hair had fallen free of the leather strap he’d had it tied back with. “We’re brothers in arms. You’re supposed to be on our side.”
Noah nodded to Kuya. “His side has cake.”
Kuya flashed his sharp canines as he grinned. He then stuck a hand into the cake and shoved some into his mouth. “Kuya Berry Delight tastes yummy.”
“Get him!” Quincy roared. “We can’t surrender now, boys!”
Briar stepped up on my other side. “Should we tell them about the second cake?”
I had made a chocolate cake earlier to test out the oven but hadn’t frosted it yet.
“Nah.” I returned my attention to the chaos. “This is too fun.”
“That’s my wicked muffin lord,” Maddox murmured as he pushed his face into my hair, arm secured across my back. “Forget the cake. I’ll just devour you instead.”
A shiver passed through me—a reaction to both his words and the gravelly voice he’d used to whisper them in my ear.
Briar smiled at me. “That blush is too precious.”
“I’m not blushing,” I said. “My face is just hot.”
Once I’d felt Kuya had tortured the knights enough, I returned to the kitchen with both of my men in tow, and they helped me frost the chocolate cake and bring it out to the others. Perfect timing too, as Kuya had eaten more of the strawberry cake with his hands, smearing frosting all over his face and fingers and earning the ire of all the men in the room. They eyed the half-eaten cake, visibly pondering whether it was worth still eating after Kuya’s hands and face had been in it.
Did Kuya slobber outweigh their sweet tooth?
“Crisis averted.” I placed the chocolate cake on one of the tables. Briar set plates and silverware beside it. “We have another.”
“The Thorn Prince comes to the rescue,” Duke said, breaking into a smile as his gaze lowered to the cake. “Hand that beauty over to me.”
Maddox then turned into the authoritative—and oh, so sexy—knight captain he was and said in a firm tone, “Eat a slice and then clean up the mess you made in this room. I then want all of you back at the barracks for lights out.”
“Yes, sir,” the knights said in unison.
“I love when he does that,” I said to Briar.
“Don’t tell him I said so… but so do I.” Briar adjusted his glasses, his gaze roaming to our captain’s perfectly toned ass. The heated look told me he wanted to take a bite out of those cheeks.
A while later, after they helped clean the café, I locked it up, and our group set out for the castle. Kuya rode on the back of Sir Noah’s horse, and I rode with Maddox. Briar, begrudgingly, shared a saddle with Callum, appearing uncomfortable as he sat behind the younger knight, having to hold on to his waist as we galloped toward town.
Noah and Maddox rode at the front with Callum behind us. The rest of the knights had their own horses, and they spaced out around us; one on each side and one at the back, as if to act as a sort of shield in case of an attack.
As we reached the castle gates, the guards allowed us to pass.
“Good night, Evan,” Kuya said in a sleepy voice, as we neared the fork in the path that would take them to the main part of the castle and us to the knights’ quarters. He snuggled the back of Noah’s armor. “Thanks for the yummy food.”
“Night, Kuya. Tell Prince Sawyer I hope he enjoys the treats.” I had packed cookies for Kuya to give to him. I had made another bundle for Thane, Briar’s apprentice, who also loved my baking. He was around my age and had become a friend.
It was still weird for me to wrap my head around. Back in my old world, I could count the number of friends I had on one hand and still have fingers left over. But in Bremloc? I couldn’t even count them on both hands. Close ones too, not just casual acquaintances.
Noah nodded to me before steering his horse in the opposite direction.
We reached the stable and took care of the horses before walking toward the housing units. The long day was catching up to me and I wanted to sleep for the next one hundred years.
“Take him to your room for tonight,” Briar told Maddox. “I doubt he’ll make it to the clinic.”
“I’m fine,” I said before giving a jaw-cracking yawn. My feet moved sluggishly across the grass. “Not tired at all.”
