Callum smiled, and the cloud over him retreated. The sun had returned again.
“Maybe I can learn some combat moves,” I said as he led me toward the stables. “We’re in conflict with Lord Onyx and his demons, as well as the kingdom of Haran. An enemy on two fronts.”
“We?” Callum’s left brow lifted.
“Yes.We.” I bumped him again. “I may not be good with a sword, but I could, like, bake muffins to incapacitate our foes.”
“How will muffins help?”
“They can be special muffins filled with some kind of drug or something that will make people fall asleep. Or shit their pants.”
Callum’s laugh echoed around the courtyard. The sound suited his cinnamon roll persona. It reached his eyes too, making them crinkle at the edges.
Wendel, a sixteen-year-old squire, saddled Callum’s horse and handed over the reins. “’Ere ya go, sir.”
Callum thanked him and helped me into the saddle before swinging up behind me. Once upon a time, I would’ve been nervous in that situation. Afraid of falling off the horse, for one, but also being that close to him—or any other knight. But he was my family.
They all were.
The guards at the castle gate nodded to us as we passed through, and I smiled as I remembered a time when they’d considered me a threat. Definitely not the case anymore. Ever since opening my café and earning a reputation from it, they knew me better now.
Bribing them with cookies seemed to help too.
The horse trotted down the path, the hooves clacking against the cobblestone road. Callum rested his cheek against the side of my head and guided us farther along. Homes appeared along the hillside and throughout the surrounding land, mostly farmers with livestock and fields of crops. Cows grazed on the other side of the wooden fence. One mooed. I mooed back.
Callum laughed.
As we crested a hill and started down the other side, heading toward the main shopping district of the capital, buildings came into view. The market was massive, filled with shops that soldbasically anything you could think of. There was an apothecary, bookstore, a blacksmith’s forge and the connecting shop where he sold his wares, a jeweler, and places to eat. Several of the shops sold shoes and clothes too, as well as material for people to make their own.
To the left of the bustling market, the sea sparkled under the sun’s rays. Ships pulled into the harbor, and men unloaded crates of goods.
“It really is beautiful here,” I said as that beauty settled over my chest. “I don’t care if it’s demons, Haran, or some other asshat, if they think they can come in and hurt the people I love, they better think again.”
Callum steered the horse toward the path leading to the cottage. “You really are small but brave. Lord Onyx himself should tremble at the thought of facing you in a fight.”
I laughed. It sounded off to my ears. Shaky. I wasn’t a good fighter. Hell, I wasn’t even decent. If I tried to punch someone, I’d probably trip over nothing and accidentally punch myself instead. But this was my home. I wanted to help protect it in whatever way I could.
The path transitioned from cobblestone to dirt, and as the ground became more uneven, I leaned more into Callum. For stability. For comfort. Like the morning after he’d stayed the night at the cottage, I caught a sweet scent coming off him.
The tree-lined trail opened to a clearing. Nestled in the forest lay a charming stone cottage with smoke billowing from the chimney and the scent of baked goods wafting in the air. People went in and out.
It was a place to come in and relax after a hard day. Somewhere to settle into a cozy little nook with a hot drink, pastry, and a book. It was my favorite place in the whole world. The home I shared with my men and the café I’d dreamed of having ever since I could remember.
What if Bremlocdidgo to war with Haran? What if more demons attacked, using the distraction with Haran in their favor? We were facing threats from two different armies. War seemed so… inevitable.
Maddox would then march off to battle. Callum and the other knights I loved would march with him. And this cozy little cottage would grow colder.
Callum led the horse to the fenced area that he, Baden, and the others had constructed for guests who came on horseback and slid from the saddle before helping me down.
“Do you wanna stay for a while?” Once on the ground, I wobbled only once before gaining my footing. I was getting better at the whole ‘riding a horse’ thing.
“As tempting as that is, I should head to the Guild,” Callum said, casting a longing gaze at the cottage.
“Oh yeah. I forgot you said you had to go there. Can you tell me why, or is it consideredknightly businesstoo?”
His brown eyes lowered to me, and that warm twinkle returned to them. “I suppose I can tell you.”
“How kind of you.” I poked his chest. “Now, spill it.”
