Two Sinfully Handsome Devils - Chapter 12

The moment we stepped out of the tent, glaring morning light greeted us. Once I had gotten used to the brightness, I blinked as I gazed across the camp in front of me and beyond in awe. In the distance and through my blurry vision, I saw the hues of color, which I assumed was the aurora I had witnessed last night. Even now, during the day, it was still breathtakingly beautiful. Though, I must admit its presence was not as prominent and flamboyant as it had been during the night, since the sun was overshadowing it.

“Have you never seen the barrier before?” Felix asked, his hand still wrapped around my wrist.

I flicked my gaze to the man. The aurora is a barrier?

“I saw it before,” I said but didn’t mention that my first time had been last night.

“Then you know it’s dangerous to go near it. You must have been told that you cannot pass beyond.”

I lied through my teeth. “I think I was, but…” I chuckled nervously. “At the time, I wasn’t really listening. Why can’t you pass beyond the barrier again?”

“You’ll die,” he said bluntly. “It was dangerous last night, finding you so close to the barrier.” He turned to look at me. “You said you were in a bathhouse? There’s one so close to the barrier?”

I blinked because the new information about the aurora made my head spin. Firstly, you’ll die if you pass through the barrier. Then how did I ever cross over if not via the aurora? Secondly, Felix didn’t know there was a bathhouse with a hot spring right on the line of the light.

Suddenly, many questions were popping up in my mind, and I wanted to know more. I thought about asking Felix but decided against it because he didn’t look the type to want to answer me. He’d just think I was dimwitted or something, since it looked as though anyone who lived in this realm should know the basics. I decided I’d ask Aria instead, when I had the chance.

I sighed. It looked like returning home wasn’t going to be an easy endeavor after all. Here I had thought I could just return to that bathhouse in the woods, hop into the hot spring, walk through the aurora, and, voilà, I’d be back home.

Felix must have heard my disheartened sigh, because he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Gosh, he had sensitive hearing, didn’t he?

I said, “It’s nothing, my lord.”

He gave my wrist a light tug and pulled me toward him. Then he took the opportunity and wrapped his powerful arm around me as he drew me in close.

Squeezed tight against him, I said, “It’s hard to walk, my lord.”

Stroking my hair, he said, “Felix Worthington, that’s my name, little elf. Just call me Felix.”

I raised a brow at him as we walked down the hill toward the clearing below. Despite that I myself adored elves in general and I liked to dress as one when it came to cosplay, I was just not a fan when it came to Felix referring to me as little elf.

I decided to bargain with him. “I’ll call you Felix if you call me Alfie. Because you know, I’m not little, nor am I an elf.”

He chuckled. “Ahh, but you do look a lot like an elf. Such an adorable little thing.”

I sighed. “My lord? Do we have a deal or not?”

He came to a halt, which surprised me because I had to stop along with him, being tightly embraced in his arms like this.

As I stood there, watching and waiting for him to respond, I felt the warmth of his fingers behind my nape, digging into my hair while his thumb rubbed the sensitive spot behind my ear, which made me quiver.

A grin played about his lips, he said, “Are you bargaining with me, little elf?”

Is he doing this to annoy me?

“What if I am? Now, what’s your answer, my lord?” I emphasized the words my lord to irritate him as well, since he seemed to imply he didn’t like me addressing him as such.

He leaned his masked face close to me and said, his eyes twinkling, “All right, then. I’ll call you Alfie, but in return, you’ll call me Felix andgive me a morning kiss daily.”

I could only stare at him, flabbergasted. He is joking, right? Surely, he has to be joking.

Kiss him? Every morning? I didn’t even do that sort of thing to my parents when I had been little. At least not on a daily basis. Why had he already assumed I’d be sticking around to warrant giving him morning kisses? I was no longer a suspicious person in this land, which meant I could venture wherever my heart desired.

“I beg your pardon?” I couldn’t help but request a repeat.

He didn’t seem to mind reiterating what he wanted. He said, “I’ll call you Alfie. In return, however, you’ll call me Felix and give me morning kisses.”

I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t know if this was this land’s culture or their ways of doing things or not, but I still found it weird and rather amusing. I barely knew this man, and why on earth would I agree to do such a thing as to give him morning kisses daily, simply because I wanted him to address me as Alfie instead of little elf?

When I managed to stop, I said, “Why would I kiss you, Felix? And I’m a boy. Why would you want to kiss a boy?”

Then it dawned on me. Is Felix gay?

He chuckled. “No, I’m not attracted to men, little elf.”

I blushed. Did he just read my mind?

“Then that’s fine,” I said. “Problem solved. You’re not attracted to men, and I’m definitely a man.” I banged my small, delicate fist against my chest like the mighty Tarzan to demonstrate I was all male (which I wasn’t) and filled to the brim with testosterone (estrogen and progesterone, actually).

“There isn’t any problem in the first place,” he said.

I stared at him. Is he even listening to me?

“Now, will you give me morning kisses daily, or will you not?”

I shook my head in the negative. “No, I will not, Felix.” Then I realized I had just addressed him as Felix and not my lord. What the hell! I just got caught out by myself.

Felix must have caught on, too, because he smiled in amusement. He leaned even closer until our noses were nearly touching while his hand was now cupping my face and his thumb lightly brushing against my lips. His intimate touch made my face flush hotly.

He said softly, “What if I offer to help you get home? You want to return home, don’t you? Back to your loving parents?”

I stared at him for a moment, gazing deeply into those mauve eyes of his. I asked nervously, “Will…will you really help me?”

He nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

“No matter how hard or how long it takes, you’ll help me?”

Again, he nodded. “As one of the lords who rules the Kingdom of Acaedien, I, Felix Worthington, never go back on my words.”

Oh God! He made it sound so tempting, didn’t he, this Lord Felix dude? My desire to return home safe and sound and reunite with my parents was much more important than the thought of me having to give this man a simple peck on the cheek every morning. It wouldn’t be that hard. Just a peck on that porcelain mask that sat ever so perfectly on his face. My lips wouldn’t even be touching his skin.

I paused my thoughts. Wait. Did both Felix and Caleb wear their masks all the time or just when they were out and about doing this sort of thing, whatever they were doing here in the woods, which was something to do with the bandits and raids?

I asked, “Do you and Caleb wear the masks all the time?”

“Not all the time.”

I frowned. “What do you mean by that? Do you mean that you wear the mask only when you’re out and about like you are now?”

I was surprised he didn’t seem suspicious at the fact that I was asking him about his mask instead of discussing our negotiation of morning kisses.

He said, “We only take our masks off when we need to, which is rare.”

I frowned. “Not even when you sleep?” I asked. When I had woken up this morning, Caleb still had his mask on, which had surprised me.

Felix nodded.