Willow's Point of View

  Turns out mattresses were a big thing in the land of demons, so big that they had multiple stores dedicated to them. Ironic considering the stone slab the Demon Lord had been sleeping on all this time. Why would the author flesh out this village before the castle? It just didn't make any sense, unless they were the type of author to get really distracted by random details and forget about the important things. Ha. Who would do that?

  I'd been brainstorming with Inkheart so the Demon Lord could browse the mattresses on his own, but the more I watched, the more I realized he wasn't actually browsing. He was just glowering at them.

  "Need help?" I asked, meandering over to him. "You could try sitting on one to see if you like it."

  "Sitting on one?" His eyebrows shot up. "Why don't you just pick one? This was your idea after all."

  Well, he had me there. I flopped onto the closest mattress, sinking into its pillowy surface so far that it was cradling my entire body. That was weird, and yet, it was kind of comforting. Like one of those weighted blankets. Except, I'd sank in so far that I couldn't see the Demon Lord anymore. Or get back out.

  I struggled against the coziness to no avail. "Uhhh, any help would be appreciated."

  He snorted. "You're the one who hopped on a magical mattress without checking its properties first."

  Magical mattresses? Sure, there was a lot of magic in this village, but even the mattresses were full of it? I gazed up at the ceiling, watching as big needles and thread flew overhead, zipping back and forth between seamstresses. Okay, maybe I should have guessed that.

  From now on, I'd assume everything in this village had some kind of magic. Even those toasted nuts I'd sampled earlier. My stomach growled, remembering their buttery flavor. We'd need to stop for lunch soon if this mattress shopping took as long as the stationery shop did.

  Suddenly, a strong hand grasped mine, yanking me out of the bed hard enough to feel like I was flying through the air. I stumbled against the Demon Lord's chest, his arm resting against my waist to steady me. His eyes were full of laughter at the situation and my face burned.

  "Fine, show me what bed you think we should try next then." I forced myself to step out of his warm and safe grip, moving to view what other magic these mattresses had. "This one supposedly makes you feel like you're sleeping on a cloud. That sounds nice, right?"

  The Demon Lord leaned over my shoulder to read the tag. "It also literally floats. Can you imagine being half asleep and forgetting you were in the air? That bed sounds like a health hazard."

  "I'd totally do that," I said with a laugh. "Okay, moving on then. What about this one? It plays soft music for you until you fall asleep."

  He pinned me with an icy stare. "Demon Lords do not need lullabies."

  "Oh forgive me, your Demon-nes, I forgot you were too good for silly things like music." I dragged him through the aisles, checking out what other mattresses he might like. "Honestly, the magic isn't the most important part. First, we should find out what kind of firmness you like. Do you like hard beds or soft ones? Maybe you're in the middle?"

  "I'm not sure..."

  His voice was soft, changing his entire vibe from grumpy demon to lost puppy. I kept forgetting he didn't remember his past, so he'd probably never actually slept in a comfortable bed before. Well, there was only one way to fix that. He'd have to start lying down on every single mattress until he found one he loved.

  I straightened my shoulders, trying to look serious. "If you want a good night's sleep, there's only one thing you can do: sit on that mattress. Sit on every mattress. Lay down and roll around on them. Figure out what you like and what you don't like. Your coziness demands it!"

  "You want me to lay down?" His eyebrows pinched together. "Maybe you should just do that part for me. It wouldn't look good for a Demon Lord to be rolling around like a dog."

  I pressed my lips together, picturing him flicking his ears and pawing at the sheets. Ohhh the silly things I could write. Speaking of writing, I could hear the furious scribbling of Inkheart behind me. I glanced over at the book.

  You might as well pick a mattress for him. That way you'll enjoy it when you inevitably end up using it.

  "Inkheart!"

  The shopkeep had warned me the pen had picked up some quirks from its last owner, a famous romance writer, but still. I was in no way about to share a bed with the Demon Lord. Not a chance. Things would get all sorts of messy if that happened.

  You know you want to. So go, try some beds with him, have some fun. He obviously needs help in that department.

  That was true. The Demon Lord really didn't seem to know how to have fun on his own yet. And how could he if he had no idea what he enjoyed doing? I took a deep breath, then flopped onto the next mattress. This one said it magically controlled the temperature, but I wasn't sure how.

  "Aren't you going to join me?" I asked, staring at the Demon Lord until he relented. I grinned as he sat on the very edge of the bed, barely even touching its surface. "There you go. How's it feel?"

  "Fine," he grunted, but I could see him scoot backwards just a tiny bit. "Are they always this soft?"

  "No, they can be firmer too." I sat up, moving on to the next bed. "This one might be more your style."

  This time he sat on it without me asking him to, even leaning his hands back like he was ready to relax. I smiled, happy to see him finally letting loose just a bit. We kept trying beds, ranging from so soft we both got lost in them to so hard they almost felt like that stone slab, but he seemed to prefer the ones in the middle. Which actually did suit me pretty well, but I wasn't about to admit that to the chatty pen full of sassy commentary. Its feather tilted to the side, as if it knew what I was thinking.

  "Okay, now what kind of magic do you want?" I asked. "Honestly, I'd lean towards sleep magic to make sure you feel well-rested in the morning."

  He laid back on one of the beds, his long black hair sprawled across the mattress, seemingly deep in thought. Him lying there all cozy had my thoughts going in a completely different direction though. I'd never seen him let his guard down like this before. He was actually trying to find something he liked, which felt like such a win for today.

  Not to mention how good he looks doing it, right?

  For once, I couldn't even chastise the pen. He did look good on that bed. My heartbeat quickened and I wiped my hands on my pants, forcing myself to look away. This was for research, not pleasure. I had to find out all I could about this village and the Demon Lord if I was going to write the last book in his series and win that competition. Getting distracted by those long lashes of his wasn't going to do me any good. I'd gone down that road with other men before and it always ended the same: they left.

  After it had happened four times in a row, I realized there were better things to spend my time on than men who were so flighty they couldn't stick around for more than a few months. This Demon Lord would do the same thing. He was literally a character in a book, and depending on how his last book went, we had no idea what would happen to him. Getting attached to him was a terrible idea.

  But, seeing him smile and take care of himself did feel good. Even if we weren't together, making his life a little better felt like it was worth doing. For the story, of course.

  My stomach grumbled again, apparently so loud that the Demon Lord sat up. He got off the bed, tugging his clothes straighter. "I think we're done here. Let's get something to eat."

  And just like that, all my hard work was ruined.

  "Oh no, you've got to order the mattress first." I nudged him towards a shopkeep with beautiful rose-gold horns. "We'd like to buy a mattress, please."

  She smiled a bit too enthusiastically. "Of course, anything for our Lord."

  There it was again, the instant respect and joy that seemed to happen every time we met a new person. They really did care about the Demon Lord, so him holing up in that castle made no sense. It had to stop if we were going to finish this story together. This shopping trip was the first step, next we'd have to really dig into why this world was the way it was. Maybe I should even visit the human lands to see what kind of life they were leading and if it matched up to the books I'd read or not.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  How many secrets would we find?

  As the Demon Lord finished up, I spotted my trusty bodyguard, Dain, waiting outside. He'd not only slept outside the castle, but he'd refused the nuts I'd tried to give him and had been standing guard throughout our whole trip. He must be hungry by now too. I'd have to find a way to deal with him soon, relax this need to follow the Demon Lord's orders so closely. He'd probably told the soldier to guard me on a whim, not expecting him to follow through so intensely.

  The Demon Lord handed me a small piece of paper. "There. Proof I purchased a mattress like you wanted. It won't be ready for a few days though since it's a custom order."

  "Was that really so hard?" I took the receipt to make sure he didn't hide it away and pretend like this never happened. "I'm happy for you. Thanks for focusing on yourself for a bit."

  "Of course. You wanted me to, so I did." He scratched the base of his horns, looking anywhere but at me. "Now let's get that food. I can't have you collapsing from hunger."

  "Don't want to carry me, huh?" I asked coyly as Inkheart swooped between us scribbling furiously. "Oh calm down, I was kidding."

  The pen paused, flicking its feathers at me. I laughed, continuing on down the road with our quirky little group.

  "Know any good places to eat?" I asked, glancing back at the soldier. "Maybe somewhere quiet where I could get some writing done too?"

  His face scrunched up. "Ummm, maybe Bunny Brews? Since you like bunnies, there are loads of them there."

  "Wait, it's a bunny cafe?" I grabbed the Demon Lord's arm. "We have to go there!"

  "Okay?" He frowned. "I don't really get it, but whatever makes you happy."

  Inkheart fluttered across the page, flying closer to me so I could take a look.

  Gotta love a man who spoils his Queen.

  "What?" I nudged the pen away, laughing awkwardly. "It's not like that at all."

  He just bought me a magical pen, all the paper I could ever want, and was now taking me to a cafe just because I asked. The back of my neck warmed. The Demon Lord was always kind like that, so it wasn't anything special. He had a knack for taking care of anyone besides himself. Hopefully I could flip things around and do the same for him one day. I guess finishing his book series would do that, but I still wasn't sure where to go with any of my ideas. The more I learned, the more confused I felt.

  The Demon Lord pulled me towards him. "Careful, you almost ran into somebody."

  "Th-thanks." I stammered out, glancing back at the demon I'd almost plowed into. He smiled politely and waved as a few others went over by him, whispering as they pointed at us. "Seems like we're the talk of the town."

  "I apologize." He jerked his hand off my arm, moving a step away from me. "We should hurry."

  Before I could even explain, he was rushing off to the cafe. In our haste, I couldn't stop at any of the cool shops we passed or gather any information at all. His long stride kept outpacing me by a step, no matter how hard I tried to keep up.

  Frustration welled up inside of me until I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. "This isn't a race, you know."

  His forehead furrowed, but he remained quiet as I took a few deep breaths. The rich scent of coffee wafted out of a building across the street. There was a sign hanging from it with a bunny sleeping beside a steaming mug of coffee that was too adorable to pass up. I glanced back at the soldier, who nodded with a small smile.

  "Well, why are we standing out here?" I nudged the Demon Lord forward. "Let's go grab a coffee and relax."

  Inkheart swooped over my shoulder, ready to fly inside ahead of us, but the Demon Lord didn't budge. He kept looking at everyone around me, but never directly at me.

  "What's wrong?" I asked softly, leaning closer so nobody would overhear us. "This all started when I almost ran into that guy and everyone started looking at us. Are you embarrassed by me or something?"

  He let out a bitter laugh as he handed me a pouch that clinked like it was full of coins. "I'd never be embarrassed by you. You, on the other hand, should think twice about roaming the streets with a villain." He turned to the soldier standing guard behind us. "I need to run some errands alone. Make sure nobody touches her."

  Dain saluted him, standing so tall and proud that you'd think he was just given a mission to save the world. Inkheart scribbled, flying in front of me.

  Did you hear that? He doesn't want anyone to touch you. He wants to be the only demon doing that!

  I rolled my eyes at the pen. "I don't think he wants to touch me either. Otherwise there wouldn't be half a street between us already." I cupped my hand to my mouth to call out. "Don't take too long! I'll miss you!"

  He spun around, mouth dropped open like I'd said something scandalous. I grinned as his shadows rose up, hiding his awkwardness behind a mask of darkness. No matter how many people tried to gather around him, those shadows kept them at bay. It was like he didn't even see how badly everyone wanted to talk to him. Was he blind or completely clueless? He said I should think twice about walking with a villain, but he seemed to only call himself that when he was feeling self-deprecating. Something about that encounter must have bothered him.

  The only thing I could think of was the gossip. He probably assumed they were saying bad things about him, when really, I had a feeling they were whispering about our little fake love affair. Being a Demon Lord's Consort was a big deal in this town, so whispers had to be flying. The difference between him and me was that I didn't mind it. It showed how curious they were about their Lord and how much they wanted to get to know him. If only he'd see that too, maybe his life here could be different.

  "My lady?" Dain prompted, holding the door to the cafe open. "Are you still going inside?"

  "Oh, right, yes."

  I moved through the doorway and into the warm, cozy cafe. The gentle buzz of people chatting softly was a familiar backdrop as the scent of coffee and sweets filled the air. There was a gate around the entrance to ensure the little demon bunnies didn't escape when the door was open and they were lined up inside of it, noses pushing through the mesh. The bunnies ranged from black like Cinder to golden or stark white. Their flames were different colors too, lighting up the room like holiday lanterns.

  "Welcome to Bunny Brews," a young demon with a menu in her hands said. Her long bunny ears stood tall, twitching as she eyed me up. "Are you a human?"

  An older woman swatted her with a towel. "Coco, you can't just ask somebody if they're a human like that. Try to have better manners." She smiled warmly at me. "Excuse my daughter, she's never seen a human before. Why don't I show you to our best seat in the house?"

  "No problem at all," I said.

  We followed her through a few rows of mismatched wooden tables, all a bit worn down as if people had spent years using them. They had history, stories that only they could tell. Grandpa and I used to make things up to explain marks in tables, chatting about the students who must have spent hours studying there to warrant the pen marks in the softer wooden tables or the lovers who couldn't help but hold hands all day to explain the extra smooth spots in the middle of a table. Everything was a story when we were together, but now that he was gone, I felt a bit silly bringing it up to anyone else.

  I missed the days of getting lost in dreams like that.

  "Here we are," the woman said, motioning to a large table by the window with a plush chair. "I hope it's to your liking."

  "It'll be great, thank you." I sank into the comfortable chair, already feeling like this might be my new spot as a few bunnies wound around my feet. "Do you mind if I write while I'm here?"

  "No, not as long as you order a drink and maybe some food if you're peckish." Her smile was warm and bright as she leaned closer. "You're the Demon Lord's consort, right?"

  "Yup, that's me." Even though the Demon Lord was too preoccupied to join me here. Wasn't screaming consort very well. "I've never been to a demon run cafe before. What kind of drinks do you have?"

  She passed me a menu. "We've got everything from black coffee to flavored, iced coffee, and even some teas if you're looking for something different."

  "I'll have a caramel mocha and a hazelnut croissant, please." I glanced over at the soldier who was positioned against the wall five feet away. "And you? What will you have?"

  He stood up straighter. "Nothing for me. I'm on duty."

  "We're in a cafe. A bunny cafe!" I rolled my eyes. "I think I'm perfectly safe for a while."

  The woman cocked her hip out, staring him down. "If you want to stay, you've gotta order something." She turned to wink at me, whispering. "That works every time on the strong stoic types."

  My shoulders shook with silent laughter. This woman sure knew what she was doing, understanding the situation in mere moments. She probably saw all types of people working here.

  "You better listen to her," I said with as much authority as I could. "Otherwise the Demon Lord might be disappointed."

  The soldier practically leapt forward. "I'll take a double shot of espresso and a sandwich, please!"

  The owner and I shared a secret smile before Inkheart scribbled its own order.

  I'd love some tasty ink if you've got any. Something dark and spicy?

  "I don't think they'll have any of that," I said, rummaging through my bag, "and the Demon Lord has the ink we bought too. I'm sorry."

  "Oh, it's no problem." The woman smiled, writing Inkheart's order down too. "We serve all sorts here, even magical pens."

  The pen leapt into the air, swirling its feather in excitement as a few bunnies hopped, following the pen back and forth. It was all so magical and kind of ridiculous, which made it even better. Warmth radiated from every aspect of this cafe, breathing new life into my concept of a demon village once again.

  "I might love this place already." I picked up a demon bunny, petting it on my lap. I should have brought Cinder, but the bunny had been nowhere to be found when I woke up. "I'll have to stop again with my own demon bunny."

  "You are always welcome, my dear. Now get to writing." The woman made a shooing motion. "I'll bring your orders out soon."

  Her kind encouragement really set the right tone, making me pull out my new paper and laying it on the table proudly. I glanced at the pen flying through the air, wondering how I was supposed to actually write with it. Maybe I should have bought a normal pen as well? While I debated, Inkheart scribbled a note to me.

  Finally ready to put me to use? Just say the word!

  "How does that work? Do you write for me?"

  I'd never do that. The words are up to you, so use me like any other pen when you're writing. But feel free to put me back on my notepad if you want to chat or need any encouragement.

  "Thank you." I swept my fingertips over Inkheart's feather like I was petting Cinder before taking the pen in my hand to write. "Guess it's time to get writing. Wish me luck."

  Inkheart bounced happily in my hand. I dipped the pen into the ink pot and held it inches above the clean white paper. The blank page was always the most terrifying part for me, but with Inkheart by my side, I knew we could do this.