A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 1)

“Come out to me, pretty lady, and let me lick that delicious cu—”

The creature cut off right before a loud thunk rattled the door.

We caught the familiar smell of pine and lilac with a hint of honeysuckle on a balmy summer’s day. Nyfain.

The thunk came again, rattling the wood in the frame. A third time, something being slammed against the wall. A loud wail suddenly cut off before intense quiet filled the space outside the door.

Metal tinkled in the keyhole, and the lock clicked over. I took a step back as the door swung open, revealing Nyfain in a blue T-shirt and tight, ripped jeans.

Every instinct in my person said to run at him and tuck myself into his safe embrace. I held back with everything I had.

“What was that—” I caught a glimpse of it lying behind him. A human-looking guy, nude, about my age and incredibly handsome. His head had been bashed in and was cocked at an unnatural angle. A shoulder looked out of socket and three fingers were clearly broken. Nyfain had done some damage. Which obviously included death.

“It was one of the most powerful types of incubi in the demon kingdom,” Nyfain said in a rough voice. “They feed on lust and shame. There are three in this castle—two now—designed to slowly drive the staff into self-destruction.”

He captured my chin and analyzed my face. His nostrils flared.

“It aroused you.” It sounded like an accusation.

“I was sleeping when its magic reached me. It turned my dream erotic, but it felt wrong, and I woke up. Some idiot locked me in the tower before I could make the draught to block that sort of thing out. Though I think I might have to make it a lot stronger to handle stronger incubi. That one was…gross.” I shivered.

“Some idiot is right,” he murmured, so quietly I stared at him for a moment to see if I’d imagined it. “Get some clothes on. It’s time to go.”

I looked down at my nightgown. “I don’t have clothes. That was also on the list of things to do before the idiot locked me in the tower.”

“Same idiot, I reckon?” He quirked his eyebrow before brushing by me. Since when did he have a sense of humor?

He glanced at the bed as he walked around it, his movements stiff. Without a word, he opened the chest of drawers.

“No. I’m not wearing any more of your clothes.”

“I doubt you want to walk around this castle at night without clothes. At this point, that’s seen as an invitation. Has for…at least a decade, I believe. People will touch without asking permission, and I’ll be forced to kill them.”

My animal shivered in pleasure, responding to what was obviously the alpha in him. I scowled in annoyance at them both.

“I’ll wear the nightgown.”

“That nightgown is basically see-through, and while I love the view, so would everyone else. We’d be back to the me-killing-everyone scenario. I don’t want to lose more staff, and killing a host of demons will result in a visit from the demon king. No one wants that, least of all you.” He continued sifting through the drawers. It seemed like he was looking for something particular. “Don’t worry, it’s been a very long time since I’ve worn any of these. My cooties are long gone.”

My scowl this time competed with a budding grin. His personality shift, however small, was making him more likable. That was bad news. I was having a hard enough time sticking to anger instead of desire.

“Here.” He pulled out some leather bottoms and a black shirt to go with them. “Where is your binding? I’ll protect you from everyone else, but you’ll need to protect yourself from our animals. The binding makes it take longer for him to get our mouth on your perfect breasts.”

My animal’s shiver coincided with mine this time.

“Why am I always the one told to control my animal?” I opened the wardrobe and yanked out the binding. “Where’s your accountability in all of this?”

“That’s a damn good question.” He saw me pause, not wanting to slip off my nightgown in front of him. He turned his back and looked out the window. “Usually there is a pretty even divide with our animals. My animal controls the beast for the most part, with me looking on, and I control this body. Our connection is open enough that I have access to his primal capabilities, and he has access to my logic and deductive reasoning. But with you…”

I struggled to get the binding clasped at the back. This was different than the type I had always worn, better quality and more secure, but also designed for someone else to help apply it. Leala had handled that earlier.

“I can’t… I need help.” I held the fabric tight as he glanced back.