A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 2)

“Except for the golden dragon.”

He didn’t comment. I knew full well it was because he didn’t think he’d make it. He thought he’d die in this half-life as his world fell down around him.

I was not going to let that happen. A long time ago I’d set out to cure the demon sickness, to save this kingdom from demon magic. I would save Nyfain, too. I just had to figure out how. There was a way. I had a huge library at my disposal. All I had to do was gather information and put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Not now, though. Now, we were living for the moment. It had been a perfect evening so far. I wanted to keep it going.

So I let him take my hand in silence and lead me from the room.

“I’d planned to take a turn around the ballroom. Thoughts?”

“My legs are wobbly, and…”

“Hit me with it. What else are you thinking?”

“Leala said the demons are low in power tonight. I think it’s a perfect night to harvest the everlass. Whatever suppresses the demons might make the everlass more powerful. I mean…it’s worth a try. I’d like to get the recovery time down a bit.”

He laughed softly and entwined our fingers, bringing me down the hallway and toward one of the rear exits. Loud music and raucous laughter vibrated through the castle, suggesting the parties had broken out after all, but I didn’t have any desire to play voyeur or put on a public display tonight. No more public than in a dining room where staff might’ve been watching, at any rate.

The night was mild, but the stars were vibrant pricks of light above us. Nyfain carried the tray for me, and once we were in the field, he helped me pick the leaves. Afterward, he took my hand and led me through the field again. We walked side by side through the plants, in different rows but close enough to touch, the moonlight seeping in around us. The moment was perfect and sublime, and heat constricted in my chest as I looked over at the handsome dragon.

“Why is gardening and healing considered a woman’s activity?” I asked softly as we stopped in the field, still holding hands. “Why did only women do it?”

He turned and faced me. “I honestly have no idea. It isn’t like that in other kingdoms. Maybe my father, or his father, or his father’s father, was just bad at it and they decided that was because they had a dick.”

I laughed. “Maybe so. Why do only kings make the rules? Why no queens?”

“Tradition. When I was young, I pledged to change the rules so any daughter of mine would be just as entitled to the throne.”

“Why haven’t you?”

“I’m not a crowned king, and at this point, I doubt I ever will be.”

I sighed. “Have a little hope. This kingdom has been through hell, and we’ve managed. We’ll continue to manage until we find a way out, and then we’ll figure out how to kick the demon king’s ass. We got this.”

He leaned over and kissed me. “Okay.”

I nodded. “Okay. Now, let’s go take that bath and relax. I’m full and tired, and I just want to feel you near me. I don’t need all the weird theatrics of this crazy castle.”

“As you command,” he whispered.

We walked back in silence, hand in hand, my chest filled with a strange, aching need for him. Even now, after tonight, after all the sex, I still craved him. All that raw, unfiltered masculinity should’ve stopped affecting me by now. I should be used to it and able to shut out the need. Instead, he pulled at me like never before. Like a fisherman reeling in a catch. Whereas before I would’ve tried to find that hook and yank it out, now I wanted it. I wanted him to seal the deal.

I was falling for him. Hard. This was a hook I didn’t think I’d be able to pry out.

Twenty-Three

“Finley, how about this?” I looked up from the roses I was tending and wiped my forearm across my forehead. Nearly a week had passed since my dinner with Nyfain. Nearly a week of helping the villages with everlass, tending the queen’s garden, and spending as much time as possible with him. It was never enough. I just kept craving more of his touch, more of his smell, more of him. Didn’t matter if he was teasing or brooding or sensuous. I loved it all.

We’d developed a sort of schedule around each other. In the mornings I’d tend to the queen’s garden—planting herbs, weeding, and pruning the rosebushes. When he woke up, he’d meet me there, and we’d share a meal before traveling to the everlass field. Sometimes we’d talk while we worked, but usually he sang to the everlass. Then we’d create the nulling elixir starter, dry or pick leaves if they were badly needed, and work together in peaceful camaraderie. It was my favorite time of the day.