A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 2)

We’d have lessons in the evening, dancing or sparring, then we’d put our clothes back on from our almost always furious lovemaking and share another meal, maybe hit the library or just read together, and off he’d go into the Forbidden Wood.

I’d changed up what I was reading, doing more research into shifters. Annoyingly, while there was plenty of history, few of the books focused on the day-to-day realities of being a shifter. At least I was learning about the first shift, the need for the animal to get out and run, and ways to work with demanding animals. So far none of the approaches had tamed my beast, but I kept up hope.

Hadriel crouched near two even rows of herbs, looking at the base of some thyme. “This should take root, huh?”

Gyril and Jawson, still helping with the garden and happy to do so, looked over.

“All you’re doing is putting a plant in the ground,” Jawson drawled. “Do you need approval on every little thing?”

“He probably asks how his farts work out,” Gyril muttered, and Jawson shook with laughter.

“It’s good, Hadriel, just—” I paused as a gush of wetness filled my panties. Nyfain and I had been having an obscene amount of sex, to the point where I was sore most days, but he’d been too tired last night. This morning, he’d been asleep. This wasn’t some aftereffect of sex.

Which meant…

My chest constricted, and I hurried out of the garden and through the sliding glass door to the queen’s room. Usually I didn’t like to cross the threshold, leaving this space to him and his memories, but right now…

“Finley?” Hadriel called out as I pushed into the cool space and hurried to the washroom. I pulled down my trousers and then my underwear.

My heart sank at the sight of the red stain.

My period. It was over a week late, but it had come anyway.

I couldn’t say it wasn’t a total surprise. My breasts had been a bit more tender these last couple of days and the bloat had settled in. You could only blame the excellent chocolate mousse for so long.

Even so, I wilted where I sat, a deep, profound sadness dragging me down. It was stupid, wanting a baby with all that was going on. Beyond stupid. I knew that.

Even if we weren’t living in such a fucked-up world, our kingdom on the verge of extinction, there was the rank difference between Nyfain and me. He’d worn a golden collar to our dinner, depicting his rank and status. I’d worn clothes that he’d had made for me. He was a dragon, and my animal purred. True mates shifted into the same animal. All the books I’d read had made that same point.

But the daydream had been a pleasant fiction, I couldn’t deny it. Lying with him, his hand gently resting on my belly, had brought a strange sort of peace over all of us. Nyfain, me, and our animals. And, for that short time, I’d allowed myself to wonder if I actually was his true mate. Common or no, purring animal or no, I’d wondered if maybe the fates had aligned in my favor and I could finally have my prince. And if we were destined to be together, surely that must mean we could break the curse together somehow. I mean, I’d found a cure for the demon poison—why not take the next step?

But here we were. Eventually everyone woke up from their dreams, however pleasant.

“Finley, love, what’s going on?” Hadriel ventured in with raised eyebrows and a plain gray shirt. He was tired of having his butler outfits laundered after gardening because Cecil, the seamster with the attitude problem, had to do it, and it was nothing but abuse when he went to pick everything up.

“Nothing, I’m fine. I’ll just—”

“Oh.” Hadriel braced his fists on his hips and wandered closer, looking at my underwear.

“Ew, get out!” I tried to pull down my shirt. “I do not need you in here when I’m sitting on the toilet!”

“Honey dove, I have seen it all. I’m already scarred for life. I’m not worried about a little blood here and there. Now…how are we feeling?”

He pulled over a chair that a lady’s maid had likely used to wash the queen and sat in front of me.

“Relieved? Sad?” he asked, peering deeply into my eyes.

Intense sadness welled up, not just from me, but from my animal. I shoved it away. I wouldn’t have felt anything right now if not for the dragon’s raw, primal need to jump me whenever anything reminded him that I was late. Or the soft look in Nyfain’s eyes when he gazed at me with his hand on my belly. Or the kisses he feathered across my navel. I’d allowed myself to delve too deeply into the fantasy, and now it was time to get my head out of the clouds.