A Kingdom of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 3)

He got within five feet of me, and suddenly his entire body tensed like he’d had a spasm. He put two thin fingers to his nose and backed up a step.

His tone changed immediately. “What is this?” Alarm bled through each syllable.

“We got two, but they need to share a cell,” Ressfu said. “A dragon and a… Some other kind of shifter. No one knows what, but it’s a weaker beast, at any rate. If he cooperates, you need to go easy on him—his highness’s orders. He’ll be a pet in the high court. They both will.”

“I know my role,” the newcomer said tersely. He hadn’t moved his eyes from me. “What is this?” He pointed at me.

“The dra-gon,” Ressfu bit out slowly.

“It’s an alpha’s mate,” Govam said in a bland tone.

“We have alphas, and we have mates, and none of them smell like that,” the newcomer replied.

“You have powerful dragons. You don’t have alphas,” Govam said. “Not alphas like this one.”

“She was claimed by the dragon prince,” Ressfu said quickly, clearly trying to reclaim control of the conversation.

The newcomer blew out a breath, taking me in. This wasn’t sexual. He was sizing me up. Assessing me. His gaze zipped down my body and stuck to the sword.

“I applaud you all for your…bravery, but we are not fools in the dungeon,” the newcomer said, his tone sickly sweet. It made me feel like insects were crawling across my skin. “Remove the sword.”

“Now, now, first officer,” Sonassa said from somewhere behind me. “Is his highness not keeping you in high comfort? You have to steal from prisoners now? Surely that is beneath you.”

“Not from prisoners, from us,” Ressfu said. “If we take it off, we keep it.”

Govam’s voice cut through the muttering of those behind us. “His highness said to leave it on.”

Ressfu waved him away. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” He glared at the first officer. “She keeps it. The king’s orders.”

A crease formed between the first officer’s eyebrows. “Is that so? And I assume he will provide us with the needed protections when she is to be moved to the whipping post?”

The whipping post? my dragon thought softly.

Neither of us liked the sound of that.

Govam’s tone was disinterested. “We don’t answer for his highness. He wants her to keep the sword. That’s all I know.”

“She doesn’t know how to use it,” Ressfu said. “He’s mocking her by allowing her—”

“His highness’s reasons are his own.” Govam didn’t take his eyes off the first officer. “And those reasons have clearly not been passed on to the dungeons. Who is to say what his real intentions are?” That sounded almost like a threat. It was clear the first officer and Govam did not like each other. “She keeps the sword.”

“For now,” the first officer said, matching Govam’s stare.

Govam didn’t comment.

“Fine.” The first officer turned his attention to Jedrek, still out cold and being carried. “What of that thing? Is he also armed?”

“No,” Ressfu said, his gaze darting to Govam and then away. “He’s no trouble.”

“Hmm.” The first officer took a step back and waved his hand. Four identical figures in red robes strode forward from behind him, walking down the center of the columns, two holding thin red clubs and the other two armed with whips. They had the same sickly, moldy appearance as the first officer and nearly the same facial features, only with thinner, flatter noses. It was like the first officer had attempted to duplicate himself, hadn’t gotten it exactly right, but thought it passable enough to continue using the same mold.

“Remember, they need to be put in a cell together.” Ressfu motioned for Govam to bring me forward. “Don’t mar her face or arms, and don’t cut anything off. She might end up being a pet for his highness eventually. They need to get the smell off first, though.”

“Keep her pretty for parties, yes.” That horrible smile was still on the first officer’s face. “There’s a lot we can hide with clothes. But they won’t get that smell off.” He giggled to himself, touching slim fingers to his plump lips. “How silly to even think it. Once a shifter claims its mate, the stink is forever. Usually it’s tolerable, but this… Well, it’ll take a nose plug to be with her for any length of time. I doubt his highness will ever take her as a pet.”

“Since when did you become an expert?” Ressfu curled his lip at the first officer.

Two of the red-robed demons took me from Denski and Govam, pulling me to the side and ripping my arms up and away from my sword. When I hobbled and nearly fell, they dragged me.

“Out of all of us, who is with them the most?” the first officer asked with a simpering smile. “Who knows how far one can go before they break?”