A Kingdom of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 3)

“Finley, you will never believe this…” Hadriel shook his head and bent down to rest his hands on his knees. Tamara glanced at me, standing with the Wyvern dragons in the flesh, waiting for an opening to unleash hell. “I swear I saw…” He gulped down air. “It’s impossible, I know that. But I swear I saw… Fuck, my wolf is clamoring to get out. That fucking alpha— No offense, sir. Anyway, I first saw her belowdecks when I was checking on people—before Vemar started running his mouth. That guy is not right in the head, Finley. And then just now… I mean, she had a cloak, and her face was all shadowed, so maybe she’s just a look-alike, but I swear to the goddess she looked just like—”

“Goddess help me, Hadriel, do you ever shut up?” Jade barked. “Get your head right. We’re heading into battle.”

He nodded, straightening up, and I saw the fear lining his face. He wasn’t built for battle.

I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him my undivided attention for a moment.

He swallowed, his gaze latching on to mine like a drowning man might grab a piece of driftwood.

“You’re going to be okay, okay?” I told him softly. “Stick with Hannon. He’ll make sure you don’t come to any harm. He might seem calm and gentle, but he will rise to the occasion when he has to. He’s a Mosgrove—my family was built tough.”

He nodded, his face somewhat slack. “I know. I stole him a really nice chef’s knife and a good axe from the tavern, so he’s armed.”

I let the smile touch my eyes, if only briefly. “Perfect. His favorite weapons.”

“I’ll make sure our family is okay,” Hannon told me. “I’ll go to them first.”

I released Hadriel and looked at my brother, my heart swelling. I nodded. “Hide them. Don’t let Father fight or Dash get any crazy ideas and sneak out. Hide them until this is all over.”

Micah landed not far away, having stayed to the air to watch the progress of the others while the faeries worked. He stalked up to me, large slabs of lethal muscle shining in the new night. His dark brown eyes took me in, chasing away some of my fears and doubts and alighting my fierce determination. The alpha commander had stepped onto the battlefield, and regardless of his unwanted and very confusing effects on me, I had to admit that he owned his mantle. He was a good guy to have on our side.

“The last of them are minutes away—a few of the…more seasoned dragons and the smaller wolves.”

More seasoned dragons—he probably meant Gunduin, Ami, and Claudile. I hadn’t seen even a glimpse of the latter two, who’d apparently stayed belowdecks and out of everyone’s way, but Gunduin had checked on me a few times. I felt more comfortable having some experience in the ranks.

I gave him a curt nod, glanced back their way, thought I saw the moonlight sparkle off azure scales, and turned to Calia. She was watching me steadily, waiting for the signal.

“Go,” I said before turning around to face everyone else. I addressed the alphas, who had the best working knowledge of their people. “Tamara, Micah, Weston…organize your people. We’ll get a doorway for a brief time. We need to get through it quickly and efficiently and then get out of the way for those coming in behind us. Organize now, and then keep your people organized on the other side. As soon as enough of us are through, we’ll move. Kill any and all demons you see. Govam and his demons will stay on this side for the time being, so you don’t have to worry about killing the wrong creatures. The enemy demons will stand out—they’ll all be wearing pleated black pants with bad hair, probably.” I felt my heart thumping in my chest as I lifted my voice to address everyone else. “They’ve stolen our people. They’ve clapped us in chains. They’ve whipped us, tortured us, subjected us to unspeakable acts, and now we will claim revenge. First we will free this kingdom from their clutches, and then we’ll free the magical world. Dolion’s reign is at an end, starting now! Rise up and fight. This night will be our victory!”

Weston shifted into wolf form before throwing back his head and sending up a loud, clear wolf song. The feeling of it tore right through me, promising the thrill of the hunt. The triumph of a fresh kill. The joy of working together to bring down a common enemy.

Hadriel shook and doubled down, clutching his clothes in a fist, clearly fighting his animal’s desire to heed the call.

I couldn’t wonder at it for long, because Tamara and Micah both stepped away to get more space, shifted, and sent up roars that nearly froze my blood. Their dragons’ roars rang with vicious energy, rage, and the thrill of meeting the challenge and crushing it.