A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

“We need to get you guys safely back to the castle,” I said as Calia drifted to the side of the railing on the deck of her sleek ship, anchored not far away. She waved. I raised my voice. “I have a favor to ask you. I want to see if you can help my mate shrug off the rest of the demons’ magic.”

“Your golden prince will undoubtedly want to establish a connection with her people,” Govam said, watching as her sister and the other faeries joined her. “He will want to secure an invitation to speak with the king and queen, I have no doubt. She is high up in their hierarchy. I’ve heard it mentioned throughout the years.”

Add it to the list.

Then, unbidden, a thought drifted up. Was she from the same kingdom as Nyfain’s ex-fiancée? Would that woman think she had some sort of claim to him, even after all this time? To his plant-growing magic that was so rare and powerful?

My dragon growled low, but I pushed the thought away. I had enough to do—I didn’t need more dread heaped on my pile. I’d worry about it when the time came.

THREE

Finley

Flanked by the wolves, the faeries made a circle around the demons, and my dragon escorted them back through the wood and to the castle with the rest of the dragons in the air. Those who caught sight of us stared, their faces screwing up in anger at the sight of the demons.

At the castle, the stairs were cleared except for a couple of people hurrying this way or that. Vemar came walking out and did a double take upon seeing me.

“There you are, Strange Lady.” He stopped in front of us, hands on his hips.

I shifted back into my human form. The wolves followed suit, and the dragons landed and did the same.

“What’s up?” I asked Vemar, feeling the constant pull of Nyfain as though a string were attached to my ribs. I could actually feel his location now, like a beacon calling me home.

“Just looking for a way to be of use. I’ve spent much too long being idle in a dungeon. I’d rather not be idle here.”

“I’m sure they could use help dusting rooms or putting sheets on beds or whatever needs to happen.”

“Yes, they could, but they don’t seem to want that from me. They shooed me away. They didn’t think it was any place for a dragon. My question, of course, was ‘Well then, where is the place for a dragon?’ To that, they said, ‘In the court.’” Vemar stretched his arms wide and looked around. “So where is this magical court where the dragons belong? It looks to me like there is not much of anything around here except random streaks of glitter and abandoned costumes. I found a bear costume in the corner. I would’ve looked closer, but it had some worrying stains on it. I decided it was best not to touch it anymore. And there are candles in all the light sockets. That has to be dangerous, doesn’t it?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t touch the costumes, no. Back in the day, the dragons—and only the dragons, I think—were the nobility. They made up the court. Nobility don’t do menial tasks. That’s probably what they meant.”

“Only dragons?” Ehno asked.

“Only dragons,” Tamara replied, a growl in her voice. “This is a dragon kingdom, or did you miss that? Just like the Flamma Kingdom only has wolves in the court.”

“Hey, hey, whoa, whoa.” I quirked an eyebrow at Tamara. “Remember that there wouldn’t be a dragon kingdom without Ehno and the rest of Weston’s pack. Anyway, he’s right to ask the question. Neither hierarchy makes sense when you have other shifter types in the kingdom,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “There should be fair representation. I mean, in the Flamma Kingdom, they have all those strong dragons hanging out in the mountains. Think of how much more powerful that kingdom would be if they incorporated the dragons into the court. They’d be unstoppable.”

“Dragons and wolves don’t really get along,” Lucille said.

“Well, if everyone stopped being such cunts, maybe they could.” I refocused on Vemar. “Just go force the issue. I doubt they’ll pick a fight with a mad dragon. Or get some sleep. You have to be exhausted.”

“I am exhausted, yes, but it feels good to be busy.” He leaned in a little closer. “By the way, you have a very ruthless mate. I’m glad I knew better than to mess with him. I don’t think Micah realized what he was getting into.”

Micah being the dragon who’d attempted to tear me from Nyfain. He’d challenged him and suffered badly for it.

I swallowed. “How is Micah?”

Vemar straightened up with a smirk. “He cheated death, and he knows it.” He laughed and turned. “I don’t think he’ll trouble you again. He has learned his lesson.” He disappeared into the castle.