A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

There is nothing pressing that you need to see to today. All of your appointments have been pushed back. In fact, after you wake up and feel up to it, I will push back mine as well. You gave me a scare yesterday, and I would like to take some time to revel in your touch and your scent.

To add weight to my request, Hannon has advised that you don’t do any physical exertion. I’m reasonably confident he meant flying or learning the sword, both things my mother is now hellbent on teaching you. I am decently sure he didn’t mean sex, but just in case, I’ll do all the work, I promise.

Leala will supply you with a leisure dress, what women used to wear around the castle. It’s casual wear. Undergarments not required.

Stay to the rooms and rest, if you’d like. Hadriel should be on hand to fetch you a book if you need it. Or I can meet you in the library, or the study. Wherever you wish to go within the castle, I will meet you there. They’ll get word to me so I know where to find you.

I love you, my courageous little dragon.

Best,

Your once handsome mate

P.S. That last strikethrough was a joke. Kinda.

P.P.S. Don’t mind the random bouts of rage you’ll undoubtedly feel through the bond. I will not direct it at you. Yet. My dragon will instead wait until he can have at your dragon. He has some issues to work out, he says. I’m sure you can anticipate his reaction to the close call your normal state of affairs in a dangerous setting.

I shivered with desire before reading the note again, laughing through it a second time.

“Find his note funny, do you?” Hadriel asked before turning a page. “He must not be expressing himself to you as he has been expressing himself to the castle all morning.”

“He’s mad at me.” I tucked his note under my pillow so Leala would know I wanted to save it. I needed to find a place to put them.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and checked in with my body again. Nothing. No aches. No pain. A slight pulling with the stitches, but that was normal.

“He’s mad at the whole fucking castle, love. He is not impressed that the princess of this kingdom, his mate, was badly injured. You should’ve been fighting with people. Instead, you attacked on your own and, as I understand it, were buried in demons. My giddy goddess, Vemar was the one who roared for aid! It should’ve been someone from your guard. Or from the kingdom, at least. We need some serious training in this kingdom, that much is painfully obvious. And dragons need to learn to fight on the ground. If not for Weston and your chomping on the demon king’s leg, we would’ve been fucked. And then you got fucked, and here we are. The prince has lost his mind, and we’re all afraid to breathe.”

I ran my fingers through my hair. “I’ll talk him down. I’m just not used to fighting alongside people. I’ve always been on my own. When I see a chance, I take it. Since it was Dolion, I went for it. And yes, this did happen in a battle, where the stakes seem to be higher, but honestly, this sort of thing has happened throughout my life. I mean, talk to me about wild boar!”

“Why?” He cocked his head at me. “What the fuck do wild boar have to do with the princess being in mortal danger?”

“Because I’ve been in mortal danger from wild boar a few times in my life, and one of those assholes almost killed me once. But guess what?”

“Well, I hope you learned to stop messing with those asshole wild boar—”

“No, I got better. Wiser. And the next time, I took one down. And the next time after that, I didn’t get hurt when I took one down. I do stupid shit, yes, and that battle was admittedly on a larger scale than normal, but I’ve learned from it. Or I will…when I can process it.”

Hadriel ran his hand down his face, mussing his mustache. “Slap my ass and call me Winky, what is my life right now?”

“It’s exciting, Hadriel. Welcome to an exciting life. Now, where’s this leisure dress I’m supposed to wear?”

Before I could even see it, Leala bustled in with some breakfast. After I ate, she insisted we wash and re-dress my wounds before she took over dressing me. Hadriel stuck around, getting yelled at for nibbling off my plate and reading his book while Leala got me ready. Once done, she set to changing the bedsheets as though I had the plague and she didn’t want anyone else catching it.