A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

I stared at him for a second. “How did you know my dragon was holding out on the heat until Nyfain’s dragon could fly?”

A crease formed on his brow. “Didn’t you tell me that?”

I frowned. Maybe I had, but I couldn’t remember doing it. Still, there was no other way he’d know.

“It’s probably a bad time, anyway,” I admitted, feeling my cheeks flush. “But the feeling of it is…indescribable.”

“Ah.” He cleared his throat. “Still, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to try again down the road. And if you never find a miracle cure, well…even stubborn dragons have to face reality eventually.”

One day his animal is going to show himself, my dragon thought, and that is the day I’m going to ring his motherfucking bell.

“Let’s get this over with.” I grabbed the ladle and took the mug to the fire. I scooped in water before letting it rest for a moment and then giving it a stir. The fragrance curled around my face and seeped into my senses—sparkling and vibrant with a hint of darkness. The smell had changed just a bit from the trial elixirs, owing to the different everlass I’d used, and my stomach somersaulted with the feeling it gave me. It felt right. It felt like a key I’d found to a lock that had always remained engaged.

I set it aside for Hannon and began cleaning up the workstation. He had always been the one to administer my concoctions. He was the one with the good bedside manner. I’d called him here specifically for this reason.

“Tell him to drink it immediately,” I said as Hannon took the mug. “Tell him to get some sleep. I’ll sleep in the tower tonight. I need to sort myself out.”

Hannon picked up the mug. “I’ll just remind you that, unlike with the cure for the demon sickness, this elixir isn’t in danger of killing anyone. The worst that will happen is nothing at all. It’s hard when we get our hopes up and we don’t get the outcome we were going for, but at least no lives will be lost.”

I sucked in air to settle my head and nodded. I knew that. Of course I did. This really wasn’t the big deal I was making it out to be. But I couldn’t help it. For some reason, this moment felt monumental. Not just because of Nyfain’s wings, but because of the possibilities presented by the illuminated everlass and the mystery surrounding my brother’s animal.

I was worried it wouldn’t work, but I was just as worried it would.

“Just go,” I said, my head a mess. I grabbed a couple of the dried, bundled herbs to return them to their rack.

“Okay,” he said, walking out. Before he crossed the threshold, he said, “Take it easy on yourself, Finley. If you need me, or Dad, or the kids, just send word. We’ll always be there for you. That hasn’t changed.”

I nodded and wiped away another tear, my heart ragged.

The shed felt empty when he left, and I sagged against the table. I really did need to get some sleep. My dramatics right now were way overboard.

As I was finishing cleaning up, the sky outside turning dark and a flickering candle my main source of light, Arleth entered with Delaney right behind her.

“Sorry, I know I’m late for dinner—” I started.

Each night was a new formal dinner, a new exercise in all the ways I could embarrass myself by not knowing which fucking fork to use.

“Dinner has been canceled tonight,” Arleth said, stopping for a moment and gazing at my virtually clean workspace. She arched an eyebrow before continuing on to the corner to grab a few things. “I thought maybe you’d like to help me improve the taste on a few of these draughts.”

Delaney was looking at me closely, her eyes narrowed. “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea, Arly. Let’s go read by the fire—what do you say, Finley? How about a cheese plate, some fruit, too much wine, and a good book followed by dirty jokes?”

I frowned at her. “Dirty jokes?”

Arleth stopped what she was doing and started to put her things away. Then she came around to slip her arm through mine. “Yes, dirty jokes. When you drink as much wine as we are about to, the lines in the book start to run together. That’s about the time we’ll stop reading and start telling the dirtiest jokes we can think of. Come on. Let’s get your lady’s maid, too. I bet she has a whole store of dirty jokes.”

“And if not dirty jokes, she should have a great many interesting stories,” Delaney said, taking my other arm.

“And we’ll get the funny little wolf butler.”

“The butler can’t come. This is a girls’ evening,” Delaney said as she bent to blow out the candle, and I let them lead me out of the shed. “We need to finally get electricity out to this shed. Now that the castle has it again, there’s no reason for us to do without.”