A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

I didn’t follow with the wolves. My place was in a carriage, monitoring Finley’s plants and elixirs. It was essential that those weren’t meddled with or lost. They might eventually be the difference between someone living and dying.

Arleth and Delaney had the same idea. They watched the most important of the trunks get loaded before gracefully slipping into an open carriage at the back, able to see who was coming or going. They clearly had very little trust in this kingdom. That would probably serve us well.

Nyfain

I held Finley’s hand as the carriage took us along a familiar lane to the large castle sitting on a rolling green hill. Flowers bloomed along the road, magically altered to be there all year long. Perfect bushes dotted the countryside, and not one speck of grime marred the perfection that was the royal grounds.

“Do you recognize any of this from the last time you were here?” Calia asked with an excited smile.

My mate tensed beside me, and unease rolled through the bond.

I pulled my focus from the beautiful scenery gliding by the window and pushed away the burning, throbbing rage that had been pressing down on me ever since I heard the first account of the demon dungeon.

“There is only you,” I reminded Finley, meeting her eyes. I ran my thumb across hers. “There was no before you, and there is no after. Just you.”

Her smile was sweet and grateful, but her dragon thrashed at the thought of my ex-fiancée. She was an alpha female—she wouldn’t like another female having any sort of claim to me, even if it was nothing but history. Hopefully Hadriel and my mother could run interference between Finley and Eris. While I would never disrespect my mate and keep her from protecting her territory—me—there was a lot at stake. We needed everything in this kingdom to go perfectly. Our future depended on it.

“I know,” she whispered.

To Calia, I said, “I do, yes. It’s exactly the same.”

She looked between Finley and me uncertainly for a moment before smiling joyfully and looking out the window. She had pride in her kingdom, and well she should. They treated their people well and gave them many opportunities for success. They looked after the aging and sick and didn’t ask for more than was fair in taxes. Their kingdom, at least when I left, had been happy and healthy and, because of that, strong.

I didn’t mention that the faeries’ focus on beauty was a little overkill. In my opinion, using magic to keep flowers in eternal bloom took away the natural beauty of the seasons. The fresh growth and bloom of spring after a chilly and barren winter had always moved me. If nothing ever died, there could be no rebirth. Perfection got old.

I kept my expression free of emotion, but Dessia was watching me in a way that suggested she knew my thoughts.

“I’ll want to move Govam and his demons into the castle as soon as possible,” I reminded Calia, something we’d discussed after she gave me her account of the dungeons. I didn’t want her to slip into her life here and forget her promises. “Someone will need to keep a close eye on them to make sure they mind their manners.”

“Yes, of course,” Calia said. “I just have to clear it with the king and queen, and then we can establish which rooms they’re given. With a guard, of course.”

“Of course. I’ll have one of my people watching them at all times, but I’m sure the king will also want someone of his choosing to do the same.”

“Yes. You obviously remember his paranoia.”

“Thoroughness,” I corrected her. “He’s kept this kingdom safe for a long time.”

“Wow,” Finley breathed as we neared the castle.

The castle sprawled across the gentle hills covered in green grass and fragrant flowers. Shimmering blue spires topped gray-white stone towers decorated with arched windows and a multitude of flower boxes. Again, the whole place was impeccable, not one visible blemish upon it. The faeries spent an obscene amount of time, money, and magic on keeping up appearances. It was another thing I’d never been that into, though I could certainly see the appeal for visitors. The look of wonder on my mate’s face was enough to make me rethink my entire plan for our castle.

“I knew you’d like it.” Calia beamed. “Wait until you see the gardens. I’ll take you to meet the healers tomorrow.”

Dessia continued to study me. She never said much, preferring to use her sister as a shield and watch from the shadows, but I got the feeling she wasn’t as shy and timid as she acted. I had nothing on which to base that suspicion other than that she clearly had layers, ones that went deeper than if she were simply a faerie whose magic had not manifested but, even still, could somehow boost her sister’s magic. Beneath those layers, I sensed a curling darkness within her, kept hidden. She hadn’t been as rattled by the demon dungeons as the others. She hadn’t been as scarred. I got the feeling that her scars had already been present; I just didn’t know how or why. Something neither of them had offered up.