A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

Nothing had changed from when I was here last. Not that I could tell, anyway. Even the scent seemed the same, pleasant and eternal. Too nice. The whole place was too nice, in my opinion, like you didn’t want to sit down for fear of messing up the carefully arranged pillows.

Had I thought that when I was here last? Or had sixteen years of ruin left a larger mark than I’d realized?

The throne room was huge and extravagant, done in the same style as everything else. A kaleidoscope of color speckled the walls, and the large windows showed the sunset blazing across the sky. Attendants working in perfect synchronicity closed the doors behind us. Various members from their court sat on tasseled stools along the red carpet leading to the royal dais. There the king and queen sat in their golden thrones, older than I remembered them. Wrinkles pulled at their expressions and clustered around their eyes. Their hands were a bit more gnarled and their postures not quite as straight. Time hadn’t stopped for them. They wouldn’t have much longer on the throne before it was time to pass it along.

Many of the court showed expressions of delight and joy upon seeing Calia and Dessia, lighting up as though the sun had made an appearance after a long, hard winter. Very few were able to smooth their expressions into a polite welcome. A great many saw me and startled, looking at my scarred face and hands. Men noticed Finley, and their eyes sparked with pleasure or lust, churning my guts. Some looked at us in confusion, probably wondering why I was carrying my mate.

And then I saw her.

Eris. My ex-fiancée.

THIRTY-FIVE

Nyfain

She sat in the second row, indicating she still had mid-tier status in their court. If she’d mated me—married, in their culture—she would’ve upped her status. She would’ve brought in the bloodline of a powerful dragon and a Syflora, a connection to a throne. In return, I would’ve gotten out of my duty to Wyvern and, in so doing, reduced my status. In my desperation to be away from the king, I’d never realized how stacked in her favor the mating would’ve been.

She was older now, of course, time not having stopped for her. She had deep lines near her eyes and on her forehead. Her oval face and soft brown eyes still looked kind, though her skin had lost some of its flawless radiance. She wore a vibrant blue and yellow dress with frills and dizzying lines, a style she’d adopted in her youth to hide what she thought was a plain appearance.

I’d never been in love with her, and I was almost positive she hadn’t been in love with me. She’d been my ticket out. Marrying her would have allowed me to keep the luxurious life to which I was accustomed without having to face the mad king’s rage, since I would have had protection from the powerful faerie king. It would’ve been a marriage of convenience, and at the time, I was fine with that. I hadn’t wanted anything more. I’d thought our affection for each other and a decent enough time in the bedroom would be plenty fulfilling.

How incredibly wrong I’d been. I now thanked the goddess every day for how my life had turned out. If I hadn’t been forced onto the path I now walked, one day I would’ve woken up and looked around and wondered how I’d ended up in such a miserable existence.

Or maybe I just felt that way now because I’d realized how amazing life could really be. How transformative love could be.

Eris’s eyes widened when she saw me. Her gaze roamed my face and disgust crossed her countenance. She was none too thrilled with how my appearance had turned out.

I nearly laughed.

Her gaze then found Finley. Her eyes widened for the second time, but this time it wasn’t because of disgust. Red bloomed in her cheeks, and her face closed down in what I could only imagine was jealousy. She looked over Finley’s body, her dress, but always she went back to her face. Taking in every inch, every line. It was almost like she was mesmerized by Finley’s beauty. Beauty that Finley herself couldn’t give a shit about.

I kissed Finley on her temple and wiped my memory clean of the past. I hadn’t lied to Finley—there was nothing of substance before her. There would be nothing after. There was just her. If I’d needed any proof, I’d just gotten it.

“Your highness.” Calia dropped into a perfect and deep curtsy in front of the faerie king.

Dessia mumbled the same thing, her curtsy not nearly as deep.

King Starvos looked down at the pair with a stoic expression not unlike the one I’d meant to affect.

“Calia, Dessia, good to have you home,” he said as though intensely bored. “We’ve missed you these many long months. If not for your correspondence, we would’ve worried you’d been caught again.”