A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

I laughed as I daintily worked at my fish like Arleth had taught me. “Well, you’re welcome to mine if you’d like.” I gestured at the goblet of wine left untried in front of me. “I’m not going to drink it, for obvious reasons.”

“It’s not so obvious here.” Calia looked back again, spying a staff member with a carafe of wine. She stared him down, but he didn’t budge. “Our culture doesn’t forbid a pregnant woman wine, just limits it. I’m sure they gave it to you assuming you’d have a glass with dinner.”

Nyfain didn’t tense or so much as glance in my direction, but unease rolled through the bond, from him and both of our dragons.

I laughed. “The dragons and man are much too overbearing for something like that. You know what they say about choosing your battles. Wine in small quantities isn’t worth the headache of their overprotectiveness.”

“Just in large quantities,” Calia said, laughing. “Yes, I understand. Not to mention your mother-in-law—or mate…parent you call it, I think. She would probably run down here and slap the goblet out of your hand, not caring about possible offense to the resident king and queen.”

“Very likely,” I agreed.

“And you, King Nyfain?” Dessia asked, her fish half-eaten and her silverware laid down. “Why don’t you drink your wine?”

Nyfain glanced at his full glass, then at me. He shrugged. “It doesn’t seem fair for me to indulge when she can’t.” He grinned at me, his eyes soft. “It’s our baby, together. I want to share in all the delights of her experience, and it seems unfair if I don’t also share in the…drawbacks. Those that I can, of course.”

“Careful, King Nyfain,” Calia said dryly, tapping the base of her glass absently. “If you’re too perfect, you’ll ruin other men for my sister and me, and then one day we’ll lust after you and be treated to flight training via Finley’s dragon.”

They all laughed, and I felt a spark of unease. Truthfully, I’d gone a little overboard this morning, and I knew it. I was pretty sure Arleth hadn’t meant I should handle the situation that way. But in the moment…I hadn’t been thinking about anything at all. The drive to end the threat had consumed me, and then…well, I’d let my dragon go a little crazy.

“I’m far from perfect, I assure you.” Nyfain laughed before taking another bite. “I won’t mention this to Finley…” He leaned toward Calia and her sister in faux intimacy. “I am very glad I don’t have to actually birth the infant. I’ve witnessed it once. It made me glad females handle that part of things.”

“Please don’t remind me,” I muttered. I hadn’t thought about that bit yet. It was too far in the future for me to worry about, especially given there were so many worries in the present.

He put down his fork and reached out for my hand. I pushed out my elbow at him, playfully denying his touch.

Calia laughed and swapped goblets with me. “Fine. You’ve convinced me. King Nyfain, hang on to yours. I’ll get to that when I’m done with this one. We’ll pretend I am now drinking with friends, even though absolutely none of you are drinking with me.”

“I am one hundred percent sure Hadriel would be glad to drink with you,” I told her before laying down my utensils. Delicious or not, the fish was just too annoying to eat the “proper” way. Hopefully there would be a few more courses to ease my hunger. Courses that I could just saw into and stick in my mouth like normal people. “Vemar would, too. Leala certainly would. A few of the wolves and dragons would give their left arm to drink with the pretty, violet-eyed faerie, and none of them would tattle on you, not after the initiation into real partying we’ve all had.”

Calia took a sip and leaned back. Her eyes were serious when they beheld me. “My word alone is not enough to make my king act against the demons,” she said in a low voice. “That’s why he didn’t allow me to take warriors with me to help you reclaim your kingdom. He didn’t want it to seem like an act of war. I’m often alone in other kingdoms, so he allowed me to bring a tiny team.”

“I know,” Nyfain said, lowering his knife and fork and glancing down the table. “Your king danced around that issue pretty thoroughly. Dolion has a lot of power and influence, and many of the prisoners he trapped can be ignored. Weston was no longer a member of the court, your position requires some level of anonymity, and we essentially put ourselves into Dolion’s care, directly or indirectly.” He shook his head. “I hadn’t realized how it would be perceived. I’m glad I decided to visit this kingdom before we address the council. With the information our very well-informed demon allies have, I can drag Dolion through the fire. I might not be able to declare war at first, but I can back him into a corner and wait for him to do something foolish. Then I can declare war.”