A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

“Given the king allowed the demons to be moved into the guest wing with you earlier today, I’d say he agrees with you,” Calia murmured.

Nyfain dabbed his mouth, speaking from behind the napkin. “I enlightened him on some of the things Govam has shared with me. About the location of certain funds and resources that can be reappropriated if Dolion is taken down with the council’s approval. They’d be the spoils of war.”

I frowned at Nyfain as he lowered the napkin again and finished his fish. I knew Dolion had been pilfering from others like he’d taken from Wyvern, but I hadn’t realized Nyfain was maneuvering to get the stolen riches back. It was wise, though. It was a good incentive for Starvos to help.

Calia took another sip of her wine and gently pushed her plate a little farther away. “Yes, there is hope. This dinner gives me hope. Your visit will prove fruitful, I think. You’ve shown that you are just as aggressive and volatile as dragons are reputed to be. You’re vicious, but you’re also a caring mate with good breeding. You’re domesticated, so to speak. That’s what I think the king will decide. Word of Finley’s actions in the garden has spread far and wide. The ruthlessness with which she handled the…threat, we’ll call it”—she smiled—“and then her delicate dealings with the plants and potions…well, it got people talking. And then there is the big, scary dragon with all the scars and the golden predator’s eyes…doting on his pregnant mate, carrying her, and treating her with reverence and delicacy. Your emotional range has startled our people. The former king and Arleth were predictable—him for being mean and vicious, her for being graceful and easy. Everyone around them always acted with the utmost decorum. Then there’s you two and your retinue, with Hadriel and Vemar’s crazy outfits and the whip-toting lady’s maid who just wanders around the castle talking to people…”

Calia laughed, holding her belly.

“I knew it would go like this,” Dessia said, also smiling. “I knew it would. I knew the uniqueness of King Nyfain’s court would be…” Dessia frowned, looking at her sister’s face. “What is it?”

Calia’s smile had slipped. She coughed politely into her napkin before taking another sip of wine. “I’m fine.” She shook her head, patting her neck now. Then coughed again, her brow pinching together.

“Too much wine?” Dessia asked, sitting forward and turning, bracing her hand on the back of her sister’s chair.

“That’s only my second glass. That’s…” Her face flushed, one hand on her stomach and the other now gripping her throat. Fear sparked in her eyes. “My throat feels like it’s…getting tight. Like it’s starting to close up.”

She coughed again, bending forward.

A cold sweat broke out over my body. I knew these signs. They were classic, and she’d just drunk my wine.

“Fuck.” I pushed up to standing, my heart suddenly galloping. “Hadriel, Hannon—someone! Run for the green chest. The antidote chest. Hurry!”

“I got this. I’m faster—” Vemar sprinted from the room in his bare feet, leaving his green loafers behind.

“Calia, listen to me.” I picked up the goblet and handed it to Nyfain as I told him, “Do not drink this or the one in front of you. Save them. I want to analyze it.”

He took it as Hannon and Hadriel appeared next to us, everyone else still confused, looking around and trying to see what was happening. Only a few people in this room knew the precautions I’d taken to learn about and ward off poison. This was why.

“Calia,” I said, yanking her chair to face me. I met her scared eyes, panic setting in. She gripped her throat with two clawed hands, struggling to take a breath. “Listen to me,” I barked, infusing the command with my will. “You will not die. I will not let you die. I know how to fix this. I have about five minutes after you stop breathing to do so—Hannon, get hot water, dammit.” My brother took off running to the kitchens. It had been his job to know where they were in case of a situation like this. “You have to stay calm. If you stay calm and slow your heart, it’ll give me more time. Okay?”

She nodded, wheezing.

“What are your symptoms? Stomach pain and closing throat?”

She nodded.

“Anything else? Headache? Blurry vision? Uh…heart racing? Racing before you realized what was happening?”

I got a nod to the mention of her heart, head shakes in response to everything else.

My mind raced, poring over all the possible poisons that might have caused her symptoms, narrowing down the possibilities. The problem was, I’d learned all of this when I was calm and collected. When someone I liked wasn’t succumbing to poison right in front of me.

I felt her head. Fever, though that was expected.

“How about saliva? More than normal?” I asked.