A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

Hannon walked with us, and I noticed the everlass had withered and died. It hadn’t been able to survive without the dragons.

“Yes.” I stopped in front of it as the others stopped in front of their former cells.

“I thought I would die in this place,” Micah mumbled.

“Me too,” Tamara said. “I just wanted it to end, but something in me couldn’t give in.”

“Me too,” Weston said, to murmurs of agreement from the others.

“I thought I would die in this place too,” Govam said, looking around. “And a whole lot sooner than any of you.”

“You were the only captain that didn’t.” Tamara grinned.

“I’m only alive because of Govam,” Denski said. “I can’t tell you how many times he saved my ass from the dragons.”

“I nearly got you,” Micah said.

“Me too,” Tamara replied. “Vemar nearly got you three times.”

“He had it out for me specifically for some reason.” Denski’s expression was grim.

“He hates to fail,” Tamara replied.

“And then the new dragon walked in here like she’d chosen to,” Tamara said, looking at me. “She shuffled in wearing the queen’s sword, trying to pretend she was as weak as that muskrat that came with her. I wanted to kill her—you—for wearing that sword, highness.”

“What’d you want, Micah?” someone asked with a chuckle.

“Don’t continue along that train of thought,” Nyfain growled.

“Yeah, she wasn’t fooling anyone with the weak routine,” Micah said, wisely ignoring the other comment.

“I knew she was different the second I saw her,” Weston said. “It was the first time I had felt any real hope for a very long time. Especially when the faeries took notice of her.”

“And then in came the weirdest fucking scene I’d ever witnessed in my life.” Tamara bent over laughing.

“You better not be talking about me,” Hadriel grumbled. “I was your fucking savior, damn it.”

“You were wearing a maid’s outfit.” Tamara laughed harder.

“And then Leala called one of the officers daddy.” Micah started chuckling, leaning out to grip the bars before flinching away.

“It got weird in the parties after that,” Weston said.

“Very weird,” Denski mumbled. “Very, very weird. I wasn’t ready for it. Half the time I didn’t know where to look.”

“It saved the day, though, didn’t it?” Hadriel demanded.

“It definitely saved the day, little buddy,” Tamara said with a grin.

Hadriel put his finger up with a warning in his eyes. “Don’t you start.”

Tamara broke into laughter again.

“That’s what you slept on?” Nyfain asked softly, and I could see his eyes flicking from one bloodstain to the next. “This is where you stayed?”

“Yes,” I replied. “I kept your letters in the back there.”

“And she orgasmed on the floor in there, as well,” Tamara said. “Sometimes because of pain, apparently, and sometimes just because she needed a holiday or something. I need to get me one of those bonds.”

There were murmurs of assent at that.

Nyfain wrapped me into his arms and put his chin on top of my head. He breathed me in, hugging me tight.

“It’s over now,” he said. “We’re done here. Let’s get everything wrapped up and go home. We need to sort out the council, but the worst is over. The biggest threat has been extinguished. Now it should be business as usual.”

“Why doesn’t that sound comforting?”

He laughed. “Because you’ll have more lessons with my mother, no doubt. She isn’t very impressed with how we lost our cool.”

He pulled back before tilting my face up. “Your battle is over for the time being. Now you’ll rest and be pampered and endure my possessiveness as you swell with our child.”

“Please don’t mention the swelling bit,” I murmured with a smile.

“As you command.” He kissed me before turning me toward the exit.

EPILOGUE

Hadriel

Five months later

I knocked on the door, paused, and knocked again.

“Hello, little buddy.” Vemar walked up behind me and leaned against the wall. “I got here too early. I was hoping you’d have already drawn the king’s wrath by now for interrupting them.”

“I tried to wait as long as I could. I’m really hoping he’s left by now. He has to meet with the advisors.”

“Hey, guys.” Hannon joined us, his hands in his jeans pockets. He had on a T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders.

“Oh good, yeah. Hannon.” I stepped aside and motioned him forward. “You go in first. The king never yells at you.”

“He does, but not in front of Finley.”

“Yes, exactly.” I motioned him forward.

Hannon glanced at my jacket and nodded. “That’s good of you.”

“What?” I looked down, smoothing the fabric across my chest. Vemar wore the same one, of course, just much larger to fit his frame.

Hannon pointed. “The vaginas.”

“What?” I leaned in a little closer to my jacket, but it was hard to get a perspective of the print from up close, so I shifted my attention to Vemar’s. “Where?”

“There. Well, all over.” Hannon pointed a little closer. “Is this because of that penis jacket you wear sometimes? Are you trying to equal things out?”