A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 1)

“Yes.” He took me by the upper arm and steered me away from it. “If a person is in their right mind, they’ll feel the difference.” He walked us down the stairs. “The demons that feed off lust and pain have barbed penises or barbs in their vaginas. They coerce their victims and feed off the result.”

I touched my hand to my chest, revolted. I hadn’t heard of demons like that. I was glad I hadn’t. It would’ve given me nightmares.

I guess it already had.

“There are a lot of different types of demons,” he went on when we hit the next set of stairs, “but the demon king has taken most of the warring kinds away to defend his kingdom. They’ve done their job of thinning us out, making us vulnerable to attack. If we ever managed to escape this curse, he could take us over without a problem. We wouldn’t be able to fight him off. We’re done for; we’re just waiting for the funeral march.”

I ripped out of his grip when we hit the second-floor landing. He reached for me again but stopped when he realized I didn’t plan on running. I looked up and met his turbulent eyes, anger, frustration, regret, and most of all sadness swimming in their depths.

I kept my voice a whisper, for his ears alone. “Don’t you dare give up hope on this place. I will not watch as my family and everyone I know dies because you gave up. You’re the only hope we have left. I don’t care if you fly or run—you’re powerful. You need to keep faith and be patient. There is a way through this. I think you’re a fuckface, and I’d rather punch you instead of talk to you, but I will fight by your side to the bitter end to pry this place out of the demons’ hands. Do your job and lead your people. You’re their rock. You cannot lose hope, do you understand?”

His body tensed as he stared at me, emotions flickering in his eyes so fast that I couldn’t get a clear picture of what he was thinking. Energy crackled between us, and his power slithered across my skin, desperately sexy. I held my ground, though. I would not be deterred from delivering this message.

He leaned forward just a bit but then braced himself, and I didn’t know if he wanted to kiss me or hit me. I prepared to dodge either.

Instead, I heard a silky voice say, “Well, hello, Nyfain.”

Nyfain exploded into action, sweeping me behind him as he turned, pushing me to his back. I very nearly stepped out from behind him—I didn’t need a shield—but thought better of it. I was supposed to be weak, or at least mediocre. A dead shifter walking. It wouldn’t do to assert my independence and get killed for my courage.

“What do you want?” Nyfain snarled.

The faintest whisper of movement was the only sound as the demon circled us. Nyfain turned as it moved, keeping himself in front of me. Still, I caught a glimpse. Sleek and handsome, much like the man upstairs. Dark, long, flowing hair cascaded over his shoulders. His pointed nose ended close to large lips, like pillows affixed to a face, no real shape to them. His long fingers ended in manicured nails, and a silk robe adorned his lean body.

His magic tickled me, a dirty sort of sexy, slipping under my clothing and across my bare skin. I sucked in a breath and clutched Nyfain’s shirt. His body went fluid, like a fighter preparing for battle.

“What have we here?” The demon moved until he could see over Nyfain’s arm, taking me in. He looked down, not able to see my top half but clearly taking in the leather pants and boots. “Ah yes, I heard about her. You brought her in last night, correct?”

“She was stealing from these lands. I am the one who caught her, so by rights, she belongs to me.”

The demon’s oily smile showed stained teeth, as though he’d drunk too much wine or habitually fed on blood. “Yes, that is part of the deal. And instead of killing her outright, as you have always done, you brought her here. I wonder why. You prefer plain, willing women, do you not?”

Nyfain didn’t comment.

The demon laughed. “I could have sworn you did. But if that were the case, you wouldn’t have stolen a great beauty from her village and confined her to the castle. You were carrying her in, I believe, correct? And earlier, when she tried to escape, you locked her in the tower?” He clucked his tongue, his gaze still on me. “When you can, come see me, girl. I can pry you away.”

Chills spread over me, and I very nearly shot back a response. Instead, I pulled farther back behind Nyfain and buried my face in the groove of muscle in the middle of his back. I wasn’t sure that was the right play—was I supposed to be a wilting flower, scared of demons, or should I act terrified of Nyfain?