A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 2)

“Yes, baby girl,” he whispered, feeling it, working faster. Harder. “Come for me.”

I shattered, my chest heaving, my world cracking. A surge of euphoria ran through me, and I sank to my knees in front of him, meeting his eyes. He kissed me dominantly, salty sweet, reacting to my silent admission.

I might be damning myself, but I would give myself to him, body and soul, and ride it for as long as I could. Our futures might collapse, but when it all went tits up, at least I’d have the memory of him to keep me company in the darkness.

He stood with me and swung me up into his arms. I leaned against his solid chest as the afternoon waned, the sun starting its retreat toward the horizon.

“Now what?” I asked, lethargic in his arms. I didn’t care whether the staff saw. I could be a tough girl tomorrow. Right now, I just wanted to bask in this big alpha’s pampering.

He entered the castle and climbed the stairs to the tower, meeting a straight-backed man with an air of importance along the way. I’d never seen him before, not roaming around at night or even in the halls during the day. He wore a crisp black suit with a black waistcoat underneath, over a stiff white button-down shirt. A black tie completed the ensemble.

“Sir,” the man said, his arms straight at his sides.

“Prepare the largest salon room. We’ll be down shortly.”

“Yes, sir.” He walked away like he owned the world.

“Who was that?” I asked as Nyfain continued up the stairs.

“My valet. He’s all that’s left of the original valets.”

“Why haven’t I seen him before?”

Nyfain stopped next to the door, looking at me for a long beat, and realization dawned. “The key was in my pants.”

Still, he stared down at me. I couldn’t read the look in his eyes or the complex emotions coming through the bond. He turned with me and headed back the way he’d come, down the stairs to the second floor and back to his room. He set me down gently before moving away, into his bedroom. In a moment, he was back with a key in hand.

“This is the only key in this whole castle at the moment that can access that tower. I’ll take you up now and let you get freshened up. You won’t need to eat or bathe. I’ll be taking care of that. But if you want your lady’s maid to help you work out what to wear tonight…”

“For dinner?”

“Dinner and dancing, yes. It’ll be a formal affair.”

I swallowed. I’d never participated in anything that could be called that. I had the dresses for it now, but I didn’t know if I’d hold myself the right way. Or use the right cutlery. Or dance well enough not to make a fool of myself. I never had managed to sneak in a lesson.

He smiled softly, probably feeling all that through the bond. “It’s just us, Finley. No one else will be permitted in the same room. You can be yourself with me, always. Save being someone different for when you address the villages.”

“I’m very me, actually, when I address the villages.”

“That is true. And it works very well.” He swooped me up again, nuzzling my neck as he did so.

“I can walk,” I murmured, wrapping my arm around his neck and leaning into his warmth.

“My dragon is demanding this closeness, and I want it too. So do you.”

He wasn’t wrong. My animal had calmed somewhat, approving of this treatment, and…honestly, it wasn’t so bad. A girl could get used to being looked after like this.

“You lived up to the book scene, by the way,” I said as he walked. “Including all the orgasms. That was intense.”

“We’re just getting started.” He opened the tower door and handed me the key. “I would have had a copy made for Leala, but the blacksmith was killed, his replacement cleaned waste basins before all this, and I’m not totally sure Leala would hang on to it when she was being rammed from all angles and flogged to boot. So…”

“So here we are.”

A grin worked his lips again. “So here we are. I’ll be up in a while. I’m going to go find your pants and that key. I don’t want some creature smelling your pants and having the wherewithal to search the pockets. They take things of note to their masters, and the demons in this castle would know just what to do with it.”

Cold trickled down my spine. I did not want one of those demons sneaking into my room when I was sleeping. They’d get the jump on me, and that might be all they needed.

“Right, so…dress for…”

“I’ll send Leala up. She’ll have the rundown.” He put his hand on my arm and kissed my cheek. “Rest. Relax. Read. Put your feet up. Let me handle everything.”