A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 2)

I ripped Hadriel away. He rolled across the floor, not much better at falling than he was at fighting. I shoved Female Twin against the wall and laid into her, stabbing multiple times in quick succession.

I felt the presence of the other being closing in behind me. A glance revealed that he was readying to slash me with his claws. In a moment of pure genius that I couldn’t have planned if I’d tried, I ducked and rolled. His hand sailed through the air, nearly raking across the slumping center of Female Twin. I popped back up and stepped forward, stabbing him in the back and dragging my blade across his spine. Steel hit bone. Damn, it was good to be super strong.

I pulled the blade free, adjusted my positioning, and got it right this time, sinking the blade into Feathers’ kidney. Then, because this was good practice, I dropped the dagger and palmed his chin the way Nyfain had taught me. I grabbed his head with my other hand and ripped up and to the side. The vicious crack gave me chills. He bonelessly slid to the ground.

Nice! my animal thought. Now you’re not so embarrassing.

I had to agree.

I retrieved my dagger and advanced on Female Twin. She groaned, struggling to stay to her feet. Fire still pumped through me. More power came in steady gushes—Nyfain’s dragon was going a little overboard, and my animal was not sending any back. The thrill of it sang in my blood. It filled me to bursting, stretching my skin.

I let out an inhuman sound, like a baby animal roaring, and struck her again with my dagger. It wasn’t enough violence, though. The rage burning in me was almost a palpable thing. Was this what the dragon felt all the time? Because it was intense.

I pulled the dagger back, dropped it to the ground, and grabbed her person. I ripped her into the air, held her over my head—because it basically felt like she weighed nothing—and tossed her from the open window. She didn’t even scream as she sailed, likely already dead. I rounded on the others, thinking of doing the same thing, when my heart fluttered. It left my body for a moment, then returned to beat. Left it again, and returned.

Nyfain was on the scene. He was coming in hot.

“Unlock the door, or it’ll get busted,” I said, a thrill of excitement coursing through me. I grabbed my dagger, used one of the demon’s shirts to clean it, and stowed it in its sheath.

Hadriel stopped staring at me with a slack jaw and moved to get up.

Too late.

The door blasted open, ripped from the hinges. The wood thunked as it crashed down, nearly hitting him.

Nyfain’s powerful frame filled the doorway. His eyes glowed, and I felt his power fill both of us. His dragon lurked near the surface, his presence throbbing. Man and beast set eyes on me as he crossed the space in a rush and wrapped me in his arms.

“Are you hurt?” He pulled me away a little to look down my front. Blood splattered my new top, heavier in some places than others.

“No. It’s not mine.”

He half turned me to look at my back before nodding and pulling me tightly against him again. I felt his shudder as he took a deep breath.

“Come on. Let’s get you back to your room.” He swung me up to carry me. “Get this cleaned up,” he told Hadriel. “Dispose of the bodies. Try to conceal their deaths if you can.”

“Easy for you to say,” Hadriel muttered, looking at the bodies. “They aren’t bleeding all over your floor. Hey!”

Nyfain stopped in the doorway and turned.

Hadriel met my eyes. “Thanks, Finley. I don’t know if they would’ve actually killed me, but they were certainly considering it. You saved me from a really bad night.”

“No problem,” I said. “Next time you get in trouble, just go ahead and scream again, and I’ll come help.”

“Oh great, yeah. Rub salt in the wound,” he muttered.

Nyfain walked past the onlookers that had pushed to the other side of the hall with wide eyes. Continuing down the hall, he held me tightly. My eyes drifted shut, our combined power still thrumming in my middle. His scent tantalized my senses, calling to me. His heat bled through my flesh.

I grazed my lips from the base of his neck on up, stopping by his ear and doing everything in my power not to run my tongue along the outside of his earlobe. He took the stairs quickly, and anger burned through what was left of his fear. He’d been afraid for my safety, something I hadn’t felt when in the thick of things. And now…

At the tower, he didn’t put me down, but held his hand out. He wanted the key.