A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)
Nyfain’s tail grazed the middle of our back as he flew overhead, and then he fell in beside us, the early moonlight catching his golden scales. His dragon looked over, giving a huff of fire. The sentiment, whatever it meant, flipped my dragon’s belly. Our chest glowed warm, filled with his proximity. His presence. All our fears and worries eased.
This will definitely take some getting used to, I thought.
Yes, she said, though she didn’t seem too beaten up about it.
The second ship had clearly watched their brethren’s fate in horror and decided they weren’t heroes. The large black vessel was in the process of turning, a slow affair. They wanted to get the fuck out of there.
Too late.
Calia and her sister circled the second ship from a distance again, staying just outside of the magic while Calia pulled it down. This time she worked even faster, and before I knew it, she was lowering her arms, signaling the second ship was open for destruction.
Nyfain led the charge, roaring as he descended on the ship and blasted it with fire. The others went after him. Micah wasn’t with them, which suggested he’d stayed behind to oversee the ruination of the first ship.
Our dragons ran their tails through the sides and filled the space with fire. Flame billowed out and up in no time. Demons dove into the water to get away, only to be scooped up into the jaws of dragons and crunched.
I’m glad I’m a dragon and not someone prone to getting attacked by them, I thought as I watched the fast and brutal destruction of the ship. The wolves wouldn’t even get a chance to play their part. There would be nothing left for them to attack.
Nyfain returned to us before the destruction was complete, flying in front of us and flicking his tail against our neck as he passed. My dragon followed him, finding her place at his side. He checked on the other ship, finding it engulfed in flames and half sunk. Either the explosions or the cannons’ misfires had punched enough holes in the lower deck to send it down to a watery grave. Dragons circled it like carrion birds, some of them swooping down to pluck an escaping demon out of the waters and end its struggles.
Matters were clearly well in hand, and after a glance at the other ship, also in flames, he turned back to our ship.
Calia and her sister are definitely secret weapons, my dragon mused as she soared lazily at Nyfain’s side, a victor without having done anything. And they should remain secret. We don’t want to reveal our hand. You need to make sure Nyfain the human knows that.
I will. I would just like it to be known, though, that I’ve always known it would be beneficial to have faeries on our side.
Any idiot would know that. She paused. Also, I did plenty. I held my position as a figurehead and led the charge.
Sure, yeah. Great job…leading the charge.
She huffed at me, and I smiled to myself. It relieved me to know that we honestly hadn’t been needed. Not even the wolves had been needed. Without a proper deterrent, the demons hadn’t stood a chance on a couple of wooden ships in the open water.
Nyfain beat his wings over the faerie ship, waiting for me to land and shift. I did so very delicately so as not to incite his rage. After being the reason he’d left one battle for the other, I didn’t want to exacerbate matters. Or get a lecture from anyone else, like his mom, who was watching my every move.
He landed next, shifting and walking toward me as Urien and Leala met us with clothes to change into. The azure dragon touched down before he reached me.
“Damn it,” I said between my teeth as Leala helped me get a slip on. His mother wasn’t done with me yet.
She’s probably going to push you to take a test so we can know for certain we’re carrying Nyfain’s child, my dragon thought.
A shiver swept over my flesh as Nyfain stepped close to me, slinging his arm around my waist. My dragon was probably right. I needed to take the “probably” out of things, for Nyfain and for me.
I turned toward him and ran my palms up his hard chest. He pulled me in close, dipping his head to run his lips against mine.
“Are you ready, Nyfain?” I met his eyes as I hooked my arms around his neck. “Do you want to find out if you’re going to be a daddy?”
THIRTY-TWO
Nyfain
My mom and Finley worked in the galley of the ship, done arguing for the moment. The resolution to their (long) argument about whose concoction for verifying if a woman was with child was better was that they’d each make their own. Finley would use them both.