A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

“Goddess help us,” I heard, and then Hadriel was there, nude and freshly shifted. “No, please, no,” he said, and in his voice I heard his heart breaking just like mine.

“I can fix this,” I said, cutting the ropes and catching Hannon as he fell. “I can fix this.”

Hannon gargled, trying to speak.

“No, Hannon, don’t talk. Save your strength. I can fix this!” Tears poured down my face. “Please, goddess, help me fix this!”

“I’ll hold him, Finley,” Hadriel said, his hand pushed to Hannon’s middle to keep his insides put. “I’ll hold him. Carry us to the tent.”

“No. I can’t. What if—”

“Carry us both, damn it,” he shouted, taking a bloody Hannon into his arms. “You can do it. You have to do it. He won’t survive if you don’t.”

“Okay,” I said, stepping back to make room. “Okay.”

A creature charged me, but I didn’t even flinch. I kept backing up as Nyfain burst forward, crashing into the enemy and killing it in no time. He’d said he would protect me. I’d taken him at his word.

My dragon pushed to the surface and took over, filling the space and then delicately reaching down with her mouth open. Hadriel tucked himself and Hannon in, one hand on Hannon’s middle, the other on his neck. There was blood everywhere, all down Hannon’s clothes, dripping onto the ground, dripping into our mouth.

I can fix this, I thought, willing it to be true. He’s a shifter even if he’s never shifted. He’s strong. He might not heal quickly, but he’s strong. He’ll hang on. He knows he has to hang on, for our sakes if not his own.

My dragon didn’t comment, focused on keeping her mouth soft. She wouldn’t have really cared if she’d accidentally killed that woman, but this was different. This was Hannon and Hadriel. She couldn’t mess up. She couldn’t afford to have an oops.

Even still, she flew faster than she ever had in her life. She pushed hard, cutting through the sky, keeping low so it wouldn’t take as long to land. Once in the garden, she touched down next to the body of the demon dressed as a guard, which appeared undisturbed, and gently lowered Hadriel to the ground.

“Hurry, Finley,” Hadriel said, cradling Hannon. “He’s not moving. His pulse is so faint…”

I shifted back. “It’s okay.” I sprinted to the tent. “Fuck, the fucking water isn’t hot. It’s fine. This is fine. I’ve been nearly dead a million times. I always came back. He can come back.”

I heard wings as I made room on the worktable right near the fire pit.

“Finley.”

It was Vemar. The guy could always be counted on to show up in a bind and save the day.

He had to save the day if I couldn’t.

“Vemar, hurry!” I put kindling onto the mostly cold coals before stirring things around to spark it up a bit.

“What do you need, Strange Lady?” he said, jogging into the tent.

“Build up this fire. Quick as you can. I need hot water.”

He took one look at the coals and said, “Fuck that. I’ll fly back to the castle. I’ll be back in two shakes.”

“Don’t get killed by a demon,” I yelled after him. “Some of them are dressed as guards.”

“Do I look that stupid?” And he shifted and took to the sky.

Moving my hands fast but not enough so to make mistakes, taking deep breaths as often as I could think of it, I moved around the table I’d come to know.

“How’re we doing?” I yelled out, putting the ingredients I needed into a mortar and grabbing the pestle.

When I didn’t hear a response, I yelled again.

“Hadriel? How is he doing? Tell him to hold on!”

Still no answer. My heart was beating too quickly. Sweat coated my forehead.

“Good enough,” I muttered, stepping out to look for Vemar. I noticed wings in the sky immediately, coming this way. I turned toward Hannon, and then my whole world drained of color.

A weight filled my chest as I jogged over, finding Hadriel curled up around him, rocking back and forth. Hannon’s head hung back awkwardly. His hands were splayed out to the sides, limp.

“He just needs a heartbeat,” I said as I fell down next to them, grabbing his wrist. No pulse. “Damn it, Hadriel, get out of the way!”

I tore Hadriel off him, ignoring his racking sobs and the wide tracks of tears down his cheeks. Trying to remember to breathe, trying to be as good at this as Hannon, I quickly laid him out. His neck was gaping, no longer bleeding. I could see his insides through the gashes in his stomach.

“Oh goddess, Hannon, oh…” I shook my head as wind from Vemar’s wings washed over me. He dropped a shining metal canister to the ground before landing and shifting. “Come on, Hannon. Don’t give up yet. Don’t give—”