A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

I noticed a slight tremor in the prince’s hand as he reached for Finley’s cheek and ran a thumb along her jaw.

“Hurry back,” he told her softly before giving her a lingering kiss. “We have many things to discuss, and we will do so…after we’ve exhausted our efforts with the imprinting.”

Her gaze turned eager as he glanced at me and then turned away, heading back into the castle. Finley gasped, reaching for him, and I saw what she was responding to.

The prince’s back, scarred and covered in tattoos, had two strips of gleaming golden scales carved down each side. Hours ago, they’d been nothing but scars. Neither strip was complete, however—there were patches that showed only old scar tissue. It was like someone had scratched away sections. He hadn’t completely healed with the release of the curse. The other scarring on his body hadn’t gone away at all.

He shivered as she traced parts of the mended scales.

He turned back to her, his eyes intense. “I thought they felt different but…other matters stole my focus.”

“They aren’t complete. But…they’re gold,” she said softly.

He didn’t speak, continuing to look at her for a long moment before his eyes flicked beyond her. He had an audience. He wouldn’t want to shift in front of everyone in case his scales hadn’t returned to their original color. Not to mention his wings might be all jacked up, since the scales were. I’d seen dragons with damaged wings, and it usually showed in the scales on their backs. After spending so much tortured time with the guy, I could now read the prince really well. He wouldn’t want everyone seeing this new facet of himself before he understood what it meant.

“Hurry back to me,” he murmured, and then finished his walk into the castle.

I jogged after him. He probably needed someone to yell at. It always seemed to make him feel better. And after that little powwow, he had some real bad shit to sort through. He’d need someone to take his mind off things, and until Finley could do it, he’d have to settle for his trusty butler.

Mediocrity for the win.

TWO

Finley

“Holy shit, right?” Tamara said as we jogged away from the people gathered around the castle steps. “I never, ever would’ve thought she was still alive. That collection of villages had no idea she was the queen of Wyvern until the curse was lifted. Lucille, did you see how confused they all were at first? Then all the blinking as their brains tried to make sense of everything?”

“She taught me to fly,” I said, still unable to believe it. “She heard my story. She smelled her son on me, saw her sword, and never said anything. It explains why she didn’t want anyone else from Wyvern hanging around, though. Why do you think that is?”

“Yeah, good question,” Lucille said softly as Jade and Xavier, two of the dragons from the old court, joined us. We stopped just inside the tree line, waiting for Weston’s wolves.

“The king was incredibly broken up about her death,” Xavier murmured, stripping in preparation to shift. “Do you think he knew?”

“He must have known,” Jade replied, her green eyes flashing.

“But it was a closed casket funeral,” Tamara said.

“He would’ve wanted to see her,” Jade replied. “It was probably a closed casket because she wasn’t in it.”

“So then why lie to us?” Tamara frowned, anger sparkling in her eyes. “Why lie to her guard? Do you think he was just trying to get the prince home?”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Xavier said.

“The king was crazy, though,” Lucille said. “He wouldn’t have allowed her to leave. If he’d known she was alive, he would’ve followed her and dragged her back.

Xavier shrugged. “Maybe she made a deal—I’ll leave, and it’ll bring back the prince. Him for me.”

“She wouldn’t sacrifice him like that,” Tamara hissed.

“She would if she thought he could leave,” Xavier said. “I doubt anyone would’ve thought the mad king would make a deal with the demon king. She probably figured she could save herself without causing any harm to her son.”

“But why didn’t she age?” I asked, replaying all that had happened, going over all of my dealings with the woman I’d known as Ami. “She and Claudile were affected by that curse even if they weren’t here.”

“First of all, her name isn’t Claudile.” Xavier smirked. “It’s Delaney.”

I grimaced. “And the queen’s name is…”

Tamara and Lucille’s eyes widened. Xavier’s gleamed.

“You don’t know the queen’s name?” Lucille asked.

“I was young when she supposedly died, and I was in one of the smaller and more detached villages,” I replied. “I didn’t know any of their names. I’m sure I would’ve if life had been normal, but they were all supposedly dead by the time I was old enough to retain that kind of information, the court with them, and we were fighting for our lives. It didn’t seem important to know.”