A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

He slowed his horse’s walk a little, his anger curling through the bond.

“It’s fine,” I said, wanting to reach out and put my hand on his shoulder. I didn’t dare, though. I was liable to lean too far and fall off. “I can’t really blame them.”

“They will not show disrespect to my mate and their princess,” he said as a wolf’s song drifted out of the wood behind us. Another rose up, a warning weaving through the melody.

“We’ve got trouble,” Hadriel said, pulling his leg from over his horse and jumping off. “We’re being attacked. I feel it through the bond.”

“So soon?” Hannon asked, jumping down from his horse as well. He might’ve done better to stay on, since he still couldn’t shift, but he didn’t have much experience on horseback, let alone while fighting.

Nyfain’s boots hit the ground, and Urien trotted his horse up quickly before meeting him there, taking his clothes and jewelry as he quickly shed them.

“He must know striking soon and hard would be to his advantage,” Nyfain said as my feet hit the ground. “He can’t afford to let us get our feet under us, or for me to officially assume the crown and have to report to the council too soon. It’s a good play.”

“It’s a fucking attack,” I said as Leala hastened up with her whip held snugly in its holster at her side. She reached for my clothes.

“Get to the other villages,” Nyfain told me as I stripped out of my pants. “Get everyone to defend their homes. Once you’re done, find me.” He gripped my shoulders for a moment, staring into my eyes. “Stay safe. Protect yourself. Do not take any risks. You hold my heart. Keep it safe.”

“Yes, yes, I got it.”

He kissed me hard. “I love you. Find me.”

With that, he was running, yelling commands at the other dragons as he went. All but two of my guard ran after him, shedding clothes. When Nyfain had the space, he shifted into his large, magnificent dragon. Gold peeked out around the tarnished scales, glittering in the late-evening sun the way it had in the past.

“Let’s go,” I said to Tamara and Jade, who would be accompanying me.

“If I shift, I’ll join the wolves,” Hadriel yelled at me, out of his clothes and looking for the go-ahead.

I gave him a nod, knowing what that meant. His wolf would suck him into Weston’s pack, and he would no longer take commands from me. In this situation, it would be the best place for him. I couldn’t get hung up on it when we needed the hands. Or paws, in this case.

“I’ll help defend our village,” Hannon told me. “I need to get some weapons from the house anyway.”

“You need to start carrying those,” I told him before I started running.

Tamara and Jade fell in with me as dragons up ahead took to the sky, keeping pace with my ground-bound golden prince. Villagers, catching on to what was happening, ran every which way, securing things in their homes, closing doors, or shifting into their animals. Hannon walked through them calmly as if he hadn’t a care in the world. As though danger didn’t faze him and walking into a battle was an everyday occurrence.

When we had some space, I took a running leap and shifted.

You…dickhead, my dragon thought with a grunt, surging up and taking over. Her feet scraped against the ground, pitching her forward as she snapped out her wings and took to the air.

Payback, asshole.

You’ll look just as stupid if I fall on my face.

It never seemed to stop you.

I didn’t wait for the others, who fully stopped to shift. There would be no demons in the sky to bother me. Tamara and Jade could catch up.

My village was already active, so we hurried to the next. Through the trees, I could just make out the shapes of demons running through the darkening wood. They were all headed in one direction: toward Nyfain.

My insides ran cold.

Somehow they knew where to find him. The demon king was making a play to take down his biggest threat. If he brought down Nyfain, he’d bring down the kingdom.

Hurry, I thought. We have to get to him.

I know. But we have to warn everyone, too. We need more help.

My dragon circled the next village, roaring out her warning. Like she had when we first came back, she threaded in a call to rise up in defense of our homes. The people below slowed, looked up, and watched us for a moment as though transfixed. My dragon roared again, shocking them into action.

The villagers scrambled, some stripping down and shifting into their animals immediately, others running for their houses.

On the second circle, Tamara and Jade caught up, fanning out behind me. I didn’t stand on ceremony—which I didn’t actually know anyway—and took off for the next village, quickly outstripping them. My dragon was faster by far, probably owing to the larger wingspan.