A Queen of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales 4)

“Wise,” Weston said softly. “Well, believe me when I say that I would have done everything possible to help secure her and this kingdom. My honor dictated at least that much. But if I’d had a pack to go back to, I would’ve given you a definite departure date.”

“Be that as it may, Weston understood that the might of our army is no small thing, Finley. We all know what he brings to the table there.”

“And the number of village wolves who are now in his pack,” I said, now seeing all the nuances of this conversation. “You guys have been circling each other this whole time.”

“You really don’t know anything about shifter life, do you?” Weston asked me with awe in his voice. “I know you’ve said it, but…”

“A lot of the shifters in this kingdom don’t,” Nyfain said with no ounce of humor. “For years, no one could shift or even feel their animals. After a while, they stopped talking about it, I gather. Instead of teaching their children the meaning of being a shifter, they struggled through sickness and famine, change and fear. This kingdom is not a clean slate, it is a broken one, and we must mend it and create anew all at the same time. But forgive me. You had some questions?”

Weston was watching Nyfain intently again. “They might not know the ways of shifters, but you seem very well versed in shifter ways as well as those of a court and crown.”

“Very well versed. My fa—the late king gave me a solid education on such things. Sometimes it was trial by fire. But I am well armed for the political circuit, my mother even more so. We just need to get our financials up to speed.”

Weston leaned forward, and I got the impression this was another battle between the two men.

“You’ll follow through with giving Finley equal power? I saw it just now, but then, she wasn’t really pushing back, since you were angling for that decision anyway.”

“I will.” A smile played on Nyfain’s lips. “I have to. If I ever fuck up, I’m counting on her to set me straight. She has an extensive knowledge of poison, I recently learned. It isn’t something I want to test.”

Weston jerked back as though slapped. “You certainly don’t speak like any king I have met. Nor any alpha.”

The mirth drained out of Nyfain. “At one time in my life, I was the prince you’d likely expect, pompous and arrogant. The crush of the curse changed my perspective on a lot of things. But Finley’s the one who will bring balance to the kingdom. I’m giving her the power now without formality. It’ll be concrete as soon as I take the throne.”

“Where will I fit in here? I’ve heard this kingdom typically has a dragon commander, similar to a beta. I must press upon you, though, that I will not answer to Micah. There is a reason alpha wolves and alpha dragons do not typically get along, and while we are doing well to play nice right now, if I have a permanent position, I doubt things will be so smooth.”

“Yes, I’ve noticed the space you give each other.” Nyfain let out a breath as he toyed with my hair. “I made a quick assessment in the last battle. I think it was a wise one, though it’ll bear more thinking about. You rule the ground, Micah rules the sky, and I rule you both.”

“What about me?” I asked. “And Tamara?”

“You’ll do whatever you damn well please regardless of what I say”—he flicked my hair—“and Tamara will do everything in her power to lead the guard and try to keep you alive until I can come to your rescue.”

I huffed. “Just wait. As soon as I have even an inkling of what I’m doing out there, juuust wait. It’ll be me who has to rescue you.”

“You did that already. You rescued the whole damn kingdom. It’s getting old.” He snaked his arms even tighter around me and brushed his smiling lips against my neck and up to my jaw.

My eyes fluttered shut, and I sank into the delicious feel of his muscular body. I tilted my head, moaning softly as his lips slid back down my neck and skimmed across one of his marks before I remembered myself and jolted, snapping my eyes open.

Weston had stood and grabbed the back of his chair. He paused before leaving. “Enjoy yourself, Finley. Don’t worry so much about displaying your affection for each other. It’s good for the kingdom to see that their king and queen are truly in love. It’ll inspire a sense of trust and give them hope.”

He lifted the chair, about to carry it out, but paused and set it down.

“I’m sure you’ll learn this from the former queen’s teachings, but meetings like this usually go down differently. Most of the time they’re about people on the top wanting to show their underlings the height of their pedestal.”