A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales – B&tB Book 2)

The hush of the library greeted me, carrying that sweet must of books yet unread and journeys yet untaken. I’d brought two books back, the one I’d just finished and the one Nyfain had left in my room before his freak-out about the tea.

I climbed the ladder in the fantasy-adventure section and slipped the book Nyfain had given me into its home, organized alphabetically by the author’s last name. Once there, I looked down the rail and wondered if I could move the ladder while on it. That would be handy.

I climbed down and put away the other book, near the bottom, before sliding the ladder over and pausing. I didn’t feel like another adventure. Instead, I might try…

I lifted my hands and moved them through the air, turning a little as I did so, feeling light and carefree. Damn it, I loved this place. It spoke to my soul. The pages whispered to me, begging me to pluck them from the shelves and settle in to devour them.

“How about a good mystery?” I murmured, finding those stacks and pulling the ladder to the center. “No. A cozy mystery. Maybe a little humor might do the trick.”

Who are you talking to? my animal asked. It better not be that invisible crowd again.

I’m talking to myself. Butt out.

If you crack up, what happens to me?

You’ll feel right at home, I thought dryly.

I’m bored.

Well, tonight we go into the snake pit. I’ll need you on deck.

I know. I can’t wait. Let’s go find that woman with the dildo and see what she’s up to. Or Leala. She’s obviously wild. I want to see. Although curiosity is only okay if it won’t get us killed.

The demons wouldn’t kill us.

I slid my hands across the volumes, taking one out and skimming the pages. I stopped, reading a line. Too somber. I put the book back.

“I’m going to need to keep track of the ones I’ve read. I’ll never be able to remember all these titles,” I murmured.

The demons don’t care about us, my animal said. They care about Nyfain. And despite his current, rather peculiar issues, he cares about you. They would absolutely kill you to piss him off.

I hadn’t thought about it that way.

I pulled down another book, and then another. Not finding anything that way, I started reading synopses. After all, that frog book was fantastically boring. I was reading it, just to know more about frogs, but I wasn’t enjoying it. I was mostly using it to put myself to sleep.

Hadriel’s voice floated through the space, coming from around the corner. “Knock once if you’re in trouble, twice if you’re dead.”

“Hilarious,” I called out, descending the ladder with a book in hand. In the end, I’d just grabbed one.

Hadriel wasn’t smiling like I’d expected, his expression instead flat and his lips drawn.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

He lifted his eyebrows. “Nothing. Find something?”

I handed it off and headed to the second story. “I want to see what information I can find concerning plants. It can’t hurt to expand my plant knowledge. Something might help me flesh out the crowded nulling elixir.”

“Over there is where I got a gardening book.” He pointed down the way. “But for everlass, they might keep it somewhere else. I don’t know. I’m not an expert on this library.”

“Don’t even suggest I ask Nyfain.”

“I wasn’t going to. I hate suggesting things that are then ignored. How much failure does a person need in his life? I don’t need any more complexes.”

When I didn’t find it with the gardening section, I searched my brain, came up empty, and realized I might have to draw a map of the library laying out the different sections. It was simply too large to keep track of everything otherwise. What an amazing problem to have.

I didn’t allow Hadriel’s glance at the darkening windows to rush me. I took my time, looking at the spines and trying to date the books based on their appearance. I randomly pulled down volumes and leafed through them, just to feel the breeze from the pages. A sublime grin settled on my lips, and I continued mooning around the balcony of the large room like a lovesick dummy. This library was literally to die for. It was absolutely amazing. More than anything, I wished I could meet the queen who had clearly put such love into this corner of her world.

Anger burned in my gut at the thought of the king mistreating her. Of him squashing her will and her dreams. I obviously couldn’t be sure about that, but it stood to reason. Then, finally, she threw in the towel. Now her son was trying to do the same thing. He fought each night, not hoping to one day lead, but waiting to die.

I wiped away a tear that slipped down my face. The story of the kingdom hit me right in the gut. Nyfain’s pain squeezed my heart. He hadn’t done anything to deserve all this. None of us had. It wasn’t fair that we had to endure it, no end in sight.

No, that wasn’t true. There was an end in sight. Because I was going to do what I’d set out to do long ago—cure this kingdom of that demonic sickness. When I did, the demon king would surely show up. And then we’d see what I was made of. I wouldn’t escape to free myself as Nyfain hoped, though. I’d figure out a way to save this place for good. I wasn’t the type to run. I was the type to fight. And I’d do so for all.

“What’s happening?” Hadriel asked, following behind me as I reached the section on magic and magical types.

“I’m looking for a book.”

“You are pumping power out all around you, and it’s waking up my wolf, and it feels really great, but he is incredibly frustrated and confused at being trapped.”

“Is he an asshole like mine is?” I put the book back and kept looking.

“He’s not an alpha, so no. He’s more helpful than anything. I never knew what it was truly like to be alone until he was suppressed. I think that was the hardest to bear at first. And now…there are other things to fill the gap.”

“Like gardening.”

“Exactly like gardening. And looking after you, doll, which is not proving to be the easiest task I have undertaken.”

“Milady?” Leala walked into the library. “Oh!”

I glanced down as she turned toward me, smiling.

“I wondered if you wanted dinner delivered to your room?” she asked. “Or, if you leave now, you could sit for it, if you like.”

In all the time I’d been in the castle, I had never sat at a table and eaten dinner like a normal person. I’d always been racing the clock, trying to get everything done before the demons came out. And while I was about ready to take a stand regarding that, tonight wasn’t the night. I wanted to get to bed early so I could be up at the right time to harvest.

“Up to my room would be great, thanks. I won’t be too much longer.”

“Yes, milady.” She gave me a fluid curtsy and walked from the library.

I took down another book to read the synopsis.

“Well. If you don’t need me for anything?” Hadriel stepped away.

“No, you’re good. What sort of party is on for tonight?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. I’m exhausted. I brought up that book on gardening earlier, and I’m going to read that before I hit the sack.”

“Quite the fuddy-duddy lately, Hadriel.”

“Thankfully.” He hefted the book I’d given him. “I’ll drop this by your room.”

“Thanks.”

“Yep.” He headed off, leaving me alone. I continued to peruse, finding two more books of interest, and made my way back to the lower level. Night was brushing against the windows. Soon the demons would emerge, ready to cause mischief and feed on the emotions of their prey.

I took a last wander through the stacks, thinking about going into the hidden room for one more book. I still had the one that I’d planned to write notes about for Nyfain. I hadn’t finished, having kept so busy these last few weeks, and didn’t really want to. I actually didn’t want to think about romance at all at the moment.

As I turned, a faint whiff caught my attention. A hint of pine infused with lilac, sprinkled with honeysuckle.

My head snapped around so fast that I thought it might fall off. Two golden eyes looked at me from between the plant and the tapestry. Suddenly Hadriel’s flat expression and Leala’s surprised “oh!” made all kinds of sense. He’d been here the whole time. Why hadn’t I checked?

He didn’t speak. I lifted my chin, not planning to, either. But, damn it, curiosity got the better of me.

“What are you reading?”

He glanced toward his lap, where he surely held a book. “Destined Hearts. From my mother’s book room.”

My muscles locked up. I’d been ready to head out of the room, but now I wanted to see what the book was about. Curiosity got the better of me again.

I crossed to him with brusque movements, moving around the tapestry. He lay on the lounger with a throw blanket over his legs, pulled up past his waist. His customary T-shirt was black today, faded from years of use, with little holes dotting the seams in the shoulders. The blanket tented over his cock.

“It’s steamy, then?” I put out my hand for the book. He held out his free hand for the ones I was holding.

I rolled my eyes, but I made the exchange.

“No,” he answered, that delicious voice scrambling my thoughts. “No on-page sex in this one. It isn’t the book that has caused my hard-on. It’s you. My cock has been like this since you entered the library.” He said it matter-of-factly, no opinion on the subject.

I took the cue and didn’t engage, reading the back of the book. A sweeping love story of two people from different worlds.

Fantastic. Nice reminder.

“Your mother’s garden has a problem with the soil,” I said. “You’ve been singing in it, right? Lamenting her loss?”

His jaw went slack. He looked like a man who’d just heard a fortune-teller reveal a secret that no one knew. Confusion bled through the link. Unease.

“If you want a real thrill,” I said, “grab a book about Syfloras. You’ll find it in the gardening section. You might pick up a new trick or two.”

“How did you know?”

I grabbed the books back and hefted them. “I read. I know things. Why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugged uncomfortably. “My mother clearly kept it from me for a reason. I figured I wasn’t any good at it. I only knew what it was from the faeries. They’d planned to teach me to use it, but…”

“Not any good at it…” I huffed. “You and your lies. Is all your life one big lie?”

“It’s starting to feel that way. I honestly didn’t think it was worth mentioning. The faeries thought I had untrained talent, at best. They looked down their noses at me, only agreeing to teach me because I also brought the everlass with me.”

“Well, the singing works. Please stop singing sad songs in the queen’s garden. If you need to lament, do it in the Forbidden Wood. Or, better yet, think of happy times. That would probably help more. Good night. I hope your dick rots off.”

Okay, sure, that last bit was childish and overboard. I knew that. But he hadn’t even acknowledged what an ass he’d been yesterday, and now he was reading that book and talking about hard-ons and… I mean…who the fuck was he kidding?

My dinner was waiting for me in my room, Leala with it, ready to set it up and make sure I was taken care of before she left the key and excused herself for the night.

“Thank you, Leala,” I told her as she opened the door. “For everything. You’ve been a blessing.”

She smiled at me. “Thank you, milady, for showing up and disrupting our lives. I can’t express how much it was needed.”

I ate dinner in silence and then stared out the window for a while, unable to read. My thoughts boiled. Flares of rage and aggression pushed through the link, Nyfain out hunting, his dragon taking control. My animal crouched in her blackness, saying very little.

Why are you so quiet? I asked as I readied for bed.

I’m saving my energy. I’ve felt the change in you. You’re about ready to take your fate into your own hands instead of letting the alpha lead you around by the nose. You’re going to need me.

I thought you liked the alpha leading me around by the nose.

Sexually? Yes. Very much. But this feels like something different. I’m ready.

I gazed out the window as stars twinkled overhead. The moon was half-full, a reminder of my status. Any day now and this whole “with child” thing would be behind us. All of us.

I tucked myself into bed and set the little wind-up clock to wake me when it was time to do my job. Not my duty, not the thing that had been affixed to me without anyone asking for my opinion on the matter, but something I chose for myself. It meant more that way.

The clock chimed at three o’clock in the morning. It took a mere moment for me to become fully awake.

I ate the last of the bread and cheese from dinner, the bread heading toward stale at this point, and drank down the rest of the water. Hydration, very important.

I grabbed the clothes I’d set out before bed, Eliza having made a few garments that could conceal various weapons. These, with their pretty little flowers and a few dizzy patterns, would draw the eye away from the side of the thigh where the dagger hung. I didn’t want the demons to know that I was armed. The hunter used different tactics when he knew the prey could fight back.

The pocketknife went into my pocket, just in case. The throwing knives would have to stay home with the sword that I was utter shit with.

I listened at the door before I clicked over the lock. My animal waited near the surface, bleeding power through my bloodstream.

The dragon will know something is up, she said as I pulled open the door. Nothing waited for me.

Will he suspect what I’m up to?

He won’t. Not sure about the man.

Likely. It was early for him to return, though. He wouldn’t want to leave part of the kingdom unchecked. Which meant I’d best hurry. I really didn’t want him to play hero tonight. I was tired of feeling like someone was always looking over my shoulder, no matter how dangerously sexy he was.

A shout and a squeal drifted my way on the third-floor landing. Merriment. On the second floor, I heard singing drift up from somewhere below. A guitar strummed a clusterfuck of chords. They needed more classes.

It wasn’t until I was halfway to the back door that the unmistakable sounds of people getting it on caught my attention. Grunting and panting followed the slap of leather.

I slowed and flattened against the wall, looking both ways down the hall to make sure no one else was wandering around. I edged toward the slice of candlelight spilling out into the hallway and peeked around the corner, wanting to ensure no one was around to follow me.

A woman stood in the center of the room, her hands spread up and wide, bound above her head, and her ankles apart and secured to the ground, the ropes affixed to other parts of the room. She was only given a little room to bend at the waist, which she did now, dangling with a large blindfold covering her eyes and half her face. An incubus stood behind her with a leer and a leather tool of some kind in his hand, the end a collection of little leather strips.

As I watched, he slapped her ass with the whip thing, the crack ringing out.

“Oh! Yes, Daddy,” the woman said in a sultry voice, and holy shit, it sounded like Leala.

“You filthy little slut,” the man said huskily, swinging the tool again. The leather tips slapped her ass again, and she jumped.

“Hmm, yes.”

Crack.

“Oh, Daddy, more. I’ve been naughty.”

Great goddess, my animal thought.

I stared with wide eyes. Where were the imaginary pearls I’d brought to the castle? I needed to clutch them.

The man with the leather strap advanced on the woman who had to be Leala, dipping low, his cock erect and ready. He thrust up and obviously in.

“Take it all, you greedy slut,” the man said. He reached around and grabbed her nipple, twisting it, rough and vicious. The action drew sounds of pain from the bound woman…but they quickly turned to whimpers of pleasure.

She slackened against her binding, her mouth pulling into a smile. “Hmm, yes, Daddy, punish me.”

The man licked his palm and then slapped the woman on the ass. A moment later, he reached around and did the same to her breast. She cried out, and then the sound reduced into a heady moan.

“I think we’d better get the nipple clamps,” he said, thrusting rhythmically.

“Or how about the hot wax…”

Nope, I thought. I’m not cut out for these shenanigans. I need those pearls.

The second he pulled out and ducked to the side to grab whatever torture device she wanted, I hurried by. She couldn’t see me, and he had his focus elsewhere.

Down the hall a ways, the door came into sight—but so did shapes off to the right, in a shadow by the bench. This must’ve been a favorite spot, because this was where Nyfain and I had seen the people in furry costumes. That, or it was the same couple and this was their hangout.

A nude man was on his knees, bent over a bench. The head housekeeper crouched behind him, wearing that leather halter that exposed her boobs and the briefs with the strapped-on purple dildo. Given she wasn’t directly getting pleasure, she was free to pound him while looking around the hall. I’d be noticed in an instant.

Side door? I thought.

Just go. Who is she going to tell? Leala is tied up, and Hadriel isn’t out. Nyfain probably already knows, and he’s not here anyway. Unless you think she’ll tell a demon?

I doubted she’d tell a demon.

I took a deep breath and went for it. Worst case, she’d go find Hadriel, and he’d come out and try to talk me into going back to my room. Which wasn’t going to happen.

I walked forward as if I owned the place, my head held high and my steps purposeful. The man’s grunting and moaning didn’t stop, a good sign.

Outside the door, the night air cleared my mind. The slow throb of crickets rose and fell all around me. Closer to the everlass field, the trees shook gently within the light breeze. Moss covered stumps and a light floral aroma filled my senses. No unusual scents wove through the natural tapestry.

“Okay, friends,” I murmured to myself, feeling the tension drain from my shoulders. “Let’s get to work, shall we?”

Can you just talk to me rather than your imaginary friends? my animal thought. I mean, fuck, woman, did you have no friends growing up?

Very few, actually. They all thought I was too weird and played too rough. Even the boys. Then we got older and I was definitely too weird and played too rough, so they buggered off.

Have I ever told you what a sad sack you are?

No, but you’ve sure hinted at it plenty of times.

She grunted as I grabbed the trays and set them out next to the field. When everything was set up, I let my mind drift as I harvested, pausing near the crowded plants to run my fingers over their leaves.

“I think you might be my favorite type of everlass,” I told them, taking a note from Nyfain and his mom and talking to them directly. I felt ridiculous. I was sure my animal thought I sounded foolish, too. “When the situation is dire, you save the day. Mess with you, though, or use you without caution, and you kill a bitch. If I had a mascot, it would definitely be you.”

I moved on, picking the healthiest leaves and pulling and dropping those that were losing their luster.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like the rest of you, too. How dare the faeries call you weeds, am I right? Nyfain’s ex planned to mate for the privilege of having you at her disposal! And they call you weeds? Fuckers. They’re just jealous. If I had my way, I’d rub your awesomeness in their faces and withhold you until they gave you the respect you deserve.” I paused in thought. “I wonder if they even get you anymore now that the demon king has hidden us with the curse. Nyfain is the one who looks after everything. He wouldn’t willingly help the demons, and even if he was forced to help unwillingly, he doesn’t seem to put anything to the side for the demons to take. Though I suppose…” I filled two trays and started working on the third. “The demon king wouldn’t want to give the faeries access to a healing plant. He’d prefer to thin the herd, so to speak. Though I’m sure they figured something else out. Besides, there are dragons in the wolf kingdom—one of the wolf kingdoms, anyway. I can’t remember if Nyfain said which one. I wonder why they are there and not here? Seems strange. I have to go digging through the library to see if there are any recent histories or anything. The queen would probably want a book about her homeland. Or maybe the king wouldn’t let her…”

Third tray done, I picked one of them up and headed off to the shed. I didn’t have the strength Nyfain did. I couldn’t carry two at a time.

“Crazy about a dragon’s dick size, am I right?”

Are you talking to me? my animal asked.

I shrugged. I had always talked to myself when working gardens and plants and things. It was nice to break the silence. Having someone who actually heard the thoughts was a new thing.

“Sure,” I said.

Great goddess, you’re weird, she replied.

New, but not necessarily great…

“Nyfain is huge. I don’t think I could handle any bigger. Fitting him in my mouth is a trial. And he’s just a little above average for a dragon? Can you imagine the monstrosity of a big-dicked dragon?”

My animal stretched in delight, clearly picking and choosing the parts of my speech she cared about. Namely, fitting Nyfain in my mouth.

Lust sparked down deep, because now I was thinking the same thing. Soon the feeling turned into an uncomfortable knot of longing as I remembered him earlier, all snuggly on the lounger, reading. He’d looked content in a way that bespoke many hours in that exact spot, his little reading nook. And now, because of me, he was reading a new genre, a genre I hadn’t known many men to enjoy. Not even Hannon read my books. It was so…sweet, a word I wouldn’t normally associate with him.

I missed the letters we’d exchanged when we were apart. If we could just communicate that way, maybe things would smooth out a little.

Then again, I missed touching him, also. Kissing him. Letters wouldn’t be enough. It had only been a day, and the longing ate through my middle. His very presence was an aphrodisiac, and being at odds with him dampened my spirits.

Stupid brooding, moody men prone to hysterics. He was messing with my mojo.

A hoarse scream rang through the night. I paused halfway to the workroom with the tray in hand, tilting my head to listen. Another scream, followed by a shout to stop.

I set down the tray and jogged back out, listening. At the next shout, I was running. It sounded like Hadriel, and it was not because of pleasure.

“No, no, no, no, please!” he yelled, blind terror in his voice.

Around the corner, I saw the issue. Hadriel was leaning backward out of a third-story window, held by someone. If that someone let go, he’d fall. Given he’d be falling headfirst or near enough, he wouldn’t survive.

“No, please! I’m just taking a night off. I’ll be back to shame-fucking tomorrow, I promise,” Hadriel said in a clumsy string of words, fear slurring his speech.

Demons, then, not pleased about the change in status quo.

Fire rolled through me. I increased my speed to a sprint for the back door. Once inside, I ran through the castle, straight for the stairs and up. I’d never been to Hadriel’s room, but I could gauge his location from where I’d seen the window. Down the hall and around the corner, though, and his shouts were all I needed.

Two men and three women crowded the hall outside his room, looking frightened and wringing their hands. Their faces were vaguely familiar, but I hadn’t officially met them. They clearly didn’t plan on helping.

I slowed to a stop just outside of the room, breathing heavily.

Protect him, my animal growled, dumping power into my body.

No shit. But I can’t just barge in or they might let him go.

I assumed a casual air and walked in, pushing the door open wider as I did so. A male and female demon had their hands on Hadriel, holding him outside of the window. Another male stood close by with a big grin on his face. He snuffled, soaking up Hadriel’s terror.

Recognition unfurled within me as I registered their scent.

The demon from the other night, my animal said, meaning the creature on the other side of my door. The other two were the ones from the grounds.

“What’s going on in here?” I asked in an unaffected tone.

The demon that had been outside of my door startled and looked my way. He hadn’t heard or smelled me come in.

Red eyes in a waxy oval face gave him an inhuman quality. His nose was mostly flat and his hair resembled a bird’s undercoat of feathers.

“Your human shell needs work, buddy. You look a mess,” I said.

The other demons slowly pulled Hadriel back into the room. His chest rose and fell quickly, his face incredibly pale and his eyes rounded. They didn’t give up their hold on him, and my animal coiled in rage.

I sauntered in farther. If they tried to flip Hadriel out, I wanted to be close enough to grab him.

“I know your smell…” Feathers snuffed the air, his smile resulting in pointed teeth.

“Yuck. You’re ugly.” I stopped and looked around the quaint interior. “Not much to this room, huh, Hadriel? Not even a fitting reading chair.”

Feathers kept his eyes on me as he crossed to the door. He closed it, his eyes gleaming.

“I smelled your fear the other night, little girl,” he said, and a spark of pain flared in my middle.

My animal answered with a gush of power. She snarled just below the surface. Shit was about to go down, and if I didn’t rise to the challenge, she would.

I had no problem rising to the challenge.

“You might want to lock it, too.” I winked at him. “I wouldn’t want you escaping.”

“You wouldn’t want us escaping…” he repeated, apparently thinking that was just hilarious. He twisted the lock on the door. “I will feed on your fear and your pain as you slowly die.”

“Promises, promises.”