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

I paused halfway down the stairs and ran my fingers across my bare chest.

“What is it, milady?” Leala whispered, coming to stand just a little behind me.

“I should’ve picked out a nicer dress. Or…maybe more makeup. I don’t have any jewels or anything. Should I have worn the dagger? Or maybe the sword?”

Except he looked up then, and the bond filled with such warm softness that I started forward without consciously deciding to. I met him at the bottom, placing my palm in his proffered hand.

“Goddess give me strength, Finley,” he said on a release of breath, his golden eyes taking me in. “You are an absolute vision. Ever the princess locked in her tower.” He bent to kiss me delicately on the corner of the lips so as not to upset my lipstick.

“You clean up very well,” I said, tracing the royal livery collar.

“I haven’t done it in sixteen years. It feels…odd. Like I am trying to step into a past life.”

He held out his hand for the key to the tower. Leala supplied it immediately, curtsied, and headed back up the stairs.

“I have pockets,” he said by way of explanation, dropping the key into his pants pocket.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to worry about locking doors?”

“I’m just glad there’s one place in the castle they can’t access through the hidden passageways. There’s no point in locking any other room. You at least have a semblance of safety.”

He walked me down the next flight of stairs to the ground floor. No one loitered in the large foyer or meandered through the halls. It was too early for the parties by an hour or so, but usually there were a few weirdos bustling about as night descended. Not so now. I wondered if he’d cleared the way for me. If so, I hoped it didn’t have anything to do with him not wanting others to see him taking a common girl to a nice dinner.

The hall arched above us, and two staff members dressed in tuxedoes with white bow ties waited beside a grand double door up ahead. A deep purple rug ran underfoot, and gold etching adorned the walls. The setup screamed royal.

They waited until we got closer before reaching for the handles and pulling the doors open almost in sync.

“It’s been a while since I allowed myself to notice the staffing…errors,” he murmured as we entered a grand room with large oil paintings on the walls and a table that could seat thirty or more. Flower bouquets dotted the surface, along with glowing candelabra. Two places were set at one end, one at the head of the table and the other to its right.

“What do you mean?” I asked as he led me to the place settings.

“Servants here used to go through rigorous training. Perfection was expected and demanded. If a servant couldn’t fulfill the requirements, they were let go or moved to a less strenuous position. All of that has changed, obviously. Most of the current servants haven’t had any training for their positions at all.”

“And they also try to fulfill their duties badly so they don’t get noticed by the demons.”

“That as well, yes. When I dress like this, with you like that, using the finer areas of the castle…these things stand out. It’s…humbling. Frustrating.”

It was sadness, though, that radiated through the bond. Probably sorrow for what had been lost. For a glory he clearly thought he’d never regain.

He stopped by the seat at the head of the table. A guy in the same fancy dress as the others strutted forward. His confidence was somewhat undermined by the way his shirt didn’t quite button over his bulging belly. The arms were too short, and white socks shone under the black trouser legs that didn’t reach his ankles.

He pulled out the finely crafted head chair and waited patiently.

So did I.

Nyfain pulled his arm forward, moving me closer to it.

“Oh,” I said in confusion.

He took a step back.

I put my hand to my chest. “Me?”

“Yes, princess,” Nyfain said softly, his eyes deep and open. “You.”

When he said “princess” this time, it didn’t sound condescending. It sounded like a title.

Goosebumps stood out on my arms as I stepped forward, taking the seat and then waiting for Nyfain to sit beside me.

“Shouldn’t royalty or the person with the highest social standing take the head of the table?” I asked. I couldn’t help it.

“Yes. In this case, it is the person who will make the most difference in this kingdom. When I went off in search of your pants, I met a few people traveling to the nearest everlass field. They were in awe of your knowledge and determination to heal. They’ve taken your deal, by the way. The higher classes will work with the poor to see that the sickest members are treated first, regardless of class. The woman that is typically in charge of healing the village met with Mary…”

“Anne. Maryanne.”

“Right. They are creating a network of healers and trying to educate as many people as possible so that the entirety of the village can help. Much like in your village.”

“It’s the best way.”

“Yes.” His mouth twitched. “And I can only imagine you offered plenty of…encouragement to push the people in your village to work together, as well.”

I opened my mouth to refute the statement, then reconsidered. Could he be right? It was highly likely. I’d been too young to care about social norms and polite conversation, too worried about my mother after losing my nana. I had wanted the death to stop. All of us had. It hadn’t taken much to convince everyone to acknowledge that medicine wasn’t something only gifted to the privileged, not that we’d had many of those in my village. I’d just made them see reason.

Wine was poured in the super-pretty crystal glasses. I reached for the water.

I was sure I wasn’t pregnant. Mostly sure. Mostly hoping I wasn’t, at any rate. I’d taken the tea each night since my argument with Nyfain, and the timing was probably off. Still…better safe than sorry until I knew for sure, if only to keep him from wigging out.

The first course was brought out by Mr. Belly and his helper, the guy who taught watercolors. I wrestled with a smile.

“What?” Nyfain asked as the fancy gold-rimmed bowls were set in front of us.

I waited until the staff had moved away before I told him about Hadriel’s watercolor penises.

He huffed out a laugh, picking up the soup spoon and sliding it sideways across the lip of the bowl before slowly bringing it to his lips. Talk about refined. Suddenly I wasn’t so sure this meal was a great idea. I could pull off a fancy dress with some help from Leala, but I wasn’t so sure I could pull off a fancy meal.

I gave it a go anyway, totally copying him. He paused after a moment, thoughtful, and dipped the spoon how we would’ve at my house.

My stomach pinched, and I set down the spoon.

He followed suit.

“What are you doing?” I asked him, my hand now hovering over the silverware resting in the bowl. Crap, maybe I should’ve put it beside the bowl.

“Following your lead.”

Only he hadn’t looked.

“Why? What do you mean?”

“Finley…I can feel your nervousness and embarrassment. I know this isn’t normally your scene. There’s no one here but me, though. And a few servants who have no fucking clue what they are doing. Please be yourself.”

“It’s just…” I tapped the handle of the spoon. “I…”

“Look.” He picked up the spoon again. “I think we can both agree that I don’t spend much time acting in a way befitting someone of my rank. Even when I try, my dragon makes shit of it. I’m swearing at the table. Surely this is enough to make you feel comfortable eating a meal in my presence? I’ll save the polite eating for when I’m trying to tease moans out of you, how is that?”

A flash of lust slithered across my flesh. “Okay.”

We resumed eating, and although I didn’t dwell on all the things I was surely doing wrong, I did pay more attention to how I went about it. I’d be damned if I’d drip food all over my fancy dress.

“This is one of our more casual dining areas, anyway,” he said, looking around. “It’s as small as we have.”

“No quiet family dinners, then?”

“Not for our immediate family, no. My dad and mom…didn’t occupy the same space if they didn’t have to.”

“I get why your mom felt that way, but didn’t your dad like your mom?”

His smile had no humor. “She might’ve technically been a noble, but she was from a mountain village in a wolf’s kingdom. She wasn’t much better than a commoner in his eyes. They didn’t celebrate wealth and finery like he did. They didn’t have a slew of servants. They were—are—warriors. All of them. She came here like a fish out of water. She had to be taught how to carry on polite conversation, how to eat at a fine table like this, how to hold herself…”

“But…” I frowned at him, finishing my soup and hoping for more. This staff might not be well trained, but the cook certainly knew his way around a soup. It had been delicious. “Then why marry her?”

“To get a son like me. Mostly.” Nyfain dabbed his mouth and dropped his napkin back into his lap. “My mother’s line is fierce and powerful. He wanted her brood.”

“And he got it. He got the warrior.”

“Well…” Nyfain leaned back as Mr. Belly collected his bowl and Liron—I seemed to recall that was his name—collected mine. “He did and he didn’t. He got a fighter, yes. A son with maximum power. But he didn’t expect a son that preferred gardening and singing. I was more sensitive than he liked. I expressed my ruthless fighter side only when necessary. The other times…I didn’t see the point in being an asshole just to seem powerful at all times. I was powerful. I didn’t feel like I needed to constantly prove it.”

“That’s called confidence.”

“My father didn’t agree. He blamed my mother for ruining me.”

“Ruining you? Good gracious.” I watched as a plate of fish swimming in a buttery yellow sauce was placed in front of me. “That’s a bit extreme.”

“He essentially wanted me to be a tyrant. Like him. My mother was never going to let that happen, though, for which I am thankful. But when I was of age and proving to be just as powerful as he’d hoped, he took me in hand. That was when the beatings really amped up. He was going to make a man of me if it was the last thing he did.”

“By beating you?”

“By making me tough. And yes, the way he thought I would be tough was to get beatings.”

“And did it work?” I whispered, laying down my fork. My plate was clean. Hannon needed to take some lessons from the cooks in this place. Also, I needed to eat downstairs for dinner more often. The meals sent up to my room weren’t nearly this good.

“I was already tough. He just made me angrier at him. By eighteen, I’d had enough. I turned the tables and made sure it was the last beating he’d ever give me. I scared the whole castle that day. They thought I’d kill him and anyone who tried to get in my way. Soon after that, at my mother’s behest, I started looking for a way out of this place.”

“Why not go to her village? Why not meet people like you’d been raised?”

The next course came, rabbit with carrots and potatoes atop a mouth-watering sauce that I would probably dream about.

“I thought about it. Nearly did. But…as a prince, I would’ve had to visit with royalty in the Flamma Kingdom before being allowed to travel to my mother’s village. Once there, I never would’ve been able to relax. The wolves would’ve been nervous about the dragons rising up and going for the crown. And they weren’t wrong. My dad would’ve thought about it. Maybe even tried to goad me into it. I decided to remove myself from the whole scene. Faeries couldn’t give two shits about shifter royalty. They are much too arrogant. With them, I felt halfway normal.”

“What made you decide to propose?” A surge of jealousy stole over my heart. I cleared my throat and wiped my mouth in careful little dabs like he had.

He reached across the table and took my hand. “What it came down to was that she was willing to have me. It wasn’t a great love story. We each had something to offer the other, and we got on pretty well. It was enough to get me out of my kingdom and escape my father, which was the overall goal. Had I known—”

“There’s no sense in dwelling on that,” I said, entwining my fingers with his. “You obviously know it wasn’t your fault. The king sounds like… There really aren’t words for him.”

“He was just like my grandfather. My father tried to train me the same way he’d been trained.”

“It must be right because that’s how it has always been done,” I said.

“Just so.” He ran his thumb across the top of my hand as our dishes were cleared.

Dessert came, a chocolate mousse. I didn’t know how I was going to fit it all in my belly, but I was definitely going to try.

“Would you have missed home, do you think? If you’d…” I couldn’t even say it. I could not even ask about almost marrying someone else. Goddess save me, I was not usually a jealous person, especially not about something that had never come to pass.

He’s ours, my animal said, resting comfortably just below the surface, basking in his presence. You’re finally starting to realize it. No one else better lay a hand on him, or we’ll lop that hand off.

I rolled my eyes.

“What’s the matter?” Nyfain asked.

“Just…” I made a circle toward my chest. “My animal. She’s being…”

Right. I’m being right. Admit it.

“Overbearing,” I finished.

“I know what that is like, yes.” He took a dainty bite of his dessert, and I just couldn’t play along. I scooped mine up like I was famished. Holy crow, this dessert was fabulous. “Seriously, I used to think Hannon was a good cook. Why don’t I get meals like this sent upstairs? I feel cheated.”

Nyfain laughed. “Cook is one of the few who didn’t get the axe. I’m not sure why, to be honest. And yes, I would’ve missed home. I miss it now, while living this half-life. I would’ve missed my friends and, of course, my mother. Missed the feel of the air and smell of the wood. I had a good childhood, for the most part. I loved hunting and fishing and running on these lands, and I always hoped to do the same with a child of my own—”

He sucked in an intense breath and grabbed the edge of the table with both hands. His eyes squeezed shut. Power pounded through the room, and the servants—standing off to the sides and waiting for us to finish our desserts—pushed back against the wall and then started slipping away. Still the power built, crashing around us now, calling to my animal. It flowed through the bond and filled us both to the point of bursting, stretching our skin and still pumping higher.

Nyfain pushed back from the table and stood on wobbly legs, slightly bent over.

“What can I do?” I asked, standing with him. “Get out of here?”

“You haven’t sipped your wine.”

I looked to my full glass. His was mostly empty.

“I don’t like wine,” I lied, now realizing what this was about. He’d clued into why I wasn’t drinking the wine, the idea probably sparking because he’d mentioned a child of his own, and his dragon was freaking the fuck out.

“You’re lying,” he growled, straightening up slowly in jerky movements. His eyes glowed brightly.

In a fast, violent movement, he swiped his arm across the table. Plates and glasses flew to the side and crashed onto the floor. A candelabrum clunked down, spilling wax and dousing the flames. Shadow draped across Nyfain’s severe but handsome features, his cheekbones sharper and the wells of his eyes appearing deeper. His scars cut across his skin in a cruel pattern.

Lust raged through the bond. Devotion. Longing.

He grabbed me around the hips and hauled me to him, crushing me against his hard body. He claimed my lips and stole my breath with a scorching kiss.

“I need you,” he said against my lips, grabbing my butt and pulling me closer. “I need to pound my cock into you, over and over. I need to fill you with my release and mark you as mine.”

I moaned softly. I couldn’t help it.

He spun me around. One large palm pushed me forward over the table, food stains marring the pristine white cloth. His other hand hauled up the bottom of my dress, and I knew he was going to take me right here. Rational thought had clearly fled. His primal urges to mate had taken over, and they were pulling power up from his depths.

Is it Nyfain or the dragon? I asked my animal as I shoved back against him, sending a bolt of thunderous power his way. It slammed into his body and threw him back into his chair. He slid for a few feet before he rose slowly, swiping his hand across his lips, looking at me through his lashes.

A thrill of fear arrested me. He was an intimidating bastard. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, though. The fight was on.

Nyfain, I think, she answered. I can feel his dragon. He seems gleeful but not in control. He’s right near the surface, though. He’s riding the man hard. He wants to stamp his scent on you, and if the man won’t claim you, then he wants it done with his seed. And probably bites or marks. Fight him. Make him prove himself. It’ll be so worth it, trust me. It’ll make him more powerful, too. It’ll draw out that primal power. Hopefully. Regardless, it’ll be a damn good lay.

Menace radiated from the man. Power, too. It shoved at me. Caressed me. Cocooned me.

Fuck, that feels good, my animal purred.

I had to agree.

“Fight all you want, princess,” he said in a low, rough tone that sizzled across my flesh. “In the end, I will bend you over that table and fuck you.”

I took a step toward him. “I’m not going to take it easy on you like those men you heard about. You’ll have to get through my will, and I don’t fuck around.”

“Damn right you don’t. You’re mine.”

A swell of power slammed into me, pushing me back against the table. Another surge pumped through my body, but this time it sucked energy away rather than bestowing it upon me.

What the fuck is happening? I asked my animal as Nyfain rushed me, arms extended to grab.

Some sort of fuckery, that’s what. His dragon is being tricky. Damn experienced bastard. I’ve got that motherfucker, though. Let me work around this.

He grabbed my upper arms and spun me around. I groaned as his front pushed against my back, trapping me to the table. I could feel his hard cock just above my butt. His teeth skimmed my shoulder as I shuddered in delicious bliss, lowering my head. He latched down low on my neck, his teeth breaking the surface.

Fire roared through my blood, turning my bones molten, so hot I thought I might crumble to ash right there. His hold on my body peeled away, leaving pulsing power in its wake. I shrugged off his hands and threw back my head, bashing it into his face. His head jerked back, his body following. I added a slap of my will, knocking him farther still.

Not leaving him time to get settled, I turned and punched him in the throat, then tried to knee him in the crotch.

He caught my knee in his thighs and used my instability to push me back. He lifted me by the ass and set me down on the table, crushing me into the hard surface with his weight. His mouth sought mine, his kiss bruising and wild. Only one knee was between mine, though, and we wouldn’t get anywhere that way.

His power pushed through the bond again, so incredibly intense that it grabbed me and pulled me under. It blanketed me in his smell. His protectiveness and his possessiveness. The fight nearly went out of me right then and there as I moaned under him.

Not yet! Fight back! my animal shouted, yanking power from his dragon and storing it, trying to make sure he wasn’t too strong for us.

I just want to fuck him, already.

It’ll be better if you hold out. Rile him up a little more. Trust me. I can feel his dragon about ready to explode.

I bent and grabbed the side of his neck, chomping down before ripping my head to the side. Blood dribbled over my lips and down my chin. The taste of it shocked into the very center of me. Lava erupted in my middle, shooting heat through my ribcage and down my spine.

He roared, the sound vibrating with anger and frustration and raw hunger.

Yes, my animal said, pulling still more power. More and more, feeding it into the lava in my middle. I could shift with this. I can feel the transformation calling me.

Don’t you dare.

I’m not a fucking idiot. I don’t want to come out all fucked up. But I could. We can take more power, though.

She was right. We could.

That glowing pit of lava took all the power I had to give and then fed it around my body. I exploded it at Nyfain, forcing him to physically back off.

He snarled and grabbed my neck with one hand. I lifted my right arm and swung it across my body, catching his arm with it and forcing it aside. I ripped back the other way, leading with my elbow, and clocked him right in the face. His head jerked that way, his body ripping to the side, and my throat was released from his hold. I finished the turn and slammed my other elbow into him. My will smashed into him too, shoving him across the end of the table, dragging my place setting and everything else that had been left on the table onto the floor with him. Red wine spilled across his front, ruining his shirt.

I darted in and gave him a kick, because I wasn’t really sure what else to do. I didn’t want to get too close or he’d pull me to the ground, and I doubted that was a fight I could win. He had size and strength and gravity on his side.

His hand darted out and grabbed my ankle. His power built. My animal still pulled at it, still siphoned it away from him and stored it. But she was starting to get excitedly nervous—I could feel her anticipation. Whatever she was expecting was coming soon.

Not that I had a moment to wait and wonder.

I tried to pull out of his hold. His damn hand was too fucking strong. He latched on, his body like a big, immovable weight.

I shoved at him with my will, pounding him with it, but then heard a pained grunt. A shock of real fear ignited in my middle, and I pulled back. Kicking and biting were one thing, but I didn’t want to do any real damage, which was exactly the reason he hadn’t squeezed when his hand was around my neck. But at least now I knew I could do more if the situation ever arose with someone else.

He pulled back on my ankle, and I stumbled into the table, clawing at it to stay upright. Getting to his knees, he grabbed my other ankle. He pushed to his feet and reached for my hips. I turned to punch, but he caught my hand and forced it behind my back. I twisted to get it out, shoving with my will.

He roared, the dragon’s voice ripping through the man’s throat. His power rose all around us, filling the room, shoving at the doors, shaking the windows along the far wall. It crashed down on me and swept me away, splintering my desire to resist, driving my need for him so deeply into my very center that it threatened to tear me apart. All I could do was tremble before him, his for the taking.

And take me he did.

He spun me around and pushed me forward, pulling my dress up to my hips and tearing away my panties. I thrust out my butt, desperate for him to be inside of me. That same desperation was driving him, and he didn’t waste time with fingers or tongues. In a moment, he had his pants down and his cock thrust into me with another swell of power. I cried out, impaled with liquid heat so delicious my knees gave out. I lay with my front on the table and him behind, leaning over me, ramming into my slick heat.

Power continued to build in the room. It blossomed in sparks within me, mirrored by him. Back and forth it rolled between us, until it was one solid force. His cock slammed into me. His hips pounded against my ass. I whimpered from the onslaught, not even able to push back against him, just taking it. Fucking loving it. This was the fighter. The battle-hardened hero. The man who stalked the woods for his enemies. And I’d given him a helluva fight. He’d earned the right to this fuck.

I held on for dear life, the pleasure so intense there wasn’t a name for it. My nails scraped against the wood, and I arched back, wanting to be closer to him. Wanting him to finish this. To finally claim me. I could feel his intense desire to do it. I could feel his dragon riding him, trying to steal control so he could do it himself. And yet still Nyfain held back.

His arms came around me, hugging me tight, his lips on my neck. Sweet words of devotion rode his breath. Power continued to swell, infused with the delicious sensations of his body against mine, within me. It built and built until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I couldn’t take the delicious burn of pleasure.

His teeth slid against my neck and then down to my shoulder. They grated along my skin, pressing, though not hard enough to break skin.

“Nyfain,” I begged. I twisted against his hold, wanting to get at him. Wanting to do it myself. He’d said he was trapped in his feelings for me. Great—I’d make that shit permanent. I didn’t know how to claim, but I was confident my animal and I could figure it out.

He held me fast, his strength wrapped around me, his arms immovable. He knew what I was trying to do. He knew he was literally the only one of the four of us still holding out.

“Come for me, baby girl,” he growled.

The orgasm stole my breath. I was locked in a silent scream as wave after intense wave shook me to my foundation. I shuddered against him, turning my head and closing my eyes. He pressed his cheek to mine as he made the final thrusts to finish out his climax deeply inside of me. I shivered as intense emotion welled up between us. He leaned over and cupped my cheek, twisting my face just enough to kiss me languidly.

We breathed heavily in the aftermath. My body turned liquid, slinking down against the table. Still inside of me, he leaned over it with me, his arms now braced on either side of my body.

“I’m afraid we might’ve scared away the servants. Now we’ll never get our cheese plate,” he murmured.

I laughed as he pulled back and helped me up. He grabbed a napkin to clean us up before pulling me into a tight hug.

“I lost control there for a moment,” he said, burying his face into my neck.

“Which part?”

“The part where I initially tried to bend you over the dinner table to fuck you, and then fought you to do just that, and then pummeled you with my cock.”

“Several moments, then.”

“Right yes, okay. Several moments. Fuck, I’m winded. You gave me hell, princess. Now I understand what the guys were talking about. My dragon’s extreme, primal need to mate pulled out that little will-splintering thing. That was incredibly handy.”

“Can you do it again?”

“No. I think the sole purpose of that little feature is to dominate my intended and mate. Fuck me, my dragon is after me again. He’s intolerable. Your animal depleted me to the point of danger, forcing us to build more and more power. At the brink, we exploded, ripping the power back and using it on you. Clearly it’s all a dance with the beasts. A very delicious, erotic dance that I enjoyed very much.”

“She basically helped you dominate me.” Something she had not mentioned, and I had not been able to feel.

“Yeah. Thank her for me.” He touched the ragged wound on his neck, then looked down at his ruined suit.

“I can fix up that…ah…bite for you,” I muttered, a bit embarrassed.

“No, thanks.” When his eyes came up again, they were full of pride. “It’s not a typical mark, but it is a mark, and I want it to scar. I want everyone to see that you fought me and left something permanent on my flesh. You are incredible.” He smiled as bruises started to color his face from my fists or head or elbows. “That was exciting. There is not a woman in this world who would’ve given me that sort of fight and then gladly taken the onslaught afterward.” He pulled me closer and kissed me. “You’re incredibly powerful, baby. You’ll be a shining star in an otherwise dull sky.”

“Except for the golden dragon.”

He didn’t comment. I knew full well it was because he didn’t think he’d make it. He thought he’d die in this half-life as his world fell down around him.

I was not going to let that happen. A long time ago I’d set out to cure the demon sickness, to save this kingdom from demon magic. I would save Nyfain, too. I just had to figure out how. There was a way. I had a huge library at my disposal. All I had to do was gather information and put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Not now, though. Now, we were living for the moment. It had been a perfect evening so far. I wanted to keep it going.

So I let him take my hand in silence and lead me from the room.

“I’d planned to take a turn around the ballroom. Thoughts?”

“My legs are wobbly, and…”

“Hit me with it. What else are you thinking?”

“Leala said the demons are low in power tonight. I think it’s a perfect night to harvest the everlass. Whatever suppresses the demons might make the everlass more powerful. I mean…it’s worth a try. I’d like to get the recovery time down a bit.”

He laughed softly and entwined our fingers, bringing me down the hallway and toward one of the rear exits. Loud music and raucous laughter vibrated through the castle, suggesting the parties had broken out after all, but I didn’t have any desire to play voyeur or put on a public display tonight. No more public than in a dining room where staff might’ve been watching, at any rate.

The night was mild, but the stars were vibrant pricks of light above us. Nyfain carried the tray for me, and once we were in the field, he helped me pick the leaves. Afterward, he took my hand and led me through the field again. We walked side by side through the plants, in different rows but close enough to touch, the moonlight seeping in around us. The moment was perfect and sublime, and heat constricted in my chest as I looked over at the handsome dragon.

“Why is gardening and healing considered a woman’s activity?” I asked softly as we stopped in the field, still holding hands. “Why did only women do it?”

He turned and faced me. “I honestly have no idea. It isn’t like that in other kingdoms. Maybe my father, or his father, or his father’s father, was just bad at it and they decided that was because they had a dick.”

I laughed. “Maybe so. Why do only kings make the rules? Why no queens?”

“Tradition. When I was young, I pledged to change the rules so any daughter of mine would be just as entitled to the throne.”

“Why haven’t you?”

“I’m not a crowned king, and at this point, I doubt I ever will be.”

I sighed. “Have a little hope. This kingdom has been through hell, and we’ve managed. We’ll continue to manage until we find a way out, and then we’ll figure out how to kick the demon king’s ass. We got this.”

He leaned over and kissed me. “Okay.”

I nodded. “Okay. Now, let’s go take that bath and relax. I’m full and tired, and I just want to feel you near me. I don’t need all the weird theatrics of this crazy castle.”

“As you command,” he whispered.

We walked back in silence, hand in hand, my chest filled with a strange, aching need for him. Even now, after tonight, after all the sex, I still craved him. All that raw, unfiltered masculinity should’ve stopped affecting me by now. I should be used to it and able to shut out the need. Instead, he pulled at me like never before. Like a fisherman reeling in a catch. Whereas before I would’ve tried to find that hook and yank it out, now I wanted it. I wanted him to seal the deal.

I was falling for him. Hard. This was a hook I didn’t think I’d be able to pry out.