A Kingdom of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales Book 3)(110)

I’d refused to try, of course, despite his attempts to beat and maim and torture me into submission.

As if that would work. Without the suppression, something he didn’t think to reapply for some reason, I had access to all of my magic. Even with the curse to help him control me, he wasn’t powerful enough to force my compliance.

But then Dash had tried to sneak out of hiding to find his sister, his dad running after him to haul him back, and they’d been found by the demons. So I’d tried to free up the gold and failed. Dolion was giving up on it, which meant he was ready to start his fuck you tour of the kingdom, starting with Finley’s family.

We’d run out of time.

“You can have me,” I said in a growl. “Me for them.”

Dolion’s eyes sparked with interest.





THIRTY-TWO





FINLEY





Heart in my throat, I stood in the wood just outside my kingdom, a sheet of leathery air cutting me off from what lay inside. The ships that had brought us to this point—large vessels with daring and curious captains—were anchored just off a sandy beach about three hundred yards away. The rowboats had likely finished shuttling the rest of the first wave to shore by now. The Wyverners and the most powerful wolves had been transported first. The rest of the dragons and wolves would arrive shortly. We’d been hurrying to catch up to the faeries, who’d reached the sandy shores ahead of us. Their ship was sleek and swift, always ahead of us.

Thank the goddess, because they’d clearly needed plenty of time to do their part.

Ten of them spanned out in a lazy arc with Calia at their head, each touching the shoulder of the one slightly ahead of him or her, until the last in line, whose hands rested on Calia’s shoulders. Her sister stood beside her, head bowed, eyes closed, and a man with a pleasing face stood on her other side in the same position. They hadn’t brought warriors, after all, just those who would boost Calia’s magic. The warriors were preparing for something bigger, she’d said. They were preparing to mount a larger attack on the demons, and it seemed like she hoped to ally with our kingdom to do it. We had Govam, after all, and the ruthlessness to kill him if he got out of line. With his knowledge and our combined strength, we stood a chance at doing what no one else had yet accomplished.

Calia stood with her hands raised and eyes shut, palms facing the leather wall of demon magic. Sweat coated her face and ran from her temples.

“I can’t work through all of this magic,” she said in a wispy voice. “It’s…too vast. I can’t pull all of it down.”

Fear and adrenaline beat a drum in my chest. Tumultuous emotions rolled through the bond from Nyfain, and I knew he was coming to a decision that might damn us all. I could feel it. I could feel his decision cutting through my gut like a hot knife. I knew if he went through with whatever he was currently doing, I’d lose him forever.

Hot tears coated my eyes. “Can you do…anything? Anything at all? Slice through it, cut a hole…anything?”

She pulled her hands away, and I ran through how long it would take us to backtrack and then work around the kingdom to the area where the portals let out.

As if hearing my thoughts, she turned slightly, looking behind me to where the demons stood in a cluster, watchful and silent.

“I can use their magic to fuel me. Borrowing a demon’s magic feels a little like…wading through sludge, and it’s hard to hold on to, but I can use it for a time to open a sort of doorway.” Her indigo eyes landed on me. “I will have to physically hold the door open while you run through. It will tax all of those connected to me, so you’ll have to hurry. Then, when we can’t hold it anymore, we’ll be locked out.”

“If I can’t release that curse, you’ll be glad for it.”

I looked behind me at the dragons landing and the wolves running toward us. Hannon, Hadriel, and Leala jogged my way. They’d been part of the first wave, but they were slower on their two legs. I wasn’t sure why Hadriel wouldn’t change, but I knew Leala wouldn’t have been any faster in her other form, and Hannon still hadn’t figured out how to release his animal. I wondered if he’d be stunted forever.

The next words out of my mouth nearly killed me.

“We’ll wait for the rest to arrive. When we’ve assembled, let’s do it.”

Hannon stopped next to me, out of breath. “They’re coming,” he said. “They’re almost here. Not long now.”

More dragons landed as he scanned my face. A line formed between his brows. He nodded but didn’t comment. He could read me well, and he knew the stakes. We had precious little time.

“Finley, you will never believe this…” Hadriel shook his head and bent down to rest his hands on his knees. Tamara glanced at me, standing with the Wyvern dragons in the flesh, waiting for an opening to unleash hell. “I swear I saw…” He gulped down air. “It’s impossible, I know that. But I swear I saw… Fuck, my wolf is clamoring to get out. That fucking alpha— No offense, sir. Anyway, I first saw her belowdecks when I was checking on people—before Vemar started running his mouth. That guy is not right in the head, Finley. And then just now… I mean, she had a cloak, and her face was all shadowed, so maybe she’s just a look-alike, but I swear to the goddess she looked just like—”