A Kingdom of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales Book 3)(113)

Wolves and other animals ran down the streets, the villagers starting to shift. Teeth bared and hackles raised, they launched into the demons throughout the village and then ran toward the wood. Small, slim, seemingly young dragons rose into the sky around the village. Those had to be the kids, responding to my call.

Incite them, I thought, my purpose suddenly clear. Get to Nyfain, but as you go, summon them. Bring them to our cause.

My dragon jumped up before pumping our wings, getting above the rooftops and lifting higher into the sky. She made a slow turn, since she still didn’t know how to bank very well, then put on a burst of speed. Her roar filled the hearts and minds of the villagers, all of them running out, shedding their clothes in the streets, and changing into their animals.

Over the Forbidden Wood we flew, toward the castle but at a diagonal, aiming to hit the next village. I had faith Hannon would get to ours in time to help our people, and there wasn’t any time to circle back. Nyfain needed me.

Tamara flew at my wingtip with the rest of the Wyverners in tow, but Micah separated. Somehow my dragon instinctively knew, or maybe sensed from his body language, that he would finish up here and keep battering the demons in the wood. We had a lot of ground to cover and not enough people to do it quickly. I needed to get the rest of the kingdom helping.

I just hoped to hell I’d be in time.





Hadriel



Leala cracked her whip as we ran behind Hannon. She had practiced when we were in the dragon village and was now very good at it. It made me incredibly nervous.

But not as nervous as all the demons that randomly popped out from behind trees as we made our way to Hannon’s village. Wolves flanked us, growling and snarling. The alpha’s call for aid beat throughout my chest, yanking constantly at my wolf. Each time my wolf felt it, he struggled to break free and join the pack, to find our place and belong for once.

But I couldn’t. If I did, I knew I wouldn’t want to go back to Finley. I wouldn’t want to stay. I’d leave with Weston and maybe never see her again. Wolves like Weston didn’t settle with dragons, they just didn’t, and I couldn’t bear to leave Finley behind. Or Leala or Hannon or any of those crazy fuckers I’d been through hell with in the castle. I’d stay a misfit forever if it meant I could remain with my newfound family.

A light-skinned demon—gray in the moonlight—darted toward Hannon from the side as we neared a clearing of sorts. He met the attack with a very lazy duck, followed by a very fierce uppercut with his knife into his enemy’s sternum. He shoved the demon off nonchalantly, glanced back at me to make sure I was okay, and continued on. The guy always checked on Leala and me after he slayed a demon. He was like some sort of lethal babysitter. Why was that so hot?

A whip cracked and a girl screamed, almost at the same time. I looked at Leala in confusion as she snapped her whip again, wrapping the end around the neck of a demon and yanking. The demon tried to grab the whip, choking, and was tackled in the back by a lunging wolf.

Leala released the whip as the cry sounded again.

So not Leala, then.

“What’s…” I glanced left, into the field, and saw a demon haul out a little girl. Three other demons fell in around her, like they were taking her hostage.

Hannon looked at the same time, then froze for a moment. A shock of color burst out around him, like a glimmering aura, before he exploded into action. He ran in the girl’s direction, axe in one hand and knife in the other.

A demon launched at him, out of nowhere. It latched on to his back and slashed with claws, tearing across flesh.

Leala cracked her whip, slicing the demon in the side and making it convulse. It was all the time Hannon needed to throw the thing off and chop down with his axe.

Bye-bye, demon head. Or near enough.

Another burst of light and color shone around Hannon, like no magic I’d ever seen. No animal I’d ever heard of. He tore his fragment of a shirt away, exposing a tableau of rippled and bruised and slashed muscle, having taken a lot of damage and not shown one ounce of pain.

He jogged now, moving through what I recognized as everlass plants, Leala and I trailing behind him. The demons dragged the kicking and flailing girl farther into the field before stopping and raising a knife to her throat. In a moment, I saw who it was.

Sable. Hannon’s sister.

Why the fuck was she all the way out here?

One of the demons said something, but I didn’t catch it as Leala murmured, “Closer, Hannon. I’m out of range.”

Hannon held out his hands, one weapon in each, bending a little like he might put them down. He slowed to walking—almost creeping—his movements slow and thoughtful, underplaying the threat he posed.

“Closer,” Leala whispered as we walked.

“Hannon!” Sable shouted before the knife tip was pushed against the front of her throat. She winced but didn’t stop. “I’d heard the roars and wanted to go check on Dash and Daddy. I didn’t want to sit here if they were in danger—”

The demon shook her, and light leaked from around Hannon, curling and misting. The moonlight filtered through his wild hair like it was glowing, sparkling through that strangely pulsing aura.

“Let her go.” Hannon kept creeping forward, slow and methodical, as though he were just looking for a place to sit and take a rest. “Let her go, and I’ll put these down. I can’t shift. I’ll have no defense against you.”