A Kingdom of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales Book 3)(70)

“So you picked the obice to this floor?” I asked in a gush.

A smile graced her lovely face. “Yes. That’s also a simple spell. Corrosive, and as dirty as those who set it, but easily manageable, not the least because it is an older spell. Demon magic decays rapidly. Newer spells will be harder to break, but what need would they have of newer spells with all of us suppressed?”

“Which means they can’t know, or suspect, anyone outside of your kingdom has been released,” the alpha wolf said. He stuck his hand through the bars for a handshake. “Weston, estranged from the Lake Forest Pack, Red Lupine kingdom.”

“Oh, that’s the same—”

“Nope,” Hadriel cut me off, giving me an expression that said, Shut the hell up.

Apparently he didn’t want an origin in common with the alpha. Although given the history of his parents, who’d been exiled or rejected or whatever from that kingdom, that made sense.

“Estranged?” I asked.

“You can’t be an alpha of a pack,” Weston replied with a growl, “when you are locked in a demon dungeon and loaned out as a sex slave.”

I puffed out my cheeks with a breath I didn’t expel. “Right,” I said, finally releasing it. “I guess not. Good point.”

“This is my sister, Felicia,” Calia said, pulling her sister a little closer. “She acts as a booster for my magic. She’s the one they took first, kidnapped right from the shores of our village. I saw it but was too far away to help. I knew who took her, though. I didn’t prepare enough, thinking it would be as easy to escape this dungeon as any. I didn’t account for the magical suppression.”

“Hindsight, as they say,” I murmured. “The dragons without suppression know they cannot shift or otherwise advertise that their animals have been freed. They might not have suppression, but I’m not sure Dolion realizes I am powerful enough to pull their animals free. I’ve tried to keep it that way.”

Weston nodded. “Good.”

“We need you to pull out his animal, dove,” Hadriel said. “And probably the most powerful of the dragons—that big fucker, right? He’s terrifying. Calia can peel away their suppression right now, before the officers open for the day, but then she’ll need to rest. We can make a couple trips to bring people to release, but I have to be honest, love…I don’t think we have all the time in the world. The demon king is not too thrilled with the current state of affairs. He’ll be setting things back to rights and looking for the people who made it like that. Playtime is over.”

“He’s blaming it on Jedrek and me—”

“You did it.” Jedrek rose like a man possessed, his eyes wild. “You did this!” He pointed at Hadriel. “You’re from the castle, aren’t you? I thought I recognized you from somewhere.” He curled his hand into a fist. “You ruined everything I had. Well, not for long. The second his majesty hears about this—”

“Enough,” Weston barked, but there was no power riding his words.

We need to release his wolf so that he can get Jedrek under control, my dragon said.

I did as suggested, blasting out power as Vemar stopped beside Hadriel and gave his shoulder a hard pat.

Hadriel did a sort of shimmy, trying to sidle away, something that made Vemar grin wickedly.

“Enough,” Weston commanded again, this time with power and might curling through his words.

Jedrek jerked ramrod straight, his eyes growing intense, his mouth clenching. Fear lit his gaze. Another alpha was on the scene, and this one spoke the same language—wolf.

“You will be removed from this place,” Weston said as Calia and her doppelg?nger turned to Vemar, probably focused on lifting the suppression magic. They’d already helped Weston, and he’d just needed me to pull his animal free. “You will be placed in a proper pack where you belong. You clearly have not done well running solo.”

Jedrek’s hand came up to his chest. Shit. I’d unintentionally released his animal.

“Tell him not to shift,” I told Weston quickly.

“What’s going on?” Micah and Tamara stepped up to the bars of their cells, joining a few others who’d already woken.

Weston continued barking orders at Jedrek as the faeries did their job. Hadriel reached through the bars for me.

“We have to leave this kingdom soon, love. Let’s talk about how to make that happen.”





TWENTY





FINLEY





The whip crack sounded a moment before the pain registered, crawling across my back. Pleasure pounded through me, overriding the sensation. I didn’t soak it in, though. I didn’t soak in either feeling, actually. My mind was focused on the task ahead—I had to give these bastards a big, powerful send-off, courtesy of the crowded everlass, so they’d go retire for the night and give the wolves a bunch of much-needed planning time.

Crack.

I stroked the grooves in the whipping post I was strapped to, fingernail marks from those who had come before me. Maybe even mine from previous sessions. It connected me to the others who had stood in my shoes—or lack of shoes, I guessed. Today I wore a loose slip, currently being shredded from my body.

Crack.