A Kingdom of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales Book 3)(87)

She straightened up, clearly frustrated. “The deal was that I would allow Dolion to take me to his kingdom to buy Nyfain time to prepare our people to fight, then I would come back and we’d protect what was ours. You agreed. You helped plan this!”

“Yes, love. I know that. But then I realized how many of those buggers there are—and that the demon king is willing to lose any number of them to get what he wants. We’ve been shortsighted. We do not have enough people. We don’t.”

“I will not abandon him, Hadriel. Besides, where else would we go? It’s home to more than half the people on this ship. Then there’s the fact that Dolion’s going to storm Nyfain’s castle after he figures out I escaped. When I’m not there—”

“The demon king will have no leg to stand on,” Govam cut in. “He can’t kill the prince. The curse forbids it.”

Finley stared at Govam in mute rage, torment, and frustration. It was clear she didn’t know what to say.

“What will likely happen,” Govam said in a tone that could only be described as delicate, “is that he will torment the people like usual, bring in more of Sonassa’s kind, and post his people throughout the kingdom to make sure you cannot get back in. He will lock the portals and fortify the place as best he can to keep you from Nyfain. He won’t be able to stay there long, though. He’ll need to get back to his kingdom or risk trouble. But he can leave loyal ambassadors high in power to oversee matters.” He paused for a moment in the sudden silence. “This situation seems new and unfamiliar to you, but this is the way demons have operated for centuries. They dominate and control so they can steal and bleed a village, town, city, or kingdom dry.”

“I’ve taken all his prisoners. What if he kidnaps more?” she demanded.

Govam didn’t speak for a moment. “Then you will have excellent grounds to go to the council and demand an audience. Given you, yourself, have been in that prison, and you have Dolion’s former guards to testify on your behalf…”

“Except we won’t be able to get back to Wyvern if he closes the portals. We’re running out of time to break the curse.”

“We can get you back in,” Calia said softly, holding her sister’s hand.

Finley looked at them like she was seeing them for the first time. She shook her head.

“You need an army at your back, Finley.” Micah got to his feet on the first try, which was pretty miraculous considering the rolling and pitching of this accursed boat. “You need a host of dragons to scrape those filthy demons from your land. I know my people will join me in helping you. It isn’t even a question. Not only because they will want vengeance, but because you are a dragon, and we help our own.”

“But what if there’s been some mistake, and I’m not really a dragon?” she asked in a small, helpless voice.

Suddenly I felt like a real asshole for sabotaging her plans.

“Then we will fight for you anyway, because without you and yours, we would have died in that prison,” said the sickly dragon—Beelax or Exlax or something—and I was surprised he was jumping on the gratitude bandwagon after bitching and moaning during our escape.

“My village loves fighting,” Vemar said, his eyes sparkling with mirth or madness or probably both. “They will want to help a fellow dragon.”

“We will stand with you.” Weston stood up, and I caught a wobble in his stance as we hit a wave. That made me feel better. “I don’t know what shape my old pack is in, but I will petition the new alpha for aid. I will ask that they help me find vengeance. First to free you, and then to scour the demon king and all his filth from this world.”

I pointed at Govam. “Present company probably not excluded. Offense likely meant.”

“It’s been sixteen years, milady,” Leala said softly. “Waiting another few weeks won’t affect them nearly as badly as if we go in without enough support and get killed or worse for our efforts. We’ve just escaped. Let’s make it count when we go back.”

“You too, Leala?” Finley asked, her face falling.

“Me too, Finley,” Hannon chimed in, delivering the final blow. That guy sure had good timing. “You’ll be more help to the prince, and our family, if you can shift. And we absolutely need more people. I had no idea how outnumbered we were until I saw their staff and all their guards. And that was just a portion of them. If he mobilizes against us, this was all for nothing.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and her lower lip trembled. “I have to go back. I have to. If I don’t go back, he’ll think I did what he asked and left him. He’ll think I’m moving on. I can’t let him think that.”

“How will he know you’ve even escaped?” Lucille asked.

“Our bond. He knows. He seems to have gotten very good at reading my emotional cues and knowing how to help. He’ll know I’m out, and he’ll think I’ve found a new home. I…” A tear tracked down Finley’s cheek. “I can’t do that to him. I can’t.”

Tamara stepped closer to Finley and laid a hand on her arm. “I’ve known the prince most of my life. He’s not easy to bring to heel or break down. He’s held up this long, and he’ll hold up for a while longer. Let’s secure the help these shifters and faeries are willing to give, and then we’ll go in as we should—on fire.”