A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales #1)(47)

“What have we here?” The demon moved until he could see over Nyfain’s arm, taking me in. He looked down, not able to see my top half but clearly taking in the leather pants and boots. “Ah yes, I heard about her. You brought her in last night, correct?”

“She was stealing from these lands. I am the one who caught her, so by rights, she belongs to me.”

The demon’s oily smile showed stained teeth, as though he’d drunk too much wine or habitually fed on blood. “Yes, that is part of the deal. And instead of killing her outright, as you have always done, you brought her here. I wonder why. You prefer plain, willing women, do you not?”

Nyfain didn’t comment.

The demon laughed. “I could have sworn you did. But if that were the case, you wouldn’t have stolen a great beauty from her village and confined her to the castle. You were carrying her in, I believe, correct? And earlier, when she tried to escape, you locked her in the tower?” He clucked his tongue, his gaze still on me. “When you can, come see me, girl. I can pry you away.”

Chills spread over me, and I very nearly shot back a response. Instead, I pulled farther back behind Nyfain and buried my face in the groove of muscle in the middle of his back. I wasn’t sure that was the right play—was I supposed to be a wilting flower, scared of demons, or should I act terrified of Nyfain?

“If you touch her, I will kill you,” Nyfain stated, his voice even and confident. It wasn’t a threat—it was a statement of facts. My small hairs stood on end.

I peered around Nyfain again as the demon spread his hands with a sly smile. “You are losing, Mr. Alpha. You’ve lost all your prized people. Your ability to protect anyone has diminished. Soon that girl will realize she exchanged her body for empty promises.”

Nyfain flinched but didn’t comment.

“When that happens, she will turn to us,” the demon went on. “And when that happens, we can grant her safety from your…wrath. Or whatever it is you do to her.”

“Are you done?” Nyfain asked, turning slightly and pulling me out from behind him, still keeping his body protectively between the demon and me.

“Mr. Alpha is so proud,” the demon said with that oily smile. “So delusional. One day I will enjoy watching the light dull from your eyes. You are on borrowed time. You will die, and your kingdom with you.”





10





Nyfain wrapped an arm around me and gripped my hip possessively, keeping me close. I glanced back as we continued down the hall. The demon stood in the middle of the space with his robe now open, showing his hairless and shiny nude body. Tendrils of his magic fluttered across me, making my skin crawl.

“Well, that guy was a charmer, huh?” I said with a grimace.

Nyfain glanced down at me. “You don’t find him attractive?”

I studied his flat expression. “I can’t tell if you’re kidding.”

He looked straight ahead, not noticing the two people ahead of us—one dressed like a tiger, the other like a rabbit—getting busy between two dragon statues.

“I also can’t tell if they are joking.”

The tiger with the large, fuzzy head stood behind the bent-over gray rabbit with floppy ears. The tiger growled as he thrust, making the rabbit mew happily.

“Wrong sound for a rabbit,” I said, aghast, as we passed. “Won’t that get the costumes all gross? There’ll be jizz and juice all over the place.”

He chuckled softly. “It’s been a long time since someone…rational was in this castle after dark. I can’t imagine what this must look like to you.”

“I’ve seen a lot in one day. That’s for sure.”

“I doubt you’ve seen much of anything. I once walked in on an entire room filled with people in costumes like that. There was so much fur and movement that I just backed out. A woman trying to give a blowjob through a hole in her squirrel mask… My brain wouldn’t make sense of it. I didn’t push the issue.”

“Does their sexy magic affect you? The demons?”

“If I let it.”

“But you never give in?”

“No,” he growled. “Never.”

“You have a strong will, then?”

“A strong will and a large stubborn streak.” We reached the door leading outside, and he stepped forward to open it for me. He guided me through, his hand still on my hip.

The chilled night air greeted me as I stepped out. “To answer your question, no, I did not find that demon attractive. Wait…”

He paused, his hand snaking around to my belly to keep me at his side.

“No, I meant wait, as in halt the conversation.” I tried to pry his hand off me, but he slid it back to my hip. Apparently, he wanted to keep up the possessive pretenses when in public. It couldn’t hurt with the strength of the demons wandering around. I huffed and gestured him on. “Keep walking. I was telling my brain to wait. You’re too literal.”

He resumed his unhurried walk toward the everlass field.

The supplies I’d need rolled through my head. I’d need to grab something for transporting the leaves, as well as check out the setup to work with them.

“Wait,” I said.

He kept walking.