A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales #2)(125)

She got up, annoyed. “You’re just mad that—”

She did a double take when she saw me. Her face turned red.

“Milady, I’m so sorry…” She put her hands out and curtsied.

“Are you grabbing the hem of a fake dress?” Hadriel asked. “Want to borrow my maid outfit? It would look more professional than curtsying after she just heard all of that.”

“I’m sorry, milady. The master told us to be here…” She stepped away, clearly not sure where to put her hands.

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ve seen weirder, trust me. I was down in the grand ballroom a moment ago.”

They both said “ugh” at the same time.

“Were they enjoying themselves?” Hadriel asked.

This felt like kissing and telling, even though it wasn’t me doing it. “I saw one woman who was. The knobby demon dick apparently hits all the right spots…”

“No.” Sheila put up her hands. “No, too much for me. I have my limits.”

“Who would’ve thought we had limits, right, Sheila?” Hadriel called as she walked away. “She knows what I mean,” he mumbled.

The demon had stayed where he was, eyeing me. He pointed at the table.

“Bend over. I’ll fuck you,” he said.

“I hear you’re not very good at it.”

He grabbed my shoulder to shove me forward. Apparently he hadn’t gotten the note.

I whipped out my dagger, stabbed him in the neck, and then shoved him back. His legs gave out, and he fell, convulsing against the floor.

“Oh, fuck!” Hadriel jumped up on top of the chair as though he’d just seen a mouse. “What the… Fuck, Finley.” He braced his hand against his chest. “You scared me. That all happened too fast.”

Conversations dried up, and movement slowed. I wiped my blade on the demon’s socks, which he was still wearing, before putting it away. The seat was clear of gross things, so I gingerly sat.

“What’s up?” I asked Hadriel, who was still crouching on the chair.

He let out a breath and slowly stepped down before sitting. I was sure his ass crack was touching upholstery. It made me rethink my current seat.

“Listen…” Hadriel leaned over the table and lowered his voice. “I’m sure by now you know that demons and shifters are like oil and water. We aren’t much alike. The demon king thinks he’s got us all figured out. Including the master. You need to make sure you give him some surprises. Now, let’s talk about the end game and find a way to it. There’s a reason they won’t let me play chess anymore, and it isn’t because I got drunk that one time and tried to shove a queen up Cecil’s ass. He was cheating, though. He deserved it. No, the reason no one will play with me is because I am excellent at it. It was my mom’s favorite game, she taught me well, and I’ve been a die-hard ever since. I’m good at strategy. I’m also incredibly good at puzzles, as you know. So hit me. What is your plan?”



Later that night, I staggered up to the tower. My stomach was twisting and my knees were weak. I’d spent too long in that room with all the sexy demon magic. I should’ve taken the draught so it didn’t affect me. As it was, it had gotten bad enough that I needed to leave so I could purge my stomach.

Halfway up the third flight of stairs, I stalled against the railing, struggling to keep the bile from evacuating. I heard footsteps and recognized Nyfain’s delicious smell before his strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me in close.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, carrying me the rest of the way. “Are you okay?”

I breathed deeply and leaned my face against his neck. “Demon lust magic. It’s…” I pushed my fingers to my lips and struggled to get out of his grasp. “Going to vomit.”

He hurried me into the washroom and bent me over the basin in the corner, thankfully empty and clean. My stomach convulsed and my back arched as I purged. My disheveled hair was gently scooped up from around my face, held back behind my head. Nyfain knelt next to me and rubbed my back with his free hand.

My stomach heaved again, and I gripped the edges of the basin as sweat covered my forehead. Comfort and support radiated through my bond with him. After the third time, I sagged and moved my face to rest on my arm, breathing fast and shallow.

“Water?” Nyfain whispered. He smoothed my hair to the side.

“Yes, please.”

A moment later he handed me a glass and sat beside me, pulling me against him.

“Had a great time, huh?” he asked, stroking my shoulder with his thumb. I didn’t miss the anxiety in his tone.

“I can’t stand that lust magic.” I shuddered. “The whole room was stuffed with it.”

I put the glass on the floor and breathed in his scent, closing my eyes. The waves of nausea subsided.

“Have you been up here all night?” I asked weakly.

He lifted me up and took me to bed, stripping me of my weapons and clothes. I still needed to retrieve that one throwing knife from the grand ballroom, but I’d collected everything else. He tucked me into bed and a moment later joined me, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close.

“No. I was outside for a while, on hand in case you needed me. It seems you didn’t, though. You handled a group of seven pretty powerful demons at one time on your own.”