A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales #2)(28)

Seven





He paused as he turned, almost looking back, and I wondered if he’d felt it too. Or maybe he was feeling my turbulent emotions with what I knew was coming, given that I’d liked what we’d done. I’d liked giving in to the rush, as crazy as it had been. I liked his body filling mine.

Then again, I wasn’t exactly sure I liked the strings attached. I might’ve disregarded being a side piece a moment ago, but sometimes the mind could ignore crazy things when she needed to get a little ass. And his moods weren’t amazing…

“Get your stuff,” Nyfain barked. “We need to move. We’ve wasted too much time.”

I could hear the seething anger writhing beneath his words.

“What was I supposed to do, lose control of her and let her shift?” I demanded, grabbing my ruined slip of panties. Those wouldn’t do anyone any good. Looked like I’d be going commando.

He didn’t comment, waiting for me to grab my pants. I paused when I had them in my hand, though, looking down at my legs. His release mixed with a tiny bit of blood trailed down my inner thigh. Ugh. I hated the cleanup. Women got the short end of the stick when it came to this stuff.

I tramped into the brush and found the largest leaves available. They’d have to do. It would’ve been nice if he had some clothes I could steal, but given he’d clearly gotten here in his dragon form, he was rocking the skin suit.

“Are you drinking the tea to ward off pregnancy?” he asked gruffly, having noticed what I was doing.

“I haven’t slept with anyone in a while. So no. It doesn’t matter, though, does it? When I was first at the castle, Hadriel said you can only knock up your true mate, and true mates have to be the same animal. Not to mention they’re rare. We’re good.”

“The curse has many hidden features, and no one understands them all. My father didn’t even understand them all. He slipped into a brain fever shortly after my mom died. The demon king preyed upon him when he was weak, twisting their dealings. Or so I was told. I was not here at that time. To hear tell, it was a time of great confusion after my mother died.” His voice dripped with pain and regret. “It’s hard to know what is fact and what is fiction. Regardless, after the curse was laid, the exact details of whatever my father worked out went with him to his grave. I was not strong enough by myself to save him from the magical gag.” The demon’s curse prevented those who knew the details from sharing them with those who did not. It literally stopped them from breathing if they attempted to speak of it. “There could be hidden facets to the curse that might mean you’re susceptible to getting with my child—”

A shock of emotion blasted through the bond, cut off so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to figure out what it meant. What he was feeling. I just knew his dragon was suddenly roiling and tearing within the bond, possibly trying to take the skin back.

Strange tingles worked through my body, and a worrying soft heat unfurled within my middle. My animal felt like she was rolling over, purring softly and aching down deep. She was responding to his admission. To his possibly being able to get me with child.

Holy fuck, why the fuck was I feeling longing, too? Was I insane? Before him, I’d mostly resigned myself to a life as a spinster. I was going to fly solo. This new change of pace was not welcome. Not with him, at any rate. Not with our setup and the obvious fact that we could never be together! I had enough problems without liking the idea of him knocking me up.

I shoved away the thought and let logic reign. He was clearly just playing it safe, or possibly freaking out a little because he’d just banged after a long streak of celibacy. Unlike the rest of the (very promiscuous) castle, he clearly hadn’t adjusted to the idea of his coming no longer directly relating to babies.

It just didn’t stand to reason that he could knock up any old person. He was part of the magic that affected the castle, and I knew from before that none of them could get pregnant. The women didn’t have their periods and the men’s swimmers didn’t work. It would stand to reason that he would need a fated paring to beat the curse. Some things were stronger than magic.

“When we get back to the castle,” he said, “I’ll have Hadriel give you the tea. Take it all month, just in case. I don’t intend to take any chances with you.”

His hard stare said he wasn’t just talking about pregnancy anymore. Regardless, if it would get him off my back, fine. It wasn’t the best-tasting tea, but it had to be better than this rotten mood.

His words before all that struck me, though. His pain. His regret.

The breath went out of me for what he must have suffered. He’d lost his mother, someone he’d been close to, and then watched his father die, unable to help him. I knew exactly the kind of stain that left on the soul. We shared that bitter agony within our pasts.

I gulped. I’d never heard those details about the mad king. About the brain fever or how he’d died. I was too young to know the confusion Nyfain was speaking of. One thing I did believe, though, was that the demon king would prey on the weak. His minions certainly loved to, at any rate.

I smoothed my hair, thinking about where I’d need to go. “Is there any other choice for me other than going back to the castle?”

He turned his back. “You had a demon chasing you. I assume you were on your way to the birch?”