A Throne of Ruin (Deliciously Dark Fairytales #2)(4)

Guilt tore at me. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried this. Maybe I should have chased Nyfain into the castle and demanded more information on the crowded everlass before attempting such a rash experiment.

Regardless, it was done now.

Hannon came out of the room with a drawn face. He held out the empty tin mug, showing us. He’d gotten Father to drink all of it, so there was nothing left to do but wait.

I nodded and slipped out the front door. I wouldn’t be waiting at home.

The afternoon sun was bright and warm, winter’s chill starting to recede. Villagers traveled the lane, one laden with a sack of bread and another pushing a small cart of grain for her goats. I smiled in hello and received confused frowns in return.

At the market, I looked over my shopping list before deciding which stall to visit first. In front of the stand of lettuce, I caught sight of a familiar face. His orange-red hair glowed brilliantly in the sun, like a firestorm around his freckled face. James, my first boyfriend. My first love.

Or so I’d thought.

He glanced my way, and his pale blue eyes widened. He turned, and it was the first I’d noticed his lanky frame and lack of grace. His black T-shirt hung off his narrow, bony shoulders, a brown belt cinched his trousers around his waist, and his skinny arms swung at his sides. He kind of flopped his feet out when he walked.

“Hey, James,” I said when he neared, expecting the punch to the gut that I usually felt in his presence. This guy had torn my heart out and thrown it in my face, right before asking for a goodbye bang. I was still pissed I’d given it to him, crying the whole time. Begging him to please reconsider.

But now…nothing.

Is this your doing? I asked my animal, having opened myself to her—just a crack—upon returning home. She hadn’t communicated with me at all. I got the feeling she was giving me the cold shoulder.

Leaving the dragon so we can carry on with this hollow, meaningless life? she replied. No, it is not. That was your doing, you goat-faced cumsplat. Just wait until you can shift. Then we’ll see who wears the pants in this relationship.

She was clearly still quite angry…and colorful.

I don’t feel anything for James anymore. Is that because of you?

James who? That red-headed git stopping in front of us? Why would you feel anything for him? I can’t even feel his animal. He’s subpar, at best. He couldn’t protect us if his life depended on it.

There are more important considerations than whether a man can protect us. Besides, when we work together, we don’t need anyone’s protection.

She huffed. When we are with child, or protecting our young, or attacked by demonic creatures in the wood—like you were two days ago—we need a strong mate to protect us. We need a defender. There is none stronger than that alpha dragon. None. Everyone else is a waste of time. End of story. There is no one else we can mate who will make us happy. Now stop being a wench and go back to him!

Except he was the one who left us, not the other way around…

They’re males. They get confused which head is for thinking and do stupid shit. As females, we need to set them right.

I rolled my eyes.

Okay then, nice talking to you, I thought, and pushed her out of my head. She needed some time to cool down, clearly. Maybe a lot of time.

“Hi, Finley.” James gave me a toothy smile. That smile used to make my heart pitter-patter. But now I felt…absolutely nothing. Literally zero. “I haven’t seen you in a while. Pulson and Mary across the street from you said you’d left for a couple days. Is everything okay?”

“I’ve been busy hunting and working on a new elixir for the sickness.”

He nodded, taking in my clothing. “Still dressing like a man, huh?”

“Have you ever tried hunting in a bushy dress?”

He snickered and rolled his eyes. “Always the rule breaker. You think you can get away with anything because you’re pretty. Someday you’ll finally settle down, though. You’ll have to give up your pants and craziness then.”

“Or maybe I’ll just stay single forever and fuck demons in the pub, hmm?”

His jaw dropped in surprise. His face turned red.

I grinned and pushed past him. Apparently the trip to the castle, however brief, had made me just that little bit sexually coarser. The good news was that his putdown didn’t hurt in the slightest. Nyfain’s sweet words about liking me down to my soul had soaked under my skin. They’d changed me. They’d made me feel like it was okay to be myself, even if I was an outcast.

Ignoring the people staring, I walked to the next stall and picked out my items. That done, I worked my way through the market, grabbing what Hannon had said he needed, and then stopped by the booth with the furs and skins, seeing what sort of quality was in vogue right now.

“See anything you like?”

A cold trickle ran down my spine. Here we go.

I straightened and turned, finding Jedrek just behind me. I used to think him tall and broad, but now…he looked almost petite for a man. I was used to Nyfain’s size and girth. His imposing presence. Jedrek standing there was just…anticlimactic.

“No, actually. I can do better.” I walked around him, to the daggers in the next stand over. One of them caught my eye—a new weapon with a red jewel in the hilt and silver lining. It was an absolute treasure. I picked it up and hefted it, enjoying the balance and fit within my hand.