Chapter 5: A Throne of Ruin: Chapter 5

“I don’t like this.” Hannon stood in the living room in the wee hours of the morning with his arms crossed. A night bird called outside somewhere. The rest of the house lay quietly sleeping and had been for some time. “You shouldn’t be wandering around on your own with what’s going on with Jedrek.”

I slipped the books I’d finished into my knapsack. “He’s too much of a coward to go into that wood.” I set the knapsack down and buckled my belt, the dagger’s sheath resting against my thigh. “I’ll be stealthy in the village and jog all the way there. Nyfain said he’d be bringing me weapons. Now more than ever, I need those weapons.”

“At least let me go with you.”

“There is no fucking way you are going with me, Hannon. Are you out of your mind? You’re keeping this family together, and you’re too much of a planner to react quickly to danger. No offense, but the Forbidden Wood is no place for you.”

He followed me to the door, his eyes tight. “I have a bad feeling, Finley. Can’t you get the weapons tomorrow?”

“When it comes to Jedrek, daylight is ten times more dangerous than three in the morning.”

His jaw tightened. He couldn’t argue with that.

I put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be careful. I promise. That’s why I’m leaving through the back. Jedrek is the best tracker out of all his bros, but he’s not excellent. I’m a helluva lot more cunning than a deer.”

Hannon yanked me into a tight hug. “Damn it, Finley. When will life be easy for us? Is normal too much to ask?”

I laughed softly. “Normal is boring anyway.”

He watched me jog into the backyard and scale the fence. As soon as the night enveloped me, my animal pushed harder to the surface. I let her have plenty of room, needing her more than ever right now. Scents drifted on the breeze and tickled our nose. Coriander, thyme, a sweet floral scent, and the fading remnants of a decaying critter.

I could’ve done without that last one.

No people. No demons. Good news.

Still cautious, I darted between fences, tiptoed across yards, and broke for the tree line. In mere minutes, I was on my way to the birch, jogging fast. The wood lay quiet around us. My breathing and the rhythmic thud of my footfalls were the only sounds I could discern. Nyfain must have been through here and swept away all the riffraff, and none of the normal life had returned. It felt like a dead zone.

All I wanted was to see him again. The notes were no longer enough.

The birch shook and danced as I ducked around it and headed to the bush. The familiar yellow package lay in wait, tied with string to indicate Nyfain had been there. This time it wasn’t a book shape, though, but a long rectangle. Hurrying, my animal keeping tabs on the sounds and smells around us, I untied the string and pushed back the material.

I couldn’t help sucking in a breath.

A sword glittered in the starlight and the glow of the pale moon. A swirl like dragon scales had been etched into the double-edged blade, an accent to obviously fine craftsmanship. The hilt was leather-bound, the design punctuated by diamond cutouts and a curved hand guard with more dragon scale etching. I couldn’t make out the colors in the dark, but the fluctuations of light and dark suggested there were many of them. It was beautiful. I bet he’d chosen the best one he could find. Actually, even the worst would likely be a work of art. Phyl had a ways to go before he could put together something like this.

I grabbed the note and unfolded the parchment, my heart speeding up for many reasons, only some of them concerning Jedrek and demons.

His pen ripped a hole in the parchment. Clearly the thought sent rage through his blood. Rage would’ve been nicer than the unease, disgust, and fear I was working with.

I couldn’t decide if I was more touched or turned on. One thing was for certain, though: I was a little more nervous. It definitely sounded like Jedrek had made a deal, and he thought it was in the bag. Hopefully that just meant the demons would check me out, get bored, and leave it at that.

The finest bow I’d ever seen, etched with scales like the sword, waited beyond the bush. A leather quiver filled with arrows sat next to it. I picked up what looked like a set of throwing knives and took one out. Perfectly balanced and with an incredibly sharp point.

These weapons would be worth a sack of gold, at least. And he was just giving them to me. What must it be like to be that rich? To be a prince?

I wrapped up the books and my rambling letter before hefting my new treasures and doing as Nyfain had said. Once home, I’d continue to do as he’d said and write more sexy notes. My core tightened just thinking about it.

At the edge of the quiet wood, I peered at the outskirts of the village. Unlike earlier, no weasels patrolled, looking for me. All was clear and quiet.

I hefted my new things and took the stealthy route home. I was nearly there when a lightly pungent aroma caught my attention. Notes of musk woven with floral scents.

Demons.

The smell was fresh but not very strong. They couldn’t have gotten too close. That, or their magic was significantly weaker than the demons at the castle.

I hopped the back fence and snuck into the backyard, pausing for a moment to listen. Hannon opened the door as I reached for the handle. He took me in for a moment, looking for damage, before he stepped aside so I could get in.

“All was quiet,” I whispered, heaving a relieved sigh once I was in the living room and the door was locked behind me. “But Nyfain said that I could not allow them to take me to the castle under any circumstances.”

“But he’s in the castle.”

“They’ll use me in a game against him. I’ll be a pawn. Lord only knows what they’ll do to me to get at him. I’d rather not find out.”

“Wow, Finley.” Hannon took the bow gingerly, hefting it and then pulling it close so that he could sight and tug back the bowstring. “This is as fine a bow as I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s a beauty, right? And look at this…” I pulled the sword from its sheath on my left hip, where I’d secured it before leaving the field. “And these…” I grabbed the throwing knives out of my knapsack.

“This is a handsome gift,” he breathed. “Or is it a loan?”

“Either way, he’s entrusting me with them.”

Fists rapped on the door. I froze with the sword in hand, my fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt. Hannon studied me for a second.

The knock sounded again, and I crept closer. A pungent aroma permeated the air. My heart was like a trapped animal in my chest. Demons. They’d come.

My glance at Hannon must’ve spoken volumes. He joined me at the door in a rush.

“What do we do? Should you run?” he asked.

“And have them wait here until I get back? That would only put you guys in danger.” I eyed all my weapons. Then the back door. “Let them in. Nyfain said that they like drama. I’ll act uninterested and hope they go.”

“And if they don’t?”

“I’ll find a way to kill them. Then we’ll drag the bodies into the wood and leave them there. No bodies, no questions.”

It sounded great, though I didn’t know if it was feasible.

We quickly stowed the weapons in easily accessible locations around the front room and backyard. As the third knock came, I pulled the door open, only belatedly realizing I still wore my day clothes. Clearly they hadn’t pulled me out of sleep. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice.

A tall man with long white-blond hair flowing around his square face waited on the stoop with a patient expression and dark, cunning eyes. Need stirred deep within me, quickly curdling my stomach as disgust replaced desire. An incubus, obviously, and my reaction was the same as it had been in the castle. Their magic, while still registering as sexy, now had the opposite effect on my body. My animal was running interference.

“Yes?” I asked in a mildly confused voice.

“Yes, it is you. I wondered.” His tone was sleek and confident. Tingles of worry skittered across my skin. “I’ve seen you from time to time, hurrying home as darkness fell. Your beauty is so incredibly pleasing. You have many admirers.”

“What are you, a dating service?”

A smile worked across his thin lips. He studied me for a moment. “You are so much more than that shifter could ever be. No wonder he is prepared to go to such extremes to have you.” He looked beyond me to the inside of the house, then stepped back and glanced down the lane. “Were you born in this hovel? Or are you being hidden here?”

“Hidden here? What are you talking about?”

He was back to studying me, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Born here, then. Interesting. Monissa will want to meet you, I think. Come with me.”

“Why? Actually, it doesn’t matter. The answer is no.”

His demeanor changed slightly, his shoulders squaring and a hint of power curling around him.

“Finley, what is it?” Hannon pulled the door open a little wider so he could fit beside me in the doorway, hand resting on the frame. His clothes were mussed, as though he’d recently put them on, and his hair stood on end. He was playing it like he’d just woken up. Which was not a great contrast to my fully awake vibe. His other hand stayed behind us, his side pressed to mine. “Who is this?”

“You are the older brother, correct?” the demon asked. “We have no need of you or your other siblings. We just want the girl. No problem.” The demon was clearly reacting to Hannon’s size.

Hannon’s brow furrowed. “Here, come in. There’s no point standing out on the stoop. I’ll put on some tea.”

The demon’s gaze slid to me, and I could see him weighing this option. I crossed my arms over my chest in a pose that screamed He’d be more inclined to accept Hannon’s offer if he knew I didn’t want him to. Bullies were predictable.

“Finley, come on. Let him in. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for all of this,” Hannon urged.

“Yes, Finley. Be a good girl and do let me in.”

Rage boiled within me at the demon’s condescending tone. At his belief that he had power over me and my family. My animal surged forward and power lit me up, white-hot.

The demon’s eyes widened. Surprise rolled across his face, followed by a look of recognition, like he’d fit a few pieces into a puzzle and suddenly knew what picture he was looking at. He reached for me.

Hannon shoved me out of the way with his left hand and swung with his right. The blade of an axe lodged into the demon’s middle. Releasing the handle, Hannon grabbed the demon by the front of his fancy dress shirt and ripped him into the house like he weighed nothing. I grabbed the demon’s flailing hands and wrenched them behind his back, holding his wrists.

“What’s happening?” Sable asked from the edge of the hall as Dash ran out. My father stumbled out last, the wood legs of a chair screeching across the floor as he used it as a walker.

“Shut the door,” I yelled. “Bar it.”

Hannon threw the struggling demon down onto the floor, and I realized he’d already put down some water-resistant bedding. The demon crashed down onto the axe blade, driving it deeper.

“You couldn’t have used the sword?” I asked, jamming my knee on top of the squealing demon before bending over and grabbing the sword from under the couch.

“What is going on?” my father asked in a weak voice. “What is the meaning of this? Finley, your eyes…”

“I don’t know how to wield a sword,” Hannon said, jogging into the kitchen and returning with a carving knife. “But I know how to use an axe and knives.”

“Good gracious, Hannon, and I thought you were the soft touch.” I grabbed the sword hilt with both hands and drove the blade down into the base of the demon’s neck. The demon spasmed and quickly stilled.

“I am, until my family is in danger. Should we cut him up and bury him, or…?”

I tilted my head at him with a small smile. “Who are you?”

He rolled his eyes and shoved me away. “This bedding only works for a while. I don’t want to stain the rug. Let’s get him out of here.”

“There’s the brother I know.”

“Hannon…what…” Father hobbled in our direction. The kids stood at the edges of the room, watching quietly. If they’d had illusions of a cheerful childhood before this, that illusion was now well and truly dried up. I told them to stay in the house.

In the backyard, we dropped the demon onto his side in the dirt by the fence and extracted the weapons. Blood seeped out at first but quickly stopped. Dead things didn’t bleed much.

“Wrap him up and we’ll throw him over the fence,” I said. “I’ll jump over after him and carry him into the wood—”

Another rap sounded on the front door, barely heard out here in the back.

“I’ll get it,” Father called out.

“Of all the times for him to be feeling better,” I said, hopping up and running for the back door. “Father, no—”

The door swung open to reveal a man and woman standing shoulder to shoulder. The woman opened her mouth to ask a question before she spied me at the back door. The man beside her was the first to spot the spray of blood across my shirt. He nudged her. It took all of a few seconds for her to put it together.

They surged through the front door, knocking Father out of the way. A burst of fire fueled me, and I turned and launched down the back steps. Before I reached the fence, I took a quick detour and snatched the sword from the ground. I hop-stepped as I labored to tuck it into its sheath. I’d need to practice that move.

“I’ll take care of it,” I yelled at Hannon as I jumped, grabbed the top of the fence, and hauled myself over. We really needed to think about adding a gate back here.

A hand caught my ankle. A grunt, and the hand released.

As I flung my body over, I caught sight of Hannon with his axe again, readying for another blow. The male demon staggered to the side, howling with agony as he reached over his shoulder to the center of his back.

“Go, Finley!” Hannon yelled.

My feet dropped down, and I hesitated for a moment. No way was I going to go if the demons stayed behind.

A moment later, though, small hands gripped the top of the fence. The female demon planned to pursue.

“I’ll be back,” I yelled, turning to run.

“Don’t come back, Finley. It’s not safe for you here…”

The words drifted into the night as I put on a burst of speed, hearing the lady demon drop down to the ground behind me. Adrenaline surged through me, but my heart caught on Hannon’s words.

But where would I go?

The answer smacked into me, but I didn’t have time to absorb it. I ran through an alley and out onto the lane. I needed speed now, not stealth. The footsteps of the demon were fast on my heels, gaining.

I urged my animal, pulling her as close to the surface as possible without letting her take full control.

Power thrumming through me, we put on a burst of speed, tearing down the center of the lane. At the end, we turned right and blasted past my reading sycamore. The edge of the wood jiggled in my vision as we sprinted. The demon’s boots behind me ate up the ground, hot on my heels.

I said.

A branch scratched my cheek as I burst through the perimeter of the Forbidden Wood. I ran a pace, wanting to get in nice and deep. That blasted owl screeched, closer to the perimeter than usual. It probably held a grudge because I’d tried to hit it with a rock. One of these days I would get it, just to make it bugger off.

Breathing ragged, I got to a small, open patch and staggered to a stop, playing up that I was tired. The female demon slowed, her large bosom rising and falling. It had never occurred to me that they might not be able to go on forever. Her heavily lidded gaze took in my sword and my stance; she was probably correctly ascertaining that I’d had zero training with a sword and likely didn’t know what I was doing with it. Little did she know that I didn’t need a tutor to figure out how to stick the pointy end into her person. Still, I did wish I’d grabbed my dagger instead. I had more finesse with it.

“Nice blade,” she said in a delicate purr. “No common girl has a blade like that. You must have rich friends.”

“Common girls know how to steal. By the by, do sex kittens know how to fight?”

“Even kittens have claws.” She wound closer with a seductive smile. Her magic curled around me, caressing, stroking. Bile rose in my throat.

“Gross. Stop that.” I took a step toward her. Time to get this done.

“Your eyes are glowing,” she said. “That means you have enough power to access your animal. Can you shift, as well?”

“No. You can, though, right? What sort of nightmare do you change into?”

She laughed. “Hmm. Sassy. I like that. Why don’t you give up this tough-girl routine and succumb to me? I’ll take good care of you, I promise. Have you ever had a woman lick your pussy? We’re better at it than men. We know what feels good, how best to tease your orgasm until it explodes through you. You’ll like it.”

“A woman? Maybe. A demon? Y’all can go fuck yourselves.”

“Oh, I do. Would you like to watch? Is that what gets you off?”

Damn it. I’d walked into that one.

“Come now, little pet,” she said, five feet from me now, no weapon in hand. Her fingers probably turned to claws in her demon form, though. She didn’t need weapons. “First I’ll pleasure you…” Her magic pumped through the air, thick and syrupy, coating my skin and turning my stomach. “Then we’ll go to the castle and see what is to be done with you. I bet the demon king would greatly like to meet you. He likes to toy with pretty things like you. Tell me, have you ever begged for cock? Crawled on your knees, desperate to be fucked?”

“Again, maybe. But not by one of you arrogant, fucked-up bastards. I want nothing to do with you.” I lunged, stabbing forward with the sword.

She twisted and stepped to the side, easily evading me. I turned the lunge into a slice, but the sword was too big and cumbersome. She darted into my reach, her hip in line with the hilt of my sword. She reached out, and her body changed color to a mottled red and orange, like her scales were flaking off. Horns twisted from her head, and her face flattened with slits for a nose.

She slashed down with her long claws, grazing my skin. I grunted but held on to the sword until my senses caught up to me. I dropped it, reaching for my injured arm with my free hand. She smiled, exposing yellowed teeth, and her tongue slithered out and tasted the air.

Clearly I need a tutor. Time for plan B.

“Good goddess, you are gross.” I surged up and punched her in the throat.

She made a choking noise and instinctively reached for the offending spot. I grabbed her wrists and spun her, getting behind her. I clutched her head and twisted, trying to snap her neck. She cried out…but did not die.

my animal thought-hollered.

I probably needed a tutor for hand-to-hand combat, as well. I’d better start making a list.

The demon reached back and grabbed me, flinging me away with incredible strength. I rolled across the ground. A rock dug into my hip, sending dull, throbbing pain down my leg.

She was on me a moment later, clawing down my side, tearing flesh.

“Give in to me, girl.”

Her magic delved, punching me with disgusting desire. It curdled my stomach, sending bile up my throat. I convulsed, nearly vomited, and then squeezed the pads of my first two fingers and thumb together before jabbing her in the eyeball.

She howled and slapped a hand to her eye. I fisted her hair and ripped her head to the side. I really should’ve brought my fucking dagger! What the fucking fuck had I been thinking? Fuck!

I arched and bucked her off before trying to figure out how to kill someone with my bare hands. Books made this seem so fucking easy! Nyfain would have a lot of explaining to do, because the hero in that book he’d lent me did this all the time. He’d basically yawn and people would die. More realistic, my ass.

I punched her a few times, my hands, thankfully, strong from hunting and working the hides. What should I do, choke her? Try to, like…pound her head with a rock or something?

“Fuck, why didn’t I realize I was so bad at this? Where’s Hannon and his axe when you need him?”

I punched her a few more times and then ripped her toward me, hoping to get her by the neck again so I could strong-arm her over to the sword, where I might finally stab her and end this whole thing.

“It would be easier on both of us if you’d just tap out and die. Just give in to it,” I said in a series of grunts, working my hand between her neck and the ground.

“Why…isn’t…my…magic…working,” the demon said through a strangled throat.

“Your magic working. I just think it’s gross. I found someone sexier who doesn’t need magic. So suck it. Come on now, stop struggling. You know I’m going to win. You know this! Stop making it so hard on me and just let me kill you already!”

My animal surged up, and a blast of fire crackled over my skin. My vision wobbled, blackening.

I demanded of her.

A strong hand wrapped around my arm and shoved me to the side. A large, nude form stabbed down with my sword, the blade cutting through the middle of the demon. She cried out, the strength and volume of the sound lowering dramatically until it cut off.

Blotches of colored light throbbed within my line of sight, multiple small zigzags chopping up the image of Nyfain turning and crouching down beside me. My heart warmed, adding to the furnace in my middle, and prickles of pain turned into knife strikes, washing over my body and digging into my shoulders, head, and legs.

“Finley,” Nyfain said, and hearing that deep, rough voice was like coming home. When had that started?

His power swept through me, a tidal wave quickly overcoming me and threatening to pull me under. The searing agony covering my flesh bit in deeper, and the inferno within struggled to get out.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Nyfain said, strain evident in his voice.

“Couldn’t…work…that sword,” I struggled to say, my animal trying to kick me out of the way and take over. “Need…tutor after…all.”

That was when I felt it. The strong, sure pulse beckoning my animal closer. Asking her to join hearts and minds and souls.

Nyfain’s dragon was intent on protecting us. On dominating and claiming us. He called to my animal, and she was struggling against me to answer.

“She can’t shift, you colossal prick,” Nyfain said, picking me up and hugging me close. He bent and retrieved the sword as well. After a beat, he said, “No, I will not fucking shift with you in this state. You’ll kill her. She can’t shift with this curse! Stop calling to her animal!”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my cheek to his stubble, looking over his shoulder as he jogged. I squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth against the pain. I didn’t know where he was going, but it didn’t matter. I trusted him.

Nyfain turned his head just a little, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. My animal purred in delight even as butterflies swarmed my stomach.

“Don’t give in, Finley,” he said softly, holding me tightly. “Don’t give in to your animal. The first shift needs to be done in the best conditions, when the shifter is at peak power and in the presence of a guiding influence. This is the worst possible time for it. Talk to your creature. Pull her off my dragon’s scent.”

I squeezed my arms tighter around him. My heart beat strongly, and somehow it seemed like it was echoing through him before coming back to me. Like I used it, lent it to him, then got it back. One heart keeping us both going.

I slid my hand across his bare shoulder and up the side of his neck, to his strong jaw with prickly stubble. He stopped in his walk, suddenly silenced.

I turned my face just a little. Desire lazily crawled across my flesh and then soaked down through tissue to bone. It merged with the fire raging in my blood and calmed it, slow and syrupy, languid and delicious. All I knew was his touch. His heat. The feeling of that heart, bouncing back and forth.

“Nyfain,” I whispered, needing something but not quite sure what. My animal goaded me. I was so tired of resisting her, of resisting . “Nyfain…”

“No, Finley,” he murmured, pained. His arms tight around me. His lips brushing the corner of mine. “Don’t give in.”

“Will you stop me?” I forced his face a little closer to me. We were on the trail, yes, but we had darkness for cover. People’s fear of the beast for protection.

“I won’t be able to. Please, Finley, resist. You deserve better than me. You deserve the world at your feet, and I don’t have anything to offer you. I’m an uncrowned king of ruin. I am a prince of destruction. I am your worst nightmare. Please, resist and wait for someone better.”

A sudden swell of power stole my breath. It rose within me, caught by my animal and held. More came, then more still—so much power, as though the two beasts were working together to create a storm. A rush of energy felt like it ate through my flesh. A command pulsed within me, all around.

My animal wrestled me for control, eager to follow the command. Eager to get to his dragon.

Fire crackled across his skin—actual fire!—and seared across mine. The flame bit down, spreading tiny points of agony all over, Nyfain’s dragon clearly helping push the issue.

My vision blackened further. My head grew light. With the dragon’s help, my animal was winning. She was internally clawing me out of the way.

“You’ll kill her!” Nyfain yelled. “You must stop!”

My bones twisted, dragging a strangled cry from my lips. My skin grew tight, itchy, like I needed to shed it. My animal pushed forward, growing in power, in might. She was preparing to shift, regardless of the danger to us.

Our beasts would not be sated unless they had this. Unless they had each other. They were forcing our hand. My beast was trying to break out of her cage to get to his dragon, who was helping her along.

If I was going to lose control, I’d rather do it sexually than face a shift I wasn’t ready for.

I captured his lips in a rush and then roped my arm around his neck, squeezing tight. He groaned, and the dam burst.

He moved me easily, holding my weight with one arm while he used the other hand to cup the side of my face. He opened my mouth with his and then thrust his tongue in, sweeping it through. I wrestled my tongue with his, sucking a little, being sucked, the kiss taking me to a place that I’d never been before. I’d been kissed many times. Kissed well a few times, especially by him. But I’d never been kissed like this. It had never felt so deep. So consuming. Like my whole world was wrapped up into this one moment.

Electric currents sizzled across my heated flesh. Our joined heart sped up, pumping power into me, and then him, back and forth. Euphoria followed. My animal purred in delight. I felt the dragon’s growl of dominance.

I ripped my head back and grabbed his chin roughly, looking into those glowing, smoldering golden eyes.

“Fuck me,” I said, and fire blistered through me, turning it into a command.

A smirk pulled at his lips, and I could feel a shift in the energy around us. His dragon rose to the surface; I could feel it. His power surged and sparked, coiled and dangerous. My animal pushed forward as well, ready to meet it. I’d apparently issued a challenge, and his dragon would take it to the extreme.

Unexpected nervousness stole through me. A tremor of fear lodged in my middle. Suddenly it felt like my first time, a monumental occasion. My body trembled within the sheer force of his overwhelming masculine intensity. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this. I was tired of resisting them, yes, and I wanted Nyfain more than I could express. But this was more than just sex… It was a game of the gods, and I wasn’t sure I had the power to play.

“You can do better than that.” His voice was rougher than usual. Excited. Dominating.

my animal thought, full of excited anticipation.

Tingles worked over my flesh. Internally, I stepped aside and let my animal take the lead. This wasn’t my moment. Nyfain’s either. Something told me we’d have our own moment of truth, and our beasts’ dalliance would fuel the fire.

Nyfain wouldn’t be happy this had come to pass. Given his penchant for rotten moods, he’d likely take it out on me, but I’d cross that bridge when I came to it. Right now, two beasts were preparing to fight, and Nyfain’s and my bodies were their battlefield. The first to an orgasm would win.

My animal intended to own that prize.