A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales – B&tB Book 1)
A Ruin of Roses: Chapter 13

“Butterfucking bellends!” Hadriel exclaimed when he finally met me in the tower. Leala had been here when I got back, folding some panties and stowing them in the wardrobe. That had been awkward, watching her fold lacy undergarments. I’d quickly run her off and forced her to leave the key behind.

“Did you run and tell him that I was in that room?” I demanded, looking through the wardrobe for the clothes I’d worn here. There was no way I was staying in his clothes. I’d leave how I’d arrived, except this time it would be of my own free will.

“No! I only tried to find him when you wouldn’t answer me anymore. I feared you’d fallen into…whatever the fuck was in there to kill you. By then, he’d already found you. Are you fucking insane, going into the queen’s chambers?”

“Yes. I’m fucking insane for a lot of things. Like staying in this horrible castle for as long as I have. Like developing a soft spot for him. Like not staying stronger and keeping my head around him.”

“What are you…”

I found the outfit I’d arrived in and changed quickly, then grabbed my knife and the little knapsack I’d found and stuffed with candles and a stick that would hopefully burn. At least I’d had the foresight early to create a panic bag for when I needed to run and check on my family. That was before the trip to the everlass field. Before getting to know him better.

Goddess help me, I was so incredibly stupid.

I lunged for the door.

“Where are you… Oh goddess, you evil vixen, what is happening now?”

I pulled the door shut and locked it. I felt a little bad, but I couldn’t risk him running and telling Nyfain where I’d gone. In an hour or so, Nyfain would come to get me to tend to the everlass. At that time, he could free Hadriel and I’d be long gone.

“What are you doing?” Hadriel called through the door. “Fine, take the garden! Clearly the master didn’t kill you when he found you earlier, so maybe he doesn’t care. I’ll even…”

His voice faded away as I hurried down the steps. At the next landing, I saw a woman with an apron and rosy cheeks. She gave me a pleasant smile. I waved like an idiot and kept going. At the first floor, all was quiet. People were probably fiddling with their hobbies or getting ready for whatever party would be happening that night. The staff in this place was sparse at best. That was clearly what happened after years of the demons offing anyone who gave a shit.

Anger curled through me, but I ignored it and let myself out the front door. This wasn’t my problem, what was happening here. Nyfain was the prince; he could sort it out. My task lay in healing, not wrestling demons.

Without delay, I ran down the steps and across the front lawn, long since turned to dirt and weeds. As soon as I reached the Forbidden Wood, I let my animal rush to the surface.

What did you do? she demanded as I threaded my way through the trees.

What I had to. Did you know he was a prince?

He’s an alpha.

Yeah. An alpha prince. He’s a fucking prince!

Slow your tits. You’re going to have a coronary.

I stopped for a moment and closed my eyes. Even in the jaws of a beast and scared out of my mind, I’d paid attention to the path Nyfain took that first night. I’d learned a bit more from our mad dash to save Hadriel. For me, it was enough to go by. I’d always been able to find my way in this place.

Where are we going? my animal asked.

Do you have a name?

Finley, we’re the same person.

I know. But do you have a name?

Finley.

I waited for a moment. What?

My name is Finley, you bum trinket. We’re in the same fucking body, so we have the same fucking name. Where are we going?

I didn’t think it was possible to be saltier than me, but you are proving me wrong. I veered right until a pond got in my way. It gurgled and bubbled, smelling like compost, week-old fish, and farts. A grayish sort of steam rose from its middle. We’re going home. I’m not the sort of person who hooks up with a prince.

But you are absolutely the sort of person who hooks up with an alpha. I know this because I want to hook up with that alpha, and he was all for it.

You don’t understand social hierarchy.

You don’t understand that the real pecking order is based on power and prowess.

I jogged east until I found a trail to go around the pond and took that, working south. I’d need to grab some more everlass leaves on my way out. I didn’t have a great place to keep them, but they’d have to make do. If Nyfain was pissed, he could go blow a goat.

That alpha wasn’t interested, I thought, stopping at a cliff face twice my height. The rock was sheer and glossy. There was no way I could climb it without rope. I didn’t remember Nyfain working around that. I was clearly a touch off course.

The cliff face ducked behind some trees away left, and I headed in that direction.

I just told you he was, she replied.

Fine, the man behind the alpha wasn’t interested. He warned me away. Repeatedly. Like…every time we were in each other’s presence, he warned me to piss off.

Because he is trying to protect you. That’s what alphas do. It’s up to you to tell him that you’ll do what you want. And what you want is to fuck the living brains out of him. Then make babies and repopulate this kingdom.

Great goddess, that’s a bit much.

I wondered when the land was going to even out again. The shadows had started to lengthen. Twilight came earlier in the wood because of all the trees. I’d hoped to make it a little farther by now. Maybe I should’ve waited a day and started earlier.

But at least I knew the beast didn’t intend on killing me. That took a lot of the pressure off. If he recovered me, there would be another chance to get away. I knew there would.

When a man tells you he’ll ruin you, it’s best to listen and fuck right off, I thought as I finally worked around the rise and got back on track. It took a second, but this is me finally listening. I have plenty of other opportunities to ruin myself, I don’t need his help.

He could only ruin you if you allowed it. We’re stronger than that. I’m stronger than that. If you feel weak, I will make you strong. That is the power of shifters: two souls working in tandem. In any perfectly synced mating, there are four. Not even the demon king could tear down such a powerful pair.

The demon king had torn down an entire kingdom. He held this place in the palm of his hand. But I didn’t feel like arguing. I just felt like getting home.

Minutes multiplied to become an hour. The sun had officially lowered from the sky, leaving behind dense, black night. I’d fashioned the stick into a sort of torch that streaked through the darkness and spat embers in its wake. The trail of smoke burned my eyes. Undaunted, I continued jogging along the animal trails and listening for sounds of movement. I didn’t know what time the creatures tended to come out at night in these woods, but I knew I didn’t want to tangle with them. The beast wouldn’t kill me, but I wouldn’t put it past the mockingbird of terror to try, and it wasn’t alone. I might have to fight my way out of this place. Thanks to Nyfain, though, I had help: Finley number two would fill me with strength and power or just take over when things got dire.

The name of the game will be to always maintain contact now that we’re away from Nyfain, I thought, seeing a fork in the path. A looming tree stood sentinel to a field beyond it. Unable to help myself, I jogged that way quickly. Everlass, overgrown and wild.

So Nyfain didn’t tend to them all. He probably couldn’t. It made sense, then, why he’d chosen those near the castle—as was his duty, I imagined—but why had he paid any mind to the one close to our village, nearly at the edge of his kingdom?

“You’ve never entered without my knowing, but I could never catch you,” he’d said.

Was that why he kept that field tended? Had he done it to help me?

Suddenly it was hard to breathe.

I turned in the direction of home, and my animal bled energy into me. I nearly asked why she had her own stores of energy and power, but I wasn’t in the mood. There were a great many things about her, about me, that probably wouldn’t make any sense until I could shift. For now, I’d just take the help and continue on.

A blanket of weak, twinkling lights dotted the black overhead, the only star of substance being the Southern Light, something I often used to guide my way. I used it now, moving as fast as I could while avoiding reaching roots and vines.

A snarl caught my attention, away left. Fear trickled into my blood. That wasn’t Nyfain’s sound. The creatures of the Forbidden Wood were out.

I racked my brain. Had anyone at the castle said anything about other shifters retaining their ability to shift? If Nyfain could transform, then he probably wasn’t the only one. Maybe the wood really wasn’t dangerous at all. Maybe it was just a bunch of guardians securing their ancestral lands.

Except Nyfain had attacked the mockingbird of terror.

Then again, it had been coming after me. Maybe it had been a pissed-off villager?

No, I couldn’t discount all of the scars cut into Nyfain’s robust, muscular frame. They spoke of years of constant battle. If the creatures of the wood could do that to his beast form, what chance did I have without shifting?

So much for watering down the fear pumping through my blood.

Okay, folks, we’re just going to quiet down now. Let’s slow those feet and step carefully. But what will we do about this spotlight on us?

What the fuck are you talking about? my animal asked.

How did one explain their idiosyncrasies when very afraid?

A screech caught my attention, reverberating through the trees. It seemed like it had come from everywhere and nowhere. A roar turned into a distorted sort of howl, like it came from some sort of zombie wolf.

I’d always heard zombies weren’t real. That they were a story made up to scare children around campfires. Then again, I’d also heard no one could shift and that the beast was a creature of the night instead of the broken prince with a curse hanging around his neck. I no longer had much faith in my peers.

A root caught my shoe, and I dove headfirst into a brittle fern. My knees scraped the ground, and my light tumbled into a cluster of dried grass.

“Shitballs,” I bit out, up as fast as I could and trying to stomp on the quickly catching blaze. It zipped across the ground and spread, licking up a tree. I stomped through it, feeling the press of eyes on me. I’d created a beacon for the creatures of the night to find me.

Run, my animal said.

I didn’t need to be told twice.

Before I could even turn, the blaze dimmed and then winked out, as though the wood were fire-resistant.

Enchantment? I asked, not hanging around.

This place isn’t right.

No shit, huh? What other incredibly obvious observations do you have for me?

You could use a thesaurus.

Shut up, I inwardly growled, seeing familiarities all around me now. That tall and thin bush with the frayed top, the willow with the bald spot at the top—I was close to home. Not far now.

A humanlike scream froze my blood. It ended in a sort of wheezing groan, much too loud for my liking.

Zombies better not be real, folks, or I’m going to have nightmares for the rest of my life.

I’m getting concerned about who you think you are talking to, my animal thought, pumping power through me. I’m going to see how much of this pairing I can take over before the need to change claws at me. Hang on tight.

Hang on tight to what?

Fucking hell, the simplemindedness of that castle is wearing off on you. It’s an expression. One I know because you learned it.

Her presence pushed against me, shoving me aside, and then she was taking over my limbs. The complexities of scent overloaded me until I slunk farther back, letting her handle them. Our speed dramatically increased. She kept going, taking more control. Trying to work with a body she didn’t know well—I could feel the confusion creeping in. I felt the itching along our skin and the pumping of power ready to turn into an explosion. My hair started to tingle, and my back felt like knives were being stuck through me. The darkness receded, though.

Shapes loomed around us, mostly blacks, whites, and yellows.

That’s…about…as far as I can push it, she thought, and I could feel her struggling.

Wasting no time, she picked up the pace, light of step and agile, even if she would have preferred to be on four feet. She jumped over roots that I might’ve stumbled on and avoided brittle bushes or crackling twigs that would have given us away.

My hand reached into my pocket and extracted the pocketknife. She opened the blade as a drumbeat of adrenaline pounded through us. Something was coming.

“Ha-ha-ha!” It sounded like a man’s voice—after one hundred years of cigarettes and choking on swamp slime. “Ha-ha-ha!”

It wasn’t laughing. The being was literally saying those words as though attempting to fool someone into thinking it was both human and having a jolly time.

Here we go.

A distinctly human shape stepped out from behind a tree up ahead. It wore worn clothing pocked with holes, and part of its scalp had rotted off. Jutting teeth filled its mouth, and the jaw looked unhinged.

There’s your zombie, my animal said, slowing just a bit as she approached. I wish I had four feet and claws. This would be so much easier. You might have to help drive.

The darkness rushed in a bit, the shapes around us going fuzzy.

It’s a dybbuk, I bet, I said, images of demonic creatures running through my head. They are supposedly demons in the bodies of sinners. One wandered into our village when I was about fifteen. It was clumsy. I can handle this.

I apologize for making fun of your well-read-ness. This makes up for it.

I ran at it, knife in hand. He swiped when I got close, and I ducked under his arm, exhilarated by the strength and speed with which I could now move. I stabbed him in the stomach. He barely noticed. I’d expected that, though. These buggers couldn’t feel pain in the way a human could. Their bodies could still die, though.

If only I had my dagger…

I swiped his leg, quickly following up with a stab to the kidney, and then used both hands to drive the blade into the base of his skull. That would disable him until it bled out, which would happen quickly.

A snarl sounded from the right before a large doglike creature lunged. Over half my size, it had momentum and muscle behind it. I dropped to the ground, waited for it to sail over my prone body, and popped up like I had springs. I could get used to this animal-inside-me situation, salty attitude aside. The dog creature landed and stumbled a little, not having expected me to move. A ribbed fin rose from its back like a wave, each rib topped with a spike. Its eyes glowed green, and saliva dripped from its huge canines. A badly bred hellhound? I hadn’t seen this sucker in any of the books I’d read.

I need four feet and claws! my animal thought-yelled, frustration swirling through us.

Yeah, we both did, because I couldn’t handle this thing with a stupid pocketknife.

I darted around a tree and jumped onto a low branch. It groaned under my weight but held. The creature snarled, launching after me again. Heart rampaging, I pulled myself up another branch and took our life in my hands as I jumped across to a thick branch on the neighboring tree. I wrapped my arms around it, but my legs swung into the open space below.

The creature jumped up and snapped at my dangling boot. I yanked it out of the way and heaved myself up, shimmying to the trunk.

Now what? my animal asked.

Now you pretend to understand my little peccadilloes as I figure this out.

With that, I launched into my usual internal dialogue.

This is a harrowing feat, folks. I can’t wait to see what happens next, I thought, sizing up the area. There was a mostly clear and decently wide trail leading away from here. It should intersect with the trail I often took into the wood.

An owl hooted distantly, my old friend Chatty Kathy. Something else clearly prowled the wood. Part of me hoped it was Nyfain. Most of me realized it was probably some other horrible thing the demons had unleashed in this wood. I needed to get out of here. But that dog thing could surely run like the wind. I couldn’t beat it, so I’d have to kill it.

It waited just under me, still looking up like it was thinking of learning how to climb a tree. I had the drop on it.

Fantastic, it seems like she has had an outstanding idea. Thank you, horrible wild boar, for giving her the practice to make this precarious move possible.

This is really tough to bear. My animal sounded pained.

It’s my process, I said as I stepped onto another branch and moved around the trunk. I lowered to the branch below. The creature moved with me, saliva dripping from a jaw made for crushing bones. A low groan reverberated through its muscled chest.

I perched above the creature, full of determination, my knife clutched in a slightly shaking hand. I needed to jump down onto it and drive my knife through a vulnerable point. I’ve done it before with other animals, but that fin would make it difficult. I’d have to aim near its head, and that end had teeth. Still, I didn’t have any other ideas. Waiting here was not an option. The creature was alerting everyone to my presence, and if a more dexterous monster came along, it could come up here and get me. Escape wasn’t an option, either. If I dropped down now, the creature would just step out of the way and then maul me.

Fuck, this sucks, I thought, and bent so that my face leaned down toward it. It braced itself, its growl getting louder. I swung down my knifed hand. It trembled as it waited, ready to jump up at any moment.

“C’mon, you bastard, come and get me,” I said, lowering a bit more.

My foot slipped, and I fell against the branch, my leg dangling over and my stomach touching down. I scrabbled to get back up as the creature jumped.

Now or never, folks!

No, no, no, no, no! my animal replied.

Too late. I waited until those jaws snapped a foot from my face and then rolled off, falling toward it. The creature hit the ground but couldn’t move in time. I tumbled down on top of its head, two hands on the knife hilt and thrusting downward. I jammed the blade at the base of its fin, between its shoulder blades.

It howled and snapped, catching my arm. Blistering pain shot through me, but I didn’t let go. I used the knife to drag the thing down with me. It snapped at my face, its strength starting to dwindle. I dodged the bite and yanked out the knife, punching into the thing’s throat and pushing upward. It scraped my legs with its front claws, and I wished I’d worn Nyfain’s leathers after all. Blood showered me, but I kept at it. It floundered and then crashed down, really fucking heavy.

I climbed out from under it, breathing hard. My arm throbbed in agony, and my legs felt like they’d been seared, but it wasn’t anything Hannon hadn’t healed up before. I just had to make it to him.

Pulling my animal back to center, I let her take the lead. Her power doused the pain a little, and we hobble-jogged along the path. A sigh of relief eased out of me as familiar landmarks came into view. We were close to home.

I took a quick detour, backtracking just a bit, and hurried to the everlass field. Hannon surely had some left from my last harvest, but I didn’t want to take it all. Goddess knew I’d need some for these bites and gashes.

The birch rose ahead of me, and I actually smiled at the sight—until I remembered its propensity to jig.

“Oh crap—”

Too late. It shook and waved, its branches groaning and its leaves shaking. Might as well summon all the curious creatures in this wood.

I packed the everlass leaves into my knapsack, as many as I could reasonably fit. They’d be annoyed by the material anyway, so I might as well really piss them off by shoving in more than normal.

Ignoring the birch’s sashaying, I jogged back around it and out of the area. Pain throbbed in my legs and fingers, and blood dripped from the wounds. Some demonic creatures fed off blood, but not from the vein like a tidy vampire. No, they liked to rip into flesh and lap at their victims’ bodies. If they were in this wood, I was essentially calling them.

I’ve never heard of so many creatures wandering in the wood, I thought as I made my way, gritting my teeth against the pain. I’ve never encountered this many.

My animal didn’t say anything, just assumed most of the control again and kept our feet going, one in front of the other.

Halfway there, a strange smell caught my attention. A little musky, like a demon, but with strong overtones of sulfur. First it came from the right, then the left.

Is the smell hovering or what? I thought as my animal picked up speed. I knew she’d be cataloging a lot more complexities than I could comprehend.

No.

I waited for her to elaborate, but she slowed instead.

What are we doing? I asked.

They’re surrounding us. I’m trying to decide—without talking to a bunch of folks—what to do. I can’t tell their speed or agility yet.

We continued along, slower now, and the smell kept getting stronger. From the right. From the left. A whiff from behind. Then one of them emerged onto the path in front of me. It was ugly as sin, and one glance was enough to tell me it had never made an appearance in any of my books.

Its face was like a parody of a human skeleton, with large, grayed-out hollows for eyes, a hole for a nose, and a wide, lipless grin. Its stringy yellow mane reached down to a large hunch in its back, formed because its front legs were longer than the back ones, and a little tail in the back. It was nearly as big as the dog creature but spindlier. Its front legs had an opposable thumb, however. It could probably grab.

More of them pushed out from between the trees and foliage all around me, surrounding me as my animal had warned they would. Five in all. As I watched, black sludge dripped from their pointed teeth. The one in front swiped its fingertips through it.

That’s probably not good, I thought with a sick feeling in my gut. That is probably some chemical designed to disarm an opponent, like poison.

I take it back. I don’t like how much you read.

Just go ahead and talk to my invisible audience. They are always excited during times of trial. It helps with the fear.

If only we could pick our human partner…

I took deep breaths, leading now. My animal and I seemed to be getting better about who took the reins when. Still, I kinda wished she’d picked this moment.

More deep breaths, sending much-needed oxygen into my blood. I had my animal’s power, lending strength and speed. Dulling the pain a little. Not enough, though. This was going to be hairy.

“Do you speak?” I asked, because it was a great stalling technique. “Take me to your leader.”

The one in front gnashed its teeth and made a nack-nack-nack sound. It was a little better than the “ha-ha-ha” from the other guy, but not much. Sludge oozed down its chin.

“Right, okay,” I said softly, testing their limits. I walked forward slowly. The configuration of the creatures immediately changed, moving with me, continuing to box me in. I’d just encouraged them to tighten the circle.

Nothing for it, then.

I charged, sprinting at the one on the side. Surprisingly, it pulled back, creating space between us. The ones that used to be front and back rushed in, flanking me. I changed direction immediately, slashing right with a knife that was much too small for the situation. The blade sailed through empty air. The creature dashed in and swiped at me. I staggered back but turned as I did, sticking out my knife. The blade sank into the ribs of the one that had planned to score its claws across my back.

“Suck it, fucker,” I said, grabbing its bony shoulder and pulling it forward. It stomped, off balance. I slipped behind and stabbed three times quickly and in any old area, watching the others reconfigure.

How smart are these bastards, do you reckon? I thought.

They are pack animals, obviously, and they are clearly good at hunting prey. They also clearly underestimated you.

Yeah. That’s what I was thinking. Balls.

Breathing heavily, I intended to use the dying one as a shield, but its legs gave out. It flopped to the ground, not dead but not willing to serve as my super-handy shield.

They tried to skitter around me to cage me in, but I back-pedaled, keeping them in front. I caught more whiffs from behind.

Don’t tell me—

There are three behind us, my animal said. They are a good predator.

And I was turning into serious prey.

I tried to switch direction, but they switched with me. I turned and ran, but one jumped out of the trees to stop me. The ones behind closed in.

I kept going anyway, charging the one in front. Nearly to it, I turned around and struck the one I could feel dashing up behind me. I knew how they worked, and my sense of danger was on it, not to mention Finley Number Two. The creatures on the side pushed in. I spun to get in a jab at the one that was now behind me, only to spin back around to take another stab at the first. They were one step behind me, which was great, except they weren’t going down from just one jab with the knife. I wasn’t thinning the numbers.

My breath came out in ragged puffs, and my injured right hand wouldn’t hold the knife anymore. I wasn’t as good with my left.

Once again, I faced them down, looking for an alternative. Trying to figure out a way. Knowing I likely wouldn’t. Leaving the castle like that had clearly been the last mistake of my life.