A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales – B&tB Book 1)
A Ruin of Roses: Chapter 6

A soft rap sounded at my door. “Milady…”

I frowned. It was a woman’s voice.

My eyes were swollen from the crying I’d done last night. I’d tried to go to bed, like Hadriel ordered, but thoughts of what I’d lost kept barging into my brain. For the first time, I was alone. Sable wasn’t beside me. Hannon and Dash weren’t just down the hall. Father wasn’t in the next room.

Worse, they were mourning me right now. That or wondering if I’d somehow saved myself. I couldn’t leave them in suspense. I couldn’t kill their sunshine just because the beast wanted to play mind games with me. I needed to get to them and at least assure them that I was okay. It would be impossible to stay, of course—the last thing I wanted was the beast coming for me and taking his anger out on the village—but I could at least tell them not to worry…and make some of the incubus-be-gone draught. I did not want to get caught in some sort of fuzzy purple costume at the back of a train.

The problem was getting through the wood, of course. Hadriel had scared me off from venturing outside at night, so I might have to escape during the day.

Before I tried anything, though, I needed to get the lay of the land.

“Milady?”

Who in the world would be calling a commoner “milady”?

I sat up and stretched before slipping on what I was wearing yesterday and unlocking the door.

A woman in her late twenties stood on the other side of the door with large blue eyes, curly blond hair, and deep red marks across her throat.

“Are you okay?” I asked, pointing.

“Oh!” She waved her hand and blushed. “Yes, don’t worry about me. That was asked for.”

It looked like someone had tried to strangle her— Oh.

So she wasn’t into fuzzy beast costumes; she was into the harder stuff. Noted.

“I’m Leala, your lady’s maid. How are you this morning, milady?”

“Lady’s maid? Um… I think there must be some misunderstanding. I’m not noble or anything.”

She smiled pleasantly. “You’re the master’s guest in the castle, and therefore you need a lady’s maid.” She bustled into the room, heading first for the curtains. Bright sunlight streamed in, and I put up my hand to block it from my face.

“Right. I think that’s the misunderstanding. I’m not actually a guest. More like…a prisoner.”

“Well. We’re all prisoners in some respects, aren’t we?” She gave me a comforting smile. “If anyone asks, though, we’re going to say that you’re waiting to be executed for stealing. That’s in case anyone gets chatty with the demons. The demons are…not kind to new people. They might go babble to their king, and we don’t want him coming around. He is not pleasant.”

“How often does the demon king come around here?”

She picked up the dresses Hadriel had dropped and opened the wardrobe. After stuffing his rejects away, she leafed through a few of the others. “Goodness me, these are…old.” Her face colored a little. She shut the doors. “He comes around every so often—time is hard to keep track of here. Everything is the same. Day in and day out, it’s all more of the same. He comes to harass the master, essentially, and make sure our lives are ruled by his demons. It’s not a nice time when he visits.”

Fire kindled deep inside of me. My animal moved within my chest, the first time it had happened without the beast—Nyfain—close at hand.

“I won’t say a word. Chances are I’ll still say something that’ll piss Nyfain off—” I stopped at her flinch. “What?”

“It’s just…” She curtsied, something I’d never actually seen done before. “We don’t call him by his birth name. We call him master.”

“You can call him whatever you like. I’ll call him by his name, and if he doesn’t like that, I’ll call him a ballbag fuckbumper. I’ll let it be his choice.”

She made a face like “oh!”

“Anyway, the chances are that I’ll piss off the ballbag fuckbumper very quickly, and he’ll kill me in rage.”

“Oh now, milady. I doubt he’ll…” She pulled her lips to the side as she looked through a chest of drawers Hadriel had poked through last night. “He does have a temper, sure, but…”

“He grabbed me by my throat last night when I wouldn’t answer his question.”

“Hadriel mentioned the master had been stabbed. Did you stab him then, milady?”

“Yeah. It’s why he let me go.”

I didn’t elaborate. Her look of triumph made me feel good about myself. I didn’t want to ruin it by telling her that I hadn’t been in control.

“You’ll do just fine, then.” She pulled out a set of leather pants and held them up in front of her. “The master said you might like a pair of trousers instead of a dress for day-to-day activities. Was he correct? I hope so, because there aren’t any dresses suitable for your beauty. They are all designed to add flourishes for someone with a plain face. Also, they will nowhere near fit. Much too small.”

I hadn’t realized such considerations went into fashion. Then again, Mom had made our clothes, and she didn’t care about such things. Hannon had taken over that duty after she had died, and he cared even less.

“Trousers, yes,” I said as dangerous tingles worked up my spine.

Nyfain must’ve been paying pretty close attention to me the last time he chased me out of the Forbidden Wood. How else would he know what sort of attire I preferred?

“Well, then.” She laid them out on the bed and looked through another drawer. “Thankfully you’re a tall girl, or you’d have to stay in your room until we had something made up. Which reminds me. I’ve booked you appointments with both seamstresses for later today. They can start working on your clothing right away. They were very excited to have the opportunity to do something new. All they work on now is party costumes and servants’ clothes.”

“I won’t be needing any party costumes,” I said quickly. Too quickly. I needed to pry my fingers away from those pearls.

She gave me a comforting smile. “Of course not. The master has forbidden you to leave your room after dark.”

That brought me up short, remembering what Hadriel had said last night as well. I wasn’t allowed to go out after dark.

Nyfain thought he could rule me, did he? That I would obey him?

Clearly he didn’t realize that Hadriel had given me the key and I could essentially do as I pleased. Maybe I wouldn’t wear a costume, and I damn sure wouldn’t partake in the festivities, but I would definitely leave my room after dark.

I just had to make that demon-be-gone draught first. These demons seemed more powerful than the ones in my village.

The pants were too loose at the waist and short in the leg, with extra room in the crotch and not enough room in the ass. The shirt was hanging off my shoulders and very loose around my neck, tight at my bust and then loose again. This was even after having the binding around my breasts.

“I’m wearing clothes for a male,” I stated.

“Yes, milady. It’s all we have, I’m afraid. Females around here don’t exactly dress…”

She paused, and I knew she was searching for a word that wouldn’t hurt my feelings.

Before I could help by assuring her that I had no feelings, she finished, “For comfort.”

“I’m a bit of a social pariah for dressing how I dress,” I admitted as she refolded the clothes she’d been looking at and shut the drawers.

“That just means you don’t conform to the way you’ve been told to live your life. That takes courage, milady. In these times, we need people with courage. There aren’t enough of them left.”

Humbled, I sat on the edge of the bed and looked out the windows at the breathtaking view. A warm glow infused my heart.

She got me. She wasn’t judging—she was supporting.

She suddenly straightened up and said, “Oh!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her spin and curtsey. A blast of fresh fragrance assaulted my senses, pine and lilac with a hint of honeysuckle, so delicious I wanted to lick the air. It reminded me of balmy days in the sunshine as a child, memories full of happiness and laughter.

My mood soured.

“Master. Excuse me,” she gushed, and I rolled my eyes. “I was just finishing up, and then I was going to get her ready and take her for lunch and show her the grounds, like you requested.”

Nyfain filled the doorway. He wore a white T-shirt that stretched across the top of his torso and hung loose at his waist. A pair of faded gray jeans were plastered to his thick thighs. People in my village wore fabric trousers almost always, or leather if they could afford it or make it. I hadn’t seen jeans in…a very long time. The fabric was hard to make, labor-intensive, and required expensive machinery—or whatever was used in its place now. Before the curse, I remembered trading for it in the village. Clearly the castle had the means to make it, but not the ability or inclination to trade it to the villages. Given how worn his jeans were, though, clearly they weren’t making it too often.

“Prepare a picnic,” he said curtly. His deep, dark sandpaper voice flowed over me. My animal pumped fire into my blood, awakening my senses. She moved within me, begging to be unleashed.

I hadn’t realized she came with a leash. I wish I could find the fucking thing and tie it to a tree.

“Oh goddess,” Leala said, clutching at her chest and falling against the chest of drawers.

I looked over at her in surprise. A serene smile crossed her face, like she was hugging a long-lost friend. She clearly felt her animal around Nyfain as well, but she seemed to like hers. I was still incredibly wary about mine. I was okay with randomly stabbing dangerous men who lurked in the woods, but not as on board with her other wishes—like randomly dragging said dangerous men on top of me and going to Pound Town.

“Deliver it to the west garden field,” Nyfain said as though her reaction were normal. It probably was.

Garden field? Those were two words I hadn’t expected to be smooshed together.

“Of course, sir.” She attempted another curtsey, but it was awkward and one hand still clutched at her chest. “Excuse me, milady.” She hurried from the room.

A few beats of silence passed. I let them, looking out at the fantastic view. Not one cloud marred the crisp blue sky. From here, the Forbidden Wood didn’t look so dead and twisted. There was still life within it, struggling to hold on. The gaps were indeed other villages. I could see roofs, even from this distance. Right below my window, way down on the ground below, was a forgotten garden, overgrown and tangled with weeds.

He walked into the room and stood in the empty space beside the bed, in line with me. He looked out at the same view I was studying.

“The Royal Wood used to stretch on forever, it seemed like,” he said into the hush, and it occurred to me that he was talking about the Forbidden Wood. Obviously, that was the favored name on his side of the social divider. “It’s dying, like the rest of this kingdom.”

I nodded. That was certainly true.

After a moment, he gave me some side-eye. “Those garments don’t fit you.”

“Your observational skills are exceptional,” I replied dryly.

“They were made for a man.”

“Hence the extra space where a dick should go, I guess.”

“You’re too thin.”

“Not by choice. I’d eat more if there were more to eat. Would you like me to start pointing out your faults now? How much time do you have?”

His stare beat into the side of my head. After a moment, he said, “Come with me.”

His tone brooked no argument.

But I was out of fucks to give.

“Nah,” I said.

He stepped away, out of view. “Will you make me force you?” he asked from somewhere near the door. I didn’t turn to look.

“Didn’t you try that already? In the wood? But look, if you want another stab wound, I’m in.”

“Big words for a prisoner.”

“Says the guy who protects the land by abducting evil villagers trying to save their families from the curse.”

Silence greeted me. One moment turned into several. He waited so long that I wondered if he’d left.

Curiosity got the better of me. I glanced back.

Empty space.

He’d left! How did a guy that big move so quietly?

I sat there for a moment longer, wondering if I should take this as an opportunity to explore the area by myself. Except suddenly my body turned to fire. My skin felt like it was blistering, sizzling away from my bones. That presence inside thrashed and railed within me, trying to take over. The desperate urge to stand up and obey Nyfain was so strong that I could barely think. Suppressing it was taking all my will, and even that might not be enough.

“Breathe through it,” I coached myself, pulling in a deep breath through my nose and exhaling slowly. “Breathe.”

Pain twisted in my gut the longer I resisted. I ignored it. Shut it off. I’d been hurt plenty—if it wasn’t life-threatening, I could shove it aside.

“Did you say something, doll?” Hadriel poked his head in the doorway, his eyes bloodshot and his face haggard.

“Nope, nothing,” I said through a tight jaw, the unanswered command making me feel like my hair was being torn off and my eyes scraped out. The presence within clawed against my ribcage.

Still, I persisted, suppressing that animal. Handling the pain.

“How do you feel?” I asked. “Amazing?”

He wasn’t a friend—for all I knew, he could be an enemy—but you couldn’t get a greeting like he’d given me last night and feel like a stranger.

“I do not feel amazing, no,” he answered, leaning against the doorframe and rubbing a hand down his face. “My mouth tastes like someone shat in it, and my head is ab-solutely pounding. I’m miserable. And while I am miserable, the master has decided he needs to make matters worse and have me take you to the west garden field. Dealing with him is adding a little more misery to my day. We need to hurry.”

“I’m not going.”

“Yeah, except if you don’t go, I will be the one who’s punished gruesomely. So I will have to beg you to please, please have pity on your poor, humble butler Hadriel and accompany him to the west garden field.”

“Do you always talk about yourself in the third person?”

“Only when it’s a dire situation and I cannot think in a rational manner. This is an emergency, love. My goal of the day is not shitting myself. If he punishes me for not following orders, I will definitely shit myself, and then everyone will make fun of me for, like, five years or something. This is essential. Please. I will do anything.”

He held his stomach as he said all of this with a straight face, and I couldn’t stop chuckling.

“It’s not funny,” he said with a little quirk to his lips. “Do you have any idea how much I drank last night? That mead is not good for one’s stomach, and then I had a greasy breakfast. I only did those things because I thought I would be inside all day today with nothing but a puzzle to do. Now I have to venture out into a high-stress situation away from the privy and a washbasin. I’m not able for this, my darling. These are my professional pants. I don’t want to ruin them. I need you to do this for me.”

I laughed harder; I couldn’t help it. The situation was just so absurd.

“I’d really rather not,” I managed.

“Please. I cannot handle his wrath normally, and I certainly cannot handle it today. I’ll do anything.”

My head had started to throb. If I gave in, I’d be owed a favor. It was a good excuse to end this excruciating torment.

“Fine,” I said, sounding put out. I had to play the part, after all.

He sagged in relief. “I had you pegged as the stubborn, unrelenting type. Which, let’s be honest, I absolutely love. There is nothing like a snarky jackass to color the day. I can’t take the women who always get their feelings hurt and then act passive-aggressive about it. Who has the time? But just for today, I need you pliant, yes? Just work with me today. Be your badass bitch self after today.”

Still laughing, I said, “You’ve convinced me.”

“Oh, thank the goddess and her lubed-up men. Okay, here we go. Step lively. The master is already pissed off for some reason. It doesn’t take much usually, but this is ridiculous. Who shat on his breakfast, you know?”

“The same person who shat in your mouth?”

“Don’t joke about that. Worse things have happened in this place, and I’d rather they didn’t happen to me.”

I took in his outfit. Dark gray slacks and a gray jacket with a black velvet lapel.

“I’m missing the fuzzy purple beast—”

He held up a finger. “Don’t say it.”

“I loved the stuffed purple—”

“Don’t you dare keep going. I woke up with my head in the toilet and my pants around my knees. I would say that was an all-time low, but sadly, it isn’t even close.”

“Dark.”

“Tell me about it.”

“And this is your…butler ensemble?”

He looked down his front, then farther until he could see his pressed velvet slippers, two shades lighter than the gray slacks. “Yes. I’m going for a modern look. I think I picked the wrong shoes, though. Otherwise, I am definitely selling the vibe, wouldn’t you agree? I mean, when was the last time I had to properly butler? I don’t even know how to do this fucking job. I was a stable hand before this. I only stepped up into this gig because everyone else was afraid of getting killed. If we ever get out of this, it’ll be a great work history builder, you know what I’m saying?” He held up a finger as we walked down the stairs. “The important thing is mediocrity. Remember that. If you stay mediocre and mostly uninterested in helping the castle flourish, the demons won’t treat you to an ‘accident.’”

Anger burned through me. “They just randomly kill anyone who does a good job around here?”

“Yeah, pretty much. But there haven’t been any deaths in a while. We’ve all pretty much got things under control. If someone is good at their job, like your lady’s maid, they have some serious kinks that the demons like exploring. Since I am afraid of the more serious kinks, I’ve got being terrible at butlering down to an art.” He ran his hand down his lapel.

“Yes, you do,” I said to play along, grinning. He had a way of making a person feel better about their shitty situation. I really needed that right now.

“And you…” He did a once-over on my outfit. “You have already taken that note, it seems. Good work. You’re still pretty, don’t get me wrong, but this…clothing and the…dirt on your face really detract from your appearance. What is your hair even doing?”

I hadn’t even thought about washing up. My life was upside down, and it hadn’t occurred to me to do any of the basic things I did in a normal day. Since I wasn’t in the habit of looking at mirrors anyway… Well, I guessed it could only help me in this castle. Bully for me.

“Did you literally punch yourself in the face, too?” he asked. “There are other ways to detract from your appearance than self-violence. Trust me. Do you think I like this hideous mustache? And this bow pulling back my too-long hair—you think I’m enjoying this look?” He lifted his eyebrows.

I erupted in giggles again. The mustache definitely detracted from his handsome face. The thing was comical, as were the outfit and the large bow holding his shoulder-length black hair at his nape.

“No, no self-violence. I thought it might be fun to cry myself to sleep last night.”

“Ah. Well, it could be worse. You could’ve woken up with your head in a toilet, a purple costume gathered around your knees, and zero recollection of how you got there.”

“Thank you for the cautionary tale.”

When we reached the second floor, he pointed to the left, and we headed through a grand room out of a picture book. It was gorgeous, with large red curtains draping the massive windows, golden trimming, and cream walls playing host to oil paintings. Large chandeliers hung down from above, all the candles within burned nubs. I wondered if they burned those down every night or had just never replaced them. I wasn’t sure how many demons loitered in this place at night. I was a little afraid to find out.

“Where do the demons sleep during the day?” I asked. In the village, they all retreated to a house they’d taken over at the far end of town. They hunkered down in darkened rooms, waiting for the daylight to disappear. The sun didn’t kill them like it did vampires, but it sapped their power. Only the very powerful walked around during the day.

“They are in the dungeons. Nasty fuckers. Why choose to lie low in such a vile place, you know? Then again, I guess they can shut themselves in. Maybe they’re worried one of us will try to drag them into the sun and kill them all. Who knows. Not like the master would let us.”

A man walking in the opposite direction slowed when he saw me. He beamed and waved before ripping his floppy hat off his head and holding it to this chest.

“Oh, go fuck a donkey, Liron,” Hadriel called, waving the man away. “Don’t draw attention to her.”

“Eat my ass,” Liron said with a snarl before smiling at me and bowing.

After we passed him, Hadriel murmured, “That guy fucks up every single threesome you try to get started. He literally does not know where to put his dick. He just walks around parties with his cock in his hand. He’d be creepy if he ever did more than look on with that dumb expression on his face.”

“I can hear you,” Liron yelled in a shrill voice, now continuing down the hall.

“Like it matters,” Hadriel called back. He rolled his eyes. “Clearly nothing wrong with his hearing. If you ever find yourself in an intimate situation with that guy, watch your arsehole. Because that guy will cornhole you. He will fucking cornhole you! All the ladies say so. One time I was giving head, and he just randomly walked up and tried to stick me in the ass. Only he missed and fell over me. Like—who does that, you know?”

My mouth had dropped open. I needed those pearls. I needed something to clutch. This was starting to get a little crazy.

He must’ve noticed, because he waved it away. “It’s fine. You won’t be out at night, anyway. If someone tried to fuck you, the master would probably rip his dick off and feed it to him.”

“Is this how all of you talk?”

He laughed. “Oh, love, aren’t you cute?” He looked skyward. “Remember when I thought talking like this was gross? Neither do I. Boy are you in for a world of crazy. This place is frozen in time with a bunch of single adults. Pregnancy doesn’t exist—not in the castle. Only the master can impregnate a woman, and then only his true mate. That’s it. The curse has shut everything else down. Add in the demons and their sex magic and endless quantities of alcohol, and that, my love, is a recipe for bad decisions and disaster. Dis-aster! The demons have steered this ship. Anyone who tries to turn the tide lands themselves in an accident that they don’t walk away from. We’re adrift. Only the master has been able to avoid all the sex stuff, and that’s because he has a will of iron. Of absolute iron. I don’t know how he does it. The rest of us… Well, this is our life. Welcome to it.”

“You keep getting darker and darker.”

“Yeah, right? I wasn’t ever a ray of fucking sunshine, but I had my moments. Anyway, we have a shitload of hobbies here. After the master is done with you, I can walk you through them all and see what you might want to do. That assclown Liron teaches watercolors, if you want to give that a go. It’s not as boring if you’re drinking.”

“I’m not a painter, I don’t think.”

“Neither am I. I painted pictures of penises. I couldn’t even get that right. He kept commenting on my finished product, thinking I’d painted a bouquet of flowers or something. But really he was complimenting me on a bunch of dicks. I kept going back just for that. Eventually someone told on me and ruined all my fun.”

I chuckled helplessly as he opened the door leading outside and waited for me to go through.

“One thing of note,” he said, pointing at a wide set of stairs that had been freshly painted. We stepped down to a natural rise in the countryside, the base covered in colorful tiles that hosted a round wood table and matching chairs. Brown and brittle grass led away to a patch of trees much tamer than the Forbidden Wood. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but…well, I’m going to. If you plan to rebel against the master and leave your room at night, you should go to the salon. It takes place in the early evening before all the major stuff kicks off. It’s the safest activity for you.”

I put a hand up to my hair. It had only ever been cut by Mom or Hannon. I could probably use someone who knew what they were doing.

“No, not that kind of salon, love,” he said. “It’s not for the hair on your head. It’s for the lady beard.” He pointed at my crotch. “You can go in there and get shaved, and it’s super delicious and erotic. Then, if you want, you can round it out with a little meow, meow.” He winked at me.

“Is this the beginning of the road to shame-fucking?”

“No. This is just a way to treat yourself. Get that lady beard spruced up, get yourself a little meow, meow, and relax. You can lie with a cloth divider hanging around your middle, or at your neck or whatever, so they can’t see who they are servicing. Then it’s totally anonymous.”

“Demons do this?”

“Yeah, but the really low-powered ones. They feed off your pleasure still, but they don’t really muddle the head or anything. It’s about as safe as you are going to get in that regard.”

“I can make a draught that deadens the demon lust magic.”

He put his hand to my arm as we walked. “Shut the fuck up. Are you serious? You can?”

“Yeah. I just have to find the right herbs. You can have some if you want.”

“Um…yes! Are you some kind of stem witch or something? That’s awesome.”

“You’ve had your sex, and I’ve had my plants. I need to make a morning tea, too. I devised it to give the kick like coffee, and I could’ve really used it this morning—”

He stopped and yanked me around to face him, utterly serious. “Do not lie to me about a coffee replacement or I will pull your hair. All these years and I am still desperate for a cup of coffee in the morning.”

“It’s tea, but it apparently gets the job done.”

“Finley, you talented, smart, sparkling gift from the goddess, you. I could just kiss you.” He started walking again. “We’ll get you all the herbs you need, don’t you worry. I will literally cut someone to get them. I’ll cut them, I don’t care.”

I laughed as he pointed to the left on a diagonal, and we crested a little rise. On the other side, just within the trees of the nicer-looking wood, a field of everlass spread out before us. It wasn’t as large as the one I’d used in the Forbidden Wood, but it was just as well maintained, with large, healthy plants and big, vibrant leaves. Nyfain bent in the middle of them, his shirt pulled up against his back to reveal four silver parallel lines not quite covered in new ink. He’d been both scored and tattooed somewhat recently.

Now that I saw him, the desire to get to him and the pain of resisting finally dissolved. He straightened up with a couple of wilting leaves, taking care of some pruning. That strange weight within—my animal—surged at the sight of him before settling down again until I couldn’t feel her at all.

Only then did Nyfain turn and glance at me. Right at me, too, like he’d cataloged my approach and held off on acknowledging my presence until I was actively waiting for him. In other words, he was playing alpha dick swinger. That rat bastard.

“Finley,” Dick Swinger said as he approached, and that goddess-damned voice slid over me like an intimate massage. I hated that.

“Nyfain,” I responded casually.

That gorgeous golden gaze beat into me, and I soaked up the electric current crackling in the air between us. In the full sunlight, I could now clearly see his face. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. A straight nose cut through almost sharp cheekbones, hollowed at the cheek. Dark reddish stubble covered his defined jaw and dipped into the cleft at his chin. His unruly dark brown hair curled behind his ears and swept across his forehead. He could’ve been handsome, if a bit severe, if not for the scars slicing up his visage. One streaked through an eyebrow, and another pulled at his full lips.

His size was just shy of imposing. He was seven feet tall, at least, with huge, robust shoulders and thick slabs of muscle covering his large frame. I’d always felt big for my sex. Tall, thick. He made me feel absolutely puny. Dainty in a way I’d never thought possible. Jedrek had nothing on him. Hannon would be dwarfed, as well. Nyfain was a stack of lethal.

None of that mattered, though. What drew me in was his aura—the hard, raw intensity that slammed into me like a force all its own. It turned my stomach runny and bones fluid. Made my flesh tingle and pooled fire in my core. His obvious ruthlessness, his darkness, sent my heart racing, and I didn’t know if I wanted to run from him or cling to him in mindless desire.

One thing was eminently clear: he was not a guy to turn one’s back on.

His gaze flicked to Hadriel. “You may go.”

Hadriel offered a deep bow. “Yes, sir.”

When Hadriel had gone some distance, Nyfain turned and faced the field. “As I said last night, I had not heard that everlass could slow the sickness killing the people in the villages.” His tone suggested he still thought I was lying.

I’d been called a lot of things in my time, but there were two things people always agreed on—I was brutally honest to the point of social awkwardness, and I knew my way around plants.

This guy was questioning the very foundations of my being. That rankled in so many ways. So much so that I stood there in silence, envisioning ways to ruin his day.

“What is this elixir?” he asked after a moment. “What is in it?”

It wasn’t in me to hold back such useful knowledge, no matter how much I wanted to stick him in the ribs with something sharp. If I could help the other villages, I would. I described my process from beginning to end, explaining why I harvested when I did, how I’d come to that conclusion, and the effects it had.

When I was done, he looked at the field for a moment before he asked, “Where did you learn to work with the everlass?”

“Books. Trial and error.”

He turned to me. “Impossible. One must be taught to work with everlass. It is passed down from generation to generation. Mother to daughter. Father to son.”

“And then some smart fucker with daddy issues took his knowledge and put it in a book. Now I have it.”

His eyes sparked fire. My spine felt like it was disintegrating within that menacing stare.

When he spoke next, his voice was low and dangerous. “Are you afraid of me, princess?”

“No.” Lies.

“No? You should be.”

“Well, aren’t you knowledgeable in shit I don’t care about.”

“Keep at it with that smart mouth, and I’ll be forced to fuck it.”

His words shocked into me. My body lit up like it had been dead all this time, and he had brought it to life. Liquid fire pooled hot and spicy in my core, suddenly throbbing and desperate for hard, brutal contact. My nipples tightened and shivers coated my sensitive flesh. Within it all, the presence inside me—my animal—roared and twisted, struggling to get free so she could sink to her knees and grip his thighs. I could actually feel her desperation to suck in his big cock and choke on it. That bitch did not need a strand of pearls to clutch. She was here for it.

I struggled for breath, struggled to stay standing as my knees weakened and my body trembled. My whimper of desire was incredibly embarrassing, but I kept fighting the beast inside, my hands balled into fists and my arms shaking.

“Say shit like that to me again, I’ll burn your bed…with you in it,” I ground out.

It came out like a purr. Damn it all. Hard to be tough when you sounded husky and wanton.

A smile slowly pulled at his lips. “You’ll need that fire before the end. Mark my words, princess, before this is all over, I will ruin you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Is that a threat…or a challenge?”

At hearing challenge, he sucked in a startled breath. His golden eyes burned into me as they settled on my lips. Another surge of his power shocked through me, trying to bring my beast to the surface.

My panties flooded with wetness, and my core tightened until I nearly had to clench my thighs together. I barely stopped from moaning at the flurry of heat playing within me. Barely stopped myself from plastering my front to his. I knew he’d let me, even if he didn’t want to. I somehow felt his desire almost like a palpable thing. I knew he’d be pissed at the lapse of control, just like last night.

Would he push me away before or after he filled me with cum?

I struggled against his alpha’s call—because that’s exactly what this was. He was using his power to try to dominate me, like alphas used to do before the curse. I’d heard it talked about. I’d read about it in books. People back then hadn’t seemed put out by it.

I was not fucking having it.

I struggled to suppress it, but the ferociousness of the alpha serenaded my newly awakening animal. He was hitting me on multiple levels, and it unfortunately didn’t matter that he’d plucked me from my life and was holding me captive. I wanted to pull him down between my spread thighs and accept him deep, deep into my body.