Page 11 of Shade of Ruin

“That’s the problem with Wyrdlings that grow up with humans. You think you’re so powerful. It’s a wonder whyImmortals want nothing to do with you. You’re arrogant when you have no right to be. Crushing you would be easier than killing those sand harpies.”

His fingers tighten over the ball of flame, extinguishing it. Then he runs his finger over my neck and says, “Or I could spend the night playing with you in other ways. I could leave you a shell of a human.” He pulls harder on my hands, lifting me into the air, and he pushes his body closer to mine, the scent of him rolling over me. Spiced amber, like I’d imagine the essence of magic smelling like.

I’d been afraid before, but it’d been the fear of prey against predators. This is different. This is uniquely human. The slow, steady movement of Cole’s fingers over my throat terrifies me. Like Calum said, there’s nothing anyone could do to save me from him. Those blue eyes are so cold and merciless. There’s not an ounce of warmth in this man… in thisFae.

Yet, even as terror fills my mind, my body can’t help but respond to the sensations. His touch and glare may be cold, but it sets my body aflame. As his finger finds a cut on my shoulder, a slight bit of pain courses through me, and it breaks me out of the shock.

My survival instincts take over, and instead of dangling there, a plaything for him, I strike out in the only way I can think of. A hard kick right between his legs. He tries to move, but he’s holding me, so he can’t get far enough away.

I guess few people react that way to his touch because he doesn’t move fast enough. The toe of my boot connects with what I assume are his family jewels, and he immediately releases me.

I tumble to the ground, falling into a heap before leaping to my feet, ignoring my wounds as I get into a fighting stance. Cole doesn’t seem to think we’re fighting, though, because he’sbent over, clutching his crotch and cursing rather than trying to protect himself from me.

“That was a good one, Wyrdling,” he says through gritted teeth. “You’ve got some spunk. I can’t deny that.”

He stands up slowly after a few moments, and for the first time since the harpies died, he grins. “Good luck dealing with the one who wants you dead. Keep that spunk, and maybe you’ll make it after all. Ask for Cole Cyrus if you make it to Draenyth.”

I don’t know what to say to him, and as his grin fades, he walks out of the room. I take a deep breath and look around me. It’s a disaster. One wall has a gaping hole in it. The door and dresser are ash. There are two dead harpies laying on the floor, and ash is still floating in the air like motes of dust.

I pick up my bag and spear and start walking. My clothes are ripped and torn from the harpies’ claws, and I’m covered in ashes. I’m bleeding from too many cuts to count, many of which would probably kill a normal human. I feel like every ounce of energy’s been stripped from me, and I have no idea what to do about the fact that someone wants me dead. I don’t know who or why they’d care if I lived or died.

But Iamalive. Cole seemed to think that my body will heal from the cuts, and I can feel them closing up. I’m a mess, but I’m going to survive.

Calum Hayes is staring at me from the shattered door with a look of awe and shock on his face. “Miss,” he says slowly.

Seeing Calum just shows me how different I am from everyone else. From humans. I was just attacked by creatures out of nightmares, have cuts still actively bleeding from most of my upper half, and I feel almost calm. Calum, on the other hand, looks like he won’t be sleeping tonight.

“I’m leaving, Calum. Sorry for the trouble.” Just like Aunt Prudence, he doesn’t say anything else as I walk past him, everything I own on my back and in my hands.

Maybe everyone was right. Maybe they should have stayed clear of me. Maybe Wyrdlings were cursed.

But if I’d been a human, I’d be dead. I may be cursed, but it’s a curse I won’t complain about tonight.

Chapter 6

When we arrived here, there was no magic and no

Immortals, but where dragons walk, magic lives.

We have been in this place for a very long time, and while it is necessary for my kind to leave, we cannot leave this world without the magic it has grown to depend on.

~Vyran the Black, The History of Magic and Dragons

There’s only one solutionto deal with whoever’s hunting me. Stay close to Cole. He’s the only person who can help me, and I obviously need help. Maybe he doesn’t want me around. Maybe he’d even hurt me if he finds out I’m following him. That’s a maybe.

I’m guaranteed to die if more harpies come for me. I don’t know who wants me dead, and I don’t know how to stop them.I’m in over my head, and I’ll take possible punishment over certain death any day of the week.

And I feel…compelledto be close to Cole. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the same thing that Calum was talking about. Maybe it’s just inherent to him being High Fae. I think it’s something more.

So that’s why I’m sitting in a tree overlooking the fire that Cole’s building from twigs and branches. A mile off the beaten path, we’re in the same forests around Blackgrove that I’ve spent my entire life in. The scent of fir trees and ancient oaks is so familiar, but the High Fae standing in the small clearing is an anomaly.

I’ve been tracking animals for a very long time, so following him from the inn and into the forest on the outskirts of town was easy. His footsteps were light, but he did nothing to hide his movements. Broken branches, disturbed piles of leaves, but more than anything, the scent of him. Spiced amber. Exotic and dangerous.

After he held me in The Tilted Mug, and I inhaled that scent fully, I don’t know if I’ll ever really forget it. Something inside me knows that it’s more than a physical scent.

The way he moves is nearly as unforgettable. It’s careless in a way that only someone without any fear of the dark could be. That confidence is seductive, and it draws me to him. Everything about Cole Cyrus draws me in.

I know to stay hidden, though. Regardless of how I feel, I need to use him for protection. I’m hoping that he’s headed to Draenyth, but the truth is that I need to be near him until I can figure out how to protect myself. I have a year to help Hazel, but how long do I have to help myself?

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