Page 33 of Shade of Ruin

But I’m ready for him, and this time, when I leap out of the way, I thrust at his leg. Just like humans, boars have thick veins and important tendons in those legs, and when my spear catches the back of it, it’s like someone knocked over the leg of a table. Well, a table that was moving as fast as a horse and weighs eight hundred pounds.

The creature hits the ground hard. Dirt and leaves and branches fly into the air in a massive crash as he roars in pain and anger. A cloud of debris covers him, hiding him from me for a moment.

I’m too slow to get my spear out of his leg as he crashes into the ground, and there’s no way I can get it out while the beast is putting all of his weight on it like this. He roars so loudly that I’d swear the leaves on the surrounding trees shake. Ishouldbe nervous, but my body moves almost on its own. Instinct controls me, and I don’t stop it.

I leave the spear in the boar and unsheathe the belt knife Vesta gave me as a parting gift when I turned seventeen. A horn-handled knife I’ve never had to sharpen. It’s in my hand in less than a second, and even though I can’t see my prey through the dusty haze, I know where he is. I rush forward, cutting that same tendon in both of his back legs before he has a chance to move his massive body to protect himself.

I could try to cut his throat, to end his suffering just a little faster, but this is not a starving wolf. I know this boar would do its best to kill me regardless of whether or not it had a chance of survival. Those cuts to his legs are enough. In the next fifteen minutes, the creature will be dead.

Already, blood is pooling around him, and as the dust cloud settles, his head is hanging lower. He’s still trying to push toward me with his one good leg, but it’s not strong enough. I take a deep breath and feel that lightning inside me calming.

I may not be able to fight or use magic, but I can do this. I can hunt. I can feed people.

The Fae in Aerwyn were hungry. This will be more than they’re used to. I’ve proven that I’m not a worthless human. I may not be Cole Cyrus, Prince of Flames, but I’m Maeve Arden, boar killer extraordinaire.

Chapter 16

The High Fae are not dragons, but they know of things that dragons do not. Where we are cold, they are warm. Where we are slow, they are fast. Where we sleep, they lie awake. The High Fae are not dragons,

but maybe that is why Calyr trusts them.

~Kasan the Lifegiver, A History of Magic and Dragons

I walk straight tothe house that Lee and Darian live in because I expect Cole to be there. I need help to get this boar home. Moving him was impossible, and I really think that the only way he’s getting back to Aerwyn is if we get an entire troop of Fae to help. The thing is enormous. As I get close, I hear angry arguing from inside.

“She doesn’t know. She can’t know. That’s all there is to it.” That one’s Cole. What is he asking about?

“She’s furious, Cole.” That’s Lee. “You can see it in her eyes. Those unanswered questions are having her suspect everything. You need to answer some. If you’re not careful, she’s going to walk away.”

He sighs the way he does so often. “I can’t answer them all, Lee. The cards have to fall the right way. We all know that. She can’t…” He stops, and I know I’m caught.

Instead of hiding like someone who’d done something wrong, I open the door and immediately confront Cole. “What can’t I know? What new terrible secret are you too afraid to tell me?”

Cole glares at Lee as he stays silent for a moment. Then he smiles, and it’s almost more terrifying than if he’d snarled. “I need you to pretend to be my betrothed.”

I blink. “What?”

The smile doesn’t crack. He continues to show me what can only be described as a court smile because there’s not an ounce of happiness behind it. “If you’d like to survive Draenyth for even a handful of days, you’ll pretend that we’re going to be married soon. Any other option or suggestion will end with someone having to physically stand next to you at all hours of the day. Even then, I’m not entirely sure we can protect you.”

I shake my head. No, there’s no way I can pretend to be engaged to someone. “Why? You’re a prince, aren’t you? Doesn’t everyone have to do what you say?”

He blinks, but the smile doesn’t budge. “I’mthePrince, but you smell like shadows, and the only way to cover that up is by hiding it withmyscent. So, no, there are not any other options. Either you become my betrothed, or you’ll probably end up dead in Draenyth.”

I’m shaken. Cole’s stare is impenetrable. There’s no discussion or hesitation in those eyes. No wiggle room at all. He’s sureof himself, and from what I’ve seen, once he becomes sure of something, there’s no changing his mind. “What does that even mean, Cole?”

His court smile cracks into a grin. For the first time, he looks like he actually finds something amusing other than fighting. “There’s a ritual, Wyrdling. It will connect us magically and will let others know that we’re both claimed. It’s not normally used to hide people’s scents, but because yours is so light, it should do the trick.”

“So I don’t have to do anything…inappropriatewith you?”

He stares at me, long and hard, before answering.

“You’ll be expected to play the part of a fiancée. I assume that will entail the occasional public kiss, and we’ll be sharing a room. No one will think it’s anything other than me trying to piss my father off, something I’ve taken great pride in throughout the years. You’ll be safe long enough for you to accomplish your goals. I’ll have something for the people and court to talk about, and I’ll get to see my father furious that I’m betrothed to a Wyrdling. It’ll be fine.”

Lee turns to him, concern in her eyes, but she doesn’t say anything. Cole’s eyes harden against her gaze, and I don’t know what they’re silently arguing about. Another shiver runs up my spine. More lies. More secrets.

“That’s all you were hiding from me?” I ask. “A plan for how to survive Draenyth?”

“That’s what I was talking about when you barged in, yes.” Cole’s still lying, and I plop down in a chair, trying to look annoyed but relaxed. Inside, I’m screaming. That lightning is bouncing around inside me like it’s begging me to pull off my mother’s ring to uncork the bottle.

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