Page 58 of Prince of Ruin

“But…fine,” they concede. “We’ll have them over for brunch tomorrow.” They wink at me. “Your favorite meal.”

Clav

Ulna retrieves me the next morning, taking me straight to the guest room and letting me bathe in the shower, urging me that I don’t have much time. I peel my sweatpants off, stiff from last night’s cum, glad when I step under the hot water and feel the grime of prison wash off me. I quickly lather my body up with the soap, then wash my hair and rinse it all off.

Fuck it feels good to be clean again.

A pair of jeans and a Jurassic Park t-shirt are waiting for me when I step out. A gentle warmth nudges me. Of course—of courseAden would remember my love for Jurassic Park. Did he go all the way to the human realms to get these? I pull the clothes on—which fit me better than Aden’s clothes did—while peering out the wall-length window at the massive city before me. Jawbone City looks larger in daylight. I can see better how the buildings are pale beneath the eternal gray clouds above, almost like they’re truly made of bone.

True to its name, Jawbone City actually has the L shape of a jaw if you were looking at it from the side, with the Skull Palace sitting at the corner. The buildings on the south are smooth, with pale rounded roofs, all built in a straight line toward the western horizon. At the northern end of the city, the buildings become more jagged, with spires and steeples, like sharp teeth. To the left of the city is a giant field of rolling hills that must have been green at one point, but now is nothing but dried dirt and brown, dead grass, due to Mother Terra’s curse.

Beyond the city, mountains span the horizon. Large mountains that seem to be breathing as they slope into the valley. The mountain become more jagged the farther they get, until way, way out in the distance, standing taller than all the jagged mountains in front of it, is the Heart of Faerie, smoke pluming out of her crater. I shudder and turn away, remembering the reason I was brought here.

I’m not merely a prisoner Tarsus intends to torture. They need me to talk to this…goddess who rules the planet, apparently.

A goddess who loathes humans.

When I step out of the room, I’m escorted by two guards, neither of which is Ulna, through the large hall, down the flight of stairs, and into the banquet hall.

I know today is going to be different from the last meal when I note the large table set with plates and silverware before every chair. A fire burns in the hearth, and in the far corner, a group of humans play an upbeat tune on the fiddle, a tin flute, a mandolin, bodhrán, and a guitar.

Aden sits at the head of the table across from where Tarsus usually sits, instead of his usual spot at Tarsus’ right hand side. He doesn’t look like he slept much last night. For a split second, fury sweeps through me at the memory of the way Tarsus spoke to him, ordering him to leave the room. To leaveme.

“Aden,” I breathe. Crossing the room, I sit beside him and reach toward him. He offers a small smile in greeting. “You look…tired.”

He snorts, that adorable dimple appearing with his smile. “Thanks a lot.”

“I mean…did you sleep at all?”

He chews his lower lip, studying me closely. “Tarsus told me what they did to you. How they…fucked your mouth.” Genuine concern fills his eyes, his brows furrowing. “Are you okay?”

Heat blooms in my face and I look away, dragging a hand over the back of my neck. I’m okay. Better than okay. I fucking loved it. But how do I tell Aden that without sounding like a desperate whore? Still, I don’t want him to worry.

“I…enjoyed it.” I release a short laugh, my face heating profusely. “I know, that’s sick, but—”

“It’s not sick at all.” Humor dances in Aden’s eyes, his teeth flashing white with his smile. “It’s what you’re into, and I support that. I just want to make sure it was…somewhat consensual.”

I shrug. “I didn’t fight them. Not really. I didn’t want to, because deep inside, I knew they would have stopped if I had.”

He tilts his head, his clover-green eyes shining. “They would have,” Aden says. “But I wasn’t sure if you knew that.”

I jerk my chin at the book by Aden’s plate. “What book are you reading?”

His eyes light up, and he barks out a laugh. “You’ve been locked up in a freezing fae prison, in a foreign land, for two nights. You have scrapes on your body from a bat king and my partner fucked your mouth. And you want to know what I’m reading?”

I bite down on my own smile threatening to appear. “I mean, I guess we could talk about how many stones make up my cell, if you want.”

“Gods, no.” His eyes soften. “But I’m glad to see your sanity is intact.”

I clear my throat. “I’ve been moved to the VIP quarters of a fae palace, how could I not be alright?”

He snorts. “Oh my god, Clav. You can’t keep hiding your fear behind that adorable smile and dumb jokes.”

“My jokes aren’t dumb.”

“Right. Okay. Well, you might want to reign it in, because we are having some guests today.”

“Guests?” My knees begins bouncing nervously as I glance at the set table again, the servants bringing out large platters of food, some of which I recognize, some of which look foreign to me.

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