Page 60 of Prince of Ruin

Not sure how that’s supposed to make me feel better.

Ash’s nose scrunches. “Feeding on humans is like feeding on mud compared to heady wine.”

Didn’t Aden say he possessed this Shadow magic? “So…do you crave Aden’s blood?”

Ash’s eyes shift to Aden, her tongue wetting her lower lip, but she shrugs and pulls out the chair across from me, on Aden’s left side, and sits down.

Aden stares at her, a brow arched in question as if he’d never considered that. “Well?”

She grins wildly at him and winks flirtatiously, but doesn’t respond. He opens his mouth to say something, suddenly looking guarded and…a little terrified.

“Ash…”

Before she can respond, another fae steps out of the seam. This one is a tall, curvy fae with a crown of silver twisted vines perches upon their head. Their brown hair is long on top and shaved at the sides, with the long part braided down their shoulder. They wear leather armor over a jungle-green tunic that does little to flatten their generous breasts, and leather boots are laced to their knees. A green cape woven with leafy designs is clipped to their shoulders. Everything about them screams boldness, authority, a force to be reckoned with.

But what really makes chills spider-walk down my spine are their eyes, completely infiltrated with black as they assess me. They’re not glossy, but seem to absorb the light of the room, kind of like charcoal. Still, as I look deeper, I notice white specks, like stars, dancing within those depths. I draw in a sharp breath and try to calm my rapid heartbeat, because one look inthose eyes, and a coldness I have never experienced in my life seeps into my bones.

“That’s Wolfsbane,” Aden mutters at my side. “The sovereign of the Terra Empire, who sold their soul to their Shadow so they could curse the late Solar Sovereign. They’re one of our greatest allies.” He shrugs, and I barely see a ghost of a smile appear on his face. “We might have fucked a few times, too.”

I nearly choke on my own saliva. “Impressive.” My brows rise. “How many sovereigns have you fucked, Aden?”

He snorts. “I mean, do you count? If so, then two. Then the prince regent, Tarsus. And I also have an ongoing, casual relationship with Ash, the vampire.” He winks. “No big deal.”

“My. God.” I laugh and shake my head. “You are truly living the fantasy bookworm dream.”

He tucks his smile between his teeth and laughs, his cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink. “Yeah. I am. But you fucked a bat, so…”

Across the table, Tarsus—who has apparently been listening to our conversation—bristles, glaring between both of us. “Will you two quit comparing which monsters you’ve fucked?”

The table grows quiet, my face heating with embarrassment. Then, finally, Wolfsbane breaks the silence.

“Apart from your pink hair, absence of antlers, and your rounded earlobes,” Wolfsbane says, their voice firm and commanding as they take the seat at the center of the table, beside Ash, “You look exactly the same as when I last saw you a century ago.”

A century ago? I would laugh if I wasn’t fucking terrified with their attention directed at me right now.

More fae slowly pile in through the seam, all taking their seats while Aden continues with the introductions. A muscular man with copper skin and wavy black hair that falls down his broad shoulders sits on Wolfsbane’s right, next to Tarsus’ left. He’s shirtless, and wears a gold choker that matches the gold bands bracing his arms and wrists. His tunic is finely woven black fabric threaded with gold trim. Gold eyeshadow is expertly painted on his lids, matching the gold dust smeared across his high cheekbones and lips. Leaning back in his chair, he tilts his head and smirks at me.He is beyond a doubt the most beautiful male I have encountered.

“Hemlock,” Aden tells me. “He’s the youngest Solar Prince, but left his empire to join Wolfsbane’s court as their partner. Goes byheorshe, depending on the day.”

“It’shetoday,” Hemlock says, his voice simultaneously smooth as honey and deep as gravel. “And welcome home, Clavicle. I hope we can continueon as friends and not enemies, despite our last meeting.”

I would ask what our last meeting entailed if I didn’t think they’d all laugh in my face and call me a liar for pretending to forget my past life.

“Hemlock nearly became the Solar Sovereign after the last battle,” Aden is saying, “but handed the title over to his brother and the true heir, Baneberry, when he swore his service to Wolfsbane.”

Aden gestures toward the curvy woman taking her seat on Tarsus’ right-hand side. “Hemlock’s older half-sister, Evergreen, is the Lunar Sovereign.”

Indeed, across from Hemlock, a woman with long black hair that falls down to her waist takes her seat. A lotus blossom is perched in one ear. She wears a silver ringlet that bears a crescent moon at the front.

“How is she Lunar Sovereign, if she’s the sister of a Solar Prince?” I ask quietly.

“When the last Solar Sovereign took over the Lunar Empire decades ago, he used the Lunar Queen to bear heirs that would bear both Solar and Lunar blood. Evergreen is half Lunar fae, half Solar fae. But as the oldest daughter of the late Lunar Queen, she is the rightful heir to the throne. Once Wolfsbane killed the Solar Sovereign, the powers and title fell to Evergreen.”

Evergreen is staring at me with dark brown eyes, assessing me. In fact, everyone here is measuringme up with their accusing glares and curious glances, like they’re trying to decide whether I’ve truly forgotten my past, or if it’s all a ruse to get my powers back and wipe them all out. It’s clear I’m not welcome in this space—they look like they wouldn’t hesitate to rip my throat open if I said one wrong word.

The next person, or maybe I should say beast, to step out of the seam is a—aMinotaur.

“Kunak,” Aden gestures toward the beast with a massive bull’s head, his large horns tipped with gold and a brass ring in his nose. He nods in greeting and, somehow, I can see a small smile on that bovine face. “He’s the general of the Lunar Armies that fought in the battle against the Solar Folk.”

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