Page 27 of Prince of Ruin

“Vaguely,” I lie.

“You never felt comfortable around mortals,” he says. “That’s why they were such perfect sacrifices. Their lives were too short to bother getting to know them. They were disposable.” His lips curl over his white fangs. “Tarsus didn’t like the way you disposed of humans. Nor did they like how you’d sold your soul to your Shadow. That’s why they exiled you to thehuman realms. They figured being stuck in a human body was a worse punishment than death for someone like you.” His eyes turn glassy, and the vulnerability I find in his expression makes me less afraid. “I lost you that night. I lost you, and I lost a part of my heart too.”

Maybe it’s the faerie wine, but seeing the pain in his eyes makes my body move without me giving it permission to do so, and before I know it, I’m reaching across the distance between us, reaching up to cup his cheeks with both hands as I look—really look into his eyes for the first time since I arrived. He stills, his breath seeming to freeze in his lungs from the intimate contact.

Without any pretense whatsoever, I whisper, “I’m here now, Abaddon.”

His eyes widen, his nostrils flaring as he draws in a sharp breath. “Why are you so afraid of me?”

I blink. “What?” I force a laugh that only proves how nervous I am, and drop my hands from his face as I step back. “I’m n-not afraid at all.”

“I can hear your heartbeat, little boy. I can sense your fear.”

Something in me quivers at the way he calls melittle boy. Something that feels good. Something that I’m not prepared to unpack quite yet.

“The vibration of your blood coursing through your body is nearly audible.” Fuck. He’s so onto me. He’s going to know I’m faking everything, and he’sgoing to toss me into the pit of the volcano. “You don’t have to pretend with me,” he says huskily, stepping toward me while the furrow between his brows grows deeper. “You never did before.”

“I’m not pretending.”

“Then confess this to me, Clavicle.” His voice is rough. “You don’t remember a gods-damned thing, do you?”

Despite my attempt to remain calm, my breaths quicken. I take another step back from him, but he only follows that with one larger step forward, trapping me in the corner.

The room begins spinning. “I—I remember—”

“You are trying to be brave, when you know I could snap your fragile human body in a heartbeat.” He corners me until my back is flush against the wall, his large, muscular body and flared wings blocking any chance for escape. Tilting his head, he offers a cold smile, inky eyes glittering. “I won’t kill you,little boy.”

Dammit, he must have sensed my shiver the last time he called me that. I can’t hide anything from him.

“You know I won’t,” he continues. “Not when we need you so badly.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. There it is.Not when we need you.If I prove to be useless, he’ll be done with me. That’s why I have to lead the armies tobattle tomorrow. Although I can’t help but feel like I’m trading one form of death for another.

“We are marching into battle tomorrow, and we need you there. You will have to be brave.” Abaddon watches me closely. “I don’t want my armies sensing this fear that I sense within you now.”

I swallow hard. “A-all I have to do is make an appearance?”

“Well.” He chuckles darkly. “No. Like I said, you will have to be the one to kill Tarsus.”

My heart stutters to a stop. Then it beats too fast. “Excuse me?”

“To make your own people fear you—the ones currently fighting for Tarsus—you have to dominate your enemy. They won’t know it’s you in this frail, human body. You’re shorter than your past self, not to mention you don’t have the antlers you once had. That pink hair, though adorable, is a good cover up for who you truly are. To them, you’ll just be another human. But when they see your courage, when they see you kill Tarsus, they’ll know who you are.”

I try to mask my panic, but of course I’m failing. “I’m not doing that.”

He hisses, his eyes turning cold. “Then why are you even here?”

“T-to reclaim my throne.”

“A throne you knew nothing about hours ago?” My spine locks up as his smile vanishes, but his fangsremain bared. “My messenger returned with a broken, shredded wing. Evenhecould sense your fear, your cluelessness. I was hoping he was wrong, but…”

Fighting my panic is useless at this point, with his fangs inches from my face. I can hardly catch my breath, and with him crowding me in the corner, I can’t think clearly. Seeming to sense this, he takes a few steps back, lowers his wings, softens his voice.

“You will claim your throne,” he says with a firm nod. “Tomorrow. We will help you. But Tarsus isn’t going to simply hand the reins to the Spine Empire over when they see you. In fact, they will try to kill you.”

I know he’s not wrong about that. Tarsus told me themself they would kill me if I set foot in this realm. Oh, gods. I’m not living past tomorrow, am I?

“Me and my folk will do the heavy lifting of fighting back the armies enough for you to do what you need to do, but you must be the one to kill Tarsus. Once you kill them, your people will recognize you. Then your people will bow. You could end the battle with one command, and no more people have to die. Only then, could you reclaim your Throne of Bones.”

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