Page 49 of Prince of Ruin

Clav tightens their pinkies together, leaning forward until their noses are nearly touching. “And I swear that I do not remember anything from my previous fae life as a Sovereign.”

They shake on it, then Tarsus rips their pinky away and stands, as if even that small touch, that closeness, was too much. I know by the way Tarsus becomes unhinged every time they’re around Clav that they still have very strong feelings for the Spine Sovereign.

“Assuming you’re telling the truth, then here’smytruth, Mortal Clav.” Tarsus pins Clav with a cryptic gaze as they back away toward the door. “When I banished you, I gave you another life. Abetterlife. A...more enriching life than the misery you were born with. If I truly took away your memories of everyone you knew in your fae life and everyone you lost in the process, then I swear,that’swhat made you the...light-hearted, kinder person you are today.” They heave out a breath and shake their head. “Mandi would have done you a favor keeping their mouth shut and their secrets to themself. If they truly loved you like a son, they would have let you live in ignorant bliss the rest of your mortal life.”

Clav’s throat convulses in a swallow. “Well that’s just the thing. I’m not sure they ever did love me like a son, or if I was simply a duty they needed to fulfill.”

Damn.

I step forward. “What are the chances of making him...one of you again?” I ask Tarsus. “And restoring his memories, assuming he’s truly forgotten?”

Tarsus’ brows furrow and he glares down at me. “So he can remember why he’s so evil and try to kill me again?”

“If I wanted to kill you so badly,” Clav sneers, “there must have been a damn good reason.”

“There wasn’t.” Tarsus’ teeth flash in anger. “You simply had so little control of your childhood, that once you figured out a way to curse your father and take the throne, you wanted control ofeverything. And your own empire wasn’t enough for you, you wanted all five empires, and you knew the only way to do that was to up the monthly sacrifices to Mother Terra. Trust me, you do not want your old memories back. And as for restoring you to your immortal, magical self...” Tarsus snorts. “I would sooner die than watch you become the ruthless king you once were.” They jerk their chin to me. “Come on Aden.”

I turn to follow them, but Clav’s voice stops me.

“Yeah,” Clav says. “Follow your fae lord like the little dog you are.”

I whirl around. There’s that anger in Clav’s eyes again, the same fury I saw when he had me pinned helplessly beneath him, hands around my throat. His words hit their mark. I know Tarsus doesn’t feel like mylord, but there are a lot of fae who see me as his little human pet, and Clav’s words cut to the quick. The backs of my eyes burn, but I fight back my tears and glare at him.

“I was willing to stand up for you,” I say, “even after you had me pinned to the bed.”

Clav flinches and looks away, a muscle jerking in his jaw. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” They meetmy gaze, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d believe him. “I’m sorry for attacking you.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.” I turn to follow Tarsus out.

“Are you going to kill me?” His question is so quiet, I barely hear it.

Tarsus pauses, their hands clasped loosely behind their back, then turns their head just enough for us to hear them say, “Aden will decide tomorrow what to do with you, based on whether or not your pinky is still intact.” They meet his gaze. “Since Aden is the one you’ve affected the most.” Without another word, they step out of the earthen chamber, and I follow behind, shutting Clav in behind the metal doors.

~*~

I can’t seem to fall asleep. I’m desperate to know what’s going on with Clav. Is his pinky disintegrating as we lie here? What excuse will he make this time to make us believe he’s innocent when it does disappear? Tarsus said it could take up to a full day for the pinky to fall off, so sitting in his cell and watching his pinky would be about as effective as watching a pot of water come to a rolling boil. Will he be innocent, after all? My chest swells at the thought—that the Clav I met at the library could potentially be the real thing.That…that maybe he only lost his shit because of how protective he was of his father. I can forgive that.

I still remember the pink that had crept into his cheeks when I helped him soak his latte from the library carpet. How he wasn’t the least bit put off by my trans-ness. In the fae realms, being trans isn’t a big deal at all. They understand the fluidity of gender and sexuality. At least, in every empire save for the Solar Empire. But in the human realms, you have to be careful about who you share that information with. Even having been raised a human, Clav didn’t blink at my presentation or the way my voice wasn’t as deep as a traditional man’s voice. Instead we talked about my favorite things: books.

Clav has this magnetic energy about him, this genuine aura that makes you want to linger in his presence. He was fucking adorable that first day I met him, with his brown satchel, black rimmed glasses, the nerdy way he fidgeted on his feet and bit his lower lip. His hot pink hair is what drew me to him the moment I entered the library.

So. Fucking. Gay.

I was watching him out of the corner of my eye for a good few minutes while I picked out my books, trying to get a read on him, maybe even flirt a little. I watched the way he bit his lower lip while scanning the titles on the shelf. He’d hardly taken a drink of his latte, and his mind seemed somewhere else the entiretime. He seemed to give up on the books he was scanning and began heading my way, to the smut section of the library, making my heart palpitate in my chest while I tried to think of a good pickup line. Then he somehow tripped over his own two feet and dropped his cup, his latte exploding across the carpet, and I found myself crossing the room without even considering whether it was a good idea.

I had no idea he was Clav. Not until I bent down to help him clean up his spilled drink. Not until he looked at me with those deep gray eyes that almost looked silver when the sunlight caught them.

He might have been stuck in a human body, but those eyes were fae through and through.

I didn’t know whether to be terrified or amused when I recognized him. Imagine a ruthless killer-king known for his greed for control and genocide of humans. Now imagine him with bubblegum hair and black-rimmed glasses. Yeah. That’s exactly what was going on in my brain. Complete disorientation. And when he told me his name,Clav, I knew.Gods, I knew, and terror struck me. But his inviting personality quickly drowned the terror, filling me with intrigue instead.

Tarsus still thinks it’s an act, even after what happened in the throne room, even after Clav hunched over and wept, looking like a lost boy. I turn my head and study at Tarsus lying in bed beside me. Their silkywhite hair is strewn messily across the pillow, their mouth slightly opened as they sleep. They told me not to get my hopes up. They told me to go ahead and come up with a good punishment fit for a lying king who wouldn’t think twice about tossing me into the volcano to end the eruption.

I did, but all I came up with is heartbreak, because apparently one night in Clav’s presence was enough to make me fall hard.

Finally, I can’t stand it any more. I’m wide awake and Ihave to know.

Pulling on a t-shirt and gray sweatpants, I head down the hall, quietly padding down the stairwell, through the kitchen, and down, down, down into the earthen prison. The guards know better than to stop me from opening the metal door to Clav’s cell.Still, they stand a little straighter, a little more at the ready for a vengeful, wicked king to escape.

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