Page 59 of Prince of Ruin

“Just…some close friends who used to know the real you.” He shrugs. “Who knows? Maybe seeing them will spark some part of your memory.”

Somehow, I feel like this will be more of an interrogation. Still, I’m glad I have Aden on my side, that at least one person here will have my back.

“Well, do I look okay?” I quickly tug at my shirt.

Aden huffs out a laugh and combs his fingers through my hair, which is still wet. “You look great, Sweetie.”

His pet name warms me to my core, and heat floods my cheeks. The look in his eyes tells me that, despite everything that’s about to go down right now, he’s on my side.

The doors burst open and Tarsus strides in, resting bastard face locked in place. Their antlers are polished, every branched end tipped with silver capsand decorative chains linked between the antlers. Their long plum colored robes fringed with silver threads flow around them as they sit down at their end of the table. I notice their makeup is on point today. They donned shimmering smoky eye-shadow, a slash of dark kohl lining each eye.

“Aden is still convinced you’re innocent,” Tarsus snaps as a greeting, looking pointedly at my missing finger. “Despite your missing finger.” I tuck my hands under the table, as if to hide as they meet my gaze again, their own eyes accusing. “The Cadre will be able to help convince Aden that this is all an act.” Their smile is a cold slash of white teeth. “Be prepared to meet some very old friends, Clavicle. The oldest being Wolfsbane.”

“Wolfsbane?” I ask.

“Ring a bell?” Tarsus asks darkly, but I shake my head.

“They’re the Sovereign of the Terra Empire,” Aden clarifies. “They’re also responsible for killing the late Solar Sovereign, who was on his way to conquering all Five Empires and enslaving all its inhabitants.” Aden’s face turns cold and rigid as he looks at his plate. “The Solar Sovereign had Sovereign Wolfsbane locked in a temple for half a century, only planning on letting them out when he needed a bride. The day he planned on taking them to bed was the day Wolf cursed him, ending his life.” He swallows hardand meets my gaze. “Wolfsbane saved us all from complete conquest from the Solar Folk.”

“Yeah,” Tarsus mutters, jaw clenching. “By selling their soul to their Shadow. Now we have Wolfsbane to fear instead of Elderberry.”

It’s clear I’m not the only one on Tarsus’ hit list.

“You know they would never harm us,” Aden says, sliding his gaze to Tarsus’. “I have a bit of that Shadow Magic within me too, Tarsus, and it hasn’t changed my character.”

I look between them, wondering what this Shadow Magic is that they speak of, and what Aden means when he says he has it too. Because I doubt humans could possess fae magic. So maybe it’s a metaphor. But before I can ask, a black seam, like the one that opened at the Bone Bed & Breakfast, appears. First as a black crackling line in the air, then slowly expanding to an oval.

A portal.

The first person to step out is a lean woman with brown skin, long, black braids interwoven with gold threads. She wears a scaled red top that covers only her breasts and black leather pants that fit to her legs like a second skin. Her abs and biceps protest against her smooth brown skin.I saw her that day at the battle just before Tarsus was about to end me. She was the one who brought Aden.

She grins at Aden, nods courteously at Tarsus, but when her eyes meet mine, a hardness replaces any of the joy. I suck in a sharp breath at the predatory gleam that radiates from russet eyes—complete with elongated pupils. She offers a feral smile that’s all teeth—andfangs. Fangs that gleam from between those blood-red lips.

“Long time, no see, traitor,” the woman says, her voice a near-hiss as she glares at me. “Why isn’t he tied up?” she snaps, looking between Tarsus and Aden.

My body grows cold at the vitriol in her voice.

“He’s mortal, Ash,” Tarsus says, glaring at me. “He can’t do jack shit.”

“That’s what he wants you to think,” Ash seethes, looking back at me, as if expecting me to wield some sort of magic that would take them all out.“Where’s his obsidian dagger?”

Tarsus heaves out a sigh. “Some place he’ll never find it.”

“Who are you?” I dare to ask.

She runs her eyes over me, her top lip curling over her teeth. “As if you didn’t already know, Clavicle.”

“She’s a vampire,” Aden tells me. “There are only two of them int his realm. Ash, and her brother, Cinder, who lives in the Solar Empire.” As if I need to cram any more information into my mortal brain. “We’re unsure whose side he’s on—ours or Baneberry’s.”

Side. I’m still confused about the bigger picture here, beyond stopping the volcano from erupting. Abaddon said something about a battle in the valley on the foot of the volcano, and how the Solar Sovereign lost. These must be the victors.

Ash’s grin broadens so I can see the elongating canines, as if she were preparing to suck my blood. My body stiffens, the prey in me trying to decide whether to run or try to appear brave.

“Gods, Ash. Stop trying to scare him,” Aden says to Ash in bored annoyance.

“It’s not like he’s scared, Aden.” Ash glances at Aden, her canines disappearing back to wherever they came from. “Besides, wasn’t the plan to scare him shitless all along?”

“Don’t worry,” Aden says to me with a roll of his eyes. “Vampires like Ash don’t feed on humans. They cravemagicblood. More specifically, Shadow blood. So long as you remain human, Ash will have no desire to feed on you.”

---