Page 92 of Prince of Ruin

And for the ruthless things I’ve done, the things I now remember doing, I don’t blame them. The palace doors open for me of their own free will, from the magic warded on the Skull Palace. In my fae body, the magic of this land recognizes me. Guard’s eyes fly open before they bow, while others stare in astonishment, but I hardly cast a glance at them as I climb the stairs to the private chambers, ignoring the servants who fall to their knees and the humans who scatter like mice.

My heart squeezes. The older humans, the ones who were here before I was cursed, remember well the cruel sovereign I once was. The younger ones have no-doubt heard the horror stories. They’ve every right to be afraid of me. Theyshouldbe afraid of me, based on who I used to be.

Once I meet with Tarsus and Aden, I will make amends with all the humans in my realm. I’ll make them glad that I’m their sovereign. That is my new goal in life: To be the king deserving of the Crown of Teeth. To be a comrade to the other Sovereigns: Sovereign Wolfsbane of the Terra Empire, Sovereign Baneberry of the Solar Empire, Sovereign Evergreen of the Lunar Empire, and soon-to-be Sovereign Shiloh of the Aqua Empire.My one goal for this power crackling beneath my skin is to keep peace with the people, and care for the land.

As a good sovereign would.

But before I sit on my throne and begin issuing new laws, I have two people whom I love very much that I desperately need to see—and from whom I require forgiveness.

Aden

I’m staring in wonder through the shattered window of Tarsus’ chambers as Jawbone City comes to life. After our first heavy rain in over a month, Sunlight breaks through the everlasting clouds above, blanketing the city in a warm glow while green plants immediately sprout up as Mother Terra’s curse on the land lifts. Not a cloud is in the sky now, and certainly no plumes of smoke and ash.

It’s almost as if the volcano never erupted.

Clav saved me.

He marched into that cavern, fully human, yet with the voice and authority of a fae sovereign. He rescued me, and then took my place as the sacrifice. Abaddon returned us here immediately, as Clav ordered. And now the planet is saved.

But Clav is gone.

I stretch my hand out on my flat belly, tears welling in my eyes. I didn’t even get to tell him about the babe growing in my womb.Ourbaby. I didn’t getto say goodbye. He just…leapt in, gave up his life for all Five Empires.

Forme.

A tear skips down my cheek as I scan the city beyond. The legend of Sovereign Clavicle will forever be told. I’ll make sure his child knows what their father did for the world, and for us.

Tarsus comes up behind me and wraps their arms around my waist, tugging me back against their solid form. Reaching up, I caress the back of their head and bring their face down for a kiss. They moan against my mouth, then pull away, their fingers spreading across my stomach.

“You’ll need to make a prenatal appointment in the human realms, soon,” they murmur.

I snort. It’s strange, living in a fae realm where volcanoes are alive and magic is as normal as the air we breathe, yet having to deal with something as humanly normal as prenatal visits. This baby will certainly be a constant reminder that I’m not a fae, and still have human responsibilities to attend to.

“I wish he could have seen his child,” I say, my throat going thick as I look out the window again.

Tarsus presses their lips into my hair, tightening their grip around my waist. “Me too,” they say, their voice husky.

The chamber doors burst open, and we both tense.

I can sense his presence before he speaks. Clavicle carries with him a certain power that crackles off his body like lightning. Even in his human form, I could sense his authority in the bat cave. I can see now why Tarsus was so afraid of him, why I should be afraid of him.

Because when I turn and face this tall, lean creature with massive antlers and piercing silver eyes that seem to peer into my very soul, I realize I’m facing a fae sovereign powerful enough to cheat death.

His hair is no longer pink, but bone-white and cropped short. No black-rimmed glasses perch on his nose. His facial bone structure is sharper, his body leaner, and he stands several inches taller than Tarsus. He’s every inch a fae king who stepped straight out of a fantasy novel. To top all that off, there’s a fierce confidence in his expression that was never there before.

“Brother,” Tarsus says, their grip tightening protectively around my waist. Tarsus might have wished human Clav lived, but Sovereign Clavicle is a whole other force to be reckoned with, and I can feel Tarsus’ fear radiating off their body. “I thought you threw yourself into the volcano.”

Clavicle lifts his chin, and even his jaw is more chiseled than it was when he was human.

“Did you change your mind?” Tarsus asks, and I note the tremor in their voice. “Because if you’re here to collect Aden, you’ll be massively disappointed.”

Pure torment enters Clavicle’s silver eyes as he looks between us. He exudes power in every step as he crosses the room toward us. Tarsus’ arms tighten protectively around my waist.

Clavicle stops less than a foot in front of us, the scent of earth and woodsmoke infiltrating the air around us. He studies Tarsus closely, and I almost think he’s completely blowing me off because now that he’s fae…I’m an insignificant human. And Sovereign Clavicle hates humans. To him, I’m nothing but a pet. And being a full foot shorter than both of them as they stare each other down, Ifeellike a pet. A child. A nothing.

Tarsus and I stand still as stones as Clavicle looks them up and down.

Then his piercing silver eyes meet mine, and I stop breathing. How could I breathe with his direct attention on me? This powerful fae, this Spine Sovereign who could turn me to dust with half a thought. I flinch when he reaches toward me, but he only pinches my chin between his thumb and his finger. His lips part in a gasp as he studies me like he’s never seen me before. Like maybe there’s a part of him that was hidden away, watching me from afar whileClav made love to me, and that part is finally touching me, seeing me in the flesh.

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