Page 55 of House of Demons and Bones

“That’s a joke, right?” He laughed. “It’s funny.”

I pressed my head against his neck. “Now Tyson, I’m going to confess my sins even though you aren’t a priest.”

“I’m not a priest. I’m your mate.”

“I’ll still tell you everything about me, right from the beginning,” I said. “Then you can share your dark history while we’re up in the sky.”

“I’m honored you chose me over Killian for your secrets, mate,” Tyson said, his dragon heat radiating into me, warming my bottom.

“It all started with an ancient evil god,” I said, sensing Killian’s intense focus through our bond. “After the war of the original gods, two vanished, but Ruin clawed his way back even after being shattered. He couldn’t hold a solid form. Then twenty-one years ago, he created a daughter who could eat magic and feed it back to him. For years, the God of Ruin sent me to drain magic from lands, cities, realms, and bring it all back. He absorbed every drop of power his daughter collected and grew stronger. And still, he kept feeding on me.”

I trembled at the memory of my father sipping my essence and sucking the magic-rich marrow from my bones.

Every nerve burned as he pinned me down. I’d killed myself countless times to escape the living nightmare of beingconsumed alive, but he revived me every time. I wasn’t just anyone. I was a goddess, and I couldn’t die easily like a mortal or an immortal.

“I tried resisting his orders to destroy the lands and cities and bring blight to the mortal realm,” I continued. “But he put his command in my head and implanted dark spells in my cells. Even then I fought back, but he sucked me dry, leaving me a skeletal shell, then had the Shriekers drop me in rich, green lands. The hunger was terrible, and I couldn’t control it, so I siphoned the magic again, and the Shriekers brought me back to him in chains. When I displeased him, he’d make me sleep in the snake pits, covered in blood and gore.”

An enraged roar tore from the dragon, disrupting my story. Killian’s wrath burned with his dragon’s until I couldn’t see the end of their cold rage. I swallowed. This was hard for me, but I had to finish the story—I wouldn’t tell it again and relive the terror.

“I got smarter. I adapted,” I said. “At five, I started pretending to be an obedient daughter, eager to please my father, living for a crumb of his approval—like a kicked dog still crawling back to lick her master. He thought he’d broken me, that his will was finally mine, but I was biding my time. That motherfucker failed. He never broke me because of Sy. She was with me from the beginning. When my father ate me alive, she held me and took the pain into herself. We never cracked. Never broke.”

Sy sobbed.

The dragon had stopped roaring. His and Killian’s silence felt even more lethal.

“Gradually, Ruin stopped guarding me so tightly. Then one day, he didn’t send a big army with me. I drained the land but left a drop, used the collected magic to fuel my strength, and then slaughtered every Shrieker. I’ve been running ever since,until I came to your realm. But now he’s found me, and he’ll come for me soon.”

He’ll never have you!Killian vowed.Over my dead body will he get to you!

“Over my dead body too,” Tyson bellowed. “Let’s kill the god—or any gods for that matter.”

“The realm became a target because of me,” I said ruefully. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, mate,” Tyson said.

Sooner or later, Ruin will find Mist of Cinder, the last magical realm,Killian said.I sent out my elite scouts after your arrival at the academy. My spy network has been working double time to trace Ruin’s movements. I’ve known of his rising for a while, though we had no solid news before.

“He’s regenerated and grown stronger every day.” I swallowed. “Last time, he hitched a ride in one of his Shrieker captains. Soon, he’ll knock on our door himself.”

“Let him come,” he said. “We’ll be ready.”

“We won’t be ready.” I sucked in a shaky breath. “But I’ll do whatever it takes to stop him, including giving my life for the realm, for the people here.”

“You’ll not sacrifice yourself! I forbid it,” Tyson growled. “I’ll toast the world should you not be in it.”

I widened my eyes. “You don’t mean it.”

We mean it,Killian said.Fuck the world if you aren’t in it. Call us villains, and I don’t give two shits.He took in a purposeful breath.To protect you, we need to kill Ruin first. We need all the help we can get. We’ll need the heirs too, and it’s time to tell them some secrets. We need to act fast. I wish I could spend eternity here with you, but we’ll need to return soon.

“Time is of the essence, and we’ll kill the god,” Tyson vowed as he dove through the clouds, leaving the snowy mountains behind.

16

Barbie

Rowan’s eyes gleamed silver with calculation as Killian laid out his plan to tell the other heirs about Sy and me. The fae prince had bolted to Killian’s House of Chaos the moment he got the message.

We huddled in Killian’s penthouse office—me sinking into a plush chair while Killian stood guard behind me, his hand steady on my shoulder. Rowan stalked by the window, both heirs too wired to sit, letting the tension crackle.

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