I was trained by the Sand Man himself. After that, I practiced defense fighting for eight long years at a gym on the South Side of Chicago. I could get out of Ruiner’s clutches if I wanted... if my lusty brain worked well enough to think about anything but how nice it’d feel if he tore off my panties with those sharp teeth of his. In this moment, my panties are malfunctioning and taking control of my rational thoughts. Panties... they don’t make good life choices, that’s for sure.
“I’ve watched you for years. I hear your voice in my dreams even, and yet... how could I not know how fucking delectable you smell, Bella?” His voice rasps over my name this time in that darkly intimate tone that shivers all through me.
I shift in his hold, and as my lashes flutter, I find my palms lightly pressing over his chest, feeling the heavy pulse of his heartbeat just beneath my fingertips. As well as that burning scar that etches down his pectoral. My hips shift beneath his weight, and it only makes things worse for my panty-controlled brain.
“Ruin,” I shakily whisper. “Ineedto go to the Kingdom. I can’t tell you why. But I need to.” My eyes clench closed, and I can’t stop the emotion trembling my voice. “Please.”
The drumming of our hearts beating against one another passes the time. Somehow, my heart is as strong as his in this moment. His presence has the ability to make me stronger, it seems. Our words might not fit together well, but our bodies definitely do. We weren’t like this before. Before, I was just a kid, and he was just a friend I was lucky enough to find in my darkest moment.
But now—it’s entirely different now. His hand against my neck isn’t controlling suddenly. It’s caressing. My temple leans into his, and I almost don’t want him to answer me. Because the moment he speaks, the spell we’re clearly under in this moment will be broken.
I won’t admit it, but I like the way he feels. I love the safety of his body and the warmth of his skin seeping into mine. He feels good.
So fucking g—
He steps back abruptly. Once a large gap of space is between him and me, a coldness wafts over my flesh where his body heat seeped into mine. He takes a deep breath, shakes his head, and swallows.
“Stay by me. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And we won’t stay long. I don’t want you here after sundown.”
A smile overtakes my features as I look up at the monstrous man, ignoring the warning of the dangers of staying in this chaotic kingdom at dark. The magic that crawls out when the sun set is named the Darkness for a reason. If that sinister title isn’t warning enough, I don’t know what is.
I nod.
“Agreed?”
“Agreed!” I say immediately.
But truthfully, I’ll stay as long as it takes. I care about Ivy’s life more than my own. I don’t want to face the Sand Man, but I will.
I just can’t tell my only friend that.
Chapter Five
Bella
We trek quietly through the forest for somewhere around an hour. It’s a guess, but I’m good at telling time, honestly. Whether it’s the estimate of a single hip-swaying song or the time it takes a man to get drunk, time is easy to tell for those who are observant enough to see it.
The silence of nature isn’t something I’ve heard in a while though. It’s nice to soak it in. The occasional scramble of little feet along rough tree bark breaks up my thoughts. It’s the cracking of large branches beneath Ruiner’s boots that speak the loudest of all.
I eye him subtly as we walk. His features remain like an unwritten book: all blank pages and spilled ink of words not yet spoken. But his body language, it’s screaming.
Screaming STAY THE FUCK AWAY.
“What happened after I left?” It’s the first words I’ve dared to say, but it’s all I’ve thought about since the moment I landed in his arms.
What happened to him?
His broad shoulders lift carelessly, his wings rising to show the sleek black hint of a spider-like leg beneath.
“The same as when you were here. King Leavon continued searching for his Carnal Queen of dark power.” He exhales heavily on that title, and even I wince at the memory of how hard Leavon wanted me to be her. It isn’t often the Sand Man doesn’t get what he wants. But he didn’t get me. “And I... fucking got away from it all. Got away from him.”
“You resigned from The Brotherhood?”
A snort hums through him. “Something like that.”
The Brotherhood is the highest rank anyone could ask for. It’s the King’s chosen council and a vital part of the Kingdom’s hierarchy. To be brothers with the king is an honor.
I narrow my eyes at the evasive man on my left.