YARIS

Ruin and Lainodola convince me that it is better to stop at the capital and lie than to bypass it altogether. Afterall, if His Resplendence notices our caravan—which is rather hard to miss anyway—avoiding him then questions will be asked. I relent but only after Ruin promises to stay only one night and no longer. I am deeply distrusting of nobles and monarches and everything I have heard of the Oathblades is overwhelmingly negative. They pick fights, bully citizens, and do not pay their staff enough. But also, King Oathblade keeps Ruin close at nearly all times and I had to promise my fucking soul in order to convince him to let me take him away. Not to mention that his father overthrew the last monarchy in a bloody coup and now the king himself lets the crown prince terrorize everyone.

He is high on my shit list. Probably right after my parents, but who is keeping track anyway?

I am. I am keeping track.

We agree to send a bird later, when we reach Magnum, so that they will stay updated on our situation. Ruin seems reluctant to call on them for anything at all, but Sovereign Lainodola insists that her people are happy to help and that they have been waiting for this for centuries. It makes me thing they have waited like I have waited, but none of them remember the beginning, not like I do.

We have been traveling for days and are nearing Avaughn, the horses straining as they pull our elaborate carriage up the steep slopes. Daffodil, my horse, trails behind them and the red mud decorates everything .

I hardly notice. I do notice the scents of the upcoming city, the other carriages passing us, the horses and the soldiers—but the strongest scent is Ruin's arousal as he ruts in my lap like a wild thing. Ever since that night in the tent, he cannot stop touching me nor I him and I do not mind in the least. If anything, I am unfairly greedy for him.

"Yaris," he hums my name like a sacred hymn, his cock jumping in my grip. I hold both of us as we slide against each other like long lost lovers. And perhaps that is it—he is the missing part of my soul, my endless companion, my wanton prince. "Yaris. Oh. Gods."

He braces himself on my shoulders and when we shudder out our desire as one, I am dizzied by his musk and everything him: his cum, his scent, his half-lidded eyes, his kiss swollen lips and the fiery blaze of his cheeks. I cannot help it. I lick the cum off my fingers and then banish the remaining bits with a thought. I kiss him deeply, offering him a taste of us. He moans and melts into me, holding me tightly. I enjoy this moment, but I cannot stop thinking about every little thing in our way and how horribly wrong this may go.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" I whisper, petting his copper curls. He laughs.

"I'm…amazing. You?"

I nod and squeeze him.

"Are you ready to lie for us?"

He sits back and shrugs. We have spoken extensively about this. At best, I can twist the truth, but the straight up lying is best left to him as King Oathblade seems to trust him more. Ruin does not seem to mind this idea. If anything, he seems to be looking forward to it. But I do sense some trepidation, and I am not sure where it comes from.

"I'm ready," he says and burrows into my neck, refusing to look at me.

"Ruin?" I say cautiously.

"Hm?" He shifts, but still does not look at me.

"What is troubling you?" I ask softly, still petting his hair. "I am here for you."

He is quiet for so long that I wonder if he has fallen asleep. Finally, he takes a shuddering breath and grips me tightly.

"I… don't want to see Miguel," he whispers lowly, and I realize he is trembling. "I… don't want to… I can't…"

He does not need to finish. I know what he means.

"I will not let him touch you, Ruin," I say firmly. "He will not come near you. Not while I breathe."

He swallows and pulls away, fixing his loose trousers and climbing out of my lap. As he puts distance between us, he nods, but I know he does not believe a word I say. He sits across from me, looking out the window with his forest green eyes. I tuck myself away, frowning.

"Ruin," I say and his gaze flickers towards me, his face void of anything good and soft that we shared moments ago. "He will not touch you."

He wrings his hands and does not respond, simply watching the mountain side listlessly. I move and kneel before him, startling him as I take his face in my hands, putting the magic of a Fae's promise in my voice when I speak next.

"I promise he will not touch you, Ruin. You have nothing to fear. I will tear his throat out if he lays even an unwelcome breath on your skin. He is not immortal or invulnerable. I have taken down much tougher bastards than he."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," he snaps, something in his eyes flaring his magic. "I don't want you arrested or hurt on my account, Yaris. It's already too dangerous that you're coming back and—and we're lying and… the risk is too great. Just… let me deal with him, alright? I'll take care of it."

My lips purse in annoyance.

"You do not deserve to be treated the way he or the king treats you, Ruin," I snap back, just as fiercely. "It is horrifying."

Ruin snorts.

"Maybe you just don't understand humans. And you need to trust me. I'll take care of it."

I scowl because he is right—I have not spent much time with humans and their politics still evade me.

"I… do not like him near you," I grip his shoulders. "Do you not understand that I would tear the world apart for you?"

As soon as I say it, I know I have lost him. He stares at me, stunned, for a very long moment and then the carriage jolts as we pass through the city gates. His gaze flickers away and I suspect he is thankful for the distraction. I sit back, wilting a bit, cursing myself for being too honest too fast. I know he is my mate, but I do not think humans understand or even have mates and based off this, I do not think he would respond well to being told who he really is to me. I want to sing it from the rooftops, brag it on the streets, and whisper it in his ear, but he is withdrawing faster than I can follow and emptiness fills me.

I cannot stand this suffocating silence. It sits upon my shoulders like boulders of doom and hurt.

"Ruin, I—" I start, but he quickly cuts me off.

"Let me handle it, Yaris. Let me handle it all. Promise me," he says and looks at me intently. I do not wish to promise something that I intend to break so I do not say the words.

I just nod and hope for the best.