YARIS

I make love to my mate for hours, turning him into a cuddly, needy mess, before I finally let him sleep. It is barely early morning by now and I lay awake with him in my arms, feeling oddly… complete for the first time in centuries. I look out the window, watching the sky slowly pale and now that I am no longer deep inside Ruin, the strange magic picks at me. I realize it is somehow familiar, but I still cannot place it.

Being the youngest of eighteen very talented fae, I have always felt inferior in my abilities. I worked hard to keep up with my siblings, but at some point, it proved impossible. Their ability to advance in skill was based on cheap shots and murderous thrills and I could not bring myself to be that way. It felt… dishonorable and wrong because skills built on mockery and murder did not seem like worth having.

They specifically targeted loner humans and elves and brought them to Oracle, our home continent. They were hunted for sport and never missed because they had no one. I used to weep about that. Sometimes, I still do. Sometimes, the image of my gentle friend, Rascal, being torn to pieces still haunts me and keeps me awake, like now. I know Ruin is not fragile and, in fact, he would put up a very good fight, but I worry about him. I worry about dragging him into… everything, into my family, into my anxieties and needs. Perhaps he will just die like everyone else.

And I would not survive that. Losing him would be losing me too.

"Hey," Ruin shifts and I look down in my arms, surprised he is awake. "Something up? I can hear you thinking."

I swallow, unsure of how to be honest. I am not used to sharing anything with… anyone, really, and I always worry that I am too much—too much sorrow, too much foreboding and doubt, too much pain, so much pain, and too much grief. But this is my mate—when will I tell him? —and surely, surely, if anyone can understand, it is him. He looks at me and smiles sleepily.

"You okay, big guy?" He murmurs and strokes my face. Somehow, that contact sends me over the edge and, impossibly, I burst into tears. "Yaris?"

He sits up and strokes my face, wiping away my sorrow.

"Darling, what's wrong?" His brow furrows and, to my horror, a sob escapes me, and I grip him tightly.

"I… I…" I swallow, trying desperately to gather myself. "I cannot lose you, Ruin. It would destroy me."

Ruin looks confused and pulls me close, stroking my hair.

"You won't," he says simply. "Because losing you would destroy me too. We have each other. I don't know about your fae abilities, but… I'm pretty sturdy, Yaris. I'm hard to kill."

"You have not met other fae," I weep and grip him tightly. "They would devastate you, Ruin. Completely. My siblings are…" I shudder and stroke his face, tears still on my cheeks. "…merciless."

"Hey," he takes my hand and kisses it gently. "I'm a dragon rider, remember? Sparks wouldn't let some petty Fae off me."

I huff a laugh and start to relax.

"But Sparks is not at full capacity," I murmur, snuggling into him, suddenly exhausted.

"I'm a dragon rider," Ruin repeats. "I'll send them packing, Yaris. Nothing can come between us. Of that, I'm sure."

I almost blurt it out—that he is my mate, my one true darling, my reason for breathing—but the possibility of rejection is so strong that I cannot bear it. So, I simply snuggle into him. After a few minutes, he adjusts so we are laying down and I am cuddled onto his chest. He strokes my hair gently and, finally, I am lulled to sleep.

I wake because we are not alone. Magnum stands in the doorway, looking amused. It is mid-morning and my stomach growls hungrily at the food he is carrying. It looks like eggs, some sort of spiced meat, and, surprisingly, pancakes. I am still snuggled into Ruin's chest, and I realize that we are both very naked, but Magnum does not seem bothered.

"Time to get up," he says, entering with the trays. "We need to talk."

I sit up and nod.

"Yes, I suppose we do," I say hesitantly, and Ruin stirs, yawning awake. A moment later, he is up as well, and Magnum has given us the trays. Ruin blushes and looks at his bare chest.

"Uh…" he starts but Magnum waves it away.

"I really don't care," he says dryly. "Lust demon, remember? Nudity is second nature."

Ruin snorts, but his blush deepens, and he is sure to keep the blanket around his waist. I do the same and watch as Magnum heads to the window again, whistling. A raven answers a moment later and Magnum pets it gently. He looks majestic in his light—his white hair a halo, his rich golden-tawny skin glowing in the morning light, and his red eyes glowing and soft as he regards us. He is wearing the plainest of black tunics with white breeches and he has no shoes or socks on. But, somehow, he still looks incredibly beautiful. I suspect he would make even the ugliest of clothes look magnificent.

If he notices me staring, he does not draw attention to it. I notice Ruin staring too, but it does not bother me. Magnum is very attractive, and Fae are polyamorous by nature. Some say that we have even more than one mate. I cannot fault mine for enjoying the view.

I shift back to my breakfast and wonder where Magnum gets the spice, if he lives here alone. Is it a traveling merchant or does he have a garden? Surely it would not grow much in this cold.

"You wanted to talk?" Ruin prompts and Magnum nods slowly.

"Yes," he says after a moment. "Obviously, you'll have to dress and such, but I'd like for you to meet the source of the magic around here."

I pause in my chewing and swallow heavily.

"It is a person?" I ask after a moment, cocking my head and Ruin just looks confused. Magnum nods.

"Two people, actually," he says softly. "But eat first and you'll… have to get dressed."

His lips quirk a smile, an easy, relaxed smile that would put anyone else at ease, but not me. I am left worried.

"I'm… confused…" Ruin says slowly and I glance at him. It is possible he is young enough that he does not feel the shift in the air.

"Do you feel the difference in magic?" I ask quietly. "It is… more colorful? I am unsure how to describe it."

Ruin nods and looks baffled.

"I thought that was Sparks. I thought it was because I can hear him clearer now."

The implication sits with me for a moment before I shift and gape at Magnum.

"Dragon riders?" I guess. "You have dragon riders here?"

Magnum looks unreadable.

"No," he finally says, his arms now crossed and looking guarded. "But they want to meet you. You must eat first. It's… a climb to see them. Can't have you passing out or some shit."

He is so calm, so measured, that I am somewhat unnerved, but he is right. We should eat first. I finish my food quickly, scouring my brain for who it might be. If not dragon riders, then somehow dragon adjacent? Fuck. I really do not know.

"You could just tell us who it is," I say with a huff and Magnum does not seem concerned, shrugging .

"I'd rather not. They're very private and were pretty specific," he says, and I twitch. This is reminding me of court, and I recognize the power imbalance immediately. Knowledge is power and withholding or doctoring it is half the battle. I hate games and I am about to lay into him when Ruin speaks.

"It's fine. We'll meet them soon anyway," he says breezily, finishing his pancakes. "We'll get dressed and be right down."

"I'll get Shatterjaw," Magnum says with a nod. "She's eager to see you and do something other than stand around with her thumb up her ass."

Magnum leaves without further comment and I scowl after him. Ruin sighs and shakes his head.

"Don't be an ass, Yaris," he scolds, getting out of bed. "He's helping us. He has helped us and not once has he complained or asked for something in return."

"That is what I am concerned about," I grumble as I reach for my pants and trousers. "The man wants something, and I wish he would just say what it was instead of this… this…"

"Kindness?" Ruin says dryly, sounding unimpressed.

I find myself blushing and look away. I worry my lip and do not respond, unable to put my thoughts into words.

"Yaris," Ruin sighs softly and comes up behind me, rubbing my back as I pull on my trousers silently. "Not everyone is out to get us. Sometimes good things happen. Sometimes good people happen."

He is so young. The world has not worn him down yet. That is the only explanation.

I give a non-committal grunt and nod slowly.

"Sparks likes him," Ruin continues. "We can trust him."

As I pull on my tunic, I can only hope he is right.