A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales Book 1)

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He gave a flawless smile as he stepped a little closer. “Because we are the most desirable people in this village. It’s only natural that we mate.”

It didn’t matter that I was too young to shift, if shifting were still possible for us after the curse. If I was old enough to steal, I was old enough to die for my sins. Well.” Hannon rubbed his face. “I’m going to bed. Father is sleeping peacefully right now. The elixir earlier really helped. Maybe he’ll be lucid tomorrow.” The pressure in the air increased. The weight inside of my middle flipped over, and more fire leaked out. My core tightened as his gaze slowly lifted to mine. Hunger flashed in those golden eyes. Lust. Dominance. I’d told her all this, but Ernie was her whole world. They’d never had kids, and she didn’t have any family left. He was it. If she lost him, she was alone. I told him everything, from the shaking birch, to the weird, territorial owl, to the strong incubus that never materialized, to the strange escape.It’s okay,” I told her, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. “It’s fine. I have more of the nulling elixir. We haven’t run out yet.” All the noise around me, I guess, I don’t know. The birch and then the owl. Or maybe the draught to deaden smell didn’t work? It’s not like I have ever properly tested it in the Forbidden Wood. I’ve only ever tested it in the forests to the south and east, on real animals in natural habitats, not on demon creatures in an evil ecosystem. The magic in the Forbidden Wood is twisted.” I eyed the grass ahead while listening. The birch finally settled down, leaving a gaping absence of sound in its wake. No movement caught my ear. No screeches. Straining my eyes, I watched for movement as I grabbed the blade to fold it away. Watched to see if anything interrupted the shards of soft moonlight piercing the shadows. The still night didn’t reveal its secrets.

I pushed up to standing and grabbed my dagger off the top. A moment later, I hurried to the door and ripped it open. Sometimes writers get so involved in the plot they can't see the wood for the trees. Hang on a sec'--th A place to connect writers with Beta readers. The everlass field had been less than half its current size when I first found it. It had grown over the years, not that it really mattered. I could only use what I could steal, and I didn’t dare do that often.Walking would be a lot slower and not much quieter. The alternative to walking was to stand my ground with a half-starved body from years of barely getting by and a medium-sized, somewhat dull dagger. Nice odds. I didn’t take the path through the neighbor’s yard, either. It might barrel after me and take them and their house out in the crossfire. Instead, I took the lane down the center of the houses and around. I freed only the largest and healthiest of the leaves, being careful not to upset the seed pods that would ensure new life when the time came. As I went, I pruned any dead or dying leaves, of which there were very few. The beast wasn’t the only danger in the wood, either. Terrible creatures had been set loose by the curse, and unlike the beast, they didn’t seem to be hindered by the tree line. They used to burst out of the Forbidden Wood and eat any villagers out after dark. Occasionally they’d barge through a front door as well, and eat villagers out of their homes. I gave the shivering birch a wider berth, thankful when it stopped moving. The night fell quiet once again, the screaming imposter taking a break for a moment. The field lay before me, coated in moonlight.

It’s time for me to take a wife. I have a nice little nest egg and plenty of room for a nursery.” His gaze lowered to my hips. Women don’t propose, Finley. I think she wants to ask me to propose to her, though. She’s not been subtle about her…desires.” My mouth dropped open. No. It couldn’t be. This was impossible! The ability to shift had been suppressed by the curse. I hadn’t heard of anyone in this kingdom who could still manage it. And while it was possible our village was the only one that had been so afflicted, I certainly hadn’t heard that the beast turned into a man. That was something people would talk about. Warn others about. The scary thing was that I had no idea when I’d moved or how I’d gotten there. Neither of those things had registered. It was like someone else had assumed control of my movements. Control of me. But at the same time, I remembered thinking those dirty words. Remembered wanting to act on them. Remembered feeling the ache in my core at the filthy, delicious thoughts. If the everlass was personal to him, he’d understand its fragility. He wouldn’t want to tramp through the field and destroy it. Hopefully.His reasoning for the breakup? He needed someone ready and able to run a house. He wanted a “proper” wife. This couldn’t be what I thought it was. It couldn’t be. The beast couldn’t pass the boundary of the Forbidden Wood. Or at least that was what people said. I wasn’t the only one who showered these plants with love. Not surprising, but still, it warmed my heart. I hoped the other villages were at least faring as well as we were. Crying now, unable to help it, I kept going, getting onto my hands and knees and crawling. Dense foliage covered me overhead. Thorns ripped at my flesh. I continued to crawl, now on elbows and knees. Or that was how it clearly thought its ruse would go. Except all knew that in the Forbidden Wood, it was everyone for themselves. There were no do-gooders here. That thing could go on screaming for all I cared. That would at least prevent it from sneaking up on me.

Finley: "That’s what mothers do—they guide. They strengthen. They support, and they never stop loving their children. Never. I doubt a rosebush would begrudge her son his wild spirit.” It’s fine, Hannon. I took the smell-masking elixir. That usually works when I’m hunting. It’ll help.” Finley!” Kessa, the librarian, walked in from a side door. The next room over was nicely furnished, used as a sort of ladies’ social club. It was a place of manners and tradition, with murmured conversations, tea, and little sandwiches. I’d never once been invited to attend. Oh yeah? Even with a knife in his gut? Because that’s exactly what would happen if he tried to climb into my room.”That beast inside of you is going to get you into trouble,” he said. “You need to learn to control it.” He bristled again, and blistering heat crunched down on me. The consuming need to shut up washed over me. He appeared at the edge of the field with blood streaming down the new hole in his pec, dipping into the groove between his stomach muscles and lats. Does this mean that I do not recommend it? Hell to the no! The book is awesome! I mean it when I say that my one negative is really insignificant. It won’t change my rating. Yes, the book does end in a cliffhanger, but don’t go berating the author for that, either, because it is in the warning, too! Furthermore, the second book, A Throne of Ruin, comes out on 12 November, so you’ll have only a little over a month to know what happens next. He paused for a moment. “I don’t think true mates ever existed. I’ve read the histories, same as you, and none of them confirm they’re real.”