Page 36 of Unraveled (A Kingdom of Beasts and Ruins #1)

We didn’t make good time, like Finley hoped when we left the castle. Instead, we stayed a second night at a dingy roadside inn. At least no hybrid would suspect the king of the unseelie to lodge there.

By the time we arrive in Hedrum in the late afternoon after three days on the road, I am too tired, dirty, and slightly itchy to think of my stolen kiss. Nor do I think about what it might mean for me and my changing feelings.

Sure, magic compelled me to ignore my rational thoughts and instead follow my irrational hormones.

But when Ash glances my way and my heart skips a beat, it’s nothing.

I’m just intimidated. When he helps me out of the carriage and our hands linger for a little too long, it means nothing. .. until it does.

He doesn’t come to find me again. In fact, I suspect he’s avoiding me, which I guess after I kissed him only complicates matters in our hate games.

Hedrum is unlike Penumbra in every way that matters. It’s bright and colorful with a blue sky that’s now tinted with oranges and sunflower yellows as the sun begins its descent behind the mountains.

The clip-clopping of hooves is our company as we travel narrow streets that wind up and down the hills.

Carriages pass by, some horse-drawn others pulled by steam engines.

The homes in the distance look deceptively small, though it’s a trick of the eye since they grow to two stories high when we finally cross in front of them.

Painted in saturated colors, this town stands in rich contrast to the green forest in the distance.

As we enter a small estate hidden behind tall hedges and ornate metal gates, the carriage shakes over the crushed granite path, waking a slumbering Nera.

“We’re here.” Finley pulls the curtains to the side as the estate comes into view behind the golden trees lining the road.

The wheels screech as we slow to a stop, and the pressure in my gut increases, burning through me as I twist Finley’s ring over my thumb, again and again.

“Is it getting worse?”

When I meet Ash’s gaze, the longing swirling deep inside me is reflected in his expression. But only for a moment, then he schools his features.

“The ring doesn’t like me very much,” I admit, and continue with the twisting, hoping it will stop sending out these unpleasant waves of energy and instead help me ease the discomfort.

“It’s feeling temperamental right now. If I listen to the small voice inside the green stone, it feels cheated to not be on Finley’s magical hand while inside this manor. ”

“You can hear it?” Finley looks panicked, and his gaze shifts to the ring.

“I, uh— Yes? Can’t you?”

Finley takes a sharp breath, and his brows pinch. “I don’t hear a voice, or feel any obvious intentions. Not like it’s alive. I just feel an affinity toward it, which lets me know it’s mine.”

Nera strokes my old pendant through the layers of her high-neck dress. “I can’t hear them either.”

I sink into the bench, but no matter how small I make myself, I can’t escape their scrutiny. Why am I always the strange one? Even surrounded by magical beings.

“Let me make sure Marlena knows what to expect,” Finley says, already halfway out of the carriage before I realize what’s happening. For the first time in the entire trip, it’s he who leaves first. I guess he’s eager to be out of this box and inside his home.

The gravel crunches under his boots as he rounds the vehicle, and Ash reaches for the black handle, clearing his throat before speaking. “Nera, I know this is our estate, but it’s managed by Finley and his niece. You may remember Marlena. She isn’t particularly fond of the fae.”

“Oh, I very much know who she is,” Nera says. “I think she dislikes all beings that aren’t human, no? She hates hybrids too. So this shall be fun.”

“But isn’t Finley a sorcerer?”

“Yes,” Nera says. “But he is all human, Mia. It’s the fae blood she doesn’t like, not the magic.”

Ash rubs his temple like a migraine is building. “She’s Finley’s only living relative. Be nice, you two.” Then he swings the door open and steps outside, where a lady in her fifties awaits, already talking to her much younger-looking uncle.

“Be nice?” Nera scoffs, shifting toward her door. “I think he’s telling himself that more than us.”

I press my lips into a tight smile and nod. There isn’t a chance in this world that Ash, the king of the fae, is less reasonable than either his little sister or me. Even though I’m a ball of nerves and insecurities.

“Are you coming, Monster?” Ash’s deep voice makes my skin prickle just as his gloved hand appears through the open door.

I debate not taking it. Truly. It would be easier to avoid the simple touch, which will undoubtedly make me more confused. But then again, these little moments we steal while acting like we don’t care are the highlights of my day.

Gripping his hand, I ignore the spark and walk into Hedrum, the city of sorcery.

I smell magic, like old parchment, enveloping me in a warm hug. Even though I’m wearing Finley’s ring, that nagging power inside me stirs.

The tip of my pointed boot catches the carriage step, and I stumble, arms flailing. Ash’s body blurs, and he moves impossibly fast. One second, he’s standing to the side, the next, he’s got me in his arms, lifting me up like I weigh nothing.

I collide with his chest and his breath washes over my face. When he slowly settles me on the ground, I don’t shift away and his hands linger around my waist. Judging by the quickness of his heartbeat, our minds have gone to the same place. Back to Fairhope’s inn, and my stolen kiss.

“I’ll have to repay you somehow for all the times you keep saving me,” I say, and finally step down, knowing that everyone around us is watching our interaction.

“I’m sure I can come up with something...” He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear, and the touch leaves a trail of heat across my cheek.

“Alright, you two, that’s enough of that.

I think I preferred when you bickered all the time,” Nera says from somewhere behind Ash’s massive back.

Her heels click up the five steps that lead to the front door.

She passes the rounded columns and enters the manor like she owns the place, without another word.

The woman beside Finley hisses something under her breath. She looks appalled not only by our strange display but by Nera’s actions. So much for being polite to our hostess...

“Hello, Marlena, I trust you’re well?” Ash says in greeting when we meet them by the steps.

“Your Majesty.” She dips into a bow that allows me to see all the onyx stones decorating her high bun and matching her elegant black dress.

“I was just telling Uncle I wasn’t expecting visitors, much less the king himself.

” Her pale, silver hair makes her skin appear darker than she is.

Her tone is polite, in complete contrast to her pinched expression.

“I’m afraid we couldn’t send a bird in time to let you know we were coming,” Ash says. “But we won’t stay long.”

“What a pity. May I inquire what business brings you all the way to Hedrum? It has been a while...”

“Five years, if my memory serves me right. We came to get an amulet for Miss Mia.” Ash waves a hand in my direction before brushing away a golden leaf that floated down from the tree above onto the fur of his coat.

Marlena’s gaze cuts to me for the first time. Her eyes are inquisitive, like she’s trying to place me. “A sorcerer?”

“A librarian,” I say. I’m so used to speaking those words that I don’t stop to notice how wrong they feel now. The pressure inside me stirs, and my blood heats.

Marlena’s lips tilt down right before she dismisses me entirely. “I’ll have the maids ready your usual rooms and send dinner up so you can dine there. It’s been a long trip, and I’m sure you’re eager to catch up on sleep.”

“Thank you for the hospitality.” Ash is already walking away, gently guiding me inside with a possessive hand on my lower back.

I should tell him to stop, but I’m woman enough to admit I don’t want him to.

The manor’s decor is so different from the castle, gaudy with gold furnishings and thick velvet curtains matched to vibrant wallpaper. I would’ve never guessed it belonged to Ash and Nera. Finley either, for that matter.

Ash shrugs off his coat as the warmth inside envelops us in a sweltering bubble. “Well, this is certainly not how I remember it.” He drapes his coat over the back of a chair just as Finley and his niece come in.

We go up to the top floor together, and there we split, Marlena and me to the right, where the unwed females stay. Her words, not mine. Ash and Finley go left, to the king’s chambers, which apparently take up a full floor of the other wing.

Finley has his own floor, which Marlena tells me as we make our way down a long hall. Past at least ten doors. Maids rush around the place, dusting a table here, a pedestal with a vase there. Some are actively removing art from the walls.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a maid rolling up a large tapestry depicting a bird and an elaborate emblem. The design looks familiar, though I have little time to inspect it as the maid tucks it away.

“This way.” Marlena’s voice cuts through the noise of people bustling about, and I quicken my steps. “The maids will bring your things. I’m not sure where you’re from, but in Hedrum we have running water, so you may fill the tub when you’re ready for a bath.”

I brought little, just a few dresses because Nera insisted, in case we go to a dance, some nightgowns I found in my room when I arrived at the castle, a hairbrush, and a few grimoires I sneaked out without anyone catching me. The memory of my boldness makes me smile.

Marlena takes me to the very end of the hall, the room farthest away from Ash. I wonder if this is by her design, or if Finley suggested it. To keep us apart and avoid the unnecessary drama of me doing something stupid. Like kissing him again.

She opens the doors, and the room is beautiful. Sparsely decorated compared to the rest of the manor. Maids are already there, opening the curtains and leaving a tray of delicious- looking food on a tea table in front of the large windows that overlook the garden.

After I get some rest, I dream I’ll get to curl up in bed with a book and maybe actually read in peace. But even as the thought crosses my mind, my power stirs in my stomach.

Gods, I doubt I’ll ever sleep again, especially since Naheli isn’t here. How I miss my friend.

I make my way to the table and the delicious array of biscuits, a small bowl of soup, and a steaming teapot.

Marlena follows behind me with a severe expression.

“Finley suggested that you stay on the king’s floor, alongside his sister.

I hope you don’t mind that I placed you so far from him, but this is the only empty room in this wing that fulfills that request.”

I’m already making myself comfortable. I hadn’t realized how hungry I am, though we’ve eaten little since this morning when we left the last inn.

“This is perfect, thank you.”

“Is there anything I can get the maids to bring you before I leave?” she asks from the door.

“Actually, I would love it if I could get a mirror. I haven’t seen my hair in a long time, and it will be nice to get to for a change.”

Marlena’s lips tilt into a smile. Then she nods. “Of course, the maid will bring you one at once. Anything else?”

I’d love to see that tapestry with the familiar emblem. “No, that’ll be all. Thank you so much for having me.”