Page 54 of The Shadow Prince's Ruin
I use forceps to fish out a bloated redpole, then send the others down the drain. While Hawk packs some snacks for us, I clean the now-empty tub to leave behind no trace of what’s happened here. The tunnel leading to the Nightmare Realm is hidden under the grimsmith’s bed, but I don’t know where exactly it will lead us, so we need to be ready for camping out in the wild.
I tuck the Sunwolf Crown into my backpack with utmost care. I can already imagine my cousin’s face when he sees it. There will be no other way for him. If he wants to be seen as a fair ruler, and I know he does, he will have to accept my offering. And me along with it, as well as my Dark Companion whose shadow vastly overpowers that of Lord Kyran’s own husband.
I spend a moment too long searching for a button or lever to move the bed aside, but Hawk solves the issue for me by grabbing the heavy piece of furniture and dragging it away from a trapdoor with iron hinges. I don’t want to shower him with too many compliments, since that would make them sound disingenuous, but I can’t help the giddy smile blooming on my face as I watch him use the raw power in his muscles. He’s such a beautiful animal. And he’s mine.
He opens the trapdoor for me before I can ask him to, and we descend into a dark passage. Once I make use of the swamplight solution found in Tassarion’s bedroom, torches attached to the wall on my left all burn with a steady, green flame, revealing a passage without an end in sight. This place reminds me ofthe secret corridors beneath the Nocturne Court, but instead of intricate carvings predating the castle itself, the stone slabs supporting the ceiling are marked with crude pictures and writing featuring everything from names and personal insults to images of an erotic nature.
Unwilling to let Hawk focus on them too much, I slide my hand into his and lead him forward. He carries most of our equipment but hasn’t yet voiced a single complaint. I did leave some of the heavier and less valuable books in the grimsmith’s living room, hidden among those he owned. I don’t want to abuse Hawk’s kindness, and if all goes right, I can always attempt to retrieve the tomes in the future.
“Do you think you’ll miss the sun?”
Hawk blinks. “Shut up! You mean it’s not thereat all? I thought you just have very little of it, like in the Arctic Circle. Don’t plants need the sun to survive?”
“Not our plants. They thrive in moonlight, or other types of light that exist underground. I’m sorry if I never explained that. Our night is when the sky is clear, and our day is when the moon comes out. But our moon is bigger, brighter than the one you’re used to. You will enjoy it,” I assure him and kiss his knuckles.
It’s as if Hawk’s been waiting for it, and he pushes me at the wall, his mouth on mine as we kiss, breathing in the cold, damp air, and the sweetness of each other’s bodies. “I’ll definitely enjoy seeing you naked in the moonlight.”
I smile against his lips as excitement lights up my body, opening it to pleasure. A wiser man would have called these stolen moments wasted, but I can’t deny myself the simple joy of his tongue playing with mine. It’s only when heat pools down my stomach that I press on his chest, letting him know we can’t take things any further. Memories of his cock entering me for the first time flood my brain like a sniff of fairy dust, and all of a sudden I can barely bring myself to refuse his touch. It hurt a little, yetI was too aroused to care, and now the ghost of that sensation is back, reminding me of our furious coupling.
“Hawk. We don’t even know how long this trip will take. We need to save our energy. Do you thinkIam not eager to taste you? But after last time you needed a nap.” I pet his cheek and give him one more kiss before pulling him along.
Hawk groans but follows me without more protest. “I love it when you talk dirty with fancy words.Eager to taste you,” he repeats with a pleased hum as we walk on, again on the trail of green torches.
My heart grows giddy with familiarity when I spot glowing mushrooms ahead. The corridor widens, its walls no longer slabs of stone but the rough rock of a cave. Even the air’s changed, now fragrant with marsh orchids and salt. It brings back fond memories of extracting oils from flower petals, a task so repetitive it becomes meditation.
More fungi appear as we follow the passage, lured by their soft fluorescent glow. Most of the mushrooms have halos of green and yellow, but the blue ones scattered in between are easy enough to spot.
“Those are Cerulean Puffballs,” I tell Hawk and point them out with a smile. “You have to gather them very carefully so they don’t explode, but their spores make the sweetest sleep tea.”
“So those aren’t radioactive, or something? Your people eat them without dying in terrible pain?” Hawk asks, grinning, but there’s no mistaking the awe in his eyes for anything else. His hand remains in mine, but he’s enchanted, and as the colors cast on his skin change, I too see various facets of his handsome features.
My introduction to his world was painful and unwanted, but I‘m already looking forward to showing him the beauty of my realm and seeing his mouth open in amazement the way it does now.
“Those aren’t poisonous. Not in the deadly sense. We don’t consume them unless someone needs to be sedated. Depending on the part of the Puffball you use, and how ripe it is, you can even put someone to sleep instantaneously.” I glance around this underground garden where glowing mushrooms grow even on the ceiling. “You know, I might actually harvest some. You never know when such an ingredient can come in handy.”
“Didn’t you say we have little time?” Hawk asks, but instead of lingering nearby and attempting to capture my gaze in accusation, he walks farther into the tunnel to sit on a mossy rock.
I’m not surprised to see him pull out a pretzel. His tall, strong body needs more nourishment than my small form ever could, and I find his voracity quite endearing. He makes such a charming picture with the golden glow of Nightbells creating a blurry veil behind him.
The food is half-way to his mouth when reality crashes into me like a violent wave onto a shore.
Nightbells.
“Don’t move!” I say as I freeze, terrified of what might happen next.
Chapter 21
Sylvan
My mind is racing as I try to work out how much danger we’re in.
“Are the ones behind me poisonous?” Hawk whispers as if he fears even the sound of his voice could bring about our destruction.
“Come back to me. Very slowly,” I say, taking a deep breath. He hasn’t alerted the fungi’s receptors, so we still have a chance to survive this unscathed. Hawk takes dainty, careful steps, as if he were walking over thin ice, and while it makes him look like a bear attempting ballet, I’m glad he’s taking my warning seriously.
I grab his hand and pull him to me as soon as he’s close enough. After a deep exhale, he stuffs the pretzel into his mouth, glaring back at the shimmering golden caps of the Nightbells growing all over the tunnel in front of us.
I frown, squeezing his fingers. “They’re not dangerous by themselves, but they’re here for a reason. We can’t pass withoutalerting them, as they react to movement. All their gills will start ringing at once, hence their name, Nightbells,and then their caps will pop off in the direction of the movement.”
