House of Chaos and Gilded Dream (Shades of Ruin and Magic #6)

Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Barbie

Killian tore off his dragon mask and flung it into the gathering crowd.

“I’m fucking done with secrets,” he said roughly. “No more pretending you belong anywhere but at my side.”

Before I could protest, he snatched my fish mask away and tossed it over a building. He tilted my chin up, ignoring the stunned silence that rippled across the courtyard, and the heir of the House of Chaos kissed me.

Shit, that felt good.

As my toes curled and my body arched into his, one truth burned through the haze: every supernatural in the courtyard now knew I was the chaos prince’s true mate, and soon the entire realm would know it, too.

We were mates. Fated.

The new reality felt surreal, yet it tasted like hope. I just had to get used to it and learn to embrace it with an open heart.

I gazed up at him through my lashes, dazed and giddy, yet I still had the presence of mind to let my expressive eyes ask the silent, urgent question: Hey, are you sure this is what you want?

He’s sure, dummy! Sy chimed in impatiently. Now tits up!

Across the courtyard, Queen Lilith watched us, not as shocked as the others, but hellfire crackled in her impossible green eyes. I met her gaze, a stare laden with unthinkable power, and lifted my chin, bracing for whatever shit she’d throw my way.

For my mate, I didn’t mind standing in the warpath. So I boldly claimed him back.

We’re bold! Sy commented from the sidelines with approval. No one takes what’s ours!

Well, Rowan was hers, and Killian was mine.

No argument there, B, Sy said.

My soul sister and I shared everything except the same man. And for that, I was glad. Queen Lilith’s expression shifted in an instant. Instead of charging at me—not that I’d have minded yanking her by that long hair and clawing her face street-fight style—she winked.

She fucking winked, as if watching her former betrothed lock lips with me in front of everyone was some kind of private joke.

A split second later, a sense of danger slammed into me. A vortex tore through the air above, ripping me from Killian’s arms before I could even gasp.

Killian lunged for me, a roar tearing from his throat, but the force of the vortex threw him back. His fingers brushed empty air as I was wrenched away, screaming his name.

My magic lashed out as I fought to claw my way back toward Killian, but the vortex smothered my power. I could siphon any magic but not this. This was something else: a concept, a binding, an unnatural law woven into the bride trial itself.

A moment later, I was swept into the churning throat of the vortex. All around me, other students screamed, their voices swallowed by the storm. We were like hundreds of insects tossed into a violent current, powerless against the pull.

Through the roaring chaos, Headmistress Ethel’s voice echoed as if from the heart of the storm:

“Due to the current threat, we’re bringing forward the second bride trial. It begins now! Steel your hearts, bride candidates. Half of you won’t survive the cull. But your sacrifice will be remembered as Mist of Cinder stands strong.”

Shit!

I couldn’t believe it was happening, not when my lips still buzzed with the heat of Killian’s kiss.

I’d wanted to grab him, dig my fingers into that hard muscle and shake him just to be sure: “Did you really just claim me as your mate in front of everyone? Did you really break it off with Queen Lilith?”

Believe it, Sy cut in. It happened. I saw it with my own eyes. Want me to kick you in the teeth to snap you out of it?

Focus! I shot back. We’re not out of the woods yet.

Deep shit, Sy agreed.

Killian’s dark lightning cracked against the edge of the vortex, the combined power of the heirs joining his assault.

Their furious roars faded into echoes as the vortex spun us away.

The gale whipped my face raw, dragging my curls in every direction.

Cold dampness choked the air, making it hard to breathe.

Around me, the other students’ screams were also muffled, swallowed by the storm as we all fought for air.

Where the fuck was this thing taking us? I stopped fighting the pull, saving my strength for whatever battle waited at the other end. My thoughts drifted between Killian, the heat of his kiss, the danger now, and whatever lay ahead.

Think about fucking later, Sy snapped. Or you can let me think about sex for you. Focus on surviving. I want to get back to my sugar Rowan in one piece.

I pushed my senses outward, even as the vortex whipped me through the chaos.

It’s pushing through a barrier, I told Sy. Feel that?

Yes. We’re being taken to another realm, she replied. Want me to take over?

Not yet. Sit tight. Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut.

She pouted.

Then, the storm dissolved into steam. The vortex vanished, and all of us dropped like stones. I looked down just as a sprawling network of railroad tracks rushed up to meet my face.

“Shit!” I shouted.

Brace for impact! Sy shouted back, pushing her strength into me.

I hit the metal track and rolled into a crouch, the force jarring through my bones, but Sy stepped in and swallowed the pain. I didn’t know what I’d do without her. Then, a cold thought slipped in: one day, I’d have to.

My gaze swept the scene. Other bride candidates—slower, less prepared—slammed onto the rails with sickening thuds, yelping and groaning. At least they were supernaturals, so the damage would be minor.

The air here was different. Thick with sulfur and ash, it burned in my lungs. From the east came a low, crackling roar. In the distance, a river of lava cut across a crimson sky.

Shit. We were in Hell. Literally.

This place screamed abandon hope, all ye who enter here, and it wasn’t whispering.

I haven’t seen the dead yet, Sy noted. They give me the creeps, like your ghost familiar. Why isn’t Pucker tagging along? Where is he when you need him?

This is the one place he fears most—the Underworld, I explained. If he comes here, he can never return to the living.

But he’s already dead, Sy argued.

Ghosts linger for a reason, I said, rolling my eyes. Are we really having a deep discussion about where Pucker’s place should be right now?

Fine. Whatever’s coming, I’m with you, ugly Barbie, Sy declared. Let’s rock this fucking welcome party.

Just then, a bone-chilling horn blasted through the air. Three massive trains emerged from the shadows, their headlights slicing through the gloom like metal eyes.

Shit.

Chaos erupted all around us. Shouts and screams filled the sulfur-thick air as candidates scrambled in every direction. My own heart hammered, a frantic drum against my ribs. My gaze swept left and right, hunting for any sign of safety—or the next threat.

We need to find Bea! I shouted to Sy. We have to make sure she gets out alive.

On it!

A train lurched along the tracks, charging straight for me.

Run! Sy screamed.

I bolted, leaping from the rails just as the mad machine thundered past, missing me by inches.

The force of its wake shoved me sideways.

I stumbled, nearly sprawling across the next track—where a second train would have crushed me if Sy hadn’t shoved me hard toward a narrow triangular gap between the rails.

The second train roared through the space I’d occupied a heartbeat before.

Fuck!

Cold sweat beaded along my hairline, my curls plastered to my scalp.

That was close. I wouldn’t have died from being run over by a train back in the mortal world, but this was the Underworld, realm of the dead and demons.

Rules worked differently here. Eat or drink anything, and you’re bound to Hell for eternity.

Queen Lilith had tried to hijack my mind once, offering me forbidden fruit. Good thing I’d refused.

Everyone was running, scrambling in every direction like rats in a maze.

“Bea!” I screamed as I ran, but my voice was swallowed by the roar of engines and the relentless click-clack of wheels on rails.

Then, as suddenly as they came, the mechanical noises ceased.

The murderous trains vanished into the darkness beyond the perimeter.

Before my heart could slow or my mind could make sense of this warped dimension, a spinning spotlight blazed from above, turning the railroad maze into a disorienting new nightmare.

As the beam swept over us, the glare was blinding.

What fresh fuckery is this?

“Barbie!” A voice cut through the chaos.

“Bea!” I lunged toward the sound, desperately searching for my friend.

But it wasn’t Bea. It was Grace—my nemesis.

A sneer twisted her lips as she advanced, a pack of elite bitches flanking her. Unlike me, she didn’t even flinch under the crimson spotlight. She’d clearly been trained to handle sensory overload. But of course. This was her territory.

Grace and her gang fanned out in a tight formation, caging me in. Every face in the mob mirrored hers, twisted with anger, jealousy, and disgust. They’d all seen it: Killian claiming me in front of everyone, casting aside the Queen of the Underworld for a nobody.

That cunt is so aggressive, Sy hissed. I should eat your copy’s face right here to set an example. I’m hungry, and I haven’t had dinner.

She hadn’t touched a sentient being since we’d entered Mist of Cinder. Good for her soul, maybe, but part of her clearly missed it.

“Think you’re special?” Grace spat, her voice dripping venom. “You think you deserve him?”

Cunt talks about your mate as if she owns him, Sy bristled. Let me at her.

“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” I smirked, knowing my smug smile would irk her. “Take it up with Killian, but I warn you, he won’t be as sweet as I am.”

“You’re far from sweet, ugly Barbie!” Bellona, Grace’s hulking attack dog, snarled.