by Donna Grant
Her mind stopped when the Fae reached Cináed and the three were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. But it was more than punches and elbows. There was magic involved, making things even more difficult.
She felt insignificant and in the way. There was nothing she could do to help, which made things even worse for her. Not that Cináed wasn’t handling it brilliantly all by himself. Besides, if he needed help, Merrill was there to lend a hand.
Or was it claw?
She inwardly gave herself a shake. Now was not the time.
Her mind went blank when she felt it behind her. The cloying, sickening coils of evil reaching for her. Gemma shouted Cináed’s name over and over in her head, but nothing went past her lips.
Slowly, she turned and looked over her shoulder. At first she saw nothing but sheets of rain. Then, a form took shape. That of a beautiful woman. Long black hair fell around her without a single drop of rain reaching her. Gemma found herself staring into silver eyes that changed to red.
“We finally meet, Gemma,” she said.
The smile the Fae bestowed upon her made Gemma want to vomit. She wanted to run, to flee, but her feet were rooted to the ground. Her mind went back to that night when her family died. This...Fae...was responsible. Gemma knew it to the bottom of her soul.
Somehow, she swallowed the fear. She fisted her hands to keep them from shaking. Then, she took a step forward. It was a small one, but it was a step. “I escaped you once.”
“Did you?” the Fae asked, brow raised. Her laugh sent ice through Gemma’s veins. “I admit, I did believe you drowned. But I saw the papers. I knew you lived.”
“Why didn’t you come for me?”
The woman’s eyes moved past her to Cináed. Gemma’s stomach fell to her feet. “No.”
“Oh, yes,” the Fae said.
Chapter Twenty-one
“Cináed!”
The panic and distress he heard in Gemma’s voice went through him like a blade. He finished off the final Dark and whirled around.
Only to see Usaeil standing behind Gemma.
He’d known the Queen of the Light was involved, and now he had proof. He immediately sent out a message through the link to all Dragon Kings.
His gaze met Gemma’s. When she mouthed for him to leave, he knew that it had all been a trap. No doubt Usaeil intended to kill Gemma, but Cináed couldn’t imagine what she thought she would do to him.
“Cináed? What’s going on?” Merrill asked.
“It’s a trap by Usaeil. Stay hidden for now. You may be the only thing that saves Gemma.”
“What about you?”
“It’s time someone finds out what the Light bitch wants.”
There was a pause. “Tell her we know she’s with the Others.”
“I don’t want to give that information away quite yet.”
“Good point. Be careful, brother.”
The link severed. Cináed fisted his hands against the wounds all over his body inflicted by the Darks’ magic. They would heal, but not as quickly as he would like. Especially when he faced off against Usaeil.
“You honestly believed I didn’t know she was alive?” Usaeil asked him with a smug grin.
Cináed wished Gemma was beside him. As it was, she was closer to the queen than him, and that didn’t sit well at all. “You allowed her to live.”
“I intended to kill her that night with the rest of her family.”
He glanced at Gemma to see tears rolling down her face. But it wasn’t sadness, it was anger that contorted her features. She kept her back to Usaeil and her eyes locked on him. He didn’t dare take a step to her. Nor could he beckon Gemma to him with Usaeil watching.
Cináed decided to give Gemma some closure about that night. “Why come after them? They were hidden, the Clacher gift gone.”
“You don’t know.” Usaeil’s smile grew with that knowledge. “Imagine that. The mighty Dragon Kings missing a vital piece of the puzzle.”
He filed that bit of information away. It had been apparent the Clachers were significant, and while he didn’t know how—yet—the fact that he discovered that they were meant the Kings were one step closer to uncovering another clue.
Cináed grinned. “We might no’ have known that, but it doesna take much to get you to talk about things. Your vanity takes little prodding to get you to admit such valuable information.”
“Careful,” Usaeil said, her smile gone. “Your ego might overshadow you.”
“It would have to be big indeed for that to happen,” he taunted.
Usaeil’s red eyes narrowed. “You hate me now, but soon that will change. Soon you’ll see what I can give the Dragon Kings.”
“Give us?” he asked with a laugh.
“You won’t be laughing for long, Cináed.”
That gave him pause. Rain dripped from his lashes. He blinked them away.
“I knew by allowing Gemma to live that one day everything would fall into place. I didn’t know how or why, but I knew being patient would grant me something big simply because of her bloodline. I never expected it to be the Kings. All it took was nudging her toward Dreagan.”
It was much more than that, but Cináed didn’t bother to try and explain. Usaeil wouldn’t understand that if he had never been looking for information on the Others that he wouldn’t have seen Gemma’s picture, and therefore would never have gone looking for her.
Unable to help himself, he moved his gaze to Gemma. He wanted her to know that he was proud of her courage. It took more than most would ever pull together to do what she had done—was still doing.
If only he could give her a nod or something, but he didn’t want to give Usaeil any ammunition to use against him. Because she would. In a heartbeat.
Suddenly, Gemma smiled at him. As if she knew he’d been thinking about her. He couldn’t return the grin, no matter how much he wanted to.
Usaeil rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t you be asking me questions, Cináed? Perhaps what I think I can do for the Kings?”
“There’s no need. You want me to know badly enough that you’ll tell me regardless.” He moved his gaze to her.
Her beauty was without a doubt, but her soul was as black as they came. How had Con missed that when he’d given in and taken her to his bed? Then again, there were many things Con did that Cináed didn’t agree with—until he learned everything.
The thing about Con was that he kept so much to himself. Cináed suspected that it was more than Con being lonely that turned the King of Dragon Kings to the Queen of the Light. And he couldn’t wait to find out what that was.
Anger rolled off the queen in waves. She wasn’t at all amused by Cináed’s comment, despite it being the truth.
Usaeil cocked a hip and put a hand on it. “This show all you Kings continue to do in front of me is for naught. Con knows he’s mine.”
“Did he ever say it?” Cináed asked.
“He didn’t have to. It was in his actions every time he came to my bed.”
Gemma laughed, causing Cináed to inwardly wince. Usaeil’s gaze slid to Gemma, her eyes narrowing. Just as the queen was remembering why she was on the isle, he turned her attention back to him.
“Sex isna love,” Cináed stated. “Just because Con used your body for some relief doesna mean he wants you as his mate.”
Just as he expected, the jab shifted Usaeil’s interest back to him. He kept his gaze on the queen, but his attention never left Gemma. That was the only reason he saw her slowly inching her way toward him.
“I will be his mate.” Thunder rumbled after Usaeil’s declaration. “I am meant to be his. The Fae and dragons will unite. Those unions will not only give each of you the children you’ve never had, but it will keep the magic flowing on this realm.”
“You’re a complete nutter.”
Usaeil scoffed at his words. “We’ll see who’s insane when everything I say comes to pass.”
“You’re forgetting one thing. Con has to want you for his mate. An
d he doesna.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
Cináed realized that nothing he said was going to make a difference. So he decided to play along with her. “Say the Light and Kings do unite. What then?”
“Meaning?”
He waved his hand, indicating her red eyes that indicated to one and all that she was Dark, not Light. “This.”
She laughed softly. “That will be taken care of shortly.”
“Meaning?”
A black brow quirked. “You don’t actually think I’m going to tell you all of my plans, do you?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“You’d be wrong. What I will tell you is that I’ll be taking what I allowed to live all these years—Gemma. The Clacher line ends today.”
Cináed dove towards Gemma, wrapping his arms around her and twisting as they fell to take the brunt of the fall. He grunted when Usaeil’s magic landed on his side.
“Stay near me,” he said to Gemma before he jumped to his feet.
“Stand in my way and you will fail,” Usaeil told him.
Cináed took a deep breath. “We’ll see about that.”
* * * *
If the fight earlier with the Dark had been eye-opening, it was nothing compared to this. The air crackled with hostile tensions.
Gemma took a step back to give Cináed room as he widened his stance. The most nerve-wracking thing she’d ever done was standing still while listening to the exchange between him and the queen, who, she had to agree, was indeed off her rocker.
Gemma glanced at Cináed’s back to see his shirt falling off and his body blackened with several wounds—one of which was on his side and looked newer than the others.
“Give me the mortal,” Usaeil said to Cináed. “And I’ll let you go back to Dreagan.”
Cináed snorted. “You can no’ stop me.”
“You want to take a chance on that?”
“I do.”
Gemma took another step back. She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was there even though it felt as if someone watched them. She didn’t get the feeling that whoever it was wanted to harm her. In fact, she had the distinct impression they were there for Usaeil.
She returned her attention to Cináed in time to see him twist to avoid being hit with another of those orbs, which she figured was magic that hurt pretty bad. Yet Gemma hadn’t seen any such magic when Cináed fought. Actually, all she’d seen with him was brute strength that made her giddy watching him.
Gemma focused and managed to see the ball of magic coming toward her right before it slammed into her. She jumped out of the way as Cináed let out a bellow that turned into a roar so loud she dropped to her knees and covered her ears.
Then it dawned on her who had made that sound. She lowered her hands and turned her head to see a dragon. Her mouth fell open when she saw the bluish-white sheen she recognized all too well. Moonstone was one of her favorite gems.
She couldn’t take her eyes off the thick body and tail of the dragon, er Cináed. The nearly colorless scales appeared metallic and picked up various colors near them. And his wings were so extraordinary that she wanted to touch them.
The size of him was enough to give anyone pause, but if that didn’t do it then the long claws, spike on the end of the tail, and the long teeth whenever he opened his mouth surely would.
His big head shifted and she saw his eyes the color of spun gold meet hers. Without thinking, Gemma rushed to him, coming to stand between his front legs. He then flapped his wings toward Usaeil. It created such a wind gust that she fought to remain on her feet.
But Cináed wasn’t nearly done.
She heard his intake of breath. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something bright for just a moment. Usaeil’s eyes widened as he breathed fire.
Sweat ran down Gemma’s face from the heat of the fire. She had never felt anything so hot in her life and she was safely sheltered from it. She couldn’t imagine being in it. But at least Usaeil was gone.
Gemma leaned against Cináed’s leg. She smiled at the warmth of the scales before she rested her head against him. Cináed issued a curious noise that almost sounded like a purr.
When the smoke cleared, she expected to see ash or whatever was left of Usaeil’s body, but there was nothing but charred earth.
Cináed tensed. Gemma lifted her head and let her gaze scan the area, looking for Usaeil. The queen had promised to end her life, and Gemma knew the Fae wouldn’t give up so easily.
“You didn’t really think to get me with dragon fire, did you?”
Cináed roared at the sound of Usaeil’s voice. He turned, but it wasn’t in time. Gemma heard the Fae say something. The next instant Cináed was in human form, naked, with death in his gray eyes as he stared at Usaeil.
He pulled back his hands as if gathering his magic, but Usaeil simply smiled and said something else Gemma didn’t understand. Cináed crumpled to the ground.
Gemma gaped at him in shock. What had the queen said to cause such a reaction from Cináed? She opened her lips to scream for Merrill, but no words came out.
“Now. Where were we?” Usaeil asked from beside her.
She tried to run, but the queen grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground.
Chapter Twenty-two
“Wake up!”
Merrill’s voice in Cináed’s head bellowed again and again until he stirred. Then came the feeling that Gemma was in danger. The rain pelted his face as he opened his eyes to find Usaeil standing over Gemma with her hands around his woman’s neck.
“Keep hidden for now,” he told Merrill.
“The Clacher line has lived long enough,” Usaeil said as she straddled Gemma. “It was by my mercy alone that you had as many years as you did.”
Gemma lifted her knee, slamming it into the queen’s back to break her hold, but it did no good. Cináed saw her struggling to get breath into her lungs. He tried to roll over, but he couldn’t. That’s when he felt it—the magic.
It wasn’t regular Fae magic. This was something else entirely. Something that felt...wrong.
His gaze snapped to Usaeil’s face. They believed she was just a part of the Others, but Cináed was beginning to think she played a much bigger role.
But that could be discussed later. Right now he had to get to Gemma, because there was no way Usaeil was going to take his mate from him.
Cináed thrashed against the invisible bonds holding him. Even as the magic tightened around him, cutting into his skin like wires, he fought. The pain only made him more determined to get free and reach Gemma.
Because she was all that mattered.
Usaeil’s laughter caught his attention. He looked at the Queen of the Light to find her gaze on him, her smile wide.
“Look at him,” Usaeil bade Gemma. “Look how he lies there unable to get to you. Dragon Kings claim to be the strongest creatures of this realm. That’s a lie.”
Cináed peeled back his lips, baring his teeth. He didn’t care how much Con wanted to attack Usaeil, if Cináed got a chance, he was going to rip out her black heart.
“You’re...jealous.” Gemma’s voice was strained, but her words were clear. As was the fury in her pale blue eyes.
Usaeil’s head cocked to the side as her attention swung back to Gemma. “What are you trying to say?”
To Cináed’s relief, the queen loosened her hold on Gemma’s neck. He redoubled his efforts against Usaeil’s magic. He wanted to shift, but she had used a spell that prevented that for the time being.
He gritted his teeth and used his strength. It got him through most of the invisible bindings. The last bit, he used his magic to sever.
“Tell me,” Usaeil ordered Gemma.
Gemma smiled and removed her hands from the queen. To Cináed’s shock, Gemma rested her arms along the wet ground as her body went slack.
“You want what the Kings have,” Gemma said. “Their power. Their respect. You envy them.”
Usaeil was so focused on Gemma that she never saw Cináed get to his feet.
The queen snorted derisively. “Envy them? They hide and cower while the Fae thrive. They are the ones who envy me.”
“And Con?” Gemma asked.
Usaeil’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t talk about what you don’t know.”
“I know he doesn’t want you.”
Cináed smiled. Leave it to his woman to be spunky and tell it to the queen as only she could.
“You know nothing!” Usaeil shouted.
Gemma’s lips curved into a smile. “I know that if a King finds someone, then he will do whatever it takes to be with her. Con isn’t doing that for you.”
“He needs to see how good we are together.”
“Or maybe you need to realize that he was never yours to have.”
Malice contorted Usaeil’s face as she tightened her fingers on Gemma’s throat again. Cináed slammed his magic into the queen, sending her rolling to the side. She screeched the moment she landed in a puddle.
Cináed rushed to Gemma and yanked her to her feet. Their gazes met and Gemma gave him a nod to let him know she was okay. Then he pushed her behind him.
Usaeil climbed to her feet, her eyes locked on them. “You can’t stop me from killing her. Today, tomorrow, or next year, I will exact my retribution.”
“You had your chance,” Cináed told her. “You lost it.”
“Merrill. Get ready,” he told his friend.
Usaeil stalked toward them. Cináed readied his magic as he saw Merrill, in dragon form, rise from the waters behind the queen. But before Cináed could trap the queen, Gemma walked around him, her hand out.
“Gemma!” he yelled.
But she ignored him as she collided with Usaeil’s chest. Cináed rushed to her.
“I know what you are,” Gemma told the queen. “I know what you’ve done.”
Usaeil tried to throw off Gemma’s hand, but it didn’t budge. Cináed’s eyes bulged. His mate didn’t have any magic, nor did he feel any from her then, so he wasn’t sure how she was able to contain the Queen of the Light.