by Donna Grant
“It doesn’t matter,” Dennis said. He pulled Lily back to walk with him. “We’re going to make you leave once and for all.”
Rhys fought not to look to the skies. He kept a good pace to hurry and reach the cottage. There was only so much control, and he was fast losing his being near Dennis.
* * *
Darius sat in a small cubby hidden in the ceiling. It was constructed when the manor was built as another exit for the Kings to get to the mountain.
He used it now as a hiding spot to watch over Kyle. Perhaps it was his misgivings about everyone that led him to believe Kyle wouldn’t stay put in the room. So he wasn’t surprised when he heard the soft click of the door opening.
The shadows hid Darius, and Kyle didn’t bother to look up as he glanced around to see if anyone was about. The mortal didn’t tarry. He made his way down the stairs in quick order. Quick enough to make Darius suspicious.
Darius jumped from his spot, landing quietly. He looked over the railing as Kyle reached the bottom and disappeared out of sight. The only place Kyle would go was after his sister, in a vain attempt to rescue her.
“Stupid human,” Darius mumbled as he hurriedly followed.
Darius exited the manor and slid to a stop when he saw Con leaning against the side of the manor. “You didna stop Kyle?”
“He was gone before I got here. We can no’ stop him now without Dennis seeing us.”
Darius glanced into the distance. All Dennis had to do was look back and he would be able to see Kyle—or them if they tried to bring the lad back. “Shite.”
“That’s certainly one word for it.”
“It’s just one mortal. What can he do?”
The King of Kings slowly turned his head of wavy blond hair, his soulless black eyes pinning Darius. “Did you forget the part where we said Ulrik was leading him? You’ve been holed up in your cave, so you’ve missed Kellan and Denae being taken by the Dark. You also missed Tristan having to venture into the Dark world to get back his mate, Sammi. You avoided the worry when Kiril went to Ireland as a spy and was captured. You escaped the many battles we’ve had with the Dark, including one on the Campbell property that borders ours when the Dark located the hidden doorway onto Dreagan.”
Each word was spoken with silent fury, stony irritation.
Callous disdain.
Darius took immediate offense. “Every King takes to his cave at some point.”
“No’ all,” Con said and pushed off the stones to face him. “Some of us remain awake dealing with all the senseless stupidity of this realm along with whatever torments we have in our past.”
“We can no’ all be you, can we?”
Con’s chest expanded as he took a deep breath. “You were awake. You heard the calls I put out, you knew Rhys was in pain and dying.”
“It’s why I’m here.”
“Weeks later. Where were you before? You knew all that was going on, Darius, and you chose to ignore it.”
Darius snorted. “If you were so worried, why no’ send someone to wake up the ones who sleep?”
“Because it’s a choice I’ve always given each of the Kings,” Con stated tightly. “I allow you to choose whether to help your brethren or no’.”
“Some of us have … torments … that shouldna be brought into the world again.”
Con sighed and shook his head. “Doona believe you’re the only one who has suffered. Every damn one of us has. Including me.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Lily was having a difficult time managing the rocky hillside in her heeled boots, but she wasn’t going to ask Rhys to slow down. She knew his hurry. And she welcomed it.
Dennis’s eyes were on her as she let Rhys get ahead of her. She looked at his blue eyes and noticed how … pallid and colorless they were compared to Rhys’s magnificent blue.
“What?” Dennis demanded angrily.
Lily shrugged. “Nothing. I’m just realizing how very unattractive you are.”
“Lily,” Rhys warned.
She knew she shouldn’t bait Dennis, but she was so weary of it all. The fear, the anxiety. The pain.
“It’s all right, sweetheart.” Dennis reached out and gripped her arm again, his fingers biting into her flesh. “Keep trying to hurt me with your words.”
He dragged her along cruelly, causing her to twist her ankle. She glanced up and saw Rhys watching her, his eyes filled with concern and a hint of fury tightly leashed.
Lily touched the knife hidden up her sleeve. She could use it right now. She could plunge it deep into Dennis’s heart and it would all be over. That would be the easy thing to do. However, she knew Rhys and the others had a plan, and she needed to consider that before she did something to ruin it. As much as it infuriated her to wait.
A look back at Dreagan Manor in the hopes of seeing dragons, instead, she saw someone running toward them. He moved low and fast, as if he were hiding from something. She didn’t point him out since it could be another King trying to sneak up on Dennis.
She did turn her gaze to the sky. For just a moment there was a break in the thick gray clouds to show a spot of sky. That’s when she caught sight of burnt orange scales. Her breath hitched and she stumbled again since she hadn’t been looking where she was going. Dennis let her fall to her hands and knees, and it was Rhys who rushed to her.
With her chest heaving, she looked at him in wonder. She hadn’t believed his story at first. Then she’d listened to him and heard the certainty in his voice that made her consider it. Somewhere along the way she began to deem his tale truth.
Believing and seeing were two different things however.
There were dragons flying above her. One for sure, but she had an inkling that there were more. Whatever fear she had vanished. She was on Dreagan, surrounded by dragons who promised to protect her.
Lily’s smile was slow, but it grew. Rhys’s befuddled look dissolved as he returned her grin.
“What are you two smiling about?” Dennis asked angrily. “Get on your feet, and let’s get moving.”
Once Lily was up, Dennis grabbed her arm again and waited for Rhys to take the lead. They walked in silence, the hills growing steeper and higher with each one. At the next rise, Dennis stopped.
“We’re no’ there,” Rhys said.
Dennis laughed. “We have someone approaching.”
Rhys stiffened slightly and turned to look. Lily was hoping to recognize the face, but she was aghast to see it was none other than her brother.
“Kyle,” she said and tried to run to him. Dennis held her in check and withdrew a gun from his coat.
Dennis waved Kyle closer with the gun. “Come join us.”
Lily couldn’t rein in her shock. She waited until Kyle was close before she asked him, “What are you doing here?”
“Those from Dreagan wanted me to see what a monster Dennis was,” Kyle said, anger tinting his voice.
Lily couldn’t believe this was happening. “Why didn’t you stay with them? Why didn’t you stay where you weren’t in danger?”
Kyle’s face suddenly broke out into a grin. “Then I wouldn’t have been able to join in the fun.”
Lily watched, horrified, as Dennis tossed the gun to Kyle. They shared a laugh as she stared, speechless. When Rhys tried to go to her, Kyle stopped him by pointing the gun at him.
“I saw the other dragon get shot multiple times. He barely flinched,” Kyle said. He rubbed his chin with his free hand. “We’ve been told you’re hard to kill.”
“The word was ‘impossible,’ actually,” Dennis said.
Kyle’s dark eyes were hard as granite when they looked at Dennis. “Nothing is impossible to kill. There’s a weapon here that will do it, but I think there’s another way.”
“Kyle, please,” Lily begged. She couldn’t believe this was her sweet brother who used to beg her to play games with him. What happened? Where was the kind boy who loved to laugh?
His cold look froze her heart. “Did you
really fall for my act? You’ve not seen me in four years, and you thought I was the same young kid as before. Naïve and stupid.”
“You were never stupid. Naïve, yes, but we’re all that way. You were innocent and sweet.”
“Until Dennis showed me the world.” Kyle sneered at her. “I’m the one who sought out Dennis six months after you left. It was to see you, but he took me on a few jobs with him. Then I joined in the ranks.”
“No.” Lily didn’t want to hear any more. She couldn’t. “Stop talking. It’s all lies.”
Kyle stormed to her and peered down at her. “The lies are what you’ve been telling yourself. Had you bothered to talk to our parents, you would’ve learned I haven’t been home in three years.”
Lily felt sick to her stomach. “So you were part of the plan.”
“Of course,” Kyle said with a mocking laugh. “This was all my idea. I knew you would do anything for the family.”
Dennis smiled and looked on approvingly. “He’s a quick learner, your brother. I’ve known few who took to a gun the way he has. It’s a gift. He hits anything he aims at.”
“How nice for him,” Lily said, letting the contempt lace her voice.
“Careful,” Kyle said and waved the gun in her face.
She stepped back and spread her arms. “Kill me. If you’re such a big man, then pull the trigger.”
“Finally got that spine back, huh?” Kyle asked. “About time. Let’s get to the weapon. It’s taken too long already. I don’t like this place.”
“You’ll never get off Dreagan,” Rhys said.
Kyle slowly turned his head to him. “For a minute, I’d forgotten you.”
“I’m still here.”
Kyle’s contemptuous gaze locked on Rhys as he asked Dennis, “Do you know where the weapon is?”
“At the cottage,” Dennis answered.
“Are you sure?”
“The dragon’s worried I’ll kill Lily. He didn’t lie.”
Kyle’s lip turned up in a sneer. “He’s a dragon. They all lie.”
“Do you want to stand around and argue about it?” Lily asked. “I wonder how much time it would take to have you surrounded by dragons.”
Kyle gazed at her silently. “So you believe?”
“Does it really matter?”
“Have you seen them? Have you watched your new lover shift into a dragon?” he pressed.
Lily turned her eyes to Rhys. She was amazed that neither Dennis nor Kyle realized the predator they had near them. Did they not sense Rhys’s tightly leashed savagery?
She was aware of the violence building, saw the wildness escalating. Recognized the fury swelling.
Whether Rhys could shift or not, he was the ultimate warrior. She might not have touched his scales herself, but she saw him in her dreams. She rode through the clouds with him, felt the wind upon her face.
“Yes,” she finally answered.
There was the faintest flicker in Rhys’s eyes. His presence reminded her of what was at stake. A hidden world of Dragon Kings who protected the world. Dragons. And to think she had a dragon of her own.
“Don’t you realize what they are?” Kyle asked in shock. “You’ve sullied yourself.”
Lily jerked her head to her brother. “Sullied myself? Did you really just say that? Are you so screwed up that you think it’s all right to kill someone, but not for me to share my bed with Rhys?”
“I’m not the one screwed up. Your head has everything backward, and you don’t even know it.”
“You’ve always been obstinate, Kyle, but even you have to see the flaw in your rationale.”
Kyle gave a loud snort of contempt. “There’s no flaw. This is our world, and there’s no place for dragons on it.”
“What about the Dark Fae?”
“Fae?” Kyle asked with a bark of laughter. “You believe there’s Fae?”
Lily glanced at Rhys to see him give a barely discernible shake of his head, warning her not to say more.
“That’s rich, Lily. Crazy, but rich.”
It was Dennis who stood stiff. “Actually, Kyle, there are.”
“I’ve had enough. Move!” Kyle shouted and shoved Rhys.
Lily was once more relegated to remain by Dennis while Kyle walked with Rhys. Her anger and shock mixed together, leaving her weak with denial. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Kyle working with Dennis. The sweet boy she knew had vanished sometime in the four years she’d been gone. If only she hadn’t left. If only she’d remained and listened to her family.
But it didn’t do any good to look back at what couldn’t be changed. She had to look ahead, to look at the present and what she could do to help. No longer was she going to be the cowardly female. She’d gone looking for the girl she’d once been, and Lily had found her. But she’d found something else as well.
She found Rhys.
He’d helped her find the ability to see her worth, to realize what she was capable of. Which was much more than she’d ever thought possible.
The closer they came to the cottage, the tighter Rhys’s muscles bunched. He all but snarled at Kyle when her brother shoved him to get him moving faster.
“Why doesn’t he know about the Fae?” Lily asked Dennis.
Dennis shrugged and ran a hand through his short red hair. “He didn’t need to know. He has a mission.”
“You don’t ever intend to show him the Dark Fae.”
Dennis didn’t answer, but that in itself was the answer. There was only one reason to keep information from soldiers, and that was because the men in charge didn’t intend for them to stick around long.
“You’re going to kill him,” Lily whispered in dismay.
Dennis tsked. “You always think the worst.”
“If he was as valuable as you keep saying, Kyle would know as much as you.”
Dennis laughed softly. “You’ve always had such a sharp mind. It’s really too bad I couldn’t turn you as I did Kyle.”
“What’s going to happen to my brother?”
“He’s to get the weapon.”
Lily glared at Dennis. “What? Not brave enough to get it yourself?”
“I’m needed elsewhere,” he said.
Lily started to call out to Kyle when Dennis grabbed the wrist he’d broken years ago and squeezed.
He jerked Lily close and whispered in her ear, “Don’t even try it. He won’t believe you for one, but if you attempt to change his mind, I’ll kill him myself.”
“That might be better. At least he would be out of your clutches.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
Lily realized they had reached the cottage. It looked like a vacant building waiting for occupants. Innocuous, safe. Plain.
How looks could be deceiving.
“We’re here,” Kyle said, awe lacing his voice. “We can finally have what we need to end the rule of the dragons.”
Lily watched in slow motion as Kyle pointed the gun at Rhys’s head, a malevolent smile upon his lips.
“Live through this,” Kyle said and pulled the trigger.
Lily screamed, the retort of the gun drowning it out. Rhys’s body jerked and then he fell, blood pouring from the wound at his temple.
She waited, expecting him to rise. Yet, Rhys lay unmoving. Lily tried to go to him, but Dennis held her in place with an arm about her waist. She stretched out her arm, desperately trying to touch Rhys.
Tears fell freely down her face as she called Rhys’s name over and over again. He was a Dragon King. He’d said only another Dragon King could kill him, but the seconds ticked by without him so much as twitching a finger.
“Dragons can die,” Kyle said with a laugh. He held up his revolver. “With a little magic added in.”
“No!” Lily screamed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Rhi looked down at her newly painted nails on her hands and feet. She wiggled her toes and sighed. A pedicure was the perfect thing to take her mind off of her troubles.
“Great job, Jesse,” Rhi told her nail technician.
Jesse smiled and handed her back the three bottles of polish. “You let me do whatever I want. You’re my favorite client.”
Rhi chuckled as Jesse went off to tend to her next customer. While Rhi waited for her toes to dry, she looked again at the mix of blues and silver on her nails. The stripes, done at angles with silver, called It’s Frosty Outside, setting off the bright blue—Suzi Says Feng Shui—and dark blue—Unfor-Greta-bly Blue.
It had been a long time since she’d worn blue on her nails. It wasn’t that Rhi didn’t like the color. There were few colors that she didn’t like. It just seemed that blue made her feel, well … blue. This time, however, she felt serene instead of sad. Which was a really good sign. Of course it didn’t hurt that the colors were going to go great with her blue dress.
Rhi checked her toes. Once she was sure they were dry, she wiggled her feet back into her sandals, something she was able to wear in the Austin warmth.
She waved to Jesse and walked from the salon. Rhi got into her Lamborghini and drove off. She was turning a corner, heading back to the garage to park her car when Rhys’s voice sounded in her head. All he said was her name.
But it was the pain she heard in his voice that had her speeding to the garage and drifting the car around corners until she skidded the vehicle to a halt in the garage. Rhi hit the button to shut the garage door and immediately teleported to Dreagan.
She appeared next to Rhys veiled. Rhi saw the two men and Lily walk into the cottage as Lily looked back at Rhys, tears coursing down her face.
Rhi knelt beside Rhys, but remained veiled since she knew Con and the other Kings would be watching. “Rhys. I’m here.”
“Lily,” he managed to say.
She looked at the wound in his head and felt the dragon magic around it. This couldn’t happen. Not to Rhys. It had been so long since a King had died that Rhi had almost begun to think they never would again.
“Li … Lily,” he murmured again.
Rhi looked at the cottage. “I’ll get her, Rhys.”
She rose and walked to the cottage, only to run into an invisible wall. Rhi tried to teleport in, but each time she was thrown out. It wasn’t until she approached the door and looked at its frame that she saw a small design etched into the wood.