by Donna Grant
Whatever magic or being decided who would be King never chose Mikkel until he was the last Silver on the realm after Ulrik had his magic bound. For those few minutes, Mikkel had been a Dragon King.
It was a taste, and he yearned to have it all. Though Mikkel wasn’t a complete fool. He knew he could never defeat Constantine. That’s where Ulrik came in. Ulrik wanted to kill Con anyway for his betrayal.
But if Ulrik did manage to slay Con, that made Ulrik King of Kings, which would never do for Mikkel. There would be another betrayal to Ulrik if he wasn’t careful. Then again, Ulrik sniffed those things out well enough. Who in Mikkel’s circle would dare to take on Ulrik?
There were plenty of Dark Fae that Mikkel paid to be by his side, and Taraeth allowed it to happen. Ulrik didn’t pay any of them. He indebted the Dark to him so they either willingly helped or he forced them.
It showed the Dark who was the stronger dragon—Ulrik.
Some might say it was Mikkel because he used money instead of brawn. But Ulrik used his intelligence and shrewdness and muscle when need be.
Balladyn blinked and focused, realizing that Taraeth had been talking.
“That’s where I am,” Taraeth said. “Mikkel edges out Ulrik by a hair, but in the end we want this realm. We have prime feeding by the billions waiting for us. The mortals are a weak race. They were made to be dominated. The Dragon Kings were fools not to enslave them from the beginning.”
Balladyn thought of Rhi and how many times she had helped out the humans. She wouldn’t want them enslaved by anyone, but most especially the Dark.
“What’s your opinion?”
Balladyn hesitated for a moment, then said, “I still think Ulrik would be the better bet. As for the mortals? They’ve been ours for thousands of years. It’s time we have free rein over them.”
Taraeth smiled and leaned to his right where his good arm was braced against the arm of the throne. “I thought you hated all Dragon Kings.”
“I do, but as you said, this is for us. We need the strongest one who will give us what we need.”
Taraeth nodded, approval shining in his red eyes. “Next time, don’t keep me waiting. I won’t be so lenient in the future. What of the Light Fae? Have you found her?”
“I’m still trailing her. She’s been at Dreagan for a few weeks. She was with Con battling Mikkel. She was wounded with Dark magic.”
“Is she strong enough to mend?”
“Con took her with him. He’ll heal her.”
“Good. I want her before me within a month, Balladyn. Now go.”
Balladyn turned on his heel and walked out of the throne room. There was no way he was bringing Rhi before Taraeth. He’d lock her up in his dungeon, and Balladyn might never get to see her again.
That meant Balladyn would have to move up his plans to be king of the Dark. He had a month to plan how he was going to kill Taraeth.
* * *
Con stared out of the window of The Balmoral Hotel. Ulrik was out there somewhere. Darius spoke with Ulrik and hadn’t bothered to alert him.
Was he losing his men? Were they turning against him as they once had?
The thought made his stomach sour.
Ulrik had been responsible the first time, and it infuriated Con that he was guilty yet again. Con wouldn’t lose his men. Not again.
If he had to take out Ulrik in the middle of Edinburgh, he’d do it. Anything to be rid of such a troublemaker that had ruined their lives.
He took a drink of whisky, letting the liquor slide down his throat. Dreagan. The best whisky on the planet. Despite the distinction of the company, every move one of them made was being watched and recorded.
MI5 had six people following Con, and it wasn’t the faction of the group of spies loyal to Ulrik. Not even Henry could convince them to lay off, and Henry had tried.
To think that Con trusted a mortal as much as he did Henry. It still boggled his mind, but there it was. Henry had proven himself on many occasions, and his connections to MI5 had helped them out in the past. No more, however.
Even now Henry was being called back to London. When he refused to go, he was notified that he, too, would be watched.
Con pretended to ignore the imbecile across the street taking pictures of him. Con went centuries without being photographed, and now MI5 would have record of him.
That would never do. One way or another, Con was going to destroy every picture, every recording, and every documentation of him that any government agency had—regardless of what government it was.
At least the room hadn’t been bugged. It took Con a good hour to thoroughly check his room and the ones on either side of his that he’d also rented for the night.
“Why the long face, lover?”
Con closed his eyes at the sound of Usaeil’s voice. He slid the curtains closed and turned to face the Light Fae queen. “You know I’m being followed. You can no’ be here.”
She smiled from her position on the bed. Usaeil was on her side wearing absolutely nothing. Her long black hair fell behind her in a curtain of onyx. She patted the bed and winked at him. “You’ve kept me waiting for days.”
“I told you I needed some time. You know what’s going on,” he said and softly set down his glass of whisky. “You being here is risky. MI5 is searching for anyone connected to me.”
“You think I’m worried?”
Con raised a brow. “You should be. The entire world knows you as an American actress. Can you imagine if you’re connected to me?”
“I could think of worse things. Besides, I believe it’s time others knew.”
Others, meaning the Dragon Kings. “You know how your people reacted when Rhi was caught dallying with a Dragon King. Do you think they’ll accept you repeating her mistake?”
“I’m their queen,” Usaeil stated in a regal voice. “They’ll do what I command. And I don’t want to talk of Rhi.”
Con kept his distance from the bed, even when Usaeil ran her hand over her breasts to tempt him. It was time Con figured out how much Usaeil knew about Rhi. “Has she done something again?”
“You mean besides walk away from me and her duty?” All desire vanished from Usaeil as she sat up and glared at him with her silver eyes. “I’ve not seen or heard from Rhi, and I’ve sent plenty of Fae out looking for her.”
“Why? Are you going to punish her for leaving the Queen’s Guard?”
Usaeil scooted to the end of the bed and crossed one bare leg over the other. “Why are you so concerned?”
“Because the Fae love her. If you go against her so publicly, it could be bad for you.”
The queen rolled her eyes and fell back on the bed with her arms spread. “You worry too much. I’m queen, and have been for millennia. There’s not a single Light Fae able to take my place, and every one of them knows it.”
“If they discover we’re lovers and you go after Rhi for leaving the Queen’s Guard, you might verra well lose your people.”
“Never going to happen.” She turned her head to him. “Now are you coming to bed, or must I come to you?”
When he didn’t immediately move, Usaeil swiped her hand in the air, removing his clothes. She smiled when she lowered her eyes and saw his erection.
“Just as I thought,” she purred.
Chapter Fourteen
Sophie woke to the most exquisite pleasure. Darius’s fingers were between her legs, stroking her. She opened her eyes to find him watching her.
His dark eyes burned with desire that made chills race over her skin. Could he really want her that much? It seemed impossible, and yet the thought of it made her own passion blaze hotter.
She lifted her face to his and pressed her lips against his mouth. He moaned as he kissed her with such abandon that it left her breathless.
As his fingers filled her, his thumb circled her clit in agonizing slowness. Almost as if he knew she was ready to peak, but was drawing things out.
She gripped his arm, silently begging him
to give her more. It didn’t budge him.
Sophie gasped at the pleasure and tore her mouth from his as it overwhelmed her. Her lungs couldn’t draw enough breath, but none of that mattered as the desire coiled tighter and tighter within her.
“I need you inside me,” she begged him.
He smiled. “Oh, I will be.”
She tried to stop him, but it felt too good. He held her gaze, refusing to release her as his experienced hands brought her to the brink of climax, holding her there for a few seconds, and then gently pushing her over the side.
Sophie opened her mouth to scream, but it was locked in her throat from the sheer force of the orgasm. It rocked through her, seizing her body as it washed over her as powerfully as a waterfall, as fiercely as the sun.
When she was able to draw breath into her lungs again, he was kissing her. It was slow, sexy. Sensual.
And it totally rocked her world.
The Silver Dragon, Perth
Ulrik sliced off a sliver of the apple with his knife and brought it to his mouth. He chewed it as he glanced at the open folder on his desk.
He walked around the shop, but he wasn’t looking at the antiquities he’d purchased throughout the years. No, he was thinking of Sophie Martin.
Dr. Sophie Martin.
He’d wanted to know her story from the moment he learned she helped Thorn. It took only one call to discover all the details.
Ulrik expected to find something he could use to blackmail her into doing what he wanted—as it was with anyone he dug into. But Sophie was different.
She was a loner, mistrustful, and wary of any man. And knowing what her fiancé had done to her, he understood it.
Her past also explained why she left London, though there was no reason as to why she chose Edinburgh other than one of her old professors from Oxford practiced medicine in Edinburgh. At the Royal Victoria Hospital.
Sophie had no family in Scotland. She had no family anywhere.
Knowing all of this before he met her, Ulrik went to his first meeting with Sophie intending to be just the right amount of charming without making her suspicious. He was going to play on her sympathies of helping the less fortunate. Yet she’d turned it back on him and brought his past into the conversation.
For a woman who didn’t date and rarely paid attention to the opposite sex, Ulrik had expected a certain reaction from her.
He hadn’t gotten it.
It meant he was going to have to change tactics.
Ulrik cut off another slice of the apple and paused to study the file. There was a connection between the beautiful doctor and Darius. Ulrik just needed to find it.
With the other Kings, they hadn’t been able to stay away from the mortals. But so far, Darius was also doing the opposite of what Ulrik expected.
Ulrik thought back to seeing Darius and Sophie having sex. It had been so wild and rough that it was born of a clawing hunger between them that wouldn’t be denied. They had to have each other, to experience pleasure.
The way Darius had kissed her though … Ulrik was going to have to keep a closer eye on Sophie. If he knew anything about Darius it was that he took his responsibilities seriously. Even if Sophie were nothing more than a quick shag, Darius wouldn’t leave Edinburgh without ensuring that Ulrik left Sophie alone.
Ulrik smiled and wondered what Darius would think if he knew Ulrik had coffee with the lovely Sophie. It made Ulrik chuckle just thinking about it.
It was so easy to rile the other Kings. Just threaten a mortal, and they lost their minds. How pathetic did they have to be?
He continued his walk around the shop, his mind returning to Sophie once more. Ulrik wanted her working for him. She could be a great asset. Even more so if he could get her to spy for him. Darius trusted her. The trick was convincing Sophie it was the right thing to do.
She kept to herself. There was only one friend he could threaten, but he suspected that move would only alienate her altogether. No, he couldn’t threaten the short blonde.
If Ulrik was going to get to Darius through Sophie, then he would have to change tactics. He’d try once more to pull Sophie onto his side. If that didn’t work, then he had something that was sure to do the trick.
Most humans were easy to decipher, but Sophie was different. She didn’t date, didn’t hang with friends, or have any kind of social life. All that mattered to her was healing people.
Ulrik sliced off another piece of apple and ate it. Even though his men hadn’t seen Darius at Sophie’s flat, that meant nothing. The Kings were nothing if not predictable. Now that Ulrik had shown up at the hospital, Darius would keep an eye on Sophie.
How long would it be before Darius had to tell Sophie about the Dragon Kings, the Fae, and even about Ulrik?
If Sophie was nothing more than a single shag, Ulrik might be doing all of this for nothing. But he had a feeling that wasn’t the case. Darius was too predictable. So was Con.
Darius would tell Con about their chat, and Con would demand that Darius remain around to see what Sophie learned and what move Ulrik made next. Which meant Darius wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off Sophie.
Ulrik laughed as he threw the knife, embedding it in the center of the picture of Con. “My move.”
* * *
Darius couldn’t believe how quickly the night passed. He hadn’t brought up Ulrik with Sophie. How could he when he couldn’t keep his hands off her? Being near her was impossible without touching her.
He lost count of the many times they had made love. Each time he saw the pleasure cross her face, he wanted to see it again and again and again.
While he pretended to sleep, Sophie quietly made coffee in the kitchen. He cracked open an eye and watched her through the doorway wearing nothing more than an ivory robe and her long red hair falling down her back.
It made him smile every time he thought of her sleeping naked. She surprised him with things like that. With the way she wore her hair always up and every strand in place, he figured she would wear flannel to bed.
Darius rolled over and watched her as she shifted through her mail. It was so mundane, and yet it fascinated him. Then again, everything about Sophie captivated him.
He rose from the bed and put his jeans on, not bothering to button them as he walked from the bedroom. Her head lifted and she smiled.
There was a part of Darius that realized that simple action was dangerous for him. But still he walked to her, still he allowed himself to become entangled in something that could easily rip him apart—this time for good.
“Morning,” she said.
He grinned. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“With what little sleep I got, yes.” Her smile widened as her eyes twinkled. “Not that I’m complaining. And you?”
“Yes.” Though he rarely slept. As a Dragon King he didn’t need to, not even in human form. Not to mention he had been in deep dragon sleep for several centuries.
She dropped the envelopes and turned back to the counter. “Coffee?”
“Sure. Three teaspoons of sugar, please.”
Sophie glanced at him over her shoulder, the surprise evident on her face. “Three?”
“I like things sweet,” he said with a shrug.
She laughed but added the sugar to his coffee before handing it to him. “That’s two surprises this morning.”
“Two? What was the first?”
“You still being here.”
He waited until after she poured her coffee before he said, “I wasna supposed to return to you at all.”
“Why did you?” she asked as she leaned back against the counter, her coffee mug held between her hands.
“You know why.”
“Because we’re good in bed together?” she asked before taking a sip of the steaming liquid.
Darius set his mug on the table and studied her. “Does that bother you, lass?”
“Definitely not. It’s been a long time since I’ve had sex.”
�
�How long?”
She glanced at the floor. “Too long. But that brings me to something I can’t believe as a doctor that I didn’t think about. Protection.”
“Protection?” Darius was confused. Was she asking him to protect her from Ulrik?
“Yes. I don’t want to get pregnant.”
Darius could only stare at her as she spoke so matter-of-factly. It must have to do with the fact that she was a doctor and used to discussing such things.
He was battered by the memory of holding his son in his arms. Pregnant. It could happen, as he well knew. He clenched his teeth together and waited for the worst of the pain to pass so he could breathe easier.
Darius swallowed and shook away the memory that had pushed him to his mountain. “You needn’t worry about any diseases. As for you getting pregnant…”
He couldn’t even finish the sentence. Darius wanted to tell her it couldn’t happen. He wished with all his might that were the truth.
The idea that she might very well be carrying his child made him begin to shake. He couldn’t go through that again. He refused.
“Darius? Are you all right?”
He blinked and looked down to find Sophie next to him, her hand on his shoulder as she gazed at him with concern in her olive eyes. All right? He’d never be all right again.
“Aye,” he lied.
“You didn’t look all right a moment ago.”
Darius waved away her words. “You didna upset me.”
“Good.” She dropped her hand from his arm and picked up her coffee that was beside his on the table. “I’m not good with social niceties, Darius. I’m sure I’m going to offend you with my bluntness. It’s just how I am. Life is too short for deceptions and lies.”
Deceptions and lies. Yes, he agreed. Yet he’d lived his entire existence from the moment of the war with the humans in shams and deceits. It was the only way he and the other Kings survived without another war.
It would’ve been so easy to take out the mortals. Nothing they had then—or now—could kill a Dragon King. They could have wiped the realm of any existence of humans, but they hadn’t. All because of a vow.