by Donna Grant
Rhi shook her head, not able to process the information.
“We used our magic,” Aisley said of the Druids. “Until Con could get there and heal Darcy.”
Rhi tossed back the whisky. She set aside her empty glass and got to her feet to pace. Unable to process what they told her about Ulrik, she focused on what she could think about. “The first Fae Wars were horrendous. I lost my brother in that war. That was ages ago before there were so many mortals on this realm. We were able to hide the battles. We won’t be able to hide them now.”
“We?” Phelan asked. “You’ll fight with the Kings?”
She halted and turned her head to him. There hadn’t been any other thought. “Of course.”
“So will the Warriors and Druids,” Aisley said.
Rhi looked from one to the other. “No. You mustn’t. The Dark are insidious. Many of the Druids from MacLeod Castle have children. No amount of Druid magic or the fact that the castle is hidden from mortals will stop the Dark.”
Aisley’s face paled, but she lifted her chin. “This is our world, Rhi. We have magic. We can’t just stand by in this war.”
“We willna,” Phelan said as he got to his feet. “I’m a Warrior. My god demands I join this fight.”
Rhi shook her head in frustration. “Why didn’t you call to me? Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“Because you’ve no’ been yourself,” Phelan said softly. “You needed time.”
“Tell me everything,” she demanded as she once more took her seat.
As Phelan studied her, Rhi felt someone else’s gaze on her. Her unseen follower. Everywhere she went, he was there. Without a doubt he was Fae. Light or Dark, she wasn’t sure. To be able to remain veiled as long as he did, she suspected he was Dark.
Had Balladyn sent him? As soon as the question emerged, she pushed it aside. Balladyn wouldn’t want anyone but himself to know what she did. It wouldn’t be the king of the Dark, Taraeth. He had bigger things to concern himself with—like bringing down the Kings.
It wasn’t Usaeil. The queen of the Light might be agitated with her, but she would never send a Dark after Rhi.
“Constantine has sent pairs of Kings all over England and Scotland to battle the Dark,” Phelan said. “They’ve invaded Edinburgh, Inverness, London, and all the biggest cities. Even Ryder is being sent out to Glasgow.”
Aisley nodded as he spoke. “Phelan and I were about to go to Dreagan to see if we could help. The Kings are stretched tight.”
Just what the Dark wanted. Rhi had known another war would come eventually, but she hadn’t expected it this soon. “Is the Light helping?”
“No’ that I know,” Phelan said.
“Well I know one that is,” Rhi said as she got to her feet.
If Usaeil was too focused on her Dragon King lover to think of their people, then Rhi would do it for her.
Phelan’s frown was filled with worry and apprehension. “Rhi, what are you thinking?”
“I’m a Queen’s Guard. I can call the army in if I see they’re needed. And I see they’re needed.”
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Lexi woke from dozing again. The light was dimming from the day. It didn’t seem fair that she was beginning to feel better as the hours slipped through her fingers like sands in an hourglass.
She had dreamed of the Dark Fae, of glowing red eyes, and evil so cloying it suffocated her. She had also dreamed of desire, but it wasn’t the Dark she saw. It was Thorn.
Lexi glanced around the studio. She heard him in the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar, but she couldn’t see him.
“A pity,” she whispered.
Because if Thorn looked good in clothes, she couldn’t imagine what he looked like out of them. It made her smile just thinking about such a fine body. That is, if she could look away from his eyes. The man’s gaze drew her in like a bee to nectar.
And once she looked into his sensual dark brown eyes, she was a goner. Completely, utterly lost. She had always heard of people who seemed to have old souls. Until Thorn, she hadn’t understood what that meant.
Thorn might dress as if he were part of the modern times, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen—and been part of—so very much more.
She shifted on the bed. Her gaze was drawn to the wardrobe and the door that stood open with the mirror. That mirror showed directly inside the bathroom to Thorn.
Lexi’s mouth parted as she let her gaze run over such a specimen. He faced the sink, shaving. It wasn’t his thick sinew and two percent fat. It wasn’t the way his shoulders tapered to a narrow waist or how the muscles bulged in his arms when he moved.
It was the tattoo.
She had never understood people’s need to mark themselves with permanent ink. Though she could appreciate good art, not once had she seen a tat that remotely appealed to her.
Why then couldn’t she take her eyes off the dragon? It covered Thorn’s chest in a curious mixture of black and red ink. The dragon was in a standing position with its head turned to the side and lifted upward as if looking at Thorn. Its mouth was open on a roar, making the dragon appear fierce and vengeful. Its wings were spread wide like it wanted to take flight.
With such a huge tat, Lexi expected to find more of them on Thorn’s body, and unless they were on his legs, hidden by his jeans, there were no more.
Lexi lifted her gaze to look at his face. He wiped off the rest of the shaving cream with a towel and ran a hand over his jaw. Thorn was putting on his shirt, covering the tat, when there was a knock at the door.
He exited the bathroom and glanced her way. Their gazes locked for a moment before he opened the door to let in a tall redhead.
Lexi sat up as Thorn and the woman said hello. Then both of their eyes were on her.
“You’re awake. That’s good,” the woman said in an English accent.
Thorn walked behind the woman as they made their way to her. “Lexi, this is Dr. Sophie Martin. She’s the one who tended to you last night.”
“Thank you,” Lexi told her.
Sophie sat down and released the black bag she carried. She put her hands in her lap and regarded Lexi. Lexi was doing her own looking. The woman wore a thick black coat that hung to mid-thigh. She unbelted it and began to slowly unbutton it before she shrugged out of it.
The fine doctor wore a white sweater, black pants, and black and white heels. The only color was her vibrant red hair that was gathered at the back of her head in a twist with a few strands falling around her face.
Sophie’s pale complexion was flawless, and her olive eyes kind. “Tell me how you’re feeling?”
Lexi was conscious of her bed hair, only made worse by falling back to sleep with it wet. She wore a nightshirt and nothing else. She didn’t think she could feel any less attractive if she wore a potato sack. “Much better.”
“Good, good.” Sophie pulled out a stethoscope and listened to Lexi’s breathing. “Your coloring is returning.”
“I just can’t stop falling asleep.”
Sophie sat back after examining her eyes, throat, and ears. “It’ll even out once your body feels that it’s had enough.”
“You told Thorn I couldn’t leave the flat, but I must.”
Sophie frowned and tilted her head to the side. “You do realize you were severely ill, right? You should’ve been admitted into the hospital. If you go out, you could relapse.”
Lexi had hoped the doctor would allow her to leave, but she wasn’t surprised at the answer. She couldn’t decide whether to let Thorn and his unknown friends handle the Dark, or to continue with her promise to Christina that she would find her killer.
“You’re on the mend, Lexi. As long as you remain inside, that is. I think my services are done,” Dr. Martin said as she gathered her bag after she put on her coat.
“Thank you again,” Lexi said.
Thorn put a hand on her back. “It’s getting late. Darius is downstairs waiting for you. Perhaps
you’ll allow him to see you home safely.”
Sophie paused at the door. “I’ll be fine on my own.”
Thorn stared after her a moment before he closed the door and turned to Lexi. “You healed quickly.”
“If that was the case, I wouldn’t have slept the day away.”
“You went days without much sleep. That, combined with the weather and your weakened body, couldn’t fight off the infection.”
Lexi didn’t bother to tell him that she hadn’t eaten much during those days either. Surveillance wasn’t like what they showed on TV. It was exhausting. There was very little time to empty her bladder, much less grab a bite to eat.
“You’re still determined to go after the Dark despite all that I told you?” Thorn asked as he walked to her.
She pulled her knees up to her chest under the covers and shrugged. “Now that I know what they are, I can’t believe they didn’t see me. They’re everywhere, and seemingly growing in number by the day.”
“Aye.” A vein jumped in his jaw as he stared at the wall.
“Why hasn’t Darius come up?”
Thorn blinked and looked at her. “He’s been out hunting the Dark. However, he was able to bring your luggage.”
“You’re not even going to let me return there?”
“The Dark are no longer interested in it because you’ve no’ been back, but I doona want to chance it. You have two more days here. Why no’ remain where you’re safe?”
It was a valid question. One a sane person would know how to answer, but she hadn’t been in her right mind since she found Christina’s body.
“Lexi?”
She nodded in response. “I just wanted to find the one responsible.”
“They’re all responsible.”
“He laughed about her death,” Lexi said, remembering. “When they came out of the alley, all four of them were laughing.”
The bed sank as he sat on the edge. “I doona want to find your body.”
Her gaze lowered to his chest where she recalled seeing the tattoo. How she wanted to run her hands over it and ask him why he had chosen that design.
“I want another shower and to wear clothes,” she said, suddenly conscious of his nearness and the heat radiating off him. “Unless you want to tell me how you can heal from wounds?”
Thorn stood in a fluid motion. “The bathroom is all yours. Darius is picking up some food so you’ll get to meet him soon.”
“I can cook,” she responded as her legs draped over the side of the bed. Lexi felt a warmth spread over her when Thorn’s gaze dropped to her legs.
“I can no’,” he hurried to say as he turned around. “Darius chooses no’ to, so we’ll have takeout tonight.”
Lexi stood, happy that she felt stronger. “I’m so hungry, I could eat an entire cow.”
Thorn laughed as she walked into the bathroom. She was closing the door when she looked up and saw him watching her. Something warm and erotic raced down her back at his look.
* * *
Thorn closed his eyes and groaned. No longer could he deny the desire for Lexi. It grew by the hour and every time he looked at her. Every moment spent with her only deepened the desire to a hunger.
It was time for Darius to stay in while he went hunting. He had been around Lexi too long, nursing her and watching over her. Seeing her.
He opened his eyes and stared at the bathroom door. Like a delusional fool, he told himself he hadn’t looked at Lexi when he undressed her those times. It was a lie, a blatant lie he told himself because he stupidly thought he could get past his own desires.
But he knew her body. He hadn’t touched it as a lover, but his gaze had.
Thorn swallowed. Had she removed the nightshirt yet? Did she stand naked beneath the shower, letting the water run over her peach-colored skin?
He fisted his hands as he thought about cupping her breasts. They were on the small side, but round and firm. Her nipples were a dusty pink, and begged to feel his tongue.
Thorn was used to need. He’d had his share of women, but there were few times in his eons of life that he was fully sated. He learned to live with such hungers. That’s not what worried him.
It was the ache he felt to kiss Lexi, the yearning to hold her against him, the craving to sink between her legs. Those longings rocked him.
So many times he wanted to tell her about the Dragon Kings and what he really was, but he knew it would be folly. Lexi had suffered greatly while in Scotland. She needed to return home and heal properly.
Thorn made the decision then not to tell her about the Kings. She would be wary of the Dark, but she could go on with her life. It would do her no good to learn of the Dragon Kings and their involvement.
Why then was it hard not to tell her who he was? He wanted her to know how he was able to heal. He wanted to reassure her that he could—and was—killing the Dark as fast as he could. That he was looking out for her and all humans.
He turned his back on the bathroom and went to stand at the windows looking down at the street. There was no doubt he was relieved to have saved her from the Dark, but it wasn’t a permanent situation.
Thorn had no idea of the state of things in South Carolina. He didn’t know if their streets were overrun with Dark or not, and with the rate of the things progressing in Scotland, he wouldn’t know.
The only way to ensure her safety was to either remain by her side, or keep her in the flat. Thorn remembered what Warrick had gone through to keep Darcy within the walls of her store. He wasn’t going to repeat that madness.
Already he itched to hunt and kill the Dark. For four nights he had left that all up to Darius, but now it was time for him to return to the streets and his duty.
He heard the water shut off. Thorn gripped the windowsill and fought to remain where he was. Tonight he would go out. Darius could stay and watch Lexi.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Lexi finished drying her hair and ran a brush through the length. She looked semi-presentable now, even without putting on any makeup. Though she was tempted.
It would seem as if she were trying too hard. Instead, she opted to look more like a healthy person rather than an invalid.
She stood back and looked in the mirror. Lexi had found her favorite white shirt. It was billowy and the neck was so wide it hung off her shoulder. The sleeves skimmed her arms nicely, stopping just past her elbows. She wore a white tank beneath, because she wasn’t brave enough not to. Lexi then chose a pair of dark denim and two pairs of socks since she couldn’t manage to keep her feet warm ever since she arrived in Scotland.
One more look at herself and Lexi closed her luggage and walked out of the bathroom. She came to a halt when she saw a man at the kitchen table pulling food out of a bag.
He nodded at her, though his eyes barely glanced her way. “It’s good to see you up, lass. I’m Darius.”
“Hi,” she said and looked around the small studio for Thorn.
“Thorn will return. He had to go out for a wee bit.”
Lexi walked to the table, her stomach rumbling at the smell of food. “I hope there’s another bag of your food,” she said as she unwrapped it to find the fish and chips.
Darius pulled out a chair so he could sit. “A lass with an appetite. I like that. Eat your fill. I can always get more for myself later.”
She liked him instantly, despite the way he appeared to keep part of himself closed off. Lexi bit into the fish and closed her eyes as she savored the flavor.
After stuffing a chip—it was really a French fry, but when in Rome—in her mouth, Lexi eyed Darius. His hair was a little longer than Thorn’s, and whereas Thorn’s was nearly as dark as night, Darius’s was blond.
“Thank you for bringing Dr. Martin for me,” she said around a mouthful.
Darius tore off a piece of fish and shrugged as if it were nothing. “You needed help,” he said before he popped the bite in his mouth.
“I hope you brought her home as
Thorn said you would.”
Darius’s lips thinned for a moment. “She refused my aid, but I followed her nonetheless and made sure she arrived safe and sound.”
“Everyone should know about the Dark.”
Darius nodded in reply. He watched her as she ate. It would normally have made Lexi feel self-conscious, but she was too hungry to care.
“How do you kill one?” she asked offhandedly, hoping he would take the bait and tell her without thinking.
“Nice try, lass.”
Lexi put down the chip she had been about to eat. Her stomach was suddenly too full to even look at the food. “I’m not going to go after them here, but what if they’re in South Carolina? What if I walk out my door and there’s one standing there?”
“Then you’re in trouble.”
“So I can’t kill one?”
He set down his food and leaned back in the chair. “Nay. I saw you withstand their pull, but how long could you hold out? You would have to get close in order to kill one.”
“And you don’t think I can ignore their pull.”
A thick blond brow rose in his forehead. “Have you seen a woman succumb to them?”
“No.” And she didn’t want to.
“I think if you did, you might rethink things.”
Lexi rolled her eyes. “I’m just a fragile female, right?”
“I’ve seen women tougher than men,” Darius said, his voice lowered with a hint of annoyance. “Your sex has nothing to do with your weakness. The Dark prey on humans for a reason. Your kind are drawn to them.”
Your kind. What was that supposed to mean?
Before Lexi could ask, the door opened and Thorn filled the entrance. He halted when his gaze landed on her. She shifted in her seat and ran a hand over her hair to make sure nothing was sticking up.
Thorn’s face was pulled tight, as if he were trying hard to control some emotion. He jerked his head away and closed the door.
“Better?” Darius asked him.
Thorn grunted in response.
Lexi frowned and rose to get something to drink. She checked the fridge and got a bottle of water as she considered Thorn’s remark, or lack of one.