by Donna Grant
Rhi’s silver eyes turned to him. “I … don’t know. All I know is that the Reapers aren’t to be messed with. Usaeil’s absence from court is only making things worse. I’ve tried asking her to gather the Fae army just in case, but she won’t listen.”
“I urged her to do the same thing,” Con said. “She wouldna take me seriously.”
Dmitri knew that most likely meant they couldn’t count on the Light to help them. Unless … “Rhi, you were a Queen’s Guard, a trusted friend to Usaeil. Can you no’ lead the army?”
“No,” she stated. “I might’ve had a chance if I were still in the Queen’s Guard, but not now.”
Rhys stepped forward. “Why no’?”
“I don’t have the authority,” she said.
Con raised a blond brow. “When has that ever stopped you before?”
She gaped at each of them. “If I try to take the army, Usaeil will see that as me attempting to take her throne. She’ll cut me down where I stand.”
Those words effectively ended that talk.
“Maybe we’re looking at this wrong,” Asher said.
Everyone looked to him, but it was Con who asked, “How so?”
“Rachel said something to me that I’ve no’ been able to stop thinking about. She said that sooner or later, we’ll have to make our presence known to the world again. We’re going into battle with one hand tied behind our back as long as we try to keep hidden from the mortals.”
Con put his hands in his pant’s pockets. “She has a valid point, one I’ve considered often. The problem lies with the humans. We’ll be battling them again, as well. They’ll want to study us, run tests, and all manner of wretched things, and in order to do that, they’ll want to capture one of us.”
“Which means we’ll have to keep away from them,” Dmitri said as he realized what Con was getting at.
Con looked around the cavern. “I know well how much easier this would be if we didna have to keep what we are a secret, but the alternative isna any better.”
“The Dark will bring the humans into your war,” Rhi said.
Con turned his head to her. “We’ll do what we’ve always done. Our vow to the mortals hasna changed.”
Maybe it should.
Dmitri frowned as the words ran through his head. They weren’t his. Well, they were, but he didn’t mean them. Did he? He rubbed his temple as another headache began to pound.
The humans are nothing but trouble.
He clenched his teeth, hoping the words would stop. As the pain abated, he began to relax. It was only when he raised his head that he realized everyone was watching him.
Rhys and Kiril looked as dazed as he felt. But it was Con rubbing his temple that caught his attention.
Dmitri glanced around, but none of the other Kings was having the same reaction. It was just those who had been in the grotto with Faith and the bones.
“What’s going on?” Kiril asked tightly.
Rhi jumped off the boulder and made her way to the three of them. “What is it?”
“An overwhelming urge to kill every human,” Rhys said.
Dmitri closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing because as soon as Rhys spoke the words, the anger surged again.
“Listen to me,” Rhi said. “Listen to my voice.”
Dmitri shook his head because it felt like a thick fog was enveloping him.
“Dmitri,” Rhi said as she faced him. “You have to focus on one thing. Something that gives you strength.”
Faith.
He saw her face in his mind. She was smiling at him, her sherry eyes filled with desire.
Human. Mortal!
“Nay!” he bellowed and clawed at his head.
Through his lids, he saw something bright flare, and then felt a zap of magic. When he next opened his eyes, Rhi was there.
She smiled and gave him a pat on the arm. “You worried me there for a sec, sweet cheeks.”
Dmitri frowned. “What just happened?”
“Me,” Rhi said with a wink.
“Rhys!”
“That’s Lily,” Rhys said, his head jerking toward the tunnel.
Dmitri followed Rhys and Kiril out of the cavern since it was Lily who was supposed to be watching Faith. Worry settled in his gut when he saw Lily throw herself into Rhys’s arms, her black eyes wild with panic.
Rhys held her face in his hands. “Calm down, sweetheart. What happened?”
“She touched it and fell. She just fell, and now she won’t wake up,” Lily said.
Rhys nodded, keeping his voice soft. “Who?”
Lily turned her gaze to Kiril. “Shara.”
Without a word, Kiril took off running.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Life certainly had a way of knocking her flat on her ass. Faith opened her eyes and stared at the wooden canopy above her. She was in Dmitri’s bed. The only difference was that she thought he’d be with her, and they would be making love.
Not that she would have a broken hand given to her by the very man who’d promised to protect her.
She paused, curious as to why she felt no pain. Cautiously, she tested her left hand, lifting one finger at a time. When everything felt fine, she made a fist. Then she rotated her wrist.
There was no bruising, no swelling. It was as if she’d dreamed the entire event. Except she hadn’t. She could still recall what it had felt like to have her bones broken one at a time as Dmitri squeezed.
She’d screamed his name, begged him to release her. He’d been talking about how useless the humans were. And when he looked at her …
A shiver raced down her spine as she recalled the way his azure gaze had pierced her. The wealth of hatred reflected there had been staggering.
To think, she had given up the find of a lifetime. For what? A Dragon King? A man who’d turned on her the first chance he got?
It was time she left. She’d rather take her chances out in the world than stay at Dreagan for another moment. She sat up and saw her coat on the floor.
Next to it was a limp hand. She followed the hand up the arm to a face she didn’t recognize. The woman was beautiful, but it was the thick lock of silver in her black hair that alarmed Faith.
Looking around, she searched for some assailant. When she determined she was alone, she slid off the bed and checked to see if the woman was alive.
As soon as she felt a strong pulse, Faith grabbed her jacket and put it on while searching for her shoes. She spotted them at the foot of the bed and hurriedly put them on.
She was headed to the door when she saw something on the floor. It was only a few inches tall. As she bent for a closer look, she realized that it was the item she’d found in the ground after the skeleton had been removed.
Faith glared at the woman who had dared to steal it. She picked it up and returned it to her jacket pocket. She’d been wrong about the Dragon Kings. Her ancestors had been justified to drive them away. Just look at what Dmitri had done to her.
It was proof that the dragons didn’t know how to control themselves. They would never be able to stop hurting her race. But she could end it.
All she had to do was kill Dmitri.
* * *
Dmitri reached his room seconds after Kiril. While Kiril was on his knees, lifting his mate into his arms, Dmitri searched for Faith. He checked the bathroom, the closet, and even under the bed. But she was gone.
“Where is she?” he demanded of Lily, who stood with Rhys.
Lily pointed to the bed. “She was right there when I ran out.”
“You were supposed to watch her!” Dmitri yelled as his apprehension swelled.
“All right, children,” Rhi said as she walked between them before Lily could respond.
Con followed Rhi into the room and looked around. His gaze landed on Lily before he hastily looked away. Dmitri caught the exchange and wondered about it.
“What happened?” Kiril demanded of Lily as he sat on the floor with Shara in his arms.
Lil
y swallowed, shaking her head. “I was sitting over there, and Shara was standing at the foot of the bed watching Faith. She kept saying that something was off.”
“Off?” Rhys repeated. “What did she mean?”
“She said it felt like magic, but when I asked her if it was Fae magic, she said she couldn’t tell.”
Dmitri, Kiril, Con, and Rhys all exchanged looks. Something definitely was off, and they were proof of it.
“I don’t think this is the time for secrets,” Rhi said as she looked at the four of them.
Con squatted beside Shara and touched her, but after a moment, he straightened. “My power is doing nothing to help her.”
“Let me try,” Rhi told him, shoving Con aside.
Rhys put a hand on Rhi. “You can’t heal anyone.”
“Y…” she began, only to trail off. “You’re right. Why did I get this really strong feeling that I could?”
Dmitri watched as Rhi’s gaze took on a faraway look. A moment later, her face shifted into a mask of anger as a subtle glow began around her.
“Rhi,” Lily called.
It was Con who grabbed Rhi’s arm. “You’re glowing.”
“I know,” Rhi said through clenched teeth and jerked out of his grasp. “I just remembered something someone tried really hard to make me forget.”
“What?” Rhys asked.
Rhi shook her head, refusing to speak of it.
Dmitri blew out a breath, wanting to get them back on track. “Is that all that happened, Lily?”
“No,” she replied. “We talked for a bit, and then I took off Faith’s jacket, and Shara removed her shoes. I found something in the pocket of the coat. Shara touched it and collapsed. I tried to wake her.”
Rhys put an arm around Lily and held her tightly. “You didna do anything, sweetheart.”
“Nay. That was Faith,” Kiril said as he rocked Shara.
Dmitri took immediate offense. “How dare you blame Faith when she’s no’ here to defend herself?”
“That’s right,” Kiril said and glared up at him. “She was unconscious because you broke her hand and went crazy.”
Con immediately moved between them. He looked at one and then the other before he said, “This isna helping.”
“Perhaps we should begin with Dmitri breaking Faith’s hand,” Rhi said, her gaze directed at him.
Dmitri couldn’t feel worse about it. “It was an accident.”
“No’ based on the things you were saying,” Rhys said.
“Like what?” Rhi pushed.
Kiril smoothed the hair from Shara’s face. “Like humans needed to be removed.”
“He said they were a plague,” Rhys added.
Dmitri grimaced, the words difficult to hear. “I wouldna have said such things.”
“You did,” Con said. “In order to get you to release Faith, I had to throw you across the room. You still wouldna stop going for her, so I broke your windpipe three times.”
“How can I no’ remember that?” he demanded, looking around.
Con’s brows drew together. “When I left with Faith after healing her, I heard all three of you going at it, saying the same things.”
At this, Kiril and Rhys both frowned in worry.
Con looked at Lily. “What happened when I brought Faith in here? I doona remember anything until I woke up from falling down the stairs.”
“You were saying much the same things as the others,” she replied.
Rhi raised her brows and whistled softly. “Sounds like there’s definitely something in the air.”
“That’s what Shara and I were saying,” Lily replied. “There were two common denominators. Faith, and the bones.”
Dmitri rubbed the back of his neck. “Back in the cavern, I had a thought about the mortals.”
Rhi turned her silver Fae eyes on him. “And what was that thought?”
“That humans were nothing but trouble.”
Rhys cleared his throat. “I had that same thought.”
“Me, too,” Kiril added.
Con didn’t move, didn’t utter a word, but his entire attitude changed. Anger and rage were building, emanating from him to spread throughout the room.
“Someone brought this magic onto Dreagan,” Con said in an icy voice laced with retribution.
Dmitri knew everyone was thinking about Faith. He had to turn them away from her. “What if it’s the dragon?”
“Shara didna go near the skeleton,” Kiril added.
Rhi held out her hand to Lily. “Let me see what it was that Shara touched.”
“I dropped it,” Lily answered.
Everyone searched the floor, and it didn’t take long to draw the conclusion that Faith must have taken it with her.
Dmitri caught Con’s gaze. “I was with Faith for days. I never felt anything off about her.”
“You also didna dally with humans before her either,” Con said. “What if she was waiting for you to bring her here.”
“You think she’s working with Ulrik?”
Rhi gave him a look of regret and put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. “It’s looking more and more like that’s what happened, stud.”
“Ronnie vouched for her,” Dmitri argued. “Ryder did a background check on her.”
“Druid magic.” Rhys shrugged as he looked at each of them. “We’ve seen it recently with Kinsey and Esther. Perhaps Faith doesna know what she’s doing.”
“I have to find her.” Dmitri turned to leave when Con said his name. He faced Con, knowing that no matter what the King of Kings said, he was going to find Faith.
Con met his gaze and said, “I’m coming with you.”
Rhi stepped in front of Con, causing him to halt. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
“He’s going to need help,” Con argued.
“Without a doubt. It’s why I’m going, and I think another King should, as well.”
Rhys said, “I will.”
“No,” Rhi said. “You, like Con, have already been affected by whatever this is. It needs to be someone else.”
Roman stepped into the doorway and leaned against it. “I’ll go.”
Rhi clapped her hands together, rubbing them. “Let’s get going, sugar lips.”
“Wait,” Lily said and reached for Rhi’s arm. “Whatever Faith has, don’t touch it.”
Rhi looked back at Shara. “I won’t.”
Dmitri turned on his heel and walked past Roman. He didn’t care if the others followed or not, he wasn’t going to wait a moment longer.
He jumped from one landing to another until he reached the first floor, then he ran to the main entry. Once outside beneath the night sky, he looked left, then right.
Rhi came up on his right side. “Does she know the terrain?”
“She only arrived today, and we immediately went to the mountain.”
Roman came up on his left side. “She’d go for cover since she doesna have a car to escape in.”
“The Dragonwood,” Dmitri said.
Rhi looked to the forest. “That’s where I’d go.”
Dmitri stopped her before she could teleport away. “Doona approach her. I want to talk to Faith first.”
“And if she doesn’t want to talk to you after what you did?”
That was a definite possibility. “She probably willna, but I must try.”
“She’s your mate,” Roman said, surprise in his voice.
Rhi smiled sadly. “Have you thought about what you’ll do if she is working with Ulrik and she won’t change her thinking? You can’t let her go with all that she knows.”
“I’ll no’ kill her either.” That wasn’t an option no matter who said otherwise. Dmitri looked at the Dragonwood. “Guy can erase her memories.”
Roman shook his head. “When magic has already been used on her, it might no’ work.”
Dmitri knew there were going to be obstacles, and he didn’t have all the answers. Hell, he didn’t have any answers. Al
l he knew was that he had to find her. And quickly.
“Let’s just locate her first. We’ll worry about the rest after.”
Rhi smiled and held out her arms. “After you, stud muffin.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Being in the Dark Palace was a necessary evil. Ulrik didn’t exactly like the Dark, but the enemy of his enemy was his friend.
No one hated the Dragon Kings like the Dark.
Before seeing Taraeth, Ulrik detoured to the south wing. Not a single Fae stopped him as he made his way through the compound.
When he came to the door he wanted, he rapped his knuckles on the wood. A moment later, it opened, and he smiled into red eyes he knew well.
“Hello, lover,” Muriel purred in an Irish accent. Her black and silver hair hung long and loose down her back. “It’s been a while.”
Ulrik leaned a shoulder against the doorframe and grinned. “It certainly has.”
She put a hand on his chest and covertly looked down the corridor to make sure no one else was near. Her voice lowered to a whisper as she said, “I’ve got news.”
That’s exactly what he’d been hoping for. He let her take his hand and pull him into the chamber. She wore a slinky red nightgown that hugged her lush curves and ended just below her amazing ass. He closed the door behind him and stood in the lavish apartment.
Muriel faced him and licked her lips. “I was getting worried.”
“About me?” he asked.
She gave him an irritated glance. “We have a deal, remember?”
It was one of the best bargains he’d struck. She passed information to him from her sister, who spied on Mikkel. In exchange, he would help Muriel with her revenge when the time was right. And he was beginning to suspect the target of that reprisal was Taraeth.
After all, Taraeth kept the sisters as slaves.
“I doona go back on my word,” Ulrik said.
She briefly closed her eyes. “I know. It’s just with everything Sinny is discovering about Mikkel, I thought he’d killed you.”
Ulrik took Muriel’s hand and led her to the dark purple sofa. Once they’d sat, he looked into her red eyes. “I’m the King of Silvers. Only another Dragon King can kill me.”
“So it’s true,” she said with a growing smile. “You do have all your magic.”