Firestorm

by Donna Grant

  “It’s not,” she interrupted.

  His smile was slow. “You’ll be mine?”

  “I’ve been yours since you arrived on Fair. And you’ve been mine since that first kiss.”

  “Nay, love. I was yours from the moment I returned to Fair.”

  Her fingers threaded through his dark hair. “I never thought I could be this happy. I didn’t know this kind of delirious bliss was even possible.”

  “Anything is possible.”

  “I realize that now. I’ll still look at things scientifically, though.”

  “I wouldna have it any other way,” he said and placed a kiss on her lips.

  She smiled, her arms wrapping around his neck. “This will work. We will work.”

  “I know.”

  She scraped her fingers across the stubble of his cheek. “We’ll find this new enemy. I’ll not be used as a pawn. I’ve made my choice in this war.”

  This was no mere mortal in his arms. Faith was a warrior. He’d never been more proud to have a human in his heart and his bed than in that moment. “You’re mine.”

  “And you’re mine,” she said before bringing his head down for another kiss.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Con closed the door to Dmitri’s room behind him. He didn’t need to be told that Faith was Dmitri’s mate. It was clear, even to him.

  “What now?” Shara asked as they stood in the hallway.

  Rhi nodded toward the stairs. “Ask them.”

  Roman and Kiril stopped before them. Roman shrugged. “There’s nothing. The bones are fine.”

  “So it is that,” Con said, looking at the wooden dragon.

  For the first time, he honestly hated a dragon. Which, he guessed, was the point. This new enemy wanted him to hate them because they detested dragons. Made even more evident by fashioning the piece to look like him.

  “Ryder,” Roman said. “He can start tracing Faith’s ancestors.”

  Shara added, “I’ll do more digging and see what I can find about Fae mixing magic with a Druid.”

  “I’ll let the others know of this new enemy,” Kiril said.

  Con waited until the three departed before he looked to Rhi. “What are you going to do with that?”

  She shrugged and turned, heading toward his office. He followed because he’d intended to go there anyway. The longer the orb was around him, the more irritated he became.

  “You want it gone,” Rhi said.

  He gave a nod as he walked around his desk and sat. “I do.”

  “So do I.” Rhi closed the door and leaned back against it. “I could destroy it, but it’s going to take a lot.”

  “Can you take it to another realm?”

  She twisted her lips, looking at the sphere. “Probably, but I don’t think we should yet. The information we seek about those responsible is held within that piece of wood. If you want to find them, we can’t destroy this.”

  That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. For once, couldn’t it be good news?

  He rose and went to the sideboard where he poured himself a glass of whisky, tossing it back in one swallow. Another enemy. No matter what they did, they angered someone.

  “You’ve not asked for my opinion, nor will you,” Rhi said. “But I’m going to give it anyway.”

  He poured another drink and turned to face her. “You’re going to say this is my fault.”

  “I’m not placing blame on anyone. I will tell you that you need to find this enemy soon. Ulrik hid in the shadows for too long, doing untold damage. If you don’t put a stop to one of these enemies, they might join forces.”

  “We’re protectors of this realm.”

  She pushed away from the wall and stalked to him, leaving the orb behind. She jabbed a finger in his shoulder. “Stop. Be a protector of Dreagan and your Kings. And yourself. You can’t protect anyone until you have your own affairs in order.”

  He drank the whisky and set the empty glass aside to look into her silver eyes. “Mortals will be killed.”

  “So will Fae. So will Kings. This new foe is powerful.”

  “I can no’ divide my time between Ulrik, the Dark, and this new enemy. Ulrik can attack at any time. I need to be ready.”

  She lifted her chin. “I’ll look into it.”

  Immediately, he was suspicious. “What are you no’ telling me?”

  “Oh, puh-leeze,” she said dramatically, rolling her eyes. “I try to do you a favor, and you think I have an ulterior motive.

  Con stared, waiting.

  She sighed, becoming serious. “Fine. I’ll tell you that my motives have nothing to do with the Kings. This is about me. I need to do something, to feel a part of something.”

  “What of your people?”

  “They don’t need me.”

  He raised a brow. “Are you sure of that. What of the Reapers?”

  “I can’t do anything if I can’t find them.”

  “You know something.”

  Rhi hesitated, glancing to her right. “Call it a hunch.”

  There was more she wasn’t telling him, but he decided not to press. The Reapers weren’t a threat—so far. He’d keep his ear to the ground about them, but until they were an enemy, he would back off.

  “All right,” Con agreed. “Look into which Fae might be involved.”

  “And the Druids.”

  He slowly nodded. “And the Druids.”

  “We need to look into Faith, as well. The fact that she heard the beacon means there is something in her past.”

  “Meaning what? A Druid?”

  “Or a Fae.”

  Con walked to his desk. “Ryder can only go so far with the records he has access to.”

  “I can pick up where he runs out of information, especially if it’s Fae,” she said.

  He couldn’t believe he was willingly working with Rhi for the second time. Especially when the issue with-Usaeil hadn’t been resolved.

  “You can find out information on the Light, but no’ the Dark.”

  She hastily glanced away. “That’s not entirely true.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I have an … ally.”

  He didn’t like where this was going. “A Dark ally, you mean.”

  She lifted one shoulder. “Call it what you will. I can get answers.”

  “Who is your source?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “I want to know who to go to if something happens to you.”

  She gave him a seductive smile and fanned herself. “Oh, Con. I didn’t know you cared that much,” she said in a Southern accent.

  He sank into his chair, annoyed. But that is what Rhi did when she didn’t want to discuss something. She deflected. The idea of her having a Dark ally caused a significant amount of concern. “Who is it?”

  “You need to learn to loosen up.”

  “You’re stalling because you doona want to tell me.”

  “All right,” she said. “Maybe I don’t want to tell you.”

  It was something he’d heard Rhys say that gave him the idea to ask, “Is it Balladyn?”

  She went still, which was all the answer he needed.

  “Rhi. He kidnapped you, tortured you.”

  “I know,” she replied.

  He sat back in his chair, truly worried. The bond between the two Fae hadn’t been severed despite everything—and that could spell trouble down the road. “You broke the Chains of Mordare that held you, but you never broke away from him, did you?”

  “I tried to outrun him, and then I stopped caring if he caught me.”

  “And?” He shouldn’t ask. He knew better. It was always wiser to stay out of someone’s private life, but if she was going to be helping him, he had to know where she stood—in all things.

  In other words, was she turning Dark?

  “You really want the truth?” she asked.

  “I wouldna have asked otherwise.”

  She moved to the two chairs and sat. “I fight the darkness i
nside me every day. Balladyn released it, allowed it to grow stronger while he held me captive. I hated him for what he did, and then I just got tired of running from him and who I might be turning into.”

  Con didn’t utter a word, because if he did, he knew Rhi wouldn’t tell him anything else.

  “When Balladyn caught up with me, I went with him. But he didn’t take me back to his compound or even to the Dark Palace. We went to the desert. We talked, and it continued that way for a while. I found myself turning to him for help. And he gave it. Then he told me that he’d been in love with me since he and my brother were friends.”

  Con had always known Balladyn carried a torch for Rhi, but he hadn’t realized it was actually love. That changed … everything.

  Rhi met his gaze. “I trust him with my life.”

  “He wants you to become Dark.”

  “He does, but I’ve already told him I won’t do it.”

  Con lowered his eyes to his desk. What he didn’t need to ask was if they were lovers. The confirmation was in the way she spoke about Balladyn. She protected him.

  “Balladyn will help me,” she stated.

  Con looked at her and asked, “Even if it ultimately helps us?”

  “Yes.”

  “I hope you’re right, because regardless of the Fae you knew and were friends with—or the Fae you’re sharing your bed with now—there is one fact that can no’ be denied. He’s Dark. Never forget their nature.”

  “You think I need a reminder?” she asked, her silver eyes flashing in anger.

  He regarded her for a moment. “There was a time you would’ve never considered looking twice at a Dark.”

  “Things change. I changed.”

  “Aye, you have. We all have, but the core of who we are doesna alter so drastically.”

  She leaned forward, putting her hands on his desk. “You have no idea what I endured in that dungeon. You have no idea what it felt like.”

  “You’re right, I doona. But I saw you. I came to free you.”

  The look on her face said she didn’t quite believe him—not that he expected her to. There was too much history between them, too many centuries of strife and divide.

  He’d often wondered if she’d broken the chains because she’d already been working on them, her magic growing with her anger. Or if it was him saying her name that did it.

  Could it be the hatred between them that had caused it? Had the sound of his voice sent her over the edge that day? And did it really matter? She was free. Changed, but free.

  As he looked into her eyes, her long, black hair falling over one shoulder, he wondered what her reaction would have been if Balladyn hadn’t taken her prisoner.

  The one thing Con was sure of—Rhi wouldn’t be Balladyn’s lover now.

  “Has my new … association … made you doubt me?” she asked, steel in her eyes.

  “Nay.”

  “Good. Then it doesn’t matter who I take to my bed.”

  He slowly exhaled. “He’s Dark.”

  “And she’s the fekking queen.”

  “You might trust Balladyn, but what if Taraeth discovers you two? He’ll no’ stand for it. You’ll once more be captured, but by Taraeth this time.”

  There was a flare of doubt in her gaze. “Balladyn wouldn’t let that happen.”

  “Because he’ll be the next King of the Dark?”

  She shrugged. “The Dark change kings often.”

  That was a fact, but Taraeth had ruled longer than any other. He wouldn’t go down easily. Con didn’t need to tell her that. Rhi was well aware.

  “Your concern for me is sweet, but I’ve always taken care of myself just fine,” she replied.

  He decided to shift their conversation since they were getting nowhere fast. “How long do you think it’ll take you to find the Light and Dark who were involved with targeting us?”

  “It shouldn’t be long.” She sat back in the chair. “When are we going to deal with Usaeil?”

  “Soon.”

  “The sooner, the better, Con. If you don’t do something, she’s going to.”

  He raised a brow. “You mean worse than she already has? She’s all but told the Light.”

  “You think you know her, but you don’t. She cares about nothing but her own desires now.”

  “Sounds like the Dark,” he said.

  “I know.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  The tides of change had left their mark, cutting a deep trail that would forever alter Faith’s path. She stood with Dmitri and watched the sun rise above the mountains. They had slept little, preferring to spend the hours making love.

  But the ripples of their actions from the day before were still causing devastation.

  “It’s going to be fine,” he said.

  She rested her head back against him as his arms tightened around her from behind. “I hope so, but I have my doubts. I was a pawn. All these years, I didn’t believe in destiny and Fate. I believed that each person made their own decisions. And the entire time, someone made sure I walked a certain path to put me exactly where I am.”

  “I doona regret where you are.”

  She turned to face him and smiled. “I don’t regret it either. What infuriates me is that I was part of something much bigger. Something that could affect you.”

  “Then be a part of something even bigger than this Druid/Fae magic. Be a part of us striking it down.”

  “Now that I like,” she said and rose up to place a quick kiss on his lips. “Let’s go see what we can find.”

  “Are you sure you really want to do this?”

  She nodded and took his hand as she walked to the door. “I am.”

  As they strolled to the computer room, Dmitri said, “I doona want to wait too long for us to be mated.”

  “Let’s do it today.”

  He halted and looked at her. Slowly, a smile formed. “I’d like that verra much, but there is more that goes into it than that.”

  “Is it a big ceremony?”

  “Aye. Every Dragon King is in attendance.”

  “All but Ulrik, you mean.”

  Dmitri looked away briefly, a glower forming. “That’s right.”

  “We can do the ceremony whenever you want. I’m not going anywhere, Muscles.”

  He wrapped an arm around her and nuzzled her neck. Then he raised his head. “What of your work?”

  That was one thing she hadn’t been thinking of. Now that he’d brought it up, she didn’t have an answer. “I don’t know. Can I still be an archeologist?”

  “I’d never forbid such a thing.”

  “Maybe Ronnie and I could work together now that I know her secret.”

  “I doona see that being a problem.”

  With a bright smile in place, she nodded. “Let’s see what kind of dirt Ryder dug up on my family.”

  “I’m no’ sure I’d be so happy about the prospect,” Dmitri said hesitantly as they continued toward the computer room.

  What he didn’t understand was that she was deliriously happy. The kind of bliss that she never thought would be possible. It didn’t matter what Ryder told her. Nothing was going to dim her happiness.

  As soon as Dmitri opened the door, she was immersed in a room full of all the latest technological gadgets someone like Ryder would like.

  To her, it made her dizzy just looking at it. She could work a computer well enough to do emails, check her Facebook page, and even keep up with her expenses, but as she walked around the rows of monitors to see the screens, she felt as if she’d been thrown a million years into the future.

  And Ryder was looking at all the screens, keeping up with everything on his own. His keyboard was integrated into the table with glowing keys. Much of what he did was by voice recognition, though, telling each screen to do what he needed.

  Then with a swipe of his hand, he took something from one monitor and moved it to cover an entire wall that was really one big screen. Faith studied it, realizing it was
a family tree. Her family tree.

  “There are some missing parts.”

  She turned at the sound of the voice to find Ryder standing beside her. He had kind, hazel eyes and short blond hair. Those eyes of his missed nothing.

  Dmitri had told her about the cameras smaller than a button that Ryder had designed and built that were placed all over Dreagan, especially the distillery.

  Listening to how Muscles talked of Ryder’s expertise and how he’d built everything in the computer room himself, she knew she was standing before a genius.

  “It’s sad that the world doesn’t know what you can do,” she said.

  Ryder smiled and held out his hand. “It is a pleasure, Dr. Reynolds.”

  “Faith, please,” she told him. “Thank you for allowing me to come and see what you’ve found.”

  He opened a box and took out a jelly donut as he walked to the wall with her family tree. “As I said, there are some missing parts. I can no’ find everyone due to destroyed or missing records. I’m working my own angle on some of these. The odd thing, I never found your father’s name.”

  “I never wanted to know it,” she said. “He walked out on us. I didn’t want someone like that in my life.”

  Dmitri squeezed her hand. “Understandable.”

  But she caught the way the two men shared a look. “I don’t like secrets, so there’s no need to keep anything from me. I can take whatever it is.”

  “I’ve searched your mother’s life, and though she did have a boyfriend or two, she wasn’t with anyone before she conceived you,” Ryder said before taking a bite of the donut.

  “You think my mom lied about her and my father being in a relationship?” Faith thought about that a moment. “Mom was always honest with me about everything. She said they dated for a few months before she became pregnant. He wasn’t thrilled with it and bailed on her.”

  With a swipe of his hand, Ryder pulled up a daily timeline of her mother’s activities before she’d gotten pregnant, and who she saw for a six-month period during that time.

  Faith walked to the wall, reading it. “How did you put all this together?”

  “Ryder is that good at what he does,” Dmitri replied.

  “It’s accurate,” Ryder said.

  She turned to look at Ryder. “This is over thirty years old. People didn’t keep these kinds of records back then.”