Fever--A Dark Kings Novel

by Donna Grant

  Kellan blew out a long breath. “We should be there for her.”

  “She willna want us,” Con said.

  Ulrik closed his eyes briefly as he shook his head. “Con’s right. She willna want us. She willna want anyone.”

  “I’m sure we all remember the last time she was by herself when she was suffering so.”

  Con felt their gazes on him. He finally looked up and met them. “She willna listen to me.”

  “There is someone she might listen to,” Kellan said.

  Ulrik gave a nod. “Phelan.”

  Con jerked his chin to Ulrik’s silver cuff. “Mind if I borrow that?”

  “No’ at all,” he said. “What happened to your cuff links and pocket watch?”

  “Usaeil,” Con replied.

  Kellan and Ulrik grunted in unison.

  Con was absolutely fuming that he’d lost both precious possessions. And not just because the watch allowed him to teleport. It was because they were gifts from Erith, who had taken the time to visit him when he needed a friend the most. Now, they were lost to him.

  Erith had been the only one to ever give him a gift. He’d treasured them dearly. Usaeil taking them from him felt like a knife twisting in his gut.

  Ulrik tossed him the cuff. Con put it on and thought of Phelan and Aisley’s house near the loch. Then he touched the cuff and transported there.

  Con stood outside the home, looking at the coziness of it. It wasn’t a grand manor. It was quaint, but that’s why he liked it so much. The flowers surrounding the dwelling were in full bloom, the colors as bright and glorious as the sun that beamed down on them. There were dark clouds on the horizon, but the storm hadn’t reached them yet.

  The door opened, and a tall form stepped out onto the porch. Con looked into Phelan’s blue-gray eyes and gave a nod. “I’m sorry to intrude.”

  “It must be something important to bring the King of Dragon Kings here.” Phelan walked from the porch, shoving his hand through his long, dark brown hair.

  Con waited until the Warrior was near, then he said, “I wish I didna have to come.”

  “What happened?”

  “So verra much.” Con bit back a sigh. “I doona know what you’ve heard or no’.”

  “Then perhaps you should come in and tell us,” Aisley said from the door.

  Con bowed his head to her. “I’d be happy to.”

  The three of them walked into the house, and Con began telling them everything that had happened to Rhi over the last year while Aisley heated water for tea. Some of it they knew, but the majority, the couple wasn’t aware of.

  When Con finished his tale forty minutes later, Phelan’s face was taut and pale. “Why did she no’ tell me?”

  “You know why,” Aisley told him. “She doesn’t like disturbing your life.”

  Phelan’s features were pained. “She’s my friend.”

  “Which is why I’m here,” Con said.

  Aisley’s fawn-colored eyes met his. “You want Phelan to talk to her, don’t you?”

  Con nodded slowly. “Someone needs to. She doesna need to be alone.”

  “Is this like when her King broke it off? Is it that bad?” Phelan asked.

  For a moment, Con couldn’t answer. He wondered if Phelan knew his involvement in what had happened in Rhi’s past, and then he realized it didn’t matter. “It has the potential to get there. Rhi was in a verra bad place during that time.”

  Aisley moved next to Phelan and rubbed her hand on his back as he placed his forearms on his knees. “She watched Usaeil kill Balladyn. While I know the two of them had their differences, they were friends, and Rhi knew that he loved her.”

  “And she cared for him,” Phelan said.

  Con nodded because he knew just how deeply Rhi had felt for the Fae.

  Phelan looked up at Con. “I’ll call to her, but she probably willna answer.”

  “Then you need to go to her.”

  The Warrior frowned as he looked at Con as if he’d lost his senses. “How am I supposed to do that.”

  “You know Rhi better than most. She’s come to you in times of crisis. I’m sure during those instances, she let something slip about where she might go,” Con told him.

  Aisley sat up straight as she turned her head to Phelan. “Rhi said something about her island, remember?”

  “Vaguely,” Phelan said slowly, as if trying to recall the conversation. “But do you have any idea how many islands there are?”

  Con rose to his feet and handed Phelan Ulrik’s cuff. “Please return this to Ulrik when you’re finished. He willna mind you using it.”

  “How are you going to get back to Dreagan?” Aisley asked.

  He smiled at her. “I’m going to fly.”

  Con walked outside. He barely made it two steps from the porch when Phelan’s voice stopped him.

  “Are you all right?”

  Con halted and turned to look at the Warrior. “Of course.”

  “You were with Usaeil for a long time. You watched as she hurt your Kings, their mates, and Rhi.”

  Con drew in a breath and released it slowly to control the rage that threatened to break free. It took all of his power to hold it back, to look at things as dispassionately as possible. Because if he let his emotions get in the way, then he would make the wrong decisions. “There are many who think because I doona show my emotions that I doona feel. They would be wrong.”

  Phelan stared at him for a full minute before he nodded. “Aye. I can see that now. I’ll find Rhi.”

  “We want to make sure she’ll be okay. Please let her know that she has friends, and we’re all worried about her.”

  Phelan said, “I’ll do that.”

  Con turned and shifted then. For once, he didn’t care about his ripped clothes. His heart hurt at the prospect of not having to think about his cuff links or the pocket watch, but he put that out of his mind. There were many, many more things to worry about.

  He spread his wings and took to the sky, shooting straight up into the clouds that would hide him on his trip back to Dreagan.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  The manor was buzzing with excitement. It was the only word Bernadette could use to describe it. The joy felt in the wake of Usaeil’s death and Con’s return was only dimmed by the fact that none of the Kings had heard from Rhi.

  Yet, they didn’t let that stop them from celebrating. Bernadette had been in the kitchen with Sabina, Claire, and Gemma, helping Keltan get the food ready for the big party later that night.

  “I’m so excited for Eilish and Ulrik,” Gemma said, her light blue eyes filled with delight.

  Sabina nodded, her dark brown curls bobbing with her head. “Yep. And I’m not at all jealous.”

  “Ditto,” Claire said with a wink.

  The four of them looked at each other and then busted out laughing. Bernadette glanced at Keltan to see him grinning, though it faded quickly. She knew he was thinking about the mating ceremony that Roman, V, and Cináed would have with Sabina, Claire, and Gemma once Ulrik and Eilish had theirs.

  If Bernadette would agree, it would also be the time she and Keltan would be mated. She wanted nothing more than to be his for eternity, but she couldn’t stop the worry that grew with every hour.

  Usaeil had been unpredictable, and Bernadette seemed to be the only one who was worried about Usaeil’s body disappearing. Keltan had said that the Reapers and Death probably had her, but Bernadette wouldn’t believe the queen was really dead until she saw the corpse herself.

  “Just a few more days,” Bernadette told the women. They had become fast friends. In fact, Bernadette had become close to all the women at Dreagan.

  It was odd to have so many who were family, sisters even, but she enjoyed it. Despite there being so many people at the manor, everyone seemed to know when it was time to be alone and when it was time to gather as a group.

  Sabina quickly cut her eyes to Keltan before she leaned close to Bernadette and said in her Ro
manian accent, “I still don’t understand why you two aren’t joining us.”

  “She’s worried that the Others have something in store for the mates,” Gemma said.

  Sabina’s dark gaze grew troubled. “The Others won’t be able to hurt us once we’re mated.”

  “Bernadette thinks that’s exactly what the Others will use,” Keltan said as he wiped off his hands and turned to shoot a smile at Bernadette.

  Claire looked between them, then asked Keltan, “Do you think the Others will be able to make us do something to harm you?”

  He shrugged. “The Others have done a great many things that I never expected.”

  “I know that for certain,” Sabina replied.

  Gemma’s lips pressed together. “Aye.”

  Bernadette walked to Keltan and rose up on her toes to give him a quick kiss. Then she faced her friends. “I want to be mated to Keltan more than anything, but I have this feeling that I can’t ignore.”

  “Then don’t,” Sabina said. “Coming from a long line of women who have the gift of Sight, always follow your feelings. They won’t lead you wrong.”

  Keltan’s arm around her tightened. “And I’m prepared to wait however long I need to in order to make Bernadette mine.”

  “You two,” Claire said, sniffing and wiping her eyes. Then her face crumpled. “These damn hormones make me cry at everything.”

  Gemma looked at Sabina and said, “We need to make sure we have a lot of tissues at the ceremony.”

  Claire buried her face in her hands as her shoulders shook. Then she lifted her head, her face streaked with tears. “I don’t want to embarrass myself or V. I want to stand up there and be … you know, proper.”

  “You’ll be perfect in whatever you do,” Keltan said. “Because you’ll be up there with V. All he wants is you.”

  Bernadette looked at Keltan, his words cutting through her. She wondered if she was making the right decision in holding off on the ceremony. Then the same churning in her stomach she felt each time she thought about the future reminded her that she had to follow her feelings, regardless of where they led her.

  Though she knew they wouldn’t take her from Keltan.

  What she worried about was what the voice had told her when she was fighting for her soul. The Others had kept who she really was from Usaeil. Just who was she, really? And did Bernadette even want to know?

  “I must get ready,” Keltan said as he turned her to face him.

  She cupped his face and smiled up at him. “I’ll be here waiting. Always.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you more,” she said.

  He pulled her against him and claimed her lips in a fiery kiss. Then he said, “I love you most.”

  Before she could reply, Keltan was gone. She had to grab hold of the counter to stay on her feet.

  “Damn,” Sabina said, waving her hand in front of her face.

  Gemma nodded, her eyes wide. “I second that.”

  “You’re good for him,” Claire told Bernadette.

  Bernadette smiled at them, happier than she had ever been in her life. She wished she could just forget about the outside world, but she had caused too many waves with her lecture. She needed to rectify that. Already, she and Ryder had come up with ideas to do just that. Bernadette had finished writing the first of five columns she would publish. Ryder would then put them in all the right places.

  It wouldn’t happen overnight, but it was going to happen quickly. Bernadette wanted to make sure that the Kings and the women who lived at Dreagan were safe from anyone who wanted to dig into them. And she was prepared to do whatever it took to ensure that.

  She might not be mated to Keltan, but these people had taken her in. They had found her when she was dying and helped her. They were, in fact, her family. And she would do anything for them.

  “She’s coming,” Sabina said from the kitchen doorway.

  Gemma, Claire, and Bernadette hurried to Sabina in time to see Eilish coming down the stairs. She glided down the steps with her long, black hair left to fall in waves down her back. The sides were pulled back just enough to show her face.

  The dress—silver to match Ulrik’s dragon color—molded to her body like a glove. The sleeveless, halter neck A-line gown had silver sequins that added just the right amount of sparkle.

  She wore no jewelry except for the platinum teardrop earrings that dangled from her lobes. Eilish smiled at Con, who walked her down the stairs.

  “So, the earrings are his gift to her,” Sabina said.

  Bernadette waited until Eilish and Con were out of sight before she asked, “Who? Ulrik?”

  “Con,” Claire said.

  Gemma’s eyes bugged out. “Con gave her a gift?”

  “He gives one to every mate right before the ceremony,” Sabina explained. “It’s always in the color of the King, and somehow he manages to find the piece that’s most perfect for the intended mate.”

  Bernadette smiled. “I like that he does that. Almost like his way of welcoming the women into the family.”

  “That’s exactly what it is,” Claire said.

  The three women went quiet, and Bernadette knew they were each thinking of the day that they would walk down the stairs with Con toward their own ceremonies.

  One day, it would be Bernadette’s turn. She had no doubt about that. For now, she was content just being with Keltan. He was the love of her life. Whether they were mated in a dragon ceremony or married in a human one, they were together. And that’s what really mattered.

  * * *

  Keltan walked up beside Cain in the cavern. Ulrik stood at the front, waiting for Eilish. Everyone was quiet, anticipating the event of the century.

  Ulrik, the one who had been lost to them, the one who had sworn to destroy the Dragon Kings, had not only returned to Dreagan but he had also found his mate. There wasn’t a King in attendance that hadn’t wondered if this day would ever come.

  Con appeared and stood next to Ulrik. Suddenly, Ulrik’s face split into a wide smile as he looked toward the entrance. Keltan turned his head and caught sight of Eilish in her flowing silver gown, making her way toward Ulrik.

  Keltan wished with all his might that he could be in Ulrik’s place watching Bernadette walk to him in the next week, but he knew she was his. He just wanted the ceremony so that she would be immortal and unable to be harmed by the Others.

  But he had to respect her wishes. One way or another, Bernadette would be protected because she was at Dreagan. That’s all that mattered.

  Except Usaeil had been able to get to her and Claire, and then the Others had used Usaeil’s magic to cause their own harm. Dreagan was supposed to be impenetrable.

  Once everyone returned from the battle, they had made sure all of Usaeil’s magic was wiped from Dreagan. It had taken all of them days going back and forth over all sixty thousand acres. Even though Usaeil was dead and her magic no longer held power, there was still the potential for the Others to use it.

  Dozens of additional wards had been added. The Kings mixed their magic with Druid and Fae to keep the Others out. They weren’t sure if it worked or not. Neither Bernadette nor Claire had been struck again, but that didn’t mean anything. The Others could very well be biding their time.

  Keltan shut off his thoughts as he listened to Ulrik and Eilish exchange their vows, the love between them was so obvious that everyone could feel it.

  A moment later, Eilish winced as the dragon eye tattoo, signaling that she was mated to a King, appeared on her left shoulder. The couple kissed as the cavern erupted in a loud cheer.

  Keltan worked his way up to Ulrik to congratulate him. As soon as Keltan did, he left the mountain and returned to the manor. He found Bernadette coming down the stairs as he was halfway up.

  He let out a whistle as he raked his gaze over his woman. Bernadette’s hair was pulled away from her face without any adornment. She wore a black, sleeveless dress with a cutout back. The hem reached her knees i
n the front and hung longer in the back.

  “You’re stunning,” he said when she reached him.

  Her smile could have outshone the sun. “Thank you. I’m also liking this.”

  Keltan didn’t bother looking down at his kilt. It was nothing compared to the beauty of the woman before him. He held out his arm for her to take. “Shall we go to the party?”

  She took his arm, but she held him back when he started down the stairs.

  “What is it?” he asked with a frown.

  Her jade eyes held his. “I love you.”

  “And I love you.”

  “We will be mated.”

  He sighed and pulled her close. “I’ve no doubt.”

  “But you wish it was now.”

  “I do. I also understand your reasoning. It’s valid, lass, but even if I didna think it was, I would still stand by your decision.”

  Her lips tilted in a smile. “You’re an amazing man, Keltan. I’m so glad you came to that lecture.”

  “I rather think I’m the lucky one for being told to go. You shook up my life in just the right way, showing me how wonderful love can be.”

  “Here’s to the beginning of our future.”

  “Aye,” he said and sealed it with a kiss.

  EPILOGUE

  The Fae Realm

  The grief was devastating, crushing. Rhi could feel it pushing against her from all sides. It was only the darkness within her that kept her on her feet.

  “I will always protect you.”

  It would be easy to believe the darkness, but Rhi wasn’t a fool. She knew the only one she could truly depend on was herself. But even she could admit that it was all she could do to put one foot in front of the other.

  She hadn’t been able to stay on Earth. It wasn’t just the Light Fae or the Dark. Or even the Dragon Kings.

  It was everything.

  She should be rejoicing that Usaeil was dead, but all Rhi could see was Balladyn’s face as his life drained from him. If Rhi killed Usaeil a million times, it wouldn’t come close to what the queen deserved for murdering Balladyn.