by Donna Grant
In the next heartbeat, Death’s lavender eyes swung to her. “The Kings might have made some enemies because of their power, but they’ve made many more allies. Several of the Kings have mated Druids, some with ties to the Isle of Skye.”
Kyra shrugged. “Are the Skye Druids special?”
“Very,” Cael answered. “They’re the strongest. Every once in a while, a powerful Druid is born outside of Skye. Eilish is one of those. In fact, I would hazard to guess that she’s stronger than any Druid on Skye. And she happens to be mated to Ulrik, King of Silvers.”
Kyra could hardly believe her ears. “That’s good news, then. And I do know of one Fae mated to a King.”
“Shara,” Dubhan said.
Kyra didn’t know why she had a sudden spike of jealousy, but it was there nonetheless. Maybe it was the way Dubhan had said her name. Or perhaps Kyra was reading too much into it. But everyone knew of the Dark Fae who had become Light and mated a Dragon King. Shara was a legend, especially because so many Light had been told that no Dark could return to the Light. But since it was Usaeil who had told them that, it had obviously been a lie.
“Did you know her?” Cael asked Dubhan the question Kyra most wanted to know.
Dubhan shook his head. “I knew of her family.”
Kyra looked at Dubhan, and the moment his crimson eyes met hers, she knew she’d been silly to even think of being jealous. But in her defense, she’d never been in love before. She was crazy protective of Dubhan and their relationship—as new as it was.
Or maybe because it was so new.
Erith turned her head, causing a long, blue-black strand of hair to fall over her shoulder. “There are also the Warriors.”
Once more, Kyra realized that there was so much more to the story than she knew. She’d been so wrapped up in all things Fae that she hadn’t thought about anyone or anything else. That needed to change.
“The Warriors?” she asked.
Dubhan gave a nod of his head. “The strongest Celts of their family who allowed primeval gods to inhabit them so they could beat back Rome.”
“Damn,” Kyra murmured. Then in a louder voice, she said, “And these Warriors are still alive with these gods inside them?”
Erith answered. “Yes. They are friends of the Kings, and the Warriors also married Druids. Powerful Druids.”
Death had said that the Kings had allies. Now, Kyra was beginning to think her idea was ludicrous. Apparently, with the friends the Kings had, they didn’t need the Fae.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Dubhan said with a grin.
Kyra quirked a brow, then replied in a sassy, teasing voice, “You think so, huh?”
“You don’t think the Kings need the Fae.”
She glanced away. “Maybe you do know what I’m thinking.”
“The Dragon Kings will need us,” Dubhan stated.
Cael nodded. “He’s right.”
Death drew in a breath. “I’m going to visit the Kings and speak to Constantine about this.”
“Are we joining the fight?” Dubhan asked.
Kyra held her breath as Erith and Cael exchanged a look. Then Death nodded once.
Dubhan smiled. “That’s good. We need to be with them.”
“You can thank Kyra,” Erith replied.
Kyra was so surprised, she didn’t know what to say.
“Don’t be shocked,” Cael said. “You said what needed to be heard, and in a way that made sense to everyone.”
Erith took Cael’s hand in hers. “This may not be my realm, but neither was the Fae Realm. Yet, where the Fae go, I follow. If this is their home, it needs to be protected. More importantly, the Fae need to remain allied with those whose home this is.”
“The Dragon Kings,” Kyra said.
Death faced Cael. They spoke quietly for a moment, and then she was gone.
Cael looked at them. “Erith will return later. I’ll stay in case the Others decide to make themselves known.”
“Kyra had another idea,” Dubhan said.
Cael’s brows shot up on his forehead. “Oh?”
“To talk to Mike—the mortal we sent into the bookstore—and perhaps get the book the girl had him buy.”
“Hmm. That is a good idea.”
Kyra grew uncomfortable at the praise. “It was both Dubhan’s and mine.”
“Take the compliment,” Dubhan said as he wrapped an arm around her.
She rolled her eyes and smiled. “You’re right. Thank you.”
Cael chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll be near, but not too close.”
“Thank you,” Dubhan said right before Cael raised his veil.
Kyra turned to him then. “What if all we’re doing is the wrong thing?”
“What if it’s the right thing?” he countered. “You need to trust yourself.”
“This isn’t deciding on what cut of meat to buy for dinner. There are millions of lives at stake.”
Dubhan put his hands on her shoulders. “None of us are taking anything lightly, but you had good suggestions. Like I told Cael and Erith, sometimes, we’re so bogged down by the fact there will be a battle that we don’t see the forest for the trees. You saw what we couldn’t. Maybe the Kings will go for it. Maybe they won’t. Regardless, it’s an option we should follow and see where it leads. It might be the one to save us all.”
“I wasn’t thinking about any of that when I spoke,” Kyra said. “My only thought was that the Reapers should join the Kings. In fact, every Fae—Light and Dark—should join them, but they won’t.”
Dubhan shook his head. “No, they won’t. Many will agree with the Others. For all we know, if we tell the Fae about the Others, some might join them, and we don’t want that.”
“You’re right. Some Fae would join them. Some may already be trying.”
“The Dragon Kings have never lost a battle.”
Kyra gave him a flat look. “I’d disagree with that. Look who dominates this world—humans. And the Kings? They’re hiding.”
“The Kings didn’t lose,” Dubhan said. “They chose to stand down because of their vow to protect the mortals. There is a difference.”
“I didn’t think of it that way.”
“There are always many sides to every story, and we never hear them all. But I’ve spent some time watching the Kings when I’m able. They’re the best of us, the purest of us. The magic chose them, gave them this world to inhabit and make theirs. It was the Kings who were so welcoming, they invited the very ones who would ultimately destroy their lives into their home.”
Kyra twisted her lips. “It’s very sad. Are all the Kings so forgiving that they would live alongside humans?”
Dubhan threw back his head and laughed. “It’s because Con is such a great King of Dragon Kings that he’s been able to keep the others in line. And, trust me, all of them—even Con—have had thoughts of taking back their world.”
“From all of us,” Kyra said.
Dubhan nodded solemnly. “From all of us.”
“I wouldn’t blame them.”
“Enough about the Kings. Shall we go see Mike?”
Kyra nodded. “Let’s try calling him.”
Several attempts later, it was obvious that Mike wasn’t going to answer his phone. Dubhan took Kyra’s hand, and in the next instant, they appeared at the library where Mike usually was. Dubhan discreetly lowered his veil, and Kyra began asking if anyone knew where Mike lived. It didn’t take long for someone to give them his address.
In the next heartbeat, they were outside the front door of Mike’s flat.
Mike didn’t open it when they knocked, however. He came to the door and demanded, “Who is it?”
“Dubhan and Kyra,” Kyra said.
The sound of locks being turned reached them, and then the door opened. Mike looked at them and smiled. “I didn’t expect to see either of you again.”
“We wanted to see that you were safe,” Dubhan said.
Kyra returned Mike’s sm
ile. “We tried to call you.”
“Sorry about that,” Mike said. “My mobile has been acting weird, so I tried to reset it.”
“Weird how?” Dubhan asked.
Mike shrugged. “Just not working properly. And after . . . well, you know, I’ve been more paranoid than usual.”
“Is that why you’re in your flat and not at the library?” Kyra asked.
The mortal nodded and glanced at the floor. “It is.”
Dubhan added, “We were wondering if we could have a look at that fiction book you bought?”
“Sure. Come in,” Mike said and stepped back so they could enter.
The flat was sparse. The sofa had seen better days, as had the kitchen table and mismatched chairs, but the place was clean. Mike locked the doors behind them and walked around them as he went to the sofa where the book was opened and turned upside down. He picked it up, put in a torn piece of paper as a bookmark, and handed it to her.
“You’ve read over half of it,” Kyra said.
Mike shrugged. “It’s actually good. I didn’t think I’d like fiction, but I do. Or at least I like this author.”
“What’s the book about?” Dubhan asked.
Mike lowered his gaze and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “A Dark Fae who is trying to protect her people from this horrible group of dragons.”
Kyra’s stomach roiled. “Fae and dragons, huh?”
“It is a fantasy,” Mike said as he met her gaze.
Dubhan caught Mike’s eye. “I’m sure you’ve heard all kinds of Irish myths and legends.”
“There are dozens of them, and yeah, my grandmother used to tell me all kinds,” Mike said.
Kyra grinned. “My grandmother told me stories, too. I had my favorites. Which were yours?”
“Let’s see,” Mike said, his gaze going to an upper corner as he thought. “The Fae, probably.”
Dubhan quietly asked, “And have you met any Fae?”
Mike suddenly became nervous as he shrugged. “Who can say?”
“You can,” Kyra said as she caught his gaze.
Mike looked between the two of them, then did a double-take on Dubhan. When Kyra glanced at Dubhan, she noticed that he had removed the glamour to show his true coloring.
“You’re Fae,” Mike said, his voice holding surprise.
Dubhan nodded. “We both are.”
Chapter Twenty
“What does that mean for me?” Mike asked.
Dubhan looked over the mortal for a moment and shrugged. “Nothing.”
Mike made a sound, his face a mask of doubt. “I don’t believe that. Beings like you don’t tell humans such things without reason.”
“It’s because we trust you.”
Dubhan didn’t correct Kyra. In fact, they did trust Mike to some degree. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have told him who they were.
Mike looked between the two of them. “In the book, it says there are two sects of Fae—Light, and Dark.”
Dubhan had no idea that a book like that had been written, and if that little bit had been shared, what else was on those pages? “There are. I’m Dark. Kyra’s Light.”
Mike said nothing, but he was tense as if he no longer trusted them.
“Most mortals don’t know about us,” Kyra said. “There are some Halflings around—half-Fae, half-human.”
“Yeah,” Mike muttered, taking a little step back to put more distance between them.
Dubhan didn’t have time for such things. “I’m going to put it bluntly. We could’ve killed you days ago if we wanted, but we didn’t. We don’t want to harm you. We had a business arrangement that went well, and you were paid handsomely for that.”
“But you’re here for something else,” Mike said.
Kyra twisted her lips. “We’d like to read the book, and we’d like to know your thoughts on it.”
Uncertainty filled Mike’s eyes. “Why do you want to know what I think?”
“Because the girl gave it to you for a reason. To perhaps connect the dots of who we are,” Kyra suggested.
Dubhan eyed the paperback in question. “The simple fact, Mike, is that we have enemies. The book could contain clues.”
“So, the book was meant for you?” Mike said and answered his own question with a nod.
Kyra shrugged one shoulder. “Honestly, I believe the girl wanted you to read it, but we’d also like to see what’s inside.”
“She knew who you were.” Mike blew out a breath. “I knew there was more going on than either of you told me, and I still think there’s much more.”
“There is,” Dubhan replied. There was no sense lying to Mike, but that didn’t mean Dubhan would tell him all of it.
Mike folded his arms over his chest and licked his lips. “Both of you have been fair to me. You gave me more money than agreed upon, especially for work that wasn’t dangerous.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Kyra mumbled.
Mike paused, his gaze locking on her. Then he continued. “The girl was quite insistent that I read the book before passing it on to someone else who might be interested. I thought she liked me.”
“She might.” Dubhan shrugged. “She might have just wanted you to read the book.”
Mike dropped his arms and ran a hand down his face. “I have to admit, it’s a good book. I’ve been unable to put it down. I even skipped lunch.”
“How about I get dinner, and you tell us what you’ve learned from the book so far?” Kyra suggested.
It took less than a heartbeat for Mike to agree. Dubhan remained silent as Kyra let the mortal pick what to eat. But if he thought Kyra was going to leave to get it, Dubhan was wrong. She snapped her fingers, and the food appeared on the table.
“Damn. I could get used to that,” Mike said as he eyed the food, his stomach grumbling.
Dubhan might have had a harsh life, but he’d never gone without a meal. He jerked his chin to the table. “Eat. The discussion can wait.”
“I can talk and eat at the same time,” Mike said as he pulled out one of the chairs and sat, reaching for the first box that contained the Asian food he’d requested.
While he dug in, Dubhan looked at Kyra, who just grinned. In unison, they each sat in one of the chairs, their eyes on the human, who stuffed food into his mouth, chewing quickly.
“Sorry,” Mike said around a mouthful of food. “As soon as I smelled it, I realized how famished I was.”
Kyra shook her head, waving away his words. “No need to apologize.”
After a few more bites, Mike slowed his eating. He took a long drink of water and said, “The book states that while to most, the Dark Fae are villains, they are, in fact, the saviors of the Fae.”
“That’s a first,” Dubhan said.
Mike looked from Dubhan to Kyra and then back to Dubhan. “It also says that the Light and Dark don’t commonly associate with each other.”
“We don’t,” Kyra replied. “But Dubhan and I aren’t exactly like most Fae.”
“On the realm we once called home, the Light took one half, and the Dark the other,” Dubhan said. “It’s the same in Ireland. The Light took the top half, and the Dark the lower.”
Kyra nodded slowly. “Dublin is the line that intersects the country.”
Mike swallowed his bite of food. “All of that is said in the book. It also spoke about a civil war that caused your world to become inhabitable.”
“Yes.” Dubhan couldn’t believe that their anger and hatred had come to that. But that’s what happened when a race forgot that the realms weren’t something to be plundered and eroded without consequence.
For the next ten minutes, Dubhan sat alongside Kyra as they listened to Mike explain the plot of the book in between bites. The heroine, a Dark Fae, saw the future for her people and knew that something had to be done. She aligned with other like-minded beings and created a group that set out to forge a different, better path.
“Does it say who the other beings were?”
Kyra asked.
Mike shook his head. “Not yet. I get the feeling that isn’t shared.”
“Did a Dark really start all of this?” Dubhan asked Kyra.
Kyra met his gaze, her lips flattening briefly. “It’s possible. I don’t think we’ll ever know who it was, though.”
“Why not? If they’re Fae, they may still be alive.”
Kyra pondered that for a second and then nodded. “It’s a long shot, but they could be. Are you telling me you want to find this Dark?”
“A female,” Mike interjected.
“That could’ve been changed,” Kyra told him.
Mike raised his brows and stared at her. “From what I’ve gathered of this book, it isn’t fiction at all. It’s a history of the Fae, marketed to humans as fiction.”
Dubhan blinked, taken aback at that simple truth he hadn’t realized until that moment. “I’ll be damned.”
“What?” Kyra asked, a deep frown on her brow.
Dubhan didn’t answer her as he rose and went to get the book. When he returned, he took a closer look at the cover, especially the woman on the front. The model’s face was semi-hidden, but upon closer inspection, he saw who it was.
He then held the book out to Kyra, whose frown deepened when he still refused to say anything. She finally snatched the book out of his hands and looked down. Seconds ticked by as she studied the cover. Then she gasped.
“I know,” Dubhan said.
Kyra’s silver gaze jerked to him. “I wouldn’t have seen it had I not studied the woman.”
“What are you two going on about?” Mike asked as he leaned his forearms on the table.
“We know who the book is about,” Dubhan explained. “She’s right there on the cover.”
Mike pulled a face. “No kidding? You know this woman? She’s real? Do you think I can meet her?”
Kyra gave him a harsh look. “You can’t meet her. She’s dead.”
“Which means, we can’t ask her anything,” Dubhan said with a small shake of his head. Just when he’d discovered something that could help, it didn’t do them any good.
“Dead?” Mike sat back, frowning. “From what I’m reading about her in the book, she’s invincible. Not to mention the allies she has.”