Текст книги "Passion Ignites"

Автор книги: Donna Grant

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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

CHAPTER

THIRTY-THREE

Balladyn closed the book and sat back in his chair, a kernel of worry taking root. The library he had begun collecting after turning Dark was the most extensive one in the entire Dark realm.

It had taken him longer than expected, as well as piecing things together from different books, but he had the answer Rhi sought about the Reapers.

He scooted back the chair and got to his feet. His mind was sifting through all the information on the Reapers. Most of it had been legend. But as Rhi said, every legend starts with truth.

The truth, however, wasn’t one Balladyn wanted to know, much less share. If it were anyone but Rhi, he would lie. He had never been able to tell her no. On anything.

Balladyn walked to the tall double doors and pushed them open. He had to find her. Immediately. She had to know the truth, because if Rhi was asking about the Reapers, it was because of more than just rumors.

His strides lengthened. The love he had for Rhi burned within him. She belonged by his side. Always had. Soon, she would see he was the one for her.

Her Dragon King lover had had his shot. The bastard had blown it. It was Balladyn’s turn now. His anger had eaten at him for long centuries, and Balladyn had nearly destroyed her.

Nearly.

His Rhi was much too strong for that. She proved it by breaking the Chains of Mordare. If that didn’t demonstrate she was meant to be his queen, nothing would.

All he needed Rhi to do now was let go of her dragon. Once that happened, she would see the darkness he fanned to life during her torture gave her strength and power.

Balladyn saw the doorway that would take him to the desert. Rhi would meet him there once he summoned her. He wasn’t keen on imparting what he had learned, but he was looking forward to the kiss she owed him.

He wouldn’t collect it now. No, he had somewhere else in mind to collect his price. A place they wouldn’t be interrupted. A place that would seal his seduction.

“Balladyn.”

He halted at the sound of Taraeth’s voice. The king was becoming a nuisance. Balladyn turned and bowed his head. “Sire.”

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Taraeth asked as he slowly closed the distance between them.

“I was coming to see you. I wanted to know the status of our attacks,” Balladyn lied easily.

Taraeth raised a black and silver brow. “Did you? I would’ve thought you’d have been by my side from the start.”

“I was doing some research.” With Taraeth—or any insane ruler—it was always better to stick as close to the truth as possible.

“What could be more important today? We struck a great blow to the Dragon Kings this day, and it isn’t nearly over yet.”

Balladyn clasped his hands behind his back. “There has been something rattling the Fae of late, sire.”

“What is that?”

Balladyn watched as Taraeth unconsciously rubbed his upper arm, all that was left after his arm had been severed by a mate of a Dragon King. “The Reapers.”

Taraeth laughed as he walked around Balladyn. “Silly nonsense. They’re not real, Balladyn.”

“I know that. I wanted to gather evidence in my library to present it to those who were using that as fear not to do their jobs.”

Taraeth stopped in front of him. “You using logic? You’re my right hand because of your vicious skills. If I wanted logic, I’d ask myself a question.”

Balladyn lowered his eyes, lest the king see the hatred and anger he couldn’t hide.

“Kill the cowards,” Taraeth said as he turned and started walking away. “I don’t want weaklings in my army. Come along, Balladyn. If you want to keep your place as my right hand, then I suggest you get there.”

Balladyn looked over his shoulder to the doorway. Rhi would have to wait.

*   *   *

It was the screams that startled Lexi. She jerked awake, thinking it was just a nightmare after the battle she had witnessed in Edinburgh. Then another scream sounded.

Lexi jumped up, holding onto the blanket tightly, and rushed to the door of the office. She peered through the window. No one could be seen. She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there since the old man left her, but she was sure he hadn’t returned.

She grasped the handle and slowly turned it until it opened. Lexi stepped out of the office, leaving the door ajar just enough in case she had to rush back inside.

Huge copper vessels filled the building. The heat was oppressive as steam rose from the stills. The concrete was cool beneath her bare feet, but the machines made it difficult to hear anything.

Lexi walked the length of the building, looking behind her often. There wasn’t a soul in the place. The screams had stopped as well, making everything eerily quiet.

She spotted a door and rushed to it while holding the blanket in place. A glance through the glass showed that the rain was still coming down. By pressing her face against the glass, she could see there was a structure across from her and one on either side.

Lexi walked out of the building but stayed beneath the overhang of the door. In the States there would be concrete everywhere, but not here. In order for her to go anywhere, she was going to have to walk on rocks.

An inner clock pressed her, urged her to hurry. There was no time to go back and get her shoes or put on her wet clothes.

Lexi looked at the buildings around her. She would need to choose one. Hopefully she would find someone who could help her.

She decided to go right and was halfway to the building when there was a scream cut short. Lexi whirled around, cutting her foot on a rock. It wasn’t like she went looking for danger. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. She did when she followed the Dark.

There was a part of her that told her to run and hide. But another part of her, the part that had seen Thorn risk his life for her and others, insisted she help whoever was in need.

Lexi adjusted the blanket so that it covered both of her shoulders. The water beaded on the wool and rolled off. She stayed close to the building and retraced her steps before continuing on.

The more she walked, the more she could hear moans and crying. She reached the last building and looked around the corner to see yet another structure. It was much smaller with lots of windows.

There was a sign that labeled it a shop. As Lexi looked at it, a window suddenly exploded. She instinctively turned her head away. When she chanced another peek, she saw a body lying on its side away from her, unmoving.

The laughter that came from inside the shop chilled her. She knew that sound. It was Dark Fae.

A hand grasped her above her elbow, squeezing hard. She whipped her head around and found herself staring into Dark Fae eyes.

“Come join the party,” he said in his thick Irish accent and yanked her after him.

Pain lanced through Lexi as she had to run to keep up with him. The rocks jabbed her tender feet, and his hold pinched her arm.

He opened the glass door to the shop and threw her inside. Lexi lost her balance while trying to keep the blanket around her and fell to the floor, sliding on something slick.

She sat up and saw the dark stain on the floor. Lexi turned her hand over and saw it was covered in blood.

“I found another, Gorul,” the Dark said.

Lexi wiped her hand on the blanket and got to her feet to get away from the blood. It was everywhere. She saw the two dead people and tried to get away, only to find another.

She glanced around and saw a group huddled in the back crying in fear and moaning from desire while looking at the Dark as if they hoped they were chosen next. Whisky bottles were smashed everywhere, with the golden liquid dripping to the floor from the shelves.

Lexi spotted three women who weren’t acting like the others. They watched the Dark as if they knew exactly what they were. One of the women met her gaze. Lexi looked into her coffee brown eyes. Her auburn hair was straight and cut to her chin.

“I recognize you.”

The Irish accent brought her attention back to the Dark. As soon as Lexi looked at him, rage bubbled inside her. She knew his face. She had seen it over and over again whenever she thought of Christina.

The one who had brought her in chuckled. “She looks right angry.”

Gorul smiled. “So she does. How do I know your face?”

Lexi wished she had the knife Thorn had given her. How she longed to plunge it in his heart. But it was with her clothes.

“There’s death in her eyes,” said a third Dark, who kicked one of the dead on the floor as he passed.

Gorul walked to her. He tapped a finger on his chin as he stopped directly in front of her before walking around her. His shoulder touched hers, and she quickly jerked away.

“You should be on your knees by now,” he said, his red eyes narrowing.

Lexi rolled her eyes and looked away. His fingers gripped her chin and jerked her head back to him. He snarled as he leaned his head close.

“Sucks when things don’t go your way, doesn’t it?” she asked sarcastically.

He blinked and suddenly released her, smiling as he took a step back. “I knew it would come to me. You were one of the American girls in the pub. I chose the other one.”

“Chose?” Lexi asked, her voice rising. “You didn’t choose her, you insane freak. You killed her!”

Gorul’s smile grew. “She begged me for it. She couldn’t get her clothes off fast enough. After I had her a few times, I turned her over to my friends,” he said and motioned to the two men on either side of him.

It was bad enough to think one Dark had killed Christina, but to know that multiple Fae had taken her made Lexi want to be sick.

“I’m going to kill you,” she promised Gorul. She looked at the other two. “All of you.”

“A human?” the third Dark asked with a snort. “Not likely.”

Gorul looked her up and down. “She’s immune to us.”

“Impossible,” said the Dark who brought her in.

“Look at her,” Gorul ordered.

Lexi gave them her most disgusted look. “You dare to come to this planet and think you can take it over. You dare to make us crave you, using us for food. You lost a war here once. You’re going to lose again.”

Gorul didn’t frown as she had hoped. Instead, he looked like he had just won the lottery. He clapped his hands. “Do you know what we have in front of us, lads? We have a prize of the first order.”

“Because she knows what we are?” asked the third one.

Gorul grabbed the back of her hair and yanked down until Lexi had no choice but to go to her knees. She refused to cry out. She poured as much hate into her gaze as she could and stared at the bastard.

“We have a mate of a Dragon King,” Gorul said.

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FOUR

Thorn carried the last of the dead Dark off the street just as the emergency officials arrived. He went to the warehouse and dumped the body where Darius was already in dragon form burning the remains. Thorn then walked outside to join the others.

“What a day,” Phelan said.

Aisley leaned back against the warehouse and nodded. “I thought we’d have made some sort of dent.”

“Rest while you can, because it’ll get worse tonight,” Con said.

Larena sat on a crate. “I didn’t realize there were so many Dark.”

“We must have killed several thousand,” Fallon said with a shake of his head. “Why do I feel like we didn’t even make them blink?”

“Because we didna,” Thorn said.

Guy clapped him on the shoulder as he walked past. “She’s fine, my friend. She’s on Dreagan.”

“Who’s there?” Thorn asked Con.

Con put on a T-shirt Guy handed him. “Kellan, of course. Cain, Arian, Roman, Anson, and Dmitri.”

So few. Con was King of Kings. He made decisions that he thought best for their race. But he had spread them too thin, especially knowing that the Dark had been seen outside of Dreagan.

“We would be there as well,” Guy added. “I’m glad we came though. You needed our help.”

“I’m no’ denying that.” Thorn ran a hand through his hair. If only he could talk to Lexi and know that she was all right.

“Rhi,” Phelan suddenly said.

They all turned and found the Light Fae sitting on a stack of crates with one leg crossed over the other. The hilt of her sword could be seen sticking up behind her right shoulder. She swung her leg casually and rested her hands on either side of her legs on the crate. It didn’t seem to faze her that her shirt was riddled with holes from Dark magic. “Hello, lovelies.” She then cut her eyes to Con. “And asshole.”

Con turned his back to her. Thorn watched as Con pulled his cuff links out of his pocket and held them in his hand, rotating them in his palm.

“I hope you’ve all rested, because a storm is coming,” Rhi said and pointed upward.

“If only we could take to the skies,” Thorn said. “We could end this battle quickly.”

Guy frowned as he stared at the clouds and darkening sky. “Aye, but we can no’.”

“Why not?” Aisley asked. “The mortals are too busy either running or throwing themselves at the Dark. Use that to your advantage.”

“She has a point.” Con turned to face them as Darius walked out of the warehouse fastening a new pair of jeans. “It’ll be dark as well.”

“And raining,” Guy said, excitement showing in his pale brown eyes.

Darius raised a brow. “Lots of cloud cover.”

“The Dark would never expect it,” Thorn said, smiling for the first time in hours.

Con put the cuff links back in his pocket. “Thorn, you and I will take to the skies. Guy, you and Darius remain here fighting.”

“What about us?” Fallon asked.

Con replied, “How do you want to use your people, Fallon?”

Thorn bit back a smile. For all of Con’s faults, he recognized Fallon was a leader, a king, if you will, of the Warriors. He was letting Fallon make the decision on where to place his people. Not everyone would have been so gracious.

“Will he ever stop surprising me?” Darius asked in a whisper.

Thorn gave a shake of his head. “Likely no’.”

“Never,” Guy agreed.

Fallon gave a nod of appreciation. “Splitting up worked earlier. We’ll stick to that.”

Thorn noticed Rhi hadn’t said a word. She was looking to a spot off to her left with an expression of annoyance.

“What about Rhi?” Phelan asked.

Con shrugged, as if he couldn’t care less.

Rhi looked at Phelan and winked. “Oh, don’t worry, stud. I’ll find a group to fight.”

“You shouldn’t be by yourself,” Larena said.

Rhi smiled brightly. “That’s sweet. Really. But I’m a … was … a Queen’s Guard. They don’t stand a chance.”

Thorn glanced from Rhi to Con at Rhi’s news. If Con was as shocked as the rest of them, he hid it well.

“What does ‘was’ mean?” Guy asked.

Rhi jumped down off the crates, landing as gracefully as a cat wearing four-inch heels. “Exactly what I said, gorgeous.”

“Why did you leave the queen’s service?” Darius asked.

Rhi’s smile faltered. “I got tired of it. It’s time for a new chapter.”

Every King there knew it was a lie. The greatest achievement of Rhi’s life had been her service to the queen.

It was unheard of for a Fae to leave the Queen’s Guard. It was just as rare for the queen to dismiss someone as her Guard.

Rhi licked her lips and looked around at them. “The Dark are vain. Aisley, if you and Larena are up for it, I’ve got a plan we three could execute.”

“Name it,” Larena said.

Aisley smiled. “Count me in.”

“Wait,” Phelan said, but Aisley put a hand up to quiet him.

Thorn could well imagine Lexi doing the same to him.

“We each find a group of Dark and pretend to be just as enamored with them as the humans. Once we’re close enough, we kill them.”

Aisley nodded sharply. “I like it.”

“I doona,” Phelan stated with a look of dread.

Rhi walked up to him and patted his face as she looked at Fallon. “The best part is when you and Fallon jump in and start killing.”

“Now that I like,” Fallon said.

Thorn noticed how Con watched Rhi as she spoke. He couldn’t tell if Con liked her plan or not since it looked as if he’d eaten an entire plate of prunes.

“Let’s get in place then,” Con said.

Thorn walked to Rhi before she could disappear. He touched her arm to get her attention. She swung her head to him. “I wanted to thank you again for being there to help Lexi.”

“It’s my pleasure, gorgeous,” she said. Then her gaze softened a fraction. “She’s pretty.”

“Aye.”

“Am I to assume by your interest that Lexi is yours?”

Thorn looked at the sky as he thought of their night together. “I doona know.”

“That’s answer enough.”

“Is it?” Thorn lowered his gaze back to Rhi. “When it comes to Lexi I know the best thing to do would be to let her go and have her memories wiped again. But the thought of her gone is … devastating.”

Rhi’s silver eyes widened. “You’ve already wiped her memories?”

“She got them back.”

Rhi gaped at him for long moments. “What?”

“I know. That’s what brought Con here.”

The Light Fae’s gaze slid to Con who was talking with Fallon. “What did he do?”

“Nothing.”

Rhi made a face. “Nothing? Are you sure we’re talking about the same jerk?”

Thorn smiled as he nodded. “The verra one.”

“Look, stud, I know none of this is my business, but if you’ve had Guy take her memories and she got them back, that’s telling you something.” She started to turn away and stopped. Rhi looked back at him and gave an exasperated shake of her head. “Perhaps I’m not the one to give advice. I’ve always said to follow your heart, and that has gotten me nowhere. Maybe I should say protect yourself at all costs.”

“Rhi,” Thorn said, not liking the way she was talking. It was almost as if she were saying she was giving up on her Dragon King. No. That just couldn’t be possible.

“If you hunger for her more than you want to be in the sky as a dragon, and if you crave her on a level that goes so deep it physically hurts, then that’s a warning, Thorn. For a select few, they get their happily ever after.” Rhi blinked rapidly.

Thorn could only stare at the vibrant Fae who was being torn in two. It made him want to punch the King into the next century for being such a prick to let something so precious as Rhi and their love go.

“There are some who never experience it. The worst, the absolute saddest, get a taste of that wonderful life only to have it ripped so viciously from our grasp.” Her smile was sad and pitiful. “You want to know a secret? You want to know how I survived Balladyn’s torture and the Chains of Mordare?”

Thorn nodded slowly, knowing in his gut that he wasn’t going to like what he heard.

“None of it came close to the pain I’ve been living with for all these centuries.” Rhi laughed and lowered her head. Then she whispered, “It’s killing me.”

In a blink, she was gone. Thorn could only stare at the place she had been. They had all been such fools to think that Rhi was soldiering on always waiting for her King to remember why they had fallen in love.

But Rhi knew something none of them had accepted yet—her King had already given up on her.

“You know who the bastard is,” Phelan said as he walked up. “Do you no’?”

Thorn didn’t pretend not to know what the Warrior referred to. “I do.”

“Tell me his name.”

Thorn faced him to look into Phelan’s blue gray eyes. “If Rhi willna tell you, then neither will I.”

Phelan took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Rhi is my family. I know all the Light are supposed to be, but it’s really only Rhi. She’s been there for me and Aisley during the most difficult times. I need to help her.”

“You are. She knows she can come to you. Doona pressure her, Phelan. Everyone else is. And trust me, you doona want to know who it is. It makes everything worse.”

“If you had a sister, would you no’ do everything in your power to make her sadness go away? Would you no’ want to hurt the man responsible for breaking her heart?”

It felt as if someone had slammed their fist in Thorn’s chest. Memories he hadn’t allowed to surface in millions of years began to shift and move. “I did have a sister.”

Phelan glanced away. “I didna know.”

“You couldna have. Believe it or no’, I do understand. I sent my sister and my family away to protect them. I have to trust that they’re all right. I had to push thoughts of them aside and focus on my duties as King, because if I didna, I’d have gone daft with worry.”

“But Rhi is here.”

“Aye. She lost her family and her King in short order. It almost killed her, Phelan. It wasn’t long after that her world crumbled again when Balladyn disappeared. You’re her family now. Be the shoulder she needs. When the time comes, she’ll tell you who it is.”

Phelan closed his eyes as he shook his head, battling with what he wanted and what he knew he should do. He opened his eyes and looked at Thorn. “Tell me if I’ve met him.”

Thorn clapped him on the shoulder as he walked off. Some things were better off not said.