Текст книги "Passion Ignites"

Автор книги: Donna Grant

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 19 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

CHAPTER

THIRTY-NINE

Lexi opened her eyes, her brain foggy. She blinked several times and looked around the room again, noticing more. It was large, spacious, and too lavish for her tastes.

Whoever lived here had money. And they wanted to make sure everyone knew it.

It was still dark outside. She brought her hand to her head. It ached terribly. What she wouldn’t give for an aspirin.

“Finally awake, I see,” said a male voice laced with humor in a refined British accent.

Lexi stiffened and tightened her hands on the blanket. She sat up, the leather couch creaking as she made sure she was covered. Flames danced in the fireplace as a man in a dark suit sat in the leather chair opposite her. He had a glass of liquor in one hand that rested on the arm of the chair. She looked into his face that appeared red and gold from the firelight to find him watching her.

She swallowed, remembering how someone had held her as they poured much of it down her throat. There had to have been something else in it because she had passed out.

Whatever they did, it stopped what Taraeth had been doing to her. Lexi almost thanked them. But this man couldn’t be a friend of the Kings if he knew Taraeth well enough to have been brought a “present.”

“I hear you have spirit. Did you use it all on Taraeth and his men?” the man asked with a chuckle.

Lexi sat back on the couch. “Will you let me go?”

“Heavens, no,” he said. “Why would I do that?”

“Because I’m no one’s property.”

He leaned forward and smiled like a wolf about to devour a lamb. His gold eyes crinkled in the corners, as if he had been waiting for her to say just those words. “Oh, but you are now. Taraeth took you. The Dark don’t easily hand such a prize over. Especially not with a mate of a Dragon King.”

“As I told Taraeth, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Dragon King.” She snorted and rolled her eyes. “There’s no such thing as dragons. Now, Fae? Obviously that’s a different kettle of fish altogether.”

He cocked his head to the side. “How do you know of the Fae?”

“They killed my friend.” Lexi shrugged. The act had nearly gotten her free the first time and might work now. “I wanted revenge.”

“Revenge, hmm?” He sat back in the chair and regarded her. “We know something about that, don’t we?”

“Aye.”

Lexi’s gaze jerked to a dark place over her host’s left shoulder. Someone was there and she hadn’t even known it. She searched the shadows, but she couldn’t make out anything about the man.

The man before her motioned with his hand with the drink in it. “Please. Go on. I’m dying to hear the rest.”

Lexi pulled her gaze away from the shadow. “I saw two men fighting the Red Eyes. That’s what I called them before I knew. These two men were killing the Dark, so I started following them as well.”

“And they didna know it?” asked the shadow.

Lexi shook her head. “No. I did that for several days before I overheard them talking about the Fae and how this was a second war with them. The men seemed confident of winning.”

“I bet they did,” the man in the chair said with an evil smile.

“After that, I noticed that more and more Dark were popping up all over the place. I missed my flight back to the States, and the roads were clogged with cars. So I ran out of the city. I kept off the roads and stuck to going across country.”

“Where were you headed?” the man asked.

Lexi lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Anywhere that was away from Edinburgh. I thought if I could get somewhere safe I could call the authorities. Then I got caught in the rain.”

“And you just happened to be on Dreagan?” he asked with brows raised, his starkly handsome face half lit by the fire.

It was really sad to see someone so good-looking be wicked. He might not have hurt her, but she could see it in his eyes. The man was malicious. He delighted in crushing the weak, savored in defeating the vulnerable.

“I had no map. I ran as far as I could, then I walked and ran some more.” It was time to sprinkle in some truth, Lexi decided. “I saw firsthand what the Dark could do. I wanted no part in it. As for where I ended up, I was thankful someone found me and gave me a place to get out of the rain.”

She looked down at the blanket around her. “As you can see, I removed my clothes to dry. The man gave me a blanket to warm up with.”

“Oh, that I know to be true.”

Now that confused Lexi. How would he know one thing but not others? Nothing about this entire experience made sense.

“The Dark found me and asked me the same questions you have,” she finished.

The man smiled as he lifted the glass to his wide lips and took a drink. She noticed the hint of gray at his temples. “That is an amazing tale. You’re going to stick with the story that you’re not a mate to a Dragon King, I suppose.”

“Dragons don’t exist.”

The shadow snorted. “And Fae doona either.”

Lexi wasn’t sure what to do or say. She was backed into a corner now, and there was nowhere for her to go.

The man rose from his seat and walked to a desk. He grabbed an open laptop and set it on the large wooden coffee table in front of her. He turned it toward her and motioned with his head. “Watch it.”

Intrigued, Lexi scooted to the edge of the sofa. She poked an arm out of the blanket and hit play on the video that was on the screen.

Shock reverberated through her as she saw dragons flying and shifting into men before shifting back again. Her mouth fell open when she saw the claret dragon.

Thorn.

He shifted and ran into the shop where she had been. Lexi put a hand over her mouth. He had come for her. She hadn’t expected him to, but he had come.

When the video ended, Lexi raised her gaze to the man who stood watching her as she dropped her arm to her lap. It was time for another Oscar performance. “I’m supposed to believe that is real?”

“You should,” he said. “It’s Dreagan. You were taken from that very spot.”

“Whoever did this is very good with computer graphics. It looks almost real.”

The man smiled and glanced at the shadow. “It’s very real.”

Lexi looked down at the screen that showed a picture of Thorn in dragon form. His mouth was open, and she could imagine his deafening roar.

She had seen him before, but now she got an uninterrupted view of his deep wine scales. There were short brow horns and another horn atop his nose. His tail was equipped with a stinger on the end that looked like a scorpion tail.

The sheer size of him was awesome and frightening. She had seen him up close, looked into his teal dragon eyes. Lexi was taken aback. How had she not remembered the color of his eyes in dragon form before?

She tore her gaze away from the screen. “What are you going to do with me?”

“Your Dragon King will be looking for you. He’ll search the world over, but he’ll never find you.” The man chuckled and lifted the glass to his lips again. “I find that infinitely humorous.”

“How many times do I need to tell you? I don’t have a Dragon King. This video proves nothing. Things like this are faked all the time.”

The man took a drink. “To him, you’ll have just disappeared. I think it’ll be fun to make him think you betrayed him.”

Like what happened with Ulrik. Lexi looked at him with new eyes. Was she sitting before the banished Dragon King?

“You’re going to keep me prisoner here?” she asked, appalled.

He nodded and sat down as he set aside his empty glass. “Yes, I am. You’re lucky that I have a lover at the moment. I’m sure there will come a time when I’ll take you. And I’ll warn you, mortal, I like it rough.”

“You have no right to keep me here.”

He stood up in a rush. “I have every right!”

His face was contorted red with rage. He slowly unclenched his hands and adjusted his suit jacket before he buttoned one button.

“You should kill me now,” she said.

He paused as he began to walk off. His gaze was curious as he looked back at her. “Why?”

“Because there will come a time when you have your guard down. That’s when I’ll kill you.”

“Good luck with that.” He walked around the coffee table and leaned down so that his face was inches from hers. “You see, I can’t die. Nothing you can do to me will kill me.”

“Everything can be killed.”

Everything but a Dragon King. Lexi had her confirmation. This had to be Ulrik.

She got to her feet as he straightened and walked away. “I have friends and family who will search for me,” she hollered after him as he walked from the room.

A thick arm came around her, pinning her back against a hard chest. In her anger she had forgotten the man in the shadows.

“There’s no use in yelling,” he said.

Lexi shook her head. “He can’t do this. This can’t be happening.”

“You’re a mate.” His voice was flat, devoid of emotion. “It was a nice try lying, but I saw your face in the video. You recognized one of them. He thought it was shock. But I saw the truth.”

Lexi wanted to cry she was so frustrated. How could everything be going so wrong? Thorn had warned her. He’d told her to get away, but she had fought the memory wipe. And look where she ended up.

“Who is it?” the shadow asked.

Lexi lifted her chin, refusing to speak.

“There are only a few dragons shown. One I know is already mated. It’s easy to narrow it down. If I send word to the others that we have you, which one will come? Because he will. Nothing will be able to stop him.”

Lexi closed her eyes. She wanted to stop his words, to block them out. Yet they had already been heard and lodged in her brain.

“Do you really want to know what we’ll do with him?” the shadow asked. “It willna be pretty. You know he can no’ be killed except by another Dragon King. But you already knew that, did you no’?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

The words were there, but they didn’t carry the conviction she’d hoped to convey. She had no control over her fear for herself and Thorn.

“You do,” the shadow said. “We’re no’ the only ones who would be delighted to have a Dragon King. The Dark want another. They have a way of torturing the Kings until they lose their minds. The Kings go utterly mad. That’s when the Dark release them and these demented Kings begin killing other Kings.”

“Why are you doing this?” she demanded as she opened her eyes, turning her head to try and see him. All she saw was long black hair.

He leaned his mouth next to her ear. “Revenge.”

“Please release me. I just want to go home.”

“You should’ve run faster, Lexi. You should’ve stayed far away from the Dark. But most of all, you should never have fallen for your Dragon King. It’ll only bring you misery and death. Humans and Kings were never meant to mix.”

CHAPTER

FORTY

“Rhi!” Thorn shouted as he stood outside of the manor.

She was his only chance for getting to Taraeth’s palace. Since only the Fae could see the doorways, he had to have her.

“You’ve been calling to her for half an hour,” Kellan said as he walked up to stand against the fence. “She’s no’ coming.”

“She has to.” Thorn gripped the fence tightly.

They stood shoulder to shoulder in the night. “Perhaps you might want to think about what Shara said.”

“Would you give up on Denae?” Thorn demanded as he jerked his head to Kellan.

Kellan looked down at the ground for a moment. “You know I wouldna. Thorn, are you sure she’s your mate?”

“Aye, though I doona know if she’ll have me. That matters no’. I gave her my protection. I promised her that she would be safe with me.”

Kellan nodded slowly. “She was smart to try and make them believe it was by coincidence that she was here. It might work. If they doona think she’s a mate, then there’s a chance they willna take her quickly.”

The thick board snapped in Thorn’s hold as he imagined Taraeth—or any Dark—touching Lexi.

“If Rhi willna come, there’s another way,” Kellan said. He looked over his shoulder to where Fallon stood leaning against the side of the manor.

The tightening around Thorn’s chest eased a fraction. “Of course. Phelan.”

They were walking to Fallon when Rhi appeared in front of them. She put her hand on Thorn’s chest to halt him, her silver eyes flashing dangerously.

“You’ll leave Phelan out of this. The Dark don’t know he’s half-Fae, and it’s going to remain that way,” she said in a voice thick with anger.

Thorn gently took her hand and removed it from his chest. “I must find Lexi.”

The Light Fae swallowed, a frown marking her brow. “I can find out where she’s being held.”

Thorn wasn’t a fool. There was some kind of price involved. “How much is this going to cost you?”

“I can handle it.”

Thorn grabbed her arm and looked into her eyes. “Nay. Just lead me to the doorway. I’ll find Lexi.”

Rhi smiled sadly. “You could be searching Taraeth’s palace for weeks and never find her. Not to mention the Dark guarding the doorways. You would do Lexi no good if they capture you.”

“Rhi, you doona understand. I—”

“I do,” she interrupted him. “I understand perfectly. They took Lexi on the off chance she was a mate. They’re planning on you coming for her.”

“It’s a trap,” Kellan said.

Rhi glanced at him and nodded. “We’ve been lucky in getting Kellan, Tristan, and Kiril out of the Darks’ grasp. Do you really want to attempt a fourth try?”

“I doona know what to do. I just need her back.” Thorn released Rhi and turned away. He stared up at the sky.

Things used to be simple. All he’d cared about was keeping his Clarets in line and spending as much time as he could in the sky. There was nothing as wonderful as feeling the sun on his scales as he soared.

“I’ll find where she’s being kept,” Rhi promised.

He didn’t need to look behind him to know she was gone. Thorn didn’t like putting Rhi in that position, but he had to get to Lexi.

Once Lexi was back in his arms Thorn would help Rhi with whatever she needed.

*   *   *

Rhi returned to the desert and whispered Balladyn’s name. She stood with her back to the Fae doorway, unsure how she felt about talking to Balladyn again so soon after their last encounter.

“Rhi.”

Her name was a caress falling from his lips. She closed her eyes, a mixture of feelings she was unsure of swirling through her as rapidly as a tornado.

It had been so long since anyone looked at her like Balladyn did. He didn’t try to hide his craving. It was the love she still held for her King that kept her from him.

But Balladyn was whittling away at the wall around her heart.

He came up behind her and moved her hair over one shoulder. Her flesh tingled at his soft touch. Then his breath brushed against her bare neck.

How wonderful it would be to lean back against him, to lay her head upon his shoulder and feel his arms around her. She was a Fae who longed to be loved and held.

A woman who hungered to be needed.

To be desired.

His hands came to rest on her arms, caressing down to her hands. Her senses were in a riot as he leaned his head against hers.

She shivered when his lips brushed against her ear. A rush of breath fell from her mouth. No one had touched her as tenderly since … since her King.

It had been eons of time. She needed to be touched, to be reminded that she was a woman. The temptation to give herself to Balladyn was so strong. To have someone caress her body and bring her release was as enticing as Balladyn’s seduction.

He placed a kiss against the side of her neck just beneath and behind her ear. “I dream of you,” he whispered. “Every night I dream of us together.”

This had to stop. She couldn’t let him go on. Because if she did … she would give in.

If she let him take her, Balladyn would never be satisfied with just one night. He wanted it all.

She wanted … Rhi didn’t know what she wanted anymore. The longer Balladyn touched her, the more clouded her thoughts became.

Rhi stepped away and turned to look at him. His red eyes blazed with desire, a need so deep and palpable that it made it difficult for her to breathe.

One side of his mouth lifted in a satisfied smile. “You’re not immune to me then. Why fight this? You know we would be amazing together.”

“Stop,” she said and closed her eyes as she turned her head away.

“You called me, pet. You let me touch you. I can sense the need within you. Let me ease your body.”

She shook her head. “Balladyn. Please.”

If he pushed, she would give in. She was that close to the edge. Her loneliness and solitude had gone on too long. All these centuries she shunned everyone as she waited for her King.

And what had it gotten her?

Heartache. Despair.

Hopelessness.

“What is it, Rhi?” Balladyn pressed in a voice filled with tenderness and tinged with worry.

She nearly broke down in tears when his seductive voice was gone. The kindness she heard meant that he saw how she teetered, but he didn’t take advantage. It was the perfect opportunity for him. Why didn’t he swoop in for the kill?

Rhi looked at him in confusion.

Balladyn took a step to her and touched her cheek. “I want you with a desperation that saps my very breath. I’ve waited thousands of years for us to be together. I want you to come to me, sweet Rhi. It’s your decision.” He wiped at the corner of her eye and the tear that gathered. “No more tears. Tell me why you called me.”

Ever since Balladyn had told her he loved her, she wondered how she had ever missed it. It was there in every action, every look. Every word.

No wonder he had hated her so fiercely when he turned Dark. That love turned to hate, and somehow, back to love again.

If she continued to think about Balladyn and his claim of love, she would forget why she called him. Rhi pushed aside her tumultuous feelings and focused on the task at hand.

“You said you would do anything to have me, right?” Rhi asked. If she was going to get her answers, she had to use his feelings against him.

Balladyn lowered his hand to his side. “I would.”

“What if I was taken by someone?”

His face went hard, rage barely leashed shone in his eyes. “Are you talking about the Reapers?”

“What if I was? Would you come after me?”

“Nothing would stop me from finding you,” he stated angrily.

She glanced at the ground, feeling her follower’s eyes on her again. Was he enjoying all that he saw? “Then you can understand what a King is going through looking for Lexi.”

Balladyn blinked, his face going blank in a heartbeat. He took a step back as he looked at her in confusion. “You want me to betray my king?”

“I want you to help me,” she implored. “You were at Dreagan. I was told you carried Lexi out. You know where she is.”

For long moments, Balladyn stood staring at her. Finally, he released a breath. “It’s a place a King would never expect to look.”

Rhi felt the tension ease from her shoulders. “I should’ve known Taraeth wouldn’t bring her to his palace. It’s too obvious.”

“Why do you continue to help the Kings, pet?”

She shrugged, wondering why there was no heat in his words. Rhi knew how deep his hatred of them went. “Probably the same reason I know I can come to you for help.”

“I’m Dark, pet. Or have you forgotten?”

Rhi looked into the face that had been a major part of her life. She walked to him and rested her hand on his cheek as she met his gaze. It wasn’t hard to look past the red eyes and remember the Fae who had stood by her side for so many years.

She needed to remember the monster he had become in order to keep from throwing her arms around him. “How can I ever forget? You tortured me. You tried to take my Light.”

“Is this why you let me touch you? You were using me to get information?” he asked furiously.

Rhi dropped her hand and shook her head as she turned away. She took a few steps and stopped, wrapping her arms around herself. “No. I intended to ask you first thing, but then … you touched me.”

“I can’t tell you where the mortal is being held. Even if I wanted to.”

“I know.” It had been a long shot, but she thought maybe Balladyn could help.

“Taraeth would know it was me. We’re the only two who went there. He’d kill me.”

Rhi nodded. “I understand. There’s someone else I can ask who will find her.”

Balladyn was suddenly in front of her. His grip was tight on her upper arms as he looked at her as if he couldn’t decide whether to kiss her or strangle her. “You’ve always twisted me about.”

His head lowered and he placed a hard kiss against her lips. He held her there, breathing in deep, before he released her and stepped back.

“The mortal was a gift to a Dragon King,” he said. He touched her face with such longing that it took her breath away.

Then he was gone.

Rhi whirled around looking for him. She clutched her stomach, more confused than ever before. He had given her the information, but she wouldn’t allow him to die because of it.

She teleported back to Dreagan Manor and appeared in the foyer where Fallon was talking to Larena. When the leader of the Warriors noticed her, Rhi said, “I need Broc.”

Without a word, Fallon was gone. Rhi looked up as she heard a crash above her. She took a moment and glanced around the manor. It was quiet, as if everyone was afraid to breathe. The tension in the manor was off the charts.

Rhi walked toward the kitchen and peeked inside to see the females sitting around the table talking in whispers. The strain on their faces spoke volumes.

She veiled herself and teleported to Con’s office. He stood staring out the windows appearing as calm as he usually did. His office, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely.

The crash she heard was him. Papers littered the floor. His sword lay on his desk after he’d cleaved a chair in two. The crystal decanter and glasses were shattered.

“I know you’re here,” he said.

Rhi unveiled herself. The sarcastic remark she had been about to make died on her tongue. “What happened?”

“You must be the only one who hasna seen it.”

“Seen what?”

Con pointed to the laptop on its side on the floor without turning around. Rhi picked it up and set it on his desk. She saw a video filling the entire screen.

“Play it,” he urged.

Rhi hit the play button. In moments, she saw Kellan flying around Dreagan. It just got worse from there as she saw herself, Malcolm, Shara, and more Dragon Kings. By the time the video ended, she couldn’t find words.

“Everything I’ve done to protect us erased in a single night.” Con’s voice held a barely restrained fury. “Every eye in the world is trained on Dreagan now. I had to pull the Kings off patrol because there are planes and helicopters flying over us since our restricted airspace has been revoked.”

Rhi closed the laptop softly. So this is what the Dark had been about. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ve two choices.” Con turned to look at her. “We can leave. Or we can fight.”

Rhi walked to stand before him and lifted a brow. “Fight. This is your realm.”

He studied her a moment, his face giving nothing away. “And the attention on us?”

Rhi rolled her eyes. “Always so dramatic. You might have enemies, King of Kings, but you also have allies. I shouldn’t have to remind you to use them. Now, pull your head from between your ass cheeks, and get moving.”

She didn’t wait for him to speak, but teleported back to the foyer where Fallon waited with Broc.