Текст книги "Passion Ignites"

Автор книги: Donna Grant

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Текущая страница: 20 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

CHAPTER

FORTY-ONE

Lexi sat on the bed against the headboard with her knees tucked. The room had everything she needed. Except her freedom.

The shadow had brought her up here before giving her a shove inside. Lexi spun around to get a look at his face, but the door closed, lock turning, before she got that chance.

As soon as she spotted the windows, she ran to them and looked down. She was on the third floor. From her view, she could see miles of open land before her. All she had to do was get free.

Lexi prepared to jump from the window. Only when she attempted to open it, it wouldn’t budge. She even threw a stool at it in order to break the glass, but the stool didn’t put a dent in it. It was the same for the small window in the bathroom.

She was well and truly locked away.

With nothing more to do, Lexi took a long shower. When she got out, there were clothes and a tray of food on the bed.

She briefly thought of refusing the food, but if there was ever a chance of escape, she was going to need her strength. She devoured everything while she began to plot.

*   *   *

Thorn stood outside the manor and stared at the sky as dawn broke over Dreagan. They were grounded. Every Dragon King was prohibited from shifting and taking to the skies.

It happened once before during the war with the mortals. The Kings had taken to their mountains and slept. All of them except Con. He had remained awake and protected Dreagan.

Of all the Kings, he was the only one who had never slept. Thorn wasn’t sure how Con got through the years. Sleeping away centuries was the only way Thorn had been able to deal with everything.

Millions of years later, they were right back in that same scenario. The difference was that this time there were billions of humans, and they had the technology to catch them in dragon form.

Dreagan would be under a microscope as the world waited to see if they were indeed dragons. All they could hope for was that the authorities didn’t come onto Dreagan.

MI5 tried it once before and used Denae to do it. At least the Kings would be prepared for it this time. It was easy enough to conceal the caves and anything else they didn’t want to be found with their magic.

But for how long would they have to endure being grounded? It would take decades before Dreagan stopped being watched—if they were lucky.

“Thorn,” Rhi said.

He turned to find Broc and Fallon following her. Thorn hurried to them, hope springing anew. “Did you find where Lexi is?”

“I did,” she said. “Taraeth doesn’t have her. None of the Dark do. She was given to a Dragon King as a gift.”

Thorn shook his head, unable to believe it. “Ulrik? They gave her to Ulrik?”

“It appears so,” Rhi said and turned to Broc. “I hoped I wouldn’t have to involve the Warriors, but I’ve no choice. Can you find Lexi?”

Broc turned his dark gaze to Thorn. “Of course.”

Thorn watched as the Warrior closed his eyes and used his power. Broc was able to find anyone, anywhere. As they waited, Thorn slid his gaze to Rhi.

Who had she spoken with to discover that Lexi had been taken to Ulrik? A bad feeling swirled that it was Balladyn. And if Rhi was going to Balladyn, did that mean she had given up on her King? If Balladyn told her Lexi was with Ulrik, why hadn’t he also told Rhi exactly where that was?

Rhi felt his stare and turned her head to him. “Don’t ask,” she said in a low voice. “It doesn’t matter who I got the information from.”

“It does if it puts you in danger.”

“I’m not in any sort,” she said. Her gaze skated away as if she were thinking of someone. “They won’t hurt me.”

Thorn’s lips flattened. It was Balladyn. If the Dark managed to get Rhi’s affections then it changed everything.

Thorn leaned down and whispered, “Be careful.”

“I’m always careful,” she said flippantly.

Thorn turned her to face him. He started to warn her against staying away from Balladyn. Then he remembered it was Rhi he was talking to. Nothing could break her love for her King.

“I know what I’m doing,” Rhi said before he could speak.

Thorn dropped his hands. “If Rhys were here, he’d know what to say.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“What the bloody hell are you two going on about?” Fallon asked with a deeply furrowed brow.

Rhi turned away from Thorn and hastily replied, “Nothing.”

Thorn looked at Broc to find the Warrior straining, as if he were fighting against something. “Broc?”

“There’s magic,” the Warrior said through clenched teeth, his hands fisted at his sides and his muscles bunched. “They’re trying to hide her from me.”

“They?” Fallon asked worriedly.

Broc winced visibly. His skin turned indigo and huge, leathery wings sprouted from his back. He took a deep breath and released it along with a low growl.

“Shite,” Fallon whispered.

Thorn grabbed Broc and tossed him against the manor behind a tall screen of bushes in case there were humans watching, hoping to catch some paranormal event. The Warrior never opened his eyes. He was too busy fighting the magic blocking Lexi to notice they were dragging him inside the manor.

“Dragon magic,” Broc murmured hoarsely.

Thorn glanced at Rhi. He put his hands on Broc’s shoulders. “Hold on. I doona know how this is going to work.”

Then Thorn pushed his magic into Broc.

The Warrior bellowed long and loud in agony before he fell to his knees. Thorn looked up as a door flew open and others rushed to them.

Rhi stopped them, even as Con came down the stairs. Thorn met Con’s gaze, waiting for Con to order him to stop. Not that Thorn would.

Con merely closed the distance and asked, “What’s blocking Broc’s power?”

“Dragon magic,” Thorn answered.

Con nodded and stood next to Broc. “How much more can you handle?”

Broc lifted his head and opened his eyes to look from Con to Thorn. “I’m almost through.”

To Thorn’s surprise, Con put a hand on Broc and used his own magic. Broc’s face contorted with pain, but he pushed through it, even as his body shook.

“Aberdeen!” Broc yelled.

Thorn and Con immediately released him. Thorn caught Broc as he began to fall over.

The Warrior sat back on his haunches and raised his head to Thorn. “She’s in Aberdeen. Harkan Manor.”

“Thank you.” Thorn clapped him on the back.

Broc gave him a weary smile. “Just doona ever do that to me again.”

Thorn straightened and looked at Con. “I’m going after her.”

“I expected nothing less. However, I’m coming with you.”

“No,” Rhi said. Everyone in the room looked at her. “It’s a trap.” Her gaze moved from Thorn to Con. “For you. They know you’ll help any of your Kings.”

Thorn sighed as his eyes skated to Con. “She may be right.”

Con’s black eyes went hard and emotionless. “I willna remain here hiding. If they want me, they can try and get me.”

“Ulrik wants to kill you,” Thorn reminded him.

Con snorted in derision. “He’s welcome to try. You willna be going after Lexi alone. Ulrik has already done enough damage with his little stunt with Rhys. I’ll no’ have another of my Kings harmed.”

“Then it doesna matter who goes,” Fallon said as he helped Broc to his feet. “Ulrik will try to kill or capture whoever it is. It’s better if you doona go unaccompanied, Thorn.”

With that, Fallon teleported Broc back to MacLeod Castle.

“Thorn won’t be going alone,” Rhi stated.

Con’s gaze swiveled to Rhi. “No’ a good idea.”

“I’m not asking permission. You aren’t my king,” she said with a cutting glance. Rhi then turned to Thorn. “Ready?”

“All three of us are going,” Con declared in a cool voice.

Thorn pulled out the Fae knife at his waist. “The more the better.”

Rhi rolled her eyes and touched both of them. In the next blink, they were in a cluster of woods atop a hill looking down at a house.

“I’d like some warning next time,” Con said and shrugged off her hand as he turned his head away.

Rhi smiled and said in a high-pitched baby voice, “Aw. What’s the matter with the big, bad dragon? Is his tummy yucky?”

“Rhi,” Thorn said, shaking his head while biting back a smile.

The Light Fae rolled her eyes. “If I’d waited, every King there would’ve wanted to come. We needed to leave right then.”

Con turned and gave her a glacial stare. “You’re no’ in charge.”

“Keep thinking you are if it makes you feel better,” she said with a flip of her hair.

Thorn whirled on both of them. “Enough,” he ground out. “I’m here for Lexi. If you want to help, great. If no’, then shut the fuck up and leave.”

Both Con and Rhi stared silently at him.

Thorn let out a breath. “While both of you were arguing, I counted six Dark along the perimeter.”

“Seven,” Con said and motioned to the house with his head.

Thorn looked at the manor and saw another on the roof that he had missed. “Seven then. We need to take them out one at a time.”

“That won’t be easy,” Rhi said. She pointed to the back of the house with a jagged fingernail. “See how they stay within eyesight of each other?”

Thorn ran a hand down his face. “As much as I want to fight Ulrik, I’d rather get Lexi in and out without him even knowing we are here.”

“If anyone is fighting him, it’s me,” Con announced. “But it willna be here. We’ll get Lexi. I’ll have my day with Ulrik soon enough.”

Thorn’s gaze was on the manor. “Hold on, Lexi. I’m coming.”

CHAPTER

FORTY-TWO

Lexi paced the room. The food had been delicious, and she ate every bite. Exhaustion was wearing on her, however. Fear kept her stress levels high, knotting her shoulder muscles so she couldn’t relax.

She replayed the shadow’s words to her over and over in her head. Dragons and humans weren’t meant to mix. If that were true, why did Dragon Kings mate with humans?

The door was thrown open to reveal a young twentysomething man with dark hair. His eyes were filled with hatred, as if he couldn’t stand to look at her. He might have been considered attractive except for the blatant loathing.

“I can’t believe our luck,” he said in an English accent dripping with callousness. “The Dark gifted us with a mate.”

Lexi rolled her eyes. “How many times do I have to say that I’m not a mate?”

The man folded his arms over his chest and filled the doorway. “I knew a mate. She was a bitch of the first order. I helped kill her.” He laughed, the sound cruel and icy. “She was my sister.”

Lexi thought she might be sick, her stomach rolled so viciously. She knew there were people like this out in the world, but to come face-to-face with one was beyond disturbing. It made her want to get as far from him as she could.

He walked into the room, tracking her as she backed up until her legs hit the bed. He loomed over her with a smirk she was dying to wipe from his face.

Lexi was boxed in, his tall frame coming in contact with hers. She slapped his hand away when he tried to touch her cheek. Then he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked backward hard enough to wring a cry from her.

“I hear the dragons are good lovers,” he said with his face breaths from hers. “I’m not going to be kind or gentle. I’m going to take you rough and hard, and I’m going to make it last for hours.”

He yanked her sweater off her arm, ripping it at the seam so that it hung open, showing her breast. The man smiled wickedly.

“Even if somehow your King found you, by the time I’m finished with you, you’ll never let him touch you again.”

Lexi clawed at him, kicking and punching even as he held her at such an awkward position. She landed a couple of hits, which only made her throw more. The sick bastard had another thing coming if he thought she was going to meekly allow him to rape her.

Her knee came close to connecting with his balls. So close that he released his hold on her hair before backhanding her. “Bitch,” he growled.

Lexi hit the floor, her cheek feeling as if her bone had been shattered. She looked up at him, prepared to claw his eyes out if necessary.

“Leave, Kyle,” came a voice from the shadows.

Her shadow was back. Lexi didn’t think she would ever think she felt safe with him, but he was better than Kyle any day.

“He said I could have some fun,” Kyle said as he glanced over his shoulder. “Bedding a mate sounds more than fun.”

Lexi scooted away and got to her feet to put some distance between her and the psycho. She’d thought it was treacherous on the streets of Edinburgh with the Dark, but she was coming to realize just what Thorn had meant when he said that anyone who knew of the Dragon Kings was in grave peril.

“You’ll no’ touch her.”

The shadow’s voice had gone low, threatening. Dangerous. It even caused Lexi to shiver.

Kyle shifted so he could look into the shadows. “I don’t answer to you.”

The looming silence that followed was menacing.

Finally, Kyle lost his nerve. He sneered at her. “I wouldn’t want to sully myself with anyone who has let a dragon touch them.”

He pivoted and stalked out of the room, leaving the door open. Lexi hesitated for a moment before she decided to take a chance and make a run for it. She barely took one step before the shadow’s voice stopped her cold.

“Doona even try.”

Lexi glared into the darkness where he hid. “Why did you stop Kyle?”

“It’s wasna out of the goodness of my heart, I can assure you.”

“Then why?” she pressed.

“Perhaps I want to save you for myself.”

Lexi swallowed as she heard the callousness of his voice. “Let me see your face.”

“You appear brave, human, but I think it’s all a show. Besides, you doona want to see me.”

“Why?”

“Because if you do, I’ll have to kill you.”

She decided not to press any further. “I’ll get free. I’m going to—”

“What?” he interrupted with a dry chuckle. “Kill us? Kyle has already died. The Dragon Kings killed him. He was brought back from the dead.”

“That’s impossible,” she said with a frown.

“You’ve seen magic. You know it’s far from impossible.”

“He’s evil.”

There was a smile in the shadow’s voice as he said, “That he is.”

“I don’t sense that in you.”

“Then you’re an even bigger fool than I first thought. I’m worse than Kyle. Much worse,” he said with his voice dipping low.

Lexi couldn’t give up on getting free. She thought of Thorn and his claret scales. He was powerful and deadly. He came for her at Dreagan.

But he had no idea where she was now.

“Hope is dying within you,” the shadow said. “You’d be better off to let it die a quick death, mortal. No Dragon King will come for you. Because this is one place they would never think to look.”

“Go away,” Lexi said and turned her back to him.

None of this would be happening if she had gotten on the plane and returned to Charleston. But she hadn’t been able to leave Thorn. Even now in her dire predicament, she thought of him, hoping he might find her.

She heard the door close and lock. Lexi squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. She was a modern woman. She had lived on her own for many years not waiting on anyone to save her.

Though she was lacking in the magic department, there was always a way to get away. She would find it herself, no matter how long it took or what she had to endure.

Then she would find Thorn and throw her arms around him.

*   *   *

Balladyn stood looking over Mikkel’s Aberdeen estate from the cover of trees. Dark Fae were visible as they patrolled the manor from the flat roof and ground.

It sickened him to have his race at the beck and call of Mikkel. As much as he hated Ulrik, the King of the Silvers had never asked for such assistance. Taraeth had a plan, and Balladyn suspected it was one that was going to get many of the Dark killed.

What concerned Balladyn now was the fact Rhi was near. Mikkel was a vicious bastard. He would delight in capturing Rhi. It wasn’t that Balladyn worried about her being hurt. Rhi had enough power within her to rip Mikkel to shreds a dozen times over.

The problem was that Rhi didn’t always use her magic as she should.

Lexi was at the estate, which meant Rhi wouldn’t use the very thing that could prevent Mikkel catching her.

Balladyn blew out a long breath. “Rhi. Why couldn’t you stay away?”

But it wasn’t in her nature. She saved. It was part of who she was, her very essence. It was what drew him to her from the very beginning.

Just once he would like her to let the Kings fight their own battles. As long as she continued to help them, it proved she was still very much in love with her King.

Balladyn wasn’t giving up on her though. Once she was able to stop hanging on to a love that no longer existed, then she would begin listening to her body and accept him.

She wanted him. He had sensed it the last few times he was with her. When she allowed him to touch her, to place a soft kiss on her neck, Balladyn had known things were shifting his way.

“Did your master send you, dog?”

Balladyn jerked, a low growl rumbling in his chest as he turned his head to find Ulrik leaning nonchalantly against a tree with his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “I figured Mikkel would’ve had you on a tight leash.”

“I could say the same about you.” Ulrik’s gold eyes narrowed a fraction. “Unless Taraeth didn’t send you.”

“I do my own thing, Dragon. More than I can say for you.”

Ulrik pushed away from the tree and removed his hands from his pockets. “You’re no’ here because of the mortal.”

“As if I care that the human is a mate to a King or not.”

“But you and I both know she is. Do you know who?”

Balladyn shook his head, finding no reason to lie.

Ulrik studied him a long moment. “That leaves only one other reason you’d be here. Rhi.”

Damn the bastard. Balladyn hadn’t expected anyone to see him. He was only there to make sure Mikkel stayed away from Rhi.

“Is that no’ interesting.” Ulrik looked at the house. “Did you tell her where the mortal was?”

“Never,” Balladyn stated firmly.

“You know how powerful Rhi is. She doesna need you looking out for her.”

Balladyn ground his teeth together. “Mind your own business.”

“She came to me asking me to stop the Dark from attacking the humans.”

Balladyn fisted his hands, refusing to let Ulrik know how much that bothered him. “Rhi has a soft spot for them.”

“They ruined my life.”

Balladyn heard the fury in Ulrik’s voice. “I’ll win Rhi.”

Ulrik shrugged. “Perhaps. Whichever side Rhi picks is sure to win.”

“That’s not why I want her.”

Ulrik looked at him with a bored expression. “Did Rhi come alone?”

Balladyn shook his head. “You know she didna.”

“How many Kings?”

Balladyn smiled then. “This isn’t my fight, Dragon.”

Ulrik’s entire demeanor changed. Gone was the relaxed, uncaring man. In his place was a warrior, one who was ready—and very willing—to kill.

Balladyn saw why Ulrik had been King of the Silvers. Mikkel had no idea what he was messing with. For the first time, Balladyn hoped he was around to see the battle between uncle and nephew, because it was sure to be vicious.

Ulrik’s gold gaze shifted to him. “Taraeth will think you gave away the location. You’d best get to his side. Irish.”

“If I’m there, he’ll assume I was a part of it. Why do you care anyway?”

Ulrik started toward the manor as he said, “Because you’re going to be the next king of the Dark.”

Balladyn remained where he was long after Ulrik left. The air around the manor had shifted. It was charged, waiting for the battle to begin.

The Dark patrolling sensed something was amiss, but they didn’t know what was about to come at them. Balladyn expected Ulrik to warn them, but by the quiet of the manor, not even the banished King had informed Mikkel.

Balladyn found that he wanted to join Rhi in battle. She was amazing to behold. There hadn’t been a single Fae—Light or Dark—that he wanted to fight beside except for her. With Rhi, he always knew she had his back.

They trained for so long together that each knew what the other was thinking without putting voice to words. It was a special bond that meant everything to him.

“I’ll not give up on you, Rhi,” he whispered.

She had no idea it was while he held her in his compound and she fought against his torture that she reminded him of everything that he had lost when he became Dark.

After she was his, he would tell her how stupid it had been for him to think that he wanted to hurt her. He had lived with evil and hate for so long that he hadn’t realized all he wanted was her.

And her love.

Soon he would tell her all that and more.