Текст книги "Passion Ignites"

Автор книги: Donna Grant

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Текущая страница: 21 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

CHAPTER

FORTY-THREE

Thorn yearned to shift into a dragon and bellow his fury. Thanks to the Dark and Ulrik, that was no longer possible.

He was still more than capable of freeing Lexi in human form. That was little comfort at the moment. Knowing she had been taken by the Dark, and then given to Ulrik, made his gut burn with anger.

“We need to time it just right,” Rhi said.

Thorn only wanted the battle to start, because it meant he was that much closer to Lexi.

“It willna take long for Ulrik to know we’ve attacked,” Con said. “He’ll go straight for Lexi and use her as a shield.”

“Ulrik doesn’t need a mortal as a shield,” Rhi said.

Con’s head slowly turned to the Fae. “How would you know?”

“Would you?” she retorted saucily.

A muscle ticked in Con’s jaw. “Nay.”

“Con has a point,” Thorn said. “Ulrik is likely to hurt Lexi.”

Rhi was shaking her head even before he finished. “He won’t.”

“What is it you know that we don’t?” Con demanded.

Rhi shrugged, but wouldn’t meet their gazes.

“We know it was Ulrik who brought Lily back from the dead,” Thorn said. “But we can no’ understand why he then tried to kill Darcy.”

Rhi visibly swallowed. “You’re talking as if I know.”

“Do you?” Con laced those two words with acid.

“I know as much as you.” Rhi held out her hand and her sword appeared.

“Whose side are you on?” Con’s black eyes were pinned on her. “Before we go down there, I think Thorn and I have a right to know.”

Rhi finally looked at Con. Her gaze was filled with disdain and contempt. “Everyone knows I think as highly of you as I do the mud on my boots.”

“You’ve been there for us many times,” Thorn intervened. He didn’t want to accuse Rhi of anything, but Con had a point. “No one is denying that fact. But Ulrik carried you out of Balladyn’s stronghold. Balladyn is the one who told you Lexi wasn’t with the Dark.”

Rhi’s silver eyes went hard. “If I ever align with Balladyn, you’ll know it because my eyes will be red.”

“And Ulrik?” Con pressed.

Rhi’s smile was mocking as she said, “I never knew he was such a great kisser.”

“You kissed him? Figures,” Con stated coolly.

Thorn turned his back on Con and caught Rhi’s eyes. “If you tell me you’re with me on this, then I believe you. Lexi’s life is at stake. I can’t lose her.”

“You won’t.” Rhi’s face softened as she inhaled deeply. “I use the tools given to me to gain information. For myself,” she said to Con as she leaned to the side and shot him a look. She then straightened and focused on Thorn. “Let’s go get Lexi.”

Thorn smiled at Rhi. The Light Fae had sacrificed so much for the Kings. She had been a true friend and ally to them in the past, but she was changing rapidly.

Balladyn was chasing her, and it now appeared that Ulrik was as well. If her King didn’t step up and set things right, Rhi would be lost to them forever. Because it didn’t matter if she chose Ulrik or Balladyn, either choice went against the Kings.

“I’ll deposit Con on the ground. You and I’ll take the roof,” she said.

Con looked at the flat-topped roof and the patrols. “There’s more Dark on the roof. If Thorn goes with you, he’ll be fighting Dark instead of looking for Lexi.”

“Fine. I’ll take Con,” she said, heaving a loud sigh.

“Ulrik is crafty,” Con warned Thorn. “Be ready for anything.”

Thorn stared at the estate. “Understood.”

Then he withdrew his dagger and nodded to Rhi. In the next instant Thorn was at the back of the manor facing a Dark. He plunged his dagger in the Fae’s neck and let him fall as Thorn spun and lunged to the next Dark that came running.

When that one collapsed, he found a door and opened it. Thorn had gotten only a few steps inside before two Dark came at him.

In the narrow hallway, he was limited to what he could do, but it also hindered the Dark. Thorn thrust the dagger upward through a Dark’s chin.

He yanked his blade out and pushed the now dead Dark against the other. Thorn leapt over the lifeless Fae and reached for the other’s chest to take out his heart.

Instead, he was hit with a double whammy of magic from the Fae with such force that he went flying backward. The pain was agonizing as the magic burned through his skin and into muscle and bone. Thorn gritted his teeth and got to his feet before he tore off his ruined shirt.

His chest was healing rapidly, but the poison in the magic would stay in his body for many hours to come. The next time the Fae threw magic, Thorn dodged it, but took the sound of the bubble and used his dragon magic to amplify it a hundred times over. Then he focused it directly at the Fae.

The Dark fell to his knees holding his ears as blood ran from them. Thorn drove the blade of his knife in the dark’s temple and twisted.

He kicked the Fae off his blade and stepped over him. There was an opening ahead. Thorn reached it and stepped into the foyer as five Dark appeared.

*   *   *

As always, Balladyn was in awe watching Rhi with her sword. She moved fluidly, sinuously. Almost erotically. Her body was supple, her movements both beautiful and deadly.

For long moments, he stared at her before he noticed who fought beside her. Constantine.

Balladyn was about to teleport to Rhi before he thought better of it. Rhi would assume he was fighting against her instead of with her. All he could do was watch her beside the King of Kings.

“Bastard,” he murmured.

Con’s day was coming. Balladyn had no doubt Ulrik would win. Vengeance and hate were powerful tools that could overcome insurmountable odds.

Balladyn took a step toward the estate as Rhi was hit with Dark magic. She stayed on her feet and ducked another blast. But a third shot of magic hit her square in the chest and knocked her off the roof.

Just before she hit the ground, she vanished. Balladyn released the breath he had been holding. A second later, she was next to Con again, albeit moving slower than before.

Her wound didn’t heal as quickly as the Dragon Kings, but it didn’t diminish her sword arm in the least. In minutes, she and Con dispatched the Dark they were fighting.

As soon as the last Dark fell, they headed to the entrance that led inside the house. Rhi was running ahead of Con when the door opened and a massive bubble of magic came hurtling out of the shadows.

Balladyn yelled Rhi’s name as the magic barreled into her. She once more flew backward, landing hard upon the roof. He waited for her to get up and shake it off as she had before. But she didn’t.

“No.”

Balladyn couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move.

“Rhi!” Con yelled as he dodged more magic coming from the doorway.

Balladyn tried to see who was responsible, but it was too dark within the doorway.

Constantine used his own magic to deflect the bubbles coming at him. He made his way to Rhi and checked her, only to leave her lying there as if she were dead.

“No. No, no, no, no, no,” Balladyn murmured in disbelief.

CHAPTER

FORTY-FOUR

Lexi stood against the wall and listened to the sounds of battle. She knew those sounds well. The grunts of pain, the gurgles of the dying.

They were forever imbedded in her mind after her encounters in Edinburgh.

Her gaze was on the door, waiting to see if anyone would burst in. Seconds turned to minutes as no one came. She didn’t know if it was Thorn or someone else attacking. Truth be told, she didn’t want to wait around to find out.

With the way her luck had been unfolding, it was going to be someone much worse than the Dark Fae or her new captor, Ulrik.

Lexi made her way to the door and tried the knob. It held fast. She turned the handle with both hands, squeezing her eyes shut as she gave it everything she had. When it didn’t budge, she beat her hands against the wood and screamed in frustration.

Through it, she heard a slight click.

Lexi quieted and looked down at the knob. Had someone just unlocked it? What if it was Kyle on the other side? What if it was Ulrik? Worse, what if it was the shadow?

A chance at freedom stood before her, or she could remain in the room waiting for something to come for her.

She grabbed the knob and turned. The door opened. Without a second thought, she flung it wide and rushed out of the room.

Lexi tried to ignore the dimly lit hallway and the numerous shadows throughout—or who might be hiding in them. She ran down the corridor searching for stairs.

Suddenly, she was grabbed and thrown to the floor. Her head slammed against the wood, dazing her. It took her a moment to get her bearings. That’s when she realized something heavy was on her, preventing her arms from moving.

Her eyes came into focus again. That’s when she found herself looking up at Kyle’s face.

“Just how did you get out?” he asked in a condescending tone, his lips twisted in annoyance.

Lexi tried to shove him off her, but he was too strong. “Get off me, jackass.”

He leaned down until his face was next to hers. She turned her head to the side.

“Better get used to it. I’m going to be on top of you for a while.”

She was not going to be raped. Lexi made her body go limp. It was the hardest thing she had ever done, but the only chance she had was to catch Kyle by surprise.

A chuckle rumbled Kyle’s chest. “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be praying for death.”

Every instinct clamored for her to fight, to struggle against his hold. But Kyle wanted to dominate her. He wanted to prove his strength and that he was somehow better than she was.

“He’s not here to stop me now,” Kyle continued as he pulled her arms above her head and held them with one hand.

Lexi bit her tongue to keep from screaming in revulsion when he cupped her breast and squeezed. She kept her focus on a marble statue of a lion.

*   *   *

Thorn held his left side as pain radiated from the repeated hits of Dark magic. He leaned against the wall and looked at the dead Fae around him as he breathed heavily. A glance up the stairs showed that no more were coming, but he had no idea how many more were in the manor.

The sounds of battle continued to come from above on the roof. He hoped Con and Rhi had already made their way inside the house.

Thorn pushed away from the wall and ran up the stairs cautiously. He reached the second floor without incident. He looked both ways and decided to go to the right.

Every minute that passed without finding Lexi, his anxiety grew. With each room he looked into and found empty, a pit of despair began to knot painfully in his gut.

He finished his search of the second floor and went to the third. Thorn looked up and saw a Dark waiting for him on the landing.

Thorn jerked to the side to miss a blast of magic. Thorn bared his teeth and barreled into the Dark, crashing them through a door.

*   *   *

Lexi didn’t know how many minutes passed as she lay there limply and let Kyle rub and grind on her. She bit her tongue to keep from gagging, blood filling her mouth.

His grip on her hands hadn’t loosened in all that time, and his other hand was getting bolder. Already he had shoved her shirt up her stomach.

It was the crash that jerked his attention away. Lexi used his diverted attention to rise up and head-butt him at the same time she brought her knee up into his balls.

He cried out in pain and rolled off her, holding his nuts. Lexi jumped to her feet and ran to the marble lion sitting on an accent table. She hefted it up and turned to see Kyle on his knees trying to stand and come for her.

Lexi slammed the statue down on his head. He fell to the side, a huge gash spilling blood onto the wood floor.

*   *   *

Thorn had his hand blasted with Dark magic, knocking his knife out of his grip. He gritted his teeth and peeled back his lips in a growl as he slammed his other hand into the Dark’s chest and yanked out his heart.

He tossed the heart aside and climbed off the Fae so he could grab his knife. His head whipped around when he heard Lexi’s scream. Thorn rushed from the room and saw her across the hall standing over Lily’s brother, Kyle.

The son of a bitch was supposed to be dead, and the only way Kyle was alive was because of Ulrik. Just one more reason for Thorn to hate Ulrik. The bastard did one good deed. Then in the next breath did something foul and evil like bring Kyle back from the dead.

After what Thorn witnessed with Rhys and Lily, he wasn’t going to allow Kyle to live another moment.

“Lexi,” he called and ran to her.

She turned her head to him and dropped the statue as she rushed into his arms. Thorn held her tight, unable to believe that she was with him once more.

He glanced at Kyle to see him unmoving. With the amount of blood filling the floor, Thorn was sure that Lexi had killed him.

“Are you hurt?” he asked thickly. He was shaking at having her back in his arms again, proving just how much she meant to him.

She shook her head. “I want to leave. Now.”

Thorn took her hand and looked around for a way to the roof. He didn’t want to go back downstairs and chance running into Ulrik. A bad feeling plagued him the longer he was in the house without seeing Ulrik.

“Con and Rhi are on the roof,” he told Lexi as he pulled her out of the room. Thorn then spotted an open door and stairs beyond.

He was at the door before he realized he no longer heard any sounds from above. Since he had yet to see either Con or Rhi, that meant it was bad news.

“Stay behind me,” he whispered to Lexi. He handed her the knife and nodded.

She returned his nod and gripped the weapon tightly.

Thorn slowly walked up the steps, glancing behind him often to make sure no one snuck up on them. The door to the roof was ajar, giving him just enough of a view to see Rhi on her back, unmoving.

A bellow of pain filled the air. Thorn gradually pushed the door open until he could see the six Dark standing over Con throwing magic at him in a constant rotation.

“Soon he’ll be too weak to fight us,” said one of the Dark with a mocking sneer.

Another smiled. “We’ll have the King of Kings as a prisoner. Taraeth will be pleased.”

“I wonder how long it’ll take him to go mad so we can send him back to Dreagan to kill all the others?” asked another.

The Dark all laughed at the comment while they continued to toss magic at Con, pinning him down as he writhed in pain.

Thorn couldn’t imagine the amount of agony Con was enduring. Thorn then spotted Rhi’s sword next to her outstretched arm. He dove from the doorway toward it.

Thorn caught hold of the hilt as he rolled and came to his feet. He spared Lexi a glance. She gave a nod of encouragement. Thorn turned his attention to the Dark and launched himself at them, beheading two at once as he landed.

The other four turned to him, but it was too late. Thorn moved with lightning speed to quickly stab three more before he pierced the final Dark through the chest.

Lexi was standing beside him then. “Oh my God,” she murmured, her eyes on Con.

Thorn lowered his gaze and inwardly cringed. Con’s entire upper body was burned. He was healing rapidly, but not fast enough for Thorn.

Lexi rushed to Rhi and touched her cheek. “Thorn, she’s cold.”

“Shite,” he said.

The longer they remained on the roof, the more likely that Ulrik would appear. He had to get Lexi away, but he couldn’t leave Con or Rhi.

If it was night he would chance shifting and taking them all away, but it was still light. Con groaned as he opened his eyes. His breath was ragged and pain was etched into every hollow of his face.

Con rose up on one elbow. “We need to get out of here.”

“Tell me something I doona know,” Thorn answered tersely.

Con climbed to his feet, wincing, and took a step toward Rhi. “I’ll carry her.”

“Nay,” Thorn said. He walked to Lexi and pulled her against him with one arm. “Hold on.”

Her arms instantly went around his neck. Thorn heard her quick intake of air as he jumped off the roof to the ground.

A moment later Con landed shakily next to them. “I’ve got her,” Con said of Lexi.

Thorn gave a nod and released Lexi to jump back to the roof for Rhi. He gathered the Fae in his arms and looked at the door leading into the house. Then he leaped to the ground.

“Is she going to be all right?” Lexi asked of Rhi.

Thorn glanced at the Light Fae grimly. “Let’s worry about us getting away first.”

“Did you see Ulrik?” Con asked.

Thorn shook his head. “Nay, and that worries me.”

“No’ half as much as it worries me.”

Thorn moved his gaze to Lexi. “Take Con’s hand. We’re going to run fast and hard.”

Lexi lifted her chin as she put her hand in Con’s. “I’m ready.”

After a glance at Con, they started running.

*   *   *

“It was the perfect time to kill him,” Mikkel said sharply from behind Ulrik.

Ulrik waited until the group made it across the lawn to the shrubs and disappeared into the wooded area before he responded. “It wasna the time.”

“We had Con weakened.”

“I’ll no’ fight him in that state.”

“I don’t have a problem with it,” Mikkel said angrily.

Ulrik turned and faced his uncle. “Then you should’ve taken your chance. Con hasna sunk as low as I want him to. And when I fight him, he’ll be at a hundred percent.”

“You’re a fool.” Mikkel’s lip was lifted in distaste.

“Do you think I’ll lose?”

Mikkel looked at him and grunted. “You should take every advantage that comes your way. You’ve always thought yourself so noble. It’s why you were banished and your magic taken. You should’ve fought Con and taken over as King of Kings eons ago.”

His uncle was looking for a fight, and though Ulrik was more than ready to give it to him, it wasn’t time for that yet either. Mikkel liked to tout his plans, but Ulrik had plans of his own that had been in motion for thousands of years.

Mikkel sneered and turned on his heel.

Ulrik watched his uncle stalk away. Ulrik then exited the room and went across the hall to where Kyle lay dead. The stupid bugger had gone after Lexi. Kyle should’ve listened to his warning to stay away from her. The mortal got what he deserved.

He brought Kyle back from the dead once. There wouldn’t be a second time. Not because he couldn’t—though that’s what he would tell Mikkel—but because he hadn’t wanted to retrieve Kyle’s soul to begin with.

Ulrik wasn’t surprised when Balladyn appeared next to him. He looked at the Dark Fae and saw the worry in his red eyes.

“It was Mikkel,” he told Balladyn, guessing what the Dark’s question would be. “He was aiming for Con, thinking he could take down Con now. Then the Dark stepped in, and Mikkel didna have the balls to try and take Con from them.”

“How bad is Rhi’s wound?” Balladyn asked.

Ulrik was just as furious as Balladyn that Rhi had been hurt. “Verra. He mixed his dragon magic with that of the Dark again.”

“She needs me.”

Ulrik put a hand on the Dark to still him. “Her best bet is with Con. He can heal her.”

Balladyn closed his eyes for a moment. Then he nodded and was gone.

CHAPTER

FORTY-FIVE

Lexi was wheezing by the time Thorn and Con slowed. There was a pain in her side, and she couldn’t draw in a breath big enough. She had no idea how long they had been running, but at least they had gotten away.

Thorn slowed when another house came into view. He stopped next to some trees and handed Rhi to Con before he took off again.

Lexi watched him race to the car parked in front of the house. He got inside and hotwired it before driving it away.

“Come on,” Con said as Thorn approached.

Lexi held her side as they once more ran to where Thorn waited alongside the road. Con got in the back with Rhi still in his arms, and Lexi climbed in front. The door wasn’t shut behind her before Thorn gunned the little car.

“How is she?” Thorn asked as he glanced in the rearview mirror to Con.

“There’s no response.”

Lexi looked behind her to Con and Rhi. It was odd to see Rhi so pale and lifeless. There was a large hole in her black shirt where the magic had hit her in the chest. Burn marks were still visible. “What happened?”

“Dragon and Dark magic,” Con answered.

Lexi looked at Thorn to see lines of worry bracketing his mouth. “I gather that’s bad.”

“Extremely,” Thorn said as he glanced at her. “Ulrik used it against one of us recently. It prevented Rhys from shifting, making him choose between living a life as a dragon or a human.”

Lexi looked at Con, but his gaze was straight ahead on the road before them. “What happens when that kind of mix hits a Fae?”

“I doona know.” Thorn shook his head. “It’s no’ good that she’s no’ waking.”

Lexi faced forward and looked at the dashboard to see that Thorn was driving a hundred miles per hour. “How far to Dreagan?”

“Over two hours,” Con bit out.

Lexi fastened her seat belt. They were far from out of danger, but at least she was with Thorn again. That in itself was enough to let her breathe easier.

She caught Thorn glancing at her every few seconds. Lexi smiled and leaned her head against the seat as she looked at him. “It wasn’t a bed of roses, but I’m all right.”

“You killed Kyle.”

“Kyle?” Con asked.

Thorn nodded. “Kyle was there.”

“The jerk was trying to force himself on me.” Lexi shivered, thinking of his hands on her. “He said he killed his sister, who is a mate.”

Thorn took a curve and laughed. “He has no idea Lily is very much alive. I can no’ believe Ulrik brought him back from the dead to begin with. Perhaps it’s better if Lily doesna know what Ulrik did.”

“Agreed. Lexi,” Con said. “We’re going to need to sit down with you and go over every detail of your time with Ulrik.”

“Of course, though there wasn’t much that happened. He did show me the video. He took great joy in that,” she said.

Thorn’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Ulrik has a lot to answer for.”

“His time is coming,” Con said.

*   *   *

Thorn was never so glad to see Dreagan as when it came into view. He took the back roads onto their property and drove straight to the garage.

Kellan and Rhys were there to meet them. Rhys opened the back door and took Rhi from Con. Thorn got out of the car and looked to Lexi.

“It could’ve gone verra badly,” Kellan told Con.

Kellan was Keeper of the History, so he saw in his mind major events to record for Dreagan.

Con walked past them. “The car needs to be returned immediately.”

Thorn exchanged a look with Kellan before he motioned for Lexi to follow them into the manor. Once inside, the house was in a state of chaos with everyone worrying how their new predicament would affect them.

“He doesna look good,” Kellan said of Con.

Thorn watched the King of Kings ascend the stairs. “They were going to take him.”

“I know. It was quick thinking on your part.” Kellan turned to the sitting room where Rhys had laid Rhi on the sofa. “Did Con attempt to heal her?”

Thorn shrugged a shoulder. “If he did, I didna know it.”

“We’re going to need him.”

“I know.” Thorn glanced at Lexi. He wanted to take her aside and talk to her, but now wasn’t the time.

Kellan leaned closer and said, “We have something being held in the caverns that will interest you and Lexi.”

Thorn frowned as he looked at Kellan. “You know I can no’ bring her down there.”

“For this, you’ll want to break the rules. And based on what I learned from Darius as well as Shara, Lexi needs this.”

“I gave a promise to Lexi. Tell me I can fulfill that promise,” Thorn said.

Kellan gave a small smile. “He’s waiting for you whenever you want to take her.”

*   *   *

Con reached his bedroom and barely got the door shut before his knees gave out. He landed hard, his lungs seizing from the Dark magic.

The pain was debilitating. It swirled through him, reaching every muscle, every bone. It burned, sizzling within him as if it were trying to eat at him from the inside out.

It had been everything he could do on the return trip to Dreagan to act as if he wasn’t in pain. He attempted to heal Rhi once, but it had been too much for him, and he nearly passed out.

Never before had he experienced this kind of weakness. And if scared the hell out of him.

Not because he feared Ulrik would use it again, but because it would put the others at a disadvantage. Con was going to have to start thinking ahead. Whether he remained King of Kings or not, Dreagan, the Dragon Kings, and even the weapon hidden in his mountain needed to be protected.

Con sat on his haunches, his hands on his thighs as he took control of the pain—or as much as he could. The wound on his chest had healed externally, but it was what the Dark magic was doing internally that worried him.

He sat there for several seconds before he struggled to climb to his feet. No one could see him like this. It was important that all the Kings see him as strong and resilient.

Too much had happened recently. If they witnessed him in this state, they would think he couldn’t take care of them as he always had.

Con walked to his closet as he kicked off his shoes and pants. Then he opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a black tee before grabbing a pair of jeans. He put on the clothes and a pair of boots.

He then looked in the mirror. After a long examination of himself, he turned on his heel and exited his room, pain pounding through him with every movement. He made his way downstairs to the front sitting room where everyone gathered.

“No Fae has ever been struck with such a mixture of magic,” Shara said.

Con saw that Lexi and Thorn stood apart from the rest. By the look of the couple, they wanted some time alone to talk.

A look around at all the women in the manor made Con inwardly cringe. The Kings had been lucky so far. None of the women had attempted to betray them, but Con knew it was inevitable.

The first betrayal had been a vicious blow to the Kings and lost him a friend. What would a second betrayal do?

Con ignored the looks of the others as he walked around to the front of the sofa and sat on the edge. The room spun as agony filled him. It hurt to breathe, much less move.

Even now he wasn’t sure his magic would do any good.

He looked at Rhi’s face. No cheeky remarks fell from her lips. No cutting looks from her silver eyes. It was strange to find her so still. The last time he had seen her like this was when her magic exploded Balladyn’s fortress.

Con drew in a breath, and then put his hand on Rhi’s. He tried to use his magic. His muscles seized from the pain, and he barely kept the pain from showing on his face.

He focused past the anguish to the place he always went to for comfort—a place deep within his mind that didn’t allow anything else in.

Con exhaled and pushed his magic into her, urging Rhi’s wounds to heal. The pain was manageable this time, allowing him to use his magic as he needed. Almost instantly, the burn marks disappeared. Con kept his magic going a little longer just to make sure all of her injuries were mended.

When his hand fell away, he was expecting her to open her eyes and demand that he get away from her. But Rhi slept on.

“She needs time, is all,” Rhys said into the silence.

Con watched as Lily threaded her fingers with Rhys’s. “Aye. Time,” Con agreed.

Kellan said, “Rhys, take Rhi to one of the spare bedrooms so she can rest.”

Con moved so Rhys could lift the Fae and carry her out. One by one, the others filed out of the sitting room, leaving only Kellan, Ryder, and Dmitri.

“Update,” Con said to Ryder.

Ryder’s lips twisted. “There are now dozens of Web sites popping up claiming to have dragon videos. Dragons are all anyone can talk about on every news channel around the world. They dominate YouTube, blogs, and newspapers.”

So it was as bad as Con had feared it might be. “Are you taking the sites down?”

“Aye,” Ryder said. “I’ve got Gwynn and Evie from MacLeod Castle helping me as well.”

“Good.”

Kellan crossed his arms over his chest. “Con, you need to rest.”

“I’m fine. We have work to do.”

Dmitri rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced at the floor. “The police came by about an hour ago. They wanted to see if the shop was damaged.”

The shop. Con had completely forgotten to have that cleaned up for just such a visit. He couldn’t forget something so simple as that. All it would take was one small mistake to crumble their now very fragile existence.

“We took care of it,” Kellan said.

Dmitri nodded. “Aye. Nothing out of place. It had them scratching their heads.”

“That’s one spot of good news,” Con said, more relieved than the other two would ever know. “Good work.”

Dmitri threw a thumb over his shoulder. “What of Thorn and Lexi?”

Con’s gaze slid to the doorway, but there was no sign of the couple. “We’ll know soon enough, I’m sure.”

“Thorn is taking her to the mountain,” Kellan said. “We caught the Dark who led the attack here. He’s the same one who killed Lexi’s friend.”

Con lowered his gaze to the floor and inhaled deeply. “She deserves her revenge. If she can no’ kill the Dark, Thorn will.”

*   *   *

Lexi didn’t think there was ever a time she was more nervous. When Thorn beckoned her to go with him after Con healed Rhi, she quickly followed.

When they reached a door, Thorn held it open for her. She walked through it, stunned to find herself in a tall, but narrow, tunnel inside a mountain.

Cool air brushed over her skin. She glanced behind her at Thorn who closed the door and stepped around her.

“This way,” he said as he started walking.

Lexi followed him while she took in everything. Right at the entrance, and appearing about every ten feet, was a sconce in the mountain throwing off light so she could see where she was going.

Never was she more grateful than when she saw the carvings and etchings of dragons along the walls. Everywhere she looked there were dragons. The carvings were so spectacular that she was having a hard time following Thorn and not stopping to run her hands over the artwork.

Lexi hurried to catch up to Thorn and belatedly realized the floor was pitched downward. The farther down they went, the more she saw of doorways from the cave that branched off.

She wanted to explore them. Especially when she glanced inside a cavern and saw a massive dragon carved along an entire wall breathing fire.

She was completely enthralled until she walked a little farther and saw another cavern—with four large silver dragons sleeping in a cage.

“Those are dragons,” she said in awe, stopping.

Thorn halted and turned his head to look to the dragons. “Those are Ulrik’s Silvers. They wouldna stop following his orders or leave with the others, so we had no choice but to use our magic so they would sleep.”