Burning Desire (30 page)

He didn’t know who had them, but he would hunt down and kill whoever had taken them. Then he would bring both females back. Rhi was close to becoming Dark, and Shara he would punish for several years for what she’d dared to do to him.

As for the Dragon Kings, he wasn’t finished with them either.

“This didn’t exactly turn out as you wanted, did it?” asked a cultured English accent.

Balladyn whirled around, ready to take his head off when he recognized the man. Taraeth had aligned with him years ago, and it was because of him that they knew the Dragon Kings were hiding a powerful weapon.

“What do you want?” Balladyn demanded, looking into his gold eyes.

He smiled. “I want only to help you.”

“Then where were you when I had the Dragon King?”

“Kiril?” He waved his hands at the name. “He’s not who you need to concern yourself with. It’s true that having any Dragon King is a coup, but there is another King you need to focus on.”

Balladyn rolled his eyes, because the answer was obvious. “Constantine.”

“No. If you want to win, you need to divide and conquer the Kings. First, division. I’ve already begun it with Tristan. I’ll have him soon enough.”

“Then who?” Balladyn demanded. “And why aren’t you telling Taraeth?”

The man smiled, his gold eyes twinkling with glee. “I already have. He’s in agreement regarding who we target next.”

“Who?” Balladyn asked again.

“One who challenges Con daily. None other than Rhys.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

“Our time is running out here,” Rhys said as he met the others in the great hall.

Kiril blew out a breath. “I agree. We’ve searched this entire fortress for Shara and Balladyn.”

Phelan cracked his knuckles while he looked around at all the dead Dark. “I doona like this place.”

“I know Shara’s scent. I could find her in dragon form,” Kiril stated.

Con crossed his arms over his chest and raised a blond brow. “And draw every Dark in this wretched realm? Your feelings for her are making you careless.”

“You mean, he’s acting like me,” Rhys said, contempt lacing his voice.

Kiril stepped between them and placed a hand on Rhys’s chest. He waited for Rhys to give a nod acknowledging he was calm, and then Kiril turned his head to Con. “No’ all of us can sever our emotions as you have.”

“I made sure all of you did for thousands of centuries.”

“That all changed for the Kings,” Phelan pointed out. “Con, no’ even you can stop someone’s feelings once those feelings have begun.”

Kiril grew perplexed by the way Con didn’t bat an eye at Phelan’s words. It made Kiril suspicious of just what Con would do if he was pushed.

“I hate to agree with Con, Kiril,” Rhys said grudgingly. “But we’re no’ in a castle hidden in Ireland as we were with Kellan and Tristan. We’re on the Fae realm. Shifting into a dragon wouldna be wise.”

Kiril swallowed and turned away from everyone. “I know. Remaining here any longer is dangerous. We need to return to our realm.”

“Scotland,” Con corrected.

Phelan snorted. “First, we need to get the hell off this realm through the one doorway I know that leads back to Earth.”

Kiril fell into step behind Rhys, who followed Phelan as they exited the great hall down a corridor. He glanced over his shoulder at Con whose black eyes were as cold and blank as always. Something more was going on that Constantine wasn’t telling them. The fact Ulrik had been there was bad enough, but he had also left with Rhi. Nothing good could come of that.

“Was Rhi awake when Ulrik took her?” Phelan asked Con.

“Nay.”

Rhys shot Con a glare over his shoulder. “Really? One-word answers?”

“I doona know if she’ll wake, to answer your next question, Phelan,” Con said.

Phelan cleared his throat twice before he asked, “Has she ever … done anything like that before?”

“You mean blow up a place?” Rhys asked with a wry smile. “Once.”

“And she was all right,” Phelan said in relief and threw a smile over his shoulder.

Kiril had only to look at Con to know that everything was far from all right. “What are you keeping from us?”

Phelan halted and faced them. “Answer him, Con, or we doona leave.”

With Phelan being the only one to see the Fae doorways, he could keep them there as long as he wanted. Kiril’s gaze moved to Con while he waited for him to answer.

“There’s a verra good chance Rhi is gone from us.”

Phelan’s gaze slid away to stare off at nothing. “You think Balladyn turned her.”

“I didna say that,” Con said in a kinder voice. “I’m merely stating that she was held for a while.”

Rhys briefly squeezed Phelan’s shoulder. “We willna know anything until we see her again.”

“
If
we see her, you mean.” Phelan’s blue-gray eyes were filled with apprehension.

Kiril looked at Con, waiting for him to reply. When he didn’t, Kiril said, “It might take some time, but if she’ll return for anyone, it’ll be you, Phelan.”

“And if she returns, but isna the same?” Phelan asked. “If she’s Dark?”

Rhys shook his head. “She willna be. No’ Rhi.”

The fact Con didn’t utter a word was deafening. Kiril knew Con wouldn’t say anything else as long as Phelan was around. Then again, he might try to keep it from the rest of them as well.

Phelan turned his back to them. “Let’s go home.”

He took two steps and was gone. Rhys glanced at Kiril before he followed Phelan, but Kiril held back.

“What did Ulrik say to you?” he asked.

Con stared at him with hard eyes. “Nothing worth mentioning. He was running his mouth.”

“And Rhi?”

“Doona count on her help in the future.”

Kiril squeezed his eyes closed for a moment. “You think she’s now Dark?”

“I think she willna be the same. It doesna help that Ulrik has her.”

“You mean there’s a chance she’ll stay with him.”

Con gave a small shake of his head. “I’m merely saying it’s a possibility.”

Kiril pivoted and walked through the doorway with Con on his heels. As soon as they returned to Earth and the gardens at Blackwood Manor they encountered a full-on battle. Both pulled up short.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Phelan asked angrily as he growled, showing his fangs and using his claws to slash a Dark Fae’s head off.

Con let out a rumbling growl and glanced at the gathering rain clouds that didn’t quite block the sun. “Phelan, keep this contained.”

“Already done,” the Warrior stated.

There was a loud roar as Rhys dove from the sky in the form of a yellow dragon. Kiril took off running toward a group of Dark who were gathering their magic to direct at Rhys.

Kiril jumped into the air, shifting as he did, and slammed his left wing into the group, severing their heads. He spread his wings and sailed straight to the sky, only to turn and glide as he surveyed the battle.

A flash of light glinted off the metallic gold scales as Con roared loudly and swept through a group of Dark. Kiril drew in a deep breath and let loose a volley of icy breaths with Rhys blowing fire next to him.

Soon flames engulfed the house while Dark were frozen in place before being shattered into a million pieces by Phelan. The Dark scattered as they tried to decide to fight or save the house. Con didn’t give them a choice as he caught several in his grip and crushed them.

Phelan was doing his part on the ground as he dodged their magic and killed any Dark who was stupid enough to get close to him.

Kiril spotted more Dark coming toward the house. “
We need to leave. Now.
”

Rhys swooped down and grabbed Phelan before he flew into the swollen rain clouds. Kiril made a pass over the house as he searched for any sign of Shara. Lightning forked through the sky, followed closely by a loud rumble of thunder that rolled on for several seconds. Con soared past him, his tail hitting Kiril on his wing.

“
It’s time we returned to Dreagan,
” Con said.

Kiril spotted Shara’s father, who stood still, his gaze on the dragons, amid the Dark scrambling around him. Kiril titled his wings and turned to follow Con and Rhys.

“
Well, that was fun,
” Rhys said, sarcasm dripping from his words.

Con said, “
We should’ve remembered where we would return to.
”

“
We got away and made a dent in them.
” Rhys laughed. “
I didna like being surprised with it, but I did enjoy killing those ass wipes.
”

Kiril didn’t join in the laughter. “
We were lucky. If more Dark had been there, things could’ve gotten bad.
”

“
But it didna
,” Rhys said.

Kiril glanced over at his friend and saw a part of his hind leg was charred. “
You didna say you were injured.
”

“
I’m fine.
”

“
Fine?
” Con asked angrily. “
If everything is fine, they why are you no’ healing?
”

None of them mentioned that there was only one being who could kill—or seriously injure—a King.

“You three are doing that mental-talking thing, aye?” Phelan asked in a shout as he looked up at them.

In response, Rhys tucked his wings and rolled several times through the air. When he stopped, Phelan’s lips were pulled back in a big smile. Kiril looked over at Constantine to see a worried frown upon his face.

Something was wrong if Rhys wasn’t healing. They healed almost instantly, and though a Dark Fae’s magic could hurt them, it had never done anything like that before. The only Dragon Kings that had been there were the three of them, and neither he nor Con had sent any magic close to Rhys. Who then was responsible?

Kiril didn’t like the apprehension and anxiety that nestled uncomfortably in his gut. He kept glancing at Rhys’s injury, but not once did it heal.

They flew high in the clouds dodging planes. A couple of times Rhys wasn’t able to hide his discomfort, causing Kiril and Con to fly on either side of him. They let him set the pace, keeping him a little ahead of them at all times so they could keep watch. Kiril’s worry grew with each flap of his wings.

By the time they reached Dreagan, Rhys could no longer hide the fact that he was in tremendous pain. He struggled to remain in the air, dropping several feet at a time, only to fight to continue to stay with them.

Kiril had never been so glad to see the familiar mountains of Dreagan. They glided lower so that they could touch the top of the mountains if they wanted. He hung back behind Rhys while Con stayed beside him. Kiril grew more worried for his friend as Rhys’s breathing became labored, his sides heaving.

When the manor came into view, Rhys stopped trying to remain in the air. He flew low, dropping Phelan in the field behind the large opening in the mountain.

Con tucked his wings and flew inside the entrance first. Kiril flapped his wings to hover in the air as he watched Rhys try to make it to the mountain. Rhys’s left wing scraped the ground and crumpled, sending him crashing into the ground where he lay still as stone.

Kiril dove toward him, spreading his wings to land just before he hit the ground. As soon as he touched down, Kiril shifted into human form and knelt beside his friend.

“
Rhys?
” he asked.

“What happened?” Phelan asked breathlessly as he raced up.

Con handed Kiril a pair of jeans as he walked out of the mountain and inspected Rhys’s wound. “Just as I thought. This was done with dragon magic.”

Kiril finished putting on his jeans, the news hitting him with the force of a dragon wing. He hadn’t wanted to believe it, had refused to even consider it on their flight from Ireland. But the truth was staring him in the face. “How is that possible? I didna use my magic, only my power, only ice.”

“I also didna use magic,” Con said softly.

“What the hell?” came a shout behind them.

Kiril turned to see Laith and Kellan come running toward them. They skidded to a halt as a wide shadow passed over them. Kiril looked up to see an amber dragon circling them. A moment later and the dragon descended, shifting into human form before he touched the ground and rolled to a stop. Tristan stood and rushed to them.

“I didna know he was injured,” Phelan said and wiped a hand down his face lined with concern.

Tristan stood beside Rhys inspecting the injury. “There’s no doubt it was dragon magic.”

“If it wasna us, then who?” Kiril asked.

Con’s face mottled red as he lifted his gaze to the horizon. “Ulrik.”

Tristan turned to Kellan. “Such events come to you so you can record them as Historian. Who did this to Rhys?”

“It’s no’ that simple,” Kellan said and scratched his jaw. “I doona see your everyday lives. I see battles, meetings involving our future.”

“The important stuff,” Laith grumbled. “This is important. This was a battle.”

Kellan shrugged. “I wish I could help. But right or no’, that’s the way of it. I doona have a choice of what I get to see or doona see.”

“Only dragons can use dragon magic,” Kiril pointed out.

Tristan laid a comforting hand on Rhys. “Kellan, what if you try to discover what happened?”

Everyone turned to Kellan as he closed his eyes. Several seconds passed before he took a deep breath. “I see the battle,” Kellan said. “I see the Dark Fae and the house. I see the four of you fighting—Phelan in Warrior form, and the rest as dragons.”

Kiril held his breath, both wanting to know if it was Ulrik so they would have an answer, and hoping it wasn’t him.

“I see Kiril laying ice and Rhys laying flames along the Dark. I see Rhys grabbing Phelan before being hit with the dragon magic. Then you all are returning home.” Kellan opened his eyes and looked at Con. “I can no’ see who directed the magic at Rhys, only the impact.”

“Which tells us nothing,” Laith said into the silence that followed.

Con faced Kellan. “Only a dragon can use our magic. The only other King is Ulrik.”

“Aye, but we bound his magic,” Kiril said.

Con’s black gaze cut to him. “He’s figured out a way. Maybe Druids are helping him, or even the Fae. I doona care the reasoning. What this tells me is that it’s time I killed Ulrik.”