Passion Ignites (34 page)

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.

 

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?