Night's Blaze

by Donna Grant

  “Are my answers satisfactory? Can we get to Dreagan now?”

  Rhi pushed away from the window. She seemed to consider something for several minutes. “Can I trust you, Henry?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m a spy, Rhi. You either trust us, or you don’t. There isn’t any middle ground.” When she didn’t immediately reply, he dropped his arms to his side. “You saved my life. I know it was you who got me out of Ulrik’s hold. I don’t know how, and it doesn’t matter. I owe you. If you need a favor or for me to keep a secret, it’s the least I can do. And I’m very good at keeping secrets.”

  “That you are,” she said with a sly grin.

  “Then trust me,” he beseeched. “Let me begin to try and repay you for saving my life.”

  Rhi walked to him, her long legs encased in black and the five-inch heels of her black boots only making her legs look longer. “I’ve never trusted a human before.”

  “I won’t let you down.”

  Her silver gaze held his. “No, I don’t think you will. Have you ever teleported, stud?”

  “No.”

  She smiled, her voice going husky. “Feel free to hold on tight then.”

  “Wait,” he said as he took a half-step back. “What do you mean, teleport?”

  “One moment we’ll be here, and the next, wherever I take us.”

  Henry squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Just how many other kinds of magic are out there?”

  “This is a kind of … power … that only a select few Fae have. Oh, and Fallon MacLeod has it because of the god inside him.”

  Henry was going to have to keep a ledger of all the Warriors and their powers. He couldn’t keep up with it all when the Druids, Dragon Kings, and the Light and Dark Fae were added in. He tried to pretend that knowing there was a world of magic and immortals within his own was just another day at the office, but the truth was that it scared the hell out of him.

  But he knew Banan, trusted Banan as he trusted few people. He knew the Dragon Kings were good, decent men, and it was easy to detect the villains—Ulrik, the traitors within MI5, and the Dark Fae.

  Rhi, well Rhi he yearned for as he’d never wanted another thing in his life. She was a walking sex goddess. With a smile or a single look, she had him hard as granite. He didn’t know if she was using him or not, but as long as he got to Dreagan, that’s all that mattered.

  As for the Warriors and Druids from MacLeod Castle, he knew of them, and it was only a matter of time before their paths crossed.

  “The Warriors are good people,” Rhi said. “If you can’t get to Dreagan, find MacLeod Castle. They’ll help you.”

  Henry dropped his hand and looked at her. “Those at MacLeod Castle trust you?”

  “Definitely,” she said with a knowing grin. “Now, are you ready?”

  “No,” he said, but Henry closed the distance between them. He tried not to look at the swell of her breasts. Then he gave up and let his gaze feast on her beauty, causing his balls to tighten and his blood to heat.

  Rhi wrapped his arm around her and looked up into his face. “I warned you to hold on, handsome.”

  He stared into her beautiful, unusual, silver eyes. Henry vaguely realized the hotel faded away. When he blinked, he was standing outside Dreagan Manor.

  “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Rhi asked.

  Before Henry could answer, the front door was yanked open as thunder rumbled around them. He glanced from the faces at the door and back to Rhi. “It certainly wasn’t. Too bad I can’t do that trick.”

  “Too bad I can’t teach you,” she whispered.

  Henry’s arm tightened around her. Only in his dreams did he get to hold her, but now she was in his arms. He wasn’t sure he could let her go.

  “Remember, stud, you must keep my secret.”

  “The Kings don’t know?”

  She shrugged. “They do, but I don’t want it spoken about. It’s just better if you don’t mention it,” she whispered.

  Then she leaned up and placed her lips on his. The kiss was simple, light, and quick, but it seared Henry to his very bones. He was dazed as he opened his eyes while she stepped out of his arms.

  Rhi then turned to the group who had come outside. She nodded to Banan. “No more need to search. Henry is safe.”

  “How did he get here?” Con asked as he came to stand beside Banan.

  Henry cleared his throat. “I don’t really know.”

  Banan’s forehead was furrowed as he looked from Henry to Rhi and back to Henry. “Are you all right?”

  “I am now,” Henry said. “Ulrik had me after I was beaten by the Dark. I passed out, and then I woke up, healed, not far from here.”

  “We’re glad you’re here,” Con said.

  Henry found it odd the King of Kings didn’t so much as look at Rhi. Though Banan, Tristan, Ryder, and Guy certainly did, each with confusion and worry.

  “Rhi,” Banan said. “Can you fill in the blanks?”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Lily looked down at her right inner forearm and smiled. Never again would she forget the quote. She would see it every day.

  Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.

  It was her new motto. She’d made it her own, made it part of her. It was just another step in the remaking of her life. Lily’s arm throbbed from the tattoo, but she felt amazing.

  It must have shown, because when she emerged from the tattoo parlor onto the sidewalk, three men were walking down the street and smiled, each eyeing her with interest. Lily returned their smiles and walked to the car where the driver awaited her.

  He opened the door and nodded in greeting. “Is it your first tat?”

  “Yes,” Lily answered and held out her hand. She kept her long-sleeved shirt pushed up so it wouldn’t touch the irritated skin.

  He read the words. “Verra nice.”

  She paused before getting into the car. Lily glanced at the sky. It was late, and she didn’t want to keep Denae waiting any longer. She briefly thought about buying a gun, but she didn’t want anyone to witness her purchase. “Let’s get back to the hotel so you can get some dinner.”

  He closed the door after she got inside. It was a short drive to the hotel, and with every minute that passed, Lily felt more confident than ever. It was almost as if those years with Dennis never happened.

  Although, if that were the case, she wouldn’t have need of her new tat.

  Lily said good night to the driver and walked up the steps to the hotel. She entered the lobby and approached the desk. As soon as she told them her name, they handed her a room key as well as a note from Denae.

  She waited until she was in the lift to open the note. Lily glanced at her watch to realize she had less than twenty minutes to get dressed for dinner and meet Denae down at the restaurant.

  Lily used the key to get into her room and stopped when she saw all the bags from her purchases set neatly in the living room of the suite. She dumped her purse and key on a small table and hurried to the bags, sifting through them, looking for the red dress and matching shoes.

  After a quick shower to wash off the day, Lily put on some makeup, careful to cover the bruise on her cheek. She pulled out her new makeup. It had been awhile since she’d used more than eyeliner and mascara. She had fun using the eye shadow to give herself a sultry look.

  With her new red bra and matching panties on, Lily then slipped into the dress. She kept her hair down, pulling it over her left shoulder. Next, she dug in her purse, finding the secret compartment she had made and withdrew the diamond stud earrings she’d received from her parents on her twenty-first birthday. They were the only pieces of jewelry she wore.

  Lily put on her shoes and a dab of lip gloss before she looked in the mirror. The reflection staring back at her no longer had trepidation and fear in her eyes. She was in charge of her life.

  She almost left the room without the black clutch. Lily tossed the lip gloss, room
key, and her phone into the clutch before she walked out of the room.

  On the ride down to the lobby, Lily decided to tell Denae who she was. Elizabeth had, after all, already spilled some of it. The doors to the lift opened and Lily walked out. She smiled when a man holding the door for her looked her over with an appreciative eye. It felt amazing to be noticed.

  But not nearly as good as it would be if it were Rhys who gave her such a look.

  Lily was almost to the restaurant when a hotel employee stopped her. “A phone call?” she repeated in surprise.

  “Yes, ma’am,” the older man said, nodding his gray head. “If you’ll follow me.”

  There was no one that knew where she was, and no one that wouldn’t try her mobile first before calling the hotel. Curious, she followed the man to the first desk where she was handed a phone.

  “Hello?”

  “I really hate to be left waiting,” Dennis said.

  * * *

  Rhys was driving out of Perth when someone nearly ran into him. He looked over, ready to tell the wanker off when he saw it was Kellan.

  “Better see what he wants,” Warrick said.

  Rhys followed Kellan as they pulled over and turned off their vehicles. Both Rhys and Warrick got out and met Kellan outside.

  “Sorry,” Kellan said before Rhys could talk. “I kept trying to get your attention, but you were rather focused.”

  Warrick glanced at Rhys. “I doona blame him. I was the same.”

  Kellan’s gaze narrowed as he looked between the two of them. “I had a feeling the two of you would be here. Did you get your answers from Ulrik, Rhys?”

  “No’ even close. Is that why you almost hit me? To rub it in?” Rhys asked, his anger spiking again.

  Kellan’s lips flattened before he said, “First, I’ve heard from Banan. Henry is at Dreagan.”

  “That’s a relief,” Warrick said.

  Kellan nodded to Warrick before he looked back at Rhys. “I was going to ask you to join me for dinner, but now that I’ve seen you, I doona want you around Denae. And I doona think Lily would want it either.”

  As soon as he said Lily’s name, Rhys’s entire body went taut. Lily. The one person in all the realms who made him catch his breath with desire and yearning. “You’re having dinner with Lily? She’s no’ back at Dreagan already?”

  “The girls had a long day. Denae wanted to stay the night, and Lily agreed. I’m supposed to meet them in thirty minutes. I’d have been there sooner if I hadna been looking for you.”

  Rhys ran a hand down his face. Then he looked at himself. He was in jeans and a shirt. Not the attire he wanted when meeting Lily. “I’m no’ dressed for dinner.”

  “That can be remedied,” Warrick said.

  Kellan regarded Rhys with an intense look. “If you want it to be.”

  He did. Rhys knew he shouldn’t, but there was no way he was going to pass up a chance to have dinner with Lily and get to know her better. If he got to touch her again, even better. It was too great of a temptation to pass up. They wouldn’t be completely alone, but it was better than every other King watching them.

  “It’s obvious you want to, so do it,” Warrick urged. “It might be good for you.”

  His unspoken words of “especially after today” hung in the air. Rhys licked his lips and thought of the bruise he had seen on Lily’s cheek that morning. “Aye.”

  Warrick slapped him on the back. “Looks like I’m flying home. See you lads later,” he said before he walked into the night.

  Kellan looked at his watch. “Warrick is happier alone anyway. Follow me, Rhys. We’ll have to hurry. I doona like to keep my woman waiting.”

  Rhys strode back to the Jaguar and pulled in behind Kellan onto the pavement. They drove like the roads were their own personal racetrack, making it into Edinburgh in record time. Ten minutes later, Rhys walked out of the store in his newly bought clothes and jogged to the car. Kellan was already on his way to the hotel, two blocks away.

  Rhys sped down the street and pulled up behind Kellan in front of the hotel. Rhys exited the car and tossed the keys to the valet as he buttoned the top of his jacket and fell into step with Kellan.

  Rhys’s gaze scanned the lobby looking for any sign of Lily. Then he realized she was most likely in the restaurant with Denae. When he and Kellan reached the restaurant and were then led to the table, the disappointment that flared at not seeing Lily was tremendous.

  He needed her as desperately as he needed to shift. Rhys fisted one hand as anguish filled him. If this was how he felt waiting on Lily, how would he ever cope if she was killed? The room spun, causing him to grab hold of the back of a chair to keep himself standing. He managed to stay on his feet and keep following Kellan. Lily couldn’t die. If she did, he would cease to exist.

  Rhys knew it with the same certainty that he knew he loved her.

  Denae smiled and stood when they walked up. She kissed Kellan and then greeted Rhys. “Lily is here, though she got in just a little while ago.”

  “You were no’ with her?” Kellan asked when they were all seated.

  Denae sat and took a sip of her wine. “There was somewhere she wanted to go herself.”

  “So she might no’ come down,” Rhys said, worry causing his voice to deepen. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”

  Denae adjusted the napkin in her lap. “Yesterday I’d have said that, but after today, I think she’ll be here.”

  “What happened?” Rhys needed to know every detail. If Lily was in danger or hurt, he would kill the person responsible. If something else had changed … well, he wanted to know that as well.

  “A lot actually. She’s … different.”

  Kellan motioned to a waiter and ordered a drink for himself and Rhys. “Different how?” he asked Denae.

  Denae shrugged helplessly. “You’ll see when she comes down. While we were shopping, an old friend of Lily’s stopped her.”

  “Did they upset her?” Rhys asked.

  “In a way, though it was more like she was embarrassed the woman recognized her.”

  Kellan touched his cheek as he said, “Because of her bruise?”

  “I might be speaking out of turn, but I think it’s because the woman knew Lily as well as her family. Lily admitted to me that it has been four years since she spoke to her family.”

  Kellan let out a whistle.

  Rhys reached for the whisky as it was set in front of him and brought it to his lips. That was an interesting bit of news he hadn’t known. The glass was at his mouth when his gaze was snagged at the door by a flash of red.

  He shifted and then froze as his eyes feasted on Lily. Every ounce of blood went straight to his cock when he saw the way the red dress hugged her incredible curves. The dress stopped above her knees, and the sleeves hit just beneath her elbows.

  Her long, lustrous black tresses hung over her left shoulder. She held her head high, the high heels bringing notice to her gorgeous legs. As she approached, he caught a flash of a diamond at each earlobe.

  Rhys set aside his drink and got to his feet, only vaguely aware that Kellan was speaking. The closer Lily got, the more he saw the frown of worry, the same hint of fear as the night before. Then her gaze slid to him.

  The anxiety on her face was replaced with a slow, dazzling smile that made something shift unexpectedly in his chest. “Rhys,” she said, the voice throaty, utterly sexy.

  “I was in the city. I hope you doona mind,” he said as held out her chair.

  “Not at all.”

  Their hands touched, sending a current of electricity through him. They were close enough for him to bend and place his lips on hers. There was nothing that he wanted to do more, but he recalled they were in public. It took every ounce of his control, but he remained where he was.

  She sat and reached for her napkin. That’s when Rhys saw what was obviously a new tattoo by the redness around the words. He waited until Lily finished greeting Denae and Kellan before he held o
ut his hand and nodded to her arm as he asked, “May I?”

  Lily hesitated, but after a moment she turned her arm to him. “Of course.”

  Rhys sat and gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist. Blood pounded through him in a storm of need when he heard her quick inhale when their skin touched.

  By the stars, what this woman did to him. His blood pounded through him, her nearness making everyone else fade away.

  He had to read the tattoo twice before his desire-filled brain could comprehend the meaning. “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength,” he said aloud.

  Rhys didn’t need to ask to know there was meaning behind it. He looked into her dark eyes, drowning in the possibility of what could be.

  “You look very handsome,” she said, her words soft, encouraging. “I’ve never seen you in a suit.”

  “I doona often wear one.” He abhorred them. Usually. Then again, he wanted to impress Lily, to show her he was more than a man who had a different woman on his arm every night.

  She looked down, her smile growing. “I love when a man is as comfortable in jeans and a tee as he is in a suit.” Her gaze returned to his. “Especially when a man can wear a suit as well as you.”

  If Rhys weren’t already hard, he would be now. He rubbed his thumb along the skin at her wrist. “Red looks fetching on you. The frock does as well.”

  Her eyes twinkled at the compliment. “Thank you.”

  “Rhys?” Kellan interjected. “Are you going to let Lily order a drink or hold her arm all night?”

  “Why can I no’ do both?” Rhys asked with a wink to Lily. It was the first time in weeks that he felt almost himself. That’s what Lily did to him. She healed the scars left from Ulrik’s magic.

  Lily’s bright smile was a salve on his battered soul. She had no idea how her mere presence could soothe and calm him as nothing else could.

  And that alone scared him much more than the thought of never shifting again.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Lily couldn’t remember ever being so nervous—or so excited.