by Donna Grant
“And the mates of the Kings?”
Mikkel’s disdain was evident as he scrunched up his face. “The women will die with their mates. That’s how it works. They’ll remain immortal until their Dragon King is killed.”
“True.”
“Besides, they’re humans. The mortals only want our power and immortality.”
“No’ all of them.”
Mikkel laughed and stepped aside. Ulrik’s gaze landed on Abby who came to stand beside his uncle. She looked adoringly up at Mikkel as if he were her savoir.
“Yes, all,” Mikkel said.
Ulrik was rarely outplayed. It happened so seldom that he at first didn’t recognize the jolt of outrage. His gaze skated away from Abby to look back at his uncle. “Abby has been working for you this entire time.”
“One of my many brilliant plans,” Mikkel said and kissed the top of Abby’s head before giving her a little shove away. “She kept an eye on all you had going on. All the while, I was setting my own plans in motion.”
“Why no’ just come to me yourself?”
Mikkel cocked his head to the side. “I had to know whose side you were really on. You considered Con a brother once.”
“Until he killed my woman and banished me from Dreagan.”
“Your woman needed to be killed! She was betraying you.”
Ulrik lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “So she did. Whatever I felt for Con and the other Kings died the day I was banished and my magic taken.”
“I know.” Mikkel’s smile was wide, triumphant. “I’ve watched you carefully, Ulrik. Which is why I think it’s time for you to join with me. Just think. Constantine will never know what hit him. Already he believes all that’s been happening is your doing.”
“Con will come soon and try to kill me.”
“That won’t happen,” Mikkel stated. “I won’t let it. The days of Constantine being King of Kings is numbered. I’m going to take his place. I just need you beside me. You deserve your own retribution.”
Ulrik stood and looked at his uncle’s outstretched hand. The minutes stretched as he stared at the hand. With a deep breath, he clasped it, sealing his promise.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Lily stood on the balcony of her suite and looked out over Edinburgh. The streets teemed with people even as the sky refused to chase away the clouds gathering. All of her bags had been collected by a bellman and were on their way to her flat since they wouldn’t fit in Rhys’s car. Lily shivered in the cool breeze. Rain was coming, and soon, if the increasing ache in her wrist was any indication.
She began to turn to go back inside when her vision caught sight of something across the block. Her heart plummeted to her feet when she saw Dennis standing on a balcony smiling at her.
“No,” she whispered.
She didn’t want Dennis to know who she was with. There was no telling what he would do. It was the worst possible scenario. Dennis put his mobile next to his ear, and a moment later hers rang. Lily’s hands shook, and it took her two tries just to answer it.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“You know what I want.”
“I’m returning today.”
“Hmm. I see you’ve moved on. Who’s the bloke?”
Lily glowered at him from across the expanse. “I’ll get you what you want.”
“I’ve no doubt.”
“Then leave me alone.”
“I think you need proper motivation,” Dennis said, a smile in his voice. “Here I thought threatening one of those pretty women was the key. Looks like I should’ve been threatening to kill your new lover. Does he know how to make you scream, Lily?”
She was still shaking, but it now was from anger, not fear. She glanced down at her arm and read the tattoo. It reminded her of the courage she possessed. “I’ll do what you want.”
Dennis laughed, the sound grating on her nerves. “They’ll know it’s you when this is all over. Surely you’re not stupid enough to know you can’t stay there.”
Lily disconnected the call and spun around to hurry inside. She closed the door and jerked the curtains closed so Dennis could no longer see in. Her hands hung on the curtains as she felt tears beginning to fall. If she gave in now, the dam would break and she would cry a river.
* * *
Rhys stood in the doorway of the bathroom and watched Lily. Her distress was evident by the way her shoulders shook. He heard her sniff, and knew she was crying. It was the silence of her tears that cut through him as nothing else could.
She was in trouble, and she was desperately attempting to handle it on her own. The fact was, she was failing. He could help if she but let him. It wasn’t just that he could aid her, he wanted to help. The night they’d had was … spectacular, mind-blowing. Utterly incredible.
After little hints he dropped throughout the morning, it was obvious Lily was the one who was going to get Dennis onto Dreagan. But she wasn’t happy about it. Their solitude and happiness had been shattered as completely as if Dennis was standing in the room with them. Rhys was in turns furious and distressed by what Lily was being put through. He never thought to find a woman like her, and yet here she was. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. It was too soon to let her know of his love. He would show her in other ways though.
She thought she hid her emotions well, and for the most part she did. However he was looking for the slightest chink, and he had found it.
Lily was being forced. It was the same thing Rhys told Con on his mobile when he’d walked into the bathroom earlier and turned on the shower. Rhys was willing to stake his life on it. Constantine wasn’t so sure, but he was willing to allow Rhys’s plan to play out after much convincing by Rhys.
He wanted to peel the skin from Dennis’s body over what he put Lily through—and for what was being done to her now. It wasn’t fair that Lily had to suffer so much. Rhys hated that she was going to endure it alone for a little longer, but there was no other way. What Lily didn’t know was that she would never be by herself. There would always be a King watching over her. Most times it was going to be Rhys.
The question was whether he could refrain from killing Dennis when he saw the asshole. It was Con’s concern as well.
Frankly, it was a valid one.
“Lily.”
She jerked upright and released the curtains, though she kept her back to him. “I didn’t hear you. Are you ready to leave?”
If he had his way, Rhys would never let her out of the room. “Almost.”
“I’ve got something in my eye,” she lied. “The wind is beginning to pick up. I’m afraid it’ll be raining on the drive back.”
“I’ll get you to Dreagan safely.”
She finally faced him. The only evidence of her tears were her spikey lashes and watery eyes. “I’ve no doubt.”
Rhys finished buttoning his dress shirt from the night before and tucked it in. Then he grabbed his jacket and slipped it on. “What?” he asked when he caught her staring at him with an odd expression on her face.
She smiled shyly. “I’m putting you to memory in that suit.”
“You keep talking like that and I may begin to mimic Con and wear the things every day.”
“A well-fitted suit is to a woman what lingerie is to men.”
Rhys walked to her and gave her a soft kiss. “Looks like I need to go shopping then.”
“Just because I think you look good in a suit?” she asked with an astonished expression on her face.
“Is that so implausible?”
“Yes.”
He was really going to have to work on convincing her that her opinion mattered, just as she did. After their night together, he knew there was no turning back for him. Of course he’d learned that in the middle of the night when he didn’t want to get up and leave as he had all the other women. With Lily he only wanted to pull her against him and make sure that he could feel her at all times.
The thought of leaving her—or her leaving him
—made him go a little crazy. Whether he wished it or not, Rhys had found his mate.
His mate.
It boggled his mind. Of all the Kings, he’d never expected to find anyone who would fill his heart the way Lily did. He enjoyed women. Or he used to. Now he only had eyes for his Lily.
As he gazed into her black eyes, he wanted to beg her to trust him and tell him everything. Which wasn’t right when he couldn’t tell her everything about himself. Even if he could, she wouldn’t believe him since he couldn’t prove he was a Dragon King.
Con had asked if Lily was his mate, and Rhys had lied and said he wasn’t sure. If Con had a hint that Lily was his mate Con would tell her everything, and Rhys knew that might be all it took to frighten her away. If anyone was going to tell her, it was going to be Rhys.
“I like the way you look at me,” Rhys told her.
She glanced down, but the tears were fading. “I’m surprised you ever noticed me. I’m nothing like the women you usually take out.”
Rhys inwardly grimaced, because he’d known his past would get brought up. “I noticed you, Lily. I noticed you from the first moment you came to Dreagan, but I stayed away because you were a different kind of woman. The kind that changes a man. The forever kind.”
“Oh.”
He smiled at her surprised expression. “I’ve never stayed an entire night with a woman.”
“Never?”
“Never. And trust me when I say that’s a verra long time.”
“Why?”
Rhys gave a shake of his head. “It’s the lifestyle I chose.”
The sound of rain hitting the window drew her attention. “Here comes the storm.”
“We can outrun it.” He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it.
When she did, they walked hand in hand from the room. There was a smile on her face until they got into the lift. By the time they reached the lobby, her grip on his hand had tightened and the worry in her furtive glances told him that Dennis was there.
Rhys hurriedly put her in his Jaguar and drove away from the hotel before he went to search for the bastard. When they reached the edge of the city, she released a sigh and seemed to relax.
Whenever Rhys got his hands on Dennis, there was not going to be anything to save him. Human or not, Rhys was going to kill the wanker.
* * *
Con sat at his desk, staring at it, though his mind was going over his conversation with Rhys. Ever since the dragon and Dark magic was used on Rhys, he’d been different.
Reserved. Withdrawn.
Cautious.
As much as he hated to admit it, they needed the old Rhys back. The reckless, outrageous Dragon King who questioned Con at every turn.
For many weeks, even before the magic was used on Rhys, Con observed the lovely Lily watching Rhys. And Rhys watching her. Con knew Rhys well enough to know he would keep himself removed from the mortal. Which is why it was such a surprise that Rhys joined Denae and Kellan with Lily in Edinburgh.
Rhys had a keen mind, and he was rarely wrong. Yet Con was worried that he wasn’t seeing things clearly when it came to Lily’s involvement with Ulrik.
Forced or not, Lily had a choice to go to someone at Dreagan and tell them what was being asked of her. She hadn’t. That in itself worried Con. Dreagan was a job to her and many others on the land. To those who lived there—the Kings and their mates—it was home.
People willingly died defending their homes.
Very few were willing to put themselves in danger for a job.
“Got a minute?” Warrick said as he entered Con’s office.
Con motioned to the chair. It was always a surprise when Warrick came to him. The King of the Jades preferred to keep to himself. It was a rare thing to find him with any of the other Kings, and even rarer when he sought Con out. “What is it?”
“I wanted to tell you about our visit with Ulrik.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I wondered if you were going to get around to it or make me wait for Rhys to return.”
Warrick’s cobalt gaze narrowed. “It’s no’ that I didna want to talk to you about it. I wanted to mull it over in my mind.”
“I was a wee bit surprised you went with Rhys.”
Warrick paused for a moment and ran a hand over his chin. “The Rhys walking around now isna the same one I’ve always known. I wasna certain what he would do to Ulrik. I went to make sure Rhys returned to Dreagan.”
“And? What happened with Ulrik?” Con urged.
“I’ve got a bad feeling.”
That made him sit up straight. “How so?”
“Ulrik didna act surprised when we asked about Henry or what was done to Rhys. Neither did he gloat over it.”
That was interesting news. “It could be that Ulrik was doing it on purpose, to keep us guessing.”
“Why? You know he wants to kill you. You want to kill him. Both of you have made those statements many times. Why would he no’ rejoice in our suffering?”
“That’s a good point, and one I can no’ answer.” Con wasn’t at all pleased at this new development.
Warrick shook his head. “I watched him while Rhys was interrogating him and using the shadows. Ulrik never backed down. All the while, I expected some kind of comeback from him about how we deserved it.”
“There’s no one else on this realm who has dragon magic, Warrick. I know for some of you it would be easier to know there was another adversary out there instead of Ulrik, but we need to face the facts. Ulrik will see us exposed and back in another war with the Fae. We can no’ battle the humans and the Fae.”
“Hate Ulrik all you want. Hell, I blame him for our having to send the dragons away, but doona be so hasty to put all our resources to taking down Ulrik.”
“If he’s dead, then all of this goes away. Those with mates can rest easier, and we can stop worrying about the humans discovering who we are.”
Warrick got to his feet. “When are you going after Ulrik?”
“Right after we catch the bastard who thinks he can come onto our land and take something from us.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Rhys was an hour from Dreagan when he heard Kiril’s voice in his head. Since he’d been ignoring his mobile that dinged with texts and calls repeatedly, he knew he couldn’t disregard Kiril now.
A glance over at Lily showed that she was sleeping. There hadn’t been much talk between them since they left Edinburgh. With the city behind them, she hadn’t been able to keep her eyes open.
“Aye?” Rhys said as he opened the link between him and Kiril.
There was a frustrated sigh from Kiril. “About damn time, dick. If you didna answer I was going to come looking for you.”
“I didna want to wake Lily, jerk.”
“More likely you didna want to chance her hearing anything.” Kiril grunted. “I remember doing the same with Shara.”
Rhys didn’t respond. If he tried to claim Lily wasn’t his mate, Kiril would see through him. But he wasn’t ready to tell anyone else she was his, either.
“I can no’ imagine how you’re feeling with Lily’s name on the list of suspects,” Kiril said.
“It’s her, Kiril. Lily is the one Ulrik spoke about.”
“Aw, fuck. Con’s going to want to talk to her.”
“No’ happening,” Rhys said, giving enough heat to his words so that Kiril would know it wasn’t just Rhys wanting to give Con a hard time.
There was a beat of silence. “I see.”
“Nay, you doona. She’s being forced. Lily told me her history with the guy, and I believe he was in Edinburgh watching her.”
“Have you considered the possibility that she’s … acting?”
“If you’d seen the scars all over her back and stomach, you wouldna be asking me that.”
“What?”
The shock in Kiril’s voice only mimicked what went through Rhys when he had seen the scars himself. “She’s no’ faking. Lily left him a year ago. I
believe he returned recently. He’s also the reason she has the bruise on her cheek. She didna say as much, but it wasna difficult to piece together.”
“Shite. This just keeps getting crazier and crazier. Have you told her you know?”
“Nay.”
“I’ve some experience in this since I went through something similar with Shara in Ireland. Tell her, Rhys. Tell her everything.”
Now it was Rhys’s turn to be shocked. “Have you lost your damn mind? She’s mortal. I can no’ tell her everything.”
“You can. Banan told Henry.”
“That’s different. Henry is helping us.”
Kiril’s sigh was long and loud. “So could Lily. I thought you would want her to know since she’s your mate.”
Rhys was so unprepared for that statement that he nearly missed his turn. He and Kiril had always known what the other was thinking, but Rhys had made sure to be so careful and not mention anything about Lily around him—or anyone for that matter.
“Doona even try to tell me I’m lying,” Kiril said. “I know you. I’ve seen you looking at her with the same hunger that I look at Shara.”
“Lily is mine. I didna try to fight the inevitable. It’s no’ that I doona think she’s strong enough to handle the truth or willna accept it. I think … she’s been through too much already.”
“You’re making a grave mistake. Trust me. If Lily is being coerced, then she’ll know she can trust you. If she isna, then you’ll know that as well. Besides, if she’s your mate, you’ll have to tell her sometime what you are.”
“And what is that?” Rhys asked angrily. “What am I but an immortal who can no longer shift? She’ll really believe I’m a dragon when I can no’ prove it to her.”
“Tell her, Rhys. You know it’s the right thing to do. For everyone.”
Kiril closed the link, leaving Rhys with his words reverberating in his head. Was it the right thing to do? Probably.
The fact of the matter was that he was afraid to tell Lily. Not just fearful of how she might react, but terrified of her turning away from him. It was a proven fact that some humans couldn’t handle that there were other beings on the earth with them. Rhys wouldn’t be able to handle it if Lily turned away from him.
