Blaze

by Donna Grant

  It was because of him that she wanted to believe the story. But no matter how she turned it, she couldn’t. There was no such thing as magic. She’d known that since she was a little girl.

  “If you don’t believe, then the rest of the story doesn’t need to be told,” Esther said as she got to her feet.

  Kinsey stood, as well and held out a hand to stop Esther. “Wait.” She then looked to Devon. “Please, hear us out. You wanted the truth, and that’s what we’re here to give you.”

  Devon had told them to tell her everything. It wasn’t as if she’d ordered them to only tell her facts that she could confirm. This was their story, and whether or not she believed it, they did.

  “Go on,” she consented.

  Esther didn’t bother to return to her seat. She moved to the window and peeked out of the blinds. Anson’s gaze was now focused on the floor.

  That left only Kinsey, who gave her a half-smile and slowly lowered herself onto the sofa. “There is magic, Devon. One of the types of beings who are able to use it is Druids. Believe it or not, but there are some very powerful Druids walking among us. So powerful, that when those at Dreagan were able to break the spell on Esther, she remembered nothing of her time in Ireland or with Ulrik or at Dreagan.”

  Devon finished off her wine, hoping it would help numb the feeling of unease that kept growing. Unfortunately, it would likely take more than one glass.

  Once more, her gaze moved to Anson. He sat still as stone. His long locks had a slight wave. They seemed to call out for her to run her hands through their inky length. His hair looked as soft as his body appeared hard.

  And though she was ogling the fine male form in her living room, her mind had focused on the part about those at Dreagan breaking what they claimed was a Druid enchantment.

  She kept that to herself for the moment.

  “It took me a bit to come out of the spell,” Kinsey said. “I know all of this sounds very unbelievable, but it’s the truth.”

  “And you think all of this involves Kyvor,” Devon said.

  Anson’s gaze slowly lifted to her. “We do. The woman Esther met at Kyvor is the key.”

  “The Druid, you mean.”

  He remained silent for a beat. “Aye. The Druid.”

  “And you want me to find this woman?”

  Kinsey jumped to her feet and took a few steps toward her. “No,” she quickly said. Then she drew in a breath and said more calmly, “We don’t want you in any danger.”

  “Apparently, I’m already in danger.” Damn but why couldn’t she stop looking at Anson? It wasn’t like he was going to be the one to save her.

  She’d learned long ago that the only one who could save her was herself. Knights on white horses existed only in fairy tales. And fiction was far removed from reality.

  “We’re hoping you can find out who is making the decisions about Dreagan,” Kinsey said. “We just need a name.”

  A name. That sounded simple enough. But an operation such as Kyvor going after Dreagan meant a team of people. “It’ll be more than one, though.”

  “Most likely,” Anson agreed.

  “And it will probably get worse for you,” Esther said without turning from the window.

  Worse. Just what she needed.

  Kinsey’s face scrunched up. “I know we’re asking a lot.”

  “You’re asking for me to ruin my life. If I start digging into anything at the company, I will lose everything I’ve worked so hard to gain,” she told them.

  Anson’s head tilted to the side. “Do you really want to be part of a company that invades an employee’s private life? Or worse, tries to control them?”

  “No.”

  With that, Anson stood and walked toward the back of the flat. Dimly, she heard the door close behind him as he left.

  “I know you don’t believe us,” Kinsey said. “It’s all very unbelievable, but it’s the truth. Please take some time and consider everything we’ve told you.”

  Esther faced her then. “And think on the fact that Kyvor has been following you, bugging your home, taking pictures of you, and who knows what else. They did it to Kinsey, and they’re doing it to you. Why? More importantly, who else are they doing it to?”

  “You can’t trust anyone at the company,” Kinsey added.

  Esther moved to stand beside Kinsey. “Our lives were in their hands, and I hate that. If it weren’t for my brother and those at Dreagan, both Kinsey and I would be dead. I owe the people at Dreagan my life. Part of that debt is discovering what Kyvor wants with them and erasing all evidence. We could use your help, but we’ll get what we need one way or another.”

  After a look to Kinsey, Esther walked out.

  For long moments, Kinsey simply looked at Devon. Then she released a long breath. “Whether you believe us about the magic or not, think about everything else we’ve told you. Kyvor is lying to everyone. This is your chance to help us and break free of them. Stand with us to take down this company so no more lives are ruined.”

  Devon set aside her wine glass. She didn’t know how to respond, so she didn’t say anything at all.

  “Whether you help or not, we’ll do our best to keep an eye on you.” Kinsey then walked to a bag that leaned against the side of the sofa. She took something out and walked back to the kitchen with a smile as she held out the computer. “This is a clean laptop. Keep it with you at all times. Change the code on your locks every other day. Keep the mobile we gave you. If you want to help, you know how to reach us.”

  Devon took the laptop and brought it against her chest as Kinsey gathered her items and walked out. As soon as she heard the door close, Devon set aside the computer and hurried to change the code on both doors.

  She then stood in her living room, looking around at the home that had been her sanctuary. It had been invaded by men spying on her. And for what? Being an exemplary employee?

  It infuriated her that she was being spied upon. In her own home. Of course, there was the chance that Esther had lied about the cameras in her flat, but Devon didn’t think so.

  She’d seen the pictures of Kinsey with her own eyes. Though she hadn’t seen anyone following her, the pictures she saw of herself were proof of that.

  And, apparently, someone had been in her house last night. That was mind-blowing. She hadn’t been aware of it, even if she had suspected it this morning. It made her wonder if her dream about Anson had been a dream, after all.

  How many nights had someone entered her home and walked around, watched her sleep, and gone through her things? It made her ill.

  How would she ever sleep again? Every noise would keep her awake. Even taking showers would be difficult. Perhaps she should invest in a weapon of some kind.

  Not that it would help if magic were used.

  She snorted at that thought. Magic. She’d believed everything up until that point. If only Kinsey and Esther hadn’t added in that bit of untruth. They should’ve known she wouldn’t buy it. So why did they mention it?

  The only conclusion she could come to was that they truly believed that magic had been used on them. Obviously, it was some kind of hypnosis, which had been shown to be very effective.

  When her stomach grumbled, she was reminded that she hadn’t eaten. She pulled out leftovers from her Chinese takeout and warmed them up before carrying the cartons to the coffee table. She opened the new laptop and began to eat.

  After several bites, she set down the chopsticks and did a search for anything related to Kyvor. It was of particular interest that it took significant digging before she found anything negative related to the company.

  The search engine had buried those websites and blogs deep in the millions of pages of data. The only way for that to happen was with big bucks and the knowledge of metadata.

  For the next four hours, she dug through pages and pages of information, jotting down names of past employees and anyone who had a grudge against the company.

  By the time she came to the
last page, her eyes burned, and her head ached, but she had a list. Over sixty names of those who had spoken out against Kyvor. And every single one of them was an individual, not a company.

  Devon rose and stretched her back. She cleared away the food and got a bottle of water before getting comfortable on the sofa again with the computer in her lap and the list of names beside her.

  One by one, she did a search on the names. By the twelfth name, she saw a recurring theme: they were deceased. None of them were labeled homicides, though. Each was classified as an accident or suicide.

  Just to be sure, she looked up every name on the list. And every one of them was dead.

  Devon then put in her name. She hadn’t done such a search on herself in over eight years because she was always afraid what she might find.

  Surprisingly, there was no mention of the past she wanted kept hidden. Just like Kyvor, that information was buried too deep for anyone doing a cursory search.

  Not even the past could keep Devon from doing what she knew she had to do. She sent a quick text to Kinsey, agreeing to help. As soon as it went through, she dropped her head back on the sofa and sighed loudly.

  “I hope I’m doing the right thing,” she said aloud.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Somewhere in Western Canada …

  Usaeil stared at her reflection in the mirror of her trailer. The filming had wrapped for the day, and everything about the current movie was going swimmingly.

  But she felt nothing but fury.

  It spoke of her acting skills that she hid it while among the mortals. It was only in the privacy of her trailer, away from everyone, that she let her true feelings show.

  Weeks had passed since she’d last spoken with Con. She’d expected him to search her out and apologize. After all, he was the one who’d acted like an ass the last time they were together. He just had to mention Rhi.

  Didn’t he realize that Rhi was dead to her? It was Rhi who’d left the Queen’s Guard—her guard. Being Queen of the Light was grueling work.

  Everyone wanted something from her, and no one ever considered what she might want. It’s why she’d begun her acting career.

  Her fans adored her. Everywhere she went, females from the age of one to one hundred dressed like her. If that wasn’t devotion, Usaeil didn’t know what was.

  The Light were only concerned with their own desires. Humans saw what they didn’t have and tried to copy it. And they wanted to be her.

  She tilted her head as her wealth of black hair fell to the side. Silver eyes stared back at her. Eyes that her recent co-star, the handsome Jason Statham, had called “mesmerizing.”

  There wasn’t a man she couldn’t have if she wanted him. Why then was Con being so difficult? Why couldn’t he admit his love?

  She smiled at herself. Not that it was going to matter. She had taken care of their little secret. No longer would that be a bone of contention between them. It was time their love was out in the open for the world to see—and accept.

  The Dragon Kings would be thrilled to have her as their queen. The Light would come to accept Con, as well—because the Light loved her so much. They would bend to her will as they always had.

  As for Rhi … Usaeil fisted her hands. Leaving the Queen’s Guard had been the final straw. As soon as the movie wrapped, she would return to her castle in Ireland and announce that Rhi was banished from the Light.

  It was the only course available. Usaeil couldn’t kill Rhi.

  Or could she?

  She drummed her fingers on the table. There was one she knew she could turn to to get such … dirty … work done. Taraeth. The King of the Dark never hesitated to take care of such things.

  He’d been happy to kill Balladyn.

  She sat back in her chair and shoved her black hair over her shoulder. Hundreds of copies of the photo of her and Con had been hung inside her castle and distributed among the Light.

  Soon, everything she’d worked centuries for would come to fruition. Con had all but ignored her for eons, but she’d known it was only a matter of time before he realized that they were meant to be together.

  When he had come to her, it had been the best day of her life. She’d wanted to shout the news to everyone, but she had respected his need to keep their affair quiet.

  That had been a mistake. Now that was taken care of. And it wasn’t as if she were to blame. She hadn’t actually spoken to anyone about him. No matter what argument Con used, he wouldn’t be able to be angry over that detail.

  It wasn’t her fault that the photographer was there, or that he’d snapped a picture of them. She laughed loudly. Con need never know that she’d set up the entire thing.

  He would be too focused on blending the Dragon Kings and the Light together to think of anything but their upcoming wedding. Because there would be a wedding.

  It was going to be a grand, lavish affair that would echo across the realms. Everyone would be there to fawn over and adore her, including Con.

  The Dragon Kings would take members of the Light as their mates and finally be able to have the children the mortals weren’t able to give them.

  With Rhi out of the way, there wouldn’t be anyone there who would dare to disrupt her perfect day with her Dragon King.

  She wanted it all.

  And she would have it all.

  There were only a few more days before they took a small break in filming. That’s when she would set things in motion with Taraeth in regards to Rhi.

  At one time, she’d considered Rhi a sister. But that hadn’t lasted long. Usaeil had recognized the power within Rhi that the Light Fae hadn’t even suspected was there.

  It would be better for everyone if Rhi never fully realized the potential she had. What a colossal mistake Usaeil had made trying to cultivate Rhi’s power to help her grow. It was a good thing she’d seen Rhi for who she really was before the Fae did something impulsive and rash as she normally did—like try to take Usaeil’s throne.

  It was for that reason that she would have Taraeth kill Rhi.

  Well, there might be another reason, as well, but that wasn’t even worth mentioning. Rhi hadn’t been with her Dragon King in thousands of years. It was over between them.

  Wasn’t it?

  Usaeil swiped everything off her vanity in a fit of rage. That question should never have entered her mind. She had her Dragon King—the King of Dragon Kings. She was the one coming out the victor.

  It wouldn’t be long before everyone forgot Rhi. As a matter of fact, Usaeil had already forgotten the ungrateful Fae.

  She took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she snapped her fingers to fix the mess she’d made. With a nod of approval, she stood. Merely a thought had the costume for the movie removed and a slinky white dress and heels in place.

  She smiled at her reflection, pleased with her look. After all, there would be a group of adoring fans waiting for her autograph or even a picture. She had to look her best for them.

  She exited her trailer and waved at one of her assistants as she headed to the waiting car. Halfway there, she came to a halt when Inen appeared in front of her.

  Usaeil glared at the captain of her Guard. “What is the meaning of this?”

  “I’ve been searching for you everywhere,” he said and did a quick glance to see if they were alone. “It took me browsing the humans’ entertainment news to discover where you were.”

  She raised a brow. “No one was supposed to be able to find me.”

  “It’s important, my queen.” Inen bowed his head and clasped his hands behind his back.

  He’d been a faithful Queen’s Guard for many millennia. She supposed she could take a moment to listen to whatever he wanted. “Go on. What is it?”

  His gaze jerked to her, a frown in place.

  When he didn’t speak, she rolled her eyes. “I thought you said it was important.”

  “It’s just … you’re different.”

  She waved away his words. “Inen, get on wit
h it before I leave.”

  “There has been an accident at the castle. The Everwoods have been killed.”

  “The entire family?”

  “Aye,” Inen said and took a step closer. “Your people need you. They’re terrified it was the Reapers who killed them.”

  At the mention of the legendary Reapers, Usaeil laughed. “They aren’t real. How many times do I need to say that?”

  “Regardless, your people need to see you, need you to comfort them.”

  “I’m busy. It’s going to have to wait,” she said as she walked around him.

  “On your movie to finish?”

  It was the note of anger and resentment in his voice that brought her to a halt once again. She jerked her head to him and raised a brow. “You dare talk to me like that?”

  “I dare to ask a question.”

  “Yes, Inen, I have to finish my movie. The Light can wait to be coddled until I’m done. If you feel they need more, step in for me.”

  He held out a copy of the picture of her and Con. “And what of this?”

  She looked down at it before meeting his silver gaze. “What of it?”

  “Is this Constantine? Have you taken a Dragon King to your bed?”

  “I have. Deal with it. Our union will be happening very soon.”

  He took a step back, his face full of revulsion as his arm dropped to his side. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’ve never been more serious. Now, return to the castle and tell everyone that I said not to worry about the rumors of the Reapers. They aren’t real.”

  She continued walking, a smile in place when she saw a group of her fans near her car.

  “What do I tell them about Con?”

  She rolled her eyes as she stopped. This time when she turned around, she let her anger show. “I don’t give a flying fuck what you tell them. It’s happening, and nothing anyone says or does is going to stop it.”

  “You never wanted Rhi and her King together. You actively worked to break them apart.”

  “And your point?”

  “You told Rhi that the Fae would never accept a Dragon King among them.”