Blaze

by Donna Grant

  Rhi nodded. “Yes. When it was brought near any of the Kings, they had an overwhelming desire to kill all mortals. In Faith’s hands, I saw a blade come out of it as she stabbed Dmitri. She kept saying that she wouldn’t be the Kings’ first kill, starting the war all over again.”

  “Did you touch it?” Phelan asked Rhi.

  The Light Fae shook her head. “Shara, however, did. She passed out as rage consumed her.”

  “Why are you here?” Larena asked from her seat beside her husband, Fallon.

  Isla backed up another step when Rhi glanced her way. She couldn’t speak as the Ancients allowed her to hear the vicious, vile things the wooden dragon had caused the Dragon Kings and Faith to say.

  “Because of what I felt when I examined the dragon,” Rhi said.

  Ramsey rose to his feet. He was the only Warrior who was also part Druid—a deadly combination that had saved them on countless occasions. “I want to see this object.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, sunshine,” Rhi cautioned.

  Ramsey merely raised a black brow.

  Rhi blew out a breath, and then there was a large sphere hovering over her shoulder. Without a word, the Fae put her hands on either side of the orb, not quite touching it, and focused on the wooden dragon.

  Little bolts of lightning ran from the wooden dragon to the globe. It wasn’t until a pale yellow light began to surround Rhi that Phelan rushed to her. Isla grabbed his arm before he could touch the Fae.

  “I’m fine,” Rhi said to Phelan.

  His lips flattened. “Then stop glowing.”

  Everyone knew that Rhi glowing was never a good thing. So, at Phelan’s request, she dropped her hands. Isla breathed a sigh of relief when the glow faded.

  “I feel Fae magic within it,” Rhi told them. “Both Light and Dark.”

  Hayden crossed his arms over his thick chest. “What else do you feel? Because you wouldna be here talking to my woman if there wasna more.”

  Rhi’s gaze slid to Isla. “I feel Druid magic. Both mie and drough.”

  “Damn,” Fallon muttered.

  Rhi gave a pointed look Isla’s way. “What did the Ancients tell you?”

  “That there’s danger.” Isla looked at Hayden, knowing that he would stand with her no matter what. “And that the past is returning.”

  Ramsey frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”

  Isla turned to Rhi. “They said I should work with you against those who want payback.”

  “Well, sister,” Rhi said with a wry grin. “Let’s get started.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Devon wasn’t nearly done asking questions. “Will you tell me about the Fae?”

  Anson’s midnight eyes watched her for a long moment. “Do you believe what I’ve told you?”

  “I believe that you believe it.”

  He raised a brow. “You saw it.”

  “Did I? You want me to accept that magic exists when I’ve never seen it, not in my entire life. To me, magic is dragging a rabbit out of a hat or pulling a coin from thin air.”

  “If you doona believe, why do you want to know more?”

  She’d hoped he wouldn’t ask that. Mostly because she wasn’t yet prepared to allow herself to think about it, much less say it aloud.

  “Devon,” he urged.

  “Because even though you scared me when you shifted, you’re gorgeous in dragon form. Because your world is fascinating. It’s beautiful and scary and enthralling, and I want to know everything.”

  His gaze shifted upward briefly before he slowly nodded. “The Fae are from another realm. They came here centuries ago because of civil war and settled in Ireland. There are two kinds of Fae—Light and Dark.”

  She leaned her head against the bars and watched him. He wanted her to accept everything he shared, but he had no idea how difficult it was for her.

  “The Fae are extremely beautiful,” he continued. “Humans are drawn to them without even realizing it. The Light have silver eyes and black hair. They mingle with mortals, though it’s frowned upon.”

  “Why?” she asked with a scowl.

  “Because once you have sex with a Fae, no mortal will ever be able to satisfy you again.”

  Devon wrinkled her nose. “I see.”

  “There is something about your race that appeals to the Fae. Perhaps it’s how easily you fall under their spell, but the occasional dalliance sometimes results in a child. There are thousands of Halflings walking this earth.”

  She took that in, thinking of all the beautiful people in the movies that seemed almost too gorgeous to be real. Charlize Theron for one. Devon was now sure she was a Halfling. “And the Dark?”

  “You saw them today,” Anson stated. “A Light Fae can turn Dark, but many of the most powerful Dark have family connections that go back millions of years. If a Fae is born into a Dark family, they will be Dark.”

  “Do any ever turn Light?”

  “It rarely happens. It’s the seductive power of their magic that holds them. Their magic is greater as a Dark, but it turns them evil. While a Light might give in and take a mortal for a single time, the Dark have other ideas. They feed on humans.”

  She jerked back at the thought. “You mean, they eat us?”

  “No’ in the way you’re thinking. Mortals flock to them, their bodies uninhibited. They freely yield themselves to the Dark, who gives them the best sex of their lives. But each time a Dark couples with a human, they drain a bit of their soul.”

  Devon was repulsed by the thought. “Are you telling me that a woman will lie there in the throes of passion without knowing she’s dying?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I’ve seen it. The first time a Dark takes a life, their eyes turn red. Every evil deed after that begins to turn more of their hair silver.”

  “They’d be easy to recognize,” she said with distaste.

  Anson shook his head. “The Fae have magic, remember. They can teleport. They can also craft Fae doorways only they can see. And they can use glamour to change their appearance.”

  “I think I might be sick.”

  “When the Fae first came to this realm, we told them to leave, but they took one look at you humans and saw a feast. It wasna long after that the Fae Wars began. At first, it was the Dragon Kings against both the Light and Dark, but Con managed to convince the Light Queen, Usaeil, that if she sided with us, it could also end their civil war.

  “Since their wars all but destroyed their world, she accepted his offer. The Light joined us, and we were able to defeat the Dark.”

  Devon shifted, her hand sliding down one of the bars and coming in contact with his. A crackle of awareness rushed through her that she promptly ignored. “So you won because the Light helped you.”

  “We could’ve bested the Dark on our own, but we were fighting a war while keeping humans from witnessing any of it. And Con thought an alliance with the Light could only benefit us.”

  “Smart move,” she admitted. “If you won, why didn’t you push the Fae out?”

  His expression hardened. “It’s something we all regret. We signed a treaty. The Dark were meant to stay in Ireland and never venture into Scotland, and were not supposed to take a single human life. But the longer they remained, the more they pushed against those boundaries until they broke the bonds altogether.”

  “Are you at war with them again?”

  “Aye. And doing our best no’ to bring it to the attention of the mortals. The Dark doona care who sees them, so it makes it more difficult for us.”

  She blew out a breath. “None of this would be an issue if you didn’t have to hide who you are.”

  “Nay.”

  “Are the Light still your allies?”

  He hesitated a bit too long. “I think so. There is one Light. Her name is Rhi. She has done much for us over the centuries.”

  “Why? What ties her to the Kings?”

  “The fact that she had a Dragon King as a lover.
”

  Devon smiled at the thought. “Are they still together?”

  “Nay, though none of us know why he ended the affair. They belong together. All of us knew it then, and we know it now.”

  “That’s sad. And even though he ended it, Rhi still helps you?”

  “She’s risked her life to aid us on several occasions.”

  “So the Fae aren’t immortal?”

  He shrugged offhandedly. “No’ in the sense that we are. They live verra long lives, but one of their specially made blades forged in the Fires of Erwar can kill them.”

  “Any chance I can get one of those blades?” she asked with a grin.

  His lips tilted up in a breathtaking smile. “Does that mean you accept what I’ve told you?”

  Instead of answering him, she cleared her throat. “What about Druids? Are they the Halflings you spoke about?”

  “Druids are humans who are able to feel the magic that makes up this realm. Sensing and feeling the magic were the first steps. Magic then melded with them, becoming part of them. That’s how the Druids came to be. There isna much magic left on this world anymore. Mortals’ disregard of it has pushed the magic deep within the ground, but there are still some places it can be felt. Dreagan, of course, because we’re there. For Druids, it’s the Isle of Skye.”

  She lifted her brows. “Really? So close? I’ve heard of the beauty of Skye.”

  “Mortals think it’s the splendor of the land that brings them, and though Skye is magnificent, it’s the magic they feel.”

  “You make me want to go.”

  His black gaze was intense. “You should.”

  Unable to hold his stare, she hastily looked away. “Are there many Druids?”

  “The more they procreate with non-magical humans, the more the magic fades from them. The Druids are a dying breed. There are a group of them who saved your kind several times against droughs—the evil Druids intent on taking over the world.”

  “Droughs,” she said, testing out the word. It sounded foreign and difficult to say.

  “It’s Gaelic. The virtuous Druids are mies.”

  She turned her gaze to him. “How does a Druid’s magic compare to a Fae’s?”

  “A Druid can be immensely powerful but no’ come close to a Fae. While Druids walk two worlds—their own and that of the humans—the Fae and magic are as one.”

  “Just like you?”

  There was a slight frown on his forehead at her question. “We are magic. Magic is us. So, aye, like us.”

  What went unsaid was that the Dragon Kings were the most powerful of all. She didn’t need to ask. He’d confirmed it with his stories. “A Dragon King.”

  “Without dragons,” he said, looking away.

  She put her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry, Anson. I don’t know why you still wish to help us after everything you’ve told me. I wouldn’t. But what I really don’t understand is why you freely tell me all of this, knowing that Stanley and Harriett have to be listening.”

  “You forget,” he said with a grin as he turned his head back to her. “I have magic. I created a bubble around us to silence our words. They think you’re there, but that I’m in one of the dark corners.”

  “So they didn’t hear anything we’ve said?”

  “No’ a word,” he replied with a grin.

  Though she still wasn’t sure about the whole magic thing, she decided it was better to hedge her bets. “And the Druid Kinsey and Esther spoke of?”

  “She’s powerful, but she willna be able to touch my magic.”

  That made Devon feel better. Then she recalled something that had happened at the warehouse. “Why did the men holding me suddenly let me go?”

  “Because I made them. Each King has their own power. Mine is being able to possess someone’s body.”

  “And their minds?”

  He gave a shake of his head. “Unfortunately no’.”

  “Upton said something about the Druid preventing you from doing that to him.”

  Anson’s lips flattened for a second. “That was my mistake. I should’ve foreseen that Upton would take such precautions. I could’ve broken through the Druid’s spells, but that would’ve put you in more danger.”

  “Next time, don’t worry about me.”

  “Do you no’ understand?”

  She tilted her head. “Understand what?”

  “They’re going to use you to make sure I do whatever it is they want.”

  “No,” she said louder than intended. “Don’t let them.”

  He leaned toward the bars so their faces were close. “I’ll no’ let them harm a single hair on your head.”

  “They’re counting on that. I saw the look in Stanley’s eyes earlier. He’s insane with the need to have you at his beck and call.”

  “It’s his mistake,” Anson stated in a cold voice. “He’ll learn soon enough that I’m no’ his toy.”

  She gripped Anson’s arm tighter and leaned in closer. “Let him know that right from the beginning.”

  “And if they threaten your life?”

  It wasn’t as if she wanted to die. In fact, she very much wanted to live. Maybe it was the fact that she’d been taken by a psychopath, but she was finding it harder and harder to come up with reasons not to believe Anson.

  “I’m one person,” she replied.

  He shook his head. “I can no’ allow anything to happen to you.”

  “Look at the big picture. Without me, you can break away from here and get the information you and Kinsey came for.”

  “It’s no’ worth it.”

  She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. “Why are you being so difficult?”

  “Because I care about you. Because it physically hurts me to think about you harmed.”

  Devon’s heart skipped a beat. How could he be real? He was gentle and kind but also protective and authoritative. He was strong and commanding, and impossibly gorgeous.

  “I want you,” he murmured.

  With three words, she accepted everything about him—Dragon King, magic, immortality—the whole package.

  She swallowed as her blood raced with desire. “I’m yours.”

  When he took her lips in a hungry kiss, she forgot about the metal bars between them, Upton and his mad schemes, and the fact that she could die.

  Because she was being kissed by a Dragon King.

  Who had chosen her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  It took little for Anson’s body to ignite into a blaze of desire. He detested the bars that kept him apart from Devon, but more than that, he loathed the people who dared to put her in harm’s way.

  They would pay.

  Painfully.

  There was nothing Con or anyone else could say that would change his mind. Worst of all, he knew he was the one responsible for Devon being in the entire predicament.

  But that would change. He would see to it.

  By all that was magical, he loved kissing her. His body ached with the need to be inside her again, to feel her tight, slick walls holding him.

  Reluctantly, he ended the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. He remained calm, keeping control of his rising anger, when all he wanted to do was shift and tear down the building before taking her to Dreagan and to safety.

  Then return and destroy anyone involved in their kidnapping.

  “I don’t have any family,” Devon said.

  Anson didn’t reply. That tidbit had already been revealed by Kinsey. The fact that Devon said it with such sad eyes alerted him that the story behind it would be of the horrible kind.

  “You already knew, didn’t you?”

  He smoothed hair away from Devon’s face as he leaned back to look at her. “Aye.”

  “I’ve not said those words in a long time.” She then shifted so that she rested her head on his shoulder through the bars.

  Anson held her, smoothing his hand over her brunette locks as he waited for her to talk.

  “My mu
m died when I was three. I don’t remember her. My father didn’t handle her sudden death well, and I didn’t fit into the mix at all. He was in the Royal Navy, so when he shipped out, I went to stay with his brother.

  “My aunt and uncle were good people and treated me as theirs. When I was four, they had their own daughter, and I lived with them permanently. My cousin and I were very close. Life was good. Really good.” Her smile faded then. “A month before my thirteenth birthday, I learned my father had been killed.”

  Anson held her tighter, wishing he could take away the pain. She wasn’t the only one to lose both parents so young, but that didn’t make her suffering any less horrific.

  “I’d always thought my father would come back for me.” She snorted. “It was silly really. In the ten years following him leaving me with his brother, I only saw him twice. I think I always knew in the back of my mind that he didn’t want me in his life.

  “When I was younger, I learned all I could about my dad. Then one day, I put it all in a chest and forgot about it. With his death, I pulled out that chest where I’d stored pictures and anything my uncle had given me of my father. I became obsessed with all of it, including the magic tricks he’d apparently mastered at a young age.”

  Anson never stopped stroking her hair, giving her comfort as she spoke.

  “For four years, everything I did revolved around magic. I was horrible at it, but I loved it. If a magician came to town, I made sure I was there. My aunt, uncle, and cousin bore it all with smiles.”

  “Because they loved you,” Anson said.

  Devon nodded, sniffing. “My uncle had been feeling poorly for weeks when the day came for us to go and see the newest magician. I don’t even remember who it was, but I felt as if the world would come to an end if I didn’t go. My cousin and I were on the way back to the house from a run to the store. Whatever had made my uncle sick had passed to my aunt. My cousin wasn’t feeling well either, so I was driving. It was raining so badly, the windshield wipers couldn’t keep up. I remember that clearly. That, and my fury.”

  He stared at her face, watching the play of emotions.

  She shrugged, a rueful tilt to her lips. “I was so angry. I don’t recall what my cousin said exactly. She was supposed to go with me. Otherwise, I couldn’t go to see the show. When she said she didn’t feel like going, I started yelling. The tires hit a puddle, and we hydroplaned right into oncoming traffic.”