Smoldering Hunger

by Donna Grant

  “I do this for them, not for you,” she said. She looked him up and down as if he were dirt on her shoe.

  Con crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. “You owe me.”

  She gawked at him. “Owe? I owe you? What have you been smoking?”

  “I saved your life.”

  Rhi’s shoulders began to shake as she laughed. “Oh, honey,” she replied in a mocking tone. “I was there of my own free will to help Thorn. You didn’t ask me, and I didn’t ask your permission.”

  “I still saved your life.”

  “How many times have I helped the Kings? I think you owed me that and many more before I’m ever indebted to you.”

  He couldn’t stop his triumphant smile as he figured out what bothered her. “It irritates you that I was the one who healed your wounds.”

  “You preening peacock,” she said in outrage. “I didn’t need you.”

  The smile fell from Con’s face as he let his arms drop to his sides. “You actually did, Rhi. The wound was severe.”

  “And you didn’t let me die? One less annoyance in your life.”

  She was right. It would’ve been easy enough to let her die, but it had never entered his mind.

  “Rhys must have been there making you heal me,” she said with a smirk. “I bet that stung.”

  Con let her think what she would. She didn’t need to know that he’d healed her on his own without any demands from the Kings.

  “I guess I should be thankful it wasn’t just the two of us or I’d be haunting your ass right now.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder as she finished talking.

  “Next time you might no’ be so fortunate.”

  She gave him a pitying look. “If you think that’ll happen, you are as dumb as I think you are. That blast of magic was lucky.”

  “Ulrik hit you with it.”

  She looked to the sky and shrugged. “I know. It’s war.”

  “Since when do you remain friends with someone who tried to kill you?”

  “I’m not friends with him. But he’s a hell of a kisser,” she said with a wink.

  Con suspected she and Ulrik had hooked up, but to have confirmation sent a wave of fury through him. “Which side are you on, Rhi? Ours or Ulrik’s?”

  “You’re such a dumbass, Con,” she said before she teleported away.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Darius replayed his and Sophie’s conversation in his head over and over again while she slept in his arms. Each time they made love it was new and wonderful. And each time he felt the connection between them strengthen.

  That’s what she feared—and so did he.

  Sophie was a good person. She helped those in need, and she was a talented doctor. If she could be untouched by his world, then that was all the better.

  He’d told her everything because she asked—and because he wanted her to know. But once Ulrik was dealt with, Darius would have Guy come in and erase every memory with him in it.

  It was how he intended to leave things when he departed the city and her life once and for all. The longer he remained the harder it would be for him to leave.

  He was developing feelings for her. Sophie was blessed with a gift of healing. He couldn’t take her away from that.

  “Do you ever sleep?” Sophie asked.

  He looked down to find her eyes open and staring at him. Darius smiled and said, “A little at a time. I doona need much. Why are you no’ asleep?”

  “I should be. You wore me out again,” she said with a grin. “I’m just thinking of everything.”

  “And?”

  “Thank you for telling me.”

  He kissed her, rolling her onto her back. Seconds later he heard Con’s voice in his head. Darius sat up and sighed.

  “What is it?” Sophie asked.

  “Con.”

  She raised her brows. “Um … what?”

  “As dragons, we have a mental link that allows us to communicate. Con is calling me.”

  Sophie shook her head and rose to walk to the bathroom. “Better answer,” she said with a wink.

  “Aye,” Darius said.

  “I need you at the hotel.”

  “I doona want to leave Sophie alone. Ulrik willna stop until he has her.”

  “You willna be here long.”

  Sophie walked back into the bedroom to see Darius sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. “What’s wrong?”

  “Con wants to see me.”

  “It must be important then.”

  Darius lifted his head and slapped his hand on his leg as he let it fall. “I doona want to leave you alone.”

  “I’ll go to the hospital. There are plenty of people around. Ulrik won’t be able to get to me.”

  Darius nodded. “Get dressed. I’ll take you myself.”

  Sophie cleaned herself up and dressed. Minutes later they were walking from the building. She gaped at Darius when he hailed a taxi. “Don’t you care the men will see you?”

  “Ulrik already knows I’ve been here. It no longer matters,” Darius said as he opened the taxi door.

  Sophie slid into the car with Darius following. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled.

  All too soon they reached the hospital. Darius paid the driver and escorted her inside the building. There he stopped her and held her face between his hands as he kissed her slowly.

  She felt her heart melt. When she opened her eyes, he was staring at her.

  “Doona go with anyone you doona know. Keep someone with you at all times. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.”

  “I know,” she said and rose up to give him another quick kiss. “You be careful.”

  Darius smiled. “I’m always careful, doc.”

  She laughed as he turned and walked away. Now her worry began for Darius.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-NINE

  Darius walked into the hotel and spotted Con standing in the lobby talking to a leggy brunette who couldn’t stop touching him. As soon as Con saw him, he said a few words to the woman and walked away.

  “You ruined her night,” Darius said.

  Con shrugged. “She’ll find someone else soon enough. Come.”

  They walked to the lift and rode it up to the top floor. Darius followed Con into the penthouse suite that occupied the entire floor.

  His steps slowed when he heard voices coming from the living area. They rounded the corner and Darius saw Kiril and Rhys. Kiril sat on one sofa while Rhys took the other. They each had a glass of whisky in hand and were good-naturedly debating something Darius didn’t even attempt to discover.

  “You look well sated,” Kiril said as he stood when they entered. Kiril’s shamrock green eyes watched him carefully.

  Darius took the offered glass of whisky from Con. “Mind your own business.”

  Rhys raised his glass to Darius, his aqua ringed dark blue eyes serious. “Ulrik up to his old tricks again?”

  “New trick,” Constantine stated.

  Kiril’s brows rose high on his forehead. “Oh? Do tell.”

  Darius was surprised Con hadn’t already filled them in, but he was just as shocked to discover they were in Edinburgh.

  “I asked them to lend a hand when you met Ulrik tonight,” Con explained before Darius could ask.

  Darius tossed back his whisky and let it warm his throat and stomach as it slid down. He needed an entire bottle of whisky, not just a dram.

  Kiril sat on the rounded arm of the sofa, concern in his gaze as he shoved aside a lock of wheat-colored hair from his brow. “Is Sophie in danger?”

  “Aye. Ulrik is after her to hurt me.”

  Con jumped in and said, “I asked Darius to remain in the city because Ulrik showed up at the hospital where Sophie works. He was there for her.”

  “Makes sense,” Rhys said.

  Darius walked to the sideboard and poured another glass of whisky for himself. �
�What Con isna telling you is that Sophie and I slept together.”

  The silence behind him was deafening. Darius drank down his second glass and poured a third.

  “Go on,” Kiril insisted.

  Darius lifted his glass and faced the others. “Ulrik has her watched. She’s followed everywhere she goes.”

  “He knew you were visiting her?” Kiril asked.

  Darius nodded his head. “He knew I was still in town.”

  Rhys frowned as he scooted to the edge of the sofa. “What do you mean ‘still’ here?”

  “He saw Sophie and me,” Darius said.

  Kiril’s face scrunched. “You mean he spied on you two through her window?”

  Con didn’t say a word as he walked to the window and looked over the pre-dawn skyline.

  “Nay,” Darius said. “We … it was out in the open.”

  “That’s a wee bit better, but he still watched,” Kiril stated with disgust.

  Rhys set his empty glass on the coffee table. “So Ulrik is interested in her because of you.”

  “I tried to tell him she was simply a way to ease my body, but he didna believe me.”

  Darius glanced down at the gold-colored whisky before he drank it. “When Sophie first helped us with Lexi, she didna ask any questions. She asked tonight.”

  “And you told her,” Con said without turning around.

  Rhys glanced at Con before he focused on Darius once more. “What happened?”

  “She’s accepted it,” Darius said.

  “At least she doesna think you’re crazy,” Rhys said.

  Kiril ducked his head. “His biscuits are no’ quite baked.”

  “His pilot light has gone out,” Rhys quipped.

  Kiril shook his head as he looked at Rhys. “He’s a few grapes short of a fruit salad.”

  “He’s no’ the crunchiest crisp in the bag.”

  “He’s a few leaves short of a bush.”

  “Not all the dots are on the dice.”

  “He’s lost contact with the mothership.”

  “He’s a few marshmallows short of a bowl of Lucky Charms.”

  “He’s no’ the fastest ship in the fleet.”

  “He’s a few sheep short of a flock.”

  Darius closed his eyes and prayed for patience as the two kept going.

  Kiril snickered and said, “He’s a few bristles short of a broom.”

  “Nay, he’s knitting with only one needle.”

  Con cleared his throat, but you could see his grin in the reflection of the window. “Give over, men.”

  Rhys bowed with a bright smile. “We’ll be here all night.”

  By that time even Darius was smiling as he eyed them. He walked past Kiril and sat on the opposite end of the sofa. “Sophie knows Ulrik is dangerous. I brought her to the hospital before I came.”

  Kiril’s smile dropped. “He can still get to her.”

  “But no’ as easily,” Darius said.

  Rhys ran a hand through his long, dark brown hair. “Ulrik has an endgame. He’s tried various ways to get to the women we’re with.”

  “He’s no’ given up before. He willna now,” Con said.

  Kiril eyed him. “Sophie is important to you, aye?”

  “It appears that way.” Con turned from the window and faced them.

  Rhys speared Darius with a look. “Aye.”

  Darius knew exactly what he was alluding to. “I’ve had my mate.”

  “Maybe you were wrong,” Kiril said.

  Con walked slowly around the room. “Regardless, Ulrik wants to hurt me through all of you. Denying what he thinks is a potential mate to a King is just one more blow.”

  Rhys’s face grew stern. “What are we going to do?”

  “What is there to do besides get Sophie away to Dreagan?” Kiril asked.

  Darius shook his head. “Nay. She has a career here. She does important work. I’ll no’ take her away and ruin her life. We must protect her here.”

  The three exchanged looks.

  “You’re different,” Rhys stated.

  Kiril nodded twice. “He is.”

  Darius glanced at Con who seemed to be studying him. He was different. He’d known it for some time, and he knew the reason was Sophie.

  He’d been broken. All the Dragon Kings were in some form or another, but he more so than some.

  “Did you tell her about your past?” Rhys asked.

  Darius looked at his hand that he curled into a fist. “I did. She also told me hers.”

  Kiril let out a soft whistle. “You’ve never spoken of it with us. The mere mention of it sent you to your mountain for centuries.”

  Con sat on the opposite sofa from Darius and rested his ankle on his knee. “How far do you think Ulrik will take this with the doctor?”

  Darius leaned forward and scrubbed both hands down his face. He looked at the three of them through his fingers before he dropped his hands and rested his elbows on his thighs. “Ulrik is confident. Verra confident.”

  “He’s been that way for some time,” Rhys said.

  Darius shook his head. “No’ like this. He could challenge Con tonight, but he’s no’.”

  “Darius is correct,” Con admitted. “Ulrik told me he wants to strip me of everything.”

  Rhys jumped to his feet and glared at Con. “You spoke with him? When?”

  “Why did you no’ tell us?” Kiril demanded.

  “I doona answer to any of you,” Con said in a cool tone.

  Darius didn’t get angry as Rhys and Kiril did. Instead he said, “You do. Just as we answer to you.”

  “We’re no’ asking who you’re sharing your bed with,” Kiril said.

  Rhys threw Kiril a dumbfounded look. “You may no’ be, but I sure the hell am.”

  Darius watched Con closely. There was something to the rumors swirling around Dreagan about Con’s disappearances then. He had a lover, just as Rhys had long suspected, and it was obviously someone Con refused to speak of.

  “I didna tell you of my conversation with Ulrik because of this exact reaction,” Con said over Rhys who had continued to talk.

  The room quieted. Only then did Con turn his head and look at Rhys. “This has nothing to do with who I take to my bed. This is about Ulrik.”

  “Nay. This is about trust,” Kiril said.

  Con’s blond brows rose. “Do you no’ trust me?”

  “I doona trust you no’ to attack Ulrik if he came in this room,” Rhys said.

  Con pointed to Darius. “He saw the meeting. Ask him how it went.”

  Three pairs of eyes turned to him. Darius frowned at Con before he looked to Rhys and Kiril. “They spoke in the bar below. Ulrik invited Rhi to be a witness. She sat with them without saying much. Con and Ulrik had a discussion without a finger being lifted against the other.”

  “You shouldna have been there alone,” Kiril said to Con.

  Con took a drink of his whisky and said, “I wasna. Darius was there.”

  “So you knew about the meeting?” Rhys asked.

  Darius shook his head as he said, “Nay. I was following Ulrik and happened upon it.”

  “Ulrik could’ve had men there, Con,” Kiril said.

  Con rested his arm along the back of the sofa cushions. “He didna.”

  “There’s no point in hashing this out,” Darius said. “The meeting took place. It’s done and over with. What we have now is what was said there, what Ulrik said to me, and what we know he told Con.”

  Rhys turned away and murmured a “fuck me” as he walked to get more whisky. He returned a moment later and refilled everyone’s glasses.

  Kiril resumed his seat on the sofa, his face lined with worry. “Mortals are untrusting of anything they doona understand.”

  “Meaning us,” Rhys said.

  Darius scratched the side of his head. “If Sophie hadna trusted me, this could all be going verra differently. She didna believe in anything magical.”

  “Are you sure she
does now?” Con asked.

  Darius nodded. He was more than sure.

  Rhys looked at each of them. “All Ulrik tries to do is kill the women. He’ll do something stupid. We need to be prepared.”

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY

  Rhi wasn’t sure why she’d come to Con’s suite. Well, there was the whole spying without him knowing about it thing. He always managed to know when she was in his office at Dreagan, but so far, in the hotel, he had yet to notice.

  Or if he did, he kept it to himself.

  “Rhi was there?” Rhys said with a look of skepticism. “Ulrik nearly killed her, and she agreed to go? I doona understand.”

  Con gave a halfhearted shrug. “Doona even try. It’s no’ worth it. There’s a record of our conversation with her now. That’s all that matters.”

  “She can help us then,” Kiril said.

  “Will she?”

  Of course Con would ask that. Rhi flipped him off. What a jerk, but then she’d always known he was.

  “She will,” Rhys said. “Rhi has always been there for us.”

  There was a pause and Darius said, “Recently she has been … absent.”

  “So was I.” Rhys got up and paced in front of the sofas. “After all she went through, she deserves some slack.”

  Kiril lifted his whisky glass. “I second Rhys. She risked her life to help Shara and me. How many other times has she put herself on the line for us?”

  “Too many to name,” Rhys said.

  Rhi smiled at Rhys and Kiril, but that smile faded as she turned to Darius. Was he remembering that day, so many thousands of years ago that changed her world forever?

  She couldn’t look at him without thinking about it. And though it was unfair of her, she focused all her hate on him because she couldn’t even think of hating her lover.

  That lasted a while, but eventually that anger turned to the one who’d sent Darius. Even now she didn’t understand why Darius had agreed to bring her such disturbing news. Did he hate her that much?

  He was one of a few Kings who was never thrilled with their romance. Darius must have enjoyed watching her world crumble away.

  Were there other Kings who felt the same? Did they use her for what she could do to help them? Was that all she was good for?