Smoldering Hunger

by Donna Grant

  At one time he’d resented Kellan and the other Kings who’d defied fate and the world to have their women, who had put aside their pasts and found happiness. It looked like he was one of those as well—or had been briefly.

  It was too bad he wouldn’t have the future he so desired. It pained him to know he’d be leaving Sophie behind, but it was for the best.

  Movement to his right caught Darius’s attention as he left the forest and walked into the valley. A look showed there was a Dark on either side of him and one at his back. They kept their distance, but it proved that Ulrik had no intention of leaving this battle with anything other than victory.

  Many times Ulrik had caught them off guard. Tonight just might swing in their favor. It better, because anything other than Sophie walking out of there alive was a loss.

  There was no sign of Ulrik, but Darius knew he was out there. The seconds ticked by as the snow began falling faster and the temperatures dropped.

  Darius scanned the expanse between them and the opposite tree line. Need tore through him to see Sophie, to hold her and know she wasn’t hurt.

  He wished now that they’d brought every Dragon King. Con, however, had other ideas. Darius was tired of playing this game with Ulrik. It should’ve never gone this way.

  But hindsight was 20/20. Looking back, Darius knew they should’ve made other choices and decisions, but there was no turning back the clock. They’d set this course, and Ulrik was determined to finish it.

  Darius caught sight of Ulrik walking from the trees ahead of him. Steps behind him were two Dark Fae. One had ahold of Sophie’s arm, leading her. The other carried an unconscious Claire in his arms.

  “What the fuck?” Darius murmured.

  When had Darius gotten Claire? Then it didn’t matter. There were two captives to free. It changed the plans slightly.

  “I see her,” Con said into Darius’s mind. “Leave it to Ulrik to up the ante.”

  Ulrik grinned as he looked at Darius. All Darius could hope for now was that everything went smoothly, but then again they were dealing with Ulrik and the Dark. When did anything go smoothly with them?

  When Ulrik began moving toward him, Darius did the same. They halted ten feet from each other. The Dark stayed just behind Ulrik with the women.

  “We’re here,” Darius told Ulrik. “Hand over Sophie and Claire.”

  “I think I’ll keep the lasses with me for a wee bit.”

  Darius clenched his teeth together. They’d expected Ulrik to do that very thing, but it didn’t make it any easier for him. In fact, it only managed to stir his rising anger.

  “That didna make you mad, did it?” Ulrik asked, his grin widening.

  “Smile while you can. That willna last long.”

  “I think it’ll last longer than you think.”

  Darius kept his gaze locked on Ulrik even though he wanted nothing more than to turn to Sophie. But he had to keep Ulrik’s attention on him and not the women. “Because you’ve planned it all?”

  “I have.”

  “You can no’ know every detail. You doona know the humans well enough to predict their decisions.”

  Ulrik laughed sardonically. “I’m better at it than you, apparently.”

  “So a hundred years ago when you planned all this you knew you would take Sophie and Claire.”

  Ulrik’s gold eyes went hard. “I’ll no’ waste my time attempting to explain things to you. You’re nothing more than a brute, Darius. Why do you think Con always sent you out first in a battle? You doona think. Your emotions rule you.”

  “Con sent me out first because he knew I wouldna fail in my orders.”

  “Just like a good soldier,” Ulrik mocked. “Always following orders.”

  Darius couldn’t wait to show Ulrik that he was no longer just a soldier. Ulrik changed all that the moment he focused on Sophie.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Darius saw Sophie shivering. Though her coat was thick, it wasn’t enough in the cold temperatures. “Let’s get on with this.”

  “Yes, let’s.” Ulrik took a step closer, determination and resolve making his gold eyes hard. “Where is he?”

  CHAPTER

  FORTY

  Sophie couldn’t stop shaking, but it had nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with the situation.

  The air was frigid and the flakes fell harder while the moon glistened off the snow, making the area almost glow. It would’ve been beautiful if not for the dire circumstances.

  The reality of dragons, Fae, and magic was staring her in the face. No more would she scoff at those who believed in such things. Now that she was experiencing it all firsthand, she wondered how some people instinctively knew it was real while others—like she used to be—were adamant that it wasn’t.

  No wonder the video showing the Dragon Kings shifting on Dreagan brought so much attention. Those who believed were looking for proof, while others wanted to verify it was all faked.

  She couldn’t take her eyes from Darius. He stood tall and magnificent in the moonlight. The tension was high, the situation daunting. Any moment now a battle would break out.

  There was something different about Darius. He looked more focused, more intense. Ulrik teasing him about following orders didn’t strike the chord Ulrik wanted.

  Or perhaps it did.

  Even though she wasn’t beside Darius, the fact she saw him did wonders to keep her on her feet.

  Sophie wanted to touch him, to feel his strength and heat. But the Dark holding her kept her at his side. She blinked through the rapidly falling snow to the ten feet or so that separated her from Darius.

  “We’re here,” Darius said. “Hand over Sophie and Claire.”

  Sophie listened to the exchange that followed with interest. It wasn’t until Ulrik demanded to know where a man was that she knew this had all been nothing but a precursor to what was coming.

  She looked between Darius and Ulrik, watching the two of them stare, unblinking, at each other. Sophie swiveled her head, glancing around to see if anyone was there. Then she spotted a man striding out of the tree line behind Darius.

  The clouds parted and the full moon shone upon him as if to spotlight him to everyone. The man was tall and moved with the same predatory stride that Darius had. And even Ulrik, if Sophie was being truthful.

  The stranger had wavy blond hair that was cut short on the sides and longer on top. He wore boots, a pair of jeans, and a light sweater despite the snow. He didn’t halt until he stood next to Darius.

  “Con,” Ulrik said to the stranger. “So glad you could make it.”

  “I wouldna miss this,” Con stated in a flat voice, as if he were bored out of his mind.

  Con jutted his square chin toward Sophie and the man holding Claire. “Darius is here, and now so am I. Allow Sophie and Claire to leave. This is between us.”

  The tension thickened until she could’ve cut it with a knife as Ulrik and Con glared at each other for several long minutes.

  “You know how I hate the mortals,” Ulrik said. “What does it matter if two more die?”

  Sophie’s heart plummeted. There had been a part of her that had known this very thing might happen. She’d prayed and hoped that Darius would be able to free her, but now there was Claire as well—a true innocent in this mess.

  “Hand the lasses over or I leave,” Con stated.

  Ulrik laughed then. “We both know that’s no’ going to happen.”

  “Allow Sophie and Claire to leave. This business is between us.”

  Ulrik smiled then, a callous, icy smile. “Between us? Is it, really?”

  “You know it is,” Con stated.

  “I think no’.” Ulrik reached over and touched Sophie’s cheek.

  She jerked her face away. “Don’t touch me.”

  “I willna be the one to do that.”

  Claire moaned then, but it wasn’t a sound filled with pain. It was one filled with pleasure.

  Sophie glanced at Darius t
o see his lips thinning. The Dark holding Claire was smiling as he looked down at her. Sophie began to shake her head. “No! Claire is an innocent! Leave her alone!”

  Ulrik’s head turned to her and stared. Sophie could see the death he promised in his eyes, in the way he looked at the world and everyone in it. Almost as if he couldn’t stand to be a part of any of it.

  “Innocent?” He repeated the word as if it were poison. “None of you mortals are innocent. You sullied our world, destroyed our way of life. Every one of you deserved to be killed in the most vicious, heinous way possible. I was stopped once before I could finish the job. I’ll no’ be stopped again.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Con stated.

  Ulrik snorted and turned his attention to the King of Kings. “It’ll be rather difficult for you to do anything once you’re dead.”

  Claire moaned again, louder. Sophie saw that the Dark who held her squatted to lay her in the snow and jerked open her coat. He produced a blade and cut Claire’s sweater before doing the same to her bra.

  Sophie could only watch in mute horror as he began to tease Claire’s nipples, causing her to moan louder and longer. When the Dark Fae rubbed Claire’s sex through her jeans, Sophie tried to rush them. But the Dark holding her held fast.

  “Let her go, you monster!” she yelled at the Dark.

  Ulrik laughed at her outburst. “Monster. What a curious word.” He turned to her, his lips lifted in a sneer. “Would monsters make room on their realm for another species? Would a monster take them into their home and love them? Would a monster offer their lives for them? Nay, Sophie. I’m no’ the monster. Your kind is.”

  She swallowed and glanced at Darius. He stared at her with a mixture of fury and fear that told her just how dire the situation was.

  “Your kind,” Ulrik continued, “takes whatever they want. You doona stop and consider what will happen to the earth or its inhabitants. It’s all about your comfort. And your fear of what you doona understand. All your kind thinks of when you find something new is to hunt it and kill it. All your kind knows is to conquer whatever they think is theirs. You doona know how to love unconditionally. You doona know what it means to be giving and patient. So tell me, doctor, who is the real monster?”

  “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

  He snorted, looking at her as if she were the devil incarnate. “Sorry? You’re sorry? I doubt it. You’ll say whatever is needed to attempt to get out of this situation.” He leaned close, but his gaze went to Darius. “The fact is, lass, I’m going to kill you and make Darius watch. Then he’ll know what it really means to lose a mate.”

  Claire was moaning constantly now, her body moving on the snow. Her jeans were bunched down at her ankles and the Dark had his finger inside her.

  “I hear it was difficult for Kellan to watch Taraeth force Denae to climax in front of him,” Ulrik said as he faced Con and Darius. “I’m curious as to your reaction, Darius.”

  “This is your last chance,” Darius said. “Release them or you die.”

  Ulrik shot him a fake smile. “Be a good soldier and remember your duty.”

  Darius had never felt the need to kill as he did at the moment. It didn’t matter what Con wanted, Darius was going to kill Ulrik slowly, enjoying every moment of his pain. “I remember my duty.”

  Ulrik’s gaze slid to Con. “Nothing to say? Worried that you’re going to lose? The thing is, old friend, you lost the moment you bound my magic and banished me from Dreagan.”

  “You made your decisions,” Con said. “You knew the consequences of ignoring my calls.”

  “It was time you learned no’ everyone will always do your bidding.”

  Con’s black eyes were as cold as the north. “Someone tried that once. He was banished, unable to shift.”

  “Perhaps the rest of the Kings should know the true you. The Constantine who didna let anyone—or anything—stand in the way of being King of Kings.”

  “I challenged and won.”

  Ulrik simply laughed. It caused Darius to wonder just what Ulrik wanted them to know and what Con didn’t. Obviously there was something in Con’s past that Ulrik thought might turn the others against Con.

  If it was bad enough, it just might.

  That in itself worried Darius. Con had his faults, but his main concern was Dreagan. Like the others, Darius didn’t always agree with everything Con did, but no one else stepped up to do what Con did. Hard to judge a dragon when none of them wanted all the worries and stress of being King of Kings.

  Darius looked at Sophie who was staring at Claire. Claire was practically naked, and any moment now the Dark would take her. Sophie would never forgive him if he allowed anything to happen to Claire.

  “You know I’m no’ going to allow that arse to take Claire,” Darius said.

  Ulrik glanced at the pair. “I believe you’re already too late. You’re welcome to try and stop them.”

  In the old days, Darius would’ve waited for Con’s command, but this involved his mate. There was no waiting.

  Just as Darius was about to make a grab for the Fae with Claire, Sophie slammed her fist into the balls of the Dark holding her. He bent over, a strangled cry emanating from him.

  Sophie made a dash for Claire, knocking over the Dark touching her. Darius rushed the Fae when he snarled and turned to Sophie. Darius shoved him into the snow with a bellow and ripped out his heart.

  He turned to Sophie. “Run!”

  CHAPTER

  FORTY-ONE

  Sophie scrambled to her hands and knees and leaned over Claire, protecting her. She couldn’t believe what she’d just done, but the opportunity had been there—and she took it.

  “Run!” Darius shouted.

  Sophie slapped Claire’s face to get her to wake up. She gave her another smack on the other cheek while trying to pull up her jeans.

  “Soph?” Claire asked, blinking up at her as if coming out of sedation.

  “Get moving,” she told Claire urgently. Sophie helped her sit up. “Now.”

  Claire was on her feet, yanking up her pants as they began running. Sophie hooked an arm around her friend to help keep her balance and looked around, waiting for Ulrik to come after them. Their feet sank in the thick snow, hindering their progress.

  “What the hell happened? Where am I?” Claire asked as she finished fastening her jeans. “And why the hell is my sweater cut?”

  Sophie looked over her shoulder at Darius. “Later.”

  “Yeah,” Claire said sarcastically. “I’m getting that vibe.”

  They only got a few steps before two Dark Fae suddenly appeared in front of them. Sophie had no idea they could move that quickly.

  She slid to a halt, but she couldn’t keep Claire on her feet and they both fell into the snow. There was a commotion behind her, but Sophie was more concerned with the two Dark in front of her.

  Claire began to moan, reaching for the men. Sophie went into protection mode. She shoved Claire’s hands away and leaned over her so the Dark couldn’t get to her.

  But there were two of them against her, and their hands were everywhere. On her, on Claire.

  Somehow Sophie was flipped off Claire, and one of the Dark was kissing Claire. Sophie scrambled through the snow to get to her friend. Her fingers were numb, but she ignored it. Sophie shoved the guy off Claire, but Claire followed him, throwing herself at him.

  “Claire!” Sophie yelled.

  Then she was grabbed from behind. Hands cupped her breasts as a mouth began kissing her neck.

  That’s when she heard a furious bellow behind her.

  Everyone stilled, including Sophie. She heard someone shout Darius’s name. Sophie tried to get the Fae off her so she could see Darius and find out what had happened.

  The harder she tried to get away, the tighter the Dark held her. Sophie elbowed him, but it didn’t even faze him. Claire, however, had already removed her jacket and cut sweater with the Fae kissing down her throat to her exposed
breasts.

  There was more shouting, and Sophie could hear Con and Ulrik. But she couldn’t make out Darius’s voice. The thought that he might be injured renewed her efforts to get free.

  Sophie was tossed onto her back as if she wasn’t fighting with all her might. She looked up into red eyes and lifted her knee toward his groan. The man deflected her blow easily, much to her annoyance.

  “Darius!” Con yelled.

  Sophie saw Darius loom over her and, with little effort, toss the Dark Fae away. Darius glanced at her, then stalked toward the Dark who had jumped to his feet.

  Her lips parted when the Fae’s hands drew apart and a large iridescent bubble appeared. When it was about the size of a bowling ball, he threw it at Darius. Darius effortlessly leaned to the side to avoid it.

  Sophie followed the bubble as it landed in the snow a few feet from her. The snow melted instantly, and there was a sizzling sound as the bubble evaporated into the ground that turned black.

  “Shit,” she mumbled.

  She swiveled her head to Darius to find him and the Fae facing off. Sophie caught a glimpse of Ulrik and Con who were standing toe to toe and talking, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  Sophie twisted to find Claire and spotted two Dark Fae coming toward them. She tried to get to her feet using her numb hands. Stumbling, Sophie fell into Claire and the Dark. Instead of getting angry, he tried to take off her jacket.

  She shoved his hands away and shook Claire to try and snap her out of it. The next thing Sophie knew, another set of hands grabbed her.

  This time there were too many trying to disrobe her. As soon as the cold air hit her stomach, she knew real fear. This was going to happen. She was going to be raped.

  Sophie kicked and screamed to no avail. She heard Darius shout her name. Through the bodies, she spotted him. His face was contorted with rage, then her vision was blocked.

  The sound of a low, deep growl reverberated around them and shook the ground. Everyone paused. Sophie used the chance to scramble out of the pile of men holding her and saw a deep purple paw—or was it a claw?—covered in scales. It was beyond huge with talons that looked almost black in the night.