Dragonfire--A Dark Kings Novel

by Donna Grant

  During one of their kisses, he’d seen her eyes flash red. It had been just a moment, but he was well aware that once the darkness took hold, there was no running from it.

  Rhi would realize all of that soon enough. There was no need for him to tell her because it would only delay the inevitable as she valiantly attempted to fight the darkness.

  He hated himself for torturing her. It had been a means for him to lash out when he blamed her for him turning Dark. If he could turn back the hands of time, he would never have chained her, would never have hurt her. But it couldn’t be undone.

  And it might be the very thing that put her in his arms again where she belonged.

  Her light will be gone. It’s the thing you love the most.

  That was true, but he could love the darkness, as well. He’d come to not only accept it in himself but embrace it, as well. Each time Usaeil hurt her, Rhi was giving into the anger, which in turn called to the darkness.

  Yes, his beloved would become the very monster she fought against.

  He’d tried to tell her once, but she’d disregarded him. Each time after that, she’d assured him that she would never become Dark. That’s because she didn’t understand the root of it. She understood the light with all its goodness.

  But the darkness was another beast altogether. It was heady and seductive. Invigorating and reckless.

  Exhilarating and carnal.

  It was Rhi.

  Balladyn remained veiled and teleported to the edge of Dreagan. He wouldn’t get close to the invisible barrier of dragon magic that protected the sixty thousand acres. He hated Scotland, hated everything to do with the people and the country.

  Because it held Rhi’s heart, along with her King.

  She denied it, and while Balladyn knew he was blind to a lot of things, he wasn’t stupid.

  Just being near the Dragon Kings made him want to lash out at them. Anger and resentment churned viciously inside him. His magic surged, while the darkness urged him to go after the King who had hurt Rhi.

  Balladyn controlled his rage—barely. There would be a time when he went after the Dragon King, but it wasn’t now. He returned to the Dark Palace and dropped the veil to walk the corridors. The Dark still celebrated his new reign because he’d let them have at the mortals.

  Rhi’s precious humans that she wanted to protect just like the Kings.

  He knew he was hurting her with every mortal death caused by a Dark, but it’s who he was. She’d known that when she kissed him. She’d acknowledged it when she held his hand. And she’d accepted it when she climbed into bed with him.

  He’d never held anything back from her or pretended to be something he wasn’t. In time, she’d come to see that.

  A Fae stepped into his path. Balladyn drew up, not in the mood to deal with those who vied to be his lieutenant. As if that would happen. He’d had that position. He knew the power—and the betrayal—that usually came with the job.

  Then he recognized the Light Fae he’d discovered using glamour pretending to be Dark recently. “Xaneth,” he said, noting that the Fae was once more using glamour to fit in. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon. Have you made contact with Bran?”

  “Not yet.”

  Balladyn moved closer to the Fae and stared into his fake red eyes. “We had a deal.”

  “There’s been a complication,” the Fae hedged.

  Balladyn raised a black brow. “What might that be?”

  “People I don’t want to mess with.”

  While Xaneth tried to put enough fear into his voice, Balladyn wasn’t buying it. He knew full well that Xaneth meant the Reapers, but the Fae wasn’t as terrified as he should be. Which could only mean one thing—he was now working with the Reapers.

  One way or another, Balladyn was going to find his answers. “I suppose that means you want out of our deal?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  Balladyn smiled. “I knew I liked you. Tell me what you know.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Roman remained in the forest, looking up at the sky while Camlo and V talked. All the while, Roman went over his conversation with Sabina.

  He hadn’t spoken of his sister in ages. As his twin, they had known what the other was thinking and feeling. If anyone could truly understand what he’d gone through to become the King of Light Blues, it was she.

  Ragna was there when it was over, comforting him while the rest of his family either despised him or ignored him. That was until he reminded them that he was their Dragon King.

  How he missed Ragna. She would’ve been an amazing Dragon Queen if the magic had chosen her. Even though she had desperately wanted the role, she never complained that she had been passed over. She didn’t have to. He’d felt her disappointment—and her support.

  Roman lay back on the slope with his hands behind his head and looked at the stars. One of them could be the realm where his sister and the other dragons had found a new home, waiting to be called back. All of his family was dead by now. Whoever led the Light Blues would only know stories of him.

  “I doona have to guess your thoughts.”

  Roman’s head turned to find V leaning against a tree. “I didna hear you walk up.”

  “Because you were too deep in your memories. I hope you’re thinking of the good ones and not the … others.”

  Roman sighed and returned his gaze to the sky. “A little of both.”

  V pushed away from the tree and lowered himself beside Roman before laying back. “It willna do any good to let those other memories back in.”

  “Unfortunately, learning that we must go to Iceland has busted open that door, my friend.”

  “Then return to Dreagan. I’ll do this alone. You doona need that kind of misery.”

  Roman shook his head. “That’s no’ going to happen. It’s time I go back, anyway. It’s time to bury the past.”

  “I doona like any of this. It feels like a trap.”

  “How? I doona care who these Druids and Fae are that have mixed their magic, there is no way they could know that I’d be the one going to look for the sword with you, or that we’d meet Camlo.”

  V made a sound in the back of his throat. “We are made of magic, Roman. It guides us, chooses us, and defines us. How can you even contemplate that this was all mere coincidence?”

  “Because to think otherwise means that whatever awaits us in Iceland is no’ good.”

  V turned his head to him. “It willna be good. In fact, I expect everything to go verra, verra badly.”

  “That’s comforting.” Roman looked at V. “We should fill Con in.”

  “Nay,” V stated firmly.

  “I know your reasoning for keeping Con in the dark, but this is important.”

  V laughed wryly. “That it is. What do you think Con will do with the information? He can no’ help us. It will add more worry to his already heavy burden.”

  “Someone should know in case…” Roman trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence.

  V’s smile was a little sad as he once more looked to the stars. “In case the Druids and Fae have something waiting for me in your homeland.”

  “It’s crossed my mind.”

  “And mine,” V admitted. “It’s why I’ve filled Ulrik in.”

  Roman crossed his ankles. “As long as someone knows. Con willna be happy about being kept out of the loop.”

  “Probably.”

  Roman was silent a moment, thinking of all the things that could go wrong. “If, as you say, this isna a coincidence, whatever awaits us can no’ kill you.”

  “There are many worse things that can be done to us,” V replied.

  And no one knew that better than V. Roman should’ve thought about that before speaking. “How long do you want to give them to sleep?”

  V sat up and looked down at the house. “Camlo just went inside. A few hours should be plenty.”

  “What did you see this time when you touched him?”

  V
pulled his legs up toward his chest and rested his arms atop his knees. “More clarity. I’m busting through the magic, but slowly. Too bloody slowly.”

  “Do you still need Camlo?”

  “I’m no’ sure. Possibly.

  Roman glanced at him. “I told Sabina we were leaving tomorrow.”

  “You didna lie. You simply didna mention that it would be in the wee hours of the morning.”

  “Semantics.”

  V shrugged. “Truth.”

  Roman concentrated muscle by muscle to make his body relax. He needed to find some sort of peace before their journey began. Because if V were right, then what awaited them in Iceland could be worse than just his past.

  * * *

  Sabina was nudged from the deep recesses of sleep. She pushed away the hands, unwilling to wake. It had taken her forever to fall asleep, and if the person didn’t stop shaking her, she was going to do bodily harm.

  “Go away,” she growled.

  “Sabina.”

  The sexy brogue calling her name was all it took to wake her. Her eyes snapped open, and she rolled onto her back to find Roman bent over her.

  Even in the moonlight, he was gorgeous. Without thinking, she smoothed a lock of hair from his forehead. Their gazes met, and she wondered what he dreamt about when he slept. Was it his sister, his family? Or was it whatever had happened on Iceland that he didn’t wish to talk about.

  Vaguely, she realized that it was still dark outside and that he had woken her. Her first thought was Camlo.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked as she reached over and turned on the lamp.

  Roman shook his head, his green eyes watching her carefully. “Get dressed.”

  “Why?”

  “We’re leaving.”

  She couldn’t have heard him right. Sabina looked out her window before glancing at the clock on her bedside table. “It’s barely one in the morning.”

  “I know. We should’ve left already, but you sleep like the dead.” He straightened and walked to the door.

  When he opened it, she saw the lights on and Camlo talking to V. This wasn’t a joke. They really wanted to leave. Now. In the dead of night.

  “Why now?” she asked before Roman could exit her room.

  He paused and looked over his shoulder at her. “We doona want anyone seeing us.”

  “Oh.”

  She sat up as he walked out, but she didn’t get out of bed. For the next few minutes, she wrapped her head around what was happening. She was leaving Romania for the first time. Ever. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to visit Iceland. In fact, she knew very little of the country. But that’s not what bothered her.

  It was all the things that could happen to them. The easy thing to do would be to remain. What would that give her, though? Even she had to admit that it was stagnant where she was. Safe. Comfortable.

  But stagnant.

  Her only option was to go forward and see whatever it was this new road she was on offered. Sabina threw off the covers and hurried to dress.

  While she threw a couple of changes of clothes and essentials into a bag, she called out for Camlo to do the same. V warned them to dress warmly. Sabina layered her clothing and put on her winter boots. She then turned out her light and hurried to her laptop where she checked emails before closing it.

  “We’ll use our magic to make sure no one breaks in while we’re gone,” V said.

  She glanced up at him and smiled. “That’d be great.”

  Sabina almost laughed out loud. Magic was being used to protect her belongings. Her gran would be ecstatic. Well, perhaps she would. If Gran didn’t hate the Dragon Kings. In fact, Sabina didn’t know if Gran liked them or not.

  Camlo made swishing sounds in his coat as he and V walked out of the house while Roman calmly stood at the door, waiting for her. Sabina ran her hands over the necklace she’d been making. It would have to wait. Carting it around with her while hoping she’d have time to work was ridiculous. She’d end up breaking everything.

  “What of the animals?” Sabina asked as she tugged on her coat then swung her bag over her shoulder and walked to her purse. “I can’t believe Camlo is willing to leave them.”

  “They’ll be fine,” Roman replied. “Camlo has already spoken to all of them, and V and I have made sure they’ll have plenty of food and water while we’re gone.”

  She eyed him as she walked to the door and stopped beside him. “Did you have to bribe my brother?”

  “No’ at all.”

  That made her frown. “How odd.”

  “Ready?” Roman asked.

  She looked around her home. The road before her was scary, but she was ready. She hoped. “I suppose.”

  He opened the door and waited for her to walk out before he shut it behind him. Sabina only got two steps before she looked up and came to a halt when she spotted the very real, very large dragon in front of her.

  “It’s V,” Roman said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

  Sabina could only stare numbly at the copper dragon that her brother was climbing onto. It was hard to see what V really looked like in the moonlight, but she got the gist of things. Especially the thick horns that came from V’s temple and curled inward.

  It wasn’t until Camlo was seated at the base of V’s neck and smiling at her that Sabina understood just how they would be traveling to Iceland. For some reason, she hadn’t thought about how they’d get there. Probably because she’d assumed they’d fly or drive to the coast and then take a boat to the island.

  “You doona need to be afraid,” Roman said. “It’s safe.”

  Safe? Was he serious? A bubble of laughter tinged with fear and sarcasm filled her. She stepped away from him and pointed at V, shaking her head in terror as the words refused to pass her lips they were so jumbled.

  Roman held up his hands before him and moved to face her. “Easy, Sabina. V probably should’ve waited to shift so you could see him. I thought you understood what we are.”

  This time, she did laugh, and it sounded as crazed as she felt. “I know what you are.”

  “Then I doona understand the problem.”

  She shook her head as she looked at V and Camlo. “No.”

  “This is how we’re getting to Iceland. It will only take a few hours,” Roman said.

  Sabina took another step back. “No.” She couldn’t do it.

  She wouldn’t do it.

  “Bina, come on!” Camlo called.

  The ground trembled when V shifted his feet and swished his long tail. His wings were tucked against him while his gaze was on the sky. Without warning, V jumped and spread his wings. She watched in amazement as he took her brother high into the clouds.

  “He’s safe,” Roman said. “You will be, too. I promise I willna let you fall off.”

  She swallowed and backed up several paces. “I c-can’t.”

  “We have to fly at night so the mortals doona see us, and we need to go now.”

  “No.” What was it about the word that he didn’t understand? She’d said it several times already. He should get that this wasn’t happening.

  Roman ran a hand down his face. “I’m going to shift now. Then, you’ll need to climb up my legs to sit on my neck. After that, you simply hold on tight until we land.”

  “That’s not happening.”

  “I have to tell you this now because, once I shift, I willna be able to talk to you until I return to this form.”

  “I can’t do it!” she yelled.

  He paused as he started to turn away. “Imagine it’s like being on a plane.”

  “I’ve never been on a plane,” she told him and looked away. There had been few times in her life where her fear had taken such a hold of her, but the grip it had right then was debilitating.

  “Sabina,” he said to get her attention. “Is it me you’re afraid of?”

  She shook her head as she looked into his face.

  “Then what is it?”

  “Heigh
ts. I’m terrified of heights.”

  He blinked. “I see.”

  “I thought if we were taking a plane, that I’d try to sleep or something and make sure not to look out the windows. But this,” she said motioning to V flying above them. “I can’t.”

  “Nay, I doona imagine you can.” Roman sighed and then put his hands on his hips. “That leaves us only two options.”

  “Which are?” she asked, afraid she already knew what they were.

  Roman nodded at the house. “You remain behind.”

  Sabina really didn’t want to do that. For one, she didn’t want to leave her brother alone, and two, because she wanted to see this through. She had to. She couldn’t understand it, but she knew she had to get to Iceland.

  “And the other?” she asked.

  “I use magic to make you sleep, and I carry you to Iceland.”

  The world spun just thinking about being that high up. She reached out, and it was Roman who quickly grabbed her to steady her.

  She didn’t fight him when he wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest. Just like earlier, she melted against him, soaking in his heat and his strength.

  “I give you my word that I’ll no’ let any harm come to you,” he said into her hair.

  Sabina opened her eyes and looked at her house. She’d lived there—safe—for so many years that she didn’t know what taking chances meant anymore.

  “Okay,” she agreed and looked up at him. She was placing all her trust in him.

  His lips curved into a smile. When his head lowered, her eyelids closed. She felt his lips on her forehead and then … nothing.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Every beat of his wings brought him closer to a place that he loved with all of his heart.

  And hated just as deeply.

  Roman ignored the many glances V gave him as they flew side by side toward Iceland. Fire and ice. He still recalled the first time his father had told him that’s what the land was made of. And Roman could still remember the first time he’d told a human.

  “There’s still time for you to return to Dreagan,” V said. “We’re passing over Scotland now.”