by Donna Grant
“You can’t mean that,” she said, lifting her chin.
He threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, I mean it. I mean every fucking word of it. Why do you think I work so verra hard to keep my men from taking any of you wretched humans as their mates?”
Lily met his stare. “I don’t care what you say. I know you’re a good man, Con.”
“That’s just it. I’m no’ a man. I’m a dragon!”
By now, he could hardly breathe, the anger was so intense. The room and everything in it turned red. He fisted his hands, the need to kill strong. But he had only one quarry.
Mortals.
“You’re King of Dragon Kings,” Lily said. “The one with the icy demeanor and the cold eyes. You never show this much emotion.”
She was right. He looked down at himself and smiled. He was holding nothing back, and it felt glorious! All the exasperating time suppressing his frustration and ire had been such a waste.
Now he could tell everyone exactly what he thought. And why not begin with the MI5 assholes who wouldn’t leave? Then he would call the other Kings, and they could take to the skies as they were meant to.
No longer did he care if the humans knew of them or not. Hiding had done nothing but give the mortals more power over them. That stopped. Now.
“No more,” he said.
Lily took another step back.
He cocked his head to the side, regarding her. “No longer will we hide. No longer will we protect the humans. We’re going to take to the skies tonight. If the Fae want the mortals, then let them have them. The quicker the humans are gone, the sooner the Fae will leave.”
“Con, please.”
A smile pulled at his lips. “I doona know why I fought this idea for so long. It’ll solve all of our problems. We’ll be free of the Dark and the humans.”
“And Ulrik?” she asked with a frown.
Ah, yes. His old friend. “I think I’ll invite him to join us. Besides, what he did, he did for us. I should’ve seen that then.”
“Not all the Kings will follow you.”
He raised a brow, laughing. “If they doona follow me, then they die. And with them, their mates. Or perhaps I’ll start by killing all of you first.”
“You can’t kill us.”
“No’ exactly true.”
Her face paled. “We’re linked to our mates. We live as long as they do.”
“You’ve no idea the power I have as King of Kings or the responsibilities the title entails. Even mated, I could kill you.”
“Rhys will never let you touch me,” she said, her voice wobbling.
“He’s no’ here with us now, is he?” Con felt the rumble of fire in his chest. A growl formed as he said, “And let me remind you that I am King of Kings!”
Tired of her useless ramblings, Con walked from the room to the stairs. Lily had annoyed him for the last time. She would die tonight.
That would … show her just who … was in charge!
Con was halfway down the stairs when he felt the pain in his head. He looked around. How come he didn’t remember getting there?
The last thing he recalled was being in the mountain and healing Faith. He didn’t have a memory until now.
How much time had he lost?
He gripped his head with both hands, the pain making him dizzy. He tried to grab hold of the railing and missed. Then he pitched forward, tumbling down the stairs.
Thankfully, his body healed his broken back and tibia as well as the concussion immediately. He sat up, rubbing his temple. When he raised his gaze, he found Roman standing over him with a confused expression.
“What just happened?” Roman asked.
Con looked at the stairs, shaking his head. “I’m no’ sure.”
* * *
Shara stood at the foot of the bed, watching Faith as she listened to everything Lily told her about Con’s visit. Something was off inside Dreagan Manor, and Shara had set about finding the source.
It led her straight to their newest visitor.
“Say something,” Lily urged in her British accent. “You’re freaking me out with that look.”
Shara tucked her black hair with the thick strip of silver behind her ear. “I still haven’t figured out what’s wrong.”
“You’re Fae, can’t you do magic to find out?”
She cut her eyes to Lily. “It’s not that easy.”
“You didn’t hear Con.”
No, but Shara had heard from Kiril about what had happened in the mountain with Dmitri. And she’d been on edge ever since.
“You know something,” Lily pressed.
She shrugged, concern growing by the second. “I’m not sure, though.”
“Just say it, please.”
She saw the anxiousness in Lily’s dark eyes. “The Kings should’ve felt it, too.”
Lily threw out her hands before letting them slap against her legs. After a quick glance at Faith, she said, “That tells me nothing.”
“I sense magic,” Shara said.
Lily sank into the chair, her shoulders slumping. “I knew it. Is it Fae magic?”
“I … I’m not sure.” Shara couldn’t explain what she was feeling. The magic ebbed and flowed like waves crashing upon a shore.
At times, she was certain there was Fae magic being used, and then other times, she couldn’t be sure of anything.
“Well, it doesn’t seem to be affecting us.”
She smiled at Lily. The English and their practicality. But Lily was right. Which made Shara ask, “Why are just the men affected?”
Lily crossed one leg over the other. “Maybe it’s not the fact that they’re men.”
“They’re dragons,” Shara said, her heart lurching.
Breath passed Lily’s lips in a harsh exhale. “It’s Ulrik, then.”
“I can’t be sure.”
“We’d better tell the others.”
Shara gave a quick shake of her head. “Not until we know what’s causing it. What was the common denominator? The dragon bones?”
“According to Rhys, Dmitri acted fine while at Fair, and even when they first arrived here.”
“That’s true. But while at Fair, the bones hadn’t been removed until right before they left.”
Lily bit her lip, her eyes moving to the bed. “Unless there’s another culprit.”
“You think Faith is working with Ulrik?” Shara knew the possibility was real, but she was hoping that wasn’t the case.
Lily scrunched up her face. “Don’t you think it’s odd how she found the skeleton? Out of all those caves, she chose that one, only to find the bones.”
Shara put her hands on the ornate wooden footboard. “That does bring a lot of things into question.”
“We should talk to Ryder. He can do some digging.”
“He’s with the others in the cavern.”
Lily fisted her hand and softly punched her other palm. “I forgot, Con called a meeting.”
“Too many secrets are floating around,” Shara said as she rubbed her neck where stress had tightened her muscles. “I hope Con clears the air. With the war and now this threat, the Kings need to be united.”
“Have you had any luck talking to Usaeil about the Light helping?”
Just the mention of Usaeil made Shara want to hit something. “The queen won’t answer me. So, I went to her.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “And?”
“She wasn’t at the castle. But there is something going on there, as well. Every Fae is terrified and talking about the Reapers.”
“Um. Excuse me? Did you just say Reapers?”
Shara sighed, forgetting that few at Dreagan knew about them. “We have a legend of Reapers. They are ruled by Death, who is judge and jury. The Reapers are the executioners.”
“Sounds horrible. We also have such a myth. The Reaper is an entity who comes to a person when it’s their time to die.”
“The Light are told the stories of Reapers to scare them into not tur
ning Dark. The Dark children learn of them so that they’ll be too frightened to ever disobey their family.”
“But you say they’re real?”
Shara nodded slowly. “I believe so.”
“Can’t you find out who they are?”
“If you realize you’re talking to a Reaper, then it’s already too late. No one knows who they are, and I think it’s that way for a reason.”
Lily leaned back in the chair. “Well, I guess we can cross off the queen for help.”
“No one can find her anyway.”
“Great,” Lily said sarcastically. “Our luck is horrible.”
Shara looked to the bed once more. “It sure seems that way. I wish I could’ve spoken to Faith before the incident in the mountain.”
“I’d like to talk to her now. I liked her. If she’s working with Ulrik, she’s good enough that I never guessed.”
“Lily, you like everyone.”
She shrugged, her face crestfallen. “I like to see the good in people.”
It was because of that trait that she’d died, but Shara didn’t mention that fact. “I know. The problem is that we don’t have that luxury right now.”
“If you look for the bad in people, you’ll find it no matter what.”
“We’re surrounded by it, whether we like it or not.”
Lily stood and straightened her shoulders. “You’re right. I need to remember that our enemies outnumber us. We can’t do anything until the meeting is over. Until then, I’m going to make Faith comfortable.”
Shara smiled because Lily couldn’t help but be that sweet. It’s why everyone loved her.
While Lily began to remove Faith’s jacket, Shara took off her boots and placed them side-by-side. When she straightened, she saw Lily checking the pockets of Faith’s coat.
Lily looked up and grinned. “I may be nice, but I won’t be taken advantage of again. Aha!” she cried.
The smile vanished from Shara when she spied the small wooden carving of a dragon that Lily held up. She reached out her hand for it. As soon as Shara touched it, images of other people, places, and times flashed in her head.
“Shara!”
She heard Lily’s scream, but she couldn’t answer because her mind was frozen.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Dmitri was still shaken from what had occurred with Faith when he’d joined the other Kings in the cavern. He had no answers, only the looks of consternation from Rhys and Kiril, which did nothing to ease his mind.
He wanted to go to Faith, to see for himself that she was all right. And tell her he was sorry for whatever it was he’d done. The longer he went without seeing her, the worse he felt.
Even though he knew why Con had gathered them, he was still uneasy about all of it. With half his mind on Con and the other on Faith, it seemed as if he were being split in two. All he wanted to do was see Faith, to try and explain himself.
But how could he when he couldn’t clarify it for himself? No matter how hard he tried, there was time missing from his memories.
He looked at his friends. “I need to know every detail of what happened with Faith. Please.”
Kiril and Rhys exchanged looks before they gave a nod. Dmitri listened as they told him everything that had happened, including the things he’d said about humans. Dmitri cringed when he heard how Faith had screamed and tried to get away from him when he broke her hand. It had taken Con to breach whatever it was that had a hold of him.
As scary as all of that was, it was nothing compared to realizing that it could happen again unless he figured out how to stop it.
Which wouldn’t be nearly as hard if he knew what it was.
The cavern quieted when Con climbed the boulder and looked over them. Dmitri eyed those around him to see if anyone else knew the secret Con was about to impart. By the look on Asher’s and Kellan’s faces, they did.
“There have been a lot of questions of late,” Con said, his voice loud and clear. “I’m here to answer as many as I can, but first, there are a few things all of you need to know.
“There have been some recent developments. I wanted to wait until everyone was back under one roof, but this can no longer be put off.”
Con paused and looked to Asher. “As most of you know, Asher took my place at the World Whisky Consortium in Paris. While there, he met Rachel, who was unknowingly recruited by Ulrik to write an article exposing us.
“She got close to Asher and learned our secrets. And Ulrik’s. I’m sure you’ve seen Rachel around Dreagan since she arrived a few days ago. She didna just learn who we are, she discovered she was Asher’s mate.
“That put her against Ulrik. He attempted to kill her, but Asher got to her in time. In the process, Asher learned Ulrik’s biggest secret—he can shift.”
The anger and concern that filled the cavern didn’t surprise Dmitri. They were the same emotions he’d felt when Con told him. Because all of them knew that, at any moment, Ulrik could wake the Silvers.
It was the waiting that drove them all crazy.
“Ulrik has all of his magic,” Con said. “We’ve known this was coming. I’ve known it was coming. The battle between Ulrik and I will most likely happen soon. Until then, we continue fighting him and the Dark.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. They also knew that anything could happen in the battle to be King of Kings. Con could retain the title, or Ulrik could claim it for his own.
Con’s shoulders lifted as he took a deep breath and released it. “There is another matter that needs to be addressed. I’ve heard the talk in regards to my private life and the speculation of who I’ve taken to my bed.
“I’ve never delved into your private lives, and I didna take kindly to you prying into mine. I still doona. I would be speaking to you about this now even if the questions hadna been raised because this matter is no longer concealed.”
Dmitri stood with his arms crossed over his chest, watching Con. He couldn’t imagine how hard this was for their King, because he was right. Their private lives should be private. Each of them had done wrong trying to probe into Con’s.
“You’ve been asking who my lover is,” Con continued. “I chose no’ to share that information until now but she’s left me no choice. It was Usaeil.”
The silence in the cavern was deafening. Dmitri glanced at the ground, rocking back on his heels. “Why her?” he asked.
Con’s gaze skated to him. For a long moment, the King of Kings stared at him. “I didna want the confines that having a mortal in my bed brings. I could be myself. Did no’ have to lie. As beneficial as that was, it wasna why I sought Usaeil out.
“If we were going to continue hiding our presence from the humans, we needed an ally. As I got closer to Usaeil, I came to discover that all Rhi had been saying about her is true.”
Rhys snorted. “So Rhi was right all along?”
“Aye, she was,” Con said. “The more I tried to untangle myself from Usaeil, the tighter the threads became. In the process, she claimed to have fallen in love with me. I used that to gain more information about Rhi and … other things.”
Dmitri frowned at the mention of ‘other things.’ Just what did Con mean by that?
“The last time I saw Usaeil, she told me that she wanted to announce to the Fae and all of you that we were to be married,” Con said.
None of the Kings would’ve cared about that since Kiril was already mated to a Fae. It was the way Usaeil had handled the situation that irritated them.
Con raised a magazine over his head. “Though part of our agreement was that our affair remain secret until we both agreed otherwise, she had our picture taken. You see, to the world, Usaeil is a well-known American actress. Photographers follow her everywhere. You can no’ see my face, but it’s me.
“This is her way of taking things out of my hands. I didna know of this until Rhi brought me the magazine. She saw it in Edinburgh, but someone posted it all over the Light Castle, as well. The Fae are speculating that th
e man is me.”
Kiril gawked at Con. “Are you telling me Rhi didna blow up the manor in a rage?”
“I explained the state of things to her. We’re working together on confronting Usaeil. And before you ask, I’m no’ doing it now because there are other matters going on with the Fae that most of you are no’ aware of yet. The Reapers.”
There was something about the word that immediately set Dmitri on edge. As long as he’d known of the Fae and had dealings with them, he’d never heard of the Reapers.
Con lowered the magazine, letting it fall to the ground. He ran a hand down his face. The cavern remained quiet as Con told them the legend of the Reapers.
“You think the white-haired Fae I kept seeing in Edinburgh is a Reaper?” Darius asked.
Con shrugged. “It’s a possibility. We had help dealing with the Dark that night.”
Dmitri asked, “So they’re our allies?”
“I didna say that.” Con blew out a breath. “No one knows who the Reapers are. No’ much is known about them at all.”
“Not true,” said a voice that everyone recognized.
They all turned to see Rhi making her way through the Kings. She reached Con and looked up at him. There was a brief moment of tension before he moved so she could stand beside him.
“The Reaper stories I heard as a child differ greatly from what they truly are,” Rhi said. “They’re meant to keep a balance between good and evil. The Reapers have more power and magic than Usaeil and Taraeth combined. There is a warning obscured in a book that counsels against messing with a Reaper. They are judge, jury, and executioner of the Fae.”
Dmitri was growing more concerned by the moment. “How do you know so much about them?”
“I did some digging of my own. There have been whispers at court for months about the Reapers. Even the Dark are scared of them. It doesn’t bode well for the Fae that they’re here.”
Con asked her, “You say they keep the balance of good and evil. Do you think it has something to do with our war?”
“They don’t meddle in the affairs of other species. Just the Fae.”
“What about half-Fae?” Dmitri asked.
