by Donna Grant
Just as he was now.
Again. Not even after briefly becoming her lover.
Rhi would never be his. It was a fact he was slowly coming to terms with. But that didn’t mean he would stand by and watch Usaeil kill her. Because that’s exactly what would happen.
The queen was more devious than Rhi knew. But Balladyn understood Usaeil. He knew how she thought, how she controlled others and made them do her bidding. It wouldn’t be a fair fight between the two of them. Usaeil would use all of her considerable power to get the upper hand. Even with the Dragon Kings by Rhi’s side, there was a very good chance she wouldn’t win.
And Rhi, kind and honorable Rhi, would have her bright light extinguished well before her time.
Balladyn closed his eyes. While it was going to kill him to swallow his pride and fight alongside the Kings, he would do it. For her.
Everything was for Rhi.
If he were really lucky, he would die in battle beside the woman who had been his friend and lover—his everything. And if things went as he hoped, then Balladyn would be the one to take out Usaeil. The bitch deserved the worst pain imaginable, and he intended to give it to her.
It would do no good to try and talk to Rhi. After their last encounter, he’d let his temper get the best of him. No doubt she would continue ignoring his calls. Not that he could blame her. She had saved his life—albeit by using Con’s magic—and Balladyn hadn’t been able to handle taking anything from a Dragon King.
Yet he would have to do more than that soon. And he would. He would put aside his hatred and take whatever the Kings and Rhi had to say to him. He’d suffer whatever it took to be able to fight beside her.
But there was one more card Balladyn could play. It might turn out to be a bust, but he wouldn’t know unless he tried.
“Fintan,” he said as he opened his eyes.
Seconds ticked by as he waited for the Reaper to appear. Those seconds turned to minutes. Balladyn should have known that his call would be ignored. What had he expected? Just because the famed Fintan had paid him a visit and spoke candidly didn’t mean they were friendly.
No one was friends with the Dark King, no matter who sat on the throne. Months ago, Balladyn could not have cared less about having allies. Now, it was all he could think about.
When he was still a Light Fae, he’d had numerous friends. There was always someone he could turn to if he needed. When Usaeil betrayed him, Balladyn had discovered that he could only count on himself. The court of the Dark was filled with treachery of every kind, and to trust was to give up your life.
But right now, he would trade his throne and all the power he wielded just to be a Light again. To have his position, his family, and friends once more.
Balladyn turned on his heel and drew up short when he found Fintan lounging in one of the overstuffed chairs. Fintan’s red-rimmed white eyes were locked on him.
“How long have you been there?” Balladyn demanded.
It did no good to become angry that he hadn’t realized anyone had entered his chambers since it was a Reaper he had called. The Fae didn’t fear them for nothing. The Reapers had more power and magic than other Fae, which allowed them to go through any spells and wards that might keep others out.
Fintan lifted one shoulder half-heartedly. “Long enough to see that much weighs on your mind. Why did you call me?”
“I wondered if you could tell me if there is any way the Reapers might aid Rhi when she attacks Usaeil.”
Fintan raised a brow as he sat forward and clasped his hands together as he rested his arms on his knees. “You think we would involve ourselves in a war between two Fae?”
“You know full well that this is about more than just Rhi and Usaeil. This has far-reaching consequences.”
“Perhaps. What do you intend?”
While Balladyn’s first response was one of irritation, he held himself in check. He tried to remember the composed Fae he’d once been. It wasn’t easy, but that man was still inside him somewhere. Balladyn just needed to find him again.
He walked to the chair facing Fintan and sat. “I’ll do whatever I need to in order to help Rhi and bring down Usaeil.”
“Even if that means fighting alongside the Dragon Kings?”
“Yes,” Balladyn said, trying to unclench his jaw.
Fintan’s lips turned up in a slight grin. “Interesting.”
“Which part? That I want to bring down the queen? Or that I’m willing to tolerate the Kings.”
“The latter. I know well your hatred of them.”
“And you also know why.”
Fintan nodded slowly as he sat back. “That I do.”
“You’ve not answered my original question,” Balladyn said.
“Nay, I’ve not.”
In other words, the Reaper wouldn’t. Balladyn had expected as much, but he’d held out a little hope. He knew better than to do that. He and hope were well acquainted. Hope had a way of prolonging and sharpening pain when it did come.
“Usaeil deserves to die,” Balladyn said. “You know that as well as I.”
Fintan drew in a breath as he looked around. “Neither you nor I make that decision. Death does.”
“And if I called to Death to ask the question I posed to you?”
“I wouldn’t advise it.”
Balladyn ran a hand down his face and leaned forward. “It’s Rhi I’m more concerned with. She needs to live.”
“That’s out of my hands.”
“Death had a Fae following her!” The moment the outburst left his lips, Balladyn regretted it. He rose and turned his back to Fintan.
There was a long bout of silence before the Reaper said, “As king, you control an army.”
“We both know the Dark won’t fight alongside the Dragon Kings.”
“They don’t have to know the Kings will be there. Give the order before the battle begins that the Kings are on your side to fight Usaeil.”
There was a chance that could work. But Balladyn could also see it going very wrong.
Fintan walked to stand before him. The Reaper’s long, white hair was in stark contrast to the all-black clothes he wore. “How long do you think it’ll be before Usaeil comes for your throne?”
“I expect it any day.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
That was actually a really good question. “I don’t know.”
“Seems to me, the answers you seek are all around you. And you have all the power,” Fintan said with a grin.
“Do the Reapers see the future?”
Fintan frowned as he jerked back. “Nay. Why do you ask?”
“You sometimes speak as if you see things I cannot.”
“Because you’re focused on one thing. I can see the whole picture. Gather your army, king. The battle we all know is coming will be here before we know it.”
Balladyn grabbed Fintan’s arm before he could teleport away. “And Rhi? Will the Reapers protect her?”
“I’m not sure she needs it. Besides, she will have you and your army as well as the Dragon Kings beside her. She doesn’t need us.”
“You can’t know Rhi and not love her. You expect me to believe you don’t want in on that fight?”
Fintan snorted. “What I want matters little. Death makes the decisions for the Reapers.”
Balladyn released his hold on the former assassin. In the next second, Fintan was gone. While Balladyn hadn’t gotten what he wanted, at least he had gained some insight.
He turned and stalked to the tall double doors. They opened as he neared. He paused and looked at two of the four guards stationed outside his chamber. “Get word to my generals. I’m calling the army.”
The men bowed their heads and rushed off to do his bidding. Balladyn returned to his chamber and waited for the doors to close behind him.
There was one other individual Balladyn had an alliance with. There was much Balladyn wanted to learn about the Reapers, so he left Xaneth alone for the m
oment. If the time came and he called for the Light Fae, Balladyn hoped Xaneth would answer. Because if Balladyn found himself in that position, it meant that everything was going to hell.
He walked to the windows and snapped his fingers. A large table appeared. Balladyn held his hand about six inches over it and moved it from left to right. As he did, a map of Ireland appeared, covering the entire table.
On the map was a small fortress to the north—the Light Castle. In the south, an exact replica of the Dark Palace appeared.
Next, Balladyn touched the towns that he knew were controlled by the Dark, turning them red. When he finished, he did the same for those of the Light, turning them white.
It might have been years since Balladyn had been close to Usaeil, but he knew her, especially now that he’d seen the real face behind the beautiful mask she wore around others.
His next move was to mark the towns he knew and suspected Usaeil controlled, coloring them black. When he stepped back to look at the map, unease filtered through him when he saw just how much of Ireland Usaeil controlled—and that was only what he suspected.
It was time he did some digging into facts. And quickly.
Time was of the essence.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
The more time V spent with Claire, the more he began to realize that he didn’t want to be without her. No longer did he want to seek out his mountain. The mere thought of it made him want to grasp Claire tighter.
As he gazed into her beautiful brown eyes after she had told him her secret, there were feelings inside him that he wanted to share. But he didn’t have the words. Then his chance was gone as a knock sounded on the door.
Claire frowned. “I wonder who that could be.”
She rose from his lap and walked to the entrance and opened it. Darius stood in the doorway with a grim look upon his face. V rose to his feet as Claire looked over her shoulder at him.
If Darius had known V was there with Claire, why hadn’t he used their mental link to communicate? V strode to the door, an uneasy feeling beginning at the base of his spine.
Darius shot Claire an apologetic look. “Sorry for the intrusion.”
Claire’s gaze slid to him as she gave him a soft smile. “I think our time is up.”
“For now,” V stated, wanting her to know that he wasn’t leaving for good.
Darius licked his lips. “Claire, you need to return with V.”
“What’s going on?” V demanded, worry settling like a rock in his stomach. “Why did no one tell me to go back to Dreagan?”
“I was close. I saw your car, so I said I’d get the two of you.”
V put his hand on Claire’s back and said, “Come.”
“Wait.” She shifted away from him and grabbed her laptop, purse, and keys, then hurried back to his side.
Darius had already left by the time V led Claire to his car. He scanned the area, looking for danger. Just because he didn’t see anything meant nothing. He, better than most, knew how an enemy could come from nowhere.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Claire asked.
He glanced her way. He wanted to allay her fears, but he didn’t want to lie to her. “It isna good.”
“Yeah.” She climbed into the car.
V took another slow look around before he made his way to the driver’s side and got behind the wheel. He didn’t speed back to Dreagan, even if every fiber of his being told him to get there immediately.
“Can you tell me?” she asked.
V pressed his lips together. “I doona know more than you, really. Dragons are able to communicate telepathically, and we speak that way often.”
“How convenient,” Claire murmured. Her head snapped to him. “Oh. That’s what you meant about why Darius was there.”
“Exactly.”
“Why wouldn’t he or one of the other Kings use that ability to contact you? Have you ever been told not to do it before?”
“Never.” And that’s what concerned V.
Once he pulled up in the garage, he spotted Sophie waiting for them. He turned off the ignition and looked at Claire. “Go with her. I’ll find you as soon as I can.”
“Are you sure I should be here?”
“I am.” He reached over and squeezed her fingers.
When she gave him a smile, he realized she was trying to alleviate his worry. V was so taken aback by it that he didn’t have time to craft a response before Claire opened the door and got out.
V was slower to exit the vehicle. He watched Sophie and Claire enter the house. Right before the door shut behind them, Claire looked at him over her shoulder and shot him another smile.
He felt movement behind him and turned to find Darius and Roman. “What’s going on?”
“Con and Rhi are getting ready to go to war,” Roman said.
V had known this day would come. In fact, he’d expected it a lot sooner. Though now that it was here, he wished it would have waited a few more days.
“What changed?” V asked.
Darius shrugged. “We doona know much.”
“And why no communication?” V questioned. “Who gave that command?”
Roman blew out a breath. “I think you better come with us.”
V followed them into the house, but they diverted to the conservatory and entered the mountain. V was led to a cavern where Rhi, Con, and Ulrik stood, looking at a map of the world on the wall.
He knew this was the room Henry used to keep track of where the weapon might be, but those markers were now removed. Now, there were ones in Ireland, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out those indicated the Fae.
Henry came in on the heels of V’s entry. V hadn’t spent much time with the mortal, but he knew how hard Henry worked to help the Kings. The fact that Henry was the JusticeBringer to his sister’s TruthSeeker was something V hadn’t delved into deeply. But anyone with magic was better as an ally than an enemy.
“What’s going on?” V asked Con.
It was Rhi who flicked her long, black hair over her shoulder and said, “We’re doing what should have been done months ago. We’re taking out Usaeil.”
V saw the way Con stared at the map. Some might take Con’s silence for apathy, but V knew the King of Kings had already planned how to get to Usaeil. Right now, Con was going over each move he’d devised weeks ago. And he wasn’t the only one.
Ulrik stood beside him, doing the same thing.
Rhi walked to V and looked up at him. “Usaeil is vengeful. I suggested to Con that the Kings get to Dreagan and bring anyone who might be used against them.”
V nodded, liking the preemptive measure. “Good idea. What do you need from me?”
“Bait,” Ulrik said.
V glanced behind him to see who Ulrik was talking about, but Darius and Roman were gone. Which left only him. V then focused on Con and Ulrik. “For Usaeil, I presume.”
Con turned to him then. “This is when all the time you spent sleeping is going to come in handy. She doesna know your face.”
“But she’ll know I’m a King.”
“Maybe,” Ulrik interjected.
V crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you want me to do?”
It was Rhi who said, “Get her attention away from the Light Castle. The Captain of her Queen’s Guard, Inen, has been in touch with me. I need to get to him and let him know what’s about to happen.”
V snorted and shook his head. “That’s no’ a good idea. Inen could be deceiving you.”
“He’s not,” Rhi insisted.
V shared a look with Con. Obviously, he wasn’t the only one trying to change Rhi’s mind about this. She could be very stubborn, and she was showing just how much now.
“You do realize that you could be giving the upper hand to Usaeil if Inen betrays you, right?” V asked her.
Rhi looked away and put her hands in the back pockets of her black pants. “If Inen can get to the people and tell them the truth about Usaeil, then she will lose their support.”
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“She doesna care about them,” Con said. “As I’ve told you repeatedly.”
“But I do,” Rhi stated.
V dropped his arms and looked at the map. “We’ll be fighting Usaeil in her territory. It’s going to be tricky regardless.”
That wasn’t the only thing that bothered V. Maybe it was because the Others had messed with his memories, or perhaps it was because he had seen firsthand in the mountain in Iceland what they could do, but it made him uneasy to attack in Ireland where the Fae held the upper hand.
Henry made a sound and then turned on his heel and left without telling anyone what caused him to react so.
Ulrik moved to lean back against one of the walls and ran a hand down his face. “We’re all thinking it,” he said. “One of us should say it.”
Rhi looked at each of them. “Apparently, I’m not thinking it. What are you talking about?”
“The Others,” Con replied.
V shook his head slowly. “After all I’ve learned about the Queen of the Light, she needs to be stripped of her throne.”
Rhi snorted loudly. “She needs more than that.”
Con turned his head to V. “But?”
“We should fight here in Scotland,” V said.
Rhi gave him a sassy look. “Scotland? Stud, I like you a lot. You buck the system, which I appreciate.”
Con’s expression grew tight at her words.
“But,” Rhi continued, “this is Fae business. It has to be done on Irish soil.”
“Fae business?” Con repeated in a soft voice.
Ulrik shot Rhi a look that said she should’ve known better than to say such a thing.
Rhi threw up her hands, palms out. “Whoa. Seriously? Con, you’re the one who said you wanted to fight with me.”
“The simple fact is that this will involve the Dragon Kings. All of us, most likely,” Con said.
V could see the Fae’s anger growing. He touched her shoulder to get her attention. “Look at the big picture. You want your revenge, and we want that for you. However, you have to look at everything.”
“I. Am,” she bit out. She looked at each of them. “Do all of you actually believe I’m not acutely aware of what it means that the Kings will be fighting her? Because I am. Painfully.”
