Fever--A Dark Kings Novel Read online

  Thorn nodded in agreement. “You confronting her at the restaurant might have begun it.”

  “Then Usaeil last night,” Keltan said.

  Bast’s brows rose on his forehead. “Then coming here to face us. The girl has got some kind of courage.”

  Keltan had to agree. He took a step back when Bernadette shifted on the bed. He didn’t want to wake her, so he motioned for his friends to follow. He made sure he could still see into the room. He didn’t know why he was so worried about her, but he was. It was the same concern that drove him to think that something might not be right.

  “I agree with Bast,” Thorn said. “And I already told you, I like Bernadette.”

  Keltan shrugged. “I didna know what to expect when she arrived, but she’s taken things pretty well.”

  “Aye,” Sebastian said. “And you can no’ take your eyes from her.”

  Keltan swung his gaze to Thorn and Sebastian. “What are you saying?”

  Thorn threw up his hands. “All Bast is saying is that we can see how much attention you’re paying her.”

  “Do you know what would happen if she died here? Or became seriously ill?” Keltan shook his head. “We’d be blamed.”

  Thorn crossed his arms over his chest. “You have a point.”

  Bast held Keltan’s gaze. “It isna a weakness to think a lass is pretty. Or to want to be around her.”

  “Or to be worried,” Thorn added.

  Keltan ran a hand down his face. He didn’t want to talk about this right now. “I need to find Shara. Or even Darcy or Eilish.”

  Sebastian’s brows drew together. “You think Usaeil used magic on Bernadette?”

  “I want to find out.”

  Bast nodded. “That’s a fine idea. I just let Kiril know we needed Shara.”

  Before Keltan could let Ulrik and Warrick know, Thorn said, “Ulrik and Warrick will get Eilish and Darcy here as quickly as they can.”

  “I’m probably overreacting,” Keltan said. “I used my magic to look for anything, but I could find nothing out of the ordinary.”

  Thorn shrugged. “It’s better to be safe than sorry. And we can no’ underestimate Usaeil again. We have a Fae and Druids here. Use them.”

  “Our magic is stronger,” Bast said. “We should be able to detect something.”

  Keltan spotted Shara coming toward them. “Aye, but V and Hal couldna see through Usaeil’s glamour last time. She’s upped her game significantly. We need to do the same.”

  Shara smiled as she greeted them in her Irish accent. “Kiril said our guest isn’t feeling well.”

  Keltan walked Shara to the door to look in on Bernadette. He briefly explained what had happened, including Bernadette’s last encounter with Usaeil.

  Shara’s silver gaze slid to him, worry etched on her face. “I’ll look, but Usaeil’s magic has always exceeded mine. If you couldn’t sense anything, I probably won’t either.”

  “Please,” Keltan urged.

  Shara shoved aside the thick silver lock in her mane of black. “Of course.”

  He stared as Shara walked to the edge of the bed and held her hands over Bernadette. The minutes passed slowly. Darcy and Eilish arrived while Sebastian filled them in. Keltan didn’t know when Thorn left.

  Shara lowered her hands and turned to Keltan before she shook her head. Eilish and Darcy walked into the room to stand on the opposite side of the bed.

  Keltan knew from the Druids at MacLeod Castle that sometimes all it took was the combined magic of others to give them what they needed. Darcy’s magic was slowly coming back, and while she couldn’t come close to matching either Shara or Eilish in power, every little bit helped.

  At least, he hoped.

  Shara stood silently as Eilish and Darcy searched for any spells placed on Bernadette. When they couldn’t find anything, the three of them tried together.

  But in the end, the result was the same—nothing.

  Eilish was the first out of the room. She stopped in front of him and smiled. “I don’t think there’s anything there.”

  There was still a hint of an Irish brogue in her American accent. Keltan wanted to believe her. After all, he’d looked himself and found nothing.

  “We did help to facilitate her getting better,” Shara told him.

  Darcy’s fern green eyes crinkled as she smiled at him. “Bernadette will be better before you know it. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

  “Thank you,” Keltan said.

  The three walked away, but he didn’t budge from his spot.

  “You still think something is going on,” Sebastian said.

  Keltan nodded. “I can no’ shake the feeling.”

  “Then doona ignore it.”

  He snorted. “What good does it do me? We’ve all had a look at Bernadette and found nothing that suggests a spell has been placed on her.”

  “Did you ever think it’s because you want there to be something wrong with her?”

  Keltan jerked back as if struck. “Have you lost your mind?”

  “Think about it. You were sent to see what she had to say. You spoke with her, hoping to nudge her in the right direction. Instead, she came here. You spent some time with her, got to know her. And you learned that Usaeil used her, that none of this is Bernadette’s fault. She deduced that we would take her memories, and she accepted it graciously.” Sebastian snorted and shook his head. “More graciously than anyone before. You opened up to her, told her your story. That in itself is a big step. You’ve never done that before.”

  “So?” Keltan stated irritably, not liking Bast’s words at all.

  “So … you showed her a side of yourself you’ve probably no’ looked at before. The same thing happened to me with Gianna. The thing is, brother, Bernadette got inside you. Maybe just a speck, but no other woman ever has before. And it’s gotten under your skin. You standing guard now? That’s being protective.”

  “She’s under my care,” Keltan argued.

  Sebastian blew out a breath. “Call it whatever you want. Deny it to me for the rest of time. But when you’re alone, be honest with yourself. There’s nothing wrong with being attracted to someone and giving in to that attraction.”

  Bast smiled and slapped Keltan on the shoulder before walking away.

  Keltan waited until Sebastian was out of earshot before he whispered, “Maybe no’ for you. But it is for me.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Something was wrong. Henry could feel it in the pit of his stomach. He stopped pacing in the cavern of Dreagan Mountain and pressed his hand to his abdomen.

  His skin felt too tight on his body, as if something were trying to get out of him. Feelings he couldn’t put a name to churned inside, urging him to … he didn’t know what. He only knew that something was prodding him.

  If only he could figure it out.

  “Fuck. It’s you, as well.”

  Henry spun around at the sound of his brother-in-law’s voice. Worry filled Nikolai’s baby blue eyes, and there was only one person who could cause such a reaction from the King of Ivories. “Esther.”

  Nikolai nodded. “She’s been staring into the fire for the past two hours.”

  “Fire?” Henry asked with a frown. “In May?”

  “She started a fire in our bedroom and has been sitting in front of it since then.” Nikolai shook his head. “This is about the two of you, is it no’? Esther being the TruthSeeker and you the JusticeBringer.”

  Henry ran a hand down his face. Neither he nor his sister had any magic, but they’d recently learned that they came from a line of Druids who used to make sure no Druids got out of line. It was always a brother and sister duo.

  Esther had embraced her heritage immediately. Henry, not so much. He’d railed against it and questioned it from the beginning. But deep inside, he knew the truth. He just wasn’t ready to accept it.

  Though that may be out of his hands now.

  While his sister was more than merely human now as a m
ate to a Dragon King, Henry was still very much mortal. He’d been assured by those at Dreagan, even Con, that he had a part to play in the war, but all Henry saw himself as was a liability.

  “What do you feel?” Nikolai asked. “Please, tell me something. Because Esther willna speak to me. It’s like she doesna hear my voice.”

  “She hears you. She just can’t answer.”

  Nikolai raised his gaze to the ceiling and sighed before turning back to Henry. “I urged her to follow wherever her path led, but I’m no’ sure where it’s taking her. She’s no’ supposed to be on it alone. You’re supposed to be with her.”

  It rankled Henry that Nikolai was the one pointing that out. He squeezed his eyes closed. He was working up to accepting what he was, but he wasn’t there yet.

  “Henry. Esther needs you.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  They both jerked at the sound of Esther’s voice. She walked into the cavern and stopped beside her husband. She smiled up at Nikolai and took his hand. “I’m sorry I scared you. I think … I think, for the first time, I was able to access exactly what our ancestors used to see.”

  Henry fisted his hands. He didn’t want to hear this. He had to search for the weapon that had been stolen from Dreagan. The very thing the Dark Fae had tried to obtain for years because it was the only thing that could kill the Dragon Kings. He’d promised himself that he would find it for Con.

  “Henry,” Esther called.

  He shook his head and turned away. “I’m not ready. I’ve not found the weapon yet.”

  “The more you try and ignore what’s calling you, the more you’ll hurt. Let it out. Let it show you. Or maybe it shows me and does something else to you,” she said. “Just stop fighting it.”

  Henry looked into his sister’s nutmeg eyes. “You were always the stronger of the two of us.”

  “We’re a team,” she told him. “We work together. I seek the truth. You bring the justice.”

  “And you found the truth?”

  “I know where we need to go.”

  Henry glanced at Nikolai to find the Dragon King wearing a deep frown. Henry then said to Esther, “And where is that?”

  “Madrid. Lily is preparing the helicopter now,” Esther informed him.

  What else was he to do? Henry nodded. He’d follow his sister to see where this took them. He couldn’t deny her. And she was right. The moment he stopped fighting the feeling, the pain dissipated.

  Esther smiled and turned to walk out of the cavern, but Nikolai stepped in her way.

  “You’re no’ going without me,” he told her.

  Esther took his hand. “It never crossed my mind, love.”

  Henry followed behind the two. Seeing them together made him think of Rhi. He hadn’t seen her in weeks, and when she had appeared, she hadn’t so much as looked in his direction. He knew there could be nothing between them. That didn’t make it hurt any less.

  The kiss they’d shared had changed him forever. But even he had to admit that it had done nothing to her. That was because her heart belonged to another. Everyone at Dreagan had tried to tell him. Henry hadn’t wanted to believe them. It had taken years for him to finally see the truth.

  There was a lot of that coming at him lately. Frankly, he didn’t like it. He barely dealt with one thing before another truth came at him. It was like having his arse kicked repeatedly. If only he could handle things as well as his sister.

  Then again, Esther had always had that kind of knack. When he’d joined MI5, Henry had believed he’d finally found his calling. Then they’d recruited Esther, and he discovered just how good of an agent she really was. But it was nothing compared to her role now.

  She had truly come into her own. The love she and Nikolai shared made her glow. She was stronger for Nikolai’s love, and for being the TruthSeeker.

  Henry wanted to know more about their past. Not so much their ancestors, but why he and Esther had been adopted. He wanted to know who his birth parents were, and why it was so important that his and Esther’s identities be kept secret. But not even a trip to Eigg had given him that.

  In fact, it had only given him more questions.

  Esther looked back at him over her shoulder as they left the mountain and headed toward the chopper that waited. Lily had already started the motor. The blades whirled above them with a deafening growl. Nikolai got Esther into the luxury helicopter before climbing in after her. Henry hesitated. For just a moment, he wondered if he should stay behind.

  But a hand shoved him in the back. He glanced behind him, only to find that there was no one there. He flattened his lips and walked to the helicopter and got in. The moment the door was closed, Lily took off.

  Henry buckled himself in and then looked at his sister and Nikolai. The Dragon King had his arm wrapped around Esther and she had her head on his shoulder. Henry turned and stared out the window to see the buildings of Dreagan growing smaller as the aircraft ascended into the sky.

  His mind was an abyss that he was tired of being in. Every time he attempted to unravel some problem—and there were many—it seemed to make things worse. It was hard to bear because solving issues had always been his specialty. Why was nothing working now?

  He tried to sleep. As soon as he shut his eyes, he fell into the dream. It was the same nightmare he’d been having ever since Usaeil disappeared.

  In the visions, he works day and night tracking the queen. He finds her and gives the location to the Dragon Kings and Rhi so they can go kill Usaeil and hopefully find Con.

  Except that’s not what happens. Instead, Usaeil kills Rhi and the Kings. Then she breaks the barrier around Dreagan and slaughters the rest of the Kings. With their Kings dead, the mates fall all around him. Only one remains—Esther. She reaches out to him.

  “Henry. You were supposed to save us. You promised Con you would find the weapon.”

  He runs to her, but no matter how fast he feels his legs pump, he doesn’t move an inch.

  “Henry.” A tear runs down his sister’s face just before she falls dead.

  Henry woke with a start. No matter how many times he’d lived through that nightmare, it still affected him the same each time.

  “You all right?” Esther asked.

  He cleared his throat and nodded while wiping the sweat from his brow. Henry straightened in his seat. “Where are we?”

  “Spain,” Nikolai said. “We’ll be arriving in Madrid in about twenty minutes.”

  Henry tried to prepare himself like he used to do before a mission with MI5, but this wasn’t the same. Still, he had to do something. The moment they landed in Madrid and got out of the chopper, he felt something in the air.

  “I sense it, as well,” Esther said from beside him. “This way.”

  He followed her and Nikolai, still unsure about all of it—especially his role in things. They walked the maze of streets for what felt like hours until Esther suddenly stopped and looked up at the second floor of a residence.

  “This is where it happened.”

  Henry exchanged a look with Nikolai, but when he lifted his gaze to the window, he saw something shining out of it for just a split second.

  “What happened?” Nikolai asked.

  Esther looked at him. “This is where Usaeil killed a Druid and took his magic.”

  Henry’s knees went weak at her words because he knew they were the truth. He didn’t have to ask anyone if a murder had taken place. He knew it to the depths of his soul. It was a truth unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

  “That’s great, but what good does that do us now?” Nikolai asked.

  Henry walked past them to the door. He didn’t knock, just pushed it open and went inside. The moment he crossed the threshold, the entire scene of Usaeil’s arrival and short-lived battle with the Druid played out before him like a movie. The man and Usaeil weren’t solid. He could see through their bodies, almost like they were ghosts.

  He walked around the area, watching as Usaeil eas
ily killed the Druid. It was while she transferred his magic to herself that Henry got a glimpse of the real Usaeil.

  Her face was still beautiful, but her eyes were blood red, and her hair was almost entirely silver. Evil radiated from her to such a degree that Henry took a step back.

  When the scene finished, he squatted down next to the spot where the Druid had lain dead and touched the wood. “You will be avenged, brother,” he whispered.

  Henry got to his feet and found Esther and Nikolai watching him. He waited for them to say something, but all his sister did was smile. He gave her a nod. Whether he wanted this mantle of JusticeBringer or not, it was his. And he was going to do what he had been born to do.

  “Now what?” Nikolai asked.

  Henry licked his lips. “We search for Druids all over the world. Usaeil will go to the strongest first.”

  “The Skye Druids,” Esther said.

  Henry shook his head. “If she’s not killed them yet, then she won’t until she has to.”

  “That doesna make me feel better,” Nikolai said.

  Esther said, “Corann knows about Usaeil now. He and the Druids on Skye are prepared.”

  “No one can prepare for Usaeil.” Henry ran a hand over his chin. “You didn’t see what she did to the Druid.”

  Esther’s mouth fell open. “You saw it?”

  Henry nodded, his gaze sliding to Nikolai. “All of it.”

  “Shite,” Nikolai murmured.

  “Did she say anything to him?” Esther asked.

  Henry blew out a breath. “Unfortunately, no.”

  “Then we’re done here?” Nikolai asked.

  Esther looked around them. “I think so.”

  Henry stayed behind a moment after his sister and Nikolai had left. He went to the door, and once more hesitated. He lifted his gaze and, through the people walking the streets, he saw her. She stood as still as a statue and was more beautiful than anything he’d ever laid eyes on.

  And she was staring at him.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  It was amazing what a few hours of sleep could do. Bernadette woke refreshed and feeling much better. She was mortified that she’d gotten so bad that Keltan had to carry her to the room, but she couldn’t forget how good it had felt to be in his embrace.