Dragonfire--A Dark Kings Novel Read online

  It amused her to pay for things as if she were a human. Then again, as a Fae, her magic could get her anything she wanted. And she had everything.

  Well … almost everything.

  She carried the bag from the store and slid into the seat of her black Lamborghini. As she dropped the bag onto the passenger seat, she thought about the times that Daire had ridden with her, veiled and silent. But she hadn’t been alone.

  How she’d hated him following her at first. Now, she sorely missed him. But he was happy and in love. How could she be angry about that?

  She hadn’t spoken to him, but she’d found him and the pretty Halfling kissing in Ireland. Rhi had almost approached him, but she decided against it at the last minute. And she was glad she had.

  The drive to Jesse’s was short. But when she reached the salon, she didn’t want to go in. She wasn’t in the mood for conversation. While she adored Jesse, the mortal knew nothing of who Rhi really was—or the goings-on in her life.

  Rhi turned the car around and drove through Austin to the storage unit where she kept the car. Once it was parked and locked with her magic, she gripped her package in her hand and teleported to the small isle she’d claimed as her own.

  After the fight with Balladyn, she’d thought about finding another location, but it wouldn’t do any good. Besides, she loved this beach. The sun, turquoise waters, and white sand were just what her soul needed when the darkness threatened.

  She glanced at the waves rolling onto the beach. The water called to her, but first, she wanted to add her new polishes to the others.

  Her collection was along the wall, in order of color, starting at white and ending in black. She pushed aside the oranges and made room for I’ll Have a Gin and Tectonic. It took some doing to find the right spot for this complex shade that was somewhere between coral and tangerine.

  Next was That’s What Friends Are Thor. She quite liked the earthy brown shade and couldn’t wait to match it with one of her gold colors. Suzi & the Arctic Fox made its way into the purples, while the dark ice blue, Less Is Norse, found its home.

  Rhi stepped back and looked at the rainbow of colors. At one time, she’d had many more, but in a fit of rage, she’d destroyed them. She could’ve used her magic to replace them, but sometimes, magic was the easy way out of things.

  At least that’s what her mother used to say. Rhi hadn’t understood it then, but she did now.

  Just as she was about to change into a bikini to take a swim, she heard Phelan say her name. There were some that Rhi ignored, but never Phelan.

  She still remembered when she’d found the Warrior. He hadn’t known of his royal ancestry from both his human and his Fae sides. Phelan was like a brother, and she would do anything to keep his identity from Usaeil.

  “Ubitch,” Rhi said with a smirk.

  Then she giggled. But it died a quick death. The sting of the queen banishing Rhi from the Light was still fresh. Actually, it was a gaping wound that festered.

  And it did little to diminish the darkness growing inside her.

  Rhi tried to set that aside as she teleported to Scotland where Phelan and his wife, Aisley, lived alongside an idyllic loch and forest.

  “I wondered if you’d come,” Phelan said.

  She looked into his blue-gray eyes and smiled. “I told you, I will always come when you or Aisley call.”

  “That’s what I told him,” Aisley said as she walked up holding out a mug of tea for Rhi.

  She accepted the cup with a smile and turned her attention back to Phelan. His long, dark hair was pulled back in a queue at the base of his neck, and there were lines of strain around his mouth.

  Rhi sighed, realizing what the problem was. “Who told you?” she demanded.

  Phelan’s eyes widened as he looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “You speak so calmly?”

  “Who told you?” she demanded.

  Aisley let out a loud sigh as she curled up on a chair near Phelan. Her wavy, black hair was pulled up into a messy bun with tendrils falling around her face. “It was Fallon.”

  The leader of the Warriors. At one time, the Highlanders who had primeval gods inside them thought they were the only immortals on the realm. Until she made herself known and told them about the Fae.

  And then, of course, the Dragon Kings introduced themselves to the Warriors and Druids of MacLeod Castle.

  “I suppose Fallon heard from someone at Dreagan,” Rhi stated.

  Phelan gave a small shake of his head as he frowned at her. “I know you’re angry. Why no’ show it?”

  “Because if I give in, I’ll not be able to hold it back. And it isn’t time for that. Yet,” she added before taking a sip of tea.

  Aisley cut her eyes to Phelan. “Told you.”

  Rhi gave a nod to the woman in thanks. She still wasn’t quite sure what role Aisley would play in the future, but since she was one of the rare Phoenixes, it was bound to be important.

  “Phelan, I’m livid,” Rhi told him. “Just because I’m standing here instead of laying waste to Usaeil doesn’t mean I don’t intend to do just that.”

  Phelan held her gaze. “I’ll be with you when that happens.”

  “No, you won’t.” Rhi set down her cup and straightened. “I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to make sure Usaeil doesn’t know about you. The only other Fae who are aware of your existence are the Reapers, and they won’t be telling Usaeil anything.”

  “How do you know?” Phelan asked.

  “Because they told me.”

  At the sound of the deep voice behind her, Rhi froze. She turned her head to the doorway of the cottage and looked into eyes as black as pitch.

  Constantine stood tall and stoic in his black suit and deep blue dress shirt. As usual, his gold dragon head cufflinks were in place. Everything was neat and orderly except for his short, wavy, blond hair that tended to do whatever it wanted no matter how much he ran his hands through it to put it in place.

  “I wasna sure if you’d come,” Phelan said into the silence. “So, I asked Con to drop by.”

  Rhi didn’t like that Phelan turned to the Dragon Kings, but it wasn’t as if she could stop him now. She tried not to fidget under the weight of everyone’s gaze, but it was growing difficult.

  It was Con who finally spoke. “I’ll leave.”

  “Wait,” Rhi stopped him. “What’s this about the Reapers and Usaeil?”

  If the King of Kings was pleased with her asking him to stay, he didn’t show it. Then again, Con rarely showed much emotion.

  But when he did … it was explosive.

  Phelan motioned Con to a chair. “Aye. I’d like to know what’s going on with the Reapers and Usaeil.”

  “It’s no’ pretty,” Con said as he walked to the chair and unbuttoned his suit jacket. His gaze focused on Rhi when he lowered himself to the seat.

  She’d known Con long enough to know that he was trying to figure out how to tell her something. “Just spit out whatever it is you’re turning over in that head of yours.”

  “It’s no’ that easy,” he said.

  She barely managed not to roll her eyes. “Sure it is.”

  Phelan’s brow furrowed as he looked between the two of them. It was Aisley who put her hand atop his to stop whatever he’d apparently been about to say.

  There was a time when Rhi had been a part of something special like that. When she’d known what her lover was thinking before any words were spoken. Everywhere she turned, there was a reminder of what she no longer had. Worse was the recollection of how wonderful it felt to be with him.

  Her Dragon King.

  She looked around at the people with her. She couldn’t remember when she stopped seeing things as Fae and Warrior, Fae and Dragon King. The lines had blurred long, long ago. Just as she didn’t see herself as Irish or the others Scottish.

  Their friendship bound them beyond any other ties. Though that same friendship pushed the boundaries. Rhi knew that Phelan and Aisley would alway
s be there for her, and she for them. It was the same for many of the Dragon Kings.

  At one time, she’d considered Con an enemy that shifted to frenemy. Now, she wasn’t sure what he was. And that bothered her immensely.

  Especially now that he was handling her with kid gloves.

  She met his black gaze and held it. It didn’t take a whole lot to deduce that whatever he was holding back somehow involved her. It was becoming a pattern lately when Usaeil was mentioned.

  “I’m a big girl, Con. I can take it,” she told him.

  He glanced down. “Do you remember the Reaper who disappeared when you fought with them a while back at the Light Palace?”

  As if she would ever forget that battle. It was the first time she had actually come face-to-face with the Reapers. That had been a doozy of a day that ended with an epic scuffle. “Eoghan, yes. Did they finally find him?”

  “In a manner of speaking.” Con rested his arm on the chair. “A Halfling with an affinity for music managed to reach him in whatever realm he’d been thrown into. Turns out, Thea was being tracked by a Fae who kidnapped her.”

  Now that got Rhi’s attention. “I’m guessing you’re about to tell me that Eoghan went after her.”

  Phelan snorted, shaking his head. “Of course he did. The woman brought him back from whatever realm he’d been sent to. He wouldna just let someone take off with her.”

  Rhi looked over to find Aisley smiling adoringly at her husband. Rhi turned back to Con, only to discover that he was staring at her peculiarly. “Go on,” Rhi urged when he remained silent.

  “It was Usaeil who sent the Fae to kidnap Thea,” Con said.

  Rhi reached for the chair nearest her and sank into it. “Bloody hell. Why? Usaeil has never given Halflings much consideration. To her, they are less than, not worthy to be considered a Fae because of their human blood.”

  “Obviously, something got her attention,” Aisley said.

  Rhi bit back a growl when Con didn’t immediately pick up the story. “Con.”

  His head cocked to the side as he looked at her. “Did you know that Usaeil killed her bairns while they still grew inside her?”

  She shook her head, feeling sick to her stomach.

  “Did you know that she killed off her family to protect her throne?”

  Rhi swallowed, her stomach rolling viciously. Her chest felt tight, her fingers numb as she clutched the arms of the chair. “She said her family went into hiding to protect themselves from the Dark Fae. Anytime I asked about them, she said they were enjoying living away from the life at court. I never … no one.…”

  She trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

  Con sat forward, resting his forearms on his knees as he clasped his hands together, his gaze never wavering from her. “Usaeil admitted to killing her family. She sent Trackers after them, wiping out all but one male. He’s the one who kidnapped Thea. Neither he nor Usaeil knows of Phelan, and it’s going to stay that way.”

  “No,” Rhi said, shaking her head in disbelief. “We would’ve known if Usaeil did such a horrendous deed. Surely, someone would’ve discovered it.”

  “What’s Usaeil’s interest in Thea?” Phelan asked.

  Thea. Rhi had forgotten about the Halfling with the other news. Her grip tightened on the arms of the chair, knowing that whatever Con was about to say would be big.

  “She’s Usaeil’s daughter.”

  Coldness swept through Rhi. She felt detached from herself, as if she were looking down upon the entire scene. Her mind couldn’t process Con’s words at first. It took a minute for everything to sink in.

  And with it came the realization of what had happened. “Usaeil killed her, didn’t she?”

  “She tried,” Con replied. “But Thea was strong enough to fight back.”

  Rhi sat back slowly, a smile curving her lips because she knew what Con wasn’t saying. Not only were Eoghan and Thea together, but Usaeil had failed. Oh, if only Rhi had been there to see it. But it was enough to have that information.

  “Rhi,” Con said, pulling her from her thoughts. “It’s time we went after Usaeil.”

  “Yes, it certainly is.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Roman watched Sabina and Camlo through the window. His enhanced hearing picked up a few words, and it wasn’t difficult to figure out what they were talking about—him and V.

  He glanced at V, who was passed out—again—on the sofa. Roman turned away from the window and walked from the house. He went down on one knee and put his hand to the earth. Then he opened up his magic to feel for metal.

  It ran all through the ground, but each ore sang a different tune. Gold, copper, lead, aluminum, mercury, silver, and platinum, to name just a few.

  He felt each and every one. He knew when they gathered together or split off. But he couldn’t get to them. That’s when Kellan would usually come and call whatever metal Roman wanted to him. They often worked together in such circumstances, and it made Roman wonder if Kellan shouldn’t be here with them.

  Roman might sense which metals were which and work them however he wanted, but it was Kellan who could call them forth. And if V’s sword were buried, Kellan would be the one to get it for V.

  No matter how deep Roman sent his magic, he felt nothing that even came close to being V’s sword. That metal had a sound all its own. Roman had listened for it last night but heard nothing. It was the same now. Romania was part of V’s domain. It made sense that the sword would be here.

  Roman felt Sabina as soon as she approached. She too had her own song, and it slid through him of its own accord, wrapping him in sensuality while an animalistic heat filled him.

  He stood and faced her. The slight wariness around her made him frown. She shoved her hair away from her face and shifted her feet nervously.

  “You’re afraid of me. Why?”

  Her shoulders lifted as she drew in a deep breath. “You’re a Dragon King.”

  He could only stare at her in shock. “How do you know that?”

  “Isn’t that why you’re here?” she asked, her brow furrowed in harsh lines. “You came looking for us.”

  “Lass, I think you’d better start at the beginning because you’ve lost me. We’re looking for an object, no’ a person.”

  “You’re looking for a sword.”

  Roman gave a shake of his head in confused wonder. “Is this your Sight? Are you using your gifts?”

  “I wish it were that simple,” she murmured. She looked over her shoulder at Camlo, who was squatted down, holding his hand out to a mangy dog who leaned forward to sniff his fingers before inching closer. “Promise me you won’t hurt my brother.”

  Roman grew more baffled by the moment. “We’ve no’ hurt either of you, and we willna.”

  “You might think differently once I tell you that it was my ancestors who stole V’s sword.”

  He couldn’t believe what she’d said. This couldn’t be true. Could it? His gaze shifted to the house. Is that why V had had such a reaction to Camlo?

  V would be overjoyed when he heard this news. They’d found a connection to his past, which would lead to his sword. After all these millennia, V would finally have what was rightfully his.

  Or … V’s anger at the truth might get the best of him.

  Roman slid his eyes back to Sabina. “Do you have any idea how much he’s suffered? Can you possibly fathom what V has endured these past eons? Our swords are a part of us, like a limb. V’s means even more to him—and to us. Tell me where it is. Have it ready to hand to V when he wakes.”

  “I would if I were able, but I don’t know where it’s at,” she said.

  Roman took a step toward her, but when Sabina retreated he halted. “Shall I tell you of his anguish? How about I list the distress, the agony he’s borne since your people took it upon themselves to take something that wasn’t theirs.”

  Sabina licked her lips and swallowed loudly. “I can’t imagine. I’m sorry for what happened. I w
asn’t part of it, and if I could help, I would.”

  “You can help. Tell me what you know.” Roman didn’t mean his words to sound so harsh, but he was irritated that Sabina was involved, as well as relieved that they were closer than ever to getting answers.

  She was cautious as she watched him, shifting so that she could bolt at a moment’s notice. As if that would do any good. He was a Dragon King. He could have her in milliseconds. She might know what he was, but she knew very little of his kind.

  “It’s a story told to every generation,” she said. “Gran worried that Mom wouldn’t tell me when the time came, and she was right. So, the night before we left the camp, Gran came to my caravan and told me about how dragons are among us, and how a Dragon King used to rule over our land.”

  Roman clenched his teeth. “Did she say V was cruel to humans?”

  “No,” Sabina hastily replied. “She said that he was kind.”

  “Then why take his sword?”

  Sabina took another step back. “One of my ancestors had a vision that if the sword wasn’t hidden away, there would be death and destruction to all.”

  Roman wanted to laugh at the absurdity of this so-called vision. He wiped a hand down his face and turned his back to Sabina as he paced a few feet from her. One fucking vision had set things in motion. One.

  There were times that the motives of the humans were as confounding as the beings themselves.

  He faced her once more. “One woman says these things will happen, and everyone believes her?”

  “Apparently,” Sabina said with a confused shrug. “I don’t exactly understand that either, but she must have done or said something to convince them.”

  Roman let out a bark of laughter. “Oh, there wasna much that needed to be done or said to push mortals to turn against us.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You doona know?”

  She raised a brow. “Would I ask if I did?”

  He leaned his head back and blew out a breath. “Tell me the rest, please.”