“What is it?” Usaeil asked, concern clouding her face.
Every Fae—Dark or Light—was beautiful. It was both a curse and a blessing. Usaeil used her looks to make her way in the human world as a famous American actress. With her long black hair, silver eyes, and amazing body, it hadn’t been difficult for her to catch everyone’s attention.
“The Dark succeeded in starting a war,” Rhi finally answered.
Usaeil sighed, a pained expression flashing in her gaze. “I know.”
“Do you?” Rhi asked innocently.
Usaeil snapped her gaze to Rhi. “I am queen. Of course I know what’s going on.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
The queen’s gaze sharpened. “I suppose you already think you know what I should do.”
“Call the army.”
“Absolutely not,” Usaeil said, affronted. “Think, Rhi. It’s bad enough the Dark walk the streets so freely all over the world now. If the humans saw us as well, it would be chaos.”
“So leaving the Kings to fight this war alone is your desired option?” Rhi tried to hide the anger from her voice, but it came through nonetheless.
Usaeil shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. Her hunter green maxi dress billowed in the fierce wind. “So you’ve been to Dreagan. Con would never ask you for help.”
It took everything Rhi had not to slap Usaeil. The darkness within her growled, begging her to make her queen suffer as she had suffered for unnamable centuries. Somehow Rhi kept from giving in.
She smiled and lifted her face to the wind to let it cool her heated cheeks. “I wouldn’t have the first clue what he did.” She lowered her face and once more met Usaeil’s gaze. “I’ve not been to Dreagan, but I don’t need to go there to know what’s happening.”
“I’m not sending the army, and that’s the end of it.”
“And if the Kings lose?” Rhi demanded angrily.
“Con would never let that happen!”
She was taken aback by Usaeil’s shout. “Since when do you have such faith in the Dragon Kings?”
Usaeil didn’t seem to care that her hair was flying about her with the increased wind. “The Kings protect this realm and the mortals. They’ve not failed before, and they won’t this time.”
“It’s not just the Dark they’re fighting. It’s Ulrik as well.”
“The Kings can handle it,” Usaeil said tightly.
Rhi felt her watcher’s eyes once more. How long had he been there? And why was he so interested in what she did? He was seriously getting on her nerves. If he didn’t show himself soon, she wasn’t going to give him a choice.
She turned and started to walk away when Usaeil called her name.
“Where are you going?” her queen asked in a surly tone.
Rhi shrugged and looked around. “I don’t know.”
“I need you here. We have our own problems.”
“I have friends who need my help.”
Usaeil’s voice rumbled around her as she bellowed, “I’m your queen, Rhiannon! I demand that you remain and take your post as a Queen’s Guard.”
Rhi recalled how hard she’d worked to become a Queen’s Guard. It was to honor her brother, but also an accomplishment she’d wanted for herself. How odd that she couldn’t care less about the position now.
She looked at Usaeil as if seeing her for the first time. The queen’s face was pulled tight, a frown of worry knotting her brow. At one time Rhi would’ve been the first to discover what troubled her queen.
Not any longer. Usaeil had lost her trust and her confidence.
“I resigned, remember?” Rhi said.
Usaeil’s gaze hardened. “I didn’t relieve you of your post.”
“I don’t need your permission to walk away. Besides, you don’t want me as a guard. Not with all I’ve been through. Just one warning. Take care of our people.”
Rhi teleported away before Usaeil could say more. She wasn’t surprised when Usaeil used her magic to try and make her return. A surprised cry from Usaeil when she failed made Rhi smile.
Still, Rhi was intrigued. What could be going on at court that caused Usaeil to be so anxious? Rhi veiled herself and teleported into the queen’s antechamber.
It was a place where everyone gathered to see who would visit the queen. It was also a place where the Queen’s Guard stood as sentries.
“It’s the Reapers,” a man whispered.
The female next to him looked around nervously. “It’s the only explanation.”
The Reapers. That was the second time she had heard it spoken. There was one person Rhi knew she could go to for answers.
She thought of the desert and in the next instant found herself standing on a mountain of sand, the sun beating its penetrating rays upon her.
“Balladyn,” she said.
Perth, Scotland
The Silver Dragon Antique Shop
Ulrik stood in the center of his store as images flashed in his mind of Mikkel’s people, who had once more been in the store.
It was all Ulrik could do not to put up more magic to keep the buggers out, but that would only alert Mikkel. Nay, his uncle needed to keep thinking Ulrik was blindly doing his bidding.
Ulrik put to memory every face who had dared to enter his store for Mikkel. Those people would answer for their snooping in the not too distant future. For now, however, Ulrik pushed aside his rage.
It was a feat he’d learned to accomplish eons ago after he had gone stark raving mad. For that, and so many more things, Constantine would pay with his death.
Ulrik walked to the back of the shop and the hidden stairs that led up to the second floor. He bypassed the room he made others think was his and went to a panel in the wall. There he said a few words and the door slid open, revealing his bedroom.
He meticulously removed his suit and hung it back on the hanger before neatly putting his shoes back on the shelf. The rest went in the hamper for cleaning.
A quick shower later, he dried off and once more stood in front of his closet. Dinner with Mikkel. It was going to be anything but nice.
Ulrik chose a black suit and deep red dress shirt. Once he was dressed, he ran a hand through his damp hair and chose to leave the length loose.
He walked out of his secret room and back down the stairs to the store. With keys in hand, he exited the back of the shop and locked the door.
Ulrik looked directly at one of the cameras Con thought he had so cleverly hidden. He was going to his car when a Dark appeared next to him.
He clenched his teeth as he recognized one of the Fae who worked for his uncle. The Dark touched him and teleported him away.
Ulrik found himself standing in a foyer. He glanced up at the high ceilings painted with some cherubic scene that made him roll his eyes. A glance around the black and white tiled entry and dark wood walls holding priceless pieces of art showed that it was another residence of Mikkel’s he hadn’t been to.
There was a blur of movement as Muriel was deposited beside him by the same Dark Fae.
“I could’ve just used the doorway, you know,” she said to the Dark before he vanished.
Ulrik hid a smile at her irritation. He nodded in approval at her black chiffon dress that hit her thighs and dipped low in the front to reveal ample cleavage. The sleeves billowed from her shoulders to her wrists where they were gathered.
Her black and silver hair was left to fall down her back. With her metallic silver stilettos she made a striking figure.
“So you approve?” she asked with a smile.
He held out his arm. “Definitely.”
“Where do we go?” she asked as she took his arm and they began to walk.
“To the open door.” He pointed down the hallway to the door in front of them.
Neither he nor Muriel said another word. They walked into the room to find Mikkel bending over a chair and placing a kiss on Muriel’s sister, Sinny.
The two sisters looked at each other and cordially nodded, as if they didn’t know each other. Ulrik bowed his head to Sinny as his uncle stood and smiled brightly.
“Ulrik,” he said and came over to slap him on the back.