The hut was sparse, but perfect. Palm fronds were laid over the metal roof, and it didn’t have a single wall. The bed was queen sized and hung suspended by rope as thick as her wrist from the beams above.
The shower was as sparse as the hut. It had a showerhead that was attached to a three-foot-wide wall of cut bamboo that rose up six feet. The kitchen was nonexistent, and besides a tiny table with two chairs, the only other furniture was a hammock, a chair and umbrella in the sand, and a chest for her clothes.
“Perfect,” Rhi said and snapped her fingers, exchanging her jeans and shirt for a white bikini.
She left the unpacking for later and dove into the water. For hours, she swam with the fish and dolphins. Beneath the water she wasn’t being bombarded with everything. She could focus on one thing at a time.
The Reapers were being looked into by Balladyn. She would worry about his “payment” when it came due, and if he told her anything of importance.
Her biggest issues were Usaeil and the war. Rhi knew the queen was making the wrong decision about not helping the Dragon Kings. She couldn’t understand why Usaeil wouldn’t align with them.
The Dark’s deliberate attack on Scotland to rile the Kings worked to perfection. The war the Dark craved was in motion.
Rhi wasn’t sure her participation in helping the Kings would be welcome after not coming to Warrick and Darcy’s aid.
The fact was, she liked Earth. She liked humans. She didn’t want to see the realm razed by the Dark. Whether the Kings wanted her help or not, she was going to give it.
Rhi swam to shore and walked onto the sand. Her watcher had found her again. Sooner than she had expected.
“Who are you?” she demanded angrily. “Show yourself!”
She used her magic to try and make them appear, but it bounced back at her, knocking her backward a few steps. Rhi stared at the spot where she had thrown the magic.
“What do you want with me?” she asked.
There was no response, just more silence.
She didn’t have time for that. She used magic again and changed from her bathing suit to black jeans, black spiked boots, and a black turtleneck.
Magic also dried her skin and hair. She braided her hair in two small braids on each side of her temple, then gathered the bulk of her hair into a bun at the back of her head.
She closed her eyes and held out her hand. With a few whispered words, her sword appeared. Rhi strapped the sheath across her upper body so the sword rested against her back.
With a thought, she was in Edinburgh.
Rhi barely had time to look around before a Dark came at her. She unsheathed her sword and beheaded him. Looks like she arrived just in time, she thought with a smile.
Two more Dark came at her, their red eyes glowing in the night. Rhi backed into an alley, her sword at the ready. In two swings of her sword they were dead.
* * *
The morning went by quickly for Lexi. Since all three Kings—Thorn, Guy, and Con—asked her to remain in the flat no matter what, she had agreed. Although, she had nowhere else to go.
It wasn’t long before another two couples from MacLeod Castle arrived looking weary and exhausted. She cooked them brunch as they rested and changed clothes.
She had just begun to clean up when a man popped into the flat. He just appeared. Out of nowhere.
Lexi gaped at him, but he merely smiled.
“It’s good to see you up this time, lass,” he said in a deep Scottish brogue.
Lexi couldn’t remember meeting him. Her gaze dropped from his green eyes to the gold torc around his neck.
“I’m Fallon MacLeod. The eldest of the MacLeod brothers.”
“A Warrior,” she said with a nod, piecing it together. Fallon was the one who could teleport. He was also the one who had brought Druids to help heal her the night she was hit with Dark magic.
He gave her a wink. “I’m here to take this lot back,” he said, motioning to the four behind him.
Lexi watched as he walked to them and put his hands on the shoulders of two of them. When they were all touching, they vanished.
“Now that could definitely be something I’d use,” Lexi said with a chuckle. “No more astronomical plane tickets to visit places. He could just pop me back home.”
If she wanted to return to Charleston. Which she didn’t. That hit her suddenly.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see her friends, but the idea of leaving Thorn seemed … preposterous. It wasn’t as if she had known him for long. Yet it felt as if she were meant to be there—even in the middle of a magical war.
She stood there thinking about her night with Thorn. A more magical, dreamy night she had never imagined. How she wanted a million more of them.
With a smile she gathered the dirty dishes and brought them to the sink. Lexi just finished washing the last of the dishes when there was a knock on the door and Darius entered. He held several bags of food that he put on the counter. Then with a wave, he was gone.
Lexi laughed at the closed door. She wiped her hands on a towel and went to inspect the bags. As she drew close she smelled the fish and chips, and her stomach immediately rumbled with hunger.
She eagerly dug into the food and ate until she couldn’t put another bite in her mouth. Then she moved to the couch.
Lexi didn’t mind having most of the day to herself. It gave her time to think, which only proved to give her more questions than answers.
The afternoon passed with no one arriving. She tried to watch some TV, but she couldn’t concentrate. With nothing else to do, she began to cook. She had no idea if the Warriors and Druids would return or if Thorn and the others would be hungry.
She baked a cake and some scones while she considered how she felt about Thorn. Like appeared too soft of a word for how she felt, but she wasn’t sure she could call it the other “L” word.
That word seemed so … intense.
But that’s exactly how she would describe how she felt for Thorn—intense.
Passionate was another.
Then there was fierce and profound.
She also felt awoken. Yes, that was a great word for describing just one of her feelings. Thorn had pulled her out of a fog and shown her the light.
Lexi let the desserts cook and set about putting some chicken in the oven. Then she peeled and boiled potatoes for garlic mashed potatoes. She would wait to do the steamed spinach until later.
While she waited on the chicken, she realized how precarious she was to thinking of that “L” word in regards to Thorn.
Love.
She actually thought it aloud in her head. The fact she didn’t feel like the earth was crashing in around her was revealing.
Lexi had never had time to think of love. It wasn’t that she hadn’t dated, but she could never see a future with any of those men. Which is why none of those relationships lasted longer than a few weeks.
It was different with Thorn. She could see a future with him. It might be a dangerous one, but it was also one filled with light.
But to even think she might be falling for him? That was pushing things. She needed to get a hold of herself quickly. With a half-hearted attempt, she tried to say that Thorn was just someone she was attracted to, but it fell flat. It was so much more than that—and there was no use in pretending otherwise.
How could she see a future with him when he was immortal?
Immortal. He could never die. The idea didn’t compute in her mind. Even though if a King took a human as a mate, the female lived as long as he did, she didn’t consider that option.
Because while she might feel deeply for Thorn, she was unsure of where he stood.
Lexi stirred the potatoes and opened the oven to check on the rosemary chicken. When she straightened, she heard a noise behind her and turned to find Thorn.
Her heart jumped in excitement at seeing him. He was covered in blood again. Their gazes met and held. As soon as his lips softened into a smile, she returned it.
“You’re flushed,” he said thickly.
Lexi pointed to the oven behind her. “Cooking.”
“It smells delicious,” Darius said as he came in.