“I could say the same about you.” Ulrik’s gold eyes narrowed a fraction. “Unless Taraeth didn’t send you.”
“I do my own thing, Dragon. More than I can say for you.”
Ulrik pushed away from the tree and removed his hands from his pockets. “You’re no’ here because of the mortal.”
“As if I care that the human is a mate to a King or not.”
“But you and I both know she is. Do you know who?”
Balladyn shook his head, finding no reason to lie.
Ulrik studied him a long moment. “That leaves only one other reason you’d be here. Rhi.”
Damn the bastard. Balladyn hadn’t expected anyone to see him. He was only there to make sure Mikkel stayed away from Rhi.
“Is that no’ interesting.” Ulrik looked at the house. “Did you tell her where the mortal was?”
“Never,” Balladyn stated firmly.
“You know how powerful Rhi is. She doesna need you looking out for her.”
Balladyn ground his teeth together. “Mind your own business.”
“She came to me asking me to stop the Dark from attacking the humans.”
Balladyn fisted his hands, refusing to let Ulrik know how much that bothered him. “Rhi has a soft spot for them.”
“They ruined my life.”
Balladyn heard the fury in Ulrik’s voice. “I’ll win Rhi.”
Ulrik shrugged. “Perhaps. Whichever side Rhi picks is sure to win.”
“That’s not why I want her.”
Ulrik looked at him with a bored expression. “Did Rhi come alone?”
Balladyn shook his head. “You know she didna.”
“How many Kings?”
Balladyn smiled then. “This isn’t my fight, Dragon.”
Ulrik’s entire demeanor changed. Gone was the relaxed, uncaring man. In his place was a warrior, one who was ready—and very willing—to kill.
Balladyn saw why Ulrik had been King of the Silvers. Mikkel had no idea what he was messing with. For the first time, Balladyn hoped he was around to see the battle between uncle and nephew, because it was sure to be vicious.
Ulrik’s gold gaze shifted to him. “Taraeth will think you gave away the location. You’d best get to his side. Irish.”
“If I’m there, he’ll assume I was a part of it. Why do you care anyway?”
Ulrik started toward the manor as he said, “Because you’re going to be the next king of the Dark.”
Balladyn remained where he was long after Ulrik left. The air around the manor had shifted. It was charged, waiting for the battle to begin.
The Dark patrolling sensed something was amiss, but they didn’t know what was about to come at them. Balladyn expected Ulrik to warn them, but by the quiet of the manor, not even the banished King had informed Mikkel.
Balladyn found that he wanted to join Rhi in battle. She was amazing to behold. There hadn’t been a single Fae—Light or Dark—that he wanted to fight beside except for her. With Rhi, he always knew she had his back.
They trained for so long together that each knew what the other was thinking without putting voice to words. It was a special bond that meant everything to him.
“I’ll not give up on you, Rhi,” he whispered.
She had no idea it was while he held her in his compound and she fought against his torture that she reminded him of everything that he had lost when he became Dark.
After she was his, he would tell her how stupid it had been for him to think that he wanted to hurt her. He had lived with evil and hate for so long that he hadn’t realized all he wanted was her.
And her love.
Soon he would tell her all that and more.
CHAPTER
FORTY-THREE
Thorn yearned to shift into a dragon and bellow his fury. Thanks to the Dark and Ulrik, that was no longer possible.
He was still more than capable of freeing Lexi in human form. That was little comfort at the moment. Knowing she had been taken by the Dark, and then given to Ulrik, made his gut burn with anger.
“We need to time it just right,” Rhi said.
Thorn only wanted the battle to start, because it meant he was that much closer to Lexi.
“It willna take long for Ulrik to know we’ve attacked,” Con said. “He’ll go straight for Lexi and use her as a shield.”
“Ulrik doesn’t need a mortal as a shield,” Rhi said.
Con’s head slowly turned to the Fae. “How would you know?”
“Would you?” she retorted saucily.
A muscle ticked in Con’s jaw. “Nay.”
“Con has a point,” Thorn said. “Ulrik is likely to hurt Lexi.”
Rhi was shaking her head even before he finished. “He won’t.”
“What is it you know that we don’t?” Con demanded.
Rhi shrugged, but wouldn’t meet their gazes.
“We know it was Ulrik who brought Lily back from the dead,” Thorn said. “But we can no’ understand why he then tried to kill Darcy.”
Rhi visibly swallowed. “You’re talking as if I know.”
“Do you?” Con laced those two words with acid.
“I know as much as you.” Rhi held out her hand and her sword appeared.
“Whose side are you on?” Con’s black eyes were pinned on her. “Before we go down there, I think Thorn and I have a right to know.”
Rhi finally looked at Con. Her gaze was filled with disdain and contempt. “Everyone knows I think as highly of you as I do the mud on my boots.”
“You’ve been there for us many times,” Thorn intervened. He didn’t want to accuse Rhi of anything, but Con had a point. “No one is denying that fact. But Ulrik carried you out of Balladyn’s stronghold. Balladyn is the one who told you Lexi wasn’t with the Dark.”
Rhi’s silver eyes went hard. “If I ever align with Balladyn, you’ll know it because my eyes will be red.”
“And Ulrik?” Con pressed.
Rhi’s smile was mocking as she said, “I never knew he was such a great kisser.”
“You kissed him? Figures,” Con stated coolly.
Thorn turned his back on Con and caught Rhi’s eyes. “If you tell me you’re with me on this, then I believe you. Lexi’s life is at stake. I can’t lose her.”
“You won’t.” Rhi’s face softened as she inhaled deeply. “I use the tools given to me to gain information. For myself,” she said to Con as she leaned to the side and shot him a look. She then straightened and focused on Thorn. “Let’s go get Lexi.”
Thorn smiled at Rhi. The Light Fae had sacrificed so much for the Kings. She had been a true friend and ally to them in the past, but she was changing rapidly.
Balladyn was chasing her, and it now appeared that Ulrik was as well. If her King didn’t step up and set things right, Rhi would be lost to them forever. Because it didn’t matter if she chose Ulrik or Balladyn, either choice went against the Kings.
“I’ll deposit Con on the ground. You and I’ll take the roof,” she said.
Con looked at the flat-topped roof and the patrols. “There’s more Dark on the roof. If Thorn goes with you, he’ll be fighting Dark instead of looking for Lexi.”
“Fine. I’ll take Con,” she said, heaving a loud sigh.
“Ulrik is crafty,” Con warned Thorn. “Be ready for anything.”
Thorn stared at the estate. “Understood.”
Then he withdrew his dagger and nodded to Rhi. In the next instant Thorn was at the back of the manor facing a Dark. He plunged his dagger in the Fae’s neck and let him fall as Thorn spun and lunged to the next Dark that came running.
When that one collapsed, he found a door and opened it. Thorn had gotten only a few steps inside before two Dark came at him.
In the narrow hallway, he was limited to what he could do, but it also hindered the Dark. Thorn thrust the dagger upward through a Dark’s chin.
He yanked his blade out and pushed the now dead Dark against the other. Thorn leapt over the lifeless Fae and reached for the other’s chest to take out his heart.
Instead, he was hit with a double whammy of magic from the Fae with such force that he went flying backward. The pain was agonizing as the magic burned through his skin and into muscle and bone. Thorn gritted his teeth and got to his feet before he tore off his ruined shirt.