After what Thorn witnessed with Rhys and Lily, he wasn’t going to allow Kyle to live another moment.
“Lexi,” he called and ran to her.
She turned her head to him and dropped the statue as she rushed into his arms. Thorn held her tight, unable to believe that she was with him once more.
He glanced at Kyle to see him unmoving. With the amount of blood filling the floor, Thorn was sure that Lexi had killed him.
“Are you hurt?” he asked thickly. He was shaking at having her back in his arms again, proving just how much she meant to him.
She shook her head. “I want to leave. Now.”
Thorn took her hand and looked around for a way to the roof. He didn’t want to go back downstairs and chance running into Ulrik. A bad feeling plagued him the longer he was in the house without seeing Ulrik.
“Con and Rhi are on the roof,” he told Lexi as he pulled her out of the room. Thorn then spotted an open door and stairs beyond.
He was at the door before he realized he no longer heard any sounds from above. Since he had yet to see either Con or Rhi, that meant it was bad news.
“Stay behind me,” he whispered to Lexi. He handed her the knife and nodded.
She returned his nod and gripped the weapon tightly.
Thorn slowly walked up the steps, glancing behind him often to make sure no one snuck up on them. The door to the roof was ajar, giving him just enough of a view to see Rhi on her back, unmoving.
A bellow of pain filled the air. Thorn gradually pushed the door open until he could see the six Dark standing over Con throwing magic at him in a constant rotation.
“Soon he’ll be too weak to fight us,” said one of the Dark with a mocking sneer.
Another smiled. “We’ll have the King of Kings as a prisoner. Taraeth will be pleased.”
“I wonder how long it’ll take him to go mad so we can send him back to Dreagan to kill all the others?” asked another.
The Dark all laughed at the comment while they continued to toss magic at Con, pinning him down as he writhed in pain.
Thorn couldn’t imagine the amount of agony Con was enduring. Thorn then spotted Rhi’s sword next to her outstretched arm. He dove from the doorway toward it.
Thorn caught hold of the hilt as he rolled and came to his feet. He spared Lexi a glance. She gave a nod of encouragement. Thorn turned his attention to the Dark and launched himself at them, beheading two at once as he landed.
The other four turned to him, but it was too late. Thorn moved with lightning speed to quickly stab three more before he pierced the final Dark through the chest.
Lexi was standing beside him then. “Oh my God,” she murmured, her eyes on Con.
Thorn lowered his gaze and inwardly cringed. Con’s entire upper body was burned. He was healing rapidly, but not fast enough for Thorn.
Lexi rushed to Rhi and touched her cheek. “Thorn, she’s cold.”
“Shite,” he said.
The longer they remained on the roof, the more likely that Ulrik would appear. He had to get Lexi away, but he couldn’t leave Con or Rhi.
If it was night he would chance shifting and taking them all away, but it was still light. Con groaned as he opened his eyes. His breath was ragged and pain was etched into every hollow of his face.
Con rose up on one elbow. “We need to get out of here.”
“Tell me something I doona know,” Thorn answered tersely.
Con climbed to his feet, wincing, and took a step toward Rhi. “I’ll carry her.”
“Nay,” Thorn said. He walked to Lexi and pulled her against him with one arm. “Hold on.”
Her arms instantly went around his neck. Thorn heard her quick intake of air as he jumped off the roof to the ground.
A moment later Con landed shakily next to them. “I’ve got her,” Con said of Lexi.
Thorn gave a nod and released Lexi to jump back to the roof for Rhi. He gathered the Fae in his arms and looked at the door leading into the house. Then he leaped to the ground.
“Is she going to be all right?” Lexi asked of Rhi.
Thorn glanced at the Light Fae grimly. “Let’s worry about us getting away first.”
“Did you see Ulrik?” Con asked.
Thorn shook his head. “Nay, and that worries me.”
“No’ half as much as it worries me.”
Thorn moved his gaze to Lexi. “Take Con’s hand. We’re going to run fast and hard.”
Lexi lifted her chin as she put her hand in Con’s. “I’m ready.”
After a glance at Con, they started running.
* * *
“It was the perfect time to kill him,” Mikkel said sharply from behind Ulrik.
Ulrik waited until the group made it across the lawn to the shrubs and disappeared into the wooded area before he responded. “It wasna the time.”
“We had Con weakened.”
“I’ll no’ fight him in that state.”
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Mikkel said angrily.
Ulrik turned and faced his uncle. “Then you should’ve taken your chance. Con hasna sunk as low as I want him to. And when I fight him, he’ll be at a hundred percent.”
“You’re a fool.” Mikkel’s lip was lifted in distaste.
“Do you think I’ll lose?”
Mikkel looked at him and grunted. “You should take every advantage that comes your way. You’ve always thought yourself so noble. It’s why you were banished and your magic taken. You should’ve fought Con and taken over as King of Kings eons ago.”
His uncle was looking for a fight, and though Ulrik was more than ready to give it to him, it wasn’t time for that yet either. Mikkel liked to tout his plans, but Ulrik had plans of his own that had been in motion for thousands of years.
Mikkel sneered and turned on his heel.
Ulrik watched his uncle stalk away. Ulrik then exited the room and went across the hall to where Kyle lay dead. The stupid bugger had gone after Lexi. Kyle should’ve listened to his warning to stay away from her. The mortal got what he deserved.
He brought Kyle back from the dead once. There wouldn’t be a second time. Not because he couldn’t—though that’s what he would tell Mikkel—but because he hadn’t wanted to retrieve Kyle’s soul to begin with.
Ulrik wasn’t surprised when Balladyn appeared next to him. He looked at the Dark Fae and saw the worry in his red eyes.
“It was Mikkel,” he told Balladyn, guessing what the Dark’s question would be. “He was aiming for Con, thinking he could take down Con now. Then the Dark stepped in, and Mikkel didna have the balls to try and take Con from them.”
“How bad is Rhi’s wound?” Balladyn asked.
Ulrik was just as furious as Balladyn that Rhi had been hurt. “Verra. He mixed his dragon magic with that of the Dark again.”
“She needs me.”
Ulrik put a hand on the Dark to still him. “Her best bet is with Con. He can heal her.”
Balladyn closed his eyes for a moment. Then he nodded and was gone.
CHAPTER
FORTY-FIVE
Lexi was wheezing by the time Thorn and Con slowed. There was a pain in her side, and she couldn’t draw in a breath big enough. She had no idea how long they had been running, but at least they had gotten away.
Thorn slowed when another house came into view. He stopped next to some trees and handed Rhi to Con before he took off again.
Lexi watched him race to the car parked in front of the house. He got inside and hotwired it before driving it away.
“Come on,” Con said as Thorn approached.
Lexi held her side as they once more ran to where Thorn waited alongside the road. Con got in the back with Rhi still in his arms, and Lexi climbed in front. The door wasn’t shut behind her before Thorn gunned the little car.
“How is she?” Thorn asked as he glanced in the rearview mirror to Con.
“There’s no response.”
Lexi looked behind her to Con and Rhi. It was odd to see Rhi so pale and lifeless. There was a large hole in her black shirt where the magic had hit her in the chest. Burn marks were still visible. “What happened?”