Darkest Flame (10 page)

She wished she could tell Phelan and the other Warriors that peace would enter their lives, but she couldn’t. Because there was a disturbance in the air that wouldn’t shake loose. And it was pointing directly at Dreagan.

For weeks, Rhi refused to even think about the interfering, inflexible, mulish Dragon Kings. After all that had happened between the Kings and the Fae, Rhi knew better than to get involved.

But there was a history there, one that no matter how much Rhi wanted to forget—she couldn’t.

“I’ll go see the Kings for
him
. Only him.”

She closed her eyes as she thought of their all-too-brief affair. How exciting it had been, how glorious.

How incredible.

He had said it was because they were supposed to be enemies, not lovers. But Rhi knew it was because …

She couldn’t even think it, because if she did, she would splinter into a million pieces all over again. It didn’t matter what happened in the middle or how happy they were. All that mattered was that he left.

And she had found her hideaway.

For months Rhi hadn’t left her refuge. Not even when her queen called to her, pleading for her to return. Not even when those pleas turned into demands.

A Fae wasn’t supposed to have a broken heart for a Dragon King.

It wasn’t that Rhi was embarrassed because she had given in to the temptation for a King. She didn’t want to hear the other Fae bashing the Dragon Kings as they always did. When she finally did return to court, someone had begun a tirade on the Kings, and her lover’s name was mentioned.

Rhi would have killed the Fae who dared to slander him if it hadn’t been for her queen, Usaeil. Even now, hundreds and hundreds of years later, Rhi still pined for him.

Did he still feel their fiery passion?

She wished she could believe that, but since he hadn’t tried to contact her, the truth was staring her in the face.

“Why then should I tell the Kings what I suspect?” she asked herself.

Rhi sat up and shifted her legs over the side of the chaise. Other Fae would ignore the urgings, but she couldn’t. Just as she hadn’t been able to stop from helping Phelan when he needed it.

She had a duty as Queen’s Guard to follow her instincts. Because even though it might lead to the Kings, that meant whatever was in the air was liable to affect every magical being. Including the Fae.

“But I hate the Kings,” she murmured.

It was a mutual loathing, one that grew as time went on. And with both sides being immortal, things were only going to get worse.

Rhi stood and walked onto the porch as the sun sparkled off her metal wind chimes. It was a beautiful day that was about to be ruined with a visit to Dreagan.

With a long sigh and a wistful look at her beautiful coral dress, Rhi let her sanctuary disappear as she thought of Dreagan.

*   *   *

Banan drove up in his BMW 640i just as Henry North descended the train with dozens of other people. Banan stopped the car and put it in park while Henry nonchalantly made his way to him.

It wasn’t until Henry was inside the car and the train departing that Banan looked at him.

“What do you know?”

Henry’s hazel eyes met his. “You still don’t trust me.”

“At this point we can no’ afford to trust anyone.”

“I understand.” Henry sighed and looked out the windshield. “Coming here will most likely cost me my job.”

“Then you shouldna have come.”

Henry cut him a look, and proceeded as if he hadn’t heard. “It took some digging, but I learned that Matt Dorsey and Denae Lacroix were sent on a highly secret mission to Dreagan put together by their boss, Frank. I gather it’s Denae you have?”

Banan lowered his head once in a nod.

“Good. No one cared for Matt, so his passing won’t be missed. Denae, however, was rumored to be on her way up. She’s very well liked, despite her being American and working for MI5. I’m not sure why she was sent on this mission.”

“Were both Matt and Denae told what they were sent to Dreagan for?”

Henry ran a hand through his short, nondescript, brown hair. “It took me calling in all the favors I’ve accumulated over my fifteen-year career, but I can tell you that Denae was meant to be killed during the mission. Matt would report her death as an attack by men at Dreagan, and then MI5 would swarm in. That’s when they expected everyone at Dreagan to attack them, though Frank was unclear in his reports how you would go about the assault.”

Banan started the car and gripped the steering wheel tightly. He mulled over what Henry had told him as he started driving.

“I’ll do whatever it takes for you to trust me,” Henry said into the silence.

“Why does it matter?”

“Because no one at Dreagan has ever let me down. I can’t say the same of anyone else. In my business, you learn quickly who you can trust and who you need to watch. You men from Dreagan have never told me something you didn’t follow through on. Your word is your bond.”

Banan felt like an arse for questioning Henry’s allegiance. “Someone is after us, Henry. Or rather, they want to expose a secret we have.”

“We all have secrets.”

“Perhaps. Matt told Denae she was meant to be bait. The wound he gave her was meant to draw out a predator, not to kill.”

Henry scrubbed a hand down his face. “Someone did mention the word bait, but I was told she was meant to be killed when all was said and done. They think both are dead. You say a predator?”

“Aye.”

“None of this is making sense.”

But it did to Banan. Denae was meant to be bloodied to draw out Kellan in dragon form, and then MI5 was hoping to witness a dragon killing Denae so they would have the excuse to come onto their land.

“MI5 is coming to Dreagan,” Banan stated.

Henry’s face was set in hard lines as he looked at Banan. “Yes, my friend, they are. They expect to find two dead agents. Whoever sent Denae won’t be happy she’s alive and Matt is dead.”

“Denae willna be there.”

Henry’s lips twisted. “There is nowhere she can go that they won’t find her. She’ll be better off turning herself in. I can try to protect her, get her to the higher-ups who want to see her career move forward.”

Banan glanced at him as he turned onto another road and sped up. “Do you believe your superiors can keep her alive?”

“No.”

That one word sealed Denae’s fate. Banan pressed the accelerator and sped down the narrow road. “When will MI5 come?”

“They’ll be on their way now. They’ve never stopped watching Dreagan.”

“They’ll know you’re helping us.”

Henry smiled. “Yes, they will.”

For the first time in days, Banan grinned. “I’m glad I helped you out in that bar fight years ago.”

“Me too,” Henry said. “I’d be dead now if you hadn’t stopped that fifth guy I never saw from using that knife.”

“I knew someone worthy of friendship when I saw it.”

“I’ll not let you down now,” Henry vowed.

Banan knew he wouldn’t. He just hoped he hadn’t set Henry on a course that would take his life.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Rhi knew the shit was about to hit the fan. It had been eons since a Fae—any Fae—dared to step onto Dreagan. There was no need for the Kings to use magic to ban the Fae. The treaty signed by the Light and Dark Fae promised they’d never venture onto Dreagan unless they wanted the Fae Wars to start again and the Kings to kill them all. It was enough to keep the Fae out.

Or it usually was. When it came to annoying Con, Rhi never backed down. Besides, what she had to tell him was enough for him to hold off declaring war against the Light.

She hesitated for a moment as to whether to return to her cottage and forget about alerting the Kings, or letting them know what she felt. It wouldn’t be just the Kings affected, but the entire realm.

Rhi was veiled when she popped into Con’s office and saw a group of Kings, including Con, talking. She remained veiled because they also had a human with them. It went against the “rules” set up between the Kings and Fae for her to be veiled and listen to their conversations. But she didn’t much care.

For several minutes she eavesdropped as the human spoke about MI5 and how they would arrive at Dreagan. Rhi found the information particularly interesting, mostly because she noticed how upset Con was by how still he sat.

She found an empty chair and arranged herself so that her legs were dangling over the arms of the chair. Once she was comfortable, she dropped the veil.

“We need to get Denae out now,” Kellan said.

Rhi’s brows rose when she spotted Kellan. It had been ages upon ages since he had last woken. And then to hear him talking about a female? Things had certainly gone pear-shaped at Dreagan.

Suddenly Con’s black eyes shifted to her. For several seconds they stared wordlessly at each other. No one else in the room knew she was there. Rhi waved her fingers mockingly at Con and swung her feet, which were sporting the newest Ralph Lauren boots in saddle-brown leather.

“We’ve a visitor, gentlemen,” Con said with an exaggerated sigh, anger dripping from his voice.

Kellan’s head jerked around to her, and to Rhi’s surprise, one side of his mouth lifted in a grin. “Cheeky, Rhi. Even for you.”

“It’s been awhile, Kell. Nice to see you up and about,” she said with a wink.

Banan merely shook his head while the mortal’s mouth hung open. Banan had to reach over and physically close it. Rhi gave the human a dazzling smile.

“What are you doing here, Rhiannon?” Con asked.

Her smile slipped. He knew how much she hated to be called by her full name. Her eyes swiveled to him, and she glared.

“And inside Dreagan,” Rhys said with a chuckle. “Are you trying to start a war?”

Rhi shifted until she was sitting correctly in the chair. “I’m trying to divert one, actually.”

“You helping us?” Kiril asked in surprise.

She glanced at Rhys and then Kiril. “Actually, now that you mention it, I don’t have to help.” Rhi was just about to dash out when Kellan said her name. She paused and looked into his light green eyes. “What?” she asked in exasperation.

“You came for a reason,” Kellan said. “What is it?”

Rhi felt Con’s gaze on her. She could easily retreat back to her little cottage and forget about the Dragon Kings. The hard part would be to stay and help. It would most likely incur the wrath of her queen, but that was nothing new.

Leather squeaked as Con leaned forward in his chair to rest his arms on his desk. “I doona think she has anything to say, Kellan. She came to rile us. Childish, but it worked. Now you can leave, Rhi. We actually have business to discuss.”

Rhi laughed to hide her fury and tossed her long hair over her shoulder. “Business? That’s a laugh. You’re talking about MI5 and Denae. Don’t think to treat me as if I’m a child.”

“What do you know of Denae?” the mortal asked.

She turned her gaze to him, and once more his mouth went slack. Rhi stood and walked toward the human. His kind, hazel eyes never wavered. He wasn’t bad looking. With a new haircut and something other than a gray suit, he might even be handsome.

“Rhi,” Kellan warned in a low voice.

She stopped next to Kellan. “Who is the mortal?”

“I’m Henry North,” he said. “And what do you mean, mortal?”

Rhi was impressed. Most humans couldn’t think past their desires. Henry was different. He might want her, but his brain ruled him, not his cock. She liked him instantly. “Nice to meet you, Henry. Aren’t you the least bit curious as to how I got in here?”

Henry frowned and looked around. “As a matter of fact, I am.”

“I—”

“Rhi,” Kellan said over her. “No’ now.”

She walked back to her seat and sat. Kellan was right. It wasn’t time to tease. She needed to tell them what she knew. “For several weeks now I’ve felt a … disturbance.”

“What kind of a disturbance?” Kiril asked.

Rhi shrugged, but couldn’t hide the unease she felt. “I’ve tried to locate it, but it’s everywhere and nowhere. I can’t say it’s one person.”

“So it could be a group,” Con said and looked at Henry. “MI5 perhaps?”

It didn’t take a genius to realize Henry worked for the agency. Who exactly was this Denae Kellan was asking about? Did she work for MI5 as well?

Rhys ran a hand through his hair. “MI5 would have to get intel on us first.”

“What did you do to piss off MI5, Con?” Rhi asked, making sure to put an innocent expression on her face.

Con’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “Nothing.”

“Hmm. I doubt that. Regardless, nothing I looked at took me to MI5. It took me all over Scotland, into Wales, and England, however, just to name a few places.”

Kellan moved until he was leaning back against a wall. “And no’ to any one person?”

“No.” Rhi shook her head slowly. “The odd thing is, if I didn’t know better I’d say they were using … magic.”

Henry’s face drained of color. “Magic?”

“Later,” Banan told him.

“Any distinct kind of magic?” Con asked her.

Rhi thought back over the times she’d tried to find the source. “No. There were times I swore I felt the Dark Ones, and other times I would’ve wagered my new boots it was dragon magic.”

If it was possible, Henry grew paler, but he held it all together as his gaze took in everyone.

“How close are we to getting the new ID for Denae?” Kellan asked Rhys.

Rhys checked his phone. “In a matter of hours.”

“It needs to be faster,” Henry said. “You need to make sure there’s no trace of her when MI5 comes looking.”

Kiril stood. “Doona forget Matt.”

“He needs to disappear as well,” Henry said.

Kiril’s smile was slow as his gaze landed on Rhi. “Sounds like fun.”

She watched him walk from the room before she turned her attention back to Con whose gaze seemed to be glued to her. “You don’t have to believe me,” she told him.

“I doona,” Con stated.

“You do so at your own peril. Whatever is out there is strong. Strong enough that I felt it.”

“Which means you’ve been in this realm for a while.”

Rhi lifted a brow, daring him to order her to leave. Because while the Kings might be powerful, and they might have won the war between their people, he couldn’t make her leave.