Smoldering Hunger (29 page)

When Darius’s body jerked, she knew whatever those bubbles were had to be painful. In spite of the obvious pain he was in, Darius kept attacking the Dark.

The burn marks on Darius’s shirt reminded Sophie of the video she’d watched. Those Dark had thrown those same bubbles. Magic. That’s what it was, and it was hurting Darius.

“He’s impressive, is he no’?”

Sophie’s heart fell to her feet as she recognized Ulrik’s voice behind her. She slowly turned to face him. Today he wore a pair of jeans and a charcoal gray sweater that accentuated his wide shoulders and thick chest.

“Con will be here soon.” She wasn’t sure why she told Ulrik that, but it was the first thing that came to mind.

He merely grinned. “Even better.”

“It doesn’t matter what you do to me, it’ll never stop the Kings.”

“Ah, so Darius told you.” Ulrik moved closer to the window. “I wondered if he’d share those secrets. Con must be furious.”

“I’m not going to tell anyone.”

Ulrik turned his gold eyes to her. “What it tells me—and Con—is that Darius is falling in love with you. If he hasn’t already.”

That news made her want to shout with joy. If she wasn’t so terrified of the man standing beside her. Sophie kept her back to the window. She wanted to see if anyone else came toward her so she’d be prepared.

“You see,” Ulrik continued. “The Kings only tell those they trust, and since they doona trust easily, it means that Darius has feelings for you. And those Kings who share such secrets generally take the females as their mates.”

Mate. Yes, Sophie could see herself as Darius’s. It made her giddy to think that she could have everything she’d long thought would never happen.

“If that look is any indication, you like the idea.” Ulrik grunted. “I’d think twice about it.”

Sophie cut him a harsh look. “Because I was hurt in the past?”

“Because we’ve felt the worst life has to offer and were left knowing that it can never happen to us again.”

Sophie had never looked for it. Then it was suddenly there. She could’ve ignored the feelings for Darius, but instead, he gave her the courage to open her heart once more. “It’s true I once shunned anything that would’ve healed me, because I wanted those gaping wounds as a reminder of how stupidly naïve I’d been.”

“So Darius changed your thinking? Hope is a dangerous thing, Sophie.”

“It’s also healing. It can give someone courage.” And she needed a lot right now.

Darius had been right in knowing Ulrik would come for her. She had no idea if Con and the others were there yet or how Darius fared in the battle—and she didn’t dare look.

“There’s your friend Claire,” Ulrik said. “She’s filled with such hope that it’s difficult to look at her. It’s verra sad, really.”

Sophie’s throat clogged. Ulrik was now threatening Claire. She wanted to claw his eyes out, because Claire had done nothing but be her friend.

“It’d be a shame if something happened to her.”

Sophie turned to face him. “I pity you.”

“Pity me?” he asked with a grin.

“Yes. I thought you and I were alike because of our pain, but I just realized we’re nothing alike. You comment on my feelings as if they’re a joke. The fact is, it doesn’t matter that you were cut so deeply by the betrayal that the wounds haven’t healed, because you won’t allow them to. You hold hate, revenge, and bitterness close in order to get through each day.”

He raised a brow, no longer smiling. “You should know.”

“That’s right,” she said, her anger pushing her forward. “I speak from experience. I did exactly that for years. It’s the only way I survived in the beginning. I was suffocating under the weight of my betrayal. That hate was my life raft. Just as it is yours.”

“Doona pretend to know me, mortal.”

She knew by his fierce look that she was pushing him. Her fear should’ve halted any more words, but all she could think of was Darius. He would never stop—and neither would she.

“You cling to revenge,” she continued. “It’s all you have. You’ve no friends, no home, and no family.”

He stepped close until his nose was nearly touching hers. “Careful, doc. You’re treading on dangerous ground.”

“Is this where you kill me?”

Ulrik laughed softly. “You should’ve walked away from Darius when you had the chance. Instead, you continued to play with fire. It’s time both of you discovered the consequences.”

Sophie elbowed him in the stomach and made a run for the door. She caught a glimpse of Darius fighting two Dark in an alley right before her vision went black.

*   *   *

Darius finished off the Dark he was fighting. Before he could go back out onto the street, more surrounded him. The Dark were making up for being absent the last few days. If he didn’t know better, he’d think they were keeping him from getting back to Sophie.

He broke a Dark’s neck, letting the body fall to the ground as he realized that was exactly what they were doing.

Darius didn’t have time to think about it as more Dark arrived. He fought past the pain of the Dark magic continually thrown at him. His left arm was going numb, and it was all he could do to remain on his feet.

He whirled around with a bellow as a blast hit him in the back. Darius wanted nothing more than to shift and let loose a flash of dragon fire.

“
We’re here!
” Con shouted in his head.

Darius tried to get a glimpse of the café through the Dark he was fighting, but he couldn’t see inside. If only he could see a hint of Sophie he’d feel better.

He didn’t know how long he stood there facing Dark Fae after Dark Fae. His right leg gave out, landing him hard on his knee. Darius rolled to dodge a volley of magic from the Dark.

“We gotcha,” Kiril said as he helped Darius to his feet.

Within moments, Darius, Kiril, Rhys, and Con sent the last of the Dark to their deaths. When the last Fae fell, Darius leaned back against the building and closed his eyes for a second. Then he pushed away from the bricks and started toward the café.

“Whoa,” Rhys said as he caught Darius before he fell. “Where are you going?”

Darius pointed to the café. “Sophie.”

“I’ll get her,” Con said. Then he looked at Rhys and Kiril. “Keep him here.”

Darius watched as Con walked across the street to the café. Once Rhys settled him against the building again, Darius slid down until he was sitting.

He kept waiting for Con to walk out with Sophie. Darius couldn’t wait to see her face, though he didn’t want her to see him like this.

The minutes ticked by slowly. Too slowly.

“Something’s wrong,” Darius said.

Rhys nodded as he looked at all the Dark littering the ground. “In more ways than one.”

Darius climbed to his feet when Con walked out of the café alone. “Nay.”

Kiril raked a hand through his hair and kicked at the pavement while Rhys whirled around to Con and let out a string of curses.

“Where is she?” Darius demanded when Con joined them.

Con shrugged, his black eyes full of sadness. “No one saw anything. I convinced the owner to show me the surveillance footage.”

“And?” Rhys urged.

But Darius already knew. “Ulrik has her.”

Con gave a single nod. “She didna go willingly. She made a run for it, but a Dark was there. He took her and Ulrik.”

“I’ve got to find her before he kills her.”

Kiril motioned to the Dark. “We’ve got to get this removed before someone sees.”

“And Darius needs to heal,” Rhys added.

Darius cut his eyes to Rhys. “I’m fine. I need to find Sophie.”

“Why?” Con asked.

Darius jerked his head to the King of Kings. He knew what Con was asking. Darius wasn’t yet ready to admit it to anyone, because he’d barely come to terms with it himself.

“Oh, shite,” Kiril said, his shamrock green eyes wide.

Darius felt their gazes on him, but he didn’t look away from Con. “Aye. Sophie is my mate.”

“Then I suggest we find her,” Con said, the corners of his lips tipping up slightly.

Darius closed his eyes. It might already be too late. Ulrik could’ve already taken her life. Or worse—given her to a Dark. The dread bubbled inside him, coalescing with his rage.

The only way he was going to get Sophie back was to be the dragon warrior he once was. And regardless of what Con wanted, if the chance arose, Darius was going to take Ulrik’s head. This was going to end once and for all.

No more would Kings have to worry about Ulrik finding their mates. No more would a King have to fight one of their own. No more would they have the Dark and Ulrik to contend with.

By the time the sun rose on a new day, Darius was going to make sure they had one less enemy to contend with.

“I know that look,” Rhys said. “It’s been a long while since I’ve seen it, but it’s no’ one you forget.”

Con stepped in front of Darius. “We do this together.”

Before Darius could answer, there was a push against Darius’s head and he heard Ulrik’s voice. Darius hesitated, but then opened the link.

“
I understand there was a lot of Dark in the city suddenly,
” Ulrik said, a smile in his voice.

“
They showed their stupidity again. They’re all dead now.
”

“
That’s a shame. I’m sure Taraeth isna going to be happy about that.
”

“
Taraeth can go bugger himself,
” Darius said. “
Where’s Sophie?
”

“
With me.
”

Darius turned and punched the wall, the brick crumbling beneath such an onslaught. “
I warned you to leave her alone.
”

“
This is the part where you tell me you’re going to kill me and that you’d do anything for her. Right?
”

“
Aye.
”

“
Then prove it,
” Ulrik said. “
Meet me.
”

“
Name the time and place.
”

“
I will. Bring Con.
”

And with those cryptic words, Ulrik severed the link.

“What happened?” Kiril asked.

Con’s lips flattened. “Ulrik.”

“Aye,” Darius said with a nod. “He wants to meet me later.”

Rhys rubbed his hands together. “Finally. The bastard will come to us.”

Darius held Con’s gaze. “He wants me to bring you.”

Con crossed his arms over his chest and slid his gaze to Kiril and Rhys. “Ulrik may no’ know either of you are in the city.”

“We can no’ count on that,” Darius stated.

“Exactly. We’ll need a plan that keeps Rhys and Kiril out of sight from everyone—including the Dark.”

Darius twisted his lips. “That’ll depend on where Ulrik wants to meet.”

“Looks like we need to get our thinking caps on,” Rhys said with a grin.

CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN

The moment Sophie woke she had one thing on her mind—Darius. He’d warned her, repeatedly, that Ulrik would try to get to her while he helped the mortals. It had been a setup from the very beginning.

And she had played right into Ulrik’s hands.

She felt like an utter fool, but she still wouldn’t trade her life for those of the people Darius saved. Her life wasn’t worth more than any of the others.

Sophie sat up from the bed and looked around. Everything was black and red. Even the walls were painted black. The room was huge with a ceiling that had to be twenty feet above her.

The bed linens were black with red accents. The chair was a black and red pattern. The rugs were black. Even the glass on the black table beside the bed was black.

The floating lights spaced along the walls and over the bed were confirmation she was somewhere she didn’t want to be. Sophie scooted to the end of the bed. She looked to the door, waiting for it to burst open and someone to tell her she couldn’t walk around.

But nothing happened.

She rose and walked around the room. There were some normal items, like a book, that made her think she might still be on earth. Then she opened the book and saw words in a language she’d never seen before.

Sophie hastily closed the book and wrapped her arms about herself. She really, really hoped she wasn’t in the Fae realm, or even in Ireland where the Dark were.

She sat in the chair and tucked her legs to the side. How she wished Darius was there. He always knew what to do, which made sense since he’d been fighting the Fae and Ulrik for a long time.

Her eyes closed as she thought of Darius. He’d held her as if she were the most important thing in the world. He’d kissed her as if he had searched the very ends of the earth for her. And he’d made love to her as if he were worshiping her body, giving her unimaginable pleasure each time.

To think that she’d actually believed she’d never care about someone so deeply again that she lost herself. Yet here she was.

All she had to do was recall those first six months after Scott’s betrayal. The pain, the emptiness. The desolation. Her world had been destroyed so vividly that she hadn’t been able to put the pieces back together again.

On the outside everyone thought she had the perfect life. On the inside, she looked like a three-year-old had stitched her back together. There were pieces of her missing and pieces that would never fit together again. It made her a very … hollow … individual.

Strange how only a little time with Darius had changed all of that. Her heart would always carry the scars from what happened with Scott, but they were healed now. All because of Darius.

Sophie had survived on her own for a long time. She knew she didn’t need a man, not even Darius.

But she wanted him.

That made all the difference in the end.

When Sophie opened her eyes, Ulrik was in the room with her. She sucked in a breath, hating that he’d taken her by surprise again. His hair was down and loose about his shoulders, the black length holding a hint of a wave.

“Praying?” he asked.

She looked him up and down. “Yes. For your soul.”

He smiled, approval in his gold eyes. “That’s no’ something you need to worry about.”

“It is. Darius is going to kill you.”

Ulrik chuckled softly. “Ah, dear Sophie. You think you know what it is to know the Kings, but you’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg. Con has told all the Dragon Kings no’ to touch me. It doesna matter how much Darius might want to kill me, he willna. Because we all know I’m going to challenge Con. And win.”