Shara walked out of her room expecting to see her dutiful guard. Except the corridor was empty. She looked one way and then the other before she shrugged and walked down the stairs to the kitchen.
She was turning into the kitchen when her name was called. She pivoted, surprised to hear her father’s voice. He was a busy man keeping their family ranking high among the Dark, which meant he was rarely home. If he was, she normally didn’t see him.
It wasn’t always a good thing when he wanted to see her, and after the secret she kept from her family about her time with Kiril, she couldn’t stop the thread of fear that knotted in her stomach. Had they somehow found out? Would this be the day she died?
She walked down the hall until she reached her father’s office, then stopped at the doorway. “Yes, Father?”
He smiled in greeting, his thick hair pulled back in a queue, not a strand of black to be seen in the silver. He rose to his feet and motioned her inside. “Come, Shara. Let’s take a walk.”
A walk. This could either be really good, or really, really bad. She refused to show fear, however. Shara walked around his desk to his side. He held out his arm and she looped hers through his. A smile still in place, he led her through the opened glass doors outside to the manicured gardens.
There wasn’t a flower in sight. Everything was green. Flowers meant color, and color, especially bright or pastel, equaled weakness. A Dark Fae wouldn’t be caught dead with flowers anywhere near their homes.
“I always had such hope for you, Shara. I knew, despite being the youngest of my children, that you had the potential to exceed all of them,” he said.
They had the appearance of being alone in the expanse of the yard, but there were Dark everywhere guarding her family—but mostly her father—from any kind of threat.
She looked into her father’s red eyes and smiled. This was the first time she’d ever heard anything like this from him, and her anxiety kicked up a notch. “I’m glad you think so.”
“It’s because of your resolve and persistence with the Dragon King that I’ve made the decision to remove everyone from dogging your every step.”
She almost tripped she was so surprised.
“Farrell and your mother disagree with my decision, but they will abide by it,” he said in his calm, deep voice that commanded such obedience. He led the family with an iron fist, and everyone knew not to go up against him for they would lose—and lose badly.
She looked out over their view of the water. All she could think about was her freedom to do what she wanted, when she wanted. She could see Kiril as often as she wanted.
“Farrell had taken my orders too far,” her father said, breaking into her thoughts. “How could we expect you to aptly seduce a Dragon King without giving you some room to do what you must?”
“Exactly. I tried to tell him the same thing.”
“Farrell just wants to ensure the rise of this family. He’s made me proud. I expect you will do the same.”
She nodded when he stopped and turned to her. “Of course,” she added when he looked at her expectantly.
His gaze was full of pride. A first that she could remember. “Just as I assumed. It’s no mean feat what you’re intending to do. The Dragon Kings are dangerous, my daughter, but they can be brought down. Your name will be remembered for all eternity for what you’re doing for the Dark and this family.”
“Why do you want the Dragon King?”
His gaze turned shrewd while he studied her. After a long pause he seemed to come to a decision, because he said, “They have hidden something we want.”
“A weapon?”
“In a way. It can be used against the Kings.”
Now Shara was confused. “Our magic can be used to make a Dragon King revert to his human form, but that’s all that can be done to them. Nothing can kill them but another Dragon King.”
“Or so they want us to believe.” Her father spread his arms to encompass the scene of the ocean, their garden, and the rocky land around them. “We’ve conquered Ireland, but it was always our intent to conquer this realm, not one measly isle. We will succeed, but first we need what they’ve hidden.”
“And you believe Kiril will tell you.”
Her father laughed, the sound cold and evil. “Ah, my dear girl. I think with the right motivation any Dragon King will give us what we want. Taraeth managed to have two in the depths of his stronghold, but our family will be the one who delivers the next one. We’ll be the one to keep him trapped, and we’ll be the one to break him.”
Shara thought back to the story Kiril had told her of the two Kings taken during the Fae Wars. “How will we break him?”
“His mind. It will take a long time, but then we have you.”
“Me?”
“You’ll make him fall for you, make him care. We’ll lead him to believe that we have you and will torture you.”