It was a huge chance she was taking, and he might not even notice her. Yet she wouldn’t know unless she tried. First, she would need a look at him and his infamous fortress.
A part of her thought about asking for Kiril’s help, but she knew there was nothing he could do for her. If she was to come out of this at all, she had to have the help of a Dark Fae.
Shara turned on her heel and walked around to the back of the house where a lone Fae doorway was located. It was kept separate because it would bring her right inside Balladyn’s compound. She hesitated for just a moment before she stepped through.
Gone was the brightness of the sun. There was nothing but darkness and shadows and gloom. A Dark Fae’s perfect world. She ignored the looks of the Dark soldiers guarding the doorway. They knew exactly what family that doorway led to on Earth, and because of that, they didn’t stop her.
She kept her shoulders back and her head high even though she didn’t have a clue where she was inside the fortress. It was time she learned what was going on. Being kept locked away for centuries made her ill-prepared, and that was the worst thing for a Fae in her position.
Her wandering through the hallways brought her to the great hall, reminiscent of the castles dotting Ireland, which was crowded with Dark Fae. Tall, slender cages hung from hooks on the walls or dangled on chains from the ceiling. Inside the cages were humans—males and females.
They were naked, waiting for a Dark to take notice of them. The males were in a constant state of arousal as they desperately tried to reach out to any female Dark to take pity on them and have sex.
Many of the human females stared blankly around them, a sign that a Dark had already begun to suck out their souls. They weren’t the worst. The worst was seeing the human females sitting huddled in the cages crying as they begged for someone to help them. Those were the females that every male was focused on, because they hadn’t yet been touched by a Dark.
In the middle of the hall stood a Dark she didn’t recognize. His black-and-silver hair was trimmed short as he shouted to the occupants. And then the bidding for the newly kidnapped human females began.
That could be her up there except for the fact that she was born a Fae. The Dark weren’t particular about the humans they snatched. Pretty, ugly, fat, skinny, old, young. It didn’t matter. Because a Dark male would kill just for the taste of a human soul.
Shara shifted her gaze to the grouping of Dark females as they looked at their choices of caged males. The Dark females rarely took the souls of the humans as the Dark males did. A Dark female had more … refinement in how it was done.
They were slow in their taking of the soul, just sipping at it. It helped the human males last much longer than the females.
“Find something to your liking?”
She turned to see a handsome male with black-and-silver hair that hung down to his waist. This wasn’t a Dark warrior. This was a Dark used to power, money, and influence. A Dark who let others steal what he wanted.
He smiled and bowed his head. “I’m X.”
“X?” she asked. “An odd name.”
“It’s a nickname. Put an X on it, and I find a way to get it for you. I wondered when you might find your way into Balladyn’s fortress, Shara Blackwood. I had been hoping.”
“I’ve been … away.”
“So your family has said. I’m glad you’re back.”
Shara drew in a deep breath and returned his smile, making it as seductive and inviting as she knew how. “So much has changed while I’ve been gone. I’ve heard whispers of Balladyn. Is his legend as great as they say?”
“Greater,” X said and held out his arm for her.
Shara eagerly took it. “Tell me everything.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kiril knew if he remained in Cork he wouldn’t be able to remain away from Shara, and he needed to have a clear head if he was going to keep out of any kind of trap. He dressed and left the estate in short order. Kiril didn’t have a destination in mind at first until he spotted a sign mentioning the Jameson whisky distillery. Kiril turned down the road and drove toward the distillery.
Dreagan whisky was the most sought-after Scotch in the world, but he wanted it to be the number one whisky—Irish, Scots, or American. It was Dreagan that began making whisky well before any human ever thought to. Because the Dragon Kings didn’t like to leave Dreagan, and because their methods for whisky were proven, they hadn’t taken any other company seriously.
Yet Kiril needed his mind occupied with something other than midnight hair and red eyes. If he had to visit every distillery in Ireland, he would. It was imperative that he get a handle on himself.
Kiril drove down the winding roads with the top down. His mind drifted to Shara as he wondered what she was doing.