How she hated when people answered a question with a question. “It’s a problem with my family. I should’ve known you’d be the same.”
Shara attempted to walk around him, but once more Balladyn stopped her with an arm across her midsection. She turned her head to find his eyes burning with anger. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking you know my responses. I’m not like others.”
“I’m Dark. I was born into a Dark family who all have more silver than black.”
“That doesn’t make you less,” he said and tugged on the strip. “It makes you stand out.”
“Not in a good way in our world.”
“Our world is what we make it. We live between two realms—the Fae and Earth. Look at the Dark around you. More and more are choosing to live in the human world, wearing their clothes, listening to their music, and in some cases pretending to be human.”
“All a ruse to kidnap humans for their pleasure,” she said, unsure of where he was going with his talk.
He took her hand and led her down the stairs. “Is that what you think? Look closer next time. Aye, some use it as a ruse, but others don’t.”
“My family lives in a human house. It was given to my family by Taraeth because my father controls the Dark in the lower half of Ireland for Taraeth.”
Balladyn shrugged as they reached the bottom. “Look around, Shara. Take a look at all Dark—even your family.”
She stopped, her heart thumping wildly. “I’ve been … gone … for some time.”
“Imprisoned by your family, you mean?”
Shara took a step back, pulling her hand from his. How could he possibly know? It was kept within the family, an order given by her father that no one in the family would dare disobey.
“I know much,” Balladyn said as he leaned a shoulder against a wall. “It was Farrell who brought my attention to your family, and it was Farrell who told me about his young sister and how she was locked away.”
Buckets of shame descended upon her. It mixed with fury directed at Farrell. Her brother should never have spoken about what happened, and if he had disclosed that much, she was sure Balladyn knew the cause of her imprisonment.
“So you’ve been toying with me all this time?” She should’ve known. It had been too easy to get close to Balladyn.
“I warned you not to think you know me. Yet,” Balladyn added smoothly. “I had no interest in Farrell’s sister until I overheard you today. Now, I fear that I may never let you return to your family.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Dreagan Industries
Rhys entered the gift shop and came to an abrupt halt when his gaze landed on Lily. Lilliana Ross. Her coal black hair fell over one shoulder in a long braid that came to rest at the top of her breast.
She was bent over looking into a box. Despite her wearing clothes several sizes too big for her, there was no mistaking the outline of her curves. Rhys swallowed.
Hard.
“Do you need something?” Elena asked as she walked around him to the counter, a clipboard in hand and a pencil stuck behind her ear.
Rhys looked into her sage-green eyes that now watched him curiously. He’d had no reason for coming into the shop other than for a glimpse of Lily as he had many times. But this time he had gotten caught.
His gaze darted to Lily to see that she had straightened and turned at Elena’s voice. Lily’s black eyes held a smile. When she first arrived at Dreagan she had looked fragile and … scared.
Now she just looked … gorgeous.
The sweater Lily wore was so large that it fell off her shoulder, revealing more of her skin. Rhys inhaled and shifted his gaze back to Elena quickly. “Nay. I didna need anything. I was looking for Guy.”
Elena set down the clipboard, a knowing smile upon her lips. “He’s with Tristan and Sammi at Laith’s pub. Sammi is going to start working for Laith. It should be good for everyone involved. By the way, when you see my husband, tell him he better be showered before he arrives for lunch.”
“Will do,” Rhys said and promptly turned on his heel to head out to the pub the Dragon Kings owned on the outskirts of town on the edge of Dreagan land.
He managed to walk out without another look at Lily. She wasn’t his type. He liked his women tall and well endowed. He preferred women who understood their dalliance lasted a single night only—and sometimes not even that long.
Just like the two women who would be accompanying him into Inverness for dinner that evening. They were the type of women who knew there could never be anything between them.
Lily was the type who had forever stamped on her. She was the kind of woman a man never left.
And Rhys was not that type of man.