That couldn’t happen, not if he was going to rescue Rhi.
It wasn’t in Kiril’s nature—or any Dragon King for that matter—to run, but he had to consider the options because more was at stake than his pride. Kiril looked around the house noting all the places the Dark would enter and surround him. There was nowhere for him to go that they wouldn’t find him except for one place—the cellar.
Dragon magic kept the door hidden from everyone that wasn’t a Dragon King. The Dark could search the entire house and never find him. No matter how much he wanted to battle the Dark, he was going to have to bide his time and wait until he had Rhi.
Then he would unleash hell.
Kiril walked to the hidden cellar door and entered. He put his hand on the door and infused it with more magic so that no Dark Fae magic would penetrate it. Kiril turned and descended six more steps and removed his clothes. He folded them and set them on the bottom stair before he walked to the middle of the cellar.
Any moment now the Dark would flood his home in an attempt to find him. When they finally gave up, he would go to Shara who would lead him to the doorway to Balladyn’s where he would locate and free Rhi.
It was a good, solid plan.
Why then did he have a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was going to go wrong?
*
Shara was veiled for all of two seconds as she appeared in her bedroom. It was the longest she could remain veiled, although she knew there were a few special Fae who could stay veiled for long periods of time.
Fortunately for her, those two seconds were all she needed to know that no one was in her room. She yanked off the cold, and still damp, black dress from the night before and threw it in the corner.
She hurriedly dressed in black jeans and a sheer, billowy black shirt before she brushed out the knots in her hair. There wasn’t time to put on makeup to look her absolute best, but if she was going to fool Balladyn, she had to make an attempt at looking decent.
It wasn’t until she checked herself one last time in the full-length mirror that she heard the distant screams. She stilled, realizing they were coming from inside the house.
Shara slowly opened the door and stepped into the corridor. The screams were louder then. She followed the sound as she walked the hallway to the stairs leading to the first level. There were words spoken through the screams, but she couldn’t make them out.
She paused when she reached the bottom. Usually the house was full of her family and extended family, but she hadn’t seen a single one of them. Which meant they were all in her father’s office.
Her head turned in that direction to hear another bout of agony-filled screams that came from his office. She started toward the double doors, unable to keep away. After what she had done by going to Balladyn, there was a chance they would lock her away again.
Or worse, kill her.
Still, she walked until she stood at the doors, her hand on the knob. From within she could hear a voice and recognized it as Farrell’s as he begged for mercy.
A Dark Fae begging for mercy. Not even she had done that when she’d stood before her family awaiting justice.
She drew in a deep breath and flung open the doors. No longer would she try to slip anywhere unseen. She was strong and confident, and she didn’t have to do evil to be either. It had taken only a few hours with Kiril for her to come to that understanding. Too bad she hadn’t realized that six hundred years before.
Every head in the office swiveled to her, including Farrell’s. He kneeled before their father, blood covering his face and clothes from various wounds.
She held her head high as she walked into the room. A path cleared for her leading to where her father stood with Farrell. She barely gave her father a look as she stopped beside her brother.
“How does it feel to be on trial before the family?” she asked.
He whimpered and tried to reach for her leg. Shara deftly moved aside, astounded by the crying, sniveling Dark before her.
“Please,” he begged her. “Please, Shara. Tell Father what Balladyn said is a lie.”
Shara laughed wryly. “You mean the part where you told others what I had done, what every Blackwood was supposed to never speak of to anyone outside of the family?”
“I didn’t,” Farrell wailed.
“Then how did Balladyn know of it? More importantly, why did you announce it in an Doras last night? You wanted to kill me because I’m not good enough for this family. Now is your chance. Brother.”
“Shara,” her father began.
She whipped her head around to him. “Stay out of this.” She didn’t wait for him to consent before she turned back to Farrell. “Well? Here’s your chance. You’ve hit me enough times. Get to your feet and act like a real Dark.”
Farrell bowed his head, his shoulders shaking as he cried harder.
“Now who’s the one that doesn’t belong?” she bent over and asked.