“Aye,” Con mumbled as his gaze swept the area.
He glanced at Con to see his gaze taking in the sheer number of Dark Fae mingling with the humans. “I tried to tell you it was this bad.”
“We’re supposed to protect the humans, Rhys. We’ve kept to Scotland for too long if this is happening so close to us.”
“The problem was us not eradicating the Fae during the war.”
“That was impossible, and you know it.”
“Aye, but we could’ve made them leave for good.”
Con shifted his shoulders to the side to make room for a group of college-aged girls. “We were all weary of fighting. The treaty was the only option, or we’d still be in the middle of a war with them.”
“I know.”
“You question my decisions again?”
Rhys shrugged and tugged on the too-small shirt that he’d stolen. “I think we’ve become lax and kept to ourselves too long.”
“I do believe you’re correct.”
Rhys nearly tripped over his feet. His head whipped around to Con. “Of course you’d say that when none of the others were around to hear it.”
Con chuckled briefly.
Rhys flexed his hands in anticipation of killing Dark Fae. “I’m going to rip Kiril a new one if he’s been taken.”
“You willna be the only one. I doona like being lied to.”
“It’s no’ as if he could’ve told you the truth.”
Con cut his black eyes at him as they crossed one of the many bridges out of town. “You try controlling a group of Dragon Kings and tell me how it goes.”
Rhys remained quiet until they reached the end of the bridge. “You know Balladyn will be expecting us.”
“You’re assuming we find the correct doorway.”
“Then there’s that. Kiril has Phelan for help. We doona have that advantage.”
“Oh, really?”
Rhys looked at Con and saw him smiling at someone. Rhys slid his gaze to where Con was staring. He didn’t need to be told the gorgeous woman with coal black hair and eyes the color of molten silver was a Light Fae.
The woman was smiling, a look of aloofness about her that could only come from a Fae. She stood in the middle of the sidewalk so that others had to go around her. Rhys thought she looked familiar, as if he should recognize her face.
And then he did.
Her eyes shifted to him and her smile grew. “Hello, Rhys.”
“I didna think you’d come,” Con said before Rhys could reply.
She shrugged a slim shoulder clad in a tight denim jacket with a lacy pale pink tank beneath. Skintight denim encased her legs while slinky heels in the same pink as her tank covered her feet.
Her smile vanished, and she pierced Con with a dark look. “As if I would ignore any information when it comes to Rhi.”
Rhys glanced at Con, but either the King of Kings had no idea that the Light Fae was known as one of the most famous actors in the world, or he didn’t care.
“Will you help us?” Con asked.
She regarded him silently for a moment. “No Light has ever gone into the part of our realm the Dark rule for one of our own.”
“Why?” Rhys asked.
Her gaze returned to him, as did a slight grin. “Because as sad as it is to say, a Light can become Dark, but a Dark can’t become Light.”
“Have you tried it?”
She frowned, as if never considering his words before. “No, we haven’t.”
“So the Dark take the Light, but the Light never thought to take the Dark?” Rhys asked with a dry laugh. “Fabulous.”
“You don’t know them as we do,” she replied quickly.
Con said, “We know them well enough. We also know the Light. I honestly didna think you’d come.”
“Rhi is important to us, to me,” she said.
Rhys frowned as he realized Con had actually gotten in touch with the Light Fae. He had a sneaking suspicion of who the Light was, but he needed it confirmed. “And just who are you?”
Her smile was blinding as she said, “Usaeil, Queen of the Light.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Shara stood in the middle of the small prison cell and tried not to fall apart. This was so much worse than being locked in her room. This was hell.
How could she have ever imagined Balladyn being the answer to her problems? Just like the rest of the fortress, there was no way she could use her magic to teleport out of the cell to somewhere safe.
No, she was well and truly stuck. The worst part was not knowing what Balladyn would do to her. After what she saw when looking in on Rhi, she feared Balladyn wouldn’t hold back his cruelty with her.
Would she be able to withstand what he had in store for her? And afterward he expected to go through with the Claiming. As if she wouldn’t fight that with all she had.