One minute Shara was fighting for her life against the black smoke, and the next she was surrounded by light so intense she couldn’t open her eyes. She sat huddled, her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she waited for death to find her.
Except nothing happened.
Seconds stretched to moments. She dared to peek and see if the light was still there. It was, but not nearly as blinding. Just bright enough to chase off all of the darkness.
A gentle hand touched her shoulder as a woman’s voice, kind and soft, said, “You can open your eyes now, Shara.”
It wasn’t a voice she recognized. More importantly, not a single Dark Fae would ever sound so … pleasant. Shara was used to the taste of fear, but there was courage added to her arsenal now as well.
She lifted her head at the same time she opened her eyes, only to have her lungs lock as she looked at the room. It was filled with flowers—some tall, some short—but each petal drenched with color from bright to pastel. The floor and ceiling were white as were the tall columns that held up the roof. There were no walls, just open air showing nothing but brilliant blue skies and rich, green grass.
Shara stood, her legs shaky and her heart pounding against her ribs. She knew where she was, but she couldn’t believe it was possible.
“I gather I’ve surprised you.”
Shara turned at the sound of the voice. Her gaze locked on a woman of unspeakable beauty with long, flowing locks of coal black hair and eyes that sparkled silver. Her smile was kind, and her eyes knowing.
She was suddenly very conscious of her red eyes and silver lock of hair. Shara glanced around to see if anyone else was in the room even as she noted the very human attire on the Light Fae.
“You know where you are, but do you know who I am?” she asked.
Shara shook her head. “Did you bring me here?”
“I did, Shara. As for who I am, I’m Usaeil.”
The Queen of the Light. Shara felt her knees weaken. She was standing before the ruler of the Light, and still had no idea why.
Usaeil smiled and swept her hand to a set of chairs. “Why don’t we sit? You’ve had a bit of a shock.”
Shara’s legs felt wooden as she followed Usaeil to the delicate-looking chairs of soft green. She sank down on one and waited for the queen to continue.
Usaeil regarded her for a long moment as she relaxed in the chair. “Tell me about Kiril.”
“Kiril?” Just thinking of him brought a pain to the center of Shara’s chest. “He’s a good man. An honorable Dragon King.”
“Yes, he is both of those things. However, I want to know your thoughts on him.”
Shara rested her hands on her thighs as her mind drifted back to the short time she’d had with him. Her stomach clenched when she thought about his kisses, just as desire unfurled at the thought of being in his arms.
She blinked away the tears that gathered. “He trusted me when my own family didn’t. He offered me sanctuary at Dreagan if I wanted it. He’s unlike any male I’ve ever known. Or ever will know. I care about him deeply.”
Love. It was love she felt, but she dared not say it, not to anyone. She was a Dark Fae. The only ones who would ever accept her were her own kind. At least they used to. They wouldn’t now.
“You risked your life to help him even though he believed you’d betrayed him,” the queen said.
Shara swallowed as she focused on the Light Fae. “I knew he wouldn’t listen to my explanations, and they didn’t matter anyway. He came for Rhi, and his friends came for both of them. I wanted to help.”
“Do you know Balladyn was once a highly regarded member of my court and army?”
“He told me as much.”
“Taraeth broke him as Taraeth has done to so many of my people,” the queen said sadly. “Rhi was lost without Balladyn. He was like a brother to her.”
“And yet he coveted her for his own.”
Usaeil’s lips compressed. “Yes, I know. Everyone knew but Rhi. I thought Rhi might come to see him as her future husband, but then she met…”
She trailed off, but Shara knew who she meant. “Her Dragon King.”
“Aye. Their love was instant and powerful. It, like their desires, wouldn’t be denied.”
“Did you approve?”
Usaeil grinned slightly. “It wouldn’t have mattered one way or another. There was no stopping the two of them. Until … he ended it.”
“Do you know why?”
She shook her head. “Only the two of them know the truth, and I doubt either will ever tell anyone. Rhi returned to us broken. It was Balladyn who helped to heal her. Or so we thought. Rhi, in her mindless state, ventured into the wrong doorway. A doorway, mind you, that not even I dare go into.”
“Her lover did, didn’t he?” Shara guessed.
“Aye. As soon as he learned where she went, he followed. No Dragon King had ever entered a Fae doorway before.”