She licked her lips, her eyes briefly meeting Rhys’s gaze before skating away. “They’re all looking at me.”
Rhys chuckled and held out his hands to another male who threw something across the way. Rhys caught it and then tossed the bundle to Kiril who unfolded the material to reveal jeans as Rhys said, “That’s because we all want to see the woman who has taken Kiril.”
“It’s not because of who I am?” she asked.
Kiril finished fastening the jeans and then looped an arm around her shoulders. “Oh, they want to know, but that will come later.”
“Doona make us wait too long,” Rhys said with a wink.
Kiril guided her to an arched opening that led into a maze of tunnels. Shara was so intent on looking at all the drawings and etchings of dragons along the walls that she would’ve run into things had Kiril not steered her along.
“This place is amazing,” she whispered in awe.
“It’s our home.”
Her head swung around to him. “Why are you showing me this? There’s a reason Fae aren’t allowed on Dreagan.”
“No’ all Fae are prohibited. Rhi comes. Or she used to.”
All the happiness faded from Shara at the mention of the Light Fae. “Still no word on her?”
Kiril shook his head as he took her hand and led her out of the mountain and into a house. Shara blinked as she looked around at the splendor that surrounded her.
“Welcome to Dreagan Manor,” said a deep voice.
Shara’s eyes locked on a tall, blond male in a navy suit with a pale pink dress shirt opened at the neck. He didn’t wear a tie, but a flash of metal drew her gaze to his wrists where she spotted gold cuff links in the shape of a dragon head. There was no doubt in her mind this was the infamous King of Kings—Constantine.
“Con, this is Shara,” Kiril said.
The King of Kings smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “A Dark who became Light. An impossibility that has now become possible.”
Kiril cleared his throat and gave a hard look at Con. “Shara, this is Constantine.”
“I’ve heard a great many things about you,” she said to Con. “It’s said among the Dark that you’re the cause of the Kings still being so powerful.”
Con’s black eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “The Dragon Kings are powerful because we are united.”
“Exactly.” She ignored Kiril who squeezed her hand. After all she had been through, she wasn’t afraid of anyone, not even the King of Kings. “United. You’ve managed to keep all the Dragon Kings here, and I guess there is a good reason for it other than this place being so beautiful.”
Kiril frowned. “Shara?”
She looked at him and smiled, silently asking him to trust her. His slight nod was all the confirmation she needed that he did just that.
“What’s your point, Fae?” Con demanded.
Shara didn’t know if anyone at Dreagan would ever welcome her, but as long as Kiril wanted her there, she would remain. Even if she hadn’t ever been allowed on Dreagan, she knew she must tell them what she knew.
“Taraeth is still in power, but Balladyn has his sights set on eventually taking it from him. There were a few things Balladyn said that made me think he wasn’t working alone.”
“Another Dark?” Kiril asked. “Someone powerful like your father?”
She shook her head. “Someone else.”
“Someone outside of the Fae,” Con guessed.
Shara looked from Con to Kiril. “It’s just a guess.”
“A good one, however,” Kiril said, his lips twisted with regret.
Con looked away as he sighed. “If our greatest strength is our unity, then it’s only reasonable that they’ll try to destroy that.”
“Bloody hell,” Kiril mumbled.
Shara moved closer to Kiril. “It’ll take something great in order to do that.”
Constantine focused his gaze on her once more. “Do you know what the Dark searches for from us?”
“That was never divulged to me. All is I know is that they want it badly.”
Kiril ran a hand down his face. “What is it they want, Con? Why is it something we doona know?”
“Because.”
“That’s all I get?”
Con put his hands in the pockets of his slacks and raised a blond brow. “It is. What is hidden must remain hidden. We should be more concerned with the person helping Balladyn.”
“You know who it is, don’t you?” Shara asked.
Kiril blew out a long breath as he realized he too knew who it was. “Ulrik.”
“The banished Dragon King?” Shara said in shock. Why hadn’t she put that together herself? It all made sense now. “Of course.”
“You know of him?” Con asked.
“Didn’t you discover all you could about your enemy before a war?”
Con smiled, this time it reached his eyes. “Naturally.”
“So did the Dark. What they learned has been shared through the years. There’s been much speculation about what Ulrik did to be banished.”
Kiril’s brow furrowed. “So you know of Ulrik, but no’ what he did?”
“Yes.”