“As if you didn’t know, pet.”
Rhi licked her lips and hoped her magic was strong enough against one as powerful as Balladyn. “Oh, and what is that?”
“You should never have come here. I had hoped to track you, make you run and worry. You know how I always loved the thrill of the hunt.”
She believed every word. In all the years she had known Balladyn, he had never said anything he didn’t mean. The fact he was threatening her life told her he was well and truly a Dark One.
“War is coming, Balladyn. War with the Light and war with the Dragon Kings. Either way, I’ll be fighting the Dark. Choose your side wisely. Don’t make me kill you.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his red eyes. “Time for words is over, Rhi, because the world as you know it is about to end.”
She ducked just as he sent several blasts of magic to incapacitate her. With the last vestiges of her magic, she disappeared.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Denae wasn’t sure if it was a rock or something else that sliced the bottom of her foot. She didn’t say anything to Kellan or the others. What good would it have done? They needed to get out of the tunnels quickly, and she was still able to walk.
Phelan and Kellan stopped in front of her and knelt. Denae quickly followed suit only to have Kellan motion for her to remain as he and Phelan moved farther into the darkness.
“How badly are you bleeding?” Tristan whispered.
Denae sighed. Could she keep nothing from these men? “I’m all right.”
“You’re limping. It willna take Kellan long to notice that.”
“I won’t slow us down.”
“Never said you would.”
She glanced behind her, but she couldn’t make out Tristan’s face in the darkness. It felt weird being in the company of such men. Dragon Kings and Warriors.
They were protective in a way she had never experienced before. Unlike the mortal men who either thought she should know her place as a female or the ones who regarded her as an equal who could take care of herself, Kellan made her feel both shielded and capable.
He was archaic in his thinking of the fairer sex, but that hadn’t stopped him from allowing her the ability to handle whatever came her way.
It was … refreshing and entirely too amazing. She leaned a shoulder against the tunnel wall and thought of Kellan. A Dragon King. A dragon and a King.
A gorgeous man who kissed as if there were no tomorrow and made love skillfully, adeptly. He could have let her die. Instead, he took her on a journey that opened her eyes to an entirely new world both beautiful and frightening.
How could she not want to know more about him?
How could she not crave to be in his arms?
How could she not fall for such a man?
Denae smothered a chuckle. Fall for Kellan. It was laughable. She hadn’t just fallen for him, she’d tumbled, plunged headlong for all that was Kellan. Impulsively, recklessly.
She knew the type of man he was—honest, dependable, and guarded. He hadn’t wanted to like her, and she wasn’t even sure if he did.
He’d enjoyed her body, and gave her pleasure unlike anything she’d thought was possible. But he was from another world that had no place for her in it. He protected only because he had given his word.
Once she was safe—well, she knew exactly where she would stand with him.
Not even knowing she would end up alone with only her memories could stop her heart from pitching headfirst into love.
A warm, large hand covered hers. Denae knew instantly it was Kellan.
“Ready?” he whispered.
She nodded, knowing he could see her.
“What is it?”
Denae scrunched up her face. “I want out of this place.”
There was a beat of silence before he said, “Let’s go.”
She stood and again took hold of his belt loop. They walked for what seemed like hours, occasionally pausing to listen, while at other times they would run short distances.
Twice Kellan shoved her out of the way while he, Tristan, and Phelan fought whatever monster crossed their path. The tunnel had gotten so dark she could barely make out shapes, much less know what it was that they were fighting. And a part of her didn’t want to know after seeing that giant moth.
All the while, she worried about Rhi. And she wasn’t the only one. Phelan wasn’t happy Rhi had yet to show up.
“She’ll be fine,” Kellan said. “Trust me.”
“How do you know?” Phelan ground out.
Denae felt Kellan shrug. “I’ve known Rhi for a verra long time, Warrior. If any Fae is capable of outwitting a Dark One, it’s Rhi. She isna in the Queen’s Guard for nothing.”
“Queen’s Guard,” Tristan repeated. “The Light queen needs a guard.”
“Since the queen rarely leaves her palace, nay. It is more of an honorary position filled by the strongest, most lethal Light warriors, and Rhi earned her right to be there,” Kellan explained.
“You didna see her at Dreagan,” Phelan pointed out. “Tristan found her collapsed on the floor. She was pale and … weak.”