Rhys stood amid the shadows watching them tear at Ulrik. The King of Silvers fought them, and if Ulrik had all his magic, he could easily best them. What Rhys was learning was that Ulrik somehow was able to have a portion of his magic, but not nearly as much as Rhys originally feared.
Suddenly, Ulrik shot Rhys a cold smile. “Did you really think you could have Warrick sneak in without me knowing?”
There was no way Ulrik should’ve known Warrick was there. Rhys had kept Ulrik detained, and yet Ulrik knew not just that there was someone else there, but who it was. “How do you know it’s Warrick?”
Ulrik threw out his hands, and Rhys’s shadows were shoved away. Rhys pulled them back, waiting to see what Ulrik would do next.
Ulrik ran his hand through his hair, smoothing it down as he glared at Rhys. “Warrick, why don’t you come join us?”
A moment later Warrick came around the front to stand near Rhys. “Ulrik. It’s been a long time.”
Ulrik looked at him as if he was absurd. Then he looked back at Rhys, and dropped all pretense of his British accent. “You’d think Con would learn that he willna see inside this store. No’ through cameras he put in himself, or through any Kings he sends.”
“How did you know it was Con who installed the cameras?” Warrick asked.
Ulrik cut his eyes to Warrick. “I’m smart like that.”
“You’re going to tell me why you took my ability to shift,” Rhys stated.
Ulrik straightened his shirt. “And I need to know why the Kings feel the need to continue coming to my store.”
“We come because you’ve aligned with the Dark,” Warrick said.
Rhys glanced at Warrick and nodded. “We come because you want to expose us. You want us to stop paying you these visits? Then quit what you’re doing.”
“Doing?” Ulrik said with a laugh. “I warned Con that judgment day was coming. He must pay for what he did.”
Warrick snorted in derision. “We all did it, Ulrik. You should be coming for all of us.”
“Oh, all of you will pay for taking my magic, but I’m going after Con for something else.”
Rhys felt as if the ground had been yanked from beneath him. “What are you talking about?”
“Con knows. Ask him.”
“You know he willna tell us,” Warrick said.
Ulrik turned and walked around his desk. “That’s my problem how? You’re the ones who allow him to keep such secrets. Perhaps you should think about who is ruling the Kings.”
“We rule ourselves,” Rhys said.
Ulrik looked up, a smirk pulling at his lips. “I remember the moment Constantine decided he wanted to be King of Kings. He was ruthless in his endeavor to get that position. Would he no’ be just as ruthless in keeping it?”
Every ounce of anger left Rhys. He was frustrated, exhausted, and weary. He wanted to see Lily, to have her near and soothe his anger. The idea of remaining in human form for eternity was appalling. “What do I need to do for you to reverse the curse on me?”
Ulrik looked him up and down. “Get out.”
Rhys briefly thought of remaining and calling to his shadows again, but all it would do was bring their battle to the attention of the humans. This fight needed to remain private. As much as Rhys wanted to know why Ulrik had targeted him, it wouldn’t change his circumstances.
He glared at Ulrik. “This isna over.”
*
Henry sat on the edge of the bed still a little amazed he wasn’t in any more pain. He blinked at Rhi. “Did you hear me? I have to get to Dreagan. I need to talk to Banan.”
“First, I need to know what you remember about your capture and imprisonment.”
Henry’s lips turned up. “You mean Ulrik? He gave me a choice to join him or die.”
“You chose death.”
“Of course,” he said with a frown. “I’d never sell my soul to someone like him.”
Rhi’s wealth of black hair moved as she nodded. “No, you wouldn’t. Why not? Most humans would do anything to remain living.”
Henry paused as he considered her words. “Do you have such a bad view of us mortals?”
She shrugged one delicate shoulder. “I’ve been around a long time and seen many things. You’re different than other humans.”
“In my line of work, every day could be my last. I stopped worrying about dying and concentrated on helping my country. That’s the only way I could be a spy. I’m now focusing my energy on helping Earth, not just my country.”
“So you expect to die?”
Henry chuckled and glanced down at himself to see he was naked, with only the edge of the sheets covering him. “Yes, and I suspect it’ll be violent and painful. Now, where are my clothes?”
Rhi snapped her fingers and a pair of dark jeans and a black sweater appeared on the bed, along with socks and a pair of black boots.
Henry raised his brows as he looked at her. “Really? With just a snap of your fingers?”
“Yes,” she replied with a vibrant smile that made his breath hitch. “Oh, one more thing,” she said with another snap of her fingers.
A pair of black boxers with a silver skull and crossbones across the front appeared.
He looked at the clothes. “This is what you see me wearing?”
“Would you rather another gray suit?”