“Yes.”
He was really going to have to work on convincing her that her opinion mattered, just as she did. After their night together, he knew there was no turning back for him. Of course he’d learned that in the middle of the night when he didn’t want to get up and leave as he had all the other women. With Lily he only wanted to pull her against him and make sure that he could feel her at all times.
The thought of leaving her—or her leaving him—made him go a little crazy. Whether he wished it or not, Rhys had found his mate.
His mate.
It boggled his mind. Of all the Kings, he’d never expected to find anyone who would fill his heart the way Lily did. He enjoyed women. Or he used to. Now he only had eyes for his Lily.
As he gazed into her black eyes, he wanted to beg her to trust him and tell him everything. Which wasn’t right when he couldn’t tell her everything about himself. Even if he could, she wouldn’t believe him since he couldn’t prove he was a Dragon King.
Con had asked if Lily was his mate, and Rhys had lied and said he wasn’t sure. If Con had a hint that Lily was his mate Con would tell her everything, and Rhys knew that might be all it took to frighten her away. If anyone was going to tell her, it was going to be Rhys.
“I like the way you look at me,” Rhys told her.
She glanced down, but the tears were fading. “I’m surprised you ever noticed me. I’m nothing like the women you usually take out.”
Rhys inwardly grimaced, because he’d known his past would get brought up. “I noticed you, Lily. I noticed you from the first moment you came to Dreagan, but I stayed away because you were a different kind of woman. The kind that changes a man. The forever kind.”
“Oh.”
He smiled at her surprised expression. “I’ve never stayed an entire night with a woman.”
“Never?”
“Never. And trust me when I say that’s a verra long time.”
“Why?”
Rhys gave a shake of his head. “It’s the lifestyle I chose.”
The sound of rain hitting the window drew her attention. “Here comes the storm.”
“We can outrun it.” He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it.
When she did, they walked hand in hand from the room. There was a smile on her face until they got into the lift. By the time they reached the lobby, her grip on his hand had tightened and the worry in her furtive glances told him that Dennis was there.
Rhys hurriedly put her in his Jaguar and drove away from the hotel before he went to search for the bastard. When they reached the edge of the city, she released a sigh and seemed to relax.
Whenever Rhys got his hands on Dennis, there was not going to be anything to save him. Human or not, Rhys was going to kill the wanker.
*
Con sat at his desk, staring at it, though his mind was going over his conversation with Rhys. Ever since the dragon and Dark magic was used on Rhys, he’d been different.
Reserved. Withdrawn.
Cautious.
As much as he hated to admit it, they needed the old Rhys back. The reckless, outrageous Dragon King who questioned Con at every turn.
For many weeks, even before the magic was used on Rhys, Con observed the lovely Lily watching Rhys. And Rhys watching her. Con knew Rhys well enough to know he would keep himself removed from the mortal. Which is why it was such a surprise that Rhys joined Denae and Kellan with Lily in Edinburgh.
Rhys had a keen mind, and he was rarely wrong. Yet Con was worried that he wasn’t seeing things clearly when it came to Lily’s involvement with Ulrik.
Forced or not, Lily had a choice to go to someone at Dreagan and tell them what was being asked of her. She hadn’t. That in itself worried Con. Dreagan was a job to her and many others on the land. To those who lived there—the Kings and their mates—it was home.
People willingly died defending their homes.
Very few were willing to put themselves in danger for a job.
“Got a minute?” Warrick said as he entered Con’s office.
Con motioned to the chair. It was always a surprise when Warrick came to him. The King of the Jades preferred to keep to himself. It was a rare thing to find him with any of the other Kings, and even rarer when he sought Con out. “What is it?”
“I wanted to tell you about our visit with Ulrik.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I wondered if you were going to get around to it or make me wait for Rhys to return.”
Warrick’s cobalt gaze narrowed. “It’s no’ that I didna want to talk to you about it. I wanted to mull it over in my mind.”
“I was a wee bit surprised you went with Rhys.”
Warrick paused for a moment and ran a hand over his chin. “The Rhys walking around now isna the same one I’ve always known. I wasna certain what he would do to Ulrik. I went to make sure Rhys returned to Dreagan.”
“And? What happened with Ulrik?” Con urged.
“I’ve got a bad feeling.”