Lily was once more relegated to remain by Dennis while Kyle walked with Rhys. Her anger and shock mixed together, leaving her weak with denial. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Kyle working with Dennis. The sweet boy she knew had vanished sometime in the four years she’d been gone. If only she hadn’t left. If only she’d remained and listened to her family.
But it didn’t do any good to look back at what couldn’t be changed. She had to look ahead, to look at the present and what she could do to help. No longer was she going to be the cowardly female. She’d gone looking for the girl she’d once been, and Lily had found her. But she’d found something else as well.
She found Rhys.
He’d helped her find the ability to see her worth, to realize what she was capable of. Which was much more than she’d ever thought possible.
The closer they came to the cottage, the tighter Rhys’s muscles bunched. He all but snarled at Kyle when her brother shoved him to get him moving faster.
“Why doesn’t he know about the Fae?” Lily asked Dennis.
Dennis shrugged and ran a hand through his short red hair. “He didn’t need to know. He has a mission.”
“You don’t ever intend to show him the Dark Fae.”
Dennis didn’t answer, but that in itself was the answer. There was only one reason to keep information from soldiers, and that was because the men in charge didn’t intend for them to stick around long.
“You’re going to kill him,” Lily whispered in dismay.
Dennis tsked. “You always think the worst.”
“If he was as valuable as you keep saying, Kyle would know as much as you.”
Dennis laughed softly. “You’ve always had such a sharp mind. It’s really too bad I couldn’t turn you as I did Kyle.”
“What’s going to happen to my brother?”
“He’s to get the weapon.”
Lily glared at Dennis. “What? Not brave enough to get it yourself?”
“I’m needed elsewhere,” he said.
Lily started to call out to Kyle when Dennis grabbed the wrist he’d broken years ago and squeezed.
He jerked Lily close and whispered in her ear, “Don’t even try it. He won’t believe you for one, but if you attempt to change his mind, I’ll kill him myself.”
“That might be better. At least he would be out of your clutches.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
Lily realized they had reached the cottage. It looked like a vacant building waiting for occupants. Innocuous, safe. Plain.
How looks could be deceiving.
“We’re here,” Kyle said, awe lacing his voice. “We can finally have what we need to end the rule of the dragons.”
Lily watched in slow motion as Kyle pointed the gun at Rhys’s head, a malevolent smile upon his lips.
“Live through this,” Kyle said and pulled the trigger.
Lily screamed, the retort of the gun drowning it out. Rhys’s body jerked and then he fell, blood pouring from the wound at his temple.
She waited, expecting him to rise. Yet, Rhys lay unmoving. Lily tried to go to him, but Dennis held her in place with an arm about her waist. She stretched out her arm, desperately trying to touch Rhys.
Tears fell freely down her face as she called Rhys’s name over and over again. He was a Dragon King. He’d said only another Dragon King could kill him, but the seconds ticked by without him so much as twitching a finger.
“Dragons can die,” Kyle said with a laugh. He held up his revolver. “With a little magic added in.”
“No!” Lily screamed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Rhi looked down at her newly painted nails on her hands and feet. She wiggled her toes and sighed. A pedicure was the perfect thing to take her mind off of her troubles.
“Great job, Jesse,” Rhi told her nail technician.
Jesse smiled and handed her back the three bottles of polish. “You let me do whatever I want. You’re my favorite client.”
Rhi chuckled as Jesse went off to tend to her next customer. While Rhi waited for her toes to dry, she looked again at the mix of blues and silver on her nails. The stripes, done at angles with silver, called It’s Frosty Outside, setting off the bright blue—Suzi Says Feng Shui—and dark blue—Unfor-Greta-bly Blue.
It had been a long time since she’d worn blue on her nails. It wasn’t that Rhi didn’t like the color. There were few colors that she didn’t like. It just seemed that blue made her feel, well … blue. This time, however, she felt serene instead of sad. Which was a really good sign. Of course it didn’t hurt that the colors were going to go great with her blue dress.
Rhi checked her toes. Once she was sure they were dry, she wiggled her feet back into her sandals, something she was able to wear in the Austin warmth.
She waved to Jesse and walked from the salon. Rhi got into her Lamborghini and drove off. She was turning a corner, heading back to the garage to park her car when Rhys’s voice sounded in her head. All he said was her name.
But it was the pain she heard in his voice that had her speeding to the garage and drifting the car around corners until she skidded the vehicle to a halt in the garage. Rhi hit the button to shut the garage door and immediately teleported to Dreagan.