She strode to the door, intending to throw it open and catch her with Con. Her hand wrapped around the knob and turned.
But it wouldn’t budge.
Rhi could blast it with magic, but she refrained. Barely. She knew Usaeil was having an affair with a King. Usaeil had never approved of Rhi’s relationship with her King, and yet the queen was doing exactly what she’d criticized Rhi for.
If there was one thing Rhi couldn’t stand, it was a hypocrite. It might take her some time, but she would find out who Usaeil was sharing her bed with. Rhi suspected it was Con. She just needed to see it with her own eyes.
The door began to rattle, and Rhi realized she was glowing. She quickly released the door and teleported away before her anger got the better of her and she flattened the castle to dust.
*
Warrick wasn’t happy when Darcy demanded to return to her flat. He would rather they remain in her shop on the ground where there were few windows if the Dark did try to take her.
It wouldn’t do for the entire city to see a dragon and a Dark fighting it out on the third floor of a building, or catching video of a Dark doing magic. Or worse—he or Thorn in dragon form.
But Darcy’s argument about a bed and shower won out.
Warrick walked beside her. He was amazed at how quickly she made her way down the street. She was also cautious and watchful. Traits that would come in handy.
“Did you see Ulrik’s future when you read his palm?” he asked.
Darcy shook her head. “It was odd, really. His future was blocked. The only other time that has happened was when someone had a choice to make that could determine their fate in opposite ways.”
Warrick wondered if that determination would be if Ulrik killed Con or not. “His past was open to you?”
“Just about. If I had the time, I could’ve seen more. Ulrik was more interested in me unbinding his magic, so the longer I tried, the more of his memories were at hand for me to see.”
“Which you did.”
She glanced at Warrick, her expression unreadable. “I did. I saw what his woman did, and I saw what his friends did to him. There is pain inside that he’s lived with for thousands of centuries. He doesn’t even realize it’s there anymore. It’s what keeps him going, keeps him focused.”
“It’s what is ruling him,” Warrick added.
“Exactly. I got a glimpse of what he was like before he was betrayed. The person he was, and the person he is now are night and day apart.”
Warrick hurriedly switched to Darcy’s other side when he saw a man coming toward her who had no intention of moving out of the way. The man bumped into Warrick before bouncing back and running into a light pole.
Warrick shot him a look without breaking stride. He turned back to Darcy. “Do you think if we welcomed Ulrik back at Dreagan that he could let go of the anger?”
“I don’t think so. It’s too ingrained in him now. He’s past the point of no return.”
“You knew this and still helped him?”
She rolled her eyes. “For the last time, yes. You’ve no idea how having some of his magic returned gave him a measure of peace. How would you like to have your wings clipped so you could never fly again?”
Warrick thought of Rhys and how Ulrik had combined his magic with a Dark’s to curse Rhys. Those few weeks had nearly made Rhys lose his mind. Ulrik had endured such torture for thousands of years.
“He’s trying to expose us to the world,” Warrick said. “Ulrik has joined forces with the Dark and told a small section at MI5 about us. Those humans and the Dark have murdered and attacked other humans in an effort to show the world who we are.”
Darcy’s steps slowed as they reached the door to her building. “All of you wanted revenge on Ulrik for having to send your dragons away. You got it.”
“It wasna revenge.”
“Wasn’t it?” she asked as she faced him. “Weren’t you angry at Ulrik for being unable to control his rage and attacking the humans? Didn’t each of you blame him for starting the war and the humans killing the dragons?”
Warrick started to shake his head, then he realized she was right. They had blamed Ulrik for all of it.
“Vengeance is a powerful motivator,” Darcy continued. “Ulrik just wants what is his due. He blames all of you, but his focus is Con.”
“You think Ulrik deserves his revenge?”
“I think Ulrik deserves to be who he is—a Dragon King who can shift and take to the skies once more.”
“Even if it means your demise?” Warrick asked.
She glanced at the darkening sky. “Let’s just hope that while Ulrik has been in human form that he saw a few of us who might have made him hate our race a little less.”
Warrick waited until she was through the door before he whispered to himself, “Doona count on it.”
CHAPTER
TWELVE
Perth, Scotland
Ulrik went through every person who worked for him and ran a deeper background check on them. Now that he knew what to look for, he was able to spot whoever also worked for his uncle.