Kinsey found a file labeled ULRIK_SCOTLAND. She opened it to find a map of Scotland. There were red dots, like little pins, that showed all the places Ulrik had been seen. Edinburgh was a favorite destination, as evidenced by the large red dot.
With it being in close proximity to Perth, it was no wonder why. Kinsey then used the code Ryder had written to hack into the CCTV throughout Edinburgh. While a scan began to run looking for Ulrik, she dug deeper into the file folder labeled ULRIK.
Inside, she found a spreadsheet titled EDINBURGH. Kinsey opened it and gaped at the places Ulrik had visited. For all the eyes watching him, the man—or Dragon—was good at hiding. There were only a handful of listings in Edinburgh, and most of them were restaurants.
With a stroke of a key, Kinsey moved to another monitor and began to go down the list of known places Ulrik favorited. Another hack into the cameras of the restaurants and cafes, and she was able to look for Ulrik. Even though Ryder was sure Ulrik was at his business, Kinsey would rather have definitive proof of that, and since they didn’t, she opted to search.
One by one, she ticked off the list with no sign of Ulrik. The CCTV scan of Edinburgh would take hours yet with the size of the city and the numerous cameras.
The world and room faded away while Kinsey focused on one city to the next in Scotland. She at first kept her focus on the largest cities, even if there was no record from the Kings that Ulrik had been there.
When she exhausted all those searches, Kinsey sat back and waited for the CCTV search in Edinburgh to complete. A glance at her watch showed it was nearly seven in the evening. It had been well over eight hours since she’d eaten.
Now that she noticed the time, she realized how hungry she was. And she went from starving to nauseous in a split second from not eating. How Kinsey hated her body sometimes.
She swallowed, wishing she had something to drink. Her mouth was dry, and it might help to calm her rioting stomach. With Ryder engrossed in his own search, she was loath to disturb him.
So she closed her eyes to try and fight her rumbling stomach. Every few minutes she would crack open her eyes to check the progress of the search. And each time grew more and more difficult.
“Kins?”
How wonderful it sounded to have Ryder’s voice in her ear again. It made Kinsey think back to the days before he’d left her. How they would wake up in each other’s arms in the mornings before one of them would start cooking breakfast while the other made tea.
It had felt like a marriage. It had been a marriage, of sorts. And she missed it so much it left a hole within her.
“Kins,” he said again.
“Five more minutes,” she said and turned her head the other way.
There was a soft chuckle, and then it felt as if she were being lifted. Kinsey woke up enough to realize that she was no longer in her chair.
She was in Ryder’s arms.
The joy was quickly swept aside as the pain set in. She couldn’t allow herself to get close to him again.
She pushed against him as he was walking down the corridor. Kinsey managed to get out of his arms and stumble until she righted herself. “What are you doing?”
“Taking you to bed.”
The images those words conjured were a hazard to her health. Kinsey lifted her chin. “Just point me in the right direction.”
“You should’ve told me you were sleepy,” Ryder said as he began walking.
Kinsey followed him since she didn’t have another choice. He took her past the stairs, and then to the right along another hallway, this one narrower.
Ryder finally stopped at a door and opened it. Then he stepped aside and motioned for her to enter with his arm. Kinsey walked past him into the room and sighed with pleasure at the sight of the bed.
She walked over and climbed onto it, falling on her stomach with one arm hanging off the side. Her eyes closed. She briefly thought about telling Ryder to leave, but it took too much effort.
Tomorrow she would do a better job of erecting a barrier around her heart. Though she feared it might already be too late for her.
Again.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A Tropical Island
Location Unknown
Rhi lay on her back beneath the stars with the water lapping at her feet. Beside her was Balladyn. Her best friend from long ago—and her enemy.
And apparently, now her lover.
It had been so long since she’d given herself to another that she’d feared she might forget how. But Balladyn hadn’t let her.
He slept with his face turned toward her. In sleep, he was relaxed, the concerns and lines of worry were gone. Leaving nothing but the visage of the man she used to follow with her brother.
Rhi softly touched his cheek and smoothed a finger over one black brow. Her heart caught as she recalled looking into his eyes—eyes that had been silver. Not the red she was used to seeing after he’d turned Dark, but silver.
There was no denying it. At first she’d thought it was her own passion playing tricks on her, but each time she looked at him, Balladyn stared back with the silver eyes of a Light Fae.