Rhi could feel her watcher’s gaze on her.
“Why are the Reapers back now?” she asked. “It might have something to do with that missing bit of text that Balladyn couldn’t find. The Reapers have the entire race of Fae on pins and needles.”
She slowed the car as she exited the highway and drove under a bridge to make her way back. Rhi was silent for a long time as she thought over all Balladyn had shared with her about the Reapers.
Wasn’t it those in charge who should take the arrival of the Reapers seriously? Usaeil would rather talk about her next movie or magazine cover than a valid threat.
The more Rhi thought about Usaeil’s dismissal of the Reapers, the angrier she became. It didn’t matter that no one—not the lowest Fae or a king or queen—could stand against the Reapers. Usaeil should at least be comforting the Light, assuring them with knowledge.
By the time she returned to the storage unit, Rhi knew she had to see the text that Balladyn found with her own eyes. She parked the Lamborghini and shut off the engine, but she didn’t exit the car.
Then something occurred to her that left her cold inside. The Reapers were judge, jury, and executioner for the Fae. No one knew how the Reapers were chosen or where they went, but without a doubt, every Fae knew the Reapers put balance back into the world.
Her watcher had shown up near the same time as whispers of the Reapers reached her. She also hadn’t made such great decisions lately. Could she be targeted by them?
Rhi turned her head to look at the empty space her watcher occupied. Her blood was chilled at the thought of dying, but there was also a small voice that said she might actually find peace. “Are you a Reaper? If so and you’ve come to kill me, then get on with it. Drawing this out is just wrong.”
Silence. Always silence.
She closed her eyes and faced forward. There was one time she’d wished for death—when her Dragon King lover left her. Rhi had even ventured into an area that guaranteed her death. And yet she’d somehow lived.
Her grief had been so profound that she wondered if she’d dreamed it all, because when she woke she was back at her cottage in Italy.
A hand covered hers.
Rhi looked down at her right hand. She couldn’t see her watcher, but she could feel him. He was comforting her in the only way he could. And she had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to be doing even that.
It wasn’t the touch of someone about to end her life. She breathed a little easier, even as she contemplated some of her latest decisions.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
His fingers tightened around hers for a moment, and then his touch was gone.
She opened the car door and climbed out. As she straightened, movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. “Ulrik,” she said when she found him leaning a shoulder against the side of the entrance with his arms crossed over his chest.
He wore dark denim and a long-sleeved goldish taupe Henley with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His long black hair was pulled back in a queue showing off his chiseled features.
“Hello, beautiful.”
The fact he was there caused her to be leery. She shut the car door and faced him. “How did you find me?”
“The same way I knew of your cottage in Italy. I pity you deserted it, by the way. The place suited you.”
“I need privacy. The fact you knew about it made it pointless,” she retorted.
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his gold eyes. “There’s no need to get upset. You’ve paid me plenty of visits lately.”
“True. So what do you want?”
“To talk.”
She leaned her hip against the black Lamborghini. “Try again. You blasted me with dragon and Dark magic the last time we met.”
“Did I? My apologies. You know I’d never intentionally harm you.”
Oddly enough, Rhi believed him. “You look … different.”
Rhi blinked, shocked to her very core when she saw a true smile from Ulrik. It filled his eyes, and that’s when she saw a contentment about him she hadn’t seen before.
But as quick as it came, it vanished.
“You look different as well.” He tilted his head to the side as he studied her. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve been well and truly bedded.”
Rhi held his gaze, determined not to look away. Her love life—as well as who she took as a lover—was no one’s business. Especially anyone, even remotely, connected to Dreagan.
“I’ll be damned,” Ulrik murmured with a grin. “Did you give in to Balladyn?”
She looked down at her Christian Louboutin black booties as if bored. “This is where you tell me why you’re here.”
“All right. You doona want to talk about Balladyn, then we willna. Let’s talk about Dreagan.”
“We won’t be discussing that place either, because I know why you want to talk about it.”