Skinny black pants that skimmed her lithe legs and stopped at her ankles were paired with an orange sweater. It didn’t matter what she wore, she was gorgeous.
Rhi glanced at Henry. Then to Esther she said, “You proclaim to know those here on Dreagan. If you truly did, you’d know they don’t need friends.”
“Then why are you and Henry here?” Esther asked with a cocky smile.
Henry moved to stand beside Rhi. “Because that’s what friends do. They don’t need me, but I’m here for them. Just as they’d be there for me if I needed them.”
Esther shot him a contemptuous glare. “I thought you were smarter than that, big brother.”
“I could say the same of you. It seems lying comes easily.”
“You should know. You did enough of it through the years.”
“I only lied about my assignments and where I was,” he argued. “Other than that, I told you the truth.”
His sister’s smile was mocking. “Another lie.”
“It’s pointless to tell her anything,” Rhi said to Henry. “She’s not going to listen.”
Henry was in agreement. “What do you suggest?”
“The truth. All of it,” she said and waved her hand around the room.
Henry hesitated. “I’ve only begun to question her.”
“Fear is a powerful motivator,” Rhi stated and turned her back to Esther. She leaned close to Henry and whispered, “She doesn’t fear you.”
He knew that all too well, but it was his sister. Henry didn’t want to turn her over to Con. He’d seen what Con could do to a person. They were never in any physical pain, but he used everything he could against them to get what he wanted.
A prime example was Grace, who was terrified of thunderstorms, and what did Con have Arian do but use his power to create a vicious storm?
But all of that was better than what humans did to their prisoners when an interrogation took place. Waterboarding, mutilation, drugs, and anything pain-filled they could think of was used.
“No. She doesn’t fear me,” Henry said blandly.
“Then let’s give her someone she will fear.”
Henry jerked his head to look at Rhi. “You can’t be serious. You really want Con in here?”
Rhi flicked her long black hair over her shoulder and glanced at a corner. “I’m talking about me.”
“You?”
“Don’t act so surprised. I’m very good at this,” she said with a lift of a black brow.
“No doubt.” They needed answers, and Henry obviously wasn’t going to be the one getting them. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
A serious light filled Rhi’s silver gaze. “Yes. I owe you this.”
“Owe me?” There was something in her tone that sent warning bells tolling in Henry’s mind.
Rhi took his arm and walked him through the doorway into the tunnel. There she stopped and faced him. “I’d like to talk later. Right now, let me do this.”
Talk. That wasn’t what he wanted to do at all. Kissing. Now that’s what he’d been dreaming about—when he actually slept.
“Henry, you look like hell. Get some rest and eat. You’ll feel better,” Rhi said, giving him a little push.
He took one step before he halted, a conversation with Con filling his mind. “I don’t think it’d be wise for you to interrogate her alone.”
“Because Con doesn’t trust me?” she asked with a smile. “Way ahead of you, sweet cheeks.”
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Rhys turned the corner and walked toward them.
“Rhi,” Rhys said and held out his arms.
The Light Fae threw her arms around his neck. Henry watched the embrace, hating the jealousy that soured him to the point he wanted to physically harm Rhys.
Rhi stepped out of Rhys’s arms and turned to Henry. “See? It’s all good.”
“Henry,” Rhys said in a tight voice.
He nodded to the King of the Yellows, noting that the smile was gone from Rhys’s face.
“All right then,” Rhi said as she widened her eyes and rubbed her hands together. “It’s time we got some good intel.”
Rhys waited until Rhi was in the cavern with Esther before he took a step closer to Henry. “Your sister willna be harmed.”
“I know. I wanted to be the one that she spoke with. I thought she might share with me.”
Rhys looked inside the cavern. “You’re a good man, Henry. You’ve done amazing things to help us.”
“Why do I get the feeling there’s a ‘but’ coming?”
“Because there is. You’re going to find a woman to love you.”
Henry felt the fury rumble through him. “I already have.”
“She’s Fae. There can no’ be a relationship. With only one kiss you can no’ see anyone but her. If you take her to your bed, you’ll never be able to have sex with anyone else.”
“I don’t want anyone else.”
“Dammit man,” Rhys said as he moved closer, his voice no more than a whisper. “If she has sex with you more than once, it’ll begin to kill you. Can you no’ understand that?”
Henry had never wanted anything like he wanted Rhi. “I’d gladly die to be in her arms once.”
Rhys raked a hand through his long, wavy, dark hair. “You willna see reason.”