Donna Grant - Fire Rising

“You left out that they couldna fight,” Laith said.

Ryder nodded. “That’s right. Now, Stevens, your other two friends are still deep in dreamland. If you tell us what we want to know, they never have to know you were the one who told us.”

Banan watched as Stevens considered Ryder’s words. Even before the man shook his head, Banan knew Stevens wouldn’t take the deal. Stevens and his team were highly trained military men. It was going to take a lot to break him.

Now Banan wished he had kept Tristan with him so Tristan could use his mind tricks on the men and get the information they needed.

“I can get the info from him,” Laith said.

Banan flattened his lips. He could well imagine what Con would say if he knew what they were doing. At least it wasn’t on Dreagan land. “It may come to that.”

Rhys stood in front of Stevens. “You know who and what the Dark Fae are, do you no’?”

Reluctantly, Stevens nodded.

“Do you know who we are?”

“Aye. You’re from Dreagan.”

Rhys exchanged a look with Banan before he asked, “Do you know what we are?”

“ What you are?” Stevens repeated as his gaze grew worried.

Rhys seized the opportunity that presented itself. “So your master hasna told you about us.”

“He has. We know everyone at Dreagan is dangerous.”

“He got the dangerous part right,” Laith stated in a cold voice.

Banan came to stand beside Rhys and looked at the men on either side of Stevens. “What else did your master tell you about us?”

“It was need-to-know, and I didn’t need to know.”

Just like a military man, used to taking orders. Banan grabbed the man by the throat and squeezed. “You’ve got one opportunity to tell me what your plan was for Sammi or I rip your throat out. I doona expect all three of you to walk out of here. The question is, will you be the smart one?”

Stevens grabbed Banan’s hand and pushed back in his chair as he tried to get away. “We were to grab her,” he croaked out.

He immediately released Stevens. “And take her where?”

“We don’t get those orders until I call in and confirm we have her,” Stevens wheezed.

Rhys crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell us who gives the orders.”

“He’ll kill me,” Stevens said.

“I’d be more afraid of us,” Con said as he casually strolled into the house.

Banan eyed Con, whose gaze was directed at Stevens. As usual, Con was impeccably dressed. This time he wore a navy dress shirt and dove gray slacks.

As if sensing he was fast losing ground, Stevens shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what you do to me. He’ll do worse.”

“Then he obviously hasna told you who we really are,” Con said tightly. He then turned his head to Laith. “Show him.”

“Gladly,” Laith said as he stripped off his shirt and walked outside.

Con grabbed Stevens by the back of the neck and dragged him to the window. “Watch,” he ordered through clenched teeth.

This was a side to Con Banan hadn’t seen in … ages. And Banan wasn’t so sure it was for the better. It was a mystery how Con knew where they had been.

Banan knew the moment Laith shifted into a dragon, because Stevens’s face went white as death.

Stevens stumbled backward and mumbled, “Jesus.”

“Be more afraid of us,” Con told him, still holding the man in a firm grip. “Now tell us who your master is.”

Stevens opened his mouth, but before he could get any words out, Dark Fae appeared around them.

Somewhere in a small cottage …

Rhi wiggled her toes as she gazed at her toenails after another delightful pedicure along with a manicure. This time she chose a bright orange titled A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find, and as usual, her technician had come up with a new design that looked like a feather slanting diagonally along her nails in black and silver.

“I think Jessie has outdone herself,” Rhi said with a smile.

Her mani/pedi times were something she did as often as she liked. There was nothing like having those few precious hours being pampered.

She set her new polish on the shelf with the others, making sure to put it with the other oranges she had. Her collection was never complete. At least not as long as they kept coming out with such great colors.

Rhi stepped back and surveyed her shelf. Some people collected movies, CDs, or figurines. She collected nail polish. Excitement coursed through her as she realized it was just days away before OPI announced their new summer colors.

“Hmm. I may have to get another shelf,” she said with a twist of her lips.

Not that it mattered. She was Fae, a Light Fae to be perfectly clear, and she could acquire anything she wanted. The accord with the Dragon Kings stated that no Fae—Light or Dark—could remain on the realm of Earth for long periods of time. She tended to ignore that fact.

Besides, she wasn’t the only Fae who was breaking the rules. The Dark were infesting Ireland.

Rhi fell back on the mattress of her four-poster bed. The Kings had claimed Scotland while the Fae had chosen Ireland. Frankly, Rhi would have chosen somewhere like Bora Bora or Saint Lucia.

Her smile faded as she thought of the matter at hand—the Dark. They had always been a nuisance to the Light, but they had done the unthinkable by kidnapping a Dragon King.

Kellan couldn’t technically be called a friend, but he was the closest thing she had within the Dragon Kings. It was for him and his mate—Denae—that she had gone into the den of the Dark Fae to help them.

In the process she’d learned the man that had been mentor, friend, and family hadn’t died in the Fae Wars as she had thought. He had turned Dark.

Seeing Balladyn had brought back so many memories, including ones of her Dragon King lover. Though if she were honest, the memories of him were never far from her mind.

Rhi winced as she heard her queen’s shout in her head telling her the Dark were attacking the Dragon Kings.

“Do the idiots have a death wish?” she mumbled as she rose and looked for her new black combat boots. “Didn’t the war with the Kings tell the Dark dumbasses they couldn’t win?”

Rhi finished tying the second shoe as she looked inward, into her mind’s eye to search for Dark Fae in Scotland. As soon as she located them, she used her magic to teleport to the house.

She remained veiled to everyone for a heartbeat as she took in the situation. The Dark outnumbered the Kings three to one, and there were three mortals who joined in with the Dark. By the way Rhys glared at one of the mortals, Rhi suspected the Kings had been … speaking … to the humans before the Dark arrived.

Rhi dropped her veil and materialized, her sword in hand. She spun and ducked beneath Laith’s fist to swing her sword up at the second Dark One fighting Laith.

The blade, forged by the Light in the Fires of Erwar, was a death strike to a Dark. The evil bastard screamed as the metal poisoned his blood and he died a slow, painful death.

She looked up to find Laith staring, his gunmetal eyes holding hers for a second before the battle drew them away.

Rhi moved to her second victim, the feel of battle settling over her quickly and effortlessly. She might have to think on that later after she kicked some Dark Fae ass.

Faces blurred and the yells from battle faded as she focused on one enemy after another while she moved about the room.

She was just about to plunge her sword into the chest of a Dark when she was knocked from the side. She tucked her shoulder and landed so that she rolled to her back and then returned to her feet without jarring anything too harshly.

When she stood once more, her gaze landed on none other than Balladyn. Just as the first time she’d seen him as a Dark Fae, it was like a kick in her stomach, leaving her wheezing for air.