Burning Desire (11 page)

“Nay. I took her to dinner.”

Phelan nodded absently as he dropped his hands to his sides. “I imagine because you wanted to see what she was after.”

“That’s how it began.”

“You’ve seen her since?”

Kiril rubbed the back of his neck, debating how much to tell Phelan. No other Kings could be there to watch his back—or remind him he was treading on dangerous ground with Shara. But Phelan could.

“Aye. I went looking for her. I had to.”

Phelan let out a slow breath. “She ensnared you already?”

“It only took one look at her.”

“Damn. Have you slept with her?”

Kiril paused a beat too long.

Phelan let out a string of curses as he paced away. When he turned back to Kiril, his face was hard as stone. “How deeply are you in? I’m going to stay regardless if you accept my help or no’. The more I know, the more I can assist you.”

The fact Kiril knew he needed aid told him just how far he had treaded on risky ground with Shara. He wanted to believe everything she said, but it could all be a lie to lure him into a trap—a trap that would be useless since he didn’t know the location to whatever it was Con had hidden.

Kiril considered Phelan’s words for long moments before he said, “I’m in too deep.”

“That’s what Rhys thought. Let me help in whatever way I can.”

Kiril looked around him to see the many tourists stopping to see the cliffs. “Where is your car?”

“I doona have one. Fallon jumped me here.”

Of course Fallon would teleport Phelan. It was the quickest mode of transportation, damn them. “How are you going to get back to Cork?”

“I’ll figure it out. Does this mean you’ll accept my help?”

Kiril didn’t spot any Dark observing him, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. “They watch me always. We can no’ be seen together again.”

“How do I contact you if I need to?”

“We’ll figure it out as we go. I bought an estate no’ too far from Cork. Doona come there. I go into the city every evening for dinner and then to the Dark’s pub
an Doras
.”

Phelan nodded and turned so his back was to Kiril. “Understood,” he murmured and walked away.

Kiril walked to different spots along the tourist location, and just as he hoped, others spoke to him as well. He thought his plan was working until he saw two Dark out of the corner of his eye standing behind a tour bus.

There was no way the Dark could know about Phelan. Kiril pivoted and started toward the bus. If the Dark knew what he planned they would teleport away before he could reach them. The tourists milling about didn’t help, but their attention was on the majestic scenery, not him.

Kiril stopped to talk to the bus driver as he covertly swiped one of the canes set against the outside of the bus. He then walked around the tour bus and spotted the two Dark. They were facing each other, one with his back to Kiril, talking.

He threw the cane, pegging the Dark who faced him squarely in head, knocking him to the ground instantly. Kiril moved with lightning speed to get behind the second Dark as he began to turn around.

Kiril grabbed the Dark around the back of the neck. Before he could break the Dark’s neck, the glint of sunlight off the blade of a push dagger caught his attention. Kiril leaned to the side to avoid the small but lethal blade and grabbed the Dark’s hand that wielded the weapon while continuing to apply pressure around his neck.

Kiril kicked his feet out from underneath him, dropping him to the ground on his arse. He had more leverage since he was kneeling and used that to his advantage as he used his strength to turn the Dark’s hand toward his own chest. Kiril ground his teeth together and gave a shove, sending the push dagger right into the Dark’s chest. The Dark jerked, his eyes widening as the life drained from him.

Kiril pulled out the push dagger and looked at the blade to realize it wasn’t just any weapon. It was a weapon from a Light Fae, forged in the Fires of Erwar. It was a weapon that would kill a Fae—any Fae.

He flipped the dagger in the air and caught it deftly as he stalked to the second Dark and plunged the blade into his throat before he had time to wake. After tucking the push dagger in his pocket, he pulled in a deep breath and called forth his dragon magic. As the breath passed his lips, it was pale blue, making ice coat his lips.

When his breath touched the two Dark, they were frozen instantly. Kiril heard the approach of footsteps and punched both of the icy corpses, shattering them into millions of tiny pieces. He stood and walked to the back of the bus, a smile on his face as the strong sea wind lifted the shards of ice and scattered them.

There was no trace of either Dark, and neither had then reported back about Phelan. Not to mention Kiril had worked off some of his aggression. It was a win-win in his book.

He returned to his car and started the drive to his estate feeling much more in control of things.

*   *   *

Shara was surprised at how orderly Balladyn ran things in his compound. She tried to see everything, but spending an entire month there wouldn’t reveal everything. There were too many passages, too many rooms even X didn’t know anything about.

After passing so much time on her own while her family was dealing with Dark Fae politics, wars, and who knew what else, and then being locked away for her screw-up, she was so out of the loop of what the Dark were doing. Because she knew it was much more than just taking the souls of humans. The Dark were always planning something, always trying to take over one realm or another.

It was odd to see the Dark in all their sinister beauty, lounging on the floor amid huge pillows and reclining on chaise lounges while the music of Pitbull thumped through the speakers and humans—male and females—either begged for attention or prayed to be ignored.

“We’re going to rule them,” her companion stated when he caught her gazing at a human male.

Shara nodded absently. A human male with wheat-colored hair caught her attention. He was handsome enough, and at a quick glance resembled Kiril. The more she looked, however, the more she spotted the differences.

The human was thinner, not having nearly the bulk or definition of Kiril. The human’s hair was short instead of having Kiril’s long waves. The human’s eyes were a plain brown and not the shamrock green of Kiril’s.

The differences continued, but Shara stopped noticing them. Her heart had accelerated at the thought that Kiril could end up in the compound, and that alone, alarmed her.

She wanted to be a part of her family. It had been all she thought about those six centuries of her imprisonment. She was willing to do anything to once more belong instead of being locked away. Already she had put herself in an untenable position by telling Kiril the things she had and keeping other things from her family.

If her family discovered where she was and what she had planned, anything could happen. They might praise her for taking action, but most likely she would be punished for thinking she could make her own decisions.

How was she to follow the wishes of her family so blindly after living over a thousand years on her own? She craved her freedom, yearned to make her own choices about what she wore and who she spent time with. Most of all, she wanted to decide who would be her husband. That shouldn’t be her father’s choice. She should have the final say, regardless of whether it was Dark tradition or not.

Her father thought confining her for six hundred years would rein her in, and for the most part it did. Until she was back out in the world. Until she met Kiril.

Kiril made her hunger for things she had forgotten, to desire the one thing she was meant to betray—him. How had she gotten into such a horrible position?

Choices. Her choices. That’s how she had ended up there. That and the fact of who her family was. To go against them would be like declaring war on them, and in order for her to live, she couldn’t do it alone. She had to have allies, strong allies.

“Are you all right?” X asked her.

Shara swallowed her fears and flashed a bright smile. “Fill me in on everything and everyone. I want to know who are the strongest Dark, the ones everyone fears. I’ve been away for so long.”

X hesitated, a look of uncertainty filling his face. “But your brother—”

“Isn’t master here,” she interrupted him. Shara stopped and faced the Dark. “Who do you answer to? Balladyn or Farrell?”

“Balladyn, of course,” X hastened to answer. “But Farrell is coming up through the ranks quickly.”

“Quickly enough to defeat Balladyn?”

The Dark laughed low and deep, a sinister smile upon his thin lips. “That will never happen. If anything happens to Taraeth, Balladyn will be the one to lead us.”

“Then why are you afraid of my brother? If you serve Balladyn, then he will protect you.”

“I will protect X from what?” came a deep, gravelly voice behind her.

Shara’s heart plummeted to her feet as she turned and found a tall Dark with red eyes narrowed at her. His hair was long, hanging midway down his back, with thick strips of silver running through his black hair.

His bare arms, crossed over his chest, showed chiseled muscles. As menacing as he looked with his black leather vest and pants, his strength couldn’t compare to that of Kiril’s. Thinking of her Dragon King, Shara found her heart calming, her breath evening. She had an opportunity here. She couldn’t let it slip through her fingers.

“I’ll ask you again, female, why are you declaring that I, Balladyn, will protect X?” he demanded, his arms dropping to his sides as he took a menacing step toward her.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Shara couldn’t speak for a full minute. She’d never expected to come face-to-face with Balladyn during her first visit. She wasn’t prepared to speak to him, but she had no choice. Most Dark in his position didn’t mix with the hangers-on that littered his fortress; the fact he did was another revelation.

She wanted to run back to the doorway that would take her home. That was the girl she used to be. Her family had forced the woman to come forward. If she were going to take her life into her own hands, then she needed to begin to act like a Blackwood.

“I’m Shara Blackwood.”

His angry demeanor vanished. It was replaced with a look of delight and satisfaction. His gaze raked her head to toe in a slow perusal. “Your family allowed you to come here?”

“I didn’t ask their permission.”

Balladyn chuckled, his body relaxing. “A female who knows her mind. That’s not like a Dark. I like it.”

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise if you know my family.”

His gaze flared with desire. “There is talk that you will marry soon.”

“So I’ve been told. Apparently, there are some who wish to align with my family.”

“And have you as a wife.”

Shara’s smile was slight, barely turning her lips upward at the corners. “There are very few worthy of my family. Or me.”

She wasn’t sure what she was doing. Flirting with a male like Balladyn who served as Taraeth’s right-hand man was as mad as being attracted to a Dragon King. Maybe that was her problem. She was crazy. It was the only explanation for her recent actions.

Balladyn’s gaze shifted to the Dark next to her. “Leave us.”

X bowed his head and hastily walked away. The power and respect Balladyn had was remarkable. People feared her family, and therefore feared Farrell. All around her she could see the admiration and influence Balladyn had. If there was ever a Dark who would dare to go against her family besides Taraeth, it was Balladyn.

He moved closer, crowding her so that she had to choose to move away and appear weak or stand her ground. As difficult as it was, Shara decided to stand her ground. Balladyn stood so close his chest brushed her breasts. He peered down at her, and then touched the silver strip of her hair.

“Why are you in my compound?” His demand, asked in a soft voice, didn’t hide his doubt as to her reasoning.

She turned her head away from his intense gaze and motioned to the room at large. “I’ve heard a lot about what goes on here.”

“No you haven’t.”

Shara shifted her gaze back to him and raised a brow. She didn’t know how he knew she lied or if he was testing her. Either way, she was going to allow him to win. It was intuition she followed instead of certainty regarding the situation. “The truth isn’t as neatly tied up.”

He backed her against the wall and put an arm on either side of her. “But it’s the truth I want.”

“Farrell told me I couldn’t come without him. I am tired of being told what to do.”

Balladyn’s gaze held her for several tense moments. “Once you marry, it’ll be your husband who tells you what to do.”

“There has to be a Dark out there who would appreciate a strong woman and her opinions.”

Just as she hoped, his eyes lowered to her lips. “Aye,” he murmured.

Shara had been nervous with Kiril, but she had never been terrified. She was that and more with Balladyn. And yet she found herself considering him because she had no other choice, regardless that she wished Kiril was a choice. The fact was, he wasn’t. Any female who managed to tie Balladyn into marriage would find herself elevated above almost all.

She would no longer be under the thumb of her family. As Balladyn mentioned, she would be under his. Except he didn’t seem like the type who wanted to control her. He seemed to appreciate her strong will. That could be to her benefit.

A Dark female without family was shunned from everyone and everything. So walking away from her family wasn’t an option. She wouldn’t live out the week. Farrell would see to that.

Since she couldn’t leave everything behind or go to Scotland with Kiril, this was all that she could do. Shara didn’t want to marry Balladyn any more than she wanted to trap Kiril, but no matter where she looked, she couldn’t see another way for her.

Her flaunting of her family’s rule and taking control excited Balladyn. She could see it in his gaze and the way he stared at her as if he was holding back from throwing her over his shoulder and taking her through one of the many doors she saw down the various corridors. She would always have to watch herself with Balladyn. The first hint of deceit or dishonesty and he would kill her.