Flame, page 24
“Well.” She turned to face him. “Then you better spit it out. All of it.”
Gold eyes met hers. After a long sigh, Ulrik began the tale of how Cain and Noreen met and why. By the time he finished, Rhi was in a state of shock.
“It’s going to kill Con to realize that he was right all along,” Ulrik said.
She turned to the side, numb. “At least Cain discovered things before it was too late.”
“Only because something about touching you brought the spell down. Noreen told Cain all of it.”
“You believe her?”
“I doona know,” Ulrik replied with a shake of his head. “It’s no use asking Cain. He’s too torn up at the moment to think straight either way.”
Rhi drew in a long breath. “I think it’s best if we not discuss Noreen in front of him for a while. Return to Dreagan and fill Con in. I’ll stay with Cain.”
“That’s no’ happening. You willna be able to control him.”
“Control?” She let out a bark of laughter. “Sweet cheeks, I’m not controlling anything. I’m watching him to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere.”
Ulrik held up his silver cuff. “Good thing I swiped this before Cain realized it. Otherwise, he might try and leave this realm.”
Rhi didn’t even want to think about what Cain could do if he got out. Thanks to Ulrik, that wasn’t going to happen.
“Seriously. Go to Dreagan,” Ulrik told her.
She cut him a hard look. “I’ve been by myself for a reason. I’ve no interest in going to Dreagan.”
“Rhi,” Ulrik began.
She faced him, giving him a look that dared him to finish that sentence.
He threw up his hands in defeat. “Fine. I’ll go.”
“Cain won’t leave here. I can promise you that,” she said.
Ulrik pointed a finger at her. “You’re going to have to go to Earth sooner or later.”
“I know. I’ve got Usaeil to find—and kill. Again. Not to mention, I’ll be fighting the Others. No way this Moreann person is getting near me.”
Ulrik put his hands on his hips and shook his head as he looked at the ground. “Fuck me. I actually thought Noreen was speaking the truth.”
“She was. At least, she was until the spell broke.”
His head snapped to her. “You think all she told us was the truth?”
“I do. Otherwise, how would she convince you? It had to be the truth. No doubt once she set out on her mission, whatever plans the Others had changed.”
“If they want you badly enough to go through all these motions, then you have to be really important.”
She waved away his words. “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, you need to get to Con.”
Ulrik hesitated a moment longer before he gave a nod and touched the cuff. Once he was gone, Rhi jumped to where Cain was. She hollered up at him, trying to get his attention. When that didn’t work, she teleported atop him.
“Hey, you big oaf!” she bellowed and pounded him on the back. “I’m trying to get your attention.”
Cain halted mid-bellow and dipped his wing so severely—and unexpectedly—that she fell off. Rhi managed to use her magic to jump to a mountain peak near her so she didn’t plummet to her death. Unfortunately, she didn’t land on her feet.
She winced aloud when she found herself with her knees bent to the side and her face in the dirt. She blew out a breath, causing a lock of her hair to move out of her face as she pushed up on her hands.
“At least I didn’t die,” she said to herself.
“That was bloody stupid. You could’ve been killed.”
Rhi looked up to find Cain standing before her, naked. She briefly let her eyes run down his body, and while he was impressive, he wasn’t her King.
She climbed to her feet and dusted herself off. “I had to do something to get your attention.”
“I’d like to be left alone.”
“Yeah, I get that. I’ve been feeling that for some time now, but people keep intruding on me. It’s only fair I do the same to you.”
His green eyes moved away, his hands fisted at his sides. “What do you want?”
“Noreen and Moreann went to a lot of trouble to find me. I think we need to find out why.”
“Be my guest,” he replied and turned away, shifting as he did.
Rhi knew she had this one chance to stop him, to get Cain to move his anger aside and consider another possibility. “Noreen didn’t lie to you.”
He paused, his wings outstretched. His large dragon head turned to her, pinning her with pale yellow eyes.
“Think about it. While the spell was in place, Noreen was truthful. She had to be in order for you to trust her. And once the spell was broken, she could’ve gone on lying, could’ve completed her mission. But she didn’t. She told you what was going on.”
Cain folded his wings and looked away.
Rhi moved closer to him. “I know it hurts. She set out to betray a Dragon King. Not you specifically. I don’t know what transpired between the two of you, but I saw you put yourself between her and Death. You’d only do that if she was your mate.”
A growl rumbled from Cain, telling her she was treading on dangerous ground.
She threw up her hands. “You don’t want to hear that, and I won’t mention it again. But you know I’m right. I think if there was more to say, she’d tell you.”
In a heartbeat, Cain was facing her, his nostrils flaring as he stood over her, looking down at her as if he wanted to envelop her in dragon fire.
No doubt he did, but she knew he wouldn’t. She was telling him things he’d already thought to himself but wasn’t quite ready to face. She was making him face it, though.
“Why did she tell you about the spell?” Rhi asked. “She told you because she feels something for you.”
Or it could be another part of the plan. Rhi wasn’t sure, and honestly, it didn’t matter. Either way, they could use it to their advantage.
The old Rhi would’ve never dared to even consider this, but the new Rhi didn’t really give a shite about hurting anyone’s feelings. The truth needed to be discovered—and the sooner, the better.
“You asked Erith not to take her soul,” Rhi continued. “You love Noreen. If you think she has any feelings for you, then use that to get answers. You may not want to consider it, but use her as you were used.”
Cain shifted back into a man, his face a mask of torment and anguish. “I doona think I can look at her again.”
“Remember, this wasn’t against you. She would’ve gotten close to whatever King was sent to her, but something developed between the two of you.”
Cain snorted, his eyes cutting away. “She probably would’ve slept with any King who helped her.”
“Maybe. But they wouldn’t have found their mate like you did. And you wouldn’t have told her about being your mate if you didn’t believe she felt something for you.”
“It was a lie.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. We won’t know until we talk to her.”
His head swung back to her. “How can we believe anything she says?”
Rhi smiled then. “Sometimes, you Kings can be so thick. Have you forgotten you have an ace up your sleeve?”
There was a pause before Cain said, “Tristan.”
She nodded, smiling. “Ding ding ding ding. We have a winner, folks.”
“I’m no’ sure I can do this,” he said in a low voice.
Rhi walked to Cain and took his hand, keeping her eyes on his face. “Yes, you can, because it has to be you. She’ll be so focused on you that she won’t know what we’re doing. Besides, she’s with Erith. Death can do whatever she wants.”
“Then she can create me. I doona have to be there.”
Frustrated, Rhi released a long sigh. “There’s no getting out of this. Hold in your hurt until it’s all over. There’s a chance you’ll discover the real Noreen is the one who has been with you.”
It was a lie. A huge, fat lie, but Rhi didn’t care. She’d say whatever she had to in order to get the information she needed—regardless of who she hurt.
That’s my girl.
She inwardly flipped the darkness off. Her battle with it was just beginning, and she wasn’t sure she was up to the challenge. After all, she also had Usaeil and Moreann to deal with.
There was only so much Rhi could handle, and she knew she was at the end of her rope. But she had enough left to at least take care of Usaeil.
“You’re right,” Cain said as he lifted his head. “I’m a Dragon King.”
“Yes, you are.”
He nodded. “I’ll do it.”
“Awesome. Now, put some clothes on, stud.”
In a blink, jeans, a shirt, and boots covered him. Then he said, “Erith.”
They didn’t wait long before Death appeared. She looked from Cain to Rhi. “What’s going on?”
Cain was the one who said, “I want to talk to Noreen.”
Erith’s lavender eyes swung to him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re too close to this.”
“She has information,” Cain insisted.
“And I’ll get it.”
Rhi decided it was time to step in. “Cain needs to know what is fact and what is fiction. While he’s talking to her, keeping her occupied, we thought Tristan could delve into her mind to see what he can learn.”
Erith said nothing for a long, silent moment. “Is this what you want, Cain?”
“Aye,” he stated.
“All right.”
No sooner had the words been spoken than Cain was gone, leaving Rhi with Death. She wasn’t afraid, though. In fact, Rhi didn’t expect to live much longer.
“And what is it you plan to learn?” Erith demanded. “I know the state Cain is in, and he didn’t come up with this plan.”
Rhi shrugged. “So? We need information.”
“You mean you need information.”
“Again, so?”
Erith gave her a hard look. “We’re better when we all fight together. It isn’t good for any of us to go out on his or her own.”
Rhi gave a bark of laughter. “Funny since you were the one who kept telling me Usaeil was mine to take out. Odd how we weren’t all a team then.”
“Careful.”
“Or what? You’ll take my soul?”
Erith gave her a derisive look. “No. This.”
Rhi gaped as she was left alone on the Fae Realm.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Despite her hope that the purple-eyed Fae would leave her, Noreen found her answers only intrigued him more.
“You’re Cain’s mate?”
She wanted to roll her eyes but held back. It wouldn’t do her any good to show such disrespect. She might not know who this man was, but the strength of his magic was evident even to her. Just as the woman’s was.
Thinking about the pair of them caused a chill to race down Noreen’s spine. The couple wasn’t anyone she wanted to piss off. Unfortunately, it looked like she’d done just that. But who were they? And why didn’t Moreann know about them?
“I wouldn’t suggest silence as an answer.”
She was startled out of her own thoughts. “I was thinking. Sorry.” Noreen licked her lips and wished to be talking about Moreann and the Others, not Cain. Because when she spoke about Cain, she thought of his arms, of how he’d looked at her with such yearning, such … care in his deep green eyes.
And she’d royally fekked that up.
“It’s what he told me,” she finally replied. She shrugged. “I knew he liked me. People don’t have the kind of sex we shared if there isn’t a very strong attraction.”
Purple eyes bored right into her. Noreen almost asked if it’d be helpful if they could dive inside her head and get all the answers without putting her through this. The interrogation, the feeling of being trapped, was all part of the process. For all she knew, torture might be in her future.
And she deserved every minute of whatever they doled out to her.
“What do you think of Cain?” the man asked.
Her eyes dropped to her feet. “I already told you.”
“No, you didn’t.”
Maybe she hadn’t. Perhaps she’d just been telling herself. It was getting harder and harder to remember what had happened and what hadn’t.
She gave a little shake of her head to try and clear it. “I counted on the Kings’ willingness to help those in need when I set up my plan.”
“You put a lot on the fact they’d help not only a Dark, but also someone part of the Others.”
“I did. It was a long shot, and if it didn’t work, we weren’t out much. But if it did…” She let her words trail off. There was no need to elaborate. Noreen cleared her throat. “The Others have studied the Dragon Kings for a long period. Or, I should say, Moreann has. She’s documented nearly all of it, and it was always available to any of us who wanted to study it.”
The man immediately asked, “Did you?”
Noreen nodded.
“Any particular King?”
She knew what the man was asking. “No, I didn’t target Cain. As I said, I had no idea who they would send to me. Everything I knew about the Dragon Kings was wiped away with the spell.”
The man dropped his arms to his sides. “But you knew of Cain.”
“Yes.” She lifted her gaze to his. “Moreann has a list of all the Kings and their colors. She didn’t always know their names, but she kept a detailed list.”
“Who was she most interested in?”
Noreen made a face. “That’s a silly question. It was Constantine, of course. He’s the leader, the strongest of them. She knew that to defeat him would be the first step in clearing the way for the removal of all Dragon Kings.”
“Did she think she could kill him?”
“She planned on Ulrik doing it.” Just saying the words made Noreen’s stomach turn viciously. She drew in several calming breaths not to get sick. “She.…” Noreen had to stop and try again. “Everything that happened to Ulrik began with Moreann speaking to Mikkel. If she hadn’t interfered, there’s a good chance none of that horrible business would’ve transpired.”
The man squatted before her and trapped her gaze with his purple orbs. “And when that plan was foiled?”
Noreen swallowed, her throat and mouth dry. “She knew that with the right magic combination, there was a chance the Others could kill a Dragon King.”
“Really?”
If she thought the man’s eyes had been filled with fury before, she’d been wrong. They burned with a wrath so great that it appeared as if the purple irises were lit from within.
Noreen nodded woodenly, wondering if it would be the Dragon Kings who killed her or if it would be this Fae. “Moreann never actually said it, but I think that’s why she wanted Rhi so badly.”
“To use with you? Or with Usaeil?”
“I have no idea,” Noreen replied with a shrug. “Usaeil’s much stronger than I am.”
His gaze raked over her. “Obviously, you have some benefit. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be a part of the Others.”
“Moreann trained me from the day she found me after my parents’ deaths.”
The man made a sound in the back of his throat as he straightened. “You seem very sure about how your parents died.”
This again. She should’ve known. “Yes.”
“Stand up.”
Was it time, then? Was she about to die? She pulled up an image of Cain’s face in her mind as she got to her feet. It would be the last thing she saw before her life ended, and if she were lucky, she’d get to take it into whatever afterlife she was granted.
The Fae walked around her slowly. She held still—barely—wondering if she’d feel it when he took her life. But he came back around, and she was still breathing.
“You think I’d be the one to take your life?” he asked, a brow raised. He issued a loud snort. “You obviously have a lot to learn about the Dragon Kings.”
She didn’t deny that. The things she knew, or thought she knew, had come from Moreann. They had been colored by her thoughts of the Kings, and not many of them had been actual accountings. Then again, Moreann would say what Noreen had seen through Cain’s memories was colored by what he’d experienced.
The problem was, both were right. She had been able to witness both sides, and she knew without a doubt that the Kings had been dealt a very unfair hand. They hadn’t always done right, but for the most part, they had.
And they weren’t trying to destroy a species just to have their planet.
It sickened Noreen to realize that she had been such an integral part of the Others. Going to such extremes that she had not only been the one to come up with the plan, but had also implemented it.
“You’ve told me quite a lot,” the man said.
She realized he’d been watching her, but she didn’t care anymore. Let them see whatever they wanted. It wasn’t as if they’d believe anything she said. “And you’re wondering how much of it is true.”
“I know how much is the truth.”
His statement took her aback. She frowned and found herself studying him. “How?”
He shrugged. “Let’s just say that I have friends with special … gifts.”
“Then ask me anything you want so I can give you whatever answers you need.”
“The thing is, we’re not sure if the spell is gone.”
“It is.”
He gave her a flat look. “Is it? Before you touched Rhi, you didn’t have a clue it was even in place. Now, you want me to believe that it’s all gone?”
“Yes.”
“Are you a hundred percent certain?”
Noreen hesitated, thinking about how painful it had been for the spell to be put in place. She recalled the dream where Moreann’s hands had held her head as she said the spell.
She hadn’t asked Moreann what the spell was. She had trusted the empress, but that didn’t mean Moreann trusted her. There was a chance Moreann had added something to the spell.
“You need to kill me. Or send for Con or whoever, but I need to die,” she pleaded with the man.
He calmly stared at her. “Why?”
“In case Moreann added something to the spell. It’s exactly something she’d do. I’ve already hurt enough people. I don’t want to be a part of this anymore.”
