Thorn was still holding her when Darius returned. Darius didn’t bat an eye when he came to the doorway and saw them.

“Her fever broke,” Thorn said.

Darius nodded and left. He came back a moment later with a clean set of sheets. Thorn gathered Lexi in his arms while Darius stripped the bed. As soon as Darius had the new sheets on, Thorn laid her down and found another gown. He hastily changed her and covered her once more—peeking at her only twice.

“You didna look,” Darius said.

Thorn wadded up the soaked gown and tossed it with the sheets. “She’s ill.”

“That wouldna stop most.”

“I’m no’ most.”

Darius was silent for a long while before he said, “Nay, Thorn, you’re no’.”

Thorn looked at him. He wasn’t surprised that Darius had answered Con’s call for all Kings sleeping away the centuries to wake for battle. What Thorn was shocked at was Darius himself.

The last time he had seen Darius he had taken to his cave, intending never to wake again. Darius wasn’t jesting when he said he had his demons. All the Kings did, but Darius had more than most.

“What?” Darius asked.

“I never asked. How are you?”

Darius’s smile was tight, forced. “I’m killing Dark. I’m doing pretty good at the moment.”

Thorn wondered how long that would last.

“I hear that my awakening was compared to Kellan’s,” Darius said. “Are you concerned?”

“A King takes to his mountain for many reasons. I’m no’ concerned about you. I’m concerned for you.”

Darius dropped his gaze to the ground. “I’ll be fine.”

“There’s no need to lie. No’ to me.”

“You live long enough, you suffer every way imaginable. The mortals can no’ grasp what we endure, what we can never forget.”

Thorn nodded. “And yet some of us have found peace with their mates.”

“I doona expect the same for myself. I’m … unable to…” Darius swallowed, his pause lengthening.

With a soft turn of his lips, Thorn waited for Darius to look at him. When he did, Thorn said, “I know.”

Darius hastily looked away and then walked into the kitchen. Thorn turned his attention back to the bed and froze when he found Lexi’s eyes open.

She stared at him a moment, and then softly closed her lids, drifting back to sleep. Thorn tucked the covers around her before he touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

Bora Bora

Rhi sipped on her tropical alcoholic beverage and soaked up the rays of the sun. She wiggled her toes as she reclined on the lounger, and then frowned when she saw the black nail polish.

Black. Why couldn’t she seem to use another color? Oh, there was the gold, silver, white, and even blue as an accent, but only black as the base.

The darkness within her smiled.

Rhi rose off the lounger and walked to the edge of the turquoise water. The golden sand beneath her feet was as hot as the unforgiving sun. Despite only being there a few days, her skin had begun to bronze nicely.

She walked into the water until she was up to her thighs, then she dove in. The cool sea felt wonderful. She smiled as she watched fish swim below her.

Rhi broke the surface and treaded water as she looked back at the beach. It was a secluded place. She liked having the stunning scenery all to herself. Perhaps it was because she knew Balladyn was always trying to find her, to convince her to be his, but she knew she was being watched.

They were veiled. This was the third time in two weeks she had felt such a presence. It wasn’t Balladyn. If he knew where she was, he would be trying to seduce her, not watching her.

It also wasn’t Inen from the Queen’s Guard. He was powerful, but not nearly powerful enough to keep veiled for so long. No one other than Usaeil herself—and Rhi, though no one else knew that—could stay veiled as long as they wanted. Usaeil was Queen of the Light. She wouldn’t be spying on Rhi this way.

Rhi was intrigued. Who would want to follow her?

More importantly, why?

CHAPTER

NINE

Lexi opened her eyes to see she was in a bed. It was a woman’s studio flat by the looks of it, but it wasn’t hers.

Her throat hurt, and her mouth was dry. She desperately needed something to drink. She sat up, wondering why her body was so sore.

There was no one about that she could tell, and she really wished she could remember how she got there. Lexi slid her legs from beneath the covers and over the side of the bed. She stood, and her legs immediately buckled. She managed to grab hold of the bed to keep herself standing.

If she didn’t know better, she would say she had been sick. She got her legs underneath her before she looked out the window. The sun was high in the sky, which meant she had slept. Since her eyes no longer hurt, she suspected she’d slept at least a good eight hours.

Lexi spotted a pile of sheets near the door. She saw her sweater sticking out. Suddenly, she realized she was naked expect for the pale yellow Victoria’s Secret nightshirt she wore.

She slowly walked to the stack to get her clothes. Lexi bent and pushed the sheets away to reveal all of her clothes. That should’ve made her happy, except that they were cut to pieces.

Just what the hell had happened?

And why couldn’t she remember?

Lexi looked for her knife. It had to be around somewhere. It took her two tries before she could stand. A walk around the studio and she found her knife laying on an end table next to the sofa.

She hurried to it. Once she had the weapon in her hand, she felt a little calmer. She wouldn’t be in control until she had on clothes and was back at her place.

If she could get past the Red Eyes.

“Good. You’re up.”

She knew that deep, silky smooth voice. Lexi didn’t have to look to know it was the stranger, but she couldn’t help herself. She turned and lost herself in his deep brown eyes.

His long dark hair was down once more. It was thick and straight, and sexy as sin. Damn him for being so good every time she saw him. He smiled then, looking charming and wicked all at once.

Despite a valiant attempt, Lexi took stock of his white tee, jeans, and boots.

“How do you feel?”

She felt like she had been dragged through Hell and back. “I’m fine.”

Lexi winced at the croaking that was her voice. What had happened to her? She rubbed her throat and glanced into the kitchen.

Warily, she walked in a wide circle around him until she reached the kitchen. Using the counter as a crutch, she got a glass off the shelf and filled it with water. Lexi kept her eyes on him as she drank four glasses.

The stranger remained where he was, silently watching her with his cool gaze. This was the third time she had encountered him. No longer could she call it coincidence.

She set the empty glass down and braced herself against the counter. “Where am I?”

“This flat belongs to a friend named Darcy,” he replied.

“How did I get here?”

His lips compressed for a heartbeat. “I brought you.”

Lexi gripped her knife tighter.

He held up his hands, palms out. “I’ll no’ hurt you, lass.”

“What did you do to me?”

He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I caught you when you fainted.”

“I don’t faint.”

One dark brown brow lifted. “I beg to differ. You were sick. I brought you here and nursed you.”

She put her empty hand against her stomach. That meant he’d been the one to undress her.

“You’ve been out for three days.”

Her gaze snapped to him. Three days? She couldn’t have lost that time. She needed it to find Christina’s killer. Lexi looked at the wardrobe. Surely there was something in there for her to wear. At least something that would do for her to get to her flat and change.

“I know you want to leave, but you might want to rethink that, Lexi.”

She jerked at the sound of her name.