“Thorn?”

Her sweater was burned where the bubble of magic had grazed her.

“I don’t feel so well,” she said thickly.

Thorn caught her as she toppled to the side. “Darius!” he yelled through their mental link.

A second later Darius ran back into the warehouse. He took one look at Thorn holding Lexi and slid to a stop. “Is she…?”

“No’ yet,” Thorn said and laid her down. He then rushed to find clothes they had stashed there as soon as they found the warehouse. “She was hit with the Dark’s magic.”

“Shite,” Darius said and rushed to them. He peeled back her coat and saw the wound. “It’s not as bad as it could be.”

“It’s bad enough.” Thorn thought to never be in this position again. He’d vowed he never would, and yet where did he find himself?

Darius looked up at him. “We need Con.”

Thorn was shaking his head before he finished. “We’ve been through this.”

“He’ll come for this.”

Thorn gathered her in his arms and walked from the warehouse.

“Thorn, she needs medical attention.”

“I know.”

Darius was at his side. “What is your plan?”

“I willna chance Con refusing to help. Lexi is a human who got in the way, and with the war, Con will say she’s a casualty.”

“Tell him she’s your mate. That always gets him to help.”

Thorn lengthened his strides as night began to fall. “I’ll no’ lie.”

“She could be your mate.”

“So could that woman to my left,” he said, nodding to the old lady at the corner. “I’m no’ going to lie to get Con here. He already thinks I’ve betrayed him.”

Darius blew out a breath. “I suppose you have another plan?”

“I do.”

Thorn was ever so glad to see Darcy’s building come into view. He didn’t breathe easy until they were inside and Lexi was on the bed.

He went to the kitchen counter where he had left his mobile phone. Thorn scrolled through the contact list and found the name he wanted. He hit dial and impatiently waited for them to answer.

“Hello?” said the male voice.

“Fallon, it’s Thorn. I’ve got a problem.”

There was a beat of silence. “Where are you?”

“Darcy’s flat. A human has been hit with Dark magic.”

“We’ll be right there,” Fallon said.

The call disconnected. Thorn turned around, unsure of what to do now.

Darius gave a nod of approval. “Quick thinking.”

Both of them turned to the door when a knock sounded. Fallon was a Warrior who had the ability to teleport anywhere he wished, which was a great asset.

Thorn strode to it and yanked it open to reveal Fallon, his nephew Aiden, who was also a Druid, and Aiden’s mother, Marcail.

“Where is she?” Marcail asked.

Thorn stepped aside as Aiden and Marcail went to the bed and began to look over Lexi. He closed the door behind Fallon. “Thank you.”

“How many times did the Kings come to our aid? It’s nice for you to call on us,” Fallon said as he watched his sister-in-law and nephew. “What happened?”

Thorn walked to the table and took the chair that would give him the best place to watch Lexi. “Her friend was killed by the Dark. I saw her following them and attempted to stop her. She wouldna, and the Dark realized someone was tracking them. They’re all over the city, Fallon.”

“I didna think it had gotten so bad so quickly.”

Darius joined them at the table. “We do as much as we can, but there’s only so much the two of us can do against so many Dark.”

“Let us help,” Fallon said.

Thorn looked at him and smiled. “You are.”

“So the Dark tried to kill her for following them?” Fallon asked.

Darius gave a shake of his head. “Today she followed us to a warehouse where we were taking some dead Fae to … dispose of them.”

“Dispose meaning you burned them, I’m guessing,” Fallon said as he leaned on the table.

“Aye. What Lexi didna know was that the Dark saw her and decided to follow. She led them right to us.”

Fallon ran a hand down his face as he leaned back in the chair. “That’s bad luck.”

“The Dark threatened her,” Thorn continued.

Darius’s lips tightened. “Then we let loose dragon fire on their arses.”

“I thought I got to Lexi quick enough, but I didna. She was hit with their magic.” Thorn glanced at the bed to see the two Druids with their hands palm down over Lexi as they chanted.

Fallon jerked his chin to his family. “Their magic is strong. They’ll find a way to save her. I would’ve thought you’d call Con.”

Thorn looked away, not wanting to tell anyone who was not a King what was going on within their ranks. Darius, however, didn’t have that problem.

“You know Con,” Darius said. “He can be single-minded at the best of times. We’re in the middle of war. He’s no’ going to stop to come to Edinburgh to save one human.”

Fallon grunted in response.

The minutes slowly ticked by as Druid magic filled the flat. It seemed an eternity later before Marcail and Aiden lowered their hands. The two walked to the table where they both sat heavily in their chairs.

“That was … awful,” Marcail said. She lifted turquoise eyes to Thorn. “It was just a glancing blow. Anything more could’ve killed her.”

Aiden accepted a bottle of water from Darius and downed it quickly. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and sighed. “Is that what we’ve got to look forward to?”

Fallon leaned toward Thorn on the table. “Let us help. If the Kings fail, we’ll be fighting them anyway. Our numbers could help swing the tide.”

Thorn looked at Darius before they both nodded.

“Here we go again,” Marcail said, a worried frown pulling at her lips.

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

MacLeod Castle

Fallon arrived back at his home to find all the Warriors and Druids waiting for him, Marcail, and Aiden to return.

Marcail walked to Quinn and buried her head in his chest. Fallon nodded to his youngest brother. The Warriors had been talking amongst themselves for a while about helping the Dragon Kings kill the Dark Fae whether the Kings wanted them to or not.

Long, slim fingers intertwined with his. Fallon turned and smiled at his wife. Larena’s smoky blue eyes searched his before she squared her shoulders. “We battled the worst of the droughs. We’re more than ready for the Dark Fae.”

Fallon smiled. Leave it to his wife to put it so eloquently. As the only female Warrior, Larena was uniquely suited for warfare since her power was being able to turn invisible.

Lucan, the middle MacLeod brother, kissed the back of Cara’s hand and nodded to Fallon.

“Some of us have already fought these bastards,” Hayden Campbell said. “Malcolm, Logan, and I know what to expect.”

Ian stood from his spot at the long table where they all had gathered for many meals. “I spoke with Tristan yesterday. He and Dmitri are in Aberdeen fighting the Dark. He’s worried.”

The Dragon Kings and Warriors had a unique bond. Tristan was their newest King, having dropped from the sky a few years earlier. Before that Tristan was known as Duncan, Ian’s twin, who unfortunately had been killed by one of the evil Druids they had fought. All were happy to learn that Duncan had returned, even if he didn’t remember his brother.

“The Dark feed off humans,” Charon stated. “We can no’ leave our women alone.”

“Or Aiden and Britt,” Marcail said.

Charon nodded, repeating, “Or Aiden and Britt.”

Ramsey ran a hand over his chin. “They’ll come here.”

Isla looked at him from next to Hayden. “Let them try.”

“I second Isla,” Tara said and elbowed Ramsey.

Fallon raised his hand for silence when everyone began talking at once. “We’ve been through a lot as a group. We’ve lost family,” he said, glancing at Ian. “We’ve lost friends.”

“That’s what happens in war,” Broc stated.

“That it does.” Fallon took a deep breath. “We had a few years of peace. It was … refreshing. Many of us started families. There are now children to consider.”