Fury consumed her. How dare he take away what she’d learned of the Dark? To send her back to Charleston and not know what to do if a Dark showed up?

Lexi’s vision cleared as anger settled like a stone in her stomach. She shoved aside the remaining whisky and stood. She stalked from the airport and got into the first taxi she found.

Thorn owed her answers, and she was going to make damn sure he gave them.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

Thorn had a Dark Fae slumped over each of his shoulders as he carted them to the warehouse for destruction. The closer it got to Halloween, the more Dark there were. He had a bad feeling about the holiday the humans enjoyed to celebrate.

The day passed quickly as it always did when in battle. It was the only way Thorn could get through it all after seeing Lexi at the airport.

“It looks like you did a good thing inviting the Warriors and Druids to help with the way things are going today,” Darius said from beside him. “We’re going to need them.”

Thorn slowed as he approached the warehouse to make sure no one was near. “I didna invite the Druids. The Warriors can hold their own against the Dark. The Druids can no’.”

“I’ll let you tell Laura and Dani that. Those women didna bat an eye as they fought today.”

Lexi hadn’t either, Thorn thought, his mind turning to her as it so often had since she left. He used his magic and opened the warehouse door as they approached. As he walked inside he said, “I welcome their help, but for everyone’s sake, I hope the Dark doona try and take them. I know the War…”

His voice trailed off as a lamp clicked on and Lexi slid off the table where she had been sitting. Thorn couldn’t decide if he was furious that she was still in Scotland, or elated that she was here.

“How dare you,” she stated, her Southern accent thickening.

The minute she began walking to him, Thorn dropped the dead bodies. He blinked, confused. How was she here? More importantly, why did she remember him?

Anger pulsed around her as she strode to him. She halted before him and reared back her hand. Her palm connected with his cheek, sounding as if a shot had been fired as his head snapped to the side. It was so unexpected. Thorn hadn’t imagined she would hit him.

He rubbed his left cheek and gave her a stern frown. She responded by raising a brow and giving him a look that could’ve scorched him where he stood.

“You didn’t just leave without a word, you had my memories taken. What gives you the right to do such a thing?” she demanded.

Thorn opened his mouth to explain, but she spoke over him.

“You left me defenseless. I would’ve had no idea who the Dark were or how to fight them, because if you think they won’t show up in South Carolina, you’re off the mark, buddy.”

Darius backed up a step. “Uh … I’m going to collect the other dead Fae.”

Lexi didn’t even look his way. Thorn had seen her scared, sick, and wounded. He had seen her frustrated, angry, and annoyed.

But he had never seen her enraged.

She was a sight to behold with her gray eyes glittering violently and her chest heaving as she spoke rapidly. She gave no quarter, showed no mercy.

Before him stood a queen of war who would take no less than the absolute truth.

And heaven help him, but he craved her for it.

“You almost got away with it all.” She gave a shake of her head and started past him.

Thorn reached out and grabbed her arm, halting her beside him. Her head whipped around, light brown hair flying around her as she met his gaze. “I had a verra good reason.”

“My protection?” she asked with a snort. “I think I already covered that.”

He looked down into her eyes that were as stormy as rain clouds and knew at that moment that he couldn’t let her go twice. He’d tried that already.

No matter how many times he attempted to tell himself his feelings for Lexi would fade, they hadn’t. “You were nearly killed.”

She tried to pull away, but he held fast. “I wasn’t,” she said.

“What if you are the next time?”

Lexi made a face and threw up her other arm in irritation. “In all this time with humans have you learned nothing? I could be struck by lightning when I walk out of here. I could choke on a fish bone at dinner. Life is short.”

Thorn lowered his gaze to her mouth. He hungered to taste her again, to feel the fire of her need, the burn of desire. Her lips tempted like nothing else. “No’ for me.”

Lexi’s stomach quivered when she saw Thorn looking at her with such yearning. His mouth was inches from hers. They had already danced around their attraction once. She thought they were past that after their kiss, but for some reason Thorn was keeping his distance.

She softened her lips and leaned slightly toward him, unable to do anything else. There was no sound other than their breathing.

Thorn lowered his head. Their lips were about to touch when he suddenly pulled back.

Lexi extracted her arm from his grasp and turned away. “I could forgive you anything but taking my memories. You stepped over the line.”

She walked out of the warehouse hoping he would stop her, but that wasn’t Thorn’s style. He was a Dragon King, an immortal who had been alive for millions of years and seen so very much.

How silly to think that she, a nobody from Charleston, could catch his attention enough to have some sort of relationship.

Lexi didn’t stop walking until she reached a road. She looked around, trying to determine what she was going to do. Her clothes were on their way back to the States. Now that she had checked in for her flight, but didn’t get on the plane, there was no way she would be able to transfer the ticket. Even if they allowed it, the fee would be astronomical.

Her hand went to her purse where the knife was when she saw movement in the shadows to her right. With her fingers around the hilt, she relaxed when she saw it was Darius.

“Where are you going?” he asked indifferently.

Lexi shrugged. “I don’t know. A cheap hotel.”

“Stay at the flat. It’s protected. And free.”

She briefly closed her eyes, her throat clogging with emotion. Anger had kept her going, but now all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. “I’d be a fool to pass up anything free at this point.”

“Shall I walk you?”

Lexi held up a hand to halt him. “I don’t think so. You agreed to Thorn’s plan.”

“You know why. I told you last night, though you were no’ supposed to remember,” he finished with a frown.

She gawked at him, completely at a loss. “You only told me because you knew Guy was going to erase those memories.”

“Aye. Thorn will be furious when he discovers what I’ve done.”

Lexi snorted and shook her head in disgust. “I won’t be telling him.”

Darius slid his dark gaze to her. “Stick around long enough, and you’ll get to meet the Druids and Warriors.”

As quickly as he appeared, Darius faded into the shadows. Lexi adjusted her purse and continued walking. Night was falling fast, and she wished she had taken Darius up on his offer to go with her after she saw the many Dark on the street.

They were clumped in groups, some standing together, some walking. Women and men flocked to them in droves. It sickened Lexi how they fawned over the Dark.

She caught a glimpse of a female Dark. The woman had hair to her waist that was more silver than black. Her red eyes were accented with heavy makeup. She had a body anyone would envy and legs that went on for miles.

The Dark wore a pair of black jeans and a red satin shirt unbuttoned enough to show her black lace bra beneath. The men around her were so absorbed with trying to get her attention that they didn’t notice the others.

Lexi kept her eyes straight and continued past them as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself. She glanced across the street and saw the first jack-o’-lantern. Surely it wasn’t already the end of October.