“I ran,” she said. “I saw more and more of your kind flooding the streets, and I knew I had to get out of the city.”

“With no car?” asked the Dark with the king.

The king smiled. “That’s Balladyn, my dear. He’s my right hand, my enforcer. He’s very adept at picking through lies.”

“Then he’ll have a hard time with me because I’m not lying.”

Balladyn crowded her left side. Lexi kept her gaze on the king, pretending that she didn’t want to shove past both of them and run screaming from the room.

“You ran from the city and just happened to find your way here?” Balladyn asked in a voice so soft and cold that Lexi couldn’t hold back a shiver.

She slid her gaze to him. “If you didn’t hear it in my accent, I’m not from here. No, I didn’t take a car from the city. They were piled up all through the streets. I left on foot. I stayed off the roads in an attempt to keep away from you.” She swallowed, keeping an image of Thorn fighting the Dark as if he had been born to it in her mind.

If he could be strong against dozens attacking him, then she would be strong against the ones she faced now. Because any other choice would be a catastrophe.

Thorn.

Just saying his name gave her strength. Lexi returned her gaze to the king. “I’ve been on the move since last night. I got caught in the weather. I was completely lost when a man found me and brought me here.”

Balladyn’s red eyes narrowed. He leaned close and inhaled deeply.

Was it her imagination or had he just flinched, surprise flickering in his eyes?

“Then?” the king asked.

Lexi gripped the blanket tighter in an effort not to scoot away from the both of them. “I heard screams. I walked out and saw that maniac,” she said with a jerk of her chin to Gorul, “and his friends killing people. But I didn’t get away in time. They saw me and brought me in here.”

The king took her hand that was clasped on the outside of the blanket and ran his thumb across her fingers. “Your hands are cold.”

“I was caught in the rain. It’s freaking cold here.”

The king smiled. “You’re naked beneath.”

“Not entirely.” She did still have on her bra and panties.

“I’m Taraeth, king of these maniacs,” he said with a smile and cold, cold red eyes. He leaned his head to the side and motioned to the group of people. “Do you see those over there?”

Lexi nodded.

“Those humans are crying because of the slaughter my men wrought. Yet, they haven’t run. Look at them, my dear.”

“No.”

Taraeth grabbed her chin and forced her face around to look at the group. She glanced at the ones moaning, their hands running over their bodies as they waited for the Dark to take them.

Lexi’s gaze clashed with brown ones from earlier. The other two women she had spotted who weren’t acting like the others were near her. All three were half hidden by the mass of people trying to get to the Dark. How long would they remain that way?

“That’s how you should be acting toward us,” Taraeth whispered in her ear. “You should have dropped that blanket and begged me to take you. Why haven’t you?”

How had she not seen the anger in his eyes? Lexi’s hand began to shake in his hold. She slowly turned her head to look at him. “I don’t know.”

Taraeth kept ahold of her hand and took a step back. “I’ve seen this once before. It was a mate of a Dragon King who was immune to us. She didn’t want me to touch her, but I still made her climax. With Kellan watching as I did.”

The fear she had felt from falling and the Dark tracking her were nothing compared to standing before Taraeth and listening to what he obviously had planned for her.

“Who is your Dragon King?” Taraeth asked.

Lexi shook her head. She was so scared that it took her two tries to say, “I d-don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Lying is going to make things so much worse, my dear,” he said with a smile and death in his eyes. “I can bring you unimaginable pleasure while I’m slowly killing you. Or I can bring you pain. It matters not to me. Make it easy on yourself and give me a name. I want to know which of the arrogant Kings I’ll have the enjoyment of hurting by killing you.”

Lexi glanced at Balladyn to find him watching her intently. Before she could say anything, she doubled over. It wasn’t from pain. It was from desire so intense and strong that she couldn’t breathe.

Her sex pulsed, throbbing with need. The wool blanket scraped across her breasts as she tried to turn away. Her nipples hardened against her bra from the contact.

Lexi held back the moan as long as she could before she fell to her knees. Taraeth kept ahold of her hand, his thumb still stroking her.

“That need I just forced on you comes from being near us,” Taraeth said. He laughed. “How long do you think you can go on like that before you try to give yourself relief?”

That thought had already crossed Lexi’s mind. She glared up at him. “What a coward you are to violate me in such a way when there are hundreds of others who want you.”

“Ah,” Taraeth whispered as he sent more need pumping through her. “But that’s what makes you so appealing. Soon, you’ll be begging me to give you release. You’ll forget everything and everyone but me.”

He dropped her hand and turned away. Lexi wrapped her arms around her middle and groaned again. The desire was overwhelming. She pictured Thorn in her head and kept him there.

“Bring her, Balladyn,” Taraeth said as he started to turn away. He paused and looked at the group of humans. “Another surprise. Bring the traitor, Shara, as well.” Taraeth stopped beside Gorul and said, “Kill the rest.”

A moan left Lexi when Balladyn lifted her in his arms. She was supposed to have been safe on Dreagan. What happened?

“Fighting it will only make it worse, woman,” Balladyn murmured.

Fighting? She had no choice, because Lexi wasn’t going to die like Christina had.

Thorn!

CHAPTER

THIRTY-SIX

Thorn removed his clothes and stood on top of the warehouse surveying all his enhanced eyesight could see—and it wasn’t a pretty picture.

The once beautiful ancient city had taken a battering from the Dark. After the building Lexi had been in was destroyed, the Dark moved to other areas of the city and began to ravage it.

The rain was coming faster, hitting his skin like pellets. Wind whipped around him, as if urging him to shift and take to the sky. He glanced about for humans. How many times had they taken precautions so that the mortals wouldn’t see them?

How many times had they not been able to shift because the humans were too close?

Now, not one of the mortals was paying attention. Con was already flying over the city. Thorn could see a hint of gold scales through the clouds.

Thorn could finally focus on the task at hand like he had before he saw Lexi the first time. It was a relief that she was completely out of danger at Dreagan. Finally, she was well and truly safe.

He jumped and shifted at the same time. His wings unfurled and caught the wind. It took him straight up to the clouds.

“Ready?” Con asked.

Thorn circled the warehouse to make sure no one had seen him. “Been ready.”

The two of them stayed in the clouds until they found a group of Dark. He and Con came at them from opposite sides. Thorn went first, blasting them with magic and pushing the Dark right toward Con.

Thorn dipped his wing to turn and flew off when Con came in and released dragon fire on the Fae. When they were done, no Dark was left alive.

With their victory, they moved on to the next section. It proved more difficult since there were numerous humans mixed in with the Dark.

Thorn tucked his wings and dove straight down from the clouds. Since he was unable to spread his wings fully between the buildings, he managed to spread them enough to halt his descent and even him out. He grabbed a Dark in each hand, crushing them.