Usaeil smiled. “I won’t disagree with that.”
“We need you, my queen. Desperately.”
“Then you better talk to Moreann, because she doesn’t want to hear anything I have to say.”
“That’s why I’m here, actually,” he said. “Noreen has switched sides.”
With those four words, Usaeil’s entire attitude changed. She straightened on the stool and put her feet on the floor. “What do you mean?”
“I saw her less than thirty minutes ago, holding hands with a Dragon King before they disappeared.”
“Which King? Describe him to me,” Usaeil demanded as she rose to her feet.
“Black hair, green eyes. He had a shadow of a beard.”
Usaeil nodded. “Cain. I saw Con talking to him once before I could no longer go to Dreagan. And you’re sure he and Noreen were holding hands?”
“Positive. She actually smiled at me before she teleported.”
“Are you sure it was her?”
Brian shot her a confused look. “Of course. The Kings can’t jump like us.”
“With help, they can. If it was Noreen, you should be able to track her magic. Did you?”
He really hated when he did stupid stuff, and he always seemed to be doing exactly that. “I was in such a hurry to tell Moreann that I didn’t think to check.”
“Then you should.” When he didn’t immediately move, Usaeil bellowed, “Now!”
Brian returned to the village where he’d seen Noreen and checked for any sign of her magic. It was one thing about being in the Others that he didn’t like. He knew why Moreann had used magic to make it so any of them could find other members by their magic, but he didn’t like the idea of anyone being able to follow him.
Apparently, neither did Noreen, because he found no trace of her magic anywhere in the village. He’d known she’d been acting weird, but it appeared that she had nearly gone to ground by halting any use of magic. If his friend hadn’t seen her, and Brian hadn’t come to investigate, there was no telling what Noreen could’ve done. But that was over now.
Brian returned to the castle and Usaeil. “Nothing,” he reported.
“Just as I figured. Cain is the one teleporting.”
“I vowed to find her,” Brian said. “I want you to help me. If we bring Noreen in together before she can give the Kings any information, then you’ll be back in Moreann’s good graces.”
Usaeil smiled. “What a fabulous plan. There’s just one hitch.” She lifted her arms, jangling the chains.
Brian returned her smile. “I’ve been thinking about that. Moreann might have made it so none of us can teleport into the room with you, but that’s not going to stop me.”
“You aren’t even supposed to know where I am. No one is.”
His grin widened. “I’m resourceful. As soon as I learned Moreann had taken you, I made it my mission to discover where you were.”
“I’m thankful you did.”
“Now, I need you to get as close to me as you can.”
“The chain around my waist won’t allow that.”
He nodded patiently. “I know. Just come as close as you’re able.”
She did as he asked. Brian then leaned his hand through, pushing against the metal bars that separated them until he couldn’t move any more. He used his other hand to grasp the bars as leverage, and then managed to touch the chain near her wrist with his fingertips. He pushed magic through his fingers.
Sweat broke out on his brow and slid down his face into his eyes, but he didn’t wipe it away. He could feel the metal breaking until, finally, it fell with a loud clank to the floor.
“I’ll be damned,” Usaeil said.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Cain hadn’t interacted with many Dark Fae, but even he knew there was something different about Noreen. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, however. And that bugged him.
She was beautiful, yes. It didn’t matter if she used glamour to hide her coloring or if her red eyes were flashing at him in anger. She was breathtaking. From her oval face to her pouty lips that turned his thoughts carnal.
Then there was her body.
His mouth watered each time he glanced at her shirt that molded to her full breasts before hugging her trim abdomen. No matter how Cain looked at it, there was no denying his body’s response. He was attracted to Noreen.
And he didn’t even care.
So what if she was Dark? Everyone had one affair they weren’t exactly proud of. And it wasn’t as if Noreen was an enemy. She was helping them. Which could put her in the friend column.
His thoughts were so intent on the need flooding his body that he didn’t immediately notice that she had already jumped them to the doorway until a bird screeched in outrage and flew so close to Cain’s face that the feathers brushed his cheek.
He glanced at the bird before looking around at the ruins of the keep. By the tall grass, weeds, and trees growing up in the abandoned rooms, no one was taking care of the castle. It was a shame, really. They had been grand structures during their day. And by the way the tourists flocked to see them—even those barely standing—this one shouldn’t be left to rot, forgotten.
Cain jerked his gaze to Noreen to find her staring at him. Her expression was thoughtful, but he didn’t ask her what she was thinking.
Their eyes held for a heartbeat before she released his hand. “The doorway is this way,” she said as she headed to the stairs.
He watched her, his gaze going to her hips as she ascended the steps. He wondered if she knew how sexy she was. Or that she was making him think of nothing but her with every sway of her backside.
Noreen glanced over her shoulder at him. Their gazes briefly met, and that’s all it took for him to see that she knew exactly what she was doing to him. Once she turned away, he smiled. If that’s how she wanted to play things, he was game.
Cain followed her up the stairs to the second floor. They went down a short hallway, and then she entered a room. No one but a Fae could see their doorways. When Cain walked into the chamber, all he saw were leaves that had blown in from the bare window.
“You trust me?” she asked.
“Aye.”
A frown flashed across her face. “Why?”
“You trusted me.”
“I had no choice.”
“Neither do I.”
Noreen gave a small shake of her head. “If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t trust me.”
“Why no’?” he asked.
“Really?” She gaped at him. “Not only am I a Dark, but I’m also part of the Others. You walked up to me less than an hour ago and believed everything I said.”
Cain shrugged, curious as to where she was going with this.
“I could be taking you through a doorway straight to the Others.”
“You could,” he replied.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Doesn’t that make you angry?”
“If you betray me, you betray me. Trust me, lass, I can defend myself.”
Noreen sighed loudly. “You’re missing the point.”
“Actually, I’m no’. The truth of the matter is, I do believe you. I went to the village to talk to you and discern if you were setting a trap for us. Then I saw you with Brian. Now, there’s a possibility that you and he set all that up in case someone at Dreagan was watching, but I doubt it. Your expression—and his—was too genuine for it to have been planned. After we spoke, and you tried to tell me that you took it all back, I knew for certain that fear for your life drove you to make such a statement.”