Then, the infamous Rhi had killed Usaeil. Or so they’d thought. Leave it to a power-hungry bitch like Usaeil to ensure that she couldn’t die. But that was something few knew about.
It would be a cold day in Hell before Noreen bowed before Usaeil and accepted her as queen. It didn’t matter if Usaeil was really Dark or not. She had crossed too many lines, even for a Dark.
It was an oxymoron, Noreen knew. The Dark were the epitome of wicked to the Light, but the truth was, there were varying degrees of evil within the Dark. It’s why it was so difficult for the Dark to band together on anything.
Noreen swiped at a long strip of black hair that had fallen into her face as she plopped down on the torn cushion of the hideous floral chair. She dropped her head back and looked at the ceiling.
She had lived for six thousand years. During that time, she had done a great many things, seen every inch of the planet, and thoroughly enjoyed life.
Without a doubt, she knew these were the last days of her life. Instead of doing what she wanted and using her magic, she was hiding.
All because she felt she had to help the Dragon Kings.
CHAPTER TWO
Dreagan
“You won’t miss one donut, Ryder,” Cain stated as he reached for one of the last two remaining pastries in the box.
Ryder didn’t take his eyes from the row of monitors before him as he moved the box to his other side. “Get your own.”
“Let me take one, and I’ll buy you two more boxes.”
Ryder snorted loudly. “You owe me six already.”
Cain winced. Fuck. He did owe him six. “Then I’ll bring you eight boxes. Today.”
“No.”
Kinsey, Ryder’s mate, who sat on the other side of him, let out a loud sigh. “For goodness sakes, you two. You’re worse than kids. Ryder, let him have one. And Cain, bring him the eight boxes within an hour, or I’ll make sure you never get another donut again.”
Cain met Kinsey’s violet gaze and nodded. “You have my word.”
Ryder rolled his eyes but held out a jelly donut for Cain. Before he could walk away to enjoy the delicious pastry, Ryder called his name.
“While you’re here, you can go through the emails Dreagan has gotten in the last twenty-four hours,” Ryder said with a small smile on his face.
Cain glanced at the donut and sank his teeth into it, the strawberry jelly filling his mouth. He didn’t care that it had cost him several boxes or time at the computer going through monotonous emails. It was worth it.
After he stuffed the last bite into his mouth, he moved his hands over the table to await the keyboard to appear through the glass.
“Wipe your hands first,” Kinsey cautioned.
Cain glanced in her direction and saw the murderous expression on Ryder’s face. “Right,” he said and hastily licked his fingers clean before wiping them on his jeans.
Ryder shook his head in agitation, but he returned his attention to whatever it was he was working on. Cain had learned long ago not to ask. Ryder’s skills were something that Cain had no interest in. He was grateful that Ryder was able to do the things he did, but Cain was doubly thankful that he didn’t have to do them himself. Answering emails was bad enough.
One by one, Cain went through the various messages from satisfied customers, to those asking questions, as well as some who wrote in to complain about one thing or another.
It didn’t matter how many he read, he was always shocked at the manner in which humans felt they could say such horrid things, simply because it was through an email. Face-to-face, those same people wouldn’t speak in such a way, but a screen had a way of making people more daring than usual.
Cain was just about finished when five new emails came through. At this rate, he’d be answering the messages for eternity. As soon as he finished one, two more came in. He didn’t know who normally answered them, but he suspected it was Ryder and Kinsey, and it gave him a whole new respect for them.
He didn’t read the subject line of the next email as he opened it. It wasn’t until the first few words registered that he stopped reading and glanced at the subject. IMPORTANT! READ IMMEDIATELY DRAGON KINGS.
The fact that someone was calling them by their name wasn’t common. Cain slowly read the email, his gut twisting into a knot as he did. When he finished, he sat for a moment and let it sink in. Then he reread it.
Was it a joke? Or could it be for real?
“Ryder,” Cain said. “There’s something you should read.”
Ryder kept typing as he said, “I’m sure you can handle it.”
“It’s important.”
There was a sigh before Ryder said, “Read it to me.”
Cain swiveled in his chair so he faced Ryder. Then he began to read. “To whom it may concern. I know whoever is reading this is a Dragon King. I know because I’m a Dark Fae. I took this route in contacting you because I didn’t believe you would listen to me if I showed up at Dreagan. However, what I have to say is important, so I hope you take this seriously since I’m putting my life on the line.”
By this time, Ryder had stopped typing and was staring at him, as was Kinsey.
“For most of my life, I’ve been a part of the Others,” Cain continued. “I truly believed it was better for everyone if your kind was gone. It no longer matters what justification I had for my thoughts and actions before now. No species has the right to be annihilated by another. I’ve seen the truth of what the Others truly are, and I want no part in it. It’s why I’ve come to you. I can help you take them down.
“Now, some might believe this is a trap. Honestly, I would as well, but it isn’t. This is one Fae who wants to stop the Others. I can tell you where they will be so you can attack and end all of this once and for all.”
There was a deep frown on Ryder’s face. “How was it signed?”
Cain glanced at the signature. “Just with an N.”
“We can discover who it is,” Kinsey said. “The IP address is easy enough to find.”
Cain glanced at the top of the email and shrugged before he scooted the chair away. “Have at it.”
Ryder rolled his chair to the keyboard and monitor Cain had just been using. Though Cain could’ve taken the opportunity to leave, he found that he wanted to stay and find out if this was real or not.
He watched as Ryder entered some code, though he was too fast for Cain to see exactly what it was.
“They’re hiding their location,” Ryder said. “Whoever this is wanted to stay anonymous. They’ve used Proton Mail, which makes it difficult for most people to track.”
“But not you,” Kinsey said with a grin.
Ryder looked at his mate and winked. “Damn straight, sweetheart.”
Cain grinned at the two of them. They were something together. With so many Kings finding their mates, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d get as lucky. Not that he was going to hold his breath for such a thing.
“Got it,” Ryder said and sat back with a smile. “The email originated in Scotland, about twenty-five miles from here.”
“That’s close,” Cain said.
Ryder glanced his way and nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“Give me the IP,” Kinsey urged.