Seconds later, the Fae casually turned the corner, his silver eyes blazing with happiness as if he had caught her. And he had. But she wasn’t going to let him know that.
“Brian,” she said in way of greeting.
His lips turned up in a smile. “Noreen. What are you doing here?”
“I could ask the same of you,” she retorted.
Brian laughed and smoothed a palm along his perfectly coiffured short, black hair. He was dressed in a pale gray suit with a large grid pattern, a silver shirt, and a solid dark gray tie. His shoes likely cost a small fortune, but then again, the bastard had always loved to dress like a dandy.
Unlike her, Brian didn’t bother to dampen his effect on the mortals. Women and men alike stared at him as they passed, their desire and need rolling off them in waves that made her want to vomit simply because it had to do with Brian.
“Trying to turn this on me?” he asked with a smirk. “That isn’t going to work.”
She cocked her head while holding his gaze. “You’ve been working on your pronunciation. It’s only taken you a few thousand years to lose the rough edges of your Irish accent so you no longer speak like you came from the gutter.”
Noreen knew the dig would hit just as she wanted. Brian had always hated that he was low-born and had done everything he could to claw his way up the ranks of the Light. In fact, she was surprised that he hadn’t turned Dark. He had it in him. Maybe it was just a matter of time.
As she expected, his face went tight, his grin no longer cocky as his nostrils flared in anger.
This time, she was the one who grinned. She’d hit her mark, and it had left a whopper of an imprint. It was a good thing Brian was the one who had found her. It was easy to turn his attention with little digs against his upbringing. But that would only work for so long.
“Why are you here?” she demanded.
He swallowed and folded his arms over his chest. “Checking on you.”
“Well,” she said with a long pause, “we always check on each other.”
She let the insinuation fill the air. A heartbeat later, his eyes narrowed on her. His arms fell to his sides, and he took a step back.
If he asked, she’d have to tell him that she wasn’t there to check up on him, but Brian didn’t always think things through. He let his emotions rule him, which worked in her favor. Because as long as he didn’t ask questions, she wouldn’t have to think up more lies.
“I’m only here for you,” he said.
She shrugged. “I don’t care what you do. I, personally, like Scotland. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that.”
Brian’s lips peeled back in a sneer. “Ireland is far superior to this place.”
“I’m not saying it isn’t. I’m simply stating that Scotland is pretty.”
The Light snorted and shook his head. “I know why you’re here.”
“Do you?” she asked nonchalantly.
“You want to stay close to the Dragon Kings to get the first shot at them.”
Why hadn’t she thought of that? It was brilliant! Noreen simply smiled in response since it was better than words.
Brian rolled his eyes. “You’re such a kiss-ass. If you think this will get you higher in the order, you’re wrong.”
She shrugged. “Maybe so.”
He turned to the side and walked away, mumbling, “bitch,” as he did.
“Be sure to file your report,” she called after him.
That stopped him in his tracks. Brian turned to her, his confident smile back in place. “By the way, did I tell you I wasn’t the only one here. It seems that two of us were sent to look in on you. Think about that, Noreen.”
She waited until he was gone before she swallowed. Slowly, she lowered her foot back to the ground, but she didn’t pull her hands from the wall. They shook too badly.
“Sounds like you’re in a wee bit of a jam,” came a deep voice from her other side.
Noreen’s head whipped around to find a man leaning one shoulder against the building. He had black hair cut short on the sides but left longer on top. His deep green eyes were framed by thick lashes and locked on her.
He filled out his deep gray shirt well, showcasing broad shoulders and hard sinew. Denim hung low on his hips, the jeans just tight enough to give a hint of the muscles they encased. But it was his face she couldn’t stop staring at.
With a strong jaw and chin, his face appeared cut from granite. He had a shadow of a beard that she’d always been partial to. His lips were wide and thin and didn’t hold a shred of mockery. Good thing since he was a Dragon King.
If only she knew which one. She’d love to have a name to put to such a gorgeous specimen.
“I’m fine,” she replied when she finally found her voice.
He pushed away from the wall and took a step toward her. “I beg to differ. And the fact you sent an email to us says you have much to say.”
Noreen glanced at the sky. So much for taking precautions. She’d done everything she knew of to keep her identity from the Kings. How had they found her?
“I made a mistake,” she said as she shifted and backed up slowly. “Forget I said anything.”
“Your words were convincing. I believe you meant them. Someone who would go to such extremes doesna seem like the kind to scare easily.”
She busted out laughing. “You’d be wrong about that.”
He didn’t smile in return. Nor did he look away. “Tell me what you know, and I’ll help you get away.”
“They’re here,” she said, her eyes wide in the hopes that she could get the point across. “Not one, but two of them. That means they know I’m up to something. They’ve killed for less.”
“Then you need to make a decision. Whatever happened that led you to email us hasna gone away. It’s still there, and it’ll rise again.”
She wished she’d never sent that email. She wished she’d never grown a conscience. And she really wished she’d never had doubts about the Others. It had sent her down a treacherous path she didn’t know how to navigate.
“Look at me,” she said and let her glamour fall so he could see her red eyes and the silver in her hair. “Take a good, hard look. I’m a Dark. You don’t believe us.”
“You have no idea what I believe.”
She nodded and closed her eyes, bringing her glamour back up. “I made a mistake. Forget you ever got anything from me. Forget you spoke with me. I choose life.”
Noreen turned on her heel and stalked away. But not before she heard him say, “So do we.”
She didn’t stop walking. The farther away she got from the Dragon King, the better. She hadn’t even gotten his name, but that didn’t matter. No, she needed to concentrate on doing all the right things to get the Others off her back before they executed her without giving her a chance to tell her side.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Brian standing at the corner of an intersection. She glanced in his direction but didn’t give him any more time than that. He might be lying about there being another of them in the city, but he could also be telling the truth.
“Fek,” she whispered.
What was she going to do? Running wasn’t an option. She had to remain. And she had to come up with a believable lie. Brian’s suggestion that she wanted to get a first strike at the Kings was a good one. She’d definitely use that.