Fire Rising

CHAPTER TWELVE

Sammie couldn’t stop smiling. She had been flying. Strange how she had always been afraid of flying in an airplane, but felt completely at ease with Tristan.

She backed away as Tristan folded his enormous wings against him, and in a blink, he was in human form. With her blood burning through her veins, Sammi watched him walk toward her.

He walked like a predator, a conqueror. A king who ruled and commanded all. He was sex and sin, decadence and sensuality.

He was, simply put, spectacular.

She forgot to breathe as his dark eyes pinned her. His strides lengthened, his purpose plain. Sammi’s lips parted as he drew near.

And when he pulled her into his arms, she wrapped hers around his neck and lifted her face. The kiss was consuming, captivating. Overwhelming.

She slid her fingers into his thick hair and melted while he kissed her as if there were no tomorrow. He tempted, he seduced, he enticed.

And she willingly followed.

Sammi moaned in frustration when he ended the kiss and pulled back. She forced open her eyes to see the blatant need shining in his dark gaze.

Their breaths were ragged, their chests rising and falling rapidly. Standing before her was a man that wasn’t supposed to exist. She knew nothing about Tristan other than that Jane and Banan relied on him and he could turn into a dragon.

She trusted him. Her heart knew him.

And her body wanted him.

Sammi unwound her fingers from the cool strands of his hair and let her hands slip over his shoulders to his chest.

Beneath her hands she could have sworn the dragon tattoo heated. Tristan watched her as she traced the dragon and learned the feel of his skin.

Thick muscle as hard as steel beneath warm skin. She caressed over the ridges and valleys of the sinew. His stomach clenched when she traced the tail of the dragon to his side.

His hand covered hers before pulling it up to his mouth where he spread her fingers and kissed her palm. “That tickles.”

“I’ve never felt such … need … before. I don’t know what’s happening between us, but I want to see where it leads.”

“It’s no’ wise.”

“I don’t care. This,” she motioned between the two of them, “is amazing. I don’t even care if it’s one-sided.”

“It’s no’,” he said, his voice deepening.

She licked her lips, still tasting him upon her tongue. “Then why did you stop kissing me?”

“I told myself I just wanted a taste of you, to know if it would be as good as I thought it might.”

“Was it?”

He kissed her palm again, this time flicking his tongue against her skin. His gaze held her captive. “Better.”

Anticipation raced along her spine. Sammi rose up on her tiptoes and took his bottom lip between hers. A moan rumbled from his chest as she sucked on his lip.

In a blink, he had her backed against the cottage, his hands on either side of her head as he gazed at her. “You doona know what you’re doing.”

“Don’t try to tell me it’s because I’m scared, because the truth is the only time I’m not terrified is when I’m with you.”

Sammi was getting ready to beg when he took her hand and tugged her after him as he entered the cottage. He whirled around and slammed the door as he drew her against him.

Just as his lips met hers, a woman’s voice said, “Hey, handsome. Am I interrupting?”

Sammi turned her head to find a drop-dead gorgeous woman sitting on the kitchen table idly swinging her legs. Her long black hair was pulled to one side in a fishtail braid that hung over her shoulder. Silver eyes that were crinkled in the corners with a smile watched them.

Tristan let out a long sigh. “Rhi,” he mumbled.

Sammi wanted to scream in frustration when Tristan stepped away from her to hurry down a hallway and return wearing a pair of jeans. She looked from Tristan to the beautiful woman at the table, unsure of what to make of what was going on.

The woman slid sensuously from the table, a wide smile on her perfect face. “Nice to finally meet you, Sammi. I’m Rhi.”

“Rhi,” Sammi repeated. “How do you know—”

“We have something in common,” Rhi spoke over her. “Neither of us likes to go by our full name. I think Sammi is wonderful. Lucky you. I could only shorten mine to Rhi. I guess I could’ve gone with something completely different like Charlie or something.”

“Rhi,” Tristan said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Rhi rolled her silver eyes. “After all I did for you two.”

“I’m feeling a little lost,” Sammi said. “Someone please explain.”

Tristan dropped his arms and walked to the couch to sit. “Do you remember how we spoke about the Dark Fae?”

Sammi nodded. “Yes.”

“There are also Light Fae. Rhi is a Light Fae.”

She whipped her head around to Rhi to find the Fae smiling brightly. “I don’t normally help the Dragon Kings, but Tristan proved himself when we got Kellan and Denae away from the Dark last month. I didn’t expect to find Tristan jumping in to help Jane’s sister, but then again, it doesn’t surprise me.”

Sammi held up her hands, palms out. “Wait. Just hold on.” She rubbed her eyes as she took in what Rhi had just said. “I feel like I’m in a hall of mirrors where I’m getting a part of the story but so much is left out.”

“That would be Con’s doing,” Rhi said, the hatred dripping from her voice.

Sammi glanced at Tristan to see him wince. She didn’t know anyone by the name of Con, so how could he have something against her?

Rhi guided Sammi to the couch and plunked her down next to Tristan. “I’ll condense the story for you. The Dragon Kings and Fae don’t like each other because of the Fae Wars long ago. There is a truce, but the Dark broke it. The Dark are after a Dragon King and anyone else connected to them.”

“Keeping up so far,” Sammi said. “So how do you factor in?”

Rhi waved away her words. “Not important. I saw Tristan helping you and decided to give some assistance as well.”

“The mist?” Sammie guessed.

Rhi winked. “Perfect cover.”

“A Dark found her,” Tristan said.

Rhi’s smile faded quickly. She jerked her head to Sammi. “Tell me everything.”

Sammi explained about seeing the Dark in the water for a second time. When she finished Rhi’s forehead was furrowed as she paced back and forth.

“Can you describe the Dark One?”

“Handsome,” Sammi said.

Rhi grunted. “All Fae, Dark and Light, are good-looking. I need something specific.”

“He had long hair with silver running through it.”

“They all do,” Tristan said.

Rhi sank down on the stuffed chair next to the couch and frowned. “I was hoping I might know which one had been sent. Few keep their hair long now. Most cut it, so that will help narrow things down a bit.”

“No’ enough,” Tristan grumbled.

Rhi sat back and crossed one leg over the other. She ran her thumb over her silver nails with a striped design on each forefinger and ring finger. “They won’t be stupid enough to come this far onto Dreagan land.”

“They killed the men Banan and the others were interrogating,” Tristan pointed out.

“I was there. The Dark killed them because they were humans. Humans don’t know how to keep alliances or pacts,” Rhi stated. Then she looked at Sammi. “No offense meant.”

Sammi scooted back on the sofa. “None taken.”

“Let’s no’ forget the mercs who came onto our land in a chopper,” Tristan said.

Rhi folded her hands in her lap. “Ex-MI5. They were testing you to see if you would attack.”

“Ex-MI5? It’s the Mob after me,” Sammi said.

Rhi and Tristan exchanged a look, which only angered Sammi. There was still more of the story she wasn’t getting.

Tristan cleared his throat. “We think the Mob targeted your pub to get to Jane and thereby Banan.”

“Not possible,” Sammi said. “Daniel was laundering money for a couple of years. Why would they wait that long? Besides, it was Daniel skimming money that brought the Mob to my door.”

Rhi scrunched her face. “That could be the truth. The Mob isn’t known for being forgiving. If they thought someone cheated them, they would keep after them until they got what they wanted.”

“They think I wasn’t at the pub the night they blew it up,” she said. “Daniel told them I was away. I tried to stay hidden after that, but I still felt as if they were following me.”

Rhi looked to Tristan. “Has Banan called Henry North yet?”

“No’ that I know of.”

“Maybe I’ll pay him a visit,” Rhi said with a grin.

“Nay, Rhi,” Tristan stated. “Doona trifle with Henry. He’s a good man.”

Rhi sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

“Who is Henry North?” Sammi asked.

Tristan braced his forearms on his thighs. “He works for MI5 and is a friend. The fact is, Sammi, when the Dark Fae showed up we began to suspect there was a connection between you and our enemy. We stopped the mercenaries who were after you, and while I followed you to keep you safe, Banan and the others took the men for questioning.”

“Where the Dark killed them before they could tell you anything,” Sammi finished. “I understand all of that, but I’m telling you, there’s no way the Mob is in with the Dark Fae and MI5.”

“There has to be a connection,” Tristan insisted. “That is you and Jane. Jane, as mate to Banan, is a link to the Dragon Kings.”

Rhi added, “And you are Jane’s only sister. It makes sense.”

It seemed like too much of a leap for Sammi, but then again, she didn’t have any knowledge of fighting evil things, and apparently Tristan and Rhi did.

Suddenly Sammi had a thought. She looked from Rhi to Tristan. “What if we’re looking at this all wrong?”

“How?” Tristan asked.

“What if it isn’t the Mob, the Dark Fae, and these mercenaries? What if it’s just one group?”

Rhi was shaking her head before she finished. “The Dark Fae are separate. They did strike a deal with the Kings’ enemy, whoever that may be.”

“So what if the Mob and the unknown enemy are one and the same?”

Tristan ran a hand down his face, his expression full of unease.

Sammi shrugged. “I’m probably wrong. I don’t know who this enemy of the Dragon Kings’ is anyway. Hell, I don’t even know what a Dragon King really is.”

“A Dragon King is as old as time,” Rhi said. “They’re immortal and powerful. They shift, as you’ve seen, and they can only be killed by another Dragon King. The rest of their history I’ll let Tristan tell you. As for the evil…” She paused and drew in a deep breath. “He wants to expose the Kings. No one knows why.”

“Has anyone seen him?” she asked.

Rhi gave a slow shake of her head. “Only his voice. They say he has a cultured English accent.”

Sammi felt as if the floor came out from beneath her. Tristan wrapped an arm around her and she clung to him. “The man who killed Daniel. He had a cultured English accent.”

“You’re safe here,” Tristan vowed.

Rhi raised a brow at Tristan. “Your enemy has managed to get MI5 and the Dark to ally with him. It makes sense he would use the Mob as well. Sammi was right. We found our connection.”

Sammi wished she had kept her mouth shut. She had thought she stood a chance against the Mob. Now she knew she had no chance at all.