Soul Scorched

“It’s why I called.”

 

 

“Look for Thorn in a few hours. I doona want to bring more Kings there since it might alert Ulrik. It willna take him long to realize you’re there.”

 

Warrick watched as Darcy’s lights went out. All except for one. He saw her silhouette walk across the window. “If he doesna already.”

 

“If the Dark are after her, there will be more.”

 

“I’m ready for them.”

 

Con chuckled. “Of course.”

 

The line went dead. Warrick returned his mobile to his pocket as he scanned the area for anyone who might be a threat to Darcy—Dark and human alike.

 

Ulrik hadn’t just aligned with the Dark Fae. He also had MI5 on his side, or at least a small portion of them. The Kings also had an ally in MI5. Henry North. The spy, along with others in the organization, were trying to break the allegiance between the group and Ulrik. So far it hadn’t gone so well. Henry had also been working at Dreagan tracking the movements of Dark around the world.

 

It was worrying the Kings that the Dark were being so blatant about showing themselves. As if they wanted the Kings to know what they were doing. Since the Dark Fae were never to venture onto UK soil once they signed the treaty after the Fae Wars. Something had certainly changed, and Warrick felt as if he were struggling to catch up. Which wasn’t a good sign.

 

Warrick didn’t remain on the rooftop. He jumped from structure to structure, working his way around Darcy’s building several times. The night was quiet, too quiet.

 

By the time Warrick made his way back to the alley on his tenth trip, Kiril and Rhys were there. Rhys stood next to Kiril who kneeled beside the Dark.

 

Both wore only jeans, meaning they had gotten to one of the stashes around Edinburgh set up by the Kings after flying from Dreagan. Every city in the UK had such a supply.

 

“Do you recognize him?” Rhys asked Kiril.

 

Warrick watched Kiril. After Kiril spent months in Ireland spying on the Dark, no one would know them better than him—except of course his mate, Shara.

 

“Nay,” Kiril said as he stood. He lifted his shamrock green eyes to Warrick. “Is he the only one you’ve seen?”

 

Warrick couldn’t help but turn and look at Darcy’s window again. She took down her hair, the length dropping down her back before she pulled off her shirt.

 

He looked back to Kiril and Rhys. “He’s the only one. I’ve found no other sign of anyone else.”

 

“Interesting,” Rhys said, a knowing smile lifting half of his mouth.

 

Kiril held out his hand and a blast of magic shot from him, freezing the Dark into one big icicle. Rhys then knelt and slammed his fist into the ice, shattering it—along with the Dark—into thousands of tiny pieces that evaporated.

 

“Like he was never here,” Kiril said while dusting off his hands.

 

Rhys got to his feet and nodded. “That was fun. I could kill Dark Fae all night.”

 

“Ah, but you didna kill him,” Kiril pointed out. “Warrick did.”

 

Warrick rolled his eyes. Those two were always joking with each other, their banter that of close friends. He didn’t understand it since he’d never had anything like it.

 

“Smile, War, you might like it,” Rhys teased.

 

Warrick gave him a flat stare. He hated the nickname Rhys had given him centuries ago. “I do smile.”

 

Kiril laughed, and then hastily cleared his throat. “It’s just no’ often. It’s more of a rare event.”

 

“Like Halley’s Comet,” Rhys quipped.

 

Warrick simply stared at Rhys who had a wide smile on his face. After all Rhys had recently endured, Warrick wasn’t about to say anything. It was good to see Rhys smiling and laughing again, when a few weeks earlier, he was so troubled he disappeared, not even answering Kiril’s calls.

 

Kiril slapped Rhys on the back. “I think we ought to leave before Warrick does you bodily harm.”

 

“Wait,” Warrick said. “Thorn will be here shortly. Until he does, I could use help keeping an eye on the Druid.”

 

Rhys’s smile vanished as he exchanged a look with Kiril.

 

Warrick inhaled deeply, waiting on their reply. Was it so odd for him to ask for help that it left them speechless? Well, now that he considered it, he had never asked for help.

 

He wouldn’t now except that the Dark came out of nowhere. He didn’t know why the Fae targeted Darcy, and until he did, he would feel better if there were more eyes on her.

 

“Of course,” Kiril said. “Where would you like us to set up?”

 

Warrick faced the building, his gaze locking on the window again. “The back. I can no’ see the back.”

 

“I’ll take the back,” Kiril said and walked away.

 

Warrick felt Rhys’s aqua eyes on him. He faced the King of the Yellows. “Have I actually made you mute?”