They were oblivious to where they were as they ran their hands over their bodies, begging to be touched. Gorul patted him on the back and went to a blonde with short hair and large breasts.

Vaurin’s cock was hard. He knew the pleasure that awaited. There was nothing so mind-blowing as having sex with mortals and feeding off their souls. The humans had no idea what was happening, which made it all the more pleasurable to a Dark.

Vaurin walked to the female who sat on a crate with her legs open fondling her clit as she watched the others. As soon as she saw him, the human smiled and slid her fingers deep inside her.

Vaurin took her mouth in a savage kiss while she hurried to unbuckle his pants. How stupid the humans were to so freely give their souls to the Dark. They were mindless cattle, the needs of their flesh outweighing the danger that surrounded them.

Oh, but the decadence of taking souls was one Vaurin couldn’t deny himself.

CHAPTER

THREE

Thorn dumped three more Dark Fae bodies in the warehouse. He turned when he heard the door and saw Darius.

“They’re like fucking roaches,” Darius grumbled. “The more you kill, the more you find.”

Thorn chuckled as he moved away for Darius to dump his two bodies. “It’s a never-ending job, but someone has to do it.”

“So true,” Darius said, his dark brown eyes lighting on Thorn as he grinned. “It feels good to kill the evil buggers.”

“We’re stretched too thin.” Thorn looked at the corpses. “Con has us all over the U.K., but it isna enough.”

Darius ran a hand through his shoulder-length blond hair. “He’s keeping enough of us at Dreagan to hold the magic there.”

Thorn pulled out his knife and spun it on his open palm. He caught it before it stopped spinning. Dreagan wasn’t just their home. It was sixty thousand acres where they distilled whisky and remained hidden from the world. “The Dark have the numbers, but we have the strength.”

“Aye,” Darius said, his gaze on the ground.

Thorn knew Darius’s thoughts were on Ulrik. All of the Dragon Kings’ thoughts were on him. A Dragon King who had been banished.

For centuries, Thorn had been against Ulrik. All that changed a few weeks ago when Thorn was with Warrick in Edinburgh watching over the Druid who had unbound Ulrik’s magic.

The last thing Thorn had expected was to come face-to-face with Ulrik after so many eons. It alarmed Thorn how much Ulrik had changed.

“I doona blame you,” Darius said.

Thorn blinked as he was pulled out of his thoughts. “What?”

“What happened with Ulrik here. Warrick was in love with Darcy. You did what any of us would’ve done for another King.”

“No’ any of us,” Thorn said tightly. “Con would never have joined forces with Ulrik.”

Constantine was King of Kings, the one Dragon King who had more magic and power than any of them. He led them, kept them together all these millennia. But things were beginning to unravel.

“Con sees one goal—our survival.” Darius shrugged. “Everything else comes in second. He’s sacrificed a lot for us.”

“We’ve all sacrificed.” Thorn paused and shook his head ruefully. “I wouldna trade places with him for anything.”

Darius crossed his arms over his chest. “Neither would I. Ulrik will challenge Con soon.”

“Eventually. Right now, our focus is the Dark. The bastards are getting bolder. They’re freely showing themselves to humans, and it willna be long before they show them magic as well.”

“With more and more bodies piling up, the city is trying to crack down on who’s to blame.”

Thorn grunted. “It willna take them long to focus on the Dark. And that willna end well.”

“It never does.” Darius dropped his arms and began to remove his clothes.

Thorn spun on his heel and walked out. They took turns burning the bodies of the Dark. While Darius shifted, Thorn would take watch to make sure no humans took interest in them.

As he stood atop the roof walking the perimeter, Thorn found himself thinking of the female he’d encountered earlier. He had a sinking feeling that he would happen upon her body very soon.

He frowned as that thought angered him. The mortal had spirit and gumption. She recognized the Dark as dangerous and sought to go after them. Despite the silliness of a human against a Dark Fae, the mettle that took kept her in his thoughts.

Thorn touched his side where she had plunged the dagger. She was quick with the blade, and obviously ready to take action against anyone she felt was a threat.

He might not have always agreed with the way humans went about their lives, but they were oblivious to the magic around them. They had no idea that dragons had been around since the beginning of time, and were on the realm long before the humans ever were.

They didn’t know of the Fae—Dark and Light—and how they fought to take the realm from the Dragon Kings. So many wars had been waged on the fringes of the humans’ awareness that it was laughable.

The mortals were weak against the Fae, and had nothing with which to fight off any magical creature. Yet, time and again the Dragon Kings had saved them.

Perhaps it was their innocence in comprehending that vastness of the universe despite their trips into space. It might be because there had been some truly great mortals who had been friends with the Dragon Kings. Or it might be as simple as the vows the Kings took to always watch over the humans.

Whatever the case, Thorn didn’t want the female to die.

The city was disrupted by bells tolling from a church in the distance. Another death, another funeral.

“That’s the third time tonight,” Darius said as he came to stand beside him.

Thorn squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Same as last night.”

“I asked Con to send another King to help us.”

Thorn jerked his head to Darius and raised a brow. “And? What did our fearless leader say?”

“He will as soon as he can.”

Thorn knew all he had to do was call Warrick. War would be there in an instant, but Con was already pissed at Thorn.

“I saw you today,” Darius said. “With the human female.”

Thorn didn’t respond, because there was nothing to say.

“I saw her tracking the Dark yesterday,” Darius continued.

“I warned her away from them.”

Darius grunted, giving his opinion without words.

“Why do they never listen?” Thorn asked.

“Because they think they’re invincible. You know she’ll end up dead.”

Thorn knew that all too well. “She stabbed me.”

That had one side of Darius’s mouth lifting in a grin. “Did she now? I think I like her. How did she manage that? You’re normally much quicker. Or did a pretty face leave you slack jawed?”

“She doesna know she stuck me. She thinks she missed.”

Darius’s smile vanished. “Why is she following the Dark?”

Thorn took in a deep breath and slowly released it. “I believe the Dark killed someone close to her. She’s out for revenge.”

“You can no’ save them all, Thorn.”

He looked at Darius. “I’m no’ trying to.”

“And I’m no’ pretending that the past isna haunting me. Shall we both stop lying now?”

Thorn dropped his chin to his chest. “I’m no’ prying.”

“Neither am I. I’m pointing out facts. The Dark came after her today. Had you no’ been there, she’d be dead.”

An image flashed in Thorn’s mind of vacant slate gray eyes. It angered him to such a degree that he heard a growl rumble from his throat.

“I thought so,” Darius said.

Thorn clenched his teeth. He’d learned his lesson before. He wouldn’t get involved. He couldn’t. It never ended well for him, and he was tired of it all.

Darius put a hand on his shoulder. “Deny it all you want. When you come to terms with things, come find me. I know where she lives.”

It was the worst thing Darius could’ve said. Thorn squeezed his eyes closed. He had done so well today by letting the female go. He hadn’t followed her or asked her name.