Passion Ignites (19 page)

She look askance at the number of bottles to choose from. “Give me the best you have.”

“The best?” he asked, brows raised.

“The best.”

A few seconds later she had a glass before her. He set the bottle to the side. “You're going to enjoy this brand. It is the finest Scotch whisky in the world. It's expensive though.”

“I'm only here once.” She handed him her credit card, and raised the glass to inhale the flavor.

Normally she couldn't stand the smell of whisky, but this had a nice aroma that made her think of mountains, heather, and lochs.

She took a small sip. To her surprise, it went down smooth with only a slight burn. Lexi had three more tastes by the time the bartender returned with her credit card.

“I'll leave the bottle for you to look at. There's a lot of history at the distillery that you can read about on the label.”

Lexi thanked him as he walked off to tend to another customer. She wished now she had tried whisky when she first arrived in Scotland. She had balked about going to a distillery, but that had obviously been a mistake.

She put her wallet back in her purse and felt something hard in the lining. Lexi opened her purse wide and felt along the sides. It took her a minute to find the slit in the lining.

Shock reverberated through her when she saw the knife. It had a smooth handle made of what looked like black glass. The blade was silver and about as long as her hand.

Lexi had a vague memory of buying a knife in Edinburgh, but this wasn't it. Where had this come from, and what was it doing in her purse? Not to mention, she didn't know how she had gotten through security with it.

Her stomach was in knots as she took another drink of the whisky. She felt … odd, as if she should remember something important.

She pushed that away and focused on what to do with the knife. It was pretty, but she wasn't going to bring it on the plane. With her bad luck they would end up finding it and charging her with something before sending her to jail. No, the knife had to stay in Scotland.

Yet, when she thought about putting it in the garbage or leaving it behind, it felt wrong.

Lexi tucked the knife back into the lining of her purse. She took another swallow, her gaze landing on the bottle.

“Dreagan,” she said the name.

Then she saw the logo of double dragons.

The room spun and dots clouded her vision as she struggled to catch her breath. All of the memories returned with a roar, filling her mind with the Dark Fae, Christina's death, Thorn, Darius, and the fact they were dragons.

Lexi also recalled Guy. He had taken her memories. Thorn hadn't just left her, he wanted her out of Scotland without a single recollection of him.

Fury consumed her. How dare he take away what she'd learned of the Dark? To send her back to Charleston and not know what to do if a Dark showed up?

Lexi's vision cleared as anger settled like a stone in her stomach. She shoved aside the remaining whisky and stood. She stalked from the airport and got into the first taxi she found.

Thorn owed her answers, and she was going to make damn sure he gave them.

 

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

Thorn had a Dark Fae slumped over each of his shoulders as he carted them to the warehouse for destruction. The closer it got to Halloween, the more Dark there were. He had a bad feeling about the holiday the humans enjoyed to celebrate.

The day passed quickly as it always did when in battle. It was the only way Thorn could get through it all after seeing Lexi at the airport.

“It looks like you did a good thing inviting the Warriors and Druids to help with the way things are going today,” Darius said from beside him. “We're going to need them.”

Thorn slowed as he approached the warehouse to make sure no one was near. “I didna invite the Druids. The Warriors can hold their own against the Dark. The Druids can no'.”

“I'll let you tell Laura and Dani that. Those women didna bat an eye as they fought today.”

Lexi hadn't either, Thorn thought, his mind turning to her as it so often had since she left. He used his magic and opened the warehouse door as they approached. As he walked inside he said, “I welcome their help, but for everyone's sake, I hope the Dark doona try and take them. I know the War…”

His voice trailed off as a lamp clicked on and Lexi slid off the table where she had been sitting. Thorn couldn't decide if he was furious that she was still in Scotland, or elated that she was here.

“How dare you,” she stated, her Southern accent thickening.

The minute she began walking to him, Thorn dropped the dead bodies. He blinked, confused. How was she here? More importantly, why did she remember him?

Anger pulsed around her as she strode to him. She halted before him and reared back her hand. Her palm connected with his cheek, sounding as if a shot had been fired as his head snapped to the side. It was so unexpected. Thorn hadn't imagined she would hit him.

He rubbed his left cheek and gave her a stern frown. She responded by raising a brow and giving him a look that could've scorched him where he stood.

“You didn't just leave without a word, you had my memories taken. What gives you the right to do such a thing?” she demanded.

Thorn opened his mouth to explain, but she spoke over him.

“You left me defenseless. I would've had no idea who the Dark were or how to fight them, because if you think they won't show up in South Carolina, you're off the mark, buddy.”

Darius backed up a step. “Uh … I'm going to collect the other dead Fae.”

Lexi didn't even look his way. Thorn had seen her scared, sick, and wounded. He had seen her frustrated, angry, and annoyed.

But he had never seen her enraged.

She was a sight to behold with her gray eyes glittering violently and her chest heaving as she spoke rapidly. She gave no quarter, showed no mercy.

Before him stood a queen of war who would take no less than the absolute truth.

And heaven help him, but he craved her for it.

“You almost got away with it all.” She gave a shake of her head and started past him.

Thorn reached out and grabbed her arm, halting her beside him. Her head whipped around, light brown hair flying around her as she met his gaze. “I had a verra good reason.”

“My protection?” she asked with a snort. “I think I already covered that.”

He looked down into her eyes that were as stormy as rain clouds and knew at that moment that he couldn't let her go twice. He'd tried that already.

No matter how many times he attempted to tell himself his feelings for Lexi would fade, they hadn't. “You were nearly killed.”

She tried to pull away, but he held fast. “I wasn't,” she said.

“What if you are the next time?”

Lexi made a face and threw up her other arm in irritation. “In all this time with humans have you learned nothing? I could be struck by lightning when I walk out of here. I could choke on a fish bone at dinner. Life is short.”

Thorn lowered his gaze to her mouth. He hungered to taste her again, to feel the fire of her need, the burn of desire. Her lips tempted like nothing else. “No' for me.”

Lexi's stomach quivered when she saw Thorn looking at her with such yearning. His mouth was inches from hers. They had already danced around their attraction once. She thought they were past that after their kiss, but for some reason Thorn was keeping his distance.

She softened her lips and leaned slightly toward him, unable to do anything else. There was no sound other than their breathing.

Thorn lowered his head. Their lips were about to touch when he suddenly pulled back.

Lexi extracted her arm from his grasp and turned away. “I could forgive you anything but taking my memories. You stepped over the line.”

She walked out of the warehouse hoping he would stop her, but that wasn't Thorn's style. He was a Dragon King, an immortal who had been alive for millions of years and seen so very much.

How silly to think that she, a nobody from Charleston, could catch his attention enough to have some sort of relationship.

Lexi didn't stop walking until she reached a road. She looked around, trying to determine what she was going to do. Her clothes were on their way back to the States. Now that she had checked in for her flight, but didn't get on the plane, there was no way she would be able to transfer the ticket. Even if they allowed it, the fee would be astronomical.

Her hand went to her purse where the knife was when she saw movement in the shadows to her right. With her fingers around the hilt, she relaxed when she saw it was Darius.

“Where are you going?” he asked indifferently.

Lexi shrugged. “I don't know. A cheap hotel.”

“Stay at the flat. It's protected. And free.”

She briefly closed her eyes, her throat clogging with emotion. Anger had kept her going, but now all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. “I'd be a fool to pass up anything free at this point.”

“Shall I walk you?”

Lexi held up a hand to halt him. “I don't think so. You agreed to Thorn's plan.”

“You know why. I told you last night, though you were no' supposed to remember,” he finished with a frown.

She gawked at him, completely at a loss. “You only told me because you knew Guy was going to erase those memories.”

“Aye. Thorn will be furious when he discovers what I've done.”

Lexi snorted and shook her head in disgust. “I won't be telling him.”

Darius slid his dark gaze to her. “Stick around long enough, and you'll get to meet the Druids and Warriors.”

As quickly as he appeared, Darius faded into the shadows. Lexi adjusted her purse and continued walking. Night was falling fast, and she wished she had taken Darius up on his offer to go with her after she saw the many Dark on the street.

They were clumped in groups, some standing together, some walking. Women and men flocked to them in droves. It sickened Lexi how they fawned over the Dark.

She caught a glimpse of a female Dark. The woman had hair to her waist that was more silver than black. Her red eyes were accented with heavy makeup. She had a body anyone would envy and legs that went on for miles.

The Dark wore a pair of black jeans and a red satin shirt unbuttoned enough to show her black lace bra beneath. The men around her were so absorbed with trying to get her attention that they didn't notice the others.

Lexi kept her eyes straight and continued past them as fast as she could without drawing attention to herself. She glanced across the street and saw the first jack-o'-lantern. Surely it wasn't already the end of October.

She checked her phone and saw that it was in fact October thirtieth. Had she really been so focused on the Dark that she hadn't paid attention to the date?

Lexi tried not to walk faster when the building came into view. She crossed the street and casually strolled up the front steps while covertly looking around her. Even then she didn't breathe a sigh of relief until she got to the flat.

She was reaching for the handle when the door opened. A woman with dark hair and moss green eyes smiled at her. She opened the door wider and waved Lexi inside.

“You must be Lexi. You're just as Thorn described,” the Brit said when Lexi entered.

Before she could form a response a second woman came out of the bathroom. She had silver blond hair and beautiful emerald eyes.

“We were hoping to meet you before we went out again,” said the blond with a strange accent that wasn't American or Scottish but a mixture.

Lexi looked from one to the other, thoroughly confused. “Hi.”

The brunette laughed. “Forgive us. It's been a long day. We just had a little nap, and we're anxious for our husbands to return. I'm Laura, and that's Danielle.”

“Call me Dani,” she said.

Lexi set her purse on the table. “How did you know I would come?”

“Thorn,” Laura explained as she held up her mobile. “He said you would be stopping by.”

“Oh.” That all made perfect sense. Lexi walked to the couch and sank onto a cushion.

Dani sat on the opposite end. She tucked her blond hair behind an ear. “We heard how you went after the Dark.”

“Not very smart, I know,” Lexi said.

Laura came around the couch and sat on the arm next to Dani. “I don't know. You knew they were evil when so many don't.”

Lexi looked at them. “Are you Druids?”

“Yep,” replied Dani.

“So they allow you to fight the Dark?”

Laura laughed and exchanged a look with Dani. “If you knew our husbands, you'd understand how we have the same argument with them each time until they relent and let us fight.”

“How many times have you fought the Dark?” Lexi asked.

“This is our first time battling the Dark,” Dani said. “Before that we battled Druids who used dark magic.”

Laura added, “Otherwise known as
droughs
.”

“You're lucky you have magic to fight.”

Dani's smile dropped some. “Not so lucky that we always know what's going on and fight these villains. Unlike the Dragon Kings, we can be killed easily enough.”

“As can our men,” Laura said.

There were male voices a heartbeat before the door opened and two men strode into the flat. Lexi stood as she looked from the pale brown–haired one with brown eyes who walked to Dani with a smile to the other man with dark eyes and brunette hair who kissed Laura.

“Who's this?” Laura's husband asked.

Laura softly touched his cheek. “This is Lexi. Lexi, let me introduce my husband, Charon.”

Lexi nodded a greeting.

Charon wore a charming smile that said he was self-assured and completely satisfied with life. “So you're the Lexi that Fallon and Marcail spoke about.”

Dani walked over with her man then. She smiled up at him and said, “Lexi, this is Ian.”