Free Fire Rising (Dark Kings) by Donna Grant Page B

after Denae.
    More humans in military dress. Dark Fae daring to come close to Dreagan. Dragon Kings interrogating the mortals. It all meant only one thing—war was getting closer.
    She met Banan’s gray eyes. “Watch whoever that female is, because that Dark Fae won’t give up so easily if he truly wants her.”
    “Damn,” Ryder mumbled and walked out of the house.
    Banan’s mouth tightened. “As I thought.”
    “You’re dismissed,” Con said from directly behind her.
    Rhi whirled around and raised a brow at him. “Do you think there will ever come a time you’ll stop being such a prick? Wait. I know the answer. No.”
    She teleported out before she let her fist connect with his smug face.

 
    CHAPTER EIGHT
    Sammi didn’t stop walking until the sun began to set. With the growing darkness she remembered all too vividly why she wasn’t an outdoorsy kind of girl.
    She absolutely hated bugs and all the creepy-crawly things that seemed to come out in the night. Then there were the unknown sounds that kept her wondering what was going to jump out at her the minute she closed her eyes.
    “If only you could see me now, Mum,” she whispered and lowered herself to sit against a tree.
    She might prefer a nice, warm bed, running water, and toilets, but she was prepared to live without them in order to stay alive.
    Not even as a child had she been afraid of the dark, but that was quickly changing. The snap of a twig behind her had her jerking around and peering into the growing shadows.
    The only sounds she did recognize were the hoot of an owl and the screech of a fox, and even then it seemed much scarier out in the wild alone in the dark.
    Sammi opened her purse and took out a bottle of water and a bag of pretzels. It wasn’t exactly a fine dining experience, but it was food.
    The crackle of the cellophane seemed abnormally loud and caused the creatures of the night to be silent for a few moments. If she thought the sounds were scary, the silence was terrifying.
    Sammi didn’t breathe a sigh of a relief until the sounds returned once more. She finished her pretzels and drank half the bottle of water before her eyes began to grow heavy.
    Knowing she wasn’t going to get much in the way of sleep, she settled more comfortably against the tree and tried to rest.
    Cork, Ireland
    Kiril stood in his back garden and looked at the night sky. He desperately wanted to take flight, but he was being watched by the Dark Fae. They suspected he was a Dragon King.
    Most Dark Fae had no clue what a King looked like in human form, which played to his advantage. On the other hand, many of the Dark knew certain Kings in dragon form after the Fae Wars.
    Kiril had killed his share of Dark, and he was prepared to do it again. The recent skirmish had only whetted his appetite to take out more of the vile beings.
    There was nothing good about a Dark Fae. They preyed upon everything and everyone and expected no repercussions. He was going to be the one to bring down fire upon the lot of them.
    He swirled the amber liquid in his glass and inhaled the fragrant aroma of Dreagan scotch. At the pub he managed to get down some Irish scotch, but it lacked the artistry and love that went into making Dreagan.
    Kiril went still as he sensed movement off to his right. The Dark drew closer to his house every day while he was gone. They had gotten as close as the pool today. He could smell their stench. Whatever they looked for, they wouldn’t find it.
    There was nothing they would find. It was one of the main reasons he made sure not to have anything even resembling a dragon in his home. He wasn’t sure how long he would have to go without shifting, but he prayed it wasn’t too long.
    Already he itched to take to the skies and soar upon the currents. His friends were counting on him as well. The union between humans and the Dark was enough that he would risk being captured by the Dark Ones.
    To make matters worse, Banan had notified him by their mental