were so reckless.”
Rhi tried repeatedly to get a word in edgewise, but Balladyn was having none of it.
“It was beyond stupid for you to go there. You shouldn’t even be here with me,” Balladyn said and whirled around. He ran a hand through his long hair and paced the width of his chamber.
“I was veiled.”
That stopped him in his tracks. His head jerked to her as he gave her a fierce glare. “I can sense you, Rhi. If I can, others could as well.”
But he didn’t sense her watcher. Ever. It was more that he was attuned to her, which was why he was able to sense her. Yet Rhi decided to keep that tidbit to herself. With the mood Balladyn was in, he wouldn’t want to hear any of it.
“Taraeth still believes I’m searching for you to turn you Dark,” he said with a snort.
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “And whose fault is that? You’re the one who kidnapped me in the first place.”
“Don’t remind me.” He put his hands on his hips and hung his head. “I can’t take that back, but I can keep you away from him. If you’d only cooperate.”
Rhi dropped her arms and walked to him. She stopped before him and put her hands on his face, bending her knees so she could tilt her head to the side and see his face. With a smile, she lifted his head so she could stand straight. “I know what I’m doing.”
“You’re good and lucky. Don’t get cocky.”
“Yes, sir.”
That made him grin. His red eyes softened as he gazed down at her. “Now that I like coming from your lips.”
“Don’t get used to it,” she warned with a wink.
Balladyn wrapped his arms around her, bringing her against him. “You’d never let me.”
Rhi rested her head on his chest for just a moment. It felt good to have someone again. She closed her eyes and savored the moment—because it couldn’t last long.
“Why were you at the palace?”
Rhi lifted her head and stepped out of his arms. “I wanted to see what the Dark were saying about the Reapers.”
“And you couldn’t ask me?”
“Yes, but I wanted to hear it from them.”
Balladyn shook his head “Rhi.”
“I was hoping to run into you though.”
“To see my library and what I found on the Reapers, right?”
She flashed him a smile. “You’re so smart.”
“This way,” he said and turned on his heel.
Rhi could feel her watcher’s displeasure increase the moment they left the Dark palace and arrived at Balladyn’s compound. Well, in truth, he hadn’t been pleased to be at the Dark palace to begin with.
“I could’ve brought these to you,” Balladyn said. “It would’ve been better than you coming here and chance being seen.”
Rhi lifted a shoulder nonchalantly. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“The Fae have said that around the humans so often that it’s become one of the mortals’ favorite phrases.”
They walked through a large arched doorway from his chamber. Rhi smiled when she saw the sheer number of bookshelves and books lining the walls.
A massive light hung from the ceiling with what appeared to be candles, but Balladyn was obsessive about his books. He’d never let fire anywhere near them.
There were standing candelabras all around the room. They brightened as Balladyn walked past, alighting the chamber in a warm glow.
Balladyn strode to a large table where books were stacked and others lay open. There was a tablet of paper with his writing on it.
“This is everything I found,” he said. “And I looked through every book I have.”
Rhi took another look around the room and the mind-boggling number of books. It must have taken him days to go through each one while continuing his duties as Taraeth’s right hand.
She came to stand beside him. “Take me through what you found.”
Chapter Thirty-two
Kinsey was never happier to see the sun setting behind the mountains than she was then. Another day passed without any answers. She and Ryder weren’t the only ones frustrated.
Even
Rhi tried repeatedly to get a word in edgewise, but Balladyn was having none of it.
“It was beyond stupid for you to go there. You shouldn’t even be here with me,” Balladyn said and whirled around. He ran a hand through his long hair and paced the width of his chamber.
“I was veiled.”
That stopped him in his tracks. His head jerked to her as he gave her a fierce glare. “I can sense you, Rhi. If I can, others could as well.”
But he didn’t sense her watcher. Ever. It was more that he was attuned to her, which was why he was able to sense her. Yet Rhi decided to keep that tidbit to herself. With the mood Balladyn was in, he wouldn’t want to hear any of it.
“Taraeth still believes I’m searching for you to turn you Dark,” he said with a snort.
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “And whose fault is that? You’re the one who kidnapped me in the first place.”
“Don’t remind me.” He put his hands on his hips and hung his head. “I can’t take that back, but I can keep you away from him. If you’d only cooperate.”
Rhi dropped her arms and walked to him. She stopped before him and put her hands on his face, bending her knees so she could tilt her head to the side and see his face. With a smile, she lifted his head so she could stand straight. “I know what I’m doing.”
“You’re good and lucky. Don’t get cocky.”
“Yes, sir.”
That made him grin. His red eyes softened as he gazed down at her. “Now that I like coming from your lips.”
“Don’t get used to it,” she warned with a wink.
Balladyn wrapped his arms around her, bringing her against him. “You’d never let me.”
Rhi rested her head on his chest for just a moment. It felt good to have someone again. She closed her eyes and savored the moment—because it couldn’t last long.
“Why were you at the palace?”
Rhi lifted her head and stepped out of his arms. “I wanted to see what the Dark were saying about the Reapers.”
“And you couldn’t ask me?”
“Yes, but I wanted to hear it from them.”
Balladyn shook his head “Rhi.”
“I was hoping to run into you though.”
“To see my library and what I found on the Reapers, right?”
She flashed him a smile. “You’re so smart.”
“This way,” he said and turned on his heel.
Rhi could feel her watcher’s displeasure increase the moment they left the Dark palace and arrived at Balladyn’s compound. Well, in truth, he hadn’t been pleased to be at the Dark palace to begin with.
“I could’ve brought these to you,” Balladyn said. “It would’ve been better than you coming here and chance being seen.”
Rhi lifted a shoulder nonchalantly. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“The Fae have said that around the humans so often that it’s become one of the mortals’ favorite phrases.”
They walked through a large arched doorway from his chamber. Rhi smiled when she saw the sheer number of bookshelves and books lining the walls.
A massive light hung from the ceiling with what appeared to be candles, but Balladyn was obsessive about his books. He’d never let fire anywhere near them.
There were standing candelabras all around the room. They brightened as Balladyn walked past, alighting the chamber in a warm glow.
Balladyn strode to a large table where books were stacked and others lay open. There was a tablet of paper with his writing on it.
“This is everything I found,” he said. “And I looked through every book I have.”
Rhi took another look around the room and the mind-boggling number of books. It must have taken him days to go through each one while continuing his duties as Taraeth’s right hand.
She came to stand beside him. “Take me through what you found.”
Chapter Thirty-two
Kinsey was never happier to see the sun setting behind the mountains than she was then. Another day passed without any answers. She and Ryder weren’t the only ones frustrated.
Even
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