Chapter One
Dreagan Manor
February
After slipping her noise-canceling headphones over her ears, Rhi opened the playlists on her phone and scrolled through, trying to find something that appealed to her. She halted on Loreena McKennitt, a smile pulling at her face. Rhi hit play. When the first strings of The Mummers’ Dance filled her ears, she took a deep breath and then slowly released it.
The haunting melody and soul-stirring lyrics called to her on a primitive level. Simultaneously soothing and exhilarating her. Con had told her it was because she was Fae and had a connection to the Earth. Frankly, she suspected that the singer/songwriter was a Druid. Maybe one day Rhi would seek out McKennitt and find out.
She swayed on her feet in the middle of her and Con’s chambers. She had the day to herself since he and the other Dragon Kings were discussing the upcoming year and their plans for who would attend the World Whisky Consortium and other such meetings that required a representative from Dreagan.
She didn’t mind having time to herself, especially after spending the previous week meeting with delegates from both the Light and Dark Fae, in hopes of moving her people forward to their goal of having a unified council that would serve both sides instead of a single king or queen who made all the decisions. Things were moving slowly, though—too slow, in her opinion.
Con had suggested she take a day to do whatever she wanted. And so, she was. Rhi continued twirling slowly around the room as she briefly considered going shopping but then quickly decided against it. She could get her nails done. Rhi always loved chatting with Jesse as the nail tech came up with unique designs for her nails. But, strangely, not even that appealed to Rhi.
She sank onto the thick fur rug, lying before the roaring fire in the hearth. After stretching out her legs, she looked at her chestnut Ugg Scuffette II slippers with their plush wool lining, then moved her gaze up to the cream chenille leggings she wore. The beige tank was cashmere, as was the long cardigan that matched. The entire outfit had been a gift from Con this last Christmas. She lay back, sinking into the softness of her clothes and the rug as she closed her eyes and listened to the music.
It felt nice not to have duties that needed tending or anyone expecting her. There wasn’t a war to fight or enemies to vanquish. The only thing she had to worry about at the moment was what she planned to say when she finally got to meet her children.
She wrinkled her nose. Rhi didn’t want to think about the twins and that convoluted and difficult situation just yet. She had spent so much of the past few months angry that she hadn’t known about the twins and upset that they constantly refused to let her and Con enter their realm.
This day was all for her. She had to remind herself that it wasn’t being selfish. Everyone needed time to themselves to do whatever they wanted without any interruptions or distractions—not even Rhi’s very handsome mate.
Just thinking about Constantine brought a smile to her face. Whenever she thought about what each of them had endured while alone all those centuries, it boggled her mind. If Con hadn’t taken steps to rectify things between them, they wouldn’t be together now. She would’ve gone through the rest of her life loving a man that she couldn’t have.
Even when he told her the truth of why he had ended things between them so long ago, she hadn’t immediately forgiven him, despite understanding why he did it. But Con had more than made up for all of it. Besides, it wasn’t as if he were the only one who had things to make up for. She had some atoning to do herself. But they had made a concerted effort after their reunion to put the past behind them.
She opened her eyes to look at the ceiling as she recalled the magical holiday season they’d shared. Her mind drifted through memories of when she and Con had had the manor all to themselves before everyone returned for the big celebration. Her parents and brother might be gone, but she had another family now—more sisters than she could ever hope to have, and brothers who were always around. And more coming each day. Rhi couldn’t wait to meet Jeyra, Varek’s mate.
The couple would need to return to this realm to perform the mating ceremony at Dreagan, but Rhi suspected that Varek would want to spend most of their time on Zora. She stretched her arms over her head, smiling brightly as she recalled her and Con’s mating ceremony. It had been a truly beautiful event, made even more special because she was finally with the only man she had ever loved.
Rhi turned her head and looked toward their bed. She frowned when she saw something red poking out from below the mattress on Con’s side. She got to her feet and went to investigate. Squatting beside the bed, she pushed up the mattress to reveal a red journal.
She pulled it out before she could stop herself, but she didn’t open it. Rhi instantly knew it was something personal. Something private. She should put it back, but as she began to do just that, she recalled Ulrik saying something about Con’s red journals and that they involved her.
Rhi bit her lip as she stared down at the book, debating what to do. Finally, she decided to just read the first page. If it wasn’t about her, she’d put it back.
“And if it is?” she asked herself quietly.
Rhi closed her eyes and dropped her head back. Con had told her numerous times since their mating that what was his, was also hers. She wasn’t sure that statement included journals, though. But now that she had found it, how could she put it away without looking? The Fae were entirely too curious.
She jumped, startled when a knock sounded. The journal fell from her fingers, hitting the floor. Rhi picked it up and set it on the duvet, then got to her feet. She swallowed nervously and started toward the door as she dropped her headphones to drape around her neck. With a tap, she paused the music. She pulled the panel wide, but no one was there. When she stepped into the hall, she saw Ulrik’s departing back.
“Did you need something?” she called.
He paused and turned to her, his face wrinkling apologetically. “I’m sorry. I forgot that you had the day to yourself.”
“It’s fine.” She smiled. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the meeting?”
Ulrik laughed, his gold eyes crinkling at the corners. “Just taking care of something at the distillery. I was looking for Eilish. I thought she might be with you. Then I remembered Con warned everyone to leave you alone today.”
Rhi smiled and shook her head. “He likes to take care of me.”
“It’s good you let him think he is.”
Her grin widened. Then she glanced around to see if anyone else was listening and lowered her voice. “You once said something about Con and some red journals.”
“I did,” Ulrik said as he walked to her. “He used to keep two sets. Brown ones he used to write about the Kings, Dreagan, and such—I think he did it to keep track of things when he was the only one awake but also because he didn’t have anyone else to talk to.”
Rhi didn’t like thinking of that time for Con. She couldn’t imagine spending centuries all alone while the rest of the Kings slept in their mountains. But that was why Con was King of Dragon Kings.
“And the red ones?” she pressed.
Ulrik stared at her for a heartbeat. “They were about you. I’ve always believed you should’ve gotten to read his words to see that his love never wavered. Unfortunately, he burned them when he believed he didna stand a chance of getting you back.”