Burned by Darkness - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,24
simple words slammed into Baine with unexpected force.
Just a few days ago he might have dismissed the explanation as a meaningless excuse. How could a mate be more important than a male’s pledge to his master?
Now, he had the sudden thought of what he would do if someone were holding Tayla hostage.
The answer came without hesitation.
He would destroy the world.
Several worlds.
Not that she was his mate… Of course not.
He gave a shake of his head, forcing away the inane thoughts. Right now all that mattered was discovering why the hell his father would have planted a spy among his servants.
“How long?”
“Twenty-five years.”
Baine surged to his feet. He knew it.
All of this came back to Tayla.
“Tell me exactly what my father wanted from you.”
“He said you were searching for a female imp,” Fist admitted, flinching as Baine’s fury blasted through the air, shattering the chandeliers. “I was commanded to let him know when you located her.”
Baine stepped off the dais, moving to stand directly in front of Fist.
“Why?”
Fist lifted an unconscious hand to wipe the sweat that was dripping from his brow.
“He claimed that she had information he wanted.”
Baine paused, sorting through his memories of the night Tayla had been offered to his father.
He’d sensed his father’s lust for the beautiful imp. What male wouldn’t want to bed her? But the older dragon hadn’t revealed an interest in anything more than adding her to his large harem. Hell, he’d readily agreed to hand her over to Baine once he’d bartered for an outrageous price.
If she had information he needed, why not hide her away in his dungeons where he could force her to talk?
“Did he say what information?” he demanded of Fist, not surprised when the soldier gave a shake of his head.
“No.”
Of course he hadn’t. Synge might be a brute, but he wasn’t stupid.
Still, Baine sensed that Fist had noticed something. “No, but…?”
Fist grimaced. “I had the feeling he was worried.”
“About the imp?”
“About the information she possesses.”
Baine turned to blindly stare at the statues that lined the walls. A greedy Synge was dangerous.
A frightened Synge was lethal.
“Damn,” he muttered. What the hell was going on?
Absently he paced from one end of the room to the other.
What information could Tayla possess that was a threat to Synge?
Did it have something to do with her father? Or had she heard something or seen something while she was in his lair?
Lost in his dark thoughts, it took a moment for him to hear Fist’s soft plea.
“My lord.”
He turned to study his companion with an impatient frown. “What?”
“I know I don’t deserve your mercy, but I fear what your father might do to my mate if he discovers that I confessed I am the traitor,” Fist admitted, his voice raw with a fear that came from his very soul. “Could you make my death appear to be an accident?”
“You aren’t going to die,” Baine snapped. The male would have to pay for his betrayal, but Baine wasn’t a mindless savage. He understood that destruction wasn’t always the best solution. Fist might very well be of use in the future. “At least not today.”
Fist was intelligent enough to realize there was a reason he wasn’t already burnt to a tiny cinder.
“What do you want from me?” he demanded.
“I want you to contact my father.”
“Why?”
Baine considered for a long moment. Synge hadn’t survived for thousands of years by being lazy. There was no way he was going to simply give up if he truly wanted Tayla.
Even now, the cunning old brute was no doubt plotting a way to steal her from Baine.
Clearly, Baine would have to find some way to keep the older male distracted until he could figure out what information Tayla supposedly possessed.
“Tell him you overheard me setting up an auction for the female, with the trolls,” he at last commanded.
Fist widened his eyes. “Trolls?”
“Yes.” Baine gave a nod, abruptly heading toward the door. He was suddenly anxious to be back with Tayla. Just the thought of some male wanting to take her away from him… Fuck. “Tell my father that I intend to start negotiations after I’ve tired of her sweet charms.”
That should keep his father distracted. At least long enough for Baine to find the trolls and discover why everyone was so interested in his female.
“And that’s all?”
Baine ignored his companion’s confusion. “For now.”
“Very well.”
Baine hesitated at the door, turning to glance over his shoulder.
“Fist.”
The younger male tensed. “Yes?”
“After you contact my father you will remain locked in the dungeons until I