pushed Rhi away, and he wasn’t going to start now. As he’d told Erith, he was already hanging on by barely a thread. It wouldn’t take much for him to break, and he couldn’t let that happen. Not yet, at least. There were things he needed to see to first.
Con lifted his face to the rain and closed his eyes. Then he spread his arms wide and leaned forward. There was a brief instant where he floated before he began to plummet toward the stones below.
He opened his eyes as he fell, watching the rocks and water get closer and closer. Then, at the last minute, he shifted and spread his wings to glide over the water. Once he was away from the boulders, he dove beneath the waves and began the swim back to Scotland.
Rhi might think the Others, as a whole, were gone, but Con wasn’t going to underestimate anyone. Moreann, as the leader of the Others, had put things in place to ensure that the dragons were gone so her people could have the realm and the magic.
Con didn’t think she’d give up so easily. In his mind, it didn’t matter if Usaeil and Moreann were friends or enemies. Sometimes, enemies made the best allies. Because of that, he needed to look at all angles for how the two of them could work together to strike at not only the Kings and the Fae but also the Warriors and Druids.
The two mortal Druids on Earth who were part of the Others were also a concern. He already had Noreen and Cain locating them and letting those Druids know the Others were finished. Because the sooner the Others were well and truly dismantled, the better.
But that wasn’t going to happen until Moreann was dead.
Con wished his only problems were Usaeil, Moreann, and the Others, but they weren’t. There was still the issue of Melisse, as well. He knew that Henry and Melisse had spoken several times. Con was relieved that Henry hadn’t asked him about Melisse again, but Con knew it was coming. Henry was too smart to not figure it out. What concerned Con was whether he would be angry or not.
Then there was Rhi. The other Kings had kept their opinions about him and Rhi to themselves. Well, mostly. All except for Ulrik. He didn’t expect that to continue since Rhi had many friends at Dreagan—Kings and mates alike.
Only two Kings knew about the changes he’d gone about making at Dreagan over the last year. Kellan because he was the Keeper of History and wrote down everything that transpired. And Vaughn because he drew up the legal papers.
If Con died tomorrow, everything was in place for the new King of Kings to take over and step into his role, both privately and publicly, without anything standing in the way. And Ulrik would do a damn fine job.
Ulrik had always been the best of the Dragon Kings. He’d walked through ten kinds of Hell to become the Dragon King he was now, and Con saw for himself just what kind of leader Ulrik could be.
It was the reason Con had remained with Usaeil those weeks, letting her believe that she kept him prisoner. It had killed him to stay away from Dreagan and pretend to be in love with her, but he’d seen how smoothly Ulrik ran things in his absence.
If there had ever been any doubt in Con’s mind about Ulrik’s ability to lead, it was quickly wiped away. The magic of the realm wouldn’t let him name his successor, but he knew who the strongest was, and it was Ulrik.
Con swam deeper, using his wings to push himself through the cold water. But no matter how deep he went, he couldn’t escape the thoughts running through his head. He had a plethora of things to think about, but his mind went to the only one that mattered—Rhi. It didn’t make any difference how many times he told himself not to think about the past, the memories filled him anyway.
He remembered how easily he and Rhi had fallen in love. In fact, it had been love at first sight. He hadn’t believed in it, but the moment he’d laid eyes on her, his heart had been hers. Then she’d smiled at him, and it had taken his breath away.
She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever beheld. There was nothing before or since. There would never be anything as beautiful as she was. If he hadn’t