Read Smoke and Fire: for Free Online

Taraeth could hide a lot of things, but if he had a secret he believed no one else was aware of, he liked to gloat about it.
    “What if Ulrik’s magic is unbound? What if he’s faking it?”
    Taraeth laughed loudly. “Look at Ulrik, Balladyn. He was King of the Silvers for thousands of years. Do you really believe he’d sit by and continue to allow Mikkel to use him if he had his magic? More than that, do you really believe Ulrik wouldn’t attack Con right away?”
    “He’s waited thousands of years for his retribution. I think he’s planned it down to the last detail.”
    “Without a doubt. It’s going to be a glorious war, and we have front row seats.”
    It was Taraeth’s certainty that he would remain king of the Dark, as well as his conviction that he didn’t have to choose between Ulrik and Mikkel that told Balladyn it was nearly his time to take over.
    An image of Rhi flashed in his mind.
    His hands clenched as he recalled how he’d held her body against his, caressing and stroking. Her cries of pleasure still echoed in his mind. Just as he would never forget how it felt to slide inside her.
    He wanted her as his queen. Rhi would be an amazing queen. But she would never turn Dark.
    And he was Dark.
    Balladyn blinked, focusing on Taraeth’s face that was inches from his as he snapped his fingers next to Balladyn’s ear. He held back his natural reflex to knock Taraeth away.
    “What’s wrong with you?” Taraeth asked with a sneer. “I’ve been talking to you, but you wouldn’t answer.”
    Balladyn held himself still until Taraeth straightened and returned to the opposite sofa. Only then did he respond. “I was thinking about the upcoming battle with Ulrik and Con.”
    “Oh, yes. I know how much you hate the Dragon Kings.”
    Apparently not all of them. Balladyn was beginning to like Ulrik. “I want to be there to watch it unfold.”
    “You will be,” Taraeth assured him.
    By that time, Balladyn fully intended to be king of the Darks. The entire force of Dark Fae would be at the disposal of one entity—him.
    It would be at his leisure to choose if they aided Ulrik or not. And knowing Ulrik, the Dragon King wouldn’t need anyone’s help.
    As for Mikkel … that was another matter entirely.
    “You still have Sinny spying on Mikkel?”
    Taraeth nodded absently as he eyed a mortal who was being carried into the chamber. Her red hair was long and bright, just as Taraeth liked it.
    She was young, her body lithe and supple as she lay naked in the arms of one of Taraeth’s guards. He motioned to the guard to take the human to his bed in the next room.
    “Sinny will continue to spy on Mikkel just as her sister, Muriel, is spying on Ulrik.” Taraeth stood with an excited smile as he faced his bedroom. “We’ll finish this later. It’s time for my snack.”
    Balladyn rose to his feet and walked out with the loud moans of the female following him. He strode down the hallway thinking of all the mortals he’d taken after he became Dark. There were so many he couldn’t recall all of them.
    Rhi wouldn’t approve.
    He made his way to a doorway and immediately went to Rhi’s island. He needed to have her arms around him, to know that she was his.
    But the island was deserted.
    Balladyn stood in the sun with the water a few feet away. It was the spot where he had made love to Rhi. He removed his clothes and walked into the water.
    The sun, the bright flowers, the beautiful water, they were all things a Light Fae needed. He didn’t need them anymore, but yet there he was.
    Balladyn dove under the water trying to imagine what Rhi saw as she swam with the brightly colored fish and coral. He could imagine her smiling as the fish darted around her.
    It wasn’t until he walked out of the water an hour later that Balladyn realized how long he’d remained at the island. He halted at the shore, his chest tightening.
    He enjoyed it. All of it. The sand, the water, the fish. The sun.
    His gaze landed on the