Page 28 of Rising Reign

Something about Rhys’s words set me on edge. Perhaps the way they were spoken or the familiarity. Something about it didn’t sit right. And I clearly wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

Kingston bristled. “Why is he talking like he knows us?”

Ender sighed and squeezed the back of his neck. “Rhys has…some gifts.”

“Excuse me,” Rhys interjected. “Please don’t talk about me like I’m some sort of party trick.”

Even though the vampire spoke jokingly, I felt the undercurrent in the words, the weight of being different. And I understood it. I got the fear of people seeing you as a freak on a deep level. It tugged at me.

“Then tell us what they are,” Hera pushed, wariness in her pale-green eyes.

Rhys sighed, reworking his hair into a knot atop his head. The mane was thick and tangled, dark brown with caramel-colored highlights woven throughout. The strands looked as if they’d been kissed by the sun, the same way his tan skin did.

None of it fit what I thought of when someone said vampire. There was no porcelain skin or blood-red lips. Rhys looked more like he was about to hike up a mountain than hide out from the sun. And he looked very much alive.

His ringed fingers drummed on his jeans-clad thigh. “A smidge of prophecy here and there, but also visions of the present.”

It suddenly made sense how Ender was getting information about Red River without having an inside source. Wonder slid through me as I stared at Rhys. “You can focus your gifts on a specific target, can’t you?”

I could do the same with my empath gifts, but it was difficult, and I definitely couldn’t do it if I wasn’t in the same room as my target.

Rhys shrugged. “Sometimes.”

“You never had any contact with Red River, did you?” I pressed.

His nose wrinkled. “Consort with those animals? No insult intended. Never.”

I turned to Ender. “Why the hell wouldn’t you just tell me that? It would’ve put my mind at ease.”

Rhys crossed his arms over his massive chest. “Yeah, End. Why didn’t you just tell her that?”

“I’m going to kill you,” Ender growled low.

Rhys just laughed. “This is going to be so much fun. I’m so glad I get a front-row seat.”

“You think you’re staying?” King challenged.

“Oh, yes. I’ll be here for the long haul,” Rhys said easily.

Locke scowled at him. “Because your psychic powers told you so?”

Rhys glanced Locke’s way. “You’re usually the nice one. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?”

“I don’t like people I don’t know sneaking onto our territory and putting our mate at risk,” Locke snarled.

“Aaaaaah. I threatened your security genius. I get it. Sorry about that. But when I can see in my mind how you put the system in, it’s fairly easy to beat it. Have you considered adding motion detectors with size-specific alerts so human-sized creatures trigger it but nothing else?”

Locke’s jaw went slack. “That’s—you—I⁠—”

Rhys’s grin was back. “Good idea, right? I’d go with the Excalibur system. They’re less buggy than some of the other options. I’d be happy to help you install it. It’s no problem at all. I like security.”

“You should see his place. It’s like walking a booby-trapped, landmine obstacle course,” Brix muttered.

I glanced at him. “You know him, too?”

Brix shrugged. “He got us out of a sticky situation once.”

“You mean I saved your life. You’re welcome, by the way,” Rhys huffed.