Hot Blooded, page 22
“The mix of dragon and Dark Fae magic has never been done, but this is the second occurrence in a few days. The main reason it’s no’ been done is that no Dragon King would ever associate with a Dark Fae.”
Fallon’s green eyes narrowed a fraction. “Phelan told us about Kiril and Shara. That was a Dragon King mixing with a Dark Fae.”
“Shara chose her side. She was then able to throw off the mantle of a Dark Fae and become Light. Associate might no’ have been the right word. The fact is, every King fought against the Fae.”
“Every King?” Fallon asked.
Con held out his hand and opened his fingers to see the cuff links. “You lead the Warriors, Fallon. No one else who is in our position understands the decisions we have to make.”
“Or the weight of those decisions,” Fallon agreed.
“Do you have regrets?”
“All the time. I’m no’ perfect. None of us are. My men understand that.”
Con put the cuff links in his pocket. “I have just one regret that haunts me every day. For ages we went about our lives without a worry. As technology increased we took precautions, but we were spelled to ensure that none of us would ever again be swayed by a human. That spell was broken. I still doona know how, and nothing I’ve done has been able to put that spell back into place. Since then, humans and the Dark Fae have stepped forward to show us they are actively trying to expose us to the world.”
“You’ve fought the Dark Fae before. Do it again.”
“It’s easier than that. I know who is pulling the strings. That’s my regret, Fallon. I could’ve prevented this from happening if I had just killed him instead of banishing him.”
Fallon briefly closed his eyes. “Ulrik. Are you sure it’s him?”
“He told me he would get his revenge.”
“So kill him if that’s what it takes.”
Con smiled tightly. “I doona have the backing of all the Kings. If I do it now, it’ll divide us.”
“And if it isna Ulrik pulling the strings then you’ve just given everything to your enemy,” Fallon said with a nod.
“It has to be Ulrik. There isna another Dragon King out there, and that’s what it would take to use our magic since there are no other dragons about.”
“But you took Ulrik’s magic,” Fallon said in confusion.
“Exactly. If he somehow got it back, then the longer I wait to kill him, the more damage he can do.”
Fallon let out a long breath. “So you’re going to kill the man you considered a brother.”
“What choice do I have?” Con asked.
“You doona. You’re doing it for the sake of the Dragon Kings.”
That’s the reason Con would give the others, and for now, that’s the only reason that would count.
* * *
He wasn’t surprised when the mobile rang. He had been expecting the call for a few hours. “Yes?” he answered, careful to put his British accent in place.
“Sir, she went to Dreagan, just as you said they would bring her,” came the man’s voice on the other end of the line. “She also had sex with one of them.”
“Who?” he demanded.
“Laith.”
He smiled and sat up from the lounger in his office. Anticipation pushed him as he walked to his desk and hit a button on his laptop. The screensaver disappeared to show a bar of progression loading.
“Did you go with her to Dreagan?”
There was a slight pause. “I got fifty feet onto the property and one of them began looking for me. I remained on the border.”
“I needed you inside to hear their conversations,” he said tightly.
“Had I proceeded, they would’ve found me out. Whatever magic is being used to hide me wasn’t working with them.”
“But no one else has discovered you yet?” he asked.
The merc laughed. “No. I’ve been able to move about freely. Iona has some company, however.”
That got his attention. “Who?”
“I don’t know who they are, but they aren’t Dragon Kings. They are able to use magic. There are two men and a woman, and they disappeared from Dreagan much like the Fae do.”
“Warriors,” he said with distaste. “I should’ve known Con would bring them in.”
The Australian made a sound. “I’m almost back to Campbell land.”
“Be careful. It willna … it won’t take them long to discover magic was used. The Warriors can sense magic, so keep your distance.”
“And Iona Campbell?”
“As long as she has her camera with her, I’ll get what I need. Remain and watch, but don’t be caught. I want a report of what the Warriors and Kings do in the morning.”
He disconnected the call and waited until the first picture from Iona’s camera came through. It was of inside Dreagan Manor. With the right technology and people, he could get everything he wanted without much effort.
“So close now,” he mumbled to himself.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
As soon as word spread to all the Dragon Kings that an enemy wasn’t just closing in, but had targeted Iona, everyone went into action.
When the last visitor collected their newly purchased whisky and headed out of the shop, Cassie closed and locked the door behind them. Employees were sent home early, and she spotted Rhys walking through the buildings to make sure everyone was gone. He was on his way back to the manor when Cassie joined him.
“I just got off a call with Lily. I still think she sounds frightened, but she assures me she’s doing good.”
Rhys nodded absently. “That’s nice. You do realize my decision had nothing to do with Lily. It was simply a matter of a human who worked for us was in trouble.”
“I didn’t ask for an explanation.” She wondered why he was lying, but she also knew the worst thing she could do was point that out.
“It doesna matter. I know what everyone is thinking, and they’re wrong. Lily means nothing to me.”
Cassie cut her eyes to him to see his jaw clenched. The fact Rhys had chosen to shift into a human—never to be able to return to his true form—because Lily had been in danger was telling. “I didn’t ask if she did, and it’s rather offensive that you would say such a thing. What if she heard?”
Rhys halted so quickly she had taken a couple of steps before she realized it. Cassie turned and found his aqua gaze narrowed dangerously on her.
But Cassie wasn’t cowed, not after being mated to her own King. “Lily is a kind soul, Rhys. She’s gentle and shy, and I fear there is something in her past that has turned her the way she is.”
“I know.” He said the words barely above a whisper, his gaze moving to the ground.
“I know Lily has to mean something for you to give up your true form,” she said carefully.
His shoulders dropped and he ran a hand down his face, a haggard expression taking him. “As soon as I heard that it was Lily in trouble, I shifted before I even had time to realize what I was doing.”
Cassie knew what that meant, but she also knew Rhys wouldn’t want to acknowledge it or hear it, so she kept silent. She adored Rhys. He was fun and easygoing until someone threatened those he cared about. Then he was a beast, a feral animal who reacted instantly.
But he also wasn’t right for Lily. Rhys was used to fast women. Lily was the exact opposite, and no matter what Rhys might feel, Cassie didn’t think anything could come of it. Lily was just too timid.
Rhys looked to the sky. “I’ll never fly again. It’s only been a few hours, but I crave it like never before.” He returned his gaze to her. “I wonder if that’s how Ulrik feels.”
“I don’t know Ulrik, and I don’t want to know him. It doesn’t matter if you can shift. You can still use your magic, and you are still a Dragon King.”
He looked away, disgust turning the corners of his lips down. “Of course it matters if I can no’ shift.”
She opened her mouth to call him back as Rhys walked off, but a large hand entwined with hers. She looked up at Hal and sighed. “Did you hear all of that?”
“I did,” he said with a slight nod as he watched Rhys. “No other King readied to rush to Lily’s side as Rhys did. He has no idea what that means. Or perhaps he does and just isna ready to admit it even to himself.”
Cassie rested her head on Hal’s chest. “I think he does, but I think he’s doing the right thing in not admitting it.”
“You doona believe Lily is the one for him?”
“Actually, I think she would do him a world of good. It’s that I don’t think Rhys is the right one for Lily. She’s too shy, and she’s not like the women he usually gravitates to.”
Hal put a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face to him. “Have you ever considered that he chooses those other women on purpose?”
“Because he likes their blatant sexuality? Because he likes how their clothes barely cover them?” she said, distaste dripping from every word.
Hal smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “There is much you doona understand about men, my love.”
“Explain it to me then.”
He turned her so that she stood before him, their bodies pressed tight. “I’d rather spend my time kissing you from head to feet, lingering in the middle.”
Cassie brought his head down for a kiss. Hal always did know what to say to make her melt. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time for a dalliance of any kind.
“Damn,” Hal said with a groan as he ended the kiss. He smoothed her hair away from her face. “I have to go.”
“I know. Be careful.”
It wasn’t the first time she had said those words, but it was the first time she truly meant them. After Rhys was hit with dragon magic, every mate was on edge that the same could happen to her King.
Being a mate to a Dragon King meant that their mortal lives became immortal, to live as long as her King did. Since the only way a Dragon King died was by the hands of another Dragon King, it wasn’t much of a worry.
Not so anymore. What Rhys had been going through brought it home to Cassie, Elena, Jane, Denae, and Sammi. Shara was the only nonhuman, but no one was sure how it would work since, as a Fae, Shara lived an extremely long life anyway.
Cassie held Hal a little tighter before she released him. He walked into the side entrance of the mountain, but paused to give her one last wave. She returned it, keeping her smile in place until he was out of sight. With dread weighing her down, Cassie walked to the manor where the other mates gathered to wait out the long, dark night.
* * *
Midnight didn’t feel as free and magical as it had the night before. Now, it felt deadly and scary. Iona hated the fear that made her jump at every sound in the forest now. She adjusted the strap of her camera case and gripped it tighter. She had walked the woods dozens of times without a worry. How many times had she been watched? How many times had she walked past him?
Worse, how many times had he been in the cottage while she slept?
It was apparent that the items she thought she’d misplaced or forgotten that she’d moved had been touched by this unknown foe. It sickened her, but that emotion soon turned to anger. What gave anyone the right to trespass on her land, to come into her cottage?
And all because she bordered Dreagan.
As far as the people of the village knew, they were lucky to be near such a famous distillery that brought in millions of dollars in tourist revenue each year.
None knew the truth about Dreagan. The few who did were either working to protect the legendary secret—or trying to expose it.
As Iona walked, she tried to think why anyone would want to expose Dreagan. It wouldn’t give this hidden enemy any control over the Dragon Kings. If anything, it would turn the Kings’ full fury on their nemesis. The entire world would want a piece of the Kings, whether it was to study them, use them for magic, or try to control their power.
No good could come out of revealing the Dragon Kings. Unless …
Iona stopped and put her hand on a tree as the world began to spin. She blinked into the dark, thankful that the moon was full and shed enough light that she didn’t need a flashlight. She licked her lips and looked up at the sky through the thick limbs of the trees. Dragon magic had been used, and yet Fallon said none of the Kings at Dreagan were a part of it. Iona knew of only one other Dragon King—Ulrik.
If he’d had his magic returned somehow, and he was the one behind this, then it was perfectly clear what his motives were. Unmasking the Dragon Kings would return the world to the war that once raged between humans and the Kings.
The Dragon Kings wouldn’t stand by and be taken. They would fight, which would only spur the war. Iona hadn’t seen a dragon or witnessed the power of the Kings, but if the Warriors were any indication, the Kings could rid the Earth of every human.
There would then be nothing to stop the dragons from returning.
Iona took a deep breath and continued on to the waterfall. As soon as Hayden told her she would be meeting Laith as planned, she watched the clock, the hours drifting slowly by. Mostly because she would be with Laith again, but there was also the excitement of getting to see Laith as a dragon. That overshadowed everything, even the fact that she was going to get to see what the Campbells had been guarding.
Even though Iona knew she wasn’t alone in the forest because the Warriors surrounded her, she was still shaken at the thought of someone spying on her. No one needed to tell her that meant her hours with Laith at the waterfall had been observed.
Iona glanced around, trying to find a glimpse of the Warriors and found nothing. They were good at remaining hidden, especially Larena. She was Fallon’s wife and the only female Warrior. Her power was becoming invisible—literally.
The plan was for Larena to remain near Iona at all times until Iona was with Laith. A second Druid named Aisley arrived with the other Warriors teleported in by Fallon. Aisley was beautiful with her black hair and fawn-colored eyes. There hadn’t been time for much talking as the Warriors took their places, and Isla and Aisley quickly hid themselves to do their magic.
Iona briefly spotted the Warrior Ian, who was the twin to Tristan, before he vanished in the forest. She had been so startled by him that, at first, she thought he was Tristan they looked so alike.
She couldn’t wait to learn more about the Warriors, Druids, Fae, and Dragon Kings. For eight years as a little girl, she had been a part of a world without even knowing it. Her mother certainly hadn’t. It explained why her father hadn’t come after them himself.
It still hurt, but Iona understood. Now she could forgive him. Guarding such a secret wasn’t an easy burden to take on. It was dangerous and full of secrets, and yet she embraced it.
Iona heard the waterfall and lengthened her strides to hurry and reach it. It wasn’t full of childhood memories anymore. Now there were new memories, memories of sighs and screams of pleasure. She smiled just thinking about it.
That smile widened when she came to the pool and watched the moon reflected in the ever-moving water. Suddenly, the moon was blocked out in the reflection of the pool. Iona’s head jerked up to the dark sky. She searched around her, turning this way and that. Then she spotted the dark shape. It was huge, even so high up in the sky.
The dragon tilted one wing and swung around to fly back low over her. There was a deep whoosh as the dragon’s wing beat, sending her hair flying in her face.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. He gracefully landed at the top of the waterfall and tucked his large wings against him. With the moonlight shining upon him, Iona saw the jet black scales. A row of bony plates ran from the base of his skull to the dragon’s shoulders. His tail flicked and settled behind him, splashing water up so high even she could see it.
So this was Laith. No wonder everyone was worried about her reaction. He was … terrifying. If she didn’t know the man, she would certainly run away. But she did know the man. She knew his voice, his smile, and his touch.
Her hand shook as she lifted it and motioned for Laith to come to her. He leapt into the air, his wings spread, and glided down to land behind her. Iona followed his progression, and took a step back when she saw him up close. He was alarmingly large and frightening magnificent.
Laith extended a muscular limb—with four splayed digits that had very long black talons—before her. Deep purple dragon eyes blinked at her before he motioned to his back with his head.
“Get on,” Larena’s disembodied voice whispered in her ear. “Laith won’t drop you.”
With Laith watching closely, Iona knew whatever her decision was would affect her future with him. It was the perfect time for her to turn away as she normally would, to forget him and whatever feelings she was developing.
It was the safe thing to do.
Iona put her foot on Laith’s limb and climbed up.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
A puff of breath left Iona when she settled on Laith’s back at the base of his neck. She gripped the bony plate nearest her to have something to hold onto and was amazed it was as warm as his scales.
She buzzed with excitement and a thread of fear when Laith unfurled his wings. There was a brief pause before they were suddenly in the air.
Iona gasped, a cry of fright lodged in her throat. She began to shake and held Laith so tight her fingers began to go numb. She was hyperventilating, her gaze locked on Laith’s black scales in front of her. Her legs gripped him until her muscles were trembling from the exertion, but she wanted to be prepared if she fell.
It took her a long time to realize that Laith was flying just atop the trees in a straight line. She blinked and glanced away from his scales to see the land below. Then she felt the wind upon her face.
Iona gradually relaxed her hold and simply enjoyed the fact she was atop a dragon flying over Scotland. She felt the subtle shift in Laith’s muscles beneath her legs every time his wings moved. The steady beat from his wings’ flapping was gentle and comforting. Ahead, she glimpsed Dreagan Manor, but Laith altered his course slightly, making a wide circle to take them back to the waterfall.
For the first time in her life, Iona wanted to experience something with her own eyes instead of through the lens of her camera. Then there was the fact that she didn’t risk taking a picture for fear of Laith being in it. She would love to have a picture of him in dragon form, but she wouldn’t dare attempt it for fear of it accidentally landing in the wrong hands.
