Darkest Flame, page 7
part #1 of Dark Kings Series
“Con has given his word. That is all the proof you need.”
Denae knew by the set of Kellan’s jaw that she wouldn’t get any more from him. It was a gamble she was taking in telling them everything she knew. They could easily kill her and dump her body, claiming neither she nor Matt ever made it to the cave.
Or they could get her a new identity and help her get out of the country to live as normal a life as anyone could on the run.
“I shouldn’t tell you,” she said. “I took an oath that I take very seriously.”
Kellan leaned one shoulder against the wall. “They used you.”
“Just as you’re doing.”
“Aye, lass, but we willna be trying to kill you when it’s all finished.”
Denae couldn’t believe how far she had tumbled from her path. “I know I shouldn’t tell you, but for some reason I can’t even begin to explain, I want to.”
And she did. Was it Dreagan? Was it Kellan?
Either way, she wanted to help them because she liked Dreagan, with its beauty and mysterious secrets. And because of Kellan.
Despite trying, she was fascinated by his chilly green gaze, enticed by his wide lips, and lured in by his hard body.
It was a hell of a position to be in, but somehow she knew that it wasn’t just chance that Kellan had found her in his cave or that he was the one questioning her.
Their paths would continue into the future. Denae just didn’t know for how long.
CHAPTER NINE
Kellan was about ready to rip off Denae’s oversized shirt with its wide collar that kept hanging off one shoulder, giving him a tantalizing view of her supple skin.
He remained against the wall while he kept a tight leash on the desire raging out of control, its burn singeing him from the inside out. Damn, but why did Denae have to be so tempting?
“If you would rather I get Con so you can tell him, I will.” Kellan prayed she took him up on his offer so he could have a few minutes alone to get ahold of himself.
Her head cocked to the side, and the long braid fell over her bare shoulder. It was almost too much. Kellan bit back a groan before it passed his lips.
Instead of rebuking him, she set about telling him all the different ways MI5 could be—and would be—watching Dreagan. Once she finished with that, she went on to explain how MI5 could infiltrate Dreagan without any of them knowing it.
By the time she was through, Kellan had even more reasons to hate humans. He pushed away from the wall and opened the door. When he spotted Con standing in the hallway, Kellan knew Constantine had heard everything.
Con gave him a nod before he walked into the room. “It’s time.”
Kellan glanced at Denae before he turned to Con. Alarm sizzled along his skin. He gave a firm shake of his head. “I doona think that’s a good idea.”
“It’s only fair. She has, after all, shared her secret. Even before she’s known ours.”
Kellan wasn’t sure what bothered him the most. That they were going to tell—as well as show—Denae what they were, or that right before they released her, Guy was going to wipe her memories of anything to do with Dreagan.
She would forget him, forget that her eyes would track him around the room and look at him as if he held the answers to everything.
But he would never forget the heat of her gaze or the pure seduction that she exhibited.
“I don’t want to know,” Denae was quick to say.
Kellan looked to the chair where she sat. She was stoic, but he sensed the thread of fear running through her. It was due to her training that she realized what kind of position she was in.
“If you tell me, you’ll kill me,” she told Con. “I don’t want to know. I don’t want to see. I don’t want to hear.”
Con merely smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Come, Miss Lacroix. Do you really believe we’ll harm you?”
“Without a doubt. You’ve gone to a great deal of trouble to keep your identities secret.”
Constantine opened the door all the way. “We willna kill you. There are other methods. I’ve a gift, something that will prove we keep our word.”
Kellan took a step toward Denae, not sure if it was to help her or Con. Con’s curious look stopped him in his tracks. What the hell was wrong with him? Surely he hadn’t been about to step between Con and Denae to protect her? The thought shook him to his core.
He hated humans, even beautiful ones.
Whisky eyes lifted to his, and Kellan gave her a nod of encouragement. It’s all he would give her. He couldn’t chance getting any closer. She had no idea how a boxy shirt that kept one shoulder bared set his blood afire.
“Show me your wound,” Con bade her.
Once more Denae glanced at Kellan before she did as Con asked, lifting the cami and oversized shirts together so the square of gauze could be seen.
Kellan hadn’t seen the injury since he’d finished stitching it. It had been Cassie who had cleaned and bandaged the wound.
“You were verra lucky your partner didna hit anything major,” Con said as he squatted beside the chair and reached for the bandage.
Denae pulled away. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to look at your wound.”
Kellan turned the other way, unsure at the sudden prickle of irritation growing within him. Con wanted him to develop a connection with Denae, and he had, apparently.
Fuck!
“I don’t know,” Denae said.
The sound of movement caused Kellan to look over his shoulder to see Denae had risen and moved near him. Her face was pale and she wasn’t able to hide the pain from her quick movements.
Without thinking, Kellan took hold of her arm to steady her. “Con willna hurt you.”
“Perhaps you should remove her bandage, Kellan,” Con said as he stood.
Kellan looked down into Denae’s eyes. She was too close, their bodies touching. His desire flared, lust riding him hard as he started to pull her closer. Her eyes searched his face. And she again lifted her shirt, this time for him.
His hand brushed over the warm skin of her stomach and he felt it quiver. Her sharp inhale confirmed that she wasn’t immune to his touch.
It was Con’s watchful stare that returned sanity to Kellan’s mind, if not his body. He did his best to ignore the swell of her breast so near as he gently removed the gauze.
But his cock wasn’t so obedient. It was hard and aching, straining to get next to Denae. Kellan inhaled deeply, breathing in Denae’s clean, wholesome scent.
In the light of day, Kellan could see the five-inch gash and the uneven stitches she had started before he took over. The skin around the injury was pink, signaling that it was healing.
He looked back at Denae’s face to find that somehow their bodies had moved closer together. They were so near all he had to do was bend down to kiss her.
“This willna hurt,” Con stated as he came up beside them.
Denae’s hands gripped Kellan when Con put his hand near her wound. In the next instant, Con’s magic filled the room. As she watched, the gash healed and the stitches dropped to the ground.
Her eyes widened as she looked from Kellan to Con. “What did you just do?”
“I healed you, Miss Lacroix,” Con said arrogantly. “It’s one of our secrets here.”
“You all can do that?”
Kellan shook his head. “That is Con’s power.”
“Power?” She squeezed her eyes closed while still clutching him. “I don’t understand.”
“Let us show you,” Con urged.
Kellan waited for her to open her eyes. When she did, the uncertainty there confounded him. In battle, she had been sure of herself. Even while lying in a bed wounded, her confidence had been unshakable.
If seeing a wound healed disturbed her, could she handle seeing them shift into dragon form?
“Con, I’m no’ sure it’s such a good idea,” Kellan said.
“You don’t think I can handle it?” Denae asked him, squaring her shoulders.
Kellan sighed. “Nay.”
She stepped back, releasing him, and turned to Con. “Show me.”
Con walked to the window and waited for her to stand beside him. “Kellan? Do you want to do the honors, or should I ask one of the others?”
“Sod off.”
Con chuckled and faced the window. “Look to the sky, Denae.”
A second later, Kellan caught a glimpse of deep red scales. Guy.
Denae took one step back, her hand over her mouth, before she moved closer to the window, watching how Guy soared through the air and clouds. Her face held a dose of disbelief, a dollop of confusion, a touch of fear, and a trace of excitement.
Kellan wondered which would win out. He had seen humans terrified of them, while others hadn’t been able to get close enough.
Denae was practical, realistic. She would probably never fully accept what she was seeing.
“Dragons,” Denae whispered, fear making her voice shake. “That was a dragon. A very large dragon.”
Con turned from the window and walked to the door, his eyes briefly locking with Kellan’s. “That’s right, Miss Lacroix. Now you know our secret.”
Kellan watched Con leave the room. Con was leaving him to answer any of Denae’s questions, as if that would make her trust him more—or make him forget about the life he took.
His head swung around to Denae. She was watching Guy with wide, bright eyes. One hand was on the window as she strained her head to follow his path. She looked like she was enjoying the show Guy put on.
But he knew how duplicitous humans could be.
“It’s frighteningly beautiful,” Denae said. “Is it the only one here? Is that what I was bait for?” She looked over her shoulder at him. “Will he eat me?”
“Nay. Aye. Nay.”
She faced him, her eyes shining with wonder. “That was amazing. It never entered my mind that dragons could exist. There’s been no video, no blogs, nothing about Dreagan.”
“We like our privacy.”
“That’s what MI5 must be after. The world can’t know you have a dragon. Wait.” She blinked and then frowned. “You said nay to my first question. That means…”
“There are more.”
She took several breaths as she contemplated him. “Con asked you to do the honors. Are you … are you a dragon?”
He could lie. She would never know. But for some reason, it wasn’t the lie that crossed his lips. “Aye.”
“You can turn into that?” she asked and pointed out the window.
“I can.”
“And your cave? You were there, weren’t you? You were in … dragon form?”
He nodded slowly.
“I was bait for you,” she said and sank onto the bed, a shell-shocked expression falling over her. “Bait for a dragon. And MI5 knew. How did they know you were dragons?”
“Dragon Kings, actually,” he corrected her.
Her brows lifted high on her forehead. “Dragon Kings. What does that mean?”
“Dragons have been in this realm since the beginning of time. Every size, every color ruled the sky, the land, and the waters. Each class of dragon had a King.”
Her lips softened as she said, “You.”
“The dragons with the most magic, the most skill and intelligence were chosen as the King to their group.”
“And yours is?”
“I’m King to the Bronzes.”
She rubbed her hands together, her coloring beginning to return. “Where are all the dragons? Are they hidden in the mountains?”
Kellan looked at the mountains out the window. “I wish. They’re gone. Sent away because humans arrived in this realm.”
“I … I don’t understand,” she said hesitantly.
“The Dragon Kings were charged with keeping the peace between dragons and humans. For a while it worked, but a human woman betrayed one of the Kings, Ulrik, and started the war. The dragons—and Kings—were divided on whether to protect the humans or kill them. Con united us.”
“Why Con?”
“Because he is the King of Kings. He is King to the Golds, but he earned the right to reign over all dragons.”
She licked her lips and nodded. “Okay. So he united you. Did that stop the war?”
“Nay. The humans were bent on killing. The bronze dragons were the Bringers of Justice. I charged them with watching over a village while I fought off other humans. The humans turned on my dragons and killed them, and because I had charged the Bronzes to protect humans, they did no’ defend themselves.”
“Oh, God,” she murmured. “I thought it was just me you don’t like, but it’s humans in general. Now I understand.”
He took a step toward her. “You can no’ begin to fathom the depth of my hatred. I tried to live with it, and I managed to for centuries. But there was one last betrayal done to me.”
Denae instinctively knew that Kellan had retaliated. “What did you do?”
“I took his life after he raped and murdered a girl he promised he would see safely home. After that I couldna look at another mortal.”
So much of Kellan was beginning to make sense now. Who knew someone so gorgeous and with such amazing power would suffer so? “And your dragons? Where are they?” she asked to change the subject.
“We had no choice but to send our dragons to another realm,” he continued. “Once they were safe, we hid on Dreagan. It wasna difficult to keep the humans off our territory. We faded into legend and then into myth. And then we were forgotten.”
“Apparently not,” she said as she rubbed her hands on her thighs. “Someone knows what you are, and they want you exposed. It all makes sense now. The nearly empty file, the secret mission, Matt using me as bait. They were trying to get a glimpse of you to tell the world.” She swallowed hard. “The world can’t know. Do you know what they would do?”
“Verra much so. Why do you think we’ve taken such steps to remain behind the scenes?”
“I don’t think it’s going to be enough. Now I know. What were y’all thinking, showing me?”
“To gain your trust, but doona worry. You willna be able to tell anyone anything. We will wipe your memories of anything to do with Dreagan.”
“Wipe my…” She trailed off as she looked at him in exasperation. That quickly faded as she sighed loudly. “That’s probably for the best. Besides, MI5 will keep coming until it gets what it wants.”
“They can try.”
Denae rose and walked to him. “Stop being stubborn. I’m trying to help. Y’all can’t remain here. You must leave.”
“We’ve called Dreagan home for thousands upon thousands of years. We willna leave.”
She twisted her lips as she regarded him with narrowed eyes. “Can you fight them?”
“There’s no need.”
“Obviously you don’t know MI5.”
One side of his lips lifted in a smile. “We can no’ be killed. The only being who can kill us is another Dragon King.”
“Well. That certainly changes things.”
CHAPTER TEN
Denae rubbed her hand over the spot where her wound used to be. It was a little sensitive, but all the pain was gone. As wonderful and mind-boggling as Con’s little trick was, it was nothing compared to the dragon flying around Dreagan.
“Only a Dragon King can kill a Dragon King,” she repeated. “I think MI5 should know that. If they do, they might back off.”
“Do you really believe that?”
She sighed and shook her head. “No. They would then try to turn one of the Kings against the rest of you.”
Kellan gave a loud snort. “That wouldna happen. No’ after all we’ve been through.”
“You trust them implicitly?”
“Aye.”
The idea of that baffled her. “You’re lucky, you know. They teach you, as a spy, never to trust anyone. But you have to trust the people on your team. I was the one who got burned this time.”
“You learned a lesson.”
“That I did. I really can’t trust anyone.” Not even Kellan or anyone at Dreagan, as much as she wished she could.
Con healed her as a show of good faith. That was a load of shit, and she knew it. Just as sharing their secret was due to her telling them about MI5.
“So how will it come?”
For a second, confusion marred Kellan’s features. “What do you mean?”
“My death? How will it come? Poison in my food? A knife in my back? Or maybe as a snack for a dragon?”
“Con said we wouldna kill you. We’ll wipe your memories.”
She shrugged and stood to look out the window again. “I’m not stupid. You’ve kept your secret from everyone. Why tell me? Someone suspected of being the enemy? The only logical conclusion is that I’m to be killed.”
“It’s true we’re no’ sure if we can trust you. You’ve helped your position by giving us information on MI5 and their interest in us.”
“But?” she prodded.
“There is no but,” Kellan said.
Denae laughed and turned to look at him. “Then when can I leave?”
“If I know Con, he’s already working on getting you a new identity.”
“It better be good, because MI5 will be looking for me everywhere.” She realized that she would need to alter her appearance, if she could trust that she would be leaving. She had no choice but to keep thinking that. As if they could wipe her memories. Then again, Con had healed her right before her very eyes. “I’ll need scissors and some hair color.”
Kellan folded his arms over his chest, a small frown forming. “For what?”
“I need to change how I look.”
“By cutting your hair?” he asked incredulously.
She pulled at the end of her braid. “It’s just hair. It’ll grow back.”
“There willna be a need for you to take such action,” Kellan said as he turned on his heel and walked out.
Denae shook her head after he left. Kellan was certainly enigmatic. If she didn’t know better, she would think he didn’t want her to cut her hair.
“It’s just hair,” she repeated, though she didn’t want to cut it either. Her father had always loved her hair long. He used to gripe every time she cut it.
