Darkest Flame (20 page)

“That will be the last order you ever give, Dragon King,” one of the Dark Fae said as he held up a hand and magic rammed into Kellan’s gut. “You’re our toy now.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Denae watched with horror as Kellan doubled over from the vicious magic attack. His hair fell to cover his face, but not before she caught a glimpse of the feral fury that filled his features.

She shivered, because it was just a matter of time before Kellan got free. When he did — he was going to rip the Fae apart.

And she couldn’t wait to see it.

Knowing she wasn’t alone helped to calm some of her fears, but not nearly as much as she wanted. How she wished she had magic of her own to help Kellan, but she was simply a mortal. The only thing she had going for her was her training and her wits. It was going to take both to get her out alive.

With her jaw still aching from his hit, Denae remained silent, hoping the Fae would forget about her. Two of them were focused on Kellan. But the third, a tall male with long black hair streaked with silver, and white marks all over his bare chest that looked like tattoos, had his red gaze on her.

Denae divided her attention between Kellan and the Dark Fae. Kellan straightened and lifted his chin, daring them to use magic again.

The three Dark were attractive, and she could understand why so many humans fell prey to them. They were tall, lithe with sculpted bodies, though they didn’t compare to Kellan’s muscular form.

The Dark Ones’ hair was black just like Rhi’s, but the difference were the streaks of silver that ran through it. One of the Fae, the one who had spoken to Kellan, had his hair cropped short, which only accentuated the silver in his hair and his red eyes.

The second Fae’s hair hung to his chin with two thick silver streaks falling on either side of his face.

Denae didn’t want to look at the third again. He was the same one who had been at the docks, the same one who had ogled her then, as he was now. His black hair hung down his back almost to his waist with the silver mingling among the black.

“You can no’ kill me.” Kellan’s voice rang out in the room hard and commanding.

The lead Fae simply smiled. “It will make our fun last infinitely, Dragon.”

“As long as you hold me. When I get free—”

“When?” he interrupted Kellan. He gave a snort and looked at his companions before his red gaze shifted back to Kellan. “That’ll never happen. Or have you forgotten what happened to the two Kings we captured before?”

Undeterred, Kellan said, “
When
I get free, I’m going to take great pleasure in ripping each of you limb from limb.”

“Not going to happen,” the second Fae said with a sly smile. “We’ve got plans for you, Dragon.”

Denae spotted the third Fae walking toward her. She hastily climbed to her feet and turned away. Every instinct told her to face the creature and never turn her back to it, but she wanted to ignore him, to show him his wiles wouldn’t work on her. In order to do that, she had to look anywhere but him.

“You think you can ignore me?” he whispered in her ear, moving her hair so that his fingers skimmed her ear. “That’s not possible.”

“I’m doing it, aren’t I?” she retorted.

There was a pregnant pause and then a soft chuckle. He molded himself to her back so she could feel his erection. “Our females use your males for sex, and we also like to take a mortal woman. But do you know why we lure pretty young things like you?”

“I don’t care.”

“Hope. Optimism. Aspirations. Those are the emotions I feel within you. We take those from mortals, because they are too good to resist. But do you know the emotion that is the most delicious?”

Denae held back a shudder, but she refused to cower. She might later, but not now, not when this had just begun.

“Love,” he said. “It’s like a beacon.” He spun her around until she faced him, and then he gently ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “You are a lovely one, Denae Lacroix.”

“Go away.”

His shocked expression soon gave way to anger. “You dare tell me to go away? You are mortal. Your feeble mind and body will break under my onslaught.”

Denae lifted her chin defiantly. “Never.”

It was most likely a foolish move, but she was tired of being told she was inferior. Humans had been doing just fine, and she might not have magic or be immortal, but she refused to go down without a fight.

The Dark glanced at Kellan before he leaned into her and ran his tongue down the side of her ear. “I’ll have you on your knees begging me to take you,” he whispered in a dark, seductive tone.

That only made her angry. How dare he think he could make her do anything he wanted? It infuriated her to know that humans were nothing but playthings to the Fae. To the Dragon Kings, they were interlopers the Kings had to protect.

Damn them both.

She was going to save herself.

Denae stepped away from the Dark. She didn’t bother to say anything, because it would only further irk him, but it was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to go fuck himself.

It was obviously the right move when the male smiled and grabbed her breast and gave it a squeeze. She felt nothing. Not an ounce of pleasure or need.

The male’s lips peeled back in a snarl when she didn’t respond to his touch. “What magic is this?”

“I have no magic,” she stated with a voice as sweet and innocent as she could make it—all the while seething inside. “I’m a feeble mortal, remember?”

*   *   *

It was all Kellan could do to stand there and watch the Fae put his hands on Denae. He was more than shocked that she wasn’t ripping off his clothes the first time he touched her.

The more he watched Denae, the more Kellan realized she really didn’t desire the Dark Fae. How was that possible? There wasn’t a human alive who had ever been able to reject a Fae—Light or Dark.

What made Denae special?

Whatever it was, it could end up costing her her life. The Fae wouldn’t handle being refused well at all.

“Leave her for now, Emil,” the first Fae said. “There will be plenty of time for you to play with her.”

Kellan didn’t know their game, but he was surprised the Fae were going to leave them. Something wasn’t right. It settled like lead in his stomach, knotted and bulging.

Emil gave Denae one last look before he turned on his heel and walked back to the other two. Then all three simply vanished.

The only sound breaking the silence was the continuous dripping of water. Kellan wasn’t sure they were really alone. It would be just like the Dark Ones to hang around and listen to his and Denae’s conversation.

He couldn’t chance it, no matter how much he wanted to go to Denae and see if she was all right. They couldn’t talk of plans, couldn’t speak of anything really.

Kellan yanked on his chain, despising anything that kept him from shifting into his true form. The rusted iron bit into his flesh, cutting him. Blood ran down his hands to his fingertips before dripping onto the floor.

“Don’t.”

He stilled and slowly turned his head to Denae. “What?”

“Don’t hurt yourself just because you can’t die.”

“Does the sight of blood bother you?”

She rolled her eyes. “You know it doesn’t.”

Now that he was looking at her, he couldn’t tear his gaze away. Her hair was mussed, her shirt hanging off her shoulder once more, and dirt smudged her cheek. And still he thought she was beautiful.

“Doona infuriate them,” he cautioned her.

She lifted a dark brow. “So you want me to let him fondle me? I don’t think so, bud.”

“They’ll get into your head.”

“I’m sure they already have.”

Kellan didn’t like the note of uncertainty he detected in her voice. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” she hedged. “What now? Are they still here? Are they still listening?”

“Probably.”

“They’re going to use me against you.”

Kellan swallowed and stared into her whisky-colored eyes, hating the distance separating them, and the fact that sometimes she was too smart for her own good. He could still taste her on his tongue, still feel her skin beneath his palms, still hear her cries of pleasure ringing in his ears.

“They’ll soon learn how little I mean to you.”

He saw her forced smile and how it wobbled a bit. Just as he expected, she had figured things out. Her intelligence was surprising and welcomed.

“I mean, I’m human,” she continued. “Everyone knows how the Dragon Kings hate humans. It’s all well and good to use us for sex, because who else are you going to go to?”

“They may no’ be able to kill me, but they can kill you.”

“And I’m sure they will.”

She said it with such calm certainty that a roar of refusal nearly made it past his lips. The thought of life leaving her body was repulsive to him. He didn’t want her to die. Not now.

Not ever.

Kellan didn’t know what was wrong with him. He hated humans. Or he had.

How could he feel different about Denae after a night in her arms? He had spent many nights with females, but not one had ever touched him so completely, so absolutely as Denae.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said and walked to stand beside him. There she inspected where the chain was bolted into the stone wall. “There are much more important things than one human life. Like what the Dark want with a Dragon King.”

Kellan wanted to run his hands through her hair again. He wanted to drag her against him and just hold her. He wanted to kiss her and promise her that he would get her out alive.

Instead, he only stared.

She turned her face to him and smiled. “In the war with the Fae, did you fight the Dark?”

“Aye.”

“Did they take any of you?”

“Two.”

“It didn’t turn out good, did it?” she asked, a small frown marring her forehead.

He shrugged, thinking back so many eons ago. “Both Kings had to be killed. I did one, and Con the other.”

“What did the Dark do to them?”

“I suspect I’ll find out soon enough.”

She cleared her throat. “Their magic prevents you from shifting. Did they use it during the war?”

“Of course.”

“And how did you combat it?”

“There were too many of us Kings, and then there were the dragons.”

She nodded, a thoughtful expression falling over her face. “Isn’t it odd that they’ve waited until just now to capture one of you?”

“In a manner.”

Her gaze sharpened on him. “You aren’t surprised by their move. Which means this all goes back to the information MI5 got on Dreagan and my mission onto your land.”

“It does.”

“Someone wants to expose you. Someone who has aligned with the Dark, MI5, and God only knows who else to do it.”

“That they have.”

“And you aren’t worried?” she asked in exasperation.

Kellan took a deep breath and said, “Nay.”

“I’d call you a fool if I hadn’t seen firsthand what you could do. How are you going to get free of here?”

It didn’t go unnoticed by him that she didn’t include herself in that statement. Kellan let it slide. For now.

“With pleasure.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Isle of Raasay

After a quick look in the lodge, Rhys walked back outside, his face to the sky. And in the fast-moving clouds he saw a sight he hadn’t witnessed in thousands of millennia.

A group of dragons.

The Kings learned long ago how to deftly move within the clouds and stay hidden, but a dragon knew how to spot others.

Rhys caught a glimpse of gold scales. Constantine. The King of Kings was defying his own order and flying in daylight. If the situation wasn’t so dire Rhys had every intention of ribbing him about it.

It was easy for a dragon to remain hidden in the clouds, but he would have to chance being seen when he landed. And there was no missing the large size of a Dragon King.

With no rain in sight, they were taking a huge risk in being seen—one that, to Rhys, was worth it after Kellan had been taken by the Dark Ones.

Con was the first to descend. He tucked his massive gold wings and dove like a missile to the ground. Right before he would have hit, he shifted, tucking his body into a tight ball and rolling until he stood, his face to the sky.

Rhys glanced over the view of the sea from the house and, thankfully, saw no boats on the water. By the time he turned back around, Guy and Kiril were already on the ground next to Con.

A blur of amber sped through the sky, and Rhys recognized their newest member of the Kings—Tristan. He had been born to them just a few years earlier, though they still weren’t sure how. No new Dragon Kings had been made since the dragons were sent to another realm.

Tristan shifted into human form and landed with as much grace and control as Con. Then, as one, the four turned to Rhys and started walking to him.

Rhys lengthened his strides and tossed them the spare jeans kept in all houses owned by the Kings for such eventualities. “You all took a chance. A picture of any of you could be splashed on the front page of every newspaper in the morning.”

“Tell me what happened,” Con demanded and jerked on his jeans.

The fact Con didn’t even give Rhys’s statement a comment told him how upset Con was. Rhys gave a little shake of his head. “For hours there was nothing. I remained in the sky keeping watch.”

“Obviously Kellan didna sense anything.” Kiril pulled his pants over his hips and spotted the pile of dead MI5 agents.

Rhys glowered at Con. “Kellan did exactly what Con wanted him to do—he got close to Denae.”

“By close, I suppose you mean they had sex,” Tristan said as he finished putting on his jeans.

Guy had his jeans on, but didn’t fasten them as he walked to the dead bodies. “Of course they had sex. The attraction was evident to everyone.” He turned back to Rhys and stared at him with pale brown eyes. “Kellan was occupied, but that wouldna have stopped him from noticing if something was wrong.”

“Because nothing was wrong,” Rhys stated. “It wasna until dawn that I saw the first movement in the trees. I remained in the sky watching the house to see if they would dare to approach, but they kept their distance. I knew Kellan would be able to handle anything, so I attacked the humans. Only then did I see the magic from the windows.”