Darkest Flame (4 page)

“Why has MI5 focused on us?” Con asked as he stopped at the foot of her bed.

She looked into his black eyes noting the barely suppressed anger and shrugged. “My orders were to use my photographic memory to record what was in the cave.”

“What were you looking for?” Kellan asked.

Denae glanced at Kellan before looking at the bed. “My superior said I would know it when I saw it.”

Con’s frown deepened. “That’s all you were told?”

“Yes,” she answered. “On the swim to the cave, Matt tried to cut me before shooting at me. At the surface we fought. He said that once you found me wounded, you would kill me, never knowing I was MI5.”

“And giving MI5 ammunition to come after us,” Con finished with a mumbled curse as he dropped his chin to his chest.

“Why do you work for them?” Cassie asked.

Denae carefully shifted against the pillows and hid a wince as her stitches pulled. “I was recruited mainly because of my photographic memory. It was when I considered joining the Navy and took the tests that people from the FBI and CIA tried to acquire me. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Before I could make a decision, an MI5 agent contacted me. It was a change of scenery that I needed, so I accepted.”

“You left everyone behind for a change of scenery?”

Denae looked at the floor as the old pain, an ache that always hit her right in the middle of her chest when she least expected it, slammed into her. “There was no one to leave. The real reason is that they had me working undercover at the universities for stalkers, rapists, and for those thought to want to bring down the UK. I brought those scumbags to justice.”

She licked her lips and looked up to find Kellan watching her with those celadon eyes of his, devoid of emotion. Some would consider him cold, callous. She thought him indifferent, as if he watched the world and wasn’t really a part of it.

How she wished she could have adopted such a life after her father died. Instead, she’d been rudderless, going wherever life took her—and it hadn’t always been good.

“How long have you been in MI5?” Con asked, thankfully pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Seven years. I was a sophomore in college when I took their offer. I worked for them while they paid me to attend the universities undercover. It worked great since I was American and no one suspected I worked for the British government.”

“And from there?”

“I worked my way up like anyone does.” She swallowed, trying not to notice how she couldn’t get her heart rate down as long as Kellan was staring at her. “I was making progress. I didn’t expect to be a field agent forever, but until I could find where I fit elsewhere in MI5, it was a great starting point.”

Con took his seat again. “Tell me about your latest mission.”

Denae ran a finger over the back of the knuckles on her left hand. She’d worn gloves that kept her skin from breaking when she’d hit Matt, but her knuckles were still sore.

“I was chosen with Matt. He was lead operative, the favorite of the bigwigs at MI5. No one was more surprised than me when I was picked to pair with him. Two days later we were dropped off in the middle of the night on the edge of Dreagan.”

“Dropped off?” Cassie repeated. “How did you cross?”

Con’s jaw clenched. “More importantly, where were you dropped off?”

“We were at your southeast border about twenty miles west from the village. As for how we crossed, we were on foot. For two days, Matt and I followed the coordinates we’d been given.”

Con had been sitting passively while she spoke, but as soon as she mentioned coordinates, fury filled the room. Denae glanced at Cassie to see worry lines bracket her mouth. Denae’s gaze swiveled to Kellan to see even he was startled by her revelation.

“I don’t know where the coordinates came from,” she hurried to add.

Cassie scooted to the edge of the chair and looked at her with expectation as she asked, “Can you find out?”

Denae slowly shook her head. “Matt wasn’t given that information either. The coordinates led us to a small pool outside of a mountain. Beneath that pool is an outlet. We followed that through until we reached inside the mountain and a cave.”

“And that’s all the mission was?” Con asked. “To get inside Dreagan so you could be betrayed and used as bait?”

“I don’t know what the real goal was. Matt’s mission was to leave me behind so I would be killed by you. I was told we were to do reconnaissance on everyone at Dreagan after we found whatever was in that cave.”

“Reconnaissance on us? Why?” Cassie asked, startled.

“Too many secrets here, I guess.” Denae shrugged. “I wasn’t told.”

Kellan snorted with scathing hostility. “And you didna ask.”

“It’s my job to do the mission, whatever that may be. I’m protecting the people of the UK.”

Con sliced his hand through the air. “Get back to your story. What happened once you reached the cave?”

“As I already told you, while in the water, Matt tried to kill me. I wasn’t ready to die or be used as bait, and I was angry at being betrayed. Only one of us was going to come out of the attack alive. I made sure it was me.”

“There’s more,” Kellan said.

Denae opened her mouth to say there wasn’t when she remembered Matt’s words. “Matt did say that the world would know who you were and be freed.”

Cassie rose and turned her back to the bed as she whispered, “Oh, God.”

“But you won the fight,” Con said. “You killed him. Why should I believe what you say? He’s the one who could be bait. We’re mostly men here. Would it no’ serve your purpose if we were to rescue you instead of a male?”

Denae wasn’t surprised by Con’s words. “I’ve nothing to offer as proof. I don’t want to know whatever it is MI5 is trying to uncover. They sent me here to die. If I return to them, I’ve failed in the mission and I know too much. They’ll kill me. If I leave and try to travel anywhere under my own name, I’ll befall some accident that will take my life.”

Con rose, a small, calculating smile on his lips. “So, Denae Lacroix. Your life is in our hands, aye?”

“Yes,” she said, though it pained her to do so.

“Good. Considering I believe you, I’ll allow you to leave under a new name, but until that happens, you’re going to give me everything you know about MI5 and who is working there.”

As if she had a choice. She needed to leave Dreagan—and the country—and her best chance was by cooperating. “Deal.”

Con opened the door, and Cassie walked out ahead of him leaving her alone with Kellan. He walked with slow, measured steps to the bed, and her heartbeat accelerated at his nearness. Not because she felt threatened, but because he intrigued her, fascinated her.

Transfixed her.

He paused beside the bed and leaned down. Denae was as still as stone as his head lowered. Her lips parted in anticipation of his kiss.

His hands gripped the tray and lifted it from her lap. Then he turned on his heel and left the room, the door closing softly behind him.

“Great, Denae. Thinking you’re going to get a kiss from a man who can’t stand to look at you.”

She had better things to worry about, like how she was going to evade MI5 and MI6 for the rest of her life. But even through all of that, she couldn’t stop thinking of celadon eyes and caramel-colored hair.

CHAPTER FOUR

Kellan pulled the door shut behind him with his foot as he walked from the room. He wasn’t sure what prompted him to get that close to Denae again.

Denae. It was a beautiful, refined name that rolled off his tongue with ease. As much as he hated to admit it, it suited the woman who bore it.

He had seen for himself how well trained she was, but even with her defensive moves and confidence, she was all woman. And he hated how he noticed that.

Noticing was nothing compared to recalling the feel of her body in his arms. The entire car ride back to Dreagan he’d held her against him.

Her warmth, her clean smell still hadn’t left him. Nor was he able to push aside the enticement her amazing body offered.

And her face. Kellan nearly groaned aloud as he thought of her whisky-colored eyes that pierced his very soul.

Her heart-shaped face was captivating, her kissably plump lips tantalizing. How he kept his hands from running over her cheekbones and delicate jawline, he’d never know. Even her coppery-brown eyebrows tempted him as they arched over her eyes.

She was, he hated to admit, breathtakingly beautiful. There was a fragility about her that warred with the strength he had witnessed.

Denae was an enigma, an irresistible morsel he did
not
want to take a bite of.

Kellan walked to where Cassie stood with the others and stopped in front of her, the tray he held nearly hitting her before she grabbed it. He waited for his body to respond to Cassie as it had to Denae, but to his chagrin, nothing happened.

“You better have a damn good reason for being so close to my mate,” Hal stated, ice dripping from each word.

Kellan turned his gaze to Hal and lifted a brow. “If you doona want men around her, perhaps you should’ve thought twice before living here where she’s surrounded by Dragon Kings.”

“Enough,” Con said before Hal could respond.

Kellan looked back at Cassie. “She willna eat now. Give the woman another thirty minutes and then bring her a new tray. I suspect she’ll eat then.”

“Why won’t she eat now?” Cassie asked, her brow furrowed as she took the tray.

“Because she’s scared,” Con answered. “That much was obvious. What isna so clear is if she’s frightened of us or MI5.”

Cassie glanced at the door to Denae’s room and frowned. “She was given coordinates to Kellan’s cave. Is someone betraying us?”

“No’ someone here,” Hal said as he put a comforting arm around her.

Con sighed loudly. “It’s Ulrik. We just have to figure out how he’s doing it.”

“He’s no’ been on Dreagan in thousands of millennia,” Kellan said. “How do you figure it’s him?”

“Who else would it be? Besides, the layout hasna changed,” Hal said.

Cassie looked up at Hal, love shining in her gaze. “How quickly you all forget. We don’t know if it was Ulrik leading the plot through PureGems. It could be someone else.”

“Nay,” Con stated emphatically. “It can be no one else, Cassie. Ulrik is the only Dragon King who isna on this land. He’s the only one with a grudge against us, the only one who would benefit from seeing us destroyed.”

Kellan listened intently. There were goings on that he had no idea about. Despite his desire to return to his cave and resume his sleep, it might be prudent if he stayed awake long enough to ensure whoever was causing this mischief was taken care of. Even if it was Ulrik.

It had been a shock for Kellan to learn that Hal had taken a mate, but Kellan had been stunned to discover Guy and Banan had as well.

Had none of them learned from the duplicity and treachery of humans? Had what happened to Ulrik with his woman faded from their memories?

Memories of his last dealings with humans tried to surface, but Kellan quickly pushed them aside. If he thought of that day, he might as well let his fury take him again. Then where would that leave all of them?

“PureGems?” Kellan repeated.

Con nodded. “Aye. I need to catch you up on some things. Follow me.”

Kellan gave a nod to Cassie and Hal as he walked behind Con to his office. So much had changed at Dreagan Manor, and yet so much remained the same.

The same dragon pictures still hung about the place, though in different areas. Dragons could still be found in everything from the carved banister to table legs to metal dragons protruding from the walls holding the lights.

As much as it soothed him to see the familiar things, it amazed Kellan how much humans had advanced. Through Con’s visits to his cave, Kellan had learned of every war, electrical invention, plane, vehicle, and weapon. He’d learned of clothing and speech, and world powers.

None of it put the mortals in a good light.

Once inside Con’s office, Kellan sat in one of the overstuffed chairs situated in front of Con’s large desk where dragons were carved in unique—and sometimes—almost invisible ways.

“You’ve no’ said much,” Con said as he sank into his chair. “You’ve been asleep for a verra long time, my friend.”

“I’d prefer to have remained that way.”

“You really didna hear my call?”

Kellan shook his head. “You know I wouldna have ignored it had I heard you.”

“Most of the others awoke,” Con said as he picked up a pen and twirled it in his fingers. “That’s another story I need to tell you. We’re now allies with the Warriors.”

Kellan was astounded by the news, and he didn’t hide it. “I suppose there’s a good reason for that.”

“There is. I’ll tell you all about how Cassie, Elena, and Jane came to be mated with Hal, Guy, and Banan. That will lead into why the Warriors know of us and how we came to go to battle with them.”

This was getting more and more interesting. Kellan was almost happy he was awake to hear these stories. For so long the Dragon Kings had watched the Warriors, but Con had been adamant about keeping away from them. Something drastic must have happened to change his mind.

“Before I get to all of that, I need something from you.”

Somehow Kellan wasn’t surprised. “You’ve no’ changed.”

“Nay, I suppose I have no’.” Con’s nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath. “I need you to keep an eye on Denae. Find out all you can about MI5, her involvement, and if she’s lying. Gain her trust by any means necessary.”

“I’d rather no’.” The words came out harshly, but Kellan was so averse to spending any more time with Denae, that the mere mention of her name caused his hackles to rise.

It was Con’s turn to lift his brows in disbelief. “You’d rather no’?”

“I didna stutter.”

“Care to explain?”

Kellan shifted, hating how the clothes confined him. It was because he had spent so long sleeping that his body had forgotten what it was like to be in human form and wear clothing. “I doona want to chance a repeat of … the last time I was awake.”

“You willna,” Con said as if he were the one making that decision. “Need I remind you that it was your cave they had the coordinates to? You saw them fight. You heard their words. No’ me, no’ anyone else. You, Kellan. It has to be you who gains her trust.”