Darkest Flame (5 page)

“I doona like her.”

“You doona like any humans. I understand and respect that, however, there are three females mated to your brethren.”

Kellan gripped the arms of the chair to rein in his growing ire. “You think I’ll harm them?”

“Nay. I’m merely pointing out a fact. I may no’ have wanted Cassie, Elena, or Jane at Dreagan or mated to Dragon Kings, but there is no denying the love between all three couples. Be nice to the females. I doona want infighting. We’ve enough to deal with.”

“You doona have to worry about the mated females. I’ll be courteous to them.”

Con leaned forward until his forearms were braced on the desk. “There are other humans about, Kellan. We hire many of them to work at Dreagan in various tasks.”

Surrounded by humans. It was enough to send Kellan back to his cave that instant. Then he remembered the threat to all the Dragon Kings, and he knew it would be awhile before he returned to his cave and the peaceful sleep he longed for.

“Will that be a problem?” Con asked, his black eyes piercing him.

Kellan met Con’s gaze. “If they doona betray me, then there willna be a problem.”

“Fair enough. Now, about Denae.”

Kellan rose to his feet and walked around the office. He needed to move, to work the tingling of his limbs out. His gaze clashed with Con’s sword hanging on the wall. Each Dragon King was marked with a tattoo, but they were also gifted with a sword.

“I’ll share all I know about what I witnessed with Denae and her partner, but I think it wise that I stay away from her.”

“I disagree,” Con said.

Kellan faced him and narrowed his gaze on the King of Kings. “What are you up to, Constantine?”

“I’m trying to protect Dreagan and everyone who calls it home. I want to know why your cave in particular was targeted, and you’re the best one to discover the reason.”

Kellan wasn’t buying it for a minute. Con would do anything to protect Dreagan and the Dragon Kings, but there was more to his request.

“Fine,” Con said and threw down the pen. “I think you need some interaction with humans to help curb your hatred. No’ all of them are bad, Kellan.”

“That I doona believe. I saw for myself, remember.”

“That was a verra long time ago.”

Kellan walked until he stood behind Con’s desk, looking out one of the windows to the green valley below and the white dots of sheep. “There will always be hatred in my heart for the humans. They butchered my Bronzes who were there to protect them. They betrayed Ulrik, thereby betraying every one of us.”

“Did killing that human wash away the pain?”

He ignored Con and said, “It’s because of them I no longer have any Bronzes to rule.”

“None of us have dragons to rule,” Con said quietly. “We all feel the loss of them.”

Kellan had been so lost in his own misery that he had forgotten that small detail. He wasn’t the only Dragon King who had been betrayed. Or the only one feeling the loss of the dragons.

Con wasn’t asking a lot. In fact, despite Kellan being the one who kept the history of the dragons, Con had allowed him to sleep away almost thirteen centuries.

“I’m no’ the Dragon King I used to be,” Kellan told him. “I’m no longer as patient or forgiving. I doona know how to be merciful or lenient anymore. If that’s what you want with Denae, then I highly suggest you ask another.”

There was a beat of silence before Con said, “I want you, Kellan. I wouldna have asked if I didna think you were up to the task.”

Kellan clasped his hands behind his back. “I have to warn you, I have a particular distaste for Denae. Gaining her trust willna be easy since she’ll know how I abhor her.”

“I think you’ll manage.”

It was the smile in Con’s words that had Kellan turning to his friend. At the wide grin on Con’s lips, Kellan groaned. “What?”

“Do you think I didna see how you didna like touching her?”

“Aye, because I doona
like
her.”

Con nodded, the smile still in place. “How long has it been since you’ve relieved your body?”

“You know the answer to that,” Kellan bit out. “I’ll remedy that as soon as I can.”

“I saw Denae watching you.”

“She was watching everyone. Her position is precarious, and she knows it.”

Con leaned back in his chair. “Would it be so bad to get close to Denae?”

“Aye.”

“Hmm. So you’re no’ attracted to her?”

Kellan walked to the door as he said, “Nay.”

“No’ even a little?”

“No’ even a drop,” he stated as he walked from Con’s office.

It wasn’t until Kellan was in the hallway that he considered exactly what Con was asking him to do. Get close to Denae. How was Kellan going to pull that off when he could barely stand to be in the vicinity of the female?

“For the dragons,” Kellan murmured.

Just as Con had sacrificed so much, and the other Dragon Kings had hidden in order to preserve who they were, Kellan could do no less.

Con would do anything, say anything to guarantee Dreagan and the Dragon Kings lived on. Kellan would set aside his hatred to gain Denae’s secrets.

But if he learned she had betrayed him and the other Kings in any way, he would kill her.

CHAPTER FIVE

Denae gripped the sink in an effort to combat the pain of getting out of the bed and making her way to the bathroom. When the pain was under control, she lifted the pale yellow tee to examine her wound.

A large strip of gauze covered it. She peeled back the gauze and stared dumbfounded at the wound in the mirror.

“Is something wrong?”

At the sound of the deep, sensual voice, Denae spun around, forgetting her wound in her surprise. The pain struck instantly and caused her to gasp and try to grab for anything to stay upright.

She found herself in Kellan’s arms as he held her gently but securely. Denae gripped his strong arms while she absorbed the heat radiating off him. She looked up and was snagged in his celadon gaze, his lashes so thick and black they would have looked feminine on anyone else.

Her body responded instantly to his touch. Her blood pounded through her while a slow, steady heat settled between her legs. Denae couldn’t explain the irresistible and seductive attraction she felt for Kellan. It was there, as if it had always been and was just waiting for her to meet him.

As beautiful as his eye were, there were no emotions there. It was like a bucket of ice water thrown on her. Denae pushed away from him, trying to ignore the rigid muscles of his chest beneath her palms as she did.

“You can leave now,” she said as she faced the mirror once more.

“You’re pale.”

Denae gripped the sink again. “Yep. That tends to happen when a person is wounded and loses a lot of blood.”

“You should be feeling better.”

She lifted her gaze to look at him through the mirror. His words, combined with the way her wound looked as if it was a week old instead of just a few hours, made her scowl at him. “What did y’all do to me?”

Denae cringed as she finished. It had taken meticulous work on her part to eradicate all Texas twang from her speech, especially the
y’all
s.

“We tended to you.”

She turned to face him, making sure to move slowly so as not to pull her side. “What else did you do? I know how deep that wound was. I know I was bleeding badly.”

“The cave was dark,” he said and leaned a shoulder against the door frame before he crossed his arms over his chest.

It caused his shirt to stretch even tighter over the thick sinew. Denae had to look away. Damn him for looking good enough to lick from head to toe. “You just happened to be in the cave?”

“It is my cave.”

Her eyes snapped to him as she frowned. “
Your
cave? What does that mean exactly?”

“If I hadna been there, you’d be dead.”

“I think it would’ve been better for everyone if that were the case.” Denae faced the sink again and turned on the faucet. She splashed water onto her face, suddenly exhausted to the marrow of her bones.

She dried her face and spotted a brush. Without thinking, she unpinned her hair and let it fall around her. It was still damp in places as she ran the brush through it.

Denae caught Kellan watching her hand as she moved the brush through her thick hair. Something flickered in his eyes, some nameless emotion that caused her to pause.

When she did, his eyes jerked to hers and the coldness returned. For several tense seconds, they simply stared at each other. He made her edgy, as if there was an undercurrent of something primal and sexual she couldn’t grasp.

Denae wished she knew how to use her body as some agents did. Seduction wasn’t one of her skill sets, and it hadn’t been cultivated at MI5. If only she had paid closer attention to the agents who went undercover using their bodies, she might know what was happening to her now.

She returned the brush to its place and fidgeted, suddenly unsure of herself. The only time she felt such … restlessness was in Kellan’s presence.

Was he doing it to her on purpose? If so, it was a great tactic because it was working to perfection. Double damn him.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?” he asked.

She refused to make eye contact with him again, even through the mirror. “Isn’t that what you want?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Why are you in my room?”

“Is that no’ obvious?”

Denae shook her head and gave a rueful laugh. “I’ve already said I would tell you all I know of MI5’s plans regarding Dreagan. I don’t need someone watching over me. I doubt I could escape even if I was up for it.”

“You got onto our land and into my cave without us knowing.”

“I think we got lucky,” she said and started for the doorway, making sure to look anywhere but at him.

Just as she thought he might step out of her way, he blocked it, forcing her to look at him. “What were you searching for?”

“Anything. Everything. As I told you, they said I would know it when I saw it. That’s all I was told. When I asked why Dreagan was targeted, I was told there was suspicion. Matt knew more.”

“And you killed him.”

“It was kill or be killed,” she said through clenched teeth.

Her strength was waning fast. As if sensing it, Kellan moved out of the way and she walked the few steps to the bed and gingerly sat down.

“Cassie brought you pain medication,” Kellan said as he sat in the chair Con had vacated earlier.

Denae bit back a wince as she had to twist to get both legs onto the bed. “I have a high tolerance for pain.”

“You mean you doona trust what’s in the medicine.”

“Something like that. I’m sure you understand.”

To her surprise, there was a softening of his lips as if he had almost smiled. “Aye. It could be you’re just obstinate.”

“I don’t enjoy pain,” she said and pulled the covers over her bare legs. The shorts she wore had ridden up, exposing almost everything.

She might have left off the covers had she thought Kellan was interested, but his aloofness said it all. If only she could convince her own body that he wasn’t worth the time, she might feel more in control of things.

“If you doona enjoy pain then take the medicine.”

“Fine. I’ll take the damn meds.”

One caramel brow lifted. “You’re easily riled. No’ something I expected from an MI5 agent.”

“Yeah, well, you seem to bring it out in me.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Denae wanted them back. “Look, I’m tired, hurting, and angry over the betrayal of an organization and country that I’ve been protecting. I’m not myself.”

“Actually, you’re more yourself now than at any other time.”

“Which is why you want to interrogate me now.” She leaned her head against the headboard and got comfortable. “Shoot.”

For a split second, she saw the confusion on his face before her word registered. “Can we no’ just sit and talk?”

“You’ve not been talking. You’ve been antagonizing me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I came in to see how you were doing.”

Denae sighed. It was draining trying to talk to Kellan. It was almost as if they were dueling, except with words instead of swords. And she was losing badly.

“Why not send Cassie? I know you don’t want to be in here with me.”

“Cassie is busy tending to her husband.”

Denae smiled then, feeling as if she had gained a small victory. “Ah, but you don’t deny not wanting to be here.”

“I doona deny it.”

“I’m sorry.” And she meant it. “It’s never fun to be stuck with a job you don’t want.”

He didn’t respond, and Denae found she couldn’t keep her eyes open as the minutes ticked by.

She was drifting off to sleep when he said, “What is MI5 looking for on Dreagan?”

“I wasn’t told,” she repeated and yawned while her eyes remained shut. “I thought I was coming to do reconnaissance. It wasn’t until Matt told me I was bait that I knew there was another mission. Why was I bait though? And why did I need to be wounded? Did they think some animal was going to attack me?”

“There could’ve been something in the cave with you.”

Denae cracked open her eyes. “It’s your cave. You said so. What was in there?”

“Me.”

“You?” She couldn’t get her sleepy mind around what he was saying. “You were there? You saw me and Matt fight?”

He gave a single nod of his head.

That brought Denae instantly awake. “How long did you let me bleed?”

“You’re alive, are you no’?”

“That’s not what I asked.” She swallowed past the dismay in her throat. “You actually had to decide to save me or not. What kind of person are you?”

“No’ like anyone you know.”

“Obviously,” she said, not bothering to hide her anger. “You’re as bad as Matt. He used me, and I almost wasn’t worth saving in your eyes. What has this world come to?”

He stretched out his legs and crossed his feet at the ankles. “I’ve been asking myself that for years. Aye, I admit to debating whether to help you. The fact is, I did.”

“Do you regret it?” She waited tensely for him to answer, wondering why she put herself in such positions to continually get hurt.