Firestorm: Volume 1: A Dragon Romance

by Donna Grant

  Oddly enough, she had a feeling if anyone could, it would be Muscles.

  His head turned toward her, putting half his face in shadows again. His azure eyes seemed to glow in the glint of bluish light while his dark hair whipped about in the wind. Then he held out his hand.

  She stared at his outstretched arm for several seconds before she took it. A current instantly ran up her arm. She jerked her gaze to his face, but he didn’t seem to feel it. His long fingers gently wrapped around her hand, and he pulled her against him.

  Faith gasped as the wind hit her. She turned her head away, burying it against the side of his arm. To stay upright, she had to cling to him.

  She couldn’t decide what she liked most—the feel of the heat emanating from him or the thick sinew beneath her palm.

  Her eyes slid closed when his head bent, and his lips brushed her ear. He held her firmly, securely. The entire scenario made her body flush with unexpected—and unwanted—longing.

  She burned from the inside out. Desire had never felt this . . . hot . . . before. Every nerve ending tingled as her breathing quickened.

  “It’s going to be dangerous,” he said in his husky brogue.

  Actually, she was quite fine where she was in the confines of his arms, his heat surrounding her even as the wind buffeted her with almost demonic force.

  “I’ll get you to the top.”

  Without a doubt, she knew he would. Muscles wasn’t the type of man to give a promise and break it.

  “But the rocks are sharp, and the wind vicious. I doona know that it’ll be any better in the tent.”

  Faith had been inside a tent while the wind blew, and it hadn’t been a pretty thing. She’d gotten no sleep that night listening to her tent strain against the ties.

  She lifted her head and met his gaze. Desire rushed through her like a tidal wave. Their lips were so close they were all but kissing. And then that’s all she could think about.

  His lips moving over hers, teasing and nipping before plundering her mouth. Would he bend her back over his arm, hold her against him, or push her against the rock wall?

  Her stomach fluttered at the thought. She willed herself to stop thinking such things, but the images were already there. Somehow, she had enough wherewithal to lift her gaze from his lips upward—colliding with azure eyes that watched her as a predator did its prey.

  Was it the moonlight that allowed her to catch the threads of silver in his eyes? Or was it simply her imagination?

  As if the storm would no longer wait for her reply, it sent a gust into her back that made her lose her balance. In an instant, he moved them out of the cave entrance and righted her.

  Up against the stone wall.

  Her knees went weak, her lips parting. She was panting and needy. He was still close, his strong hands holding her steady. Desire heated her body as blood pounded in her ears. Her hands held on to his shoulders with a death grip.

  Slowly, she loosened her fingers and spread her fingers to feel more of his muscles. She struggled to breathe against the tide of passion that was rapidly dragging her under.

  She wanted him. To know his taste, the feel of his hard body naked against hers. To give in to the yearning and the need that tightened inside her.

  To surrender to the promise of pleasure.

  “You’re shivering.”

  No, she was fairly certain her body was on fire. The words lodged in her throat, however.

  “Come,” he bade.

  Somehow, she made her legs work as he guided her to the back of the cave once more. Then he sat her down, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

  “Doona move. I’ll return shortly.”

  “You can’t go out there,” she hurriedly said.

  A crooked, sexy smile formed on his lips. “Of course, I can. I willna be long.”

  He was gone before she could stop him. And with his absence, the cold penetrated her clothes. Faith pulled her legs up against her chest and sat huddled against the wall.

  She knew the force of the wind. It was idiotic for Muscles to even attempt to climb the cliff in such a storm. Then again, he had been unmovable against it.

  Her gaze slid to the bones as her teeth began to chatter. At least the rain hadn’t begun yet. That would allow the climb to be a tad easier.

  Though the wind couldn’t reach her so far back in the cave, the sheer size of the tunnel meant that the cold filtered in quickly, sinking into every space.

  She pulled her jacket tighter around her, but nothing could stop the damp air from breaching her clothes. Inside her boots, she curled her toes that had begun to tingle from the temperatures.

  Her lids slid closed. She wouldn’t have been in this predicament had she left with Tamir. Instead, she’d continued working.

  Muscles was right, she couldn’t count on a weather app to know what would happen. But all of that was a moot point now. She was stuck in the cave.

  Much as her dragon had been.

  Odd how the storm made her realize how still the cave was. She wasn’t afraid. Instead, she felt . . . at peace.

  Her lids grew heavy, and it took too much energy to keep them open. She let them close as she continued to listen for Dmitri’s return.

  She must have dozed because she came to at the feel of strong hands on her arms. Faith forced open her eyes and saw Muscles in the darkness.

  His hair was windblown, and his face was fixed in hard lines as he concentrated. She opened her mouth to ask what he was doing when he lifted her, but then she felt the softness of a sleeping bag.

  She curled onto her side to find warmth even as he took off her shoes. That’s when she noticed all the lights were out. A thick wool blanket was thrown over her before Muscles molded against her back.

  As soon as his warmth cocooned her, she sighed in contentment. It was a dire situation, but somehow, he’d come through – just as she’d known he would.

  He slid his arm beneath her neck before his other hand flattened on her stomach and pulled her more securely against him.

  “You need warmth,” he whispered.

  Yep. Though she needed more than that. But warmth would do. For now. “Thank you.”

  “Rest,” he ordered.

  She wanted to argue, but as if on command, her eyes closed. Though she didn’t go straight to sleep. Instead, she listened to the sound of Dmitri’s even breathing while enjoying the feel of his body against hers.

  They lay there for long moments while the wind and sea raged. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she felt him move aside her hair.

  The pads of his fingers caressed along her jaw so faintly she wondered if she’d dreamed it. Sleep began to pull her under, but she fought to remain awake.

  She wanted to know if Muscles would do more. Because for a man who appeared to be made of granite, his touch was exceptionally soft and gentle.

  More, she silently begged.

  As if he’d heard, he moved aside her bangs that were tangled in her eyelashes. He then gently stroked down the curve of her ear.

  “Sleep, lass,” he whispered. “For tomorrow is yet another day.”

  Chapter Eight

  Dreagan

  Rhi stood in the shadows, staring at the four large Silver dragons that had been sleeping away centuries inside a mountain.

  The same mountain that was connected to Dreagan Manor. It was one the Dragon Kings used for special ceremonies, to gather before and after a battle, and, more recently, as a place to hide from the prying eyes of MI5.

  Magic kept the secret entrance from the manor into the mountain from being found. The huge opening on the other side of the mountain would not be discovered either.

  Because that’s what dragon magic could do.

  It was exceedingly powerful. So much in fact that they could’ve won against the Dark Fae just by using magic. That wasn’t the dragon way, however.

  Instead, they’d fought, utilizing their cleverness and inherent battle skills to outwit, overwhelm, and defea
t the Dark during the Fae Wars.

  Why then had they needed the Light?

  The Kings had only required help then because they’d wanted to keep the mortals from seeing anything.

  Now, thousands of years later, nothing had changed. The Kings still needed aid to keep the humans from learning the truth.

  Truth.

  The word hung above her like the blade of a guillotine. She’d accepted the reality of herself after Balladyn had kidnapped and locked her in the dungeons of the Dark Palace. Even after he’d tortured her to turn her Dark, she hadn’t lied to herself.

  Both dark and light, good and evil, existed within every being across the galaxy. Sometimes one dominated over the other. Sometimes, the two sides continually fought to determine which would win.

  Ever since she had released her magic to break out of the chains that had bound her and escape her prison, she’d felt the darkness growing inside her.

  Balladyn, angry about her breakout, had pursued her relentlessly. Until she’d stopped running. Yet he hadn’t wanted to harm her.

  That’s when he’d shown her his love. When he’d been left behind during battle and then taken by the Dark and turned, Balladyn had blamed her. His love had turned to hate. Yet, somehow, love had won out against the hate inside him.

  So why then was she at Dreagan?

  Truth. It all came back to truth.

  No longer would she lie to herself about the Dragon Kings. If she could face the darkness growing inside her, then she could face her past.

  Her gaze ran over the metallic scales of the dragons. The four were curled together so it was difficult to tell where one ended and another began.

  A Fae wasn’t supposed to love a dragon, but she’d done just that. She’d fallen head over heels in love with not just any dragon, but a Dragon King.

  And he’d loved her in return.

  All should’ve been right with the world. Except there was one who’d cautioned Rhi to think twice about such a “dalliance.” With her family dead, she had devoted her life and everything she was to the queen and becoming the first female in the Queen’s Guard.

  Usaeil had warned that the Light, while allies of the Kings, wouldn’t take kindly to one of their own becoming a mate.

  It didn’t matter how much Rhi loved the queen, she followed her heart. The kind of love Rhi had found was one for the ages. Their love had shone brighter than the sun, burned hotter than the biggest star.

  Then it had all ended abruptly.

  Rhi still didn’t know what had caused her King to terminate their affair. The loss had nearly destroyed her. She’d wanted to die, but she pushed on with a hole in her chest where her heart used to be.

  Usaeil had said it was for the best. Rhi then turned her attention to becoming the best Queen’s Guard. She’d succeeded.

  Life went on, it endured as it always had—and always would. The seasons changed, lives were lost and new ones born. She shouldered her unrequited love alone while whispers of the queen taking a new lover—a Dragon King lover—spread through the Light.

  Then there was Balladyn. Rhi had taken him as her lover, hoping to turn him Light once more. Despite that, she was happier than she had been in a very long while.

  She should’ve listened to her gut months ago, though. It was fear that the past was ruling her emotions that had kept her silent. Except now, she had proof.

  Her gaze lowered to the magazine cover she held clutched in her hand. On it was a grainy picture taken through the window of a hotel room. Usaeil, parading around as her American movie star alter ego, was easily recognizable wearing a gold dress.

  It was the man in the photo that drew Rhi’s attention. Because even though he was half turned away from the camera, she knew who it was—Con.

  Before Rhi confronted Usaeil, she was going to show Con the photograph. She wasn’t sure if she was doing it to laugh in his face at being caught, or to see his reaction, though.

  Perhaps a little of both.

  She teleported into Con’s office, not bothering to veil herself. He sat behind his desk, his head bent as he pored over some papers. A heartbeat after she appeared, his head snapped up.

  He set down his favorite Mont Blanc pen and slowly sat back in the chair. Black eyes watched her carefully. “Rhi.”

  She noted that he’d removed the dragon head cufflinks from his French cuff shirt that was now rolled up to his elbows. The cufflinks sat within reaching distance.

  His wavy, surfer-boy blond hair was disheveled, as if he’d run his hands through it several times. There were also lines of strain around his lips.

  “You play a dangerous game,” he said flatly. “Do you so easily forget that we’ve visitors on the estate?”

  The humans. How could she forget? “I’m not that dim-witted. Unlike you. I made sure I wasn’t seen.”

  “I gather since you’re in my office that you want something.”

  “I thought you were smart.”

  His gaze narrowed, his brow puckering. “To what are you referring this time?”

  It was no secret that she and Con hated each other. It went back to the days of her affair with her lover. And it wasn’t likely to end.

  She tossed the magazine on his desk. It landed with a thud before him. “Take a look.”

  He held her gaze for a long time before he looked down. Then he went utterly still. The waves of outrage were palpable as they poured off him with the intensity and violence of an erupting volcano.

  His hands flattened on the desk as he slowly rose to his feet. Most called Con callous because he held every emotion in check. Rarely did he smile. His face could be mistaken for a statue because it seldom changed.

  It was a singular event to see that mask slip and his emotions show as they did now. His black eyes burned with fury—and the promise of retribution.

  “Who have you shown?” he demanded in a cold, deadly voice.

  But she wasn’t influenced by his show of indignation. “No one.”

  That seemed to appease him somewhat as his shoulders dropped. Yet the ire remained.

  “By your reaction, it is you with her.” Rhi gave a shake of her head. “You don’t know what you’ve stepped into.”

  “I was handling it.”

  “Badly.”

  He slammed his hand on the desk. “I was handling it!”

  Another burst of emotion. Rhi took a closer look at the King of Kings. Though he was trying to hold it all together, things were unraveling at both ends.

  Con so effortlessly kept his emotions in check that it was easy to overlook him when there were others who didn’t mind sharing their thoughts and feelings.

  “Do you know why I left the Queen’s Guard?”

  “Because Usaeil tried to tell you what to do,” Con said, closing his eyes as if seeking the serenity he’d previously had.

  “That was part of it. The other half was that she’s changed. She’s different.”

  His gaze snapped open, pinning her with a look. “Why did you no’ say anything?”

  “It didn’t involve you or the Kings. It was about the Fae.” She gave him a stern look. “Aren’t you always telling me to keep the two separate?”

  “You Irish always hear things the way you want to hear them,” he retorted as he straightened.

  Rhi raised a brow. “And you Scots always do things the way you want, regardless of the consequences.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that she’s wanted a King as a lover for a very long time.”

  “That’s shite,” he said with a wave of his hand, dismissing her words.

  Rhi took a step closer to the desk. “Is it?”

  Eyes black as pitch and as cold as ice met her gaze. “Are you saying she used me?”

  “Yes. Just as I’m sure you used her. Unless it’s true love?”

  He didn’t so much as bat an eye. Was it relief she felt, knowing that Con didn’t love Usaeil? She was pretty fucking sure it was.
/>   And it made her want to smile.

  She held it in check.

  Barely.

  “What proof do you have?” Con asked.

  “Conversations. She also asked me about my past affair with . . .” She trailed off, unable to finish. Damn, it shouldn’t be so hard after all this time.

  But the truth—that damn word again—was right before her.

  Con nodded and blew out a breath. “The night this picture was taken, she told me she wanted to announce to the Fae and the Kings that we were a couple.”

  “What did you say?” Rhi asked worriedly.

  “I told her that wasna going to happen. Then she blamed my decision on you.”

  Rhi sank into one of the chairs in front of Con’s desk with a snort. “Usaeil hasn’t been to the castle in months. She’s ruled our people for a long time, but she’s never been so ambivalent about their welfare before.”

  “Do you think she had something to do with this photo going public?”

  “Definitely.” Rhi looked into Con’s black eyes. “She might’ve also been responsible for posting the covers throughout the Light Castle.”

  Con raked a hand down his face and briefly closed his eyes.

  “What does it matter?” Rhi asked. “It wouldn’t be the first time a King and a Fae were together. There was my affair. Not to mention, Kiril is mated to Shara, which both you and Usaeil sanctioned, I might add.”

  “Usaeil wants to combine our races,” he said in a soft voice as he looked at her. “She wants every King to find a mate with a Light to bind our races even further.”

  That’s when it dawned on Rhi. “She thinks the Fae will be able to give the Kings children where the humans never could.”

  Con put his fists atop his desk and hung his head. “I need to find her.”

  “Why did you get involved with her? You knew things could turn out badly.”

  “My reasons doona matter.”

  “Well, you’d better come up with good ones because you can get away with not telling me, but the Kings won’t take that dodgy shit you just shoveled my way.”

  He let out a long sigh. “I know.”

  “There is too much going on for this to be coincidence. The Dark releasing the video of the Kings shifting, Ulrik closing in on you, Usaeil acting weird, talk of the Reapers, and—”