Smoke and Fire: Part 1

by Donna Grant

  Her gaze snapped to the man sitting near Ryder. How hadn’t she seen him? Just like Ryder and Tristan, she could tell he was tall by the way he dwarfed the chair.

  He gave a nod to her with the corners of his bright blue eyes crinkling slightly, as if he found the entire situation a tad amusing. Which didn’t put him in her favor at all.

  The man was handsome, same as Tristan, but not devastatingly so like Ryder. Which was a good thing because Kinsey could barely think with Ryder near. She didn’t need two more disturbing her.

  “That’s Dmitri,” Ryder said.

  Dmitri’s dark head bowed again. “Hello.”

  “Hello,” she responded automatically. Kinsey suddenly felt like she was being caged in despite the fact that Ryder and Dmitri were sitting. All eyes were on her, waiting to hear what she had to say.

  She shifted uncomfortably as a sudden thought struck her. Ryder was a dragon. Were the others?

  Her heart missed a beat as fear shot through her. What the bloody hell had she walked into?

  “Kinsey?” Tristan urged.

  She found herself looking at Ryder. In his hazel depths she could see that he knew where her thoughts had taken her and why she was scared, yet he said nothing. As if he were giving her time to take it all in and calm down.

  Calm down. She nearly snorted aloud. Like that was going to happen.

  After finding the e-mail and pulling it up, her hand trembled when she handed the mobile to Ryder over the monitors. Their fingers brushed, and she sucked in air at the sizzle that raced along her skin.

  Her nipples hardened instantly. She hastily looked away, but she found both Tristan and Dmitri watching her carefully. All she could hope for was that they didn’t see how much Ryder affected her.

  Hell, for that matter, she hoped Ryder didn’t know how he shook her.

  She was scared of him now, but that was getting mixed in with the desire he always brought out in her. It jumbled up inside her making her unsure of which one she felt more.

  Fear. It had to be fear.

  Ryder set aside her mobile on the table and tapped the black metal tabletop. Instantly, a keyboard appeared. It was integrated into the table, the keys emitting a bluish glow to highlight them.

  She almost rushed around the screens to take a look at such technology, but she managed to stop herself. Those keyboards were in the works, but as far as she knew they were years from being ready for the public.

  Then again, Dreagan wasn’t the public.

  Kinsey managed to remain where she was, but she watched Ryder like a hawk. His fingers flew over the keys while his gaze was riveted to a screen. A few more punches of the keys, and he stopped to read.

  Dmitri’s brow rose as he looked at the screen. Kinsey watched Ryder’s lips flatten. He keyed in something else in quick succession.

  Whatever popped up had him frowning. He stared at the computer for a long time before his gaze slid to her. There was doubt in his eyes—and a healthy dose of anger.

  “The e-mail sent is from Kyvor, the technology giant,” Ryder said. “However, there is a work order in place. It has my name on it.”

  Kinsey shrugged and looked at each of the men. “See? I’m not making this up.”

  “The work order was placed by you.”

  Her mouth fell open in shock. “That’s no possible. I don’t place work orders. We have a division for that. Well,” she said as she paused. “There are a few of us who visit a company and will take a work order for future use while we’re there. But I’ve never been here before.”

  “Tell me, Kinsey. Who wanted to talk to who?” Ryder asked.

  Her eyes widened and the words locked in her throat from her disbelief and anger. It took her a full minute to get herself under control just so she could talk.

  She was furious, but she reminded herself she was dealing with dragons. Kinsey wasn’t sure how far she could go without them burning her to a crisp.

  But she also couldn’t hold back the irritation and sarcasm that were a part of her nature.

  “You think I did this?” she asked with a laugh and rolled her eyes. “I never wanted to see you again. I ran, remember?”

  “I remember,” Ryder murmured.

  Kinsey threw up her hands. “Then why would I come here?”

  “There are numerous reasons,” Dmitri said.

  Tristan nodded. “Aye, lass.”

  Her head swung back to Ryder. “I didn’t put in the work order. I didn’t even know you worked for Dreagan.”

  Dreagan.

  It hit her then like a wrecking ball. Dreagan was Gaelic for dragon. OMG! How could she have been such an idiot not to put two and two together?

  Ryder hid the keyboard with a tap and rested his arms on the table. “You’re intelligent, Kinsey. It wouldna have taken you long to piece it all together.”

  “I wanted to forget that I saw you shift. I was petrified. I ran. From you.”

  She had the thought after she spoke that perhaps she should’ve waited until she was alone with Ryder to say such things. But it was too late. The words were already out.

  “I know exactly what you did,” he said in a clipped voice.

  So she had hurt him? All because she ran? What had he expected her to do? Run toward him?

  Then his words penetrated her mind. “What do you mean I would’ve pieced it together?”

  Dmitri made a sound at the back of his throat as he got to his feet. “Nice try.”

  “What the hell?” she asked in frustration. “I want to know what you’re referring to.”

  “The videos of dragons on the Internet,” Tristan said.

  Kinsey closed her mouth and took a couple of steps back until she ran into the wall. “Of course I saw the video.”

  Ryder’s gaze narrowed on her, but he didn’t say a word.

  “That doesn’t mean anything,” Kinsey argued. “Millions of people have seen that video.”

  Tristan glanced in the hallway and pushed the door. He looked at Ryder and said, “It willna take Con long to learn she’s here. Get this sorted quickly.”

  “Aye,” Ryder replied.

  “It’s obvious she’s seen Ryder,” Dmitri murmured.

  Kinsey swallowed nervously. Silent looks passed between the three men as if they were communicating. Then Tristan left, closing the door softly behind him.

  Dmitri walked to the window and looked out over the rolling hills and the sheep that dotted the countryside. He kept his back to them, but he wasn’t going anywhere.

  Kinsey returned her gaze to Ryder. “What’s going on?”

  “Whether on purpose or no’, you’ve walked right into the middle of a war.”

  She gave a shake of her head. “No. I don’t want to be here. I want to leave. Right now.”

  “You’re no’ going anywhere,” Ryder stated.

  Kinsey cut him a look and snorted. “Good luck trying to keep me. My company knows I’m here.”

  She walked to the door and tried to open it, but the knob wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard she turned, pushed, and pulled, the door wasn’t moving.

  Breathing hard, she whirled around to the men. “You can’t hold me here.”

  “Your company sent you,” Dmitri said. “They obviously want you here.”

  “That’s insane,” she argued.

  Ryder lifted a blond brow. “Is it?”

  Kinsey dropped her purse and bag and put her hands to her head. “Stop.”

  “That willna change the facts.”

  “I can’t hear this. I can’t see any more or learn any more,” she said, closing her eyes. As if that would stop all of it.

  “I never harmed you.” Ryder’s voice was a whisper, said in her ear.

  Her eyes snapped open. How had he moved so quickly without her hearing him? Kinsey dropped her hands to her sides and shook her head.

  Having him so close was a reminder of how she used to feel safe and loved with him. That was before she saw the real him. “Tell me this is
n’t really happening. Tell me it’s all fake.”

  “It’s real,” Ryder said. He lifted his hand to touch her cheek, but stopped at the last moment. “This is my life, Kinsey. This is where I live and work. These people are my family.”

  “Dragons?” she whispered.

  “Dragons.”

  Kinsey didn’t know what to say. She’d seen Ryder, the real Ryder. A massive, flying, fire-breathing monster that dove from the sky with scales the color of smoke, and blending in with the night.

  “You were never supposed to know that was me,” he said. “Then I saw one of the Dark go after you. I couldna attack him without hurting you unless I was in this form.”

  She wanted to touch him. There had always been something about being in his arms that made her feel as if she could tackle anything and the world wouldn’t dare get in her way.

  “How long have you been a … dragon?” she asked.

  His eyes looked away for a second. “The exact time doesna matter. Just know it’s been for a verra long time.”

  “How long?” she pressed. There had been something in his words, something that told her he hadn’t told her everything.

  Ryder studied her for a long time. Then he said, “Millions of years.”

  Kinsey gave a dry laugh. “Nice one. The truth, please.”

  “That is the truth,” Dmitri said with his back still to them.

  She looked from Ryder to Dmitri and then back to Ryder. “Millions?”

  “We can no’ die.”

  “Immortal?” she whispered in awe.

  “Aye.”

  Kinsey put her hand to her throat as it all came into focus. “You were never going to tell me about who and what you are, were you?”

  Ryder gave a single shake of his head.

  She wanted to cry. All the old feelings welled up just like when he’d left her. “I thought we had something special. I thought you were The One. I saw my life with you by my side. You let me think that. You let me fall in love with you.”

  “Kinsey,” he began.

  “Then you left. You left me standing on the sidewalk, waiting for you to show for our lunch date.” She sniffed back her tears, anger beginning to bubble. “You canceled your mobile and your e-mail account. You made sure I couldn’t get in touch with you in any way. I thought I did something to push you away.”

  Ryder grasped her arms. “Never,” he said adamantly.

  She shoved him away with all her might. He couldn’t touch her, because when he did, she forgot all the bad and focused on how he’d once made her feel. “Now I know it wasn’t me. It was you. Is this what your kind does? They get involved with us mere humans and make us fall in love, then you leave? Do you laugh at how we have to scrape ourselves off the pavement and try to live again?”

  “It killed me to leave you!” Ryder yelled.

  “I doubt it.”

  Kinsey grabbed her purse and bag and walked to the door. If she had to tear it down with her bare hands, she was going to walk out.

  But the door opened when she turned the knob.

  It was time for her to blow this joint and put Ryder in her rearview mirror for good.

  Chapter Three

  Ryder intentionally let her leave the computer room. He followed her into the corridor and toward the stairs. Kinsey’s black boots made little sound on the thick rug over the hardwood.

  She looked back at him as she descended the stairs. “I can find my way out.”

  Ryder didn’t bother to comment. He wasn’t following her because he worried she would get lost. He was following her to make sure she didn’t run into Con. Her leaving wasn’t an option, not after learning the work order had her name on it.

  He lengthened his strides and came even with her in the foyer. Ryder opened the front door. She met his gaze as she walked past him, and then came to a dead stop when she saw the sleet.

  It was no freak storm. No, this was all the work of Arian. No doubt Tristan or Dmitri had told him to keep Kinsey on the estate.

  When Kinsey started to walk from the shelter of the overhang, Ryder stopped her. At her cold look, he released her and held up his hands. “Easy. I doona think getting wet in this cold is wise.”

  “Because I’m human and can die?” she asked saucily.

  “Aye. That’s exactly why.”

  Some of the fire went out of her. Kinsey adjusted the bag on her shoulder. “I can’t be near you.”

  “Because I frighten you,” he said with a nod. “I understand, but you also need to realize that what you’ve seen is no’ something we want repeated.”

  “Who would I tell?”

  “Anyone. We’ve lived in secret for thousands of years. It needs to remain that way.”

  She wrapped her blazer tighter around herself to ward off the cold. Kinsey looked out at the sleet that was turning into snow. “You still think I wrote that work order to get myself here.”

  “Nay, I doona.” The shock on her face had been too real. “I contemplated it for a wee bit, but I realized it wasna you.”

  “Damn right it wasn’t me,” she said with a lift of her chin.

  Ryder fought back a smile. He’d always loved her fire, her spirit.

  Her lips pursed briefly. “The question then is who sent me?”

  “That’s what I need to determine. We’ve a lot of enemies.”

  She turned to face him then, her arms crossed over her chest as her nose was beginning to turn red. “Someone knew about us.”

  “That’s what I’ve concluded. Why else would they send you?”

  “I don’t like this,” she muttered.

  Neither did he. If she was innocent, Kinsey was a pawn in this vicious war. “I could use your help finding out who it is.”

  Kinsey gave a quick bark of laughter. “No, you don’t. You’re the best I’ve ever seen with computers.”

  “I’d like your help then,” he tried again. “The Kinsey I knew wouldna have passed up a chance to clear her own name.”

  She looked away and remained silent for several long minutes. “Look, I don’t think it’s—”

  The sound of Shara’s laughter as Kiril chased her through the snow from around the side of the manor interrupted Kinsey. Shara was quickly caught in Kiril’s arms where they shared a passionate kiss.

  Before the kiss could get heated, Rhys came around the house. Kiril released Shara right before Rhys tackled Kiril to the ground while Lily came to stand by Shara as they laughed.

  “War!” Kiril shouted. “Some help.”

  Warrick and Darcy walked arm in arm from around the manor. Warrick shook his head with a smile. “I’d rather stay right where I am. Dry.”

  “Scared of me, huh?” Rhys said as he and Kiril tried to get the upper hand on each other in the snow.

  Lily clapped her hands together and smiled at Rhys. “Come on, honey. Kick some ass!”

  “Kiril, you can take him,” Shara cheered.

  Ryder studied Kinsey as she watched the group. He was glad she’d been interrupted, because she had been about to leave. And that was something he couldn’t allow. He wanted her to think staying was her idea. Forcing her would only hurt his cause, not help it.

  “You were saying?” Ryder prompted after a moment.

  Kinsey cleared her throat and turned back to him. “I was saying that I don’t think it’s wise for you to look for these people on your own. They put me in the middle of it. I want to find out who it was.”

  Ryder let her lie because it benefited him. He opened the door for her to return inside, sending a wave to the others as he followed her.

  They managed to make it up to the third floor and back into the computer room without anyone seeing them. Dmitri was gone, but that’s how Ryder wanted it. Though he wasn’t sure how he would be able to remain near Kinsey and not pull her against him for a kiss.

  Her kisses were breathtaking. Just as she was. He could kiss her for hours, and sometimes they’d done just that. The woman could seriously kiss.
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br />   “You can take this seat,” Ryder said, indicating the chair Dmitri had abandoned.

  Kinsey set her bags against the wall and pulled the chair up to the metal table. Her gaze looked over the monitors. Ryder took a few minutes to point out the location of the cameras and the layout of Dreagan.

  “It’s bigger than I imagined,” she said.

  “Dreagan consists of sixty thousand acres. Up until a few weeks ago there was a no-fly zone over the entire estate.”

  “Until the video was released,” she guessed.

  Ryder sighed and sat back in his chair. “Everything changed then. MI5 patrols our land for the moment,” he said, pointing to several cameras that showed the agents.

  “They’re looking for dragons.”

  Ryder shrugged and tapped the table near Kinsey so that a keyboard appeared. He did the same in front of himself. “Hopefully they’ll be gone soon.”

  “The video showed the dragon changing into a human. Didn’t they see that?”

  “They did,” Ryder said. “They’ve asked us repeatedly to change into a dragon. We laugh and go about our business. They can no’ prove anything.”

  “Unless you’re caught again.”

  That was exactly what he’d been thinking for weeks now. “Aye,” he replied in a low tone.

  “How were you caught to begin with?”

  Ryder hesitated. Kinsey might know of him, and she had already seen the Dark, but why get her involved more? Though she was already fully involved if someone—and he hated to think it was Ulrik—had sent her to Dreagan.

  “I need to know,” Kinsey said. “How else can I help you? You said you have enemies. Tell me.”

  “You doona need to know more than you already do.”

  “Why?” she pressed.

  Ryder ran a hand through his hair. “Because it’s no’ safe.”

  “Am I safe if I return home?”

  He met her gaze for a long stretch of silence before he grudgingly said, “Nay.”

  “And I’m not safe here.” She said it flippantly and turned to the monitor.

  He grabbed her chair and swung it around to face him. “I’ll die before I allow anyone to hurt you.”

  Her face softened. Her unusual, beautiful violet eyes regarded him before she nodded. “That I do believe.”