by Donna Grant
“Your quick thinking saved Rachel,” Kellan said.
Kiril shook his head in shock. “I knew he’d gotten his magic back. But why wait until now to shift?”
“Why bring Lily back from the dead only to attempt to kill Darcy and now Rachel?” Rhys asked.
“Why hasn’t he woken his Silvers?” Thorn asked.
Asher shrugged. “I doona know any answers. All I know is what we experienced.”
“But you doona know what he said to Rachel,” Con stated.
“As soon as she wakes I intend to find out.”
Warrick crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m sure it was the usual threats and such.”
“More so since he put her on the job,” Thorn added.
Asher couldn’t stop thinking of the insinuation Ulrik made against Con. The Kings had been divided once, and it took Con to pull them back together. If he said something now, in front of everyone, it could break apart the slim threads that held them together. Especially if Ulrik was wrong.
All it took was just a whisper of doubt to destroy everything the Kings were. It was exactly what Ulrik wanted, the very thing he threatened Con that he’d do.
He slid his gaze to Kellan to find him staring. Kellan never gave anything away. Asher couldn’t imagine the secrets he kept, and he never took sides, always keeping everything to himself.
Thinking it better to wait until he could get Con alone, he moved on to another topic. “Tell me of Ms. Engel.”
Con raised a blond brow, his eyes showing no emotion. “She’s been my assistant each time I go to the WWC. She’s amazing at what she does.”
“Without question,” Asher said. “I’m curious at how she knows what we are.”
Con slowly sat up from his chair. “She doesna.”
“Actually, she does.”
Chapter Nineteen
Rachel opened her eyes. It wasn’t torn or twisted metal that met her gaze but pristine white crown molding thick enough to make the queen of England envious.
She couldn’t remember why the anxiousness and terror filled her, but she knew it was important. She tried to sort through her memories to find the source of such emotions, and the longer she went without discovering it, the more distressed she became.
Something…no, someone was important to her.
“You’re awake.”
The English accent startled her. Rachel turned her head to find a beautiful woman with long ebony hair, kind black eyes, and a welcoming smile.
“I’m Lily,” she said. She motioned with her thumb beside her. “And this is Grace.”
Rachel’s gaze slid to the side to find another woman of uncommon beauty with short blond hair and eyes so dark a blue they were almost black.
“Hi,” Grace said with a wave of her fingers. “We’ve been worried.”
American. Rachel frowned as she looked at the dark gray walls. Where was she? As soon as her gaze met a large painting of a hunter green dragon with a horde of hunter green dragons behind him, she knew.
She was at Dreagan.
That meant Asher had won. She closed her eyes and smiled. Now she understood those horrid emotions when she woke. It felt so good to be able to let them go.
“How do you feel?” Lily asked as she rose from her seat to stand by the bed.
She licked her lips and took stock of her body. “I feel…fine.”
But she hadn’t earlier. That part she remembered clear as day.
“That’s Asher’s doing,” Grace said. “His power is to heal burns from dragon fire.”
Rachel slowly pushed herself up to lean against the headboard. She pulled the deep green silk sheets up under her armpits and nodded, at a loss for words. She shoved her hair over her shoulder and winced. It felt grimy from sweat.
“I’m sure you want some time alone,” Grace said.
Lily backed up her petite frame. “Of course. Forgive us. The bathroom is there,” she said, pointing to a cracked door to the left. “Your bags were delivered a few minutes ago, so you should have everything you need.”
“You can wait here for Asher if you want,” Grace said. “He’ll be looking for you once he’s done with the other Kings. Or you can turn right in the hallway and make your way downstairs where we’ll be.”
Lily walked to the door and opened it. Once Grace was through, she turned her head to Rachel and said, “We can show you around. I’m sure you have lots of questions, and there’s no telling how long the guys will be locked in Con’s office.”
With that, Lily closed the door behind her. Rachel released a breath. She was at Dreagan. Asher had told her he’d bring her, but she supposed she hadn’t really believed it would happen.
She threw off the covers and looked down at her body. Everything was where it should be, which was more than she had thought was possible before she passed out. She swung her legs over the bed and hesitantly got to her feet, amazed that she felt better than she had in a long time. She wasn’t tired or aching or anything.
That’s what magic could do. She shook her head with a smile and walked to her luggage to grab her toiletry bag and some clothes before she headed into the shower.
* * * *
“What the hell do you mean ‘she knows’?” Kiril demanded.
Asher shot him a hard look. “What do you think I mean? Somehow, Blossom Engel, assistant extraordinaire, knows we’re Dragon Kings.”
“She actually said that?” Con asked.
He shook his head. “Remember when I told you she was with me as we drove to the warehouse? I ordered her to leave and to take the men she hired to watch Rachel. But they didna.”
Con’s gaze swung to Kellan. “Why did you no’ tell me?”
“Perhaps because I do my best to forget whatever I see after I record it,” Kellan replied crossly.
Asher continued. “Ms. Engel walked in, not at all perturbed to find me in the buff or to see the warehouse torn to shreds. She didna see anything, but she heard enough.”
“And the men she hired?” War asked.
“The same. She said they kept secrets for a living. I had a suspicion that Ulrik might’ve used her as he did Rachel.”
Kiril raised a brow, his shamrock green eyes locked on Asher. “Had? Or have?”
“I’m no’ sure,” he admitted. “She wouldna answer how she knew, but she does.”
Con sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “We need to know. I had Ryder do a thorough background check on her years ago, and he does one each year before the WWC.”
Ryder’s background checks meant he looked under every stone, opened every closet for skeletons to find anything and everything on a person. No one did background checks like Ryder––not even any of the governments.
“And the men,” Kellan pointed out.
Con gave a nod. “Aye. Those men as well.”
There was a beat of silence before Rhys asked angrily, “Why has no one said shite about Ulrik being able to shift?”
“Because I think we all half expected it,” Kiril replied.
Asher watched Con. He gave nothing away in his actions or facial expressions, but the way he controlled himself was also a tell. Con might not have known Ulrik could shift, but he’d suspected.
And Asher wasn’t the only one to notice.
“You knew,” Thorn stated, his gaze narrowed on Con.
Con looked at Thorn and held his gaze. With a snort, Thorn walked from the office, the others making way for him. A moment later, War followed.
“You should’ve told us,” Anson stated.
Con’s black eyes slid to Anson. “What would that have accomplished?”
“It could’ve prepared Asher.”
Con dropped his hands to his stomach, his gaze narrowing. “Ever since we discovered it was Ulrik behind everything, I’ve warned each of you to expect anything, to be prepared for anything.”
“I’m tired of Ulrik continuing to surprise us,” Rhys said. “No matter what we do, he’s at least one step ah
ead.”
Asher looked at each of them. “I think that’s because there’s a spy at Dreagan.”
Despite everything he’d relayed since returning to Dreagan, it was this statement that caused the office to grow so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“I’ve begun to think that as well,” Roman said from behind him.
Kellan dropped his foot to the ground and leaned forward, with his elbows on the arms of the chair. “It’s a logical deduction based on how Ulrik always knows what we’re doing. But I doona like thinking it’s one of us.”
“There’s no other explanation,” Kiril said.
“This will have to wait. We’ve some people missing.”
Asher frowned as he looked around the room. “Who?”
“I sent Dmitri to check out whether a skeleton that has been found is a dragon,” Con announced.
Asher’s eyes widened. “We destroyed all of them.”
“We thought we did,” Kellan replied.
“And the others?”
“Kinsey, Esther, and Henry are on a mission. After what Kyvor did to Kinsey and Esther, they have a plan to return to see what they can find,” Con explained.
Asher couldn’t believe Ryder had let Kinsey go without him.
Rhys dropped his arms and pushed away from the wall. “You need to call a meeting, Con. Everyone needs to know these latest updates on Ulrik and the potential spy.”
“Nay,” Con stated as he got to his feet in one fluid motion. “I doona want anyone speaking of a spy outside of this office. Ulrik wants us to turn on each other. I’ll no’ give him the ammunition to do it.”
Kiril ran a hand through his wheat-colored hair as he held Con’s gaze. “I believe it’s too late for that. We need to find the spy.”
“I’ll start immediately,” Kellan said. “Asher, I’d like your help.”
One by one, everyone left Con’s office but Asher, Kellan, and Con. When the last King was out the door, Asher closed it and leaned back against it.
“I assume you have something on your mind,” Con said. “By the way you and Kellan have been sharing looks, I gather this has to do with Ulrik and something he said.”
Asher came around the chair and sat next to Kellan. “You know?”
“It’s no’ the first time Ulrik has tried to turn a King against me,” Con confided.
He hadn’t considered that, but he should’ve. If Ulrik would say such things to him, why wouldn’t he say it to other Kings?
“What did he say?” Con asked.
Asher took a deep breath and released it. “He said that if a King should be punished, then you should turn that punishment on yourself.”
“Did he say why?”
“He told me to ask you.”
Kellan sat back in his chair without saying a word.
Asher looked from Kellan to Con, but Con kept his gaze locked on Asher. That’s when he knew there was some truth to what Ulrik said. Getting it out of Con or Kellan, however, was going to be impossible.
And perhaps that was for the best. Right now the Kings needed to stay together. If they fractured apart, then Ulrik would win and the war with the mortals would start back up again.
Except this time the humans had nuclear bombs they wouldn’t hesitate to use in an attempt to kill off the Dragon Kings. It wouldn’t harm them, but it would devastate the land and any mortal within distance.
He didn’t want that. He thought he’d wanted the truth. Now he wished he hadn’t said anything to Con. Eventually the truth would come out. If Con was smart, he’d tell everyone now and not let Ulrik have that ammunition.
Then again, Con was the most stubborn of them all. He wouldn’t tell anyone anything.
Asher pushed to his feet. “I’m going to check on Rachel.”
“Is she your mate?” Con asked.
He looked Con in the eye and said, “Without a doubt.”
Chapter Twenty
Rachel was about to step out of the shower when the door opened. Through the steam, she saw a face that made her smile. Asher’s grin was large as he stepped into the water in his clothes.
His arms came around her as he lifted her off her feet, nuzzling her neck.
“You’re still dressed,” Rachel said with a laugh.
“I couldna wait.” He set her down and smoothed her hair from her face. “How do you feel?”
“Good. I’d feel even better if you were out of those clothes,” she said with a wink.
In record time he removed his clothes and closed the shower door. As he drew her back into his arms, Rachel knew this was where she wanted to be. She rested her head on his chest with the water hitting her back and closed her eyes.
“What are you thinking?”
She grinned, because she’d been wondering the same thing. “I thought I was going to die in that warehouse.”
“I told you to leave for that verra reason.”
“I couldn’t leave you.”
“Even if it meant your death?”
She nodded and opened her eyes to stare at the tile. “Even then. But you saved me.”
“Barely.”
“You still saved me.”
His gaze slid away briefly. “You saw me in my true form.”
At this she smiled. “Yes, and you were magnificent.”
“You weren’t afraid.”
“Not of you. Never of you.” That was the truth from the very beginning. Her heart had realized it. It had just taken her brain a little longer to catch up. She lifted her head and looked into his green eyes. “I know this may seem too soon since we’ve only just met, but I think I’m in love with you.”
One dark brow lifted as his lips curled in a smile. “You think?”
“I know that in your arms is where I want to be. I know that the thought of waking up without you terrifies me. I know that with you, I feel whole. As if you were a missing piece that I didn’t even know I needed. I’ve never been in love before. The only people I ever told ‘I love you’ was my family.”
“We are your family now. You’ll never be alone, Rae.”
“Even after what I did with Ulrik?”
He gave a nod. “I explained the situation.”
“Good.” She wanted to rejoice, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t like she expected him to say he loved her––but she had hoped.
“Rae?”
“Hmm?” she asked as she stared at his chest.
“I have a confession.”
She ran her hand over his dragon tattoo on his arm. As she did, she frowned, because she was sure the tat moved.
“I love you.”
It took a second for his words to penetrate. Her gaze snapped to his face. “What?”
“I love you.”
She knew she was smiling like an idiot, but she couldn’t help it. “You do?”
“Aye, a ghràidh.”
“What does that mean?”
“‘My love.’”
Her lips parted in awe as she realized he said that the first time they’d made love.
“I’ve loved you since then,” he confessed.
She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. “I love you. I love you. IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou.”
He laughed and squeezed her tight. “I want you to be mine. Forever.”
That’s when the reality hit her. Her happiness faded as she pulled out of his arms. “There can’t be a forever for us. I’m mortal.”
“Did I no’ tell you?” he said with a grin. “When a Dragon King and mortal take binding vows as mates, that mortal becomes immortal. The only way the mate will die is if the King is killed.”
Immortality. It was mindboggling, but then again, everything to do with Asher’s world was magical. Why should this be any different? To be with him forever. It felt…right. “Then we really can have eternity?”
“Aye, a ghràidh.”
“There’s no other place I’d rather be than by your side.”
His smile wasn’t nearly a
s bright as she’d hoped. “There’s more. No child has been born alive between a King and a human. Most women miscarry within weeks. The verra few who carry the child to term give birth to a stillborn. Children willna be a part of our future.”
“I have you. That’s all I need.” Those weren’t just words. She’d known for a long time that with her job, children didn’t fit. Hell, a boyfriend hadn’t fit. Things were different with Asher, but that didn’t mean her biological clock was ticking. In fact, that clock had never worked, and she was just fine with that.
Besides, the Kings had too many enemies at the moment for her to want to bring a child into the mix.
He looked into her eyes for a long minute before he yanked her against him and savagely kissed her. Instantly, her body ignited. She sank into the kiss, happier than she thought possible.
She had her Dragon King and the desire she hadn’t thought she’d ever experience. No matter what, her cup runneth over.
Epilogue
Alone in his office, Con stood staring out his window. His worst fear had come to fruition. Ulrik could shift. He’d suspected it for a while. What he didn’t understand was why Ulrik hadn’t shifted when they fought.
There was a reason. Everything Ulrik did was for a reason. Just as he didn’t shift when they fought, Ulrik did it now for a specific purpose. The fact that he didn’t know what Ulrik was up to sent a thread of unease down his back.
His gaze was on his desk, but he didn’t see the reports or papers. He saw Ulrik’s face. His once best friend was single-handedly destroying everything he’d worked so hard to preserve.
Just as Ulrik had warned eons ago, Con’s past was catching up with him. He never expected it would be Ulrik who led the charge against him, however.
If only that were the end to his problems. He now had to deal with a spy. He knew exactly how easily the Kings could take sides. They’d done it once before, fracturing them as they chose either him or Ulrik.
That couldn’t happen again.
It wouldn’t happen again.
Kellan might be looking into the spy, but he would do his own investigating. Because if it was another Dragon King putting everyone at Dreagan in danger, he wouldn’t hesitate to banish a King again.
