by Donna Grant
She shrugged. “You can rid the world of us.”
“That goes against the vow we made.”
“True, but it might be for the best.”
He stretched his legs out under the table and crossed his ankles. “If your kind continues to rape this planet at the speed with which you’ve done for centuries, you’ll end yourselves.”
Her lips twisted. “Ouch. But true. We probably will. You’ll survive?”
“Who knows. We might. I hope we do.”
“You’d get your world back.”
He lifted a shoulder.
She drew in a deep breath. “You have the choice to force us to live with you.”
“Because that worked so well last time,” he replied cynically.
“We’ve become more advanced.”
“Aye, you have. I’ve no doubt some leaders would love to drop a nuclear bomb on Dreagan. All that would do is kill millions. It wouldna kill us.”
Bernadette wrinkled her nose. “Sadly, I think that’s exactly what my kind would do.”
“That leaves the option for us to leave.”
“It’s your world,” she argued.
Keltan chuckled wryly. “If it was, we wouldna have sent the dragons away, nor would we be hiding our true identities.”
“If you don’t want to wipe us out or leave, then you only have one option left. Hide.”
He raised his brows. “Precisely.”
“You must think I’m incredibly stupid. Here I am, thinking I might know something more than a Dragon King who is millions of years old.”
“I doona think you’re stupid, lass. I think you’re hopeful. It’s no’ something I’ve been in a verra long time. It’s refreshing to see it in someone else.”
She smiled, pleased with his comment. “Thank you for not thinking I’m some silly child. I’d love to hear all about your life. All the times you’ve lived in and the things you’ve seen. I could think of no one better to teach me about the true history of things.”
“But would it be true?” he argued. “It would be colored by what I felt, saw, and did at that particular time. There is no accounting of history that isna colored by the one who wrote it.”
“Regardless, I’d love to learn from you. If only there was time,” she said wistfully.
Keltan wished he could give her what she asked for. The fact that she wasn’t railing against what Fate had dealt her and what she would lose when she left Dreagan made him want to find another way to protect her from Usaeil. The problem was, there wasn’t another way.
“I’m boring,” she said. “I take the same route to work every day. Or I did until I moved.”
Now that got his attention. “Why did you move?”
“I spent all my time researching everything to do with Dreagan. I went from a full-time position at the museum to part-time so I could devote more time to looking into dragons. That came with a huge cut in pay, and I could no longer afford my house. I sold it and most of my belongings.”
Keltan shook his head, baffled that she would go to such extremes. “All because Usaeil showed you a dragon?”
Bernadette shrugged and wrinkled her nose. “It sounds utterly daft, trust me, I know. But that’s the truth. All I could think about was discovering every detail about dragons and Dreagan and who lived here. I’m embarrassed to say that it became an obsession. What else can you call something that makes a person completely change their lives on a whim?”
“I’ve seen a lot of things in my time, lass. And while I agree, it is out of the ordinary, I doona think I’d be embarrassed about it.”
She gaped at him. “I would! I gave up a career I had worked hard to obtain. I lost the respect of my peers and friends as well as the living I had. And for what? To finally get to the truth, only to have it taken away. So, I’ll be able to get back to work, except I don’t have my position anymore. I spent years getting to where I was, and I’ll have to start all over. If I even can. Not to mention, I’ll not be able to tell anyone why I did what I did for the past year.”
Keltan’s stomach tightened in dread at hearing all of this. He hadn’t thought about the repercussions once Bernadette went back to her life. And he should have. “Things happen for a reason.”
She made a sound at the back of her throat. “I don’t believe that.”
“I do,” he insisted. “Whether you believe it or no’, Fate or destiny or whatever you want to call it is real. I believe you were destined to learn about us. Just as you were meant to come here and have me tell you our story.”
“Only to then take it away from me? I don’t buy it.”
Keltan straightened and grabbed the empty plates to take to the sink. He washed them off and glanced Bernadette’s way. That’s when he saw a flash of pain move over her face. “Are you all right?”
“I have a sensitive body. When I’m stressed or anxious, I don’t feel that great.”
“And you’ve been both for a while now.” He wiped his hands and returned to the table. “Is there anything I can get you?”
She waved away his words. “I’ll be fine.”
“Let me know when that changes.”
“This may sound incredibly rude, but I don’t have to leave now, do I?”
He smiled and shook his head. “I hope you doona. I’ve yet to hear more about you. I also thought I’d take you for a tour around Dreagan. There’s something I think you might like to see.”
Her eyes brightened. “Really? That would be great.”
“If you’re up for it. But we can wait.”
“Now sounds good,” she said with a smile.
“Come then. I’ll take you now.”
Bernadette jumped up and followed him as he walked from the kitchen to the conservatory. He kept his gaze on her when he went to the hidden door and opened it.
“No way,” she said with a grin.
Keltan waited for her to go through the door first before he followed. “You’re in Dreagan Mountain now. We built the manor into the side of the mountain so we had access. The back of the mountain has a huge opening that we fly in and out of.”
“You say that as if it’s an everyday occurrence.”
“We do patrol at night.”
Her head whipped around to look him. “Amazing.”
Keltan led her through the tunnels. When she pointed out that the lights along the way didn’t have any wires, he explained that their dragon magic kept them lit.
“I love this place,” she replied.
Which made him smile. That grin was still in place when he brought her to the cavern that held the four sleeping Silver dragons inside the cage.
He couldn’t take his eyes from her as she walked with reverence to the huge cage and squatted beside a head of one of the Silvers.
“Touch him,” he urged her.
To his delight, she reached out her hand and laid it upon the dragon’s scales.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Bernadette was touching a dragon. A real dragon!
She could hardly believe it. The scales looked metallic and were as hard as she expected, but they were also warm—something she hadn’t anticipated. The even sound of the four massive beasts breathing was calming.
She moved from dragon to dragon, touching each of them, all while marveling at how surreal it was. These Silvers, as Keltan had called them, looked much different than the gold one she’d seen.
Her gaze lifted to look across the dragons and through the bars to where Keltan stood watching her. “All of you look different, right? Like these have the spines down their backs. The gold one didn’t. Do you?”
“We all certainly look different, aye. And no’ just in spines and horns and such. In color, as well.”
She was keenly aware of how he didn’t answer her second question. “What color are you?”
He grinned. “I can tell you. Or … I can show you.”
Bernadette slowly got to her feet, shock running through her so fast that she got a little dizzy. “A
re you serious?”
“Aye,” he stated.
She was about to ask if that went beyond what they would normally do, but then again, everything he was showing and telling her was different. Then there was the little fact that she wouldn’t be able to remember any of it.
Remembering that they were taking her memories dimmed some of her excitement, but she refused to let it all be taken away. Maybe, just maybe she could find a way to remember some of it. Even if it was just Keltan’s smile.
He cocked his head at her. “What were you just thinking?”
“Why?”
“An odd look came over your face.”
She swallowed and shrugged. “I just can’t get over what I’m seeing and touching. Dragons,” she said with a shake of her head. “I mean, you tell me you’re one, and I believe you, but then I see these.”
“It’s easy to believe what you see. You’re taking what I tell you on faith.”
“I am.”
“And you believe every word.”
She heard the incredulity of his words and wondered at them. “Why wouldn’t I believe?”
“Most wouldna, though I suppose you had a little more of a head start than others because of what Usaeil showed you and the research you did. Still, you were no’ skeptical.”
“Who says I wasn’t?” she asked with a grin. “I might keep that to myself.”
Keltan laughed, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “Touché, Bernadette.”
She sobered and put her fingers in the front pockets of her jeans. “I believe what you tell me not only because I’ve believed for a while, but because you don’t have any reason to lie. Not if you’re going to wipe my memories.”
“I’ve more to show you.”
Bernadette hurried around the cage and caught up with Keltan so they could walk from the cavern together. She liked that he moved slowly so she could take it all in.
She kept hoping they would run into others, but it was almost as if everyone knew that she was there and stayed away. Not that she blamed them. Now that she knew the truth, she realized just what a predicament she’d put the Dragon Kings in. If there were a way for her to fix it, she would.
“Keltan, when I leave here, will you make sure I do something?”
He glanced and nodded. “If I can. What is it?”
“Make sure I right the wrongs I’ve done to you and everyone here.”
“We can take care of that.”
She shook her head. “It’d be better coming from me. I won’t remember anything, but I’ll still have people asking me about the lecture and what I’ve spent the last year doing. If you can come up with some explanation for me to give as well as reversing the damage I’ve done, I’d feel better about all of this.”
He looked away and nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”
She couldn’t really ask for much more than that. Bernadette knew that when it came to fighting against magical, immortal creatures, she didn’t stand a chance. Hopefully, her request would be considered fully.
Her thoughts halted when she and Keltan emerged from the tunnel into another cavern, this one so huge she couldn’t fathom it. Bernadette walked toward the center and slowly turned in a circle, taking in the various etchings and drawings of dragons on the walls and ceiling. Some of the artwork was as big as the Silvers she’d just seen, while others were much smaller.
“It’s so beautiful,” she murmured.
Keltan nodded as he looked at the walls. “That they are.”
“Who did them?”
“The largest was done by Ulrik when we first began building here. We all contributed in some way. I guess you could say we left our mark on the place.”
Bernadette’s gaze landed on him, watching the way he looked at the cavern with reverence and happiness. The Kings had something special here. Dreagan was their home, sure, but it was also their sanctuary. The only place on Earth where they could be themselves without fear or worry.
His head turned, and their gazes caught. A frown furrowed his brow. “Doona blame yourself.”
“But I did it.”
“Nay, lass. Usaeil did it. You were just dragged into the middle of it. Others would’ve done the same thing you did.”
She twisted her lips, unconvinced. “I’m not so sure. I dove headlong into this without thinking of or considering the consequences. That’s not like me at all.”
“No doubt Usaeil used magic on you.”
“That doesn’t make it any better.”
“It should,” he argued. “You have no control in that instance. Someone decides for you.”
Bernadette wrapped her arms around herself. “Is there anything I can do to prevent Usaeil or another Fae or Druid from using such magic on me?”
Keltan quirked a brow. “You doona want to have a guard up against us?”
“The Dragon Kings haven’t hurt me. In fact, you’ve been kind and immensely generous when you didn’t have to be.”
He walked closer to her. “We’re no’ brutes. But we can be.”
“I know.”
“Nay, you doona. We could have—and still could—wipe out all mortals in a matter of hours.”
Bernadette suppressed a shiver. “If you think I believe you weak, you’re wrong. It takes a strong being to stand by their vow, to go against every instinct they have to fight for what is theirs … to continue living with the humans who ruined your life.”
Keltan looked away and swallowed loudly. “I doona know what the future holds. In many ways, we’ve had a decent life. We live in grandeur and are left alone, but you’re right, that willna always be the case. I hope we’re always able to make the right choices, but there may come a time when there are no good choices.”
To her surprise, he took her hand and led her to the edge of the entrance. She gawked up at the opening while trying to imagine dragons flying in and out of the mountain.
“Do you regret staying behind?” she asked and turned her head to him.
He blinked, seemingly confused by her question. “No one has ever asked me that before.”
“If I recall correctly, you didn’t really have a choice, did you? The dragons were sent away, but the Kings stayed.”
He nodded.
She raised her brows. “Surely, some of you thought of going with the others.”
“There was so much going on that day. The battles, the decisions, the blood. I remember fighting an internal battle to join Ulrik and fight the mortals while still remembering the vow I made. I remember being so verra angry and bitter at watching my clan fly over the dragon bridge to another life. Right after that was the sadness that came with the quiet. No dragons meant no roars, no flapping of wings. That silence was like a knife to my heart, the blade turning when I went to my mountain to sleep while my clan was—hopefully—setting up their new lives. But I worried for them. Did they find a safe place? Were there other beings on the realm? Were they happy and fed?”
It physically hurt her to hear him talk of such things because she could see the pain in his eyes, hear it in his voice. Even after so many thousands upon thousands of years.
He flashed a sad smile at her. “I remember all those things as clearly as I see you. But I doona remember anything else. I’m sure there was more.”
Keltan drew in a breath, causing his shoulders to rise as he looked out at the mountains. “I doona think I told you, but magic chooses us. It’s the magic of this realm that looks deep into our hearts. It sees how strong we are physically, mentally, and magically. And it’s that magic that decides if we’ll lead. The magic did that because every clan had to have someone keeping the others in line. It’s like you mortals no’ having leaders for your countries.”
“That makes perfect sense. So, you were chosen?” Somehow, that made Keltan being a King even more special.
He glanced at her and then slowly nodded. “I’d felt it inside for some time, but I didna act on it.”
“Why not? Didn’t you want to lead?”
<
br /> “Our society wasna like yours. In today’s world, if there is a monarchy, the next in line waits until the current king or queen either dies or steps aside. That’s no’ how things work with us. Occasionally, a Dragon King was killed in battle, and the next one would step in. But more often than no’, we were supposed to challenge the current King.”
She blinked, taken aback. “But I thought only a Dragon King could kill another King.”
“When the magic chooses you, whether you accept it or no’, you are a Dragon King.”
“Bloody hell,” Bernadette murmured.
Keltan chuckled and faced her. “Some Kings rule for thousands of years, while others only rule for a few hundred. Some lead for even shorter periods of time.”
“You had to challenge your King, didn’t you?”
His smile faded. “I did. He wasna just my King, he was my mentor and friend. My father and the King were close friends, so when my father died in battle, the King stepped in to help our family. I was the oldest of four. My mother was strong, but losing my father broke something in her. My sisters took up that slack while I tried to do the rest.
“For nearly a year, I ignored the call I felt from the magic. I studied my King, watching him to look for any weakness or something to prove that he wasna exactly what my clan needed. And I found nothing. Yet the overwhelming desire to challenge him grew every day.”
“Obviously, you did it,” she said.
Keltan’s gaze dropped to the ground. “I did. He told me he’d been waiting for such a challenge, and that he was glad it was me.”
Bernadette reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I know that couldn’t have been easy.”
“It’s a fight to the death.” His gaze lifted to hers. “He didna go easily. He made me earn it, and when I struck the killing blow, he smiled at me and told me he was proud.”
She blinked back her tears. “He sounds like a good man. I mean, dragon. I would’ve liked to have met him.”
Keltan suddenly smiled. “He would’ve liked you.”
“Really?” she asked, surprised by his words.
“Oh, aye,” Keltan said with a nod. “He would’ve said that you were meant to push me, to make me think outside the box. And you know what, he’d have been right. You have done that.”
