Fueled By Flames: A Hot Paranormal Dragon Romance (Hidden Realms of Silver Lake Book 9)

by Vella Day

  She explained how she and her twin sister could feel each other’s pain and emotions if they wore their twin-link necklaces.

  “You’re not wearing a necklace now.”

  “No. Now that she is out of danger, I don’t need to. One time when Kaleena went to Earth, something happened here, and I had to communicate telepathically with her. It worked rather well, but we both agreed it would be a bit invasive for everyday wear.”

  He chuckled, but it probably sounded forced. Damn. He sucked at this. “I can relate.” Not wanting her to ask too many questions about his realm and his abilities right away, he caught the server’s attention and called her over. “You want something to drink before dinner?” he asked Tory.

  “A glass of your house Chardonnay please,” Tory told their server.

  “A dark beer for me.”

  “You got it.” The server handed them menus. This time, she didn’t flirt. Good.

  Kenton turned his attention back to Tory. Keep it professional, he told himself. “You said you had questions for me. We might as well get those out of the way.”

  She smiled, and Kenton’s libido went out of control again. He wanted to teleport to the other side of the table so he could sit next to her, but acting as normal as he could was the only way for Tory to learn to trust him.

  “What can you tell me about dark Feys?”

  Oh, shit. How much did she remember about her contact with Malpan? Her memory had been erased—at least he believed it had been. Malpan had attacked her and implanted part of his dark soul inside her as a way of preserving his evil nature. If Kenton and a few others hadn’t healed her on Feyrion, Tory would have died. Once he’d returned her home, he’d asked Griffin, Kaleena, Greer, and a few others to keep the truth from her. They were to only say that Malpan had merely infected her, and that Greer and Declan had healed her. He hoped no one had said anything.

  Right now, he wasn’t ready to reveal his part in her healing. That would come later. Having her beholden to him because of that lifesaving bond wasn’t what he desired. He wanted her to like him for who he was, not for what he had done for her.

  He finally focused on what she’d asked. It was possible she wanted to learn about dark Feys for another reason. Regardless, he needed to answer her. “The dark Feys? They’re bad. Did you ever meet Malpan, the man who used mind control on the slaves you helped free?” Kenton had no idea what she remembered.

  “Not personally. Danita and my brother told me how he had been able to make people do terrible things. That’s why I want to know the extent of a dark Fey’s powers.”

  “What sparked this interest?” Kenton held his breath.

  Only when she told him about four recent suicides did he exhale.

  “I’m thinking some Fey used mind control on them and made them slit their throats.” She locked gazes with him, awaiting his answer.

  “It’s a good theory, but from my experience, a dark Fey is even more evil than that.”

  Her eyes widened. “More evil than making someone kill himself?”

  He was messing this up. “Dark Feys always have an agenda. What would he gain from their deaths?”

  “I’ve been wondering that too. I’ve written down what the police detective told us about these victims. I was hoping you could help.”

  Kenton liked the part about her coming to him for guidance. Tory retrieved a folded piece of paper from her purse and handed it to him. It had the names of the deceased, their age and sex, along with some of their accomplishments. His heart ached for them. They all seemed to be on the brink of something exciting in their life. “Unless the dark Fey wanted that scholarship or the work advancement, I have no idea why he would want them dead. You said the four didn’t even know each other?”

  “No. The lack of a clear motive is what’s troubling me, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”

  He liked that she had a keen mind and a desire to help. “I agree.” Kenton leaned forward. Even though Tory had excellent hearing, it was loud in there, what with the band warming up and more people coming in. “Why are the police involving you?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized that might have been a miscalculation on his part. His siblings had mentioned to her family a few times that they knew the Sinclairs and the Caspians were Guardians. Drat. I need to think before I speak. “Is it because you are…well, you know…a protector of sorts?” He was certain Tory wouldn’t want the name Guardian bandied about in a bar.

  “Yes.”

  “To be clear, you asked to meet with me because you think I might know why someone would harm such happy and successful people?”

  Her eyes shone. She’d make a great queen someday.

  “Yes, again.”

  He could work with that. “Any idea who this dark Fey might be?” He kept his voice low, not wanting to announce to the patrons he was aware of the existence of off-world beings.

  “No. I thought you might be able to identify those who were dark Feys and those who weren’t.”

  Kenton leaned back and smiled. “I hate to break it to you, but they don’t announce their arrival on Tarradon. However, if I run into them, I can sense their evil. My family and I are here in part to keep them from harming your kind. Clearly, we failed with Malpan.”

  “You aren’t the only ones who failed to stop evil from entering the realm.” She explained how a Changeling from Earth had managed to get by her cousin Birk by changing his looks. “It took weeks to get rid of that piece of evil.”

  “I’m glad we have so much in common.” Okay, that sounded too much like a pick up line. She was here for answers. “Do you have any other theories?”

  “After what you just said, it might not have been a dark Fey.”

  He hadn’t expected her to say that. “If not a dark Fey, then who?”

  She explained about the lack of any marks on the body, other than the slice to the throat. “That kind of rules out dark entities who leave burn marks on the skin when they exit. Here’s another thing: all four people had a yet-to-be-identified chemical in their body. When a dark Fey enters a person’s body, does he leave a bit of himself inside?” She slid another piece of paper across the table. “This is the chemical compound the coroner found.”

  At first, he thought she was talking about a dark Fey leaving his soul inside a person—not some chemical. When he glanced at the composition, he realized it wasn’t a Fey. While he couldn’t be positive, he had a good idea who—or rather what—had done this. “They do leave a bit of themselves in a person, but to my knowledge it’s not in the form of a chemical.”

  If it had only been a chemical, he could have cured her easily.

  “Then what could it be?”

  Discussing something he thought might be true wouldn’t be wise. Kenton needed confirmation first. “I can’t be sure.”

  The waitress delivered their drinks. “Have you two decided what you’d like to eat?”

  Kenton didn’t care what he ordered. He nodded to Tory who picked out a hamburger with fries. “The same,” he said.

  He’d hoped that Tory was satisfied with his rather open-ended answers, but when she pointed to the paper again, clearly she wasn’t.

  “Do you know anyone who could find out what kind of chemical this is? I’ve asked my cousin Camden, but he hasn’t gotten back to me yet.”

  “I certainly can ask. Our family doesn’t have any local laboratories we use though.” He wasn’t about to say he didn’t need any since he could use magic.

  “I see. By eliminating a dark Fey though, it does help narrow things down. Can you hazard a guess as to what kind of being could inject a chemical into a body without leaving any evidence on the body?”

  That he could answer, though it wouldn’t be the one she’d be happy with. Kenton lifted his beer and tossed back a goodly amount. The cool brew was just what he needed. “I now have beer in my system, but I daresay there are no outward marks.”

  Her eyes widened and shook her head. “The
beer might be in your stomach, but not in your bloodstream.”

  “I beg to differ. It’s called blood alcohol level for a reason.”

  “Shit.” She looked up at him. “Sorry.”

  “There’s no need to be. You’re free to say whatever you want.” He thought it cute she believed a swear word would offend him.

  She sipped her wine. “I need to speak with my cousin again about where in the body this chemical was found. When he said it had been in the bloodstream, I erroneously concluded that the chemical had been injected.”

  Kenton was the type to dwell on things too, but it usually just wasted time. “How about we put the death of the four victims away for the next hour and enjoy being here.” He waved a hand. “You probably come to this bar often, but I live in the middle of a forest. To me, the energy swirling in this room is a treat. All I get are animal noises.”

  Her pretty pink mouth opened for a moment. “I am sorry. I was so focused on my problem that I was being inconsiderate. Of course. Tell me what it’s like being stuck surrounded by beautiful trees, endless trails, and the sweet smell of the frenlen trees all day.”

  He laughed. “You do paint a beautiful picture, though I misspoke. I’m not stuck exactly. My family and I are the protectors of the portals between Tarradon and Feyrion. There are several of them around the realm, so we keep busy moving between them.”

  “Can you go home to Feyrion when you want?” she asked very softly.

  “Yes, but it’s usually only for official business.”

  “What kind of official business?”

  Kenton could tell this line of questioning would land him in trouble, mostly because telling her too much too soon might put her off. While he had perfected the art of changing the subject, he wanted to be honest with her. She’d be angry enough when she learned he’d kept some vital facts from her. “I’m in charge of the portal guards on the other side.” He looked around. Tarradon didn’t need to learn about his realm. “I’m thinking this might not be the best place to discuss our protection duties though.”

  Her face turned a pretty shade of pink. “Of course. I totally understand.”

  Kenton had the sense that if they had already finished their meal, she would have thanked him and left. He however, wanted to spend as much time as possible with her. “Tell me about your jewelry store. While I’ve never purchased jewels for a woman, we do have gems and jewelry stores where I’m from.”

  She smiled. “A jewelry buying virgin! I like it. You have to stop by our store then, and I can show you our fine line of pieces. The Sinclairs and our cousins, the Caspians, are miners. The Caspians mine metals, and we mine gems. We also have a very impressive lab in the SinCas building run by my brother Ramsey. He coordinates the delivery of the materials and checks for quality issues. My cousin Camden is the real genius behind our beautiful settings. Greer and I might come up with the designs for the earrings, necklaces, and such, but Camden has to bring them to life.”

  He had no idea. “I honestly never gave a thought as to where jewelry came from.” Mostly because a swipe of a hand could create many things.

  “It’s a complex process. Greer and I speak with the clients to learn what they want exactly—or rather what they need. We work hard to make every piece unique for that person.”

  Her passion thrilled him. “I’d love to see some designs.”

  As she drank her wine, she kept her gaze on him. “It’s a date.”

  Chapter Five

  Most men had little interest in jewelry or how it was designed, but Kenton sounded sincerely intrigued. “As I said, stop by any time, but I only work four days a week.” She explained how she and Greer split the days, sometimes working alone and at other times together.

  “I will stop by in a few days then.”

  When he leaned back and smiled, something fluttered around her heart. While Tory had no issues dating a human or any kind of shifter, Feys and Fairies were literally out of this world, and she had no experience with them. From the stories her family had told her about Kenton and his siblings, strange things had happened when they’d spent the night in one of the Forrester’s cabins—like the whole building disappeared the next day.

  She leaned forward. “I agree that this isn’t the place to discuss sensitive issues, but can you make things disappear?” Tory mouthed the last word.

  “If I show you, I’d have to kill you.” He winked.

  Tory laughed, mostly because she didn’t know what else to do. He was kidding right? He must have been, or he wouldn’t have winked.

  Next topic, Tory. “You have three sisters and one brother, right?” She wanted to confirm some of the things she’d heard. Tory wasn’t the type to draw conclusions based on rumor.

  “I do.”

  “Are they all portal bodyguards, so to speak?”

  His brows rose. “Bevon and I are assigned to that duty. We’re Feys, and it’s our job to make sure only those who are allowed to leave or enter get through. My sisters are all Fairies, and they might struggle to contain someone like Malpan.”

  “That makes sense. Do you have shifters back home?”

  “Absolutely. We’re an equal opportunity realm, but we keep out the less desirables from near where I live.”

  Even she could see Kenton didn’t want to discuss anything in detail, especially considering they were at a bar. “Good to know.”

  “And you?” He asked. “I’ve met a couple of your siblings, but I’m pretty sure I haven’t met all of them.”

  “I have one sister, Kaleena.”

  “The one who had a baby.”

  She’d never said her twin had delivered, but perhaps he’d guessed it. “Yes. And four brothers.”

  “I bet that must have been hard to compete for your parents’ attention.”

  What an odd thing to say. “Not really. We are all dragon shifters and work for Sinclair mining in one way or another. We all train the same way, too. In short, our family gets along very well.” That sounded a bit too sweet, and in all honesty, not totally accurate. “Maybe I should rephrase that. We love each other as a family and would give our life for a sibling, but at times my brothers can be rather infuriating.”

  Kenton’s rather loud guffaw surprised her. “You don’t have to tell me about siblings. I live with Bevon, and he is as pig-headed, undisciplined, and irreverent as they come. That being said, I too would give my life for him.”

  Tory liked that.

  The server delivered their food. Since they’d both ordered the same thing, she couldn’t get it wrong. “Enjoy,” she said. “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  Kenton unfolded his paper napkin and retrieved the silverware. “I want to get back to something you said. You actually train?”

  He didn’t have to sound so surprised. “I do.”

  “What does that entail?”

  “Strategy sessions, an obstacle course, mat work, and strength training. It’s not something I advertise. It raises too many questions, if you know what I mean.”

  Kenton waved his fork at her, stabbed a French fry, and ate it. For the next few minutes, they ate in relative silence. Tory didn’t remember being so hungry. Perhaps it was because she’d been so worried about Kaleena that she hadn’t eaten much in the last few days, and worry tended to burn a lot of calories.

  When she was halfway through her meal, she took a break from stuffing her face. “What do you do for fun, Kenton?”

  He held up a finger to finish chewing. “That’s an excellent question. My brother, Bevon, can watch television for hours, but I don’t find those shows interesting.”

  “You get reception in the woods?” It was possible one of her cousins told her something to that fact, but she couldn’t remember.

  “We do.”

  From the small smirk on his face, the reception was accomplished by something other than some focused beam from a satellite. Most of the Tarradon technology came from Earth, but she suspected what carried his s
ignal was something quite different.

  “Back to the fun stuff. What interests you?” she asked again.

  “I guess everyone’s definition differs. I like to read, go for long walks, and watch the stars.” He sighed, and she laughed.

  “You read that on some dating site, didn’t you?”

  “Dating site? Whatever are you talking about?” He grinned.

  The man was insufferable but adorable at the same time. “Fine. Moving on. Do you hunt for your own food? Since there aren’t a lot of supermarkets where you live, you have to do something to eat.”

  “Distances aren’t a big issue for us, but to answer your question, I make my own food.”

  “You’re a chef?” She found that hard to believe.

  “Indeed. I see I’ll have to show you.”

  Was he asking her out on a date? If so, she just might have to say yes.

  After Kenton paid for the meal and walked Tory to her car, he watched her drive off. For once, he wasn’t ready to go home. Being in this vibrant city actually invigorated him. It was either that or it had been watching his mate enjoy herself. His blood pumped hard through his veins. As much as he had wanted to ask her to dance on the postage stamp size floor, if he held her in his arms, no telling what he might have been tempted to do.

  After some deliberation, he decided it would be better to keep this first time more professional. His actions had to be above reproach, and they had been. Now it was time to go back to the forest.

  Not wanting someone to become startled by a man disappearing from sight, he found a deserted side alley before teleporting back to his house.

  Bevon was eating popcorn and drinking beer while watching TV when Kenton arrived. His brother immediately lowered the volume, dropped his feet to the ground, and sat up. “How did it go?”

  Kenton pulled the borrowed credit card from his pants and tossed it on the coffee table in front of his brother. “Great. And thanks for this. I need to get one soon.”

  “It’s easy to do, but keep it until you can get one yourself.”

  The Forresters had an almost infinite supply of money, but it was Feyrion money, though Tarradon money would be easy to come by. Some of their gems were worth a fortune here. Bevon had actually sold some of them for cash and then opened a bank account. Admittedly, he had to fabricate a few documents like a driver’s license, but there was no way around that. No one—other than the Guardians—were aware his world even existed.