by Donna Grant
Each Dragon King had spoken with Ulrik separately, hashing out issues and bonding once more. But the one most pleased with Ulrik’s return was Con. They had been closer than brothers. Now, Constantine was gone.
“I’ve been trying to think what Con would do if he were here,” Ulrik said after he’d finished stirring his tea.
Keltan reached for the honey and poured it into his cup. “What have you come up with?”
“A fat lot of shite.”
They looked at each other and shared a laugh.
Ulrik sobered first. His lips flattened, and he shook his head. “It’s going to take all of us in the war with Usaeil. I thought that before. Now, I know it for certain.”
“We’ve never left Dreagan without a Dragon King here.”
“I know. If it’s decided a few Kings should remain to protect Dreagan and whatever happens from Dr. Davies, we’ll have to draw straws or something to see who stays.”
Ryder walked in then and said, “Kings should definitely remain, no matter what. Four at the most.”
Keltan watched as the King of Grays and the guru of all things electrical fixed himself a mug of tea. “Why four?”
Ulrik twisted his lips as he tilted his head to the side for a moment. “The magic of Dreagan will do a lot. Then there are the spells and wards that have been added over the years. Three could hold Dreagan, but four would be better.”
“I’ll remain,” Ryder said. “I’ve spent too much time protecting Dreagan. And then there’s Kinsey.”
Keltan nodded at the mention of Ryder’s mate. It wasn’t surprising that he wanted to stay behind to protect her. In fact, Keltan assumed the other mated Kings would feel the same.
“Eilish has already told me she’s fighting against Usaeil,” Ulrik stated.
While he and Eilish hadn’t officially performed the mating ceremony yet, everyone considered them mated. Except that without the ritual and the dragon eye tattoo that came with it, Eilish was still mortal. She could be killed.
One look at Ulrik confirmed that he was thinking the same thing.
It was just one of many reasons Keltan was glad that he hadn’t fallen in love. It might be a glorious thing—at least that’s what he’d been told by those who had done it—but it freed him from the worry that came when the Kings were attacked.
“You willna stop Eilish,” Keltan said.
Ryder snorted. “Kinsey said she wanted to fight. Bloody hell. All the mates do.”
“Can you blame them?” Ulrik asked. “Look at what Usaeil has done.”
“More to Con and Rhi than any others,” Keltan pointed out.
At the mention of the Light Fae, Ryder’s gaze lowered to the floor while Ulrik focused on his tea.
Keltan looked between the two. “What’s going on?”
“Rhi’s pushing for us to go after Usaeil now,” Ulrik said.
Keltan shrugged. “Why no’? Why give Usaeil more time? Let’s go at Usaeil before we have the mortals beating down our door.”
Ryder’s hazel gaze turned to Ulrik. “Keltan has a point.”
“I’m no’ ruling it out. We need to finalize our plans first,” Ulrik replied.
“You two go do that,” Ryder said. “I’m going back to do more digging on Bernadette Davies.”
That got Keltan’s attention. “I thought you already did a deep dive on her.”
“I did, but there’s something that doesna make sense.”
Ulrik quirked a black brow. “And that is?”
“She has never been involved in cryptozoology before. Why now?”
Keltan sipped his tea. “You mean, what did she see?”
“Or who did she meet?” Ulrik added.
Ryder nodded to both of them. “Exactly. It could be one or the other, but I think if I can figure out what happened, we might be able to flip it to our advantage. We can turn things around to make her sound as if she’s daft.”
“Hmm,” Ulrik said with a nod. “That would certainly get the attention off us and onto her.”
Keltan shifted feet, uncomfortable with the direction this was headed. “I spoke with her. She’s no’ deranged. She’s intelligent. And more importantly, she has proof. Of that, I’m sure.”
“Then we need to get it from her. I’ll send Dorian in to get it. If she doesna have it, then she has nothing to support her claims,” Ulrik said.
Keltan briefly looked away and cleared his throat. “I doona want this attention on us, but do we have to harm her?”
“We’re no’ harming her,” Ryder said, a frown marring his brow. “We’re marring her reputation. There’s a difference.”
“I know,” Keltan said.
Ulrik peered closely at him. “You spoke with her. You’re the one who returned telling us that we should be concerned. Now you want to back off?”
“I just wish there was another way. Despite what Bernadette is doing, she seemed nice,” Keltan explained.
Ryder nodded, sadness clouding his face. “Sometimes, our options are limited. I doona want to destroy a person professionally or otherwise, but she came after us.”
“Why, though?” Keltan asked.
Ulrik jerked back, frowning. “It’s obvious.”
“Is it? No’ to me.” Keltan ran a hand down his face. “I think Ryder’s right. We need to know what she saw or who she spoke with.”
“We doona have time for that,” Ulrik stated.
Ryder quickly said, “I’ll be quick. Give me a few hours. If by dawn I’ve no’ found anything, then we can send Dorian to steal whatever proof she has.”
Keltan didn’t point out that they needed to know what the proof was. No doubt Ryder would find that out, as well. Give Ryder a computer, and he could hack into anything in seconds. He was that good. And that didn’t even take into consideration the gadgets he created.
Ulrik released a sigh. “Fine. Dawn it is.”
When the King of Silvers’ eyes landed on him, Keltan nodded. “I’m in agreement. Ryder has until dawn. No matter what he discovers, I’ll agree and help out with whatever is decided.”
“Then I better get to work,” Ryder said as he walked out, cup of tea in hand.
Keltan hurried after him. “I’ll come with you. An extra set of eyes could help.”
There was also the fact that Keltan wanted to see for himself what all Ryder and Kinsey could pull up on Bernadette Davies. He didn’t want to like her. In fact, he wanted to hate her. But he couldn’t.
She had known he was a dragon, yet she hadn’t seemed frightened of him. Guarded and hesitant, but not scared. Keltan had to give her props for that.
He sat in an empty chair in the computer room and faced rows and rows of monitors. Kinsey sat at one end, the few screens she was focused on changing as she typed. Ryder sank into his chair and set his hands over the glass table.
A holographic keyboard appeared that was attuned to his body. Ryder’s hands hovered over the keys as his gaze swept from side to side, taking in what the monitors showed him. As soon as he saw something on one screen, he’d hit a few keys and tightened the search.
Keltan saw dozens of pictures of Bernadette pop up, from the time she was a little girl, all the way through to the present day. She hadn’t changed much. The smile she wore was always wide, always genuine. As was the light that shone in her eyes.
She wasn’t evil. Of that, he was certain. But he didn’t know her motives yet. Well, other than wanting to draw attention to Dreagan. She’d mentioned dragons, but she hadn’t said anything about Dragon Kings.
Could it be that she didn’t know all of it? That was certainly a possibility. But she knew enough to be dangerous. And she’d done her homework on several of the mates. If she dug any deeper, things could get even hairier.
Thirty minutes later, Ryder leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head.
Kinsey looked over at him and grinned. “You found something.”
Ryder smiled at her then looked at Keltan. “I found something
.”
CHAPTER SIX
The closer she got to Dreagan, the more anxious Bernadette became. Was she doing the right thing? God, she really hoped so.
There was a very good possibility that Usaeil had told her the truth, and those at Dreagan couldn’t be trusted. In fact, she could go missing, and no one would know what had happened to her. The authorities might look into those at Dreagan, but with the wealth and power the corporation had, nothing would help her.
After all, they were dragons.
She slammed on the brakes, skidding on the road as her car came to a jarring halt.
“What am I doing?” she asked herself aloud.
Bernadette was shaking so badly that she pulled off to the shoulder and turned her hazard lights on. Then she sat there and tried to get herself under control. She was less than forty minutes from Dreagan, but it was the middle of the night. It wasn’t like she could go to the door and demand to speak to Keltan now. They really would think she was a lunatic.
She hadn’t thought about why she felt the need to go to Dreagan and speak to them herself.
“Liar,” she mumbled and blew out a long breath.
She’d driven over three hours because of the way Usaeil had acted, along with the things the queen had said. Something had changed the Fae queen, and it bothered Bernadette greatly. Or maybe Usaeil had always been like that, and Bernadette just now saw it.
Either way, the more she thought about it, the more it felt as if she were some pawn in a game that she had no idea was being played. And that didn’t sit well with her at all.
It was time she found out the truth from the dragons. If they didn’t eat her. The thought made her giggle, she was so exhausted.
Bernadette grabbed her phone and located the nearest rest station, which happened to be just a few miles away. She pulled back onto the road and drove to it before she turned off the ignition and leaned her seat back to get a few hours of sleep.
Except as soon as she closed her eyes, Keltan’s face flashed in her mind. It was soon replaced by Usaeil’s angry expression. Bernadette cleared her thoughts and turned on some music. It wasn’t long before she drifted off.
The sound of a horn startled her awake. It felt as if she’d just closed her eyes, but a look at her phone told her she’d slept for nearly five hours. She’d hoped that the rest would revive her. Instead, she felt worse than before.
“Isn’t that just wonderful?” she muttered.
She twisted and reached into the backseat for her toothbrush and toothpaste. She brushed her teeth, rinsing with the bottle of water she’d had for the drive before opening the door and spitting.
Then she pulled down her visor to check her image in the mirror. She winced when she saw the dark circles under her eyes. Thankfully, she had concealer that could help with that. For the next ten minutes, Bernadette put on a little makeup. And for once, her mascara went on beautifully.
“That’s irony for you.” She laughed at herself, shaking her head. “There might seriously be something wrong with me, seeing as I have no qualms about talking—and answering—myself.”
She packed everything back into her overnight bag and then drove to the nearest café to get some tea and breakfast as well as to use the toilet.
With her bladder empty, her belly full, and fortified with tea, she headed toward Dreagan. She marveled at the beautiful scenery. She’d been near here before, but she didn’t remember it being so stunning. Part of her couldn’t wait for the drive home so she could see everything that she’d missed in the dark.
All too quickly, she saw signs directing her toward the distillery. As she drove through the village, she looked at the people and saw them happy, and the place well-kept. No doubt the tourism from the distillery helped, but if the dragons were dangerous, then surely that would show in the people. Wouldn’t it?
With her heart thumping once more, she took the turn-off toward Dreagan, driving down a winding road with soaring trees on either side of her.
When she came out the other side, the white buildings and red roofs of the distillery met her. She had to tear her gaze from them to park. Once the engine was off, she simply looked around her, taking it all in.
Bernadette had looked up Dreagan online, of course, but those searches did nothing to prepare her for what she beheld. She knew that Dreagan was made up of several thousand acres. As the world’s bestselling Scotch, she hadn’t expected the place to feel so … cozy.
The one thing no picture had shown her was Dreagan Manor. While those at Dreagan did host a few parties, only their closest personal friends were ever invited to the manor. And finding any of those people was as difficult as finding the Ark of the Covenant.
It was early in the morning, but people were already lined up for tours and tastings. This was Bernadette’s last chance. She could turn around and drive away. No one would ever know she was there. No one had to know.
But she would always wonder about the truth. It had been niggling at the back of her mind for months, but she’d been focused on other items, which made it easy to ignore. Then, last night, Usaeil had brought it to the forefront—unintentionally, of course. Yet now that it was there, Bernadette couldn’t make it go away.
There was only one way to find out what would happen. She grabbed her purse and opened her door. She stepped out before she changed her mind and headed toward the gift shop.
Bernadette walked in and found herself surrounded by dragons. The double-dragon logo of Dreagan was on everything. And the sheer number of bottles of Scotch lining the walls was wondrous to behold.
“Good morning.”
Bernadette turned at the friendly voice and found herself staring into dark brown eyes. The woman was pretty, her smile welcoming. “Good morning.”
“Are you here to take a tour?” the woman asked.
Bernadette heard the accent. “You’re American?”
The woman chuckled, her long, brunette hair moving with her. “Guilty. I’ve been here a few years now, and I keep thinking I’ll pick up the Scots accent, but my husband thinks I’ll be waiting awhile.”
“Oh, so you married a Scotsman and moved here?”
“Actually, I met him after I came for a visit. We married soon after. I love this country, though.”
Bernadette kept the smile in place, but it was difficult. “You don’t, by chance, happen to be married to one of the owners of Dreagan, do you?”
The woman’s smile faltered just a little. “If I was, would I be working here?”
That was a good question, but Bernadette couldn’t help but notice that the woman hadn’t actually answered.
The American cleared her throat. “I apologize. I don’t think I heard you. Are you taking a tour?”
“No,” Bernadette said. “I was just driving through. I’m not much of a whisky drinker. I thought I’d stop and give it a look over.”
“I’ll be here if you change your mind.” The woman turned to the next visitor as the bell over the door chimed when it was opened.
Bernadette slowly moved around the store. She tried looking for cameras, but as far as she could tell, there were none in the shop. Then again, why would there be? Dreagan was run by dragons with magic. They didn’t need mortal technology to keep thieves at bay.
That’s when it hit her. Magic. She’d been interacting with a Fae—and not just any Fae, but a queen—for almost a year now. Not once had she thought twice about the fact that Usaeil could’ve probably killed her with a snap of her fingers. Because Bernadette had been too intent on learning about dragons.
She felt like such a fool. She’d been so blinded by what Usaeil had shown her that she hadn’t realized the danger that surrounded her. Danger that had grown every day.
To top it off, Bernadette had let those at Dreagan know of her intentions after the lecture the other night. What had she said or done that’d put her on their radar enough for them to send someone down to hear what she had to say?
And then she’d though
t it was a good idea to drive to Dreagan to try and talk to immortal dragons. That would be like telling a lamb it was safe to be in the same pen as a tiger.
Bernadette turned on her heel and strode from the shop. She dug into her purse with shaking hands, searching for her keys. She ran into a car and dropped them. After she’d retrieved them, she straightened and lifted her head—only to lock eyes with none other than Keltan.
He leaned against the side of her vehicle with his arms crossed. He didn’t smile, just watched her.
“So much for me getting away,” she whispered.
And though she was a good twenty feet from him, she could have sworn that she saw a ghost of a smile.
“I didna expect to find you here,” he said.
She shrugged and jangled her keys, thankful that there were others in the parking lot. “I felt like a drive.”
“That’s a long drive. If you were curious, all you had to do was ask. I would’ve shown you around myself.”
She snorted. “Right.”
“I’m no’ lying.”
Bernadette eyed him. “If you say so.”
He pushed off the car and walked to her. When he was a few feet away, he halted. “Ask me. If you dare,” he said after a pause.
She raised her chin. “You assume I want to see.”
“Oh, I know you do. You think you know Dreagan, but you know nothing. I’m offering to give you what you want. But … you have to ask.”
Damn him. He knew how much she wanted to see, and he was giving her the option. But what would it cost her? She didn’t bother to ask because it wouldn’t matter what he said. She was willing to pay any cost to get her answers.
“Will you show me?”
He smiled and nodded. “It would be my pleasure.”
“Will I get to leave whenever I want?”
His grin faded. “No one at Dreagan will ever harm you. You have my word.”
There were millions of reasons she shouldn’t believe him, but she found that she did. “I didn’t mean any offense.”
“I would’ve thought you a fool no’ to ask. Follow me.”
Bernadette took one last look at her car. She kept her keys in her hand as she turned and followed Keltan back into the gift shop. The brunette she’d spoken with before looked from Keltan to her but didn’t say a word.