by Donna Grant
“I can. And the date was actually the fourth of June.”
Her mouth fell open. “So, you were there. Why did you lie?”
Keltan sighed loudly and shook his head. “You’re no’ listening to me. I know the date because we searched the CCTV feed and found you trying to get a cab that rainy night. A woman fell, and you went to help her. The two of you struck up a conversation, and then both of you went into a nearby bar to have a couple of drinks.”
The apprehension was back. Bernadette couldn’t quite catch her breath—or look away from his amber gaze. She wanted to grab her purse and leave, but she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She was there and getting the answers she needed.
She swallowed hard and asked, “How do you know all of that?”
“We have magic, remember? We can do a lot.”
She really would have to remember that she wasn’t talking to a human. She was chatting with a dragon who looked human.
Keltan hadn’t risen from the chair. He remained calm and spoke to her softly, which kept her from running from the room. She nearly laughed at herself. She might try to run, but she wasn’t getting away from the dragons. She’d accepted that the moment she followed Keltan from her car.
That’s not why she was scared. She was frightened because, in the back of her mind, she knew there was a good chance Usaeil had fed her a few grains of truth and a lot of lies.
If that was the case, she’d given up her entire life. For what? Knowledge that she couldn’t do anything with?
Bernadette grabbed the back of the sofa again to keep herself standing. Acknowledging the truth to herself had released a flood of adrenaline that caused her to be nauseous once more.
She closed her eyes. “She was the one who offered to buy me a drink since I helped her. I’m not much of a drinker, but she was nice, so I went. Before I knew it, two hours had passed. She felt like an old friend.”
“She did that on purpose.”
Bernadette’s eyes snapped open as she looked at Keltan. “You know her?”
“She made sure we couldna see her face on any of the CCTV screens, but aye, we know her. Who did she tell you she was?”
“She said her name was Usaeil.”
Keltan harrumphed. “I’m surprised she didna lie.”
“She said she was Queen of the Fae.”
He shook his head. “That’s what she’s aiming for. She’s a queen all right, but she’s Queen of the Light Fae. How did she show you a dragon?”
“I don’t remember how the talk turned, but the next thing I knew, she was telling me that she’s a Fae. She showed me some magic. I was”—Bernadette paused and shook her head—“I was blown away with what she showed me. Then she said that there were other magical beings on the planet. I asked her if she could show me. We left the pub and got a cab to a field on the outskirts of Glasgow. We waited for another hour before the dragon appeared.”
“What did the dragon do?” Keltan asked.
Bernadette shrugged as she pulled up her memories from that night. “He flew down from the sky and landed in the field. He was there for only a short time. It appeared as if he were looking for something. Then he flew off again.”
“That’s when your fascination with dragons began?”
She rolled her eyes. “You can’t see a mythological creature come to life and not become obsessed. I asked Usaeil a million questions. She told me all about Dreagan and how this is where the dragons live. She said that it was imperative the world know who you are.”
“Did you no’ stop to think that you had never seen a dragon yourself until that night? That no one had? That perhaps it was a little odd that she wanted you to expose us?”
“Now that you put it like that, yes.” With every minute that passed, Bernadette felt like an even bigger fool than before.
Keltan gave a small shake of his head. “It’s no’ your fault. Usaeil used you.”
“Why?”
“She’s had her sights on Con for a while. When he didna return the sentiment, she became unreasonable. Usaeil isna exactly stable, but then again, we’ve only recently discovered that little tidbit.”
It was obvious that there was a mountain of information Bernadette didn’t have. How was Usaeil able to get her to do everything that she’d done with just a few words? That’s when it hit her. Usaeil must have used magic.
“Your kind has been hiding for thousands of years,” she murmured. “And I just told a roomful of people things in the hopes that others would begin looking into you.”
“Doona blame yourself. Usaeil wants our attention divided.”
“She didn’t ask me to look into the others involved with Dreagan. Faith and Rachel. Those were all me.”
Keltan tilted his head to the side. “Why did you look into them?”
“I’ve spent every waking moment that I wasn’t at work digging into anything and everything to do with Dreagan. It wasn’t easy finding anyone who worked here, but what I did discover were women somehow associated with Dreagan that suddenly all but vanished.”
“Each of those women is alive and happy,” he told her. “I’ll be happy to introduce you to them later.”
She frowned and snorted. “Why are you being so forgiving and forthcoming?”
“I’m being polite. What happened to you wasna your fault. It was Usaeil. We’re at war with her and, unfortunately, you were pulled into the middle of it.”
“She told me I’d be visited by someone from Dreagan. She told me not to believe any of you.”
Keltan shrugged. “I think you’re smart enough to figure things out for yourself. If it’s really you I’m talking to, and no’ someone Usaeil has commanded with magic.”
Bernadette was immediately offended. Then she realized that Keltan was right. “As far as I know, I’m me. I’ll admit, I’ve done things over the past year that weren’t even remotely me. Whether Usaeil was just a really smooth talker or she used magic, I had no idea I was being used.”
“So, you believe me?”
Bernadette shrugged. “I’m still getting the facts, remember? I’ve told you what she showed me.”
“When was the last time you spoke to Usaeil?”
“Last night. She was different. Intense and very focused on Dreagan.”
Keltan rested his ankle on his knee and laced his fingers over his stomach. “The dragon she showed you wasna Con, and I know that because he’s the last one of us who would ever do anything where a mortal could see him.”
“All right. Maybe you’re right about that. Will you tell me your story? I have this need to know the truth. It’s like something is pushing at me, and I can’t stop it.”
He smiled and nodded. “I’ll tell you the whole story.”
“Really?” she asked, shocked that he would give in so quickly and easily.
“Aye, lass.”
Bernadette smiled as she thought of her grandfather. He used to call her that all the time.
“You should probably get comfortable. It’s a long story,” Keltan said.
She walked around the couch and lowered herself onto the cushion. “Aren’t you worried about Usaeil?”
“She can no’ get through the barriers around Dreagan. Con made sure of that.”
“He hates her that much, huh?”
Keltan shrugged one shoulder. “She left him no choice.”
“Wait. Before you begin. You said, ‘Light Fae.’ Are there other kinds of Fae?”
“There are the Dark.”
A shudder ran through her. “That sounds ominous.”
“Stay away from anyone with red eyes. The Dark eat the souls of humans by having sex with them. All you’ll feel is pleasure, but you’ll be dying the entire time.”
“There are worse ways to go, I suppose,” she muttered.
“There certainly are.”
Bernadette sat back. She couldn’t believe that she was actually going to get the facts that she’d been searching for. The last year hadn’t been a waste. She wa
sn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of being used—if that’s what had happened—though she was sure she had. But to know about the Fae and the dragons!
To be privy to such secrets. That made it bearable.
“First,” Keltan began, “you need to understand who we are. We are no’ just dragons, Bernadette. We’re Dragon Kings.”
CHAPTER NINE
Keltan bit back his smile when his statement caused Bernadette’s face to go slack.
“Dragon Kings?” she asked.
“Aye.”
Bernadette swallowed audibly. “Usaeil left that part out.”
“She left out a lot.”
“I’m beginning to see that.”
Keltan had made his point. Now, it was time to tell his story. Not that he was looking forward to it. It was the past—though what had occurred had made him—and all the Kings—who they were.
“This realm was ours,” he told her. “For untold eons, we ruled here. Until you humans appeared.”
Jade eyes widened a fraction. “Appeared?”
He tried not to notice how her voice wobbled, but it bothered him nonetheless. “One day, a small group of mortals arrived. We doona know how or from where, and they were unable to tell us. They had no memory of anything before coming here.”
“You didn’t send them away?”
“We’re no’ monsters, Bernadette. The Kings checked each human for magic to be sure none were lying. We took pity on them. We vowed then and there to protect the magic-less beings. And the magic of the realm allowed us Kings to shift into your form so we could communicate. We each gave up a small portion of our lands for the mortals. We helped them build structures and taught them about this planet. We showed them which creatures were dangerous, and which could be tamed.”
Bernadette crossed one leg over the other. “I’m surprised, but only because I’m fairly certain that we humans wouldn’t do the same.”
Keltan knew they wouldn’t, but there was no use pointing that out. “We discovered how quickly your kind reproduce. It takes dragons much longer.”
“Because you’re immortal, perhaps?”
“Dragons themselves are no’. They can live for several thousands of years, but they do die. Kings are immortal. To an extent. The only thing that can kill a King is another Dragon King.”
Bernadette nodded slowly. “I take it from your comment that the human population expanded.”
“Verra quickly. Those who first arrived here understood how perilous their situation was, but those born here didna feel the same. They took for granted their freedom and what we had given up for them. And, as in such cases, both sides crossed a line. A dragon or two killed a human, and that dragon was immediately punished. The mortals, however, didna just take one or two dragons. They hunted the smaller clans for food, much as your kind does with deer.”
“Please tell me the humans in charge put a stop to it,” she said, a frown creasing her brow.
Keltan drew in a deep breath. “I wish I could. Constantine w—”
“Why him?” Bernadette interrupted. “Why not you or one of the others?”
“Because Con is King of Dragon Kings. He is the strongest of us, the one with the most magic.”
Her mouth formed an O.
Keltan then continued. “Constantine met with the mortal leaders each time one of the smaller dragons was killed, but it became an almost daily occurrence. Truces were broken time and again. Tensions grew worse when the humans wiped out the smallest of the dragon clans—the Pinks.”
Bernadette closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m so sorry.”
Keltan waited until she looked at him before giving a bow of his head to acknowledge her apology. “During all of this, many Kings lived among the villages in their domain. Some Kings even took human females as their lovers.”
“Did you?”
Keltan wasn’t surprised by her question. It was the way her fingers fidgeted when she asked the question that drew his attention. She was nervous. Because she didn’t like the idea of a human and dragon together?
Or was it because the idea intrigued her?
To his dismay, his cock twitched as blood rushed to it at the thought of her as his lover. This was the last thing he needed. Recognizing her beauty was one thing. Becoming attracted to her was something else altogether.
But it was too late to stop himself from feeling … drawn to her. The ties had formed quickly and without him being aware of them. Or maybe he was aware and didn’t want to stop it.
No. That couldn’t be true. Becoming involved with her was risky at best.
“I took a few as lovers, aye,” he replied. “What we noticed was that none of the humans were able to carry a babe. Most miscarried within weeks. A handful made it to term, but the bairns were all stillborn. Despite that, Ulrik, the King of Silvers, fell in love with a mortal. They were to be married.”
Bernadette uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, intrigued. “He didn’t care that he couldn’t have children?”
“Love is what Ulrik sought. He was verra giving. I’ve no doubt that he would’ve rounded up all the orphans—both human and dragon—and reared them himself.”
Her head tilted. “You say that as if Ulrik didn’t marry his woman.”
“Because he didna. His uncle, angry that he hadna been chosen as King, poisoned the woman against Ulrik. Mikkel convinced her to murder Ulrik.”
“Did she not know that the Kings couldn’t be killed like that?”
Keltan shook his head. “There wasna a reason for her to know. Just like she had no idea that when a King takes a mate, no’ only is it for life, but the female becomes immortal, as well. Mates live as long as the Kings do.”
“Oh, God,” Bernadette mumbled as she sat back. “If humans knew that, they’d be lining up at your door, trying to get you to marry them.”
“We know,” Keltan stated ruefully. He licked his lips. “I doona think that would’ve swayed the female. Mikkel did a good job of convincing her that Ulrik had to die. She never got a chance to do anything, however, because Con discovered that she was going to attempt to kill Ulrik. He sent Ulrik away so he didna have to face his lover. And we Kings tracked her down.”
Bernadette leaned forward, her brows raised. “And? Don’t stop there.”
“What do you think we did?”
She opened her mouth. A heartbeat later, her brow furrowed. Then her face smoothed out. “You did the only thing you could do. You killed her.”
“Aye. We did. When Ulrik returned, and we told him, it broke him. He turned his anger to those he believed responsible—the humans. We didna know until a few months ago that his uncle had been a part of it.”
“Humans,” she said.
Keltan nodded. “It was a bloodbath on both sides. Dragons slew thousands. The other half of the Kings kept to the oath we took and set up dragons around villages to protect the mortals. But the humans wanted no part of it. They killed the dragons sent to keep them safe.”
“Stop,” Bernadette said as she got to her feet and turned her back to him.
She wrapped her arms across her midsection and went to stand in front of a bookcase to gather herself. Keltan didn’t need to see her face to know that his words had troubled her. Hell, telling her the story was forcing him to relive events he’d rather forget.
Bernadette sniffed loudly and ran her fingers through her black hair, smoothing it back from her face. After a moment, her arms dropped to her sides, and she faced him. Keltan was shocked to see that her eyes were red-rimmed as if she had been crying—or trying not to cry.
“Your kind had magic. Why didn’t you wipe out the humans?”
“Because we’re no’ monsters. We made a vow, and despite what happened, we kept to it. Con convinced all the Kings who had joined Ulrik to return to him. When Con couldna get Ulrik to stand down, Con did the only thing he could. He forced the Silvers to come to him. All but four of the largest did as commanded. Ulrik with his four remaining Silver
s annihilated hundreds more humans. No amount of talking, from Con or anyone else, could calm the mortals down. That’s when we all knew that the war would continue. And if something wasna done, the dragons would be wiped out one by one. Or we would go back on our vow.”
“What did you do?” Bernadette asked in a soft voice.
“We used our magic and opened a dragon bridge to another realm. The Kings stayed behind, but we sent our clans away.”
Bernadette stared at him for a moment in silence. “Do you know where they are?”
Keltan shook his head. “We had no time to see where we sent them or even if it was safe. We only knew they needed a fighting chance somewhere else because this realm was no longer safe.”
“It could’ve been. It probably should’ve been. You were within your rights to defend what was yours and get rid of us.”
Keltan ran a hand down his face. “Trust me, there isna a King on Dreagan who hasna thought that verra thing.”
Bernadette leaned back against a bookcase. “What happened after the dragons left?”
“We trapped the four Silvers and made them sleep. Then Con called for Ulrik. When he still wouldna back down, Con bound his magic, forcing him to live as a mortal. Then Ulrik was banished from Dreagan.”
“That was harsh,” she stated.
“If you knew Con and how close he and Ulrik were, you would realize how difficult all of that was for Con. It nearly killed him, though he would never admit it to anyone. There was no other choice for us. We had to disappear. The humans needed to believe that all dragons were gone, and if Ulrik wouldna stop attacking, that couldna happen.”
She shrugged, her face scrunching. “I can see your point. But banishment? That’s a bit much.”
“Is it?” Keltan asked. “Ulrik couldna shift into his true form. Was it kinder to send him out into the world to live as one of you or to remain here, constantly reminded of how others could shift and he couldna?”
Bernadette grinned and nodded. “Point taken.”
“In truth, there wasna a good option. Being unable to shift, Ulrik went mad. And being immortal, he couldna die to end his torment. So, his fury turned to us. Specifically, Con. He began plotting our ruination while we each took to our mountains and slept away the centuries.”