wasn’t enough. The world of the Dragon Kings was in chaos. There was no room for mistakes—of any kind.
Kinsey looked around the parking lot, her eyes searching.
He stared at her heart-shaped face, his heart clutching at having her so close again. How many times had he caressed her cheek or stared into her large violet eyes? How many times had he kissed those plump lips or simply held her as they watched a movie? Each time he saw her, she got more and more beautiful.
After a moment, she closed the car door and started toward the distillery. Ryder’s gaze immediately lowered to her amazing ass and the denim that only showed it off more. The black blazer was casual over the white tee, but like always, she looked amazing.
Dmitri whistled. “Who’s that?”
Ryder’s gaze moved to the next screen and saw Tristan near the gift shop. He opened the mental link between all Dragon Kings and said his name.
Tristan responded immediately. “ Aye? ”
“There’s a woman coming toward you. Her name is Kinsey Burns. Doona let her leave.”
“All right.”
Tristan left the link open as he smiled and greeted Kinsey after he turned the corner and saw her. Ryder could only watch the monitor and try to decipher what it was Kinsey wanted.
“She said she’s here for the job we ordered with the new monitors,” Tristan said. “What do I tell her? ”
“I’ve already installed those monitors weeks ago.” Ryder hesitated. Kinsey was terrified of seeing him in dragon form. If she knew he was here, she’d never have come. Not after the way she’d looked at him. “Kinsey wouldna come here on her own. We need to know who sent her.”
“You know her?” Tristan asked in surprise.
“Aye.” It was something Ryder had kept from all those at Dreagan—especially Con. “Bring her to me.”
Tristan agreed and severed the link.
Ryder sat back and blew out a breath, feeling a flutter of nerves. He laced his fingers behind his head and only realized then that Dmitri was still in the room. He slid his gaze to Dmitri.
“What are you up to?” Dmitri asked. “You know that lass. I could see it on your face. If you have Tristan bring her up here, you’ll feel Con’s wrath.”
Ryder dropped his hands to the arms of his chair. “That occurs all the time, and I do know Kinsey. I’m no’ yet sure why she’s here. But I aim to find out.”
“Meaning?” Dmitri urged.
“We were lovers three years ago. Until I realized that I’d fallen in love with her. I didna want anyone to know that our spell preventing us from feeling deeply for humans no longer worked with me.”
Dmitri leaned forward, his brow furrowed deeply. “That was around the time Hal fell in love with Cassie.”
“Cassie arrived at Dreagan right after I returned from Glasgow.”
“All right,” Dmitri said as he rubbed his jaw. “So you fell in love before Hal. No’ a big deal.”
Ryder lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I suppose no’. No’ compared to her seeing me in dragon form a few weeks ago when I was in Glasgow to protect the city from the Dark invasion.”
“Oh, fuck.”
Anger crackled through him every time he thought about how close Kinsey came to dying that night. If Ryder hadn’t been there, she would’ve been taken by the Dark, her soul drained. “There was a Dark after her. I shifted into human form to help her. Unfortunately, she saw it all.”
“And?” Dmitri pressed with a brown brow raised.
Ryder looked at the screens, following Kinsey from one to the other as Tristan walked her to the manor. “I’ve never seen anyone so terrified before.”
“Of the Dark?”
Ryder wished. That night still haunted him. No matter how many times he thought over what happened, there hadn’t been another way to save her. “Of me. I can still hear her scream before she ran away.”
“So she doesna know you’re here?”
“I doona believe so. She’d rather walk through the fires of Hell than be anywhere near me.”
Dmitri sat there
Kinsey looked around the parking lot, her eyes searching.
He stared at her heart-shaped face, his heart clutching at having her so close again. How many times had he caressed her cheek or stared into her large violet eyes? How many times had he kissed those plump lips or simply held her as they watched a movie? Each time he saw her, she got more and more beautiful.
After a moment, she closed the car door and started toward the distillery. Ryder’s gaze immediately lowered to her amazing ass and the denim that only showed it off more. The black blazer was casual over the white tee, but like always, she looked amazing.
Dmitri whistled. “Who’s that?”
Ryder’s gaze moved to the next screen and saw Tristan near the gift shop. He opened the mental link between all Dragon Kings and said his name.
Tristan responded immediately. “ Aye? ”
“There’s a woman coming toward you. Her name is Kinsey Burns. Doona let her leave.”
“All right.”
Tristan left the link open as he smiled and greeted Kinsey after he turned the corner and saw her. Ryder could only watch the monitor and try to decipher what it was Kinsey wanted.
“She said she’s here for the job we ordered with the new monitors,” Tristan said. “What do I tell her? ”
“I’ve already installed those monitors weeks ago.” Ryder hesitated. Kinsey was terrified of seeing him in dragon form. If she knew he was here, she’d never have come. Not after the way she’d looked at him. “Kinsey wouldna come here on her own. We need to know who sent her.”
“You know her?” Tristan asked in surprise.
“Aye.” It was something Ryder had kept from all those at Dreagan—especially Con. “Bring her to me.”
Tristan agreed and severed the link.
Ryder sat back and blew out a breath, feeling a flutter of nerves. He laced his fingers behind his head and only realized then that Dmitri was still in the room. He slid his gaze to Dmitri.
“What are you up to?” Dmitri asked. “You know that lass. I could see it on your face. If you have Tristan bring her up here, you’ll feel Con’s wrath.”
Ryder dropped his hands to the arms of his chair. “That occurs all the time, and I do know Kinsey. I’m no’ yet sure why she’s here. But I aim to find out.”
“Meaning?” Dmitri urged.
“We were lovers three years ago. Until I realized that I’d fallen in love with her. I didna want anyone to know that our spell preventing us from feeling deeply for humans no longer worked with me.”
Dmitri leaned forward, his brow furrowed deeply. “That was around the time Hal fell in love with Cassie.”
“Cassie arrived at Dreagan right after I returned from Glasgow.”
“All right,” Dmitri said as he rubbed his jaw. “So you fell in love before Hal. No’ a big deal.”
Ryder lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I suppose no’. No’ compared to her seeing me in dragon form a few weeks ago when I was in Glasgow to protect the city from the Dark invasion.”
“Oh, fuck.”
Anger crackled through him every time he thought about how close Kinsey came to dying that night. If Ryder hadn’t been there, she would’ve been taken by the Dark, her soul drained. “There was a Dark after her. I shifted into human form to help her. Unfortunately, she saw it all.”
“And?” Dmitri pressed with a brown brow raised.
Ryder looked at the screens, following Kinsey from one to the other as Tristan walked her to the manor. “I’ve never seen anyone so terrified before.”
“Of the Dark?”
Ryder wished. That night still haunted him. No matter how many times he thought over what happened, there hadn’t been another way to save her. “Of me. I can still hear her scream before she ran away.”
“So she doesna know you’re here?”
“I doona believe so. She’d rather walk through the fires of Hell than be anywhere near me.”
Dmitri sat there
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