Smoke and Fire: Part 1 (2 page)

“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 for a moment before he gave a slow shake of his head. “You’re having Tristan bring her to you, are you no’?”

“I am.”

“That … could be a bad move.”

“It probably is.” In more ways than one.

But he wasn’t going to pass up the chance to talk to Kinsey one more time. Perhaps he could explain everything. It was a long shot, but he was hoping to have that chance. He knew he’d never have her in life as he wanted, but the thought of her fearing him cut him deeply.

His only hope was that Con didn’t discover she was here until after Ryder had spoken with her. Because once Con found out about Kinsey, it wouldn’t be long before Con learned she’d seen Ryder shift. That would lead to Con wanting to have Guy wipe her memories.

Ryder’s thoughts halted when he heard Kinsey’s voice with Tristan’s as they approached. He wiped his mouth to make sure there was no more powder on it. Then he looked to Dmitri for confirmation that he had gotten it all.

Panic struck as he looked down at his clothes. He was in an old Def Leppard concert tee and his favorite pair of faded jeans. Not exactly how he’d have dressed had he known he might see Kinsey. But there wasn’t time to change now.

“Here it is,” Tristan said as he came to the doorway.

A second later Kinsey emerged. “Wow,” she said as she looked at all the monitors. “I should’ve expected to see so many screens. I gather the security system here is state of the art?”

Then her gaze landed on Ryder.

He couldn’t move as he stared into her violet eyes, remembering what it was like to hold her in his arms each night, to feel her lush body beneath his. The hours of conversations they’d had about the future and her dreams.

He’d missed her more than he thought was possible. It physically hurt for him to be so close to her and not go to her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in a voice filled with shock—and worse—alarm.

Chapter Two

Kinsey felt as if she’d been run over by a train. Her heart began to knock against her ribs. There was a rushing in her ears, and she was sure her knees were going to buckle at any second.

How was it even possible that she was staring into Ryder’s hazel eyes that were a beautiful mixture of green and gold? His blond hair was cropped short on the sides with a little more length on the top. It didn’t matter if his hair was long as it used to be or short, he still took her breath away.

Was it his chiseled jaw or penetrating gaze? It could be his mouth and the wonderful things those lips could do to her. She knew there was a possibility it was his body, honed to perfection without an ounce of fat anywhere.

But he wasn’t human.

She needed to remember that.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

For a moment, he didn’t move as he looked at her. Then he sat back in his chair and swept his hand from one side of the room to the other. “This is my domain.”

She was damn good at her job, but Ryder exceeded her talent by miles and miles. “You asked for me specifically. Why? Because you had to talk? You could’ve just called instead of going to such lengths.”

“I didna send for you.”

There were few times in her life where Kinsey experienced full-on, please-let-the-floor-open-up-and-swallow-me embarrassment. Today, right at that moment, was the worst she’d ever suffered to a degree that nothing would ever compare.

She wanted to shrink away and disappear, to stop looking into his hazel eyes and trying to figure out what was going on. What did Ryder mean he didn’t send for her? Someone had. She didn’t just show up on a whim.

The room began to tilt. Kinsey blinked rapidly. She wouldn’t faint. She’d never fainted in her life, and she certainly wasn’t going to do it in front of Ryder. Hadn’t she experienced her embarrassment quota for the next forty years?

Beside her, Tristan cleared his throat. “Kinsey, I think there might’ve been a wee bit of a mistake.”

“There’s not,” she said and glanced over her shoulder into Tristan’s dark gaze. “And I can prove it.”

Kinsey pulled out her mobile phone and unlocked it before she went to her e-mails. She was scrolling through looking for the assignment she received last night when a chair squeaked.

Her gaze snapped to the man sitting near Ryder. How hadn’t she seen him? Just like Ryder and Tristan, she could tell he was tall by the way he dwarfed the chair.

He gave a nod to her with the corners of his bright blue eyes crinkling slightly, as if he found the entire situation a tad amusing. Which didn’t put him in her favor at all.

The man was handsome, same as Tristan, but not devastatingly so like Ryder. Which was a good thing because Kinsey could barely think with Ryder near. She didn’t need two more disturbing her.

“That’s Dmitri,” Ryder said.

Dmitri’s dark head bowed again. “Hello.”

“Hello,” she responded automatically. Kinsey suddenly felt like she was being caged in despite the fact that Ryder and Dmitri were sitting. All eyes were on her, waiting to hear what she had to say.

She shifted uncomfortably as a sudden thought struck her. Ryder was a dragon. Were the others?

Her heart missed a beat as fear shot through her. What the bloody hell had she walked into?

“Kinsey?” Tristan urged.

She found herself looking at Ryder. In his hazel depths she could see that he knew where her thoughts had taken her and why she was scared, yet he said nothing. As if he were giving her time to take it all in and calm down.

Calm down. She nearly snorted aloud. Like that was going to happen.

After finding the e-mail and pulling it up, her hand trembled when she handed the mobile to Ryder over the monitors. Their fingers brushed, and she sucked in air at the sizzle that raced along her skin.

Her nipples hardened instantly. She hastily looked away, but she found both Tristan and Dmitri watching her carefully. All she could hope for was that they didn’t see how much Ryder affected her.

Hell, for that matter, she hoped Ryder didn’t know how he shook her.

She was scared of him now, but that was getting mixed in with the desire he always brought out in her. It jumbled up inside her making her unsure of which one she felt more.

Fear. It had to be fear.

Ryder set aside her mobile on the table and tapped the black metal tabletop. Instantly, a keyboard appeared. It was integrated into the table, the keys emitting a bluish glow to highlight them.

She almost rushed around the screens to take a look at such technology, but she managed to stop herself. Those keyboards were in the works, but as far as she knew they were years from being ready for the public.

Then again, Dreagan wasn’t the public.

Kinsey managed to remain where she was, but she watched Ryder like a hawk. His fingers flew over the keys while his gaze was riveted to a screen. A few more punches of the keys, and he stopped to read.

Dmitri’s brow rose as he looked at the screen. Kinsey watched Ryder’s lips flatten. He keyed in something else in quick succession.

Whatever popped up had him frowning. He stared at the computer for a long time before his gaze slid to her. There was doubt in his eyes—and a healthy dose of anger.

“The e-mail sent is from Kyvor, the technology giant,” Ryder said. “However, there is a work order in place. It has my name on it.”

Kinsey shrugged and looked at each of the men. “See? I’m not making this up.”

“The work order was placed by you.”

Her mouth fell open in shock. “That’s no possible. I don’t place work orders. We have a division for that. Well,” she said as she paused. “There are a few of us who visit a company and will take a work order for future use while we’re there. But I’ve never been here before.”

“Tell me, Kinsey. Who wanted to talk to who?” Ryder asked.

Her eyes widened and the words locked in her throat from her disbelief and anger. It took her a full minute to get herself under control just so she could talk.

She was furious, but she reminded herself she was dealing with dragons. Kinsey wasn’t sure how far she could go without them burning her to a crisp.

But she also couldn’t hold back the irritation and sarcasm that were a part of her nature.

“You think I did this?” she asked with a laugh and rolled her eyes. “I never wanted to see you again. I ran, remember?”

“I remember,” Ryder murmured.

Kinsey threw up her hands. “Then why would I come here?”

“There are numerous reasons,” Dmitri said.

Tristan nodded. “Aye, lass.”

Her head swung back to Ryder. “I didn’t put in the work order. I didn’t even know you worked for Dreagan.”

Dreagan
.

It hit her then like a wrecking ball. Dreagan was Gaelic for dragon. OMG! How could she have been such an idiot not to put two and two together?

Ryder hid the keyboard with a tap and rested his arms on the table. “You’re intelligent, Kinsey. It wouldna have taken you long to piece it all together.”

“I wanted to forget that I saw you shift. I was petrified. I ran. From you.”

She had the thought after she spoke that perhaps she should’ve waited until she was alone with Ryder to say such things. But it was too late. The words were already out.

“I know exactly what you did,” he said in a clipped voice.

So she had hurt him? All because she ran? What had he expected her to do? Run
toward
him?

Then his words penetrated her mind. “What do you mean I would’ve pieced it together?”

Dmitri made a sound at the back of his throat as he got to his feet. “Nice try.”

“What the hell?” she asked in frustration. “I want to know what you’re referring to.”

“The videos of dragons on the Internet,” Tristan said.

Kinsey closed her mouth and took a couple of steps back until she ran into the wall. “Of course I saw the video.”

Ryder’s gaze narrowed on her, but he didn’t say a word.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Kinsey argued. “Millions of people have seen that video.”

Tristan glanced in the hallway and pushed the door. He looked at Ryder and said, “It willna take Con long to learn she’s here. Get this sorted quickly.”

“Aye,” Ryder replied.

“It’s obvious she’s seen Ryder,” Dmitri murmured.

Kinsey swallowed nervously. Silent looks passed between the three men as if they were communicating. Then Tristan left, closing the door softly behind him.

Dmitri walked to the window and looked out over the rolling hills and the sheep that dotted the countryside. He kept his back to them, but he wasn’t going anywhere.

Kinsey returned her gaze to Ryder. “What’s going on?”

“Whether on purpose or no’, you’ve walked right into the middle of a war.”

She gave a shake of her head. “No. I don’t want to be here. I want to leave. Right now.”

“You’re no’ going anywhere,” Ryder stated.

Kinsey cut him a look and snorted. “Good luck trying to keep me. My company knows I’m here.”

She walked to the door and tried to open it, but the knob wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard she turned, pushed, and pulled, the door wasn’t moving.

Breathing hard, she whirled around to the men. “You can’t hold me here.”

“Your company sent you,” Dmitri said. “They obviously want you here.”

“That’s insane,” she argued.

Ryder lifted a blond brow. “Is it?”

Kinsey dropped her purse and bag and put her hands to her head. “Stop.”

“That willna change the facts.”

“I can’t hear this. I can’t see any more or learn any more,” she said, closing her eyes. As if that would stop all of it.

“I never harmed you.” Ryder’s voice was a whisper, said in her ear.

Her eyes snapped open. How had he moved so quickly without her hearing him? Kinsey dropped her hands to her sides and shook her head.

Having him so close was a reminder of how she used to feel safe and loved with him. That was before she saw the real him. “Tell me this isn’t really happening. Tell me it’s all fake.”