Dark Heat: The Dark Kings Stories (23 page)

Once they were back in the main cavern, he pointed to the corridor that would lead to the outside and the mansion. “Go, Elena. Run as fast as you can, and get inside the house. Doona look back, no matter what you hear or think you’ll see.”

She nodded and was off.

He watched her for a moment before he turned to Rhys. “Was it the Silvers?”

But one look at the massive silver dragons they had bound in the cage showed they were sleeping as soundly and still as they had for millennia.

“Then what?” Rhys asked.

Guy looked around, wondering where the other Dragon Kings were. That’s when realization struck.

“Sod it,” he said as he took off running after Elena.

He exited the cave in time to see the amber dragon land in front of her and tilt back his head with a deafening roar.

“Tristan, dammit,” Rhys said.

Their newest King was still learning what he was, but regardless, the need to protect Elena was welling up inside Guy.

He felt his dragon tattoo move and knew there was only one way to protect Elena, though in the end, he’d lose her forever.

*   *   *

Elena’s foot throbbed so she could barely put any weight on it, but the apprehension she heard and felt in Guy’s voice and touch was enough to get her running out of the cave.

She wanted to know what could have gotten them moving so fast, but all she could think about was how happy she was to be back at the mansion.

It meant more time with Guy. Despite the sense she had that he might not want her around anymore.

Elena had stopped running and was limping—slowly—to the house when she heard something behind her. A gust of wind slammed into her back, and a second later hit her in the front so that it knocked her off her feet and onto her butt.

She winced when the heel of her hand landed on a rock. But every ache and pain faded to nothing as the enormous amber-colored dragon landed in front of her.

There was no time to scream as it lifted its huge head back and let out a roar that made her ears ring. Elena took in the large, stocky body and the scales the color of polished amber.

The dragon’s tail had a stinger on the end that it slammed into the ground. And then its apple green eyes riveted on her.

It took a step toward her. Its front foot had five digits, each with enormous talons that could sever her in half with just a flick.

The dragon flapped its wings and jerked its head up as something flew over Elena.

She looked up to see another muscular dragon latch on to the amber dragon’s back and pull it away from her. Elena couldn’t take her eyes off the new dragon. It was a deep crimson, its scales looking metallic in the sun.

The red scales shaded to a lighter hue on the underside of its neck. The short, powerful limbs of the red dragon were easily besting the amber one.

A mane of spines sprouted from the back of the red’s neck and his wide head. He and the amber dragon seemed to be evenly matched. At least at first, but the red quickly took an advantage.

Someone grasped her arms and helped her to her feet. Elena glanced over to find Rhys staring at the dragons.

“Well, I guess the dragon’s out of the bag,” Rhys said.

Elena made a sound in the back of her throat. “Where is Guy?”

Rhys’s smile was a little sad as he nodded his head toward the dragons. “You were in danger. Guy reacted as anyone would, protecting what’s his.”

“Protect…” Her voice faded away as she looked at the red dragon. “Are you telling me that magnificent red dragon is—?”

“Aye, it’s Guy.”

Elena knew she should be completely freaking out at the moment, but all she could think about was how cool it was to have her lover be able to change into a dragon.

“Guy isn’t going to kill the other one, is he?” Elena asked.

“Nay. The Amber is our newest member. He’s just learning everything. With your arrival, everyone was told to keep out of sight and to make sure no one shifted. I guess it was too much for Tristan.”

“Who is Tristan? How did he become a dragon?” That’s when she remembered Guy telling her something about a Tristan.

“Questions we’d all like answered,” Con said as he came up on her other side. “Tristan is no’ his real name. He can no’ remember anything, so Guy named him. I’m sorry Tristan charged you. I doona believe he meant you harm.”

Rhys gave a loud snort of disbelief. “Obviously Guy thought differently. I’ll go break this little fun up.”

Elena took a step back when Rhys took off running and then suddenly changed into a yellow dragon. And true to his word, he broke up the fight between Guy and Tristan quickly.

She turned to Con. “You aren’t angry that I know?”

“I should be,” he said wearily. “The truth is, I’ve seen it coming since Guy brought you into the house. There was something between the two of you even then.”

“It’s physical. That’s what’s between us.”

“Hmm. I wonder if it was just the physical that had you defending him, or why he would attack Tristan to keep you safe.”

Elena turned to look for the crimson dragon that seemed to draw her gaze only to see Guy standing naked in the open field alone.

She took a step toward him, and then another. Another and another. For each one she took, Guy took two until they were standing face-to-face.

“Now you know.”

She nodded and began to reach out to touch him, but drew back, wondering if he’d even want her touch. “In dragon form, you look like the dragon tattooed on your back.”

“That’s because I’m King of the Reds.”

She looked away, an ache beginning in her chest at the dead tone of his voice. “You wanted me to leave. Was it because you didn’t want me to know your secrets? Or was it because you’d grown tired of me?”

Elena kept her gaze on the grass because she couldn’t bear to look into his eyes and learn that he was tired of her, not after she’d begun to realize her feelings for him.

His finger touched her chin and lifted her face until she was looking at him. He unbuckled her helmet and let it fall to the ground. Then he cupped her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers.

Elation swept through Elena at his kiss. She wanted to delve into the kiss, but he pulled back too suddenly.

“I doona want you to ever leave,” he said. “There is much you doona know about me and about the Kings.”

“And there is much you don’t know about me. I have awful habits, Guy, like switching radio stations constantly until I find a song I like. I can’t stand commercials.”

“I’m as old as time itself,” he said. “I was once a dragon, but was changed when mankind began to roam the earth. I’m, apparently, quite protective of you.”

“Tell me your story. I want to know all of it.”

He nodded and lifted her in his arms as he walked back to the mountain. She didn’t say a word as he took her down several hallway like caves that opened up to a cavern. Inside the cavern was a gigantic cage with silver dragons inside.

Guy set her down and retrieved a pair of jeans for himself before he sat beside her. “Are you sure you want to know?”

“Yes. I want to know everything,” she said, and took his hand.

“Each dragon who ruled their clan was changed. We were able to shift from dragon to human and back again as many times and as often as needed. We were created so that mankind and dragon could exist together.”

Elena looked at the silver dragons and wondered what kind of world that had been. “Did it last long?”

“No’ as long as we’d hoped. Many Kings took humans as their mates.”

“How did that work with the humans being mortal?”

“When love is shared, when the King finds the woman meant for him, they can bind themselves together. The human will stay immortal as long as her King lives.”

Elena’s eyes grew round. “Wow. Children?”

“None were carried to term.”

“How sad. Why do I have a feeling this human-and-King relationship didn’t go well?”

Guy sighed, his lips pressing into a desolate line. “There was one of us, Ulrik, who was about to be bound to a female. Discord had begun throughout the land amongst dragons and humans alike. We couldna find the source. And then the unthinkable happened. Humans began to hunt dragons.”

“Did the dragons retaliate?”

“They wanted to. They begged us, but Con refused. Though we are Kings, it is Constantine who is King over all of us. He said we were meant to keep mankind safe, and that didn’t mean slaughtering them in war. Ulrik, however, didn’t agree. There were many of us who didn’t agree with Con, but only Ulrik disobeyed.”

“He went after the humans?”

Guy was silent for a moment. “No’ just any human. He and his Silvers were hunting the dragon hunters. They were succeeding, too.”

“But?” Elena said, a sick feeling in her stomach.

“We discovered Ulrik’s woman was betraying him. She was the one turning humans against the dragons, and dragons against humans.”

“Why? I thought she loved Ulrik?”

Guy shrugged and looked into the distance. “She loved him as a man, but no’ as a dragon. At least that’s what Con believes.”

Elena squeezed his hand and put her head on his shoulder. “What happened?”

“We found the female as she was about to betray Ulrik. We killed her, Elena. I think Ulrik would have cast her aside had we gone to him with the truth, but we killed his woman. Whatever chance we had of reaching him was gone in that instant. Ulrik was mad with rage and the need for revenge. He instigated the war between dragons and humans.”

Elena winced, but didn’t speak. She didn’t want to interrupt the story.

“Dragons heal, but not instantly. When a dragon was wounded and fell, the humans killed it. Dragons were killing humans. Something had to be done, and our options were few. We did the only thing we could. We sent the dragons to safety, away from the humans who could hurt them.”

“And Ulrik? Did you kill him?”

“Nay, though it might have been kinder had we.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s a part of who we are to shift, Elena, and to speak to the dragons we rule. We took away Ulrik’s power as King. He can no’ shift, nor can he talk to his Silvers.”

She threaded her fingers with his. “I think you all ended up punishing yourselves as well, then.”

“Aye, but we had no choice. We were able to catch a few of the Silvers before they left this world. We keep them asleep with our dragon magic, because the only way they can wake is by Ulrik. If that happens, the war will begin again. And mankind will be wiped out.”

CHAPTER
TWELVE

Guy looked at the Silvers and wondered if Ulrik’s need for revenge had faded over the millennia, or if it had grown.

“So Ulrik is still around?” Elena asked.

Guy nodded. “Oh, aye. We keep an eye on him. It’s part of his punishment for attacking the humans to be immortal, but no’ to be able to be a King.”

“That seems … cruel. It was the humans who hunted the dragons. I wasn’t there, so this may sound like I’m pitying Ulrik, but I think I would’ve sided with him. The humans had no right to hunt the dragons if everyone was living peacefully.”

He smiled at her and smoothed the furrow of her brow with his finger. “It’s easy to look back now and know what we could’ve and should’ve done. At the time, emotions were running high and war was imminent.”

“So you say you’re immortal. Can nothing kill you? You’re safe from everything?”

Guy rose and pulled her up with him. He led her to the Silvers and placed his hand atop one of the immense dragons heads. “We can be killed, Elena.”

“How?”

“Touch the dragon. He’s asleep and can no’ feel anything.”

She delayed a moment before she laid her hand beside his. “The scales are warm. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“There is magic in dragons. You should’ve seen it when we reigned, before there was man. Dragons of every color and size ruled the skies, the water, and the land.”

He pulled himself back from the memory he had held on to through the passage of time. “In dragon form, another dragon can kill us. It isna easy because we’re Kings, but it can be done. It has been done. We lost many Kings during the war before we contained it.”

“What happened to the dragons who lost their King?” she asked as she slowly stroked the Silver.

“Other Kings stepped in to rule them. We didna think any more Kings would ever be made, until Tristan showed up five months ago.”

She frowned and bit her lip. “Is that a good sign?”

“No, especially when it coincided with two other events.”

“Which where?”

Guy knelt beside the Silver closest to him and put his hand in front of the dragon’s nose as a rush of wind blasted his hand from the dragon’s breath.

“The Silvers moved.”

Elena yanked her hand away and took a step back. “They moved?”

“Aye. We doona know how. It was just an instant, but they moved. It shouldna have happened.”

“And the second event?”

Guy rubbed the Silver’s snout and straightened. “With the betrayal of Ulrik’s woman, it did something to Con. He didna want us to ever be in that position again. So, we all joined our dragon magic and bound our emotions.”

“Excuse me?” she said in half surprise, half outrage.

“We feel things like hunger, laughter, anger, happiness, and such. What we did was prevent ourselves from becoming entangled with a human.”

“You have no human friends or lovers?”

He shook his head slowly. “None. Until five months ago when Hal, another King, fell in love with a human. Hal wouldna give Cassie up, and she wouldna give him up. Con tested her to see if she could love the man and the dragon.”

“Did she pass?”

“Aye,” Guy said with a smile. “They are bonded. I can no’ remember the last time I saw a King bonded to a human.”

“Is the magic used to sever your emotions gone?”

This was what Guy had dreaded answering, the question he knew she would ask. “For five months, my answer would have been the magic is still in place. And then I met you. I feel things I’m no’ supposed to. Things that I doona know what to make of.”

She looked away before walking around the great cage. For several minutes, he watched her, waiting and hoping for her to say something.