Darkest Flame Read Online Free PDF Page B

she’s frightened of us or MI5.”
    Cassie glanced at the door to Denae’s room and frowned. “She was given coordinates to Kellan’s cave. Is someone betraying us?”
    “No’ someone here,” Hal said as he put a comforting arm around her.
    Con sighed loudly. “It’s Ulrik. We just have to figure out how he’s doing it.”
    “He’s no’ been on Dreagan in thousands of millennia,” Kellan said. “How do you figure it’s him?”
    “Who else would it be? Besides, the layout hasna changed,” Hal said.
    Cassie looked up at Hal, love shining in her gaze. “How quickly you all forget. We don’t know if it was Ulrik leading the plot through PureGems. It could be someone else.”
    “Nay,” Con stated emphatically. “It can be no one else, Cassie. Ulrik is the only Dragon King who isna on this land. He’s the only one with a grudge against us, the only one who would benefit from seeing us destroyed.”
    Kellan listened intently. There were goings on that he had no idea about. Despite his desire to return to his cave and resume his sleep, it might be prudent if he stayed awake long enough to ensure whoever was causing this mischief was taken care of. Even if it was Ulrik.
    It had been a shock for Kellan to learn that Hal had taken a mate, but Kellan had been stunned to discover Guy and Banan had as well.
    Had none of them learned from the duplicity and treachery of humans? Had what happened to Ulrik with his woman faded from their memories?
    Memories of his last dealings with humans tried to surface, but Kellan quickly pushed them aside. If he thought of that day, he might as well let his fury take him again. Then where would that leave all of them?
    “PureGems?” Kellan repeated.
    Con nodded. “Aye. I need to catch you up on some things. Follow me.”
    Kellan gave a nod to Cassie and Hal as he walked behind Con to his office. So much had changed at Dreagan Manor, and yet so much remained the same.
    The same dragon pictures still hung about the place, though in different areas. Dragons could still be found in everything from the carved banister to table legs to metal dragons protruding from the walls holding the lights.
    As much as it soothed him to see the familiar things, it amazed Kellan how much humans had advanced. Through Con’s visits to his cave, Kellan had learned of every war, electrical invention, plane, vehicle, and weapon. He’d learned of clothing and speech, and world powers.
    None of it put the mortals in a good light.
    Once inside Con’s office, Kellan sat in one of the overstuffed chairs situated in front of Con’s large desk where dragons were carved in unique—and sometimes—almost invisible ways.
    “You’ve no’ said much,” Con said as he sank into his chair. “You’ve been asleep for a verra long time, my friend.”
    “I’d prefer to have remained that way.”
    “You really didna hear my call?”
    Kellan shook his head. “You know I wouldna have ignored it had I heard you.”
    “Most of the others awoke,” Con said as he picked up a pen and twirled it in his fingers. “That’s another story I need to tell you. We’re now allies with the Warriors.”
    Kellan was astounded by the news, and he didn’t hide it. “I suppose there’s a good reason for that.”
    “There is. I’ll tell you all about how Cassie, Elena, and Jane came to be mated with Hal, Guy, and Banan. That will lead into why the Warriors know of us and how we came to go to battle with them.”
    This was getting more and more interesting. Kellan was almost happy he was awake to hear these stories. For so long the Dragon Kings had watched the Warriors, but Con had been adamant about keeping away from them. Something drastic must have happened to change his mind.
    “Before I get to all of that, I need something from you.”
    Somehow Kellan wasn’t surprised. “You’ve no’ changed.”
    “Nay, I suppose I have no’.” Con’s nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath. “I need you to keep an eye