“Look. I’m wet and cold. I’ve been kidnapped, roughened up, threatened, and had the fear of God put in me. I just want to find Banan and get home.”
Con glanced at the ground. “A verra long time ago I swore to protect my men at all costs. We gave up everything, but I feared that wouldna be enough. So, I made sure we never developed feelings for mortals. I thought that would solve things.”
“Mortals?” Jane whispered, her brain having trouble deciphering his meaning.
“Jane, look at the dragons.”
She took a hesitant step back, but Con walked to her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and gently turned her to the dragons.
“Look at them. What do you see?”
“I saw them kill.” But she couldn’t leave it at that. There had been more, and she needed to admit it. “They didn’t touch me. It was almost as if…” She trailed off, not sure if she could say it.
“What? It was almost as if what?”
“They were protecting me,” she answered in a whisper.
Con leaned close and replied in the same hushed tone, “Because they were.”
“I know them?”
“Aye.”
She stepped away from Con and toward the dragons. Jane hesitantly smiled when the blue dragon shifted his wing to keep her dry. Her gaze swung to the yellow, but it didn’t stay.
The blue was the one who called to her. She continued toward the massive beast until she stood next to its large front foot.
Tentatively, she put her hand on it. The scales were surprisingly warm. And it was then she noticed the dark blue scales on its back slowly faded to a lighter blue on his belly.
“Are you afraid?” Con asked, his voice echoing in the warehouse.
“Yes. And no,” she answered.
She looked up at the blue watching her with its amber gaze, and it was something about those eyes that looked familiar.
It wasn’t the color, but something in the gaze that told her she should know who the dragon was.
But…surely that couldn’t be possible.
Chapter 14
Banan couldn’t look away from Jane’s sweet brown eyes. He had seen her fear while he’d been killing to keep her safe, but there hadn’t been time to calm her.
Now, he wasn’t sure what to do.
He’d seen Hal and Guy show their women their dragon forms, but none had done it while fighting. Jane had seen the worst. His gentle, kind Jane.
All Banan had to do was return to his human form. But did he dare? Could he take the chance of showing her everything he was and not have her run away?
It was because of him that she was involved in such danger. He had promised to keep her safe, when he’d only made things worse.
He turned away, unable to bear looking at her another moment. Yet he had a choice to make. He could return to his human form and hope for the best.
Or he could fly away and never see Jane again.
Banan hadn’t understood Guy and Hal’s feelings for their women, but he did now. He wanted Jane with him always, to be by his side. He wanted to climb in bed with her each night, and face the dawn with her each morning.
He might have thought himself immune to whatever was affecting the Dragon Kings, but there was no denying his love for Jane. “Banan,” Rhys’s voice sounded in his head. “Show Jane who you are. She went to you because she senses something about you.”
“She could run.”
“Aye,” Rhys said sadly. “She could. But she might no’. I see how much she means to you. Doona let her go. You’ll regret it always.”
Banan’s gaze shifted to Con, who stood silently watching. Con was leaving everything up to Banan. Regardless of what Banan decided, Con would abide by it.
If Banan flew away, Jane would have no reason to know their secret and could very well live out her life in safety.
But whoever had been on the other side of that wall with her, who Banan suspected was the same bastard who’d kidnapped her, knew how important she was to him. They wouldn’t ever stop hurting Jane now that she was connected to him.
Banan took a deep breath and made his decision. He shifted with barely a thought. He kept his eyes closed as he knelt with one knee and both hands on the floor, the rain pounding his flesh.
It was Jane’s soft gasp that tore at his heart.
“Banan?” she murmured in confusion.
He lifted his head until he was caught in her gaze. Then he slowly stood as Rhys moved to cover Jane with his wing. “Aye. It’s me.”
Her hands shook, and the shock etched on her face couldn’t be dismissed. All Banan could pray for was that she didn’t run. If he had the time to tell her everything, to explain who he was, it might win her over.
But he knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
“You were a dragon,” she said, her voice wavering from fear or anger—he wasn’t sure which—as her gaze looked over his naked form.
“It was the only way I could find you. The only way I could make sure you were safe.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
Banan wished they were alone for this discussion. There was no denying the anger rising in her tone. He hated that Con was there, but at the same time knew the King of the Dragon Kings had come to help.
“I couldna,” Banan said.
“This,” Jane said as she waved her hand at Rhys, “is what you protect at Dreagan?”
Banan nodded his head. “You’re the third human to know. Only Cassie, Elena, and you know what we’ve kept secret for millennia.”
Her eyes bulged. “Millennia? This just keeps getting weirder and weirder.” Jane turned away from him, one hand on her forehead as she paced back and forth. “I feel like my brain is going to explode any minute.”
Rhys slammed his foot on the concrete, his long talons scraping the floor. Banan winced when Jane jumped. He glanced at Rhys and knew his friend was urging him to tell Jane everything.