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 on Denae. Find out all you can about MI5, her involvement, and if she’s lying. Gain her trust by any means necessary.”
“I’d rather no’.” The words came out harshly, but Kellan was so averse to spending any more time with Denae, that the mere mention of her name caused his hackles to rise.
It was Con’s turn to lift his brows in disbelief. “You’d rather no’?”
“I didna stutter.”
“Care to explain?”
Kellan shifted, hating how the clothes confined him. It was because he had spent so long sleeping that his body had forgotten what it was like to be in human form and wear clothing. “I doona want to chance a repeat of … the last time I was awake.”
“You willna,” Con said as if he were the one making that decision. “Need I remind you that it was your cave they had the coordinates to? You saw them fight. You heard their words. No’ me, no’ anyone else. You, Kellan. It has to be you who gains her trust.”
“I doona like her.”
“You doona like any humans. I understand and respect that, however, there are three females mated to your brethren.”
Kellan gripped the arms of the chair to rein in his growing ire. “You think I’ll harm them?”
“Nay. I’m merely pointing out a fact. I may no’ have wanted Cassie, Elena, or Jane at Dreagan or mated to Dragon Kings, but there is no denying the love between all three couples. Be nice to the females. I doona want infighting. We’ve enough to deal with.”
“You doona have to worry about the mated females. I’ll be courteous to them.”