Darkest Flame

“There’s a dragon on the sign, of course I’m sure.”

 

 

She turned and then brought the vehicle to a stop at the closed and locked gate. Kellan got out and walked to the gate. The lock wasn’t a human one. There were no keys to use or numbers to punch. It was a lock that couldn’t be blown up, sawed off, or cut.

 

The only way to open it was by being a Dragon King.

 

Kellan put his hand on the lock. As soon as it sensed his dragon magic, it unlocked with a click and the gate opened.

 

When he climbed back into the Mercedes, Denae stared at him. He motioned for her to proceed forward. She did so after hesitating for a minute.

 

“Have you ever heard of the Book of Kells?” he asked as they drove down the winding drive.

 

“Of course. I don’t think there are many who haven’t. Why?” Her eyes widened and her lips parted suddenly. “Kells? As in Kellan?”

 

Her shocked expression brought his lips up in a smile that he quickly hid. He wasn’t ready for her to know just how deeply she affected him—not when he hadn’t worked it all out himself. If only the desire didn’t complicate matters he might figure it out. “That was me.”

 

She laughed, the sound music to his ears. “You sound so humble. The Book of Kells is an important part of history. That’s amazing. Did you ask them to name it after you?”

 

“Nay,” he said, affronted that she would think he would do something like that. “They did it on their own. So it is still around?”

 

“Most certainly. There are disputing theories as to its origin. Many say Ireland.”

 

He made a disgusted sound at the back of his throat. “That’s the Fae’s influence. They’ve always had a stronghold in Ireland, just as we do in Scotland.”

 

“I have to ask, the book contains the gospels from the Bible. Why that? Why not something else?”

 

“It was important to humans.” He hadn’t cared about what was inside the book, but he had been impressed with the work the mortals had wanted to accomplish. It was the reason he had helped them to begin with. To have that book survive all these centuries was something he had never expected.

 

“And you don’t believe?”

 

He thought back to that turbulent time when the humans were learning more and more about themselves. “It matters no’ what I do or doona believe. Humans did.”

 

“Did you begin the book?”

 

Kellan wanted to end the conversation before she saw how much he loved the written word and all it held, but he couldn’t since he’d introduced the topic. Damn him for wanting to see if any of him had remained while he slept through time.

 

“It’s all right,” she said suddenly. “You don’t have to tell me.”

 

He briefly closed his eyes and wondered why he found Denae so easy to talk to. Had sleeping through time helped to heal his hatred? No. He was sure it hadn’t. There was just something unique and exceptional about Denae.

 

“I urged them,” he said. “I also did most of the drawings.”

 

Her smile was genuine when she glanced at him. “Wow. Just … wow. Why wasn’t it ever finished?”

 

Kellan caught sight of the stone house as it came into view. It was larger than the cottage he had built, but the pale stone and gray roof matched the surroundings nicely.

 

Denae stopped the car at the back of the house and shut off the engine. Being back on Raasay brought forth a ton of memories involving the Book of Kells and his trips to Iona visiting the monks.

 

He wasn’t sure if the memories were good or bad. Nor did he quite know how he felt about being so close to where everything had fallen apart for him. Was that why Con had sent them here? Was Con pushing him to see if he would repeat history?

 

Kellan looked at Denae. He wanted to be in the vehicle on Raasay with her. The realization was like a punch in his stomach. Never did he think he would want to be so near a mortal.

 

But it wasn’t just being near to her that he wanted. He hungered for her—all of her.

 

“I’d grown weary,” he finally answered. “I assumed the monks would finish the book and illustrations.”

 

“Was it so awful being around humans? They were monks. How bad could they be?”

 

Her eyes held a sadness he felt like a punch to his stomach. It hurt her how much he despised her kind, because she thought it also included her.

 

He could tell her she was excluded from his view, but to give her that information would be giving her a way into his mind. In the past he wouldn’t have dared.

 

Things were different now. All because of a beautiful spy who emerged from the water in his cave.

 

Did she even know how she kept him tied in knots? Did she know how much he wanted to pull her into his arms and ravage her mouth for hours before exploring her body?