Tristan mumbled, “Aye, she was.”
Denae waited for Kellan’s response, but seconds ticked by, making her think he wasn’t going to give one.
“There is much you doona know of Rhi,” he finally said.
“Who was the Dragon King she had an affair with?” Tristan asked.
They came to an instant stop, which caused Denae to run into Kellan’s back. He didn’t so much as tilt forward from the impact.
“Did the King leave her?” Phelan asked.
Deane realized his voice had gotten closer, and that meant he was most likely facing Kellan now.
“It was a long time ago,” Kellan said.
“What happened?”
“Ask Rhi.”
“I’m asking you.”
“And I’m no’ telling.”
Denae rolled her eyes and moved around Kellan to stand between him and Phelan. She had to worm her way between them, and she gave Phelan a little shove so he had to step back. “Come on. It’s not Kellan’s story to tell. If you want to know, ask Rhi.”
“Is it you?” Phelan asked Kellan as if he hadn’t heard Denae.
“Nay. I wouldna say she was a friend, but she’s the closest thing I have to a friend except for the other Kings,” Kellan answered.
After a moment, Phelan turned and walked away. Denae was about to return to her spot behind Kellan when his hands fell on her shoulders and he turned her to face him.
“You thought to protect me from a Warrior?”
Was that a hint of laughter she heard in his voice? She hated that she couldn’t see his face, but he could see every emotion that crossed hers. “Protect? As if. You’re a Dragon King. I simply wanted to diffuse a situation that was quickly growing out of control. If you haven’t noticed, Phelan is rather partial to Rhi. He thinks of her like a sister.”
“I noticed,” he said softly.
Denae swallowed, unsure of his gentle tone. His hands moved up her shoulders to her neck while his thumbs played with the edges of her lips.
Didn’t he realize his touch was all it took to throw her off kilter? The tunnel, with all its horrid surprises and revolting smell, fell away. There was only Kellan.
“You would stand between a King and a Warrior?”
She was having a difficult time keeping her thoughts in line with his thumb tracing her lips. He closed the distance between them, and his heat surrounded her. Unable to resist, she rested her hands on his chest.
“No. Yes.” She squeezed her eyes closed for a moment. “I don’t know.”
“Why?”
Why? What did he want to know again? He was so close she could rest her face on his shoulder. But it was his lips she wanted.
“Why would you stand between two immortals?” he asked.
Denae shrugged. “I didn’t like him all up in your face.”
“So you sought to protect me?”
When he said it like that, it sounded laughable. Denae parted her lips to tell him it wasn’t like that at all when his mouth descended on hers in a fierce kiss.
He seized, he captured.
He dominated.
And she loved every second of it.
The kiss left her dazed and needy, and it ended entirely too soon. He kept his hands on either side of her face as if to keep her away. It was only then that she heard his harsh breaths.
“I want you,” he whispered.
Denae smiled, because she knew that was as close to a profession of affection as she would ever get from Kellan.
And oddly, it was enough.
“Get me out of this tunnel and you can have me.”
He snorted and dropped his hands. “Is that a promise?”
“You bet.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” he said as he took her hand. “Tristan.”
Denae heard the sound of footfalls and realized that Tristan had walked away sometime during their interaction, but she had been too preoccupied with Kellan to take notice.
Kellan was a dangerous distraction for sure. But one she was glad to have. He made life interesting and fun again. He made her want to embrace life and see where it would take her.
And none of that included running for the rest of her days from MI5.
She forgot all about her injured foot as they started hurrying through the tunnels. They came to fork after fork in the tunnel with Phelan softly calling out right or left each time.
And before Denae knew it, Kellan pulled her through the doorway.
She blinked against the bright sunlight and quickly raised her arm to shield her eyes. But Kellan kept her moving. Denae bit back a curse when her toe jabbed into a rock. Yet, it was the growing danger that kept her on her feet.
There was a small grove of trees that he brought her to and pushed her against one. “Phelan?”
“I doona see any of them,” the Warrior answered, his gold skin shining in the sun.
Denae caught a glimpse of his fangs and wondered what else the Warrior could do. He was tall, his long, deep brown hair wild. His eyes, gold eyes from corner to corner, kept a constant look around them. His claws looked sharp enough to take her head, and she had the impression it was something he had done before.