There was no heat to her words, but Ryder still heard the pain she couldn’t quite manage to conceal. All kinds of responses sprung in his mind at once.
“I never laughed at you,” he said. “I marveled at your enthusiasm for the world. I admired your dedication to your career and your family. I was amazed at your compassion to those in need, including the animals who crossed your path.
“I was astonished by your ability to laugh at adversity and no’ allow anything to get you down. And I was in awe at the way you showed me the world through your eyes.”
“Those are beautiful words. Too bad they don’t mean as much if you hadn’t walked out on me.”
CHAPTER NINE
Con held the Montblanc pen by the fingers of both hands as he stared at the report on his desk. He didn’t like what had been found, and it was number one thousand and seventy-six on the list of things to do that day.
As troubling as the report was in regards to the distilling of the whisky, it paled in comparison to the new visitor at the manor.
Kinsey Burns.
Tristan and Dmitri had told him everything, from her arrival to the interaction with Ryder. Con had also watched the tapes of her arrival at Dreagan and meeting Tristan to get visuals of her face.
What he wished he’d been able to see was when she came face-to-face with Ryder.
Con had become an expert when it came to discovering which of his Kings was in danger of finding a mate. What vexed him was that Ryder had hidden his feelings so well that Con never knew until the arrival of Kinsey.
Oh, Con understood that there had been someone in Glasgow, but at the time, Con still thought the spell was in place. If he had known it wasn’t, he might have questioned Ryder more.
After Cassie and Hal fell in love and mated, Con had taken a close look at all the Kings who spent time out in the world away from Dreagan.
He had even paid special attention to Ryder. But not once had Ryder asked to return to Glasgow, nor shown any interest in the city or its occupants. Though with his access to the computers, Con realized that Ryder could have been keeping an eye on Kinsey all these years.
Ryder couldn’t deny anything now. Con had only to look to see Ryder was completely in love with Kinsey. Kinsey, for her part, was harder to decipher. Which surprised Con. Mortals rarely did that to him.
Kinsey wasn’t thrilled at being held at Dreagan, nor did she appreciate being used by someone at Kyvor to get her there. Yet she was more than willing to help them learn who was behind it.
She reminded him of Elena and Denae. Both situations had turned out to the benefit of Dreagan and the Kings, but Con had a bad feeling about this time. There were too many variables that were unknown, and there were also too many players now.
The most troubling bit was that he and the other Kings couldn’t defend Dreagan as they normally would with MI5 patrolling twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Con’s thoughts went back to Kinsey. Ryder had notified him through their mental link that none of Kinsey’s tech had been corrupted in any way.
Everything was clean from her purse, the bag with all her tech, and even her car. The only thing Con hadn’t checked out was Kinsey herself.
Ryder assured him that she wasn’t an actress, but humans could pick up all kinds of skills quickly when it suited them. Who was to say that Kinsey wasn’t using Ryder?
Con set down his favorite pen before he broke it. The Kings had been fortunate so far in that all of their mates accepted who they were and what it meant to be a Dragon King’s woman.
Had their luck finally run out? Had Kinsey been sent there to betray Ryder much like what had almost happened to Ulrik?
The thought froze Con’s heart. His Dragon Kings had all experienced war in its many aspects. They had all suffered loss—though some more than others. And they had all been devastated when their dragons were sent away.
Not to mention having to keep hidden from the world when they should be flying wherever they wished.
The Kings had been through too much already. There couldn’t be another betrayal.
Con checked his watch and adjusted his cuff links, fingering the dragon-head design. Any moment now, he expected a visit from Ryder. Not because Con sent for him, but because Ryder would’ve already figured out what Con would want to do.
With Ryder’s visit would come an argument in favor of Kinsey.
Con didn’t intentionally set out to piss off his Kings, but they were each so caught up in what they were feeling at the moment that they didn’t think ahead.
That’s what he was for, and his decisions were rarely accepted eagerly. In most cases, there was a debate. It was imperative that the Kings stay banded together. They had been split once before, and it nearly destroyed them.
On that day, long ago, Con had put his pride away and thought of their race. It won him back all the Kings but one—Ulrik. The weight of the entire dragon world rested on Con’s shoulders.