Fever--A Dark Kings Novel Read online

  “You have mountains?” she asked curiously, pushing off of the bookcase.

  Keltan grinned, liking her interest. “Aye. Each of us has one that is ours alone. We stayed there while Con remained awake, keeping up with the changes of the world. Every decade, he would come to each of us while we slept and fill us in.”

  “That was a brilliant idea. That way, when you did wake, you would fit in.”

  “That’s right.” Keltan hadn’t wanted to tell her their story, but he quite liked how she accepted all of it as well as added her own opinions. He hadn’t looked at what had happened to him through anyone else’s eyes before.

  Bernadette walked back to the sofa and sat. “But you all woke?”

  “Eventually. We did it in shifts. Some didna like what they saw and returned to their mountains. Others remained awake for a few hundred years and then chose dragon sleep again. The only two who never slept were Con and Ulrik.”

  “I’m guessing that no one bothered Dreagan because of the … What do you call what’s around the land?”

  “The magical boundary. Aye, it deters humans from wanting a closer look. We know the difference in an animal crossing and a human.”

  She nodded, smiling. “That’s amazing. Then you made whisky? Why Scotch?”

  “It was Con’s idea. It was inevitable that we would mix with the mortals again, and because we had such a huge swath of land, they would no doubt be curious about us. The whisky allowed us to hide what we wanted, show what we needed, and live as we have.”

  She smiled and looked around the library. “It was a brilliant idea. Not only to have such a thriving business that allows you secrecy, but I’m sure the wealth is nice, as well.”

  Keltan shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll no’ lie and say I doona like it.”

  Bernadette blew out a breath and pressed her lips together. “And then I came along and ruined it.”

  “Nay, lass,” he said with a shake of his head. “There is much that happened before you came into the picture.”

  Her eyes glittered. “There’s more to the story, then?”

  “There is.”

  “Please,” she begged. “I want to know it all.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  It was a dream. It had to be. For the last year.

  Bernadette squeezed her hands together as excitement and more than a little trepidation ran through her as quick as lightning. But nothing—not even Usaeil—could’ve made Bernadette get up and leave.

  She’d been enthralled from the first words out of Keltan’s mouth. Dragon Kings. It boggled her mind, and yet, at the same time, it made so much sense. These men at Dreagan weren’t just dragons. They were kings!

  “All of it, aye?” Keltan asked with a grin. “I’m no’ sure I can remember it all.”

  She knew he was teasing her, but she didn’t care. The fact that he didn’t seem angry was a win, in her estimation. Because he had every right to be furious. Everyone at Dreagan did. She could say that she didn’t know, but that wasn’t much of a defense. Regardless of whether she’d known that Usaeil was using her, Bernadette knew better than to go barreling into something without doing research.

  Though she had done it. Nearly a year’s worth. She hadn’t watched the tele, gone to a movie, visited with friends, or done anything other than work, research, and sleep. That’s how obsessed she’d become.

  It wasn’t healthy. She realized that now. But at the time, she’d felt like it was her destiny. It might very well be. Otherwise, she likely wouldn’t be sitting in the opulent library at Dreagan talking to Keltan.

  “What were you thinking just now?” he asked.

  Bernadette glanced at her hands, embarrassed. “How fixated I’ve been on Dreagan and everyone here. I’ve never done anything like this in my life. And even now, I’m not sure how it happened.”

  “You saw a dragon. No’ one of us, but one created by Usaeil in our image, I’m guessing.”

  “That might be true, but I’d say the majority of people in my place might have kept to themselves.”

  “Or run away in fear,” Keltan added. He gave her a pointed look. “Were you scared?”

  She laughed, thinking about it. “Terrified. I shook so badly that I thought my knees would give out. Part of me screamed to get as far away as I could, but another part just stared at the creature in awe. The idea that something could exist alongside us that we didn’t know about intrigued me.”

  One side of Keltan’s lips turned up in a grin. “I’m glad you didna run. Did Usaeil hold you?”

  “Not that I’m aware. She kept staring at the dragon as if mesmerized.”

  “Interesting,” he murmured.

  Bernadette thought that he might tell her not to beat herself up about the year she’d wasted of her life or the damage she’d done to Dreagan, but she realized that she should condemn herself. She hadn’t thought things through carefully enough. She’d let Usaeil talk her into giving that lecture instead of continuing her research.

  Though the Fae queen had made it seem as if Bernadette had finished her research. She still couldn’t understand why she had believed everything Usaeil told her. It wasn’t like her. Bernadette wasn’t exactly mistrustful, but she tended to err on the side of caution. Usually.

  She nearly rolled her eyes at the thought. Usually wasn’t something she could say anymore. She was anything but her usual self.

  It was then that she realized how quiet the library had become. Keltan stared at her again, and she shot him an embarrassed smile. “I apologize. I’m here to listen, not get lost in my thoughts.”

  “Actually, I find it interesting to watch you while you think. Emotions pass over your face as you do.”

  Dear Lord. Was he able to tell what she was thinking?

  Bernadette realized too late that her face showed her shock. She quickly tried to smooth it away, but the damage had been done. They shared a laugh, making the moment more bearable.

  “I didna mean to embarrass you. I like trying to discern what you’re thinking, but I shouldna have pointed it out,” he told her.

  “Actually, I’m glad you did. Apparently, I need to work on schooling my features.” She chuckled, shaking her head.

  Keltan scratched his jaw. “Where was I in the story?”

  “You told me how you came to make whisky.”

  “Right,” he said with a nod. “One thing I forgot to mention was that before we found our mountains, we worked magic so we would never feel any strong feelings for humans again. No hate or love.”

  Bernadette swallowed, thinking how Ulrik had felt both keenly, and look where it had gotten him. “Did it work?”

  “Aye. For many, many years. Magic can do a great many things, but it can no’ stop love. Ryder didna tell anyone that he met and fell in love with Kinsey. When he realized what had happened, he ended the relationship.”

  Bernadette blinked in shock. “What? He fell in love and walked away? Why would he do that?”

  “Because the spell was supposed to prevent it.”

  “Still,” she argued.

  Keltan shrugged. “It wasna long after that Cassie came, and she and Hal fell in love. That’s when we all realized the spell was broken. We had no way of knowing that Ulrik was the one who broke it without even knowing it had been cast.”

  Bernadette frowned. “How did he do that?”

  “Ulrik wanted his magic back. All the millennia that he’d been stuck in human form, he’d been searching for some way to unbind his powers. He came to realize that Druids held the key.”

  “Druids?” she asked, taken aback. “There are Druids?”

  “Aye, lass. The magic of the land found certain mortals and gave them the ability to use it. They’re Druids. There isna many of them left. Years of diluting their blood with humans who had no magic at all made it difficult for them to sustain their magic.”

  Bloody hell. Just when she’d thought she knew everything. Obviously, she knew only a thimbleful. “Go on,” she urged.
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  “Each time a Druid attempted to touch Ulrik’s dragon magic, they died.”

  That news made Bernadette nervous. “I’m guessing Ulrik still sought them out?”

  “He did,” Keltan said with a single nod of his head. “Ulrik was desperate to unbind his magic and attack us.”

  “Has he succeeded?”

  “He did find a Druid who was strong enough to withstand the dragon magic and do what he wanted.”

  Bernadette gaped at him. “So, Ulrik is out there now with his magic? He’s going to attack?”

  “He’s here, actually.”

  Fear pooled in Bernadette’s belly, making her sick. Then she really looked at Keltan. Her eyes narrowed as she stared. “You don’t seem worried.”

  “I’m no’. Ulrik did attack individual Dragon Kings, several times, but he found out that his uncle never left with the other dragons. Mikkel remained, intending to kill Ulrik and become the King of Silvers.”

  “Oh,” Bernadette murmured.

  Keltan shrugged and glanced out one of the windows near him. “It took some doing, but Ulrik and Con talked and joined forces against Mikkel. Ulrik destroyed his uncle, fell in love with a Druid, and was able to return to Dreagan, where we welcomed him.”

  Just when she thought the stories couldn’t get any better … Bernadette now had a dozen more questions she wanted to ask, but she held back. While she was curious, this wasn’t the time to get details. There was more to the story.

  Keltan cleared his throat. “When your kind came to this realm, and we vowed to protect you, it wasna just against outside threats. It was against anyone who tried to harm humans.”

  “Even after the war?” she asked with a shake of her head. “I don’t think I could’ve done that.”

  “It wasna always easy,” Keltan confessed.

  She twisted her lips. “The spell not to feel strong emotions for us helped, I’m sure.”

  “It certainly did. When the Fae came, we didna hesitate to defend this realm.”

  Bernadette liked Earth being called a realm. It would likely sound odd coming from her, but it sounded right when Keltan said it. “The Fae haven’t always been here?”

  “The Fae lived on another realm. Their civil war destroyed their world. Humans brought them here.”

  Bernadette tried not to shudder when she recalled what she’d been told the Dark Fae did to her kind. “Do the Light harm us?”

  “They have strict rules to only have sex with mortals once, but that’s all it takes for the damage to occur. Once a human has sex with a Fae, no one of their kind will ever live up to the pleasure they received.”

  Bernadette drew in a breath and held it for a second before she released it. “I suppose I should be thankful that it was Usaeil who found me rather than a male.”

  “Fae doona discriminate. If she had wanted you as a lover, Usaeil would’ve had you.”

  Should Bernadette be relieved, or insulted that the Fae didn’t want her? She inwardly laughed at herself since it was a thought she’d never imagined having.

  “Count yourself lucky,” Keltan said as if reading her thoughts.

  Bernadette flashed him a quick smile. “I do, of course. I take your story to mean that you didn’t stop the Fae from coming here either?”

  “It was a mistake we all acknowledge. They chose Ireland as theirs with the Dark on the bottom half and the Light on the top. But they didna stay. The lure of the mortals was too much for them. We stepped in to stop the killing and instantly clashed with the Dark. The Light stayed out of it, preferring to watch because of their civil war that had lasted generations.

  “The Fae Wars went on for years without the humans realizing it. We managed to hide most of the battles, but it was easier back then. The technology wasna the same, nor were there nearly as many mortals.”

  Bernadette couldn’t imagine the lengths the Kings went to in order to keep the humans from knowing what was going on. “I admit, I’m surprised the Light didn’t attack you.”

  “They accepted what the Dark couldna.”

  “What was that?”

  “That we have the strongest magic of any beings on this realm,” Keltan replied.

  Bernadette snorted as she shook her head. “Now it makes sense.”

  “What does?” he asked with a frown.

  “Something Usaeil said last night. She told me that she needed the world to know about all of you being dragons. She said it was imperative. She knows she can’t beat you on her own.”

  Keltan scrubbed a hand over his mouth and then down his beard. “There is much about Usaeil you doona know. She’s dangerous. The fact that she didna harm you surprises me more than I like to admit.”

  “But she’s a Light Fae. Doesn’t that mean she’s good?” His hesitation made Bernadette uneasy. “So, Light doesn’t mean good, and Dark doesn’t mean evil?”

  He shrugged and leaned forward. “It does, mostly, but Usaeil isna so black and white. Before I get into her story, let me finish the other.”

  “Right,” she said with a nod.

  Keltan looked at her a moment and then blew out a breath as he got to his feet. He held out a hand to her. “Are you hungry?”

  “Famished, actually.” She couldn’t hide her grin as she took his hand, and he helped her to her feet.

  “I’m rubbish with computers, but I’m a decent cook.”

  Her smile grew. “I’m not going to pass up that offer.”

  “Good.”

  They remained standing, inches from each other, their gazes locked. The last year had been backwards of anything Bernadette had known before. She was sure she should be nervous or, at the very least, wondering if Keltan or someone else would harm her.

  But she didn’t feel anything even remotely like that. It could be the magic of the Dragon Kings. Or it could be real. She couldn’t distinguish between the two, and at the moment, she didn’t want to.

  She might regret it later, but for now, she was going to enjoy herself.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Usaeil stood in the tiny place that Bernadette called home as she fumed. “I gave you a chance, you stupid mortal,” she said into the empty abode.

  She looked around, sickened at how quickly Bernadette had given up her lavish lifestyle after a quick peek at a dragon. Usaeil rolled her eyes. Humans were so easily manipulated. Usaeil never grew tired of seeing how far she could push one.

  She turned in a circle and looked about the cottage. Bernadette could be anywhere, but Usaeil knew where she was—Dreagan. Not once had Bernadette made Usaeil question her. She had done and said everything Usaeil expected of her.

  It went beyond Usaeil’s magic to find anyone, much less a mortal. That didn’t mean she hadn’t prepared for just such an instance.

  She narrowed her eyes. The moment she had seen Keltan at the lecture with Bernadette, Usaeil had known that her plan was falling into place perfectly. The only thing that bothered her was that Bernadette hadn’t told her about Keltan.

  While she needed the mortal at Dreagan, she didn’t want Bernadette to remain there. Women had a habit of falling for the Kings, and while that was Usaeil’s plan, she didn’t want to make it easy for the couple.

  “Don’t worry, Bernadette. I’ll soon have you right where you belong,” Usaeil said as she walked to the desk and grabbed Bernadette’s favorite pen.

  With one wave of her hand, Usaeil scattered the items that were on the desk, sending papers, files, and notebooks flying across the room to land haphazardly on the floor.

  With the desk cleared, she set the pen in the middle of it. Usaeil then summoned a dagger and pricked the end of her finger, letting three drops of her blood fall upon the pen. The wound closed up immediately with some magic, ensuring that no more blood touched the writing instrument.

  Usaeil then held her hand over the pen, her fingers splayed. “I summon thee, Bernadette Davies. For every hour you don’t return, your body will begin to wither.”

  With the spell done,
Usaeil lowered her arm to her side. “It’s time you remember who you serve, human. And if I have to give you pain to make you recall that, then I’ll gladly do it.”

  She smiled because the one person who could’ve helped Bernadette was no longer at Dreagan. Usaeil thought about Con, her heart leaping. That’s what he did to her. It still infuriated her that he didn’t see the love that was between them. He didn’t realize that they were destined to be together.

  But he would.

  In the end, he would do whatever she wanted.

  Usaeil looked down at the pen. She could tap into the Druid magic coursing in her veins to locate Bernadette. It wasn’t a feat even the Druids had mastered, but with her magic mixed with the Druids’, it just might work.

  But if it didn’t, that meant she’d used up the Druid magic she’d taken. And she’d have to go and find another—and Druids weren’t that easy to find anymore.

  That wasn’t precisely true. She could go to the Isle of Skye. The Skye Druids were some of the most powerful, but Usaeil was hesitant to go there. Corann, the leader of the Skye Druids, kept to himself. Because of that, he had no idea what was going on with the Dragon Kings or the Fae. She needed it to stay that way for a bit longer. She had a plan for Corann and his Druids, and it wasn’t time for that yet. If she began taking their magic, then when it came time for her plan, she’d have to spend time ensuring that they did as she commanded.

  So, while she wanted to make sure Bernadette was at Dreagan, she wouldn’t. But the moment the mortal was back in her ugly cottage, Usaeil was going to let her know just how angry she was to not only be lied to, but because Bernadette had run off on her own.

  Usaeil was about to teleport away when she felt something in the air. The first time had been a few weeks ago on a tiny isle off the coast of Scotland. It had happened twice more since then.

  She might not know what it was, but she knew it wasn’t good. The moment she felt it, she left. She wanted to know who or what it was, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to stick around to find out.