discovered what his friends had done to his woman. And her betrayal.
Hal wasn’t sure what hurt Ulrik the most. No matter how many times he and the others had tried to speak to him, no one had been able to get through to Ulrik.
It was as if a switch had been thrown in Ulrik, altering him forever from the great King he had been, to a killer.
Hal couldn’t help but wonder if he would have done things differently from Ulrik. If it had been his woman who had been killed, his woman who had betrayed him, would he have had the strength to do as Con demanded?
An image of Cassie filled Hal’s mind, and he honestly couldn’t answer his own question.
Tristan shifted in the silence that followed. “How many more Kings are there?”
Rhys flashed a bright grin, happy to change the subject. “More than you think, but no’ as many as there should be.”
“That’s no’ an answer.”
“Get used to it,” Hal told him. “That’s all you’ll get from Rhys.”
A few moments later, Banan and Guy led Tristan away to the main house to show him his room. Hal’s thoughts turned to another. Cassie. He knew better than to let himself think of her, but he couldn’t help it.
“I warned you to guard yourself.”
Hal swung his gaze to Rhys. “Meaning what?”
“Cassie. You’re thinking of her. Why? You’ve never been so attracted to a human before, no’ like this.”
“I know.” Hal rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s all I can think about. She’s all I want, all I care about. I can no’ explain it. All I know is that something has changed.”
“Aye, just as the Silvers moved. But what has changed? More important, what is it affecting?”
Hal frowned as he realized the impact of Rhys’s words. “You doona think our dragon magic has been touched, do you?”
“I doona know,” Rhys said with a shrug. “We’ve no’ had to fight in either human or dragon form in many centuries. We spar, aye, but it isna the same.”
“Nay, no’ even close. We are Kings, though, the strongest of the strong. Ulrik’s power to shift was taken from him thousands of years ago. We’ve made sure he’s harmless.”
Rhys slowly shook his head. “I’m no’ as sure of that as I used to be.”
Hal watched his friend walk out of the caves, and all Hal could think about was keeping Cassie from any danger that might be coming their way.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Cassie blinked and found herself looking at the pale taupe wall she was in the process of painting.
“Damn, I did it again,” she said, and dipped the paintbrush into the paint.
It had been three days since Hal had kissed her. Three days of replaying the kiss over and over in her mind, of remembering the feel of his mouth and how he had crushed her against his hot, hard body.
How could someone kiss her with such passion and need and then not contact her for three days?
Cassie blew out a breath, causing a lock of hair to lift against her face. She had the phone number he’d given her, but call her old-fashioned, she didn’t want to do the chasing.
“With a man like Hal, it’s worth considering,” she said as she glanced at Duke.
The Great Dane shifted his ears toward her, but didn’t move from his position on the floor. Not that she blamed him. He’d found a blanket and claimed it as his, dragging it in his mouth wherever he went.
Except when he got in bed with her at night.
That first night had been an experience. She learned early to claim her side of the bed before he had a chance to.
She hadn’t wanted to watch the dog, and had really been pissed at Dan for assuming she wouldn’t mind. But the more she was around Duke, the more she thought of the dog as hers. She didn’t even want to think about when Dan came to collect him.
Cassie bit her lip and finished painting around the taped-off stained trim of the door before she wiped the back of her hand across her forehead.
One of the conditions of her being able to stay in the cottage was repainting it. The
Hal wasn’t sure what hurt Ulrik the most. No matter how many times he and the others had tried to speak to him, no one had been able to get through to Ulrik.
It was as if a switch had been thrown in Ulrik, altering him forever from the great King he had been, to a killer.
Hal couldn’t help but wonder if he would have done things differently from Ulrik. If it had been his woman who had been killed, his woman who had betrayed him, would he have had the strength to do as Con demanded?
An image of Cassie filled Hal’s mind, and he honestly couldn’t answer his own question.
Tristan shifted in the silence that followed. “How many more Kings are there?”
Rhys flashed a bright grin, happy to change the subject. “More than you think, but no’ as many as there should be.”
“That’s no’ an answer.”
“Get used to it,” Hal told him. “That’s all you’ll get from Rhys.”
A few moments later, Banan and Guy led Tristan away to the main house to show him his room. Hal’s thoughts turned to another. Cassie. He knew better than to let himself think of her, but he couldn’t help it.
“I warned you to guard yourself.”
Hal swung his gaze to Rhys. “Meaning what?”
“Cassie. You’re thinking of her. Why? You’ve never been so attracted to a human before, no’ like this.”
“I know.” Hal rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s all I can think about. She’s all I want, all I care about. I can no’ explain it. All I know is that something has changed.”
“Aye, just as the Silvers moved. But what has changed? More important, what is it affecting?”
Hal frowned as he realized the impact of Rhys’s words. “You doona think our dragon magic has been touched, do you?”
“I doona know,” Rhys said with a shrug. “We’ve no’ had to fight in either human or dragon form in many centuries. We spar, aye, but it isna the same.”
“Nay, no’ even close. We are Kings, though, the strongest of the strong. Ulrik’s power to shift was taken from him thousands of years ago. We’ve made sure he’s harmless.”
Rhys slowly shook his head. “I’m no’ as sure of that as I used to be.”
Hal watched his friend walk out of the caves, and all Hal could think about was keeping Cassie from any danger that might be coming their way.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Cassie blinked and found herself looking at the pale taupe wall she was in the process of painting.
“Damn, I did it again,” she said, and dipped the paintbrush into the paint.
It had been three days since Hal had kissed her. Three days of replaying the kiss over and over in her mind, of remembering the feel of his mouth and how he had crushed her against his hot, hard body.
How could someone kiss her with such passion and need and then not contact her for three days?
Cassie blew out a breath, causing a lock of hair to lift against her face. She had the phone number he’d given her, but call her old-fashioned, she didn’t want to do the chasing.
“With a man like Hal, it’s worth considering,” she said as she glanced at Duke.
The Great Dane shifted his ears toward her, but didn’t move from his position on the floor. Not that she blamed him. He’d found a blanket and claimed it as his, dragging it in his mouth wherever he went.
Except when he got in bed with her at night.
That first night had been an experience. She learned early to claim her side of the bed before he had a chance to.
She hadn’t wanted to watch the dog, and had really been pissed at Dan for assuming she wouldn’t mind. But the more she was around Duke, the more she thought of the dog as hers. She didn’t even want to think about when Dan came to collect him.
Cassie bit her lip and finished painting around the taped-off stained trim of the door before she wiped the back of her hand across her forehead.
One of the conditions of her being able to stay in the cottage was repainting it. The
Similar Books
