Page 14 of Denied

Colm caught the sadness that flickered through the blacksmith’s eyes. “You think her dead.”

“The clan leader of the Blackstones is known for his particular lusts,” Wallace said slowly. “There are whispers of how Jarek has raped and tortured every Fae woman captured by his clan before he kills them. If he took Kayla’s mother and sister, ‘tis likely he did the same to them. I would not be surprised to know that he also directed the dragon to surrender to us, so that he might give Kayla false hope.”

“You can’t tell Kayla that,” Christine said. “God, her sister was just a baby when she disappeared.”

“I would never, lady. And I may yet be wrong about them falling into Jarek’s hands. Halflings are also very hard to track. ’Tis why my liege asked me to create binding rings for them.” He gave Christine a wry look. “When I tried to locate you and Kayla through the shadow portal, I found no trace of either of you.”

“Next time I’ll drop some breadcrumbs.” She nudged Colm. “Or someone could give me one of these nifty rings.”

Colm placed a small golden box on the table in front of her. “Done.”

“What?”

Colm knew he was grinning like a loon, but he couldn’t stop himself.

Looking awed now, the dancer opened the box, and gently touched the glittering carved crystals inside.

“Guys, there’s nothing more we can do tonight, right?” When Ryan and Wallace nodded their agreement, she gave them a brilliant smile. “Then, with all due respect, will you please get lost?”

Wallace chuckled, and Ryan clapped Colm on the shoulder before they rose and departed. Christine waved to them from the door before she bolted it and jumped on Colm.

He caught her by the bottom and found himself being thoroughly kissed. “What is all this now?” he said when she finally allowed him to draw a breath.

“You ringed me, my man.” Christine covered his face with fervent kisses. “No one’s ever given me one of those. You’re going to wear the other one, right? Because Ryan already has one, and the blacksmith would only know to smash it with his hammer or something.”

Her babbling amused him until he saw the tears glinting on her lashes.

“I will wear it proudly for the rest of our days,” he said. “Sweetness, why do you cry now?”

“You picked me.” She sniffed. “No one’s ever done that, either. I mean I had boyfriends, but none of them were right. Not like you. I’m going to have to give you a very special lap dance.” She drew back to look into his eyes. “You didn’t give the queen a ring, did you?”

“She already wore her husband’s.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “And while I loved her, I always knew where her majesty was: in front of a mirror, sitting on her throne, or sneaking away to my bed.”

Christine’s expression grew solemn. “Did you have to call her ‘Your Majesty’ when you were doing it?”

“She preferred me to remain silent when she graced me with her affections, and she was never a female to talk much when seeking her pleasures.” Colm hadn’t thought of the queen since being restored to life, and now his memories of her seemed foxed and yellowed as a page from an ancient book. “Have I told you how much I love you this day, my lady?”

She pretended to count on her fingers. “Only nine times.”

“I love you. Ten.” He carried her back to their bedroom. “I adore you. Eleven. You have my heart. Twelve.”

“And I have you.” Christine finished unfastening his trousers and curled her fingers around his iron-hard girth. “Keep talking, my man. You’re not allowed to be quiet around me.”

“Yes, my love.” He lowered her onto the bed. “Now, about this lap dance—can you be naked for it?”

CHAPTER 9

A T DAWN KAYLA left Ryan sleeping in the cottage to go to the barn, where she fed the horses and removed the chains wrapped around Fallon.

“There’s enough room by the lake for you to shift down there,” Kayla told the motorcycle as she walked him out of the barn. “You can hunt for an hour, but you’ve got to stay out of sight.”

Will you ride with me to the water, my lady?

The dragon’s wistful thoughts came with the same surge of loneliness any horse felt when separated from their herd.

“Sure,” she said, and climbed on. “Let’s go.”

Fallon kept his engine quiet as he took her to the lake’s edge, and when she climbed off and backed away he shifted into his true form. This close to him Kayla could see he’d shed some damaged scales, which revealed the jagged scars in his hide. She gently touched one so deep her hand could fit inside it.