“Then tell me what’s going on.”
“Nothing, I hope.”
“But you think it’s something.”
Con gave an agitated shake of his head. “I doona know. All Ulrik has ever wanted was a mate and offspring. He says he doesna care that Nala willna be able to bear his children, but I can no’ believe that.”
“Though no mortal yet has carried a bairn to term, maybe Nala will be the first.”
Con’s lips twisted. “And how many times will she have to lose a babe before she turns bitter, and it rips them apart?”
Cain didn’t have an answer.
“Aye,” Con said with a sigh. “If she is Ulrik’s mate, then I will be the happiest one of us for them.”
“But if she isna?”
Con’s head swiveled to him. “Then she will pay.”
Noreen’s mouth fell open at Con’s words. But she could understand why he would say such a thing. The Kings were a close bunch, and none were closer than Ulrik and Con. Con was merely watching out for Ulrik as a friend did.
Cain didn’t reply to Con’s comment. Nor did he follow Con when he walked away. Instead, Cain’s gaze slid to Nala and Ulrik, taking up the watch that Con had abandoned. The feelings churning through Cain were unsettling. The easy alliance between the dragons and the humans was crumbling quicker than anyone could rebuild it. So much hinged on this marriage, but Cain didn’t think that was the answer.
Nor did he believe that was the reason Ulrik was doing it.
No, Ulrik was marrying Nala because he loved her and believed her to be his mate. Since no King had found a mate that wasn’t a dragon, Cain wasn’t sure how the marriage would work.
Noreen wanted to learn more, but Cain’s memories shifted once again. He was with the Kings once more, this time at Dreagan. There was no manor or buildings yet, but there was no mistaking the place. Con stood in human form. As each King landed, they also shifted.
Con’s face, usually devoid of emotion, burned with a fury that shone in his black eyes. “My brothers, I’ve gathered you here because one of us has been betrayed,” Con said, his voice carrying across the glen.
“Who?” Vaughn asked.
There was a beat of silence before Con said, “Ulrik.”
Cain clenched his hands, his lips flattening.
A chorus of voices rose up, each demanding to know what had happened.
Con held up a hand, quietening them instantly. “A couple of you know I had my doubts about Nala. I’d hoped I would be proven wrong so I could ask Ulrik for forgiveness, but, unfortunately, that isna the case. I’d been keeping my eye on Nala for some time, but only when I was with the two of them. A few months back, I was having dinner with Ulrik, Nala, and her family when I saw her revulsion when Ulrik kissed her. She turned away, but I saw it nonetheless.”
“That can no’ be,” someone said from behind Cain.
Nikolai, King of Ivories, gave a nod of his head. “It’s true.”
Con swallowed. “After that, I began following her, knowing that if Ulrik caught me, it could well end our friendship. My gut kept telling me that something was off. Earlier today, she snuck out of the home Ulrik had built for them and went to the village.”
Cain didn’t want to hear any more. He knew whatever Con had to say would divide the Kings, but more than that, he knew that what he’d been dreading all these years was about to come to fruition.
Noreen regretted wanting to see Cain’s memories because his feelings were so overwhelming that she felt as if it were all happening to her.
“Nala went into a home while I stood outside near a window,” Con continued. “A man spoke to her about the evil of dragons and how we needed to be stopped, and how it all started with her. He went into detail about how she should kill Ulrik on their wedding night and begin the destruction of the Dragon Kings.”
The shock of the Kings reverberated all around Cain. Noreen was so surprised that her knees threatened to give way, but she managed to stay on her feet.
She listened numbly as Con went into detail regarding his plan to get Ulrik away as the rest of them tracked Nala down and killed her before she could carry out her plans to murder Ulrik—despite the fact that she couldn’t kill a Dragon King. No one talked about that, or how it didn’t take all of them to track her down. No, this was about a tight-knit group who was protecting one of their own.
Tears burned Noreen’s eyes. She didn’t want to see any more, but she also didn’t want to walk away. She watched, tears rolling down her face as the Kings waited for Ulrik to be sent on a mission before they gathered together and went off to hunt for Nala.
The mortal knew the moment she saw the Kings that they were on to her plan. Terror filled her eyes as her face drained of color. She ran, but it did little good. Soon enough, they cornered her atop a waterfall.
To Noreen’s shock, Cain didn’t hesitate to plunge his sword into her.
After Nala lay dead, the Kings said nothing as they each shifted and returned to their land. But Cain knew that no matter what actions had been taken that night, war was on the horizon.
As soon as he returned to his clan, he began preparations. He told no one his reasoning. He made sure that he put more distance between his dragons and the mortals on his land as an extra precaution.
He stayed awake all night, never resting, never stopping. Just before dawn, he took to the skies and watched the sun crest the horizon. His heart was heavy, his emotions running high. He didn’t regret what he’d done to Nala, but he knew the consequences might be steeper than he’d ever imagined.
Noreen’s tears rolled thick and rapidly down her face. She wanted to wrap her arms around Cain and hold him close, but she kept their hands laced together and bided her time, fortifying herself for whatever was coming next.
She didn’t have to wait long. Cain’s head whipped to the north toward Dreagan as Con’s voice rang through his head, calling all the Kings to Scotland.
Cain flew fast and furiously. By the time he arrived, it was to see a division between the Kings. Con was on one side, Ulrik on the other. To Cain’s surprise, there were more of them on Ulrik’s side.
Cain landed between the groups, his gaze shifting from one to the other as the two friends stared at each other. Ulrik listed the crimes of the mortals throughout the years, ending with what his bride had wanted to do to him.
Con had no rebuttal. There was nothing he could say against the humans because everything Ulrik stated was true. One by one, the Kings moved to side with Ulrik until only Cain was left.
“Cain?” Con said in his head. “What is your decision?”
Cain blew out a breath. “I’ve known for a while that this is where we would end up, but I hoped we wouldna be divided when it happened.”
“Say what you really want to say, Cain,” Ulrik demanded.
Cain’s tail slammed against the ground as he growled at Ulrik. Then he looked at Con. “No matter what we did or could have done, it would’ve led us to this moment. We can no’ live alongside the mortals.”
“You think we should’ve killed them that first day?” Con asked.
“There is no right answer,” Cain admitted. “But we have to make a stand now, or we’ll lose everything.”