Darkest Flame by Donna Grant

not his body. He did his best to ignore the swell of her breast so near as he gently removed the gauze.
    But his cock wasn’t so obedient. It was hard and aching, straining to get next to Denae. Kellan inhaled deeply, breathing in Denae’s clean, wholesome scent.
    In the light of day, Kellan could see the five-inch gash and the uneven stitches she had started before he took over. The skin around the injury was pink, signaling that it was healing.
    He looked back at Denae’s face to find that somehow their bodies had moved closer together. They were so near all he had to do was bend down to kiss her.
    “This willna hurt,” Con stated as he came up beside them.
    Denae’s hands gripped Kellan when Con put his hand near her wound. In the next instant, Con’s magic filled the room. As she watched, the gash healed and the stitches dropped to the ground.
    Her eyes widened as she looked from Kellan to Con. “What did you just do?”
    “I healed you, Miss Lacroix,” Con said arrogantly. “It’s one of our secrets here.”
    “You all can do that?”
    Kellan shook his head. “That is Con’s power.”
    “Power?” She squeezed her eyes closed while still clutching him. “I don’t understand.”
    “Let us show you,” Con urged.
    Kellan waited for her to open her eyes. When she did, the uncertainty there confounded him. In battle, she had been sure of herself. Even while lying in a bed wounded, her confidence had been unshakable.
    If seeing a wound healed disturbed her, could she handle seeing them shift into dragon form?
    “Con, I’m no’ sure it’s such a good idea,” Kellan said.
    “You don’t think I can handle it?” Denae asked him, squaring her shoulders.
    Kellan sighed. “Nay.”
    She stepped back, releasing him, and turned to Con. “Show me.”
    Con walked to the window and waited for her to stand beside him. “Kellan? Do you want to do the honors, or should I ask one of the others?”
    “Sod off.”
    Con chuckled and faced the window. “Look to the sky, Denae.”
    A second later, Kellan caught a glimpse of deep red scales. Guy.
    Denae took one step back, her hand over her mouth, before she moved closer to the window, watching how Guy soared through the air and clouds. Her face held a dose of disbelief, a dollop of confusion, a touch of fear, and a trace of excitement.
    Kellan wondered which would win out. He had seen humans terrified of them, while others hadn’t been able to get close enough.
    Denae was practical, realistic. She would probably never fully accept what she was seeing.
    “Dragons,” Denae whispered, fear making her voice shake. “That was a dragon. A very large dragon.”
    Con turned from the window and walked to the door, his eyes briefly locking with Kellan’s. “That’s right, Miss Lacroix. Now you know our secret.”
    Kellan watched Con leave the room. Con was leaving him to answer any of Denae’s questions, as if that would make her trust him more—or make him forget about the life he took.
    His head swung around to Denae. She was watching Guy with wide, bright eyes. One hand was on the window as she strained her head to follow his path. She looked like she was enjoying the show Guy put on.
    But he knew how duplicitous humans could be.
    “It’s frighteningly beautiful,” Denae said. “Is it the only one here? Is that what I was bait for?” She looked over her shoulder at him. “Will he eat me?”
    “Nay. Aye. Nay.”
    She faced him, her eyes shining with wonder. “That was amazing. It never entered my mind that dragons could exist. There’s been no video, no blogs, nothing about Dreagan.”
    “We like our privacy.”
    “That’s what MI5 must be after. The world can’t know you have a dragon. Wait.” She blinked and then frowned. “You said nay to my first question. That means…”
    “There are more.”
    She took several breaths as she contemplated him. “Con asked you to do the honors. Are you … are you a dragon?”
    He could lie. She would never